Quote:
Originally Posted by pw0n
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnung
I've been at this a year and a half and I'm a meticulous nut job when it comes to researching the hell out of stuff. I've got detailed posts on all of your categories if you want to look them up so I'm just going to give you my recommendations.
1) Tons written about this that you can look up. Bottom line is that BMW builds their engines to handle a lot more boost and has safeguard systems in place that tuners stay within to keep engines healthy. Only common weak point are cheap plastic charge pipes that break even with stock tunes.
2) Stock Bosch plugs and gap are fine for Stage1 tune, just change them every 30k instead of 60k. Don't worry about why. If techs who work on these engines every day say to do it then do it. Always cheap insurance on an expensive engine.
Stage2 tune requires colder plug and smaller gap for boost levels. Bosch plugs are brittle and break when gapped down. Colder NGKs such as 97506 for N55 Engine gapped down to 0.020" to 0.022". Need a motorcycle gap gauge that goes that small from Snap-On (free shipping online). Order BMW spark plug socket from eBay/China for $3-$4 Arrives 3 weeks. Change NGKs every 20k miles.
Change oil every 3k-5k miles. Most important thing is to use a BMW LongLife-01 certified oil on the fine print on back of oil container. Never use LL-04, that's for European high sulfur content gasoline. I use Castrol European Formula 0W-40 because it's cheap and available. $25/5qt jug at Walmart. N55 takes 6.9 Quarts. Mann filter kits with the two o rings and washer are $8-$9 on Amazon and elsewhere. Black metal oil housing wrench is in almost every auto parts store for $4, only they are marked 86mm for Volvo. Fits BMW perfectly. Get a Dimple magnetic oil drain plug for about $35. Cheap insurance!
Lots of different opinions on changing auto transmission fluid that you can read. If/when I change mine I will use a ZF pan/filter for $150. Not paying double for BMW name on it. Will use ZF fluid too.
3) No correlation between tune on oil gasket leak. Just keep an eye out for any oil on front of engine and change gasket immediately
4) Read posts from Mike at X-PH on intercoolers. He's a guru. FMIC size is a related factor but it's really the quickness of the airflow through the intercooler and its ability to maintain the intake/boost pressure that prevents turbo lag. 90+% of the aftermarket intercoolers are heavy cheap units with bar & plate design. They work great in constant high rev environments like the racetrack because the revs don't come down.
BMW uses a light weight stock intercooler that is a tube & fin design which is much faster flow so it keeps boost pressure up to keep turbo lag at a minimum for daily driving like starting from a dead stop when light turns green, changing lanes in traffic and merging on highways. Only the stock intercooler is sized for stock boost so after multiple Stage1 green light runs heat soak/high intake temperature can occur and the BMW failsafe engine measures kick in to reign in your acceleration. You realize how much heat soak you had before, after installing a FMIC.
The Wagner Competition series (Comp EVO1 and Comp EVO2) are the only tube & fin aftermarket FMICs that I know of. I'm running a Wagner Competition EVO1 for the least turbo lag on a Stage2 BM3 daily driver. Larger Competition EVO2 is often purchased by guys intending to track or to eventually upgrade to a larger turbo.
5) If you are doing catted DP, CP and FMIC then just install BootMod3 Stage2 for whatever wastegate and local 91/93 octane gas you have available. No reason not to. I just upgraded to the latest revision of BootMod3 Stage2 N55 EWG 93 Octane with the new automatic transmission tune. It's smooth and powerful. Car has never run better.
Quality and fitment is everything with these aftermarket parts otherwise it's either a giant headache to install or expensive to troubleshoot nagging problems caused by leaks. If you are going to buy a bunch of these parts at once call Mike at X-PH. He stocks everything and will work out the best price for you. Extremely knowledgeable and has given me the consistently best advice based on the needs that I've expressed to him.
Here are my recommendations to you:
Evolution Raceworks Charge Pipe (change o-rings at each end) best quality and fitment!
