[F30Younnie]

Hey everyone!

(Added links to everything at the bottom of the post)

Car: 2015 BMW 335i XDrive - 135k miles

First time BMW owner (pretty comfortable with mechanic work just on JDM cars) here looking for some advice and opinions on somethings I am about to embark on.

My goal with the car is about 400 - 420 WHP daily driver, with an occasional autocross day spread into the mix in the summer time.

So I recently bought the car, owned it since 118k miles, I do oil changes pretty frequently at around 3k mile intervals. I do air filters at about 6k mile intervals (every two oil changes). I treat the car as best as possible, no start stop, eco pro until at least 170 - 200 degrees almost always etc.

I know that my oil pan gasket needs replacement, as well as my OFHG. These I am both planning to do within a month or so once I have a bit of free time.

The questions that I have are the following:
If I am already changing my oil pan gasket should I also tackle my rod bearings at the same time?

If I am doing that is there any recommendations? I hear the VAC ones are really good but they are MUCH more expensive than the KING or ACL ones. I don’t really know the difference or the impact of the different ones so I am wondering if anyone has any input on these?

Another question that I have is regarding an oil sump baffle. I know that people with F30 RWD cars utilize the S55 oil pan or they add one of those MMX oil sump baffles. Since I am XDrive neither of those options work for me. I did find one from Europe offered by a company called RevMatch, that seems to be compatible with the XDrive oil pan.

Has anyone had experience with this part or any input on it? It seems like it would work and looks pretty solid but I would love some first hand experience.

Lastly, once all these maintenance items are complete. I would like to start modifying the car for performance. This is the order which I will be modifying:
Aluminum Charge Pipe
5in Front Mount Intercooler
Downpipe (Ideally Hi flow Cat)
Exhaust system
NGK Spark Plugs
Fresh Coil packs
MHD or BM3 Tune
Some transmission XHP tune of sorts (not sure)

Question I have about this part is will the following mods listed above be reliable for 400 - 420 WHP? Which tuning company should I go for? I have never tuned a car I am coming from Lexus V8’s

Is there anything I am missing? Is there any “While I am there” maintenance I am forgetting?

Links:

N55 Drive Oil Sump Baffle: https://revmatch.eu/product/oil-sump...or-n55-xdrive/

VAC Bearings: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-vac-moto...saAgQ9EALw_wcB

ACL Bearings: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-acl-part...YaAjT8EALw_wcB

KING Bearings: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-king-par...YaAm0eEALw_wcB

[thejeremyman9]

Get a bigger IC, such as VRSF or MAD race. I had the 5'' and eventually went to the race.

Stick to stock bosch plugs at stock gap.

Yes, get XHP trans tune.

[SlumpLord3000]

I swear this is a bot. I've seen the same thing asked 2x on Reddit under name Crackedfreak.

Edit 1:
Doing this on 135k mile car, you want to pressure test each cylinder and drop a camera in each cylinder to look for wear to see if it's even worth it.

If it's worth it, oil pan gasket requires you to drop the subframe and there's a lot while you're in there things you can do.
Oil Baffle is a good find. Bearings choice don't matter much as long as the technician knows what they are doing. They need to check tolerances, need to use assembly lube, new rod bolts. After oil pan gasket and OFHG, they need to prime the engine before starting. Then do an oil change to get rid of assembly lube and any metal shavings.
While you're in there you can do Turbo(Pure 500/750) with new oil lines, DV(Turbosmart), Engine mounts(034), Front & rear sway bars (034), VAC motorsports front control arms.

The cars should've had it's 2nd transmission, transfer case, front & rear differential fluid change by now. If not, recommend you do it.

Then you're looking at software BM3 or MHD for DME and xHP for TCU.

Then you can do FMIC, Charge & boost pipe, intake, tubro inlet, downpipe and Tune DME to stage 2.

Then Oil Catch Can, HPFP, EKPM upgrade, LPFP. You can Tune DME to Stage 2+ after HPFP and get custom tune after everything else. You'll want to clean intake valves while doing HPFP.