Wagner Competition FMIC (change O-rings at input and output and install in correct direction or you'll get air leaks)
Best catted downpipes in order are below. I'd get one of those three. Change crush washer at top of DP and clamp at bottom. Top clamp is usually reusable but I'd buy one to have on hand and return if not used. Bolt to connect to car's mounting bracket is built-in to stock DP. So buy an assortment of stainless steel bolts, nuts, washers and lock washers from Lowe's/HomeDepot. Some of the sizes used may have been M8-1.25 20mm-25mm long. See photo.
Catted Downpipes
1)Fabspeed
2)Wagner
3)Evolution Raceworks
Fabspeed uses HJS cats-best in the world. Guaranteed no Check Engine Lights and has 93% of the performance of catless DP. I live in a tough emissions state and easily justified higher cost after reading how much NJ/NY guys were spending on labor to deinstall/ reinstall DPs every year to pass emissions. Don't need that annual hassle either.
Plus the Fabspeed catted Downpipe sounds amazing with the M Performance exhaust!
Bryan at Kies Motorsports is a great NJ guy who makes incredible how-to videos! Can't go wrong there!
Hope this helps!
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Many thanks johnung - appreciate the time and effort you put into this post!
Quick question regarding spark plugs on Stage 1 vs Stage 2, I was hoping to switch between the two Stages (is this even advisable?) for when I want the extra power. I daily commute the car (~50mi / day) and traffic isn't the prettiest in Seattle, so I figured Stage 2 would be overkill for every day needs. Anyways, can I run Stage 2 using Bosch plugs, and conversely, can I run Stage 1 using NGKs?
Also, appreciate the little extra details you provided - I do my own oil changes and had no idea about those dimple magnetic drain plugs. Good stuff!
EDIT: ALSO, do torque values matter when installing FBO parts? |
Glad you found it helpful. I like to take the time to pass on what I've learned and I appreciate what others have taught me.
You're kinda over thinking this Stage1/ Stage2 stuff. I commuted for many years everyday on the Schuylkill Expressway, an infamous name that will draw a reaction from anyone who knows Philadelphia. So I get it about your commute. Our car is full blown Stage2 at this point. When it's in Comfort mode and you are stuck in bumper to bumper you won't feel any difference from what you have now. Unless you absolutely floor it.
Sport mode feels perfect. The gas pedal response is much quicker and the car is like a cat, always ready to go. My wife and I just took a four hour round trip that had everything from 80mph turnpike, to winding country roads to dreaded bumper to bumper. It was as simple as driving in Comfort mode when in any kind of traffic to flipping the switch to Sport when things opened up. We really love this car!
I asked the same spark plug question back when my Fabspeed downpipe was being installed and I wanted to flash Stage2 before I'd have a chance to upgrade the plugs. Everyone told me to relax, that I wouldn't break anything running either plug with either tune.
Now I'm running BM3 Stage2 N55 EWG with NGK 97506 gapped down to 0.022". That model of NGK plug was on international backorder recently. Not sure if they are available yet. I was paying $14/plug.
I've been using an ECS magnetic plug for my oil for over a year because the Dimple magnetic plugs were so much more expensive. But I got a Dimple for my LSD and it seems like it's much more powerful. The LSD doesn't have a drain hole, just a fill hole. But any metal particles that slosh by, that Dimple will grab. I'm going switch my oil plug to a Dimple too. Also will be getting Dimples for any other fluids as I change them- front diff, transmission, transfer case.
Upgrading to an aFe Pro Dry drop-in airfilter for about $75 is a good idea. Engine will breathe better & get a slight power increase. It's a lifetime filter that's easily washed with dish soap and warm water. Save the original filter to pop in for a day while the aFe air dries.
Whenever you next replace your brake fluid (at least every two years) upgrade your rubber brake hoses to stainless steel brake lines. StopTech's are $106/ set of four. Much more solid brake pedal feel, a big improvement.
Torque values are absolutely critical especially on a finely engineered machine like BMW. There are probably areas on Bimmerpost that have torque values listed. And the owners manual has many. I'd suggest getting a Bentley shop manual if you are doing your own wrenching. They aren't cheap anymore but you can grab one on sale if you look around. I bought one and I refer to it all the time. It's a great resource that contains a lot of BMW and model specific information that I wouldn't know otherwise.
Have fun!