Also highly recommended to use 0w-40 or 05w-40 LL01 oil after stage 2.

Edit 2:

For exhaust at least 3.5 inch diameter to 4 inch will yield some whp.

For autocross, you would want new rims with tires to easily swap. Michelin PS 4 summer for autocross, Michelin PS 4 All season for daily, Costco has good deal on those.
Bucket seats, coilovers, LSD, steering wheel with paddle shifters.

[F30Younnie]

Originally Posted by SlumpLord3000

I swear this is a bot. I've seen the same thing asked 2x on Reddit.

I posted on two BMW subreddits LOL. I am just trying to get some info before I open stuff up and can have all the parts on hand. I promise I’m not a bot haha

[johnung]

Originally Posted by F30Younnie

Hey everyone!

(Added links to everything at the bottom of the post)

Car: 2015 BMW 335i XDrive - 135k miles

First time BMW owner (pretty comfortable with mechanic work just on JDM cars) here looking for some advice and opinions on somethings I am about to embark on.

My goal with the car is about 400 - 420 WHP daily driver, with an occasional autocross day spread into the mix in the summer time.

So I recently bought the car, owned it since 118k miles, I do oil changes pretty frequently at around 3k mile intervals. I do air filters at about 6k mile intervals (every two oil changes). I treat the car as best as possible, no start stop, eco pro until at least 170 - 200 degrees almost always etc.

I know that my oil pan gasket needs replacement, as well as my OFHG. These I am both planning to do within a month or so once I have a bit of free time.

The questions that I have are the following:
If I am already changing my oil pan gasket should I also tackle my rod bearings at the same time?

If I am doing that is there any recommendations? I hear the VAC ones are really good but they are MUCH more expensive than the KING or ACL ones. I don’t really know the difference or the impact of the different ones so I am wondering if anyone has any input on these?

Another question that I have is regarding an oil sump baffle. I know that people with F30 RWD cars utilize the S55 oil pan or they add one of those MMX oil sump baffles. Since I am XDrive neither of those options work for me. I did find one from Europe offered by a company called RevMatch, that [...]

You have very worthwhile project. You can definitely accomplish a reliable car in the 400-420whp range. I have the identical car and spent years carefully modding it through every step up to 500whp now. I’ll be happy to share my opinions.

I spotted an emergency situation in your description that should be fixed immediately. Also below are a few other maintenance items that are easily replaced at the same time. You’ll see the labor overlap when you watch the installation videos.

What jumped out at me was when you said that your OFHG is leaking. You need to fix that immediately. It can instantly snowball into a known problem that will seize your engine. The short version is that the oily belt will slip off, hit a pinch point that shreds it, belt shards instantly blow past the Front crankshaft seal which snaps back in place leaving no sign. Gravity moves the shards into the oil pan. Then in a minute, days, weeks or months then the shards block the oil pickup tube which starves the bearings & ruins the engine.

So replace the OFHG immediately. See video. It also shows an option to install a Mosselman oil thermostat at the same time. I recommend it but it’s not required.

N55’s can typically get oil temperatures up over 250°Fahrenheit. When they get over 260°F. it becomes a problem. The Mosselman keeps my oil temperature between 200-245°F no matter how hard I run it.

FYI- that’s my car in this OFHG/Mosselman installation video.

Do the belt/pulley/tensioner kit at the same time, along with a VAC Seal Guard. See videos.

Tensioner Kit Installation

Seal Guard Installation

To protect your engine, install a VAC Motorsports Seal Guard. It’s by far the best one. It keeps belt shards from getting into your engine. It is cheap insurance versus replacing an $8,000+ engine.

Link to VAC Motorsports Seal Guard
https://store.vacmotorsports.com/mob...u0wAsfBPduwK06

I’ll address the other items in your post in a separate reply.

Hope this helps!

[johnung]

Originally Posted by F30Younnie

Hey everyone!

(Added links to everything at the bottom of the post)

Car: 2015 BMW 335i XDrive - 135k miles

First time BMW owner (pretty comfortable with mechanic work just on JDM cars) here looking for some advice and opinions on somethings I am about to embark on.

My goal with the car is about 400 - 420 WHP daily driver, with an occasional autocross day spread into the mix in the summer time.

So I recently bought the car, owned it since 118k miles, I do oil changes pretty frequently at around 3k mile intervals. I do air filters at about 6k mile intervals (every two oil changes). I treat the car as best as possible, no start stop, eco pro until at least 170 - 200 degrees almost always etc.

I know that my oil pan gasket needs replacement, as well as my OFHG. These I am both planning to do within a month or so once I have a bit of free time.

The questions that I have are the following:
If I am already changing my oil pan gasket should I also tackle my rod bearings at the same time?

If I am doing that is there any recommendations? I hear the VAC ones are really good but they are MUCH more expensive than the KING or ACL ones. I don’t really know the difference or the impact of the different ones so I am wondering if anyone has any input on these?

Another question that I have is regarding an oil sump baffle. I know that people with F30 RWD cars utilize the S55 oil pan or they add one of those MMX oil sump baffles. Since I am XDrive neither of those options work for me. I did find one from Europe offered by a company called RevMatch, that [...]

Biggest question is if you plan on only 93 octane? Or do you have an E85 fueling station near where you live or work? NJ only has 3-4 in the entire state but one happens to be close. There are websites that list E85 stations in every state. But call or stop by the stations of interest to confirm.

If so, you have the opportunity to install a FlexFuel Ethanol sensor and a FlexFuel tune. Then you can pump into the tank any ethanol mix that your fueling can handle. The FlexFuel tune will automatically adjust it’s performance to take advantage of the ethanol percentage that it’s receiving.

I use 93 octane during the cold winter, and as high as full E85 in the hot summer. I never touch the FlexFuel tune. It just automatically adjusts to whatever the sensor tells it is in the tank.

No worries, if you intend only 93 octane. Just making sure that you are aware of FlexFuel option.

Don’t keep changing your air filter. Get a high flow aFe Pro Dry filter. It’s washable and reusable for many years. See photo for part number.

IMO don’t waste money on the oil pan baffle. You are unlikely to ever get into a driving situation where it would help. The XDrive oilpan is naturally baffled with a crazy internal shape and a drive shaft going through the middle. See photo. It’s actually the RWD cars that benefit from an oil pan baffle. The RWD oil pan is wide open so more susceptible to g-forces pulling oil from pickup.

Guys who track often add an extra 1/2 to 1 liter of oil to the crankcase which helps.

It’s important to understand how specific the driving circumstances need to be to get the oil to move away from the pickup. These situations have been tested and are well known.

Guys who track on weekends can look at a track layout and know right away if they have a potential issue. The oil starvation problem is caused by a long sustained high speed, left hand curve. Or a very high speed straightaway that forces the driver to stand on the brakes for a tight low speed turn at the end. There are no public roads near me where I could achieve those conditions.

With your mileage and since your target is another 100k miles, if you are dropping the XDrive pan anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to replace the bearings. IMO an OEM type bearing like ACL or King, just wouldn’t be worth it. VAC Coated Bearings are the only bearings that are a significant upgrade. Their frictionless industrial coating works like a non-stick frying pan. It prevents momentary damage from oil starvation. Race teams have used them for 20+ years and get 2x-3x the service life. I installed them on my car when my oil pan gasket leaked.

ECS is a ripoff. They play with pricing ever since they’ve become a big conglomerate. Your link to the ECS/VAC Coated Bearings wants $800. The same thing on the VAC site is $630. The coated bearings are only $450.

Either way new bolts must be purchased because they are single use. The stock single use bolts are about $100. The much more desirable ARP bolts (which aren’t single use) from VAC are $200. But you save $20 by getting them in a kit with the coated bearings.

I’ll create another reply to address other issues.

[eensar636]

N55 stock turbo will not suffice 400 wheel horsepower, 400 crank is possible, wheel not so much