[SimpleJack]

Originally Posted by juliomadara7

Been patiently looking into finally starting to tune my 435i, nothing too crazy just more power and sound.

The plan is:
AA Catless DP
JB4
Injen intake
FMIC (eventually)

Main question I have is; is there any precautions I should take to make sure it's ok to send it. I know you can't just slap bolt-ons on and call it a go, but this seems fairly simple for what I'd like to achieve.

Really any advice/suggestions would be helpful

I just took my stock F36 N55 to Stage 2 last week and added some precautionary stuff to give me piece of mind; and I assure you I am sending it right outta the gate. Charge pipe is a must, and I also swapped the spark plugs out, even though my car only has 23k miles on it. Here are the things I added, and I will say it's a totally different car.

- ER Charge Pipe & Turbo to Intercooler pipe
- ER Competition FMIC
- ER High Flow Catted DP
- BMS Air Intake
- NGK Iridium plugs gapped to 0.022
- Bootmod3 Stage 2 tune

I have no experience with JB4 but BM3 requires a FMIC and DP for Stage 2.

[juliomadara7]

Originally Posted by SimpleJack

I just took my stock F36 N55 to Stage 2 last week and added some precautionary stuff to give me piece of mind; and I assure you I am sending it right outta the gate. Charge pipe is a must, and I also swapped the spark plugs out, even though my car only has 23k miles on it. Here are the things I added, and I will say it's a totally different car.

- ER Charge Pipe & Turbo to Intercooler pipe
- ER Competition FMIC
- ER High Flow Catted DP
- BMS Air Intake
- NGK Iridium plugs gapped to 0.022
- Bootmod3 Stage 2 tune

I have no experience with JB4 but BM3 requires a FMIC and DP for Stage 2.

With BM3 how do you like the OTF tune? Any problems or just weird situations you've had?

[SimpleJack]

Originally Posted by juliomadara7

With BM3 how do you like the OTF tune? Any problems or just weird situations you've had?

Everything has been really solid so far. I will say I was expecting a bit more gain from Stage 1 to Stage 2, but performance gains are still apparent. The most noticeable difference is how fast it is through 2nd and 3rd gear, and how well it keeps the speed past 80 mph.

There is still some stuff to figure out. I get a weird idle for 3 seconds or so after cold start when car has been sitting for a day or two - might have something to do with intake. I do only have like 40-50 miles on the car since the upgrade. I'm also at 5,200ft elevation so not sure how that's impacting performance - probably reducing hp potential.

I'm planning on adding an axelback exhaust -AWE Touring, Turbosmart BOV, Bilstein B16 Damptronic suspension and replacing front strut mounts within the next couple months.

Within the next year I plan on upgrading the HPFP and getting a custom tune. Should be a fun journey.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by SimpleJack

Everything has been really solid so far. I will say I was expecting a bit more gain from Stage 1 to Stage 2, but performance gains are still apparent. The most noticeable difference is how fast it is through 2nd and 3rd gear, and how well it keeps the speed past 80 mph.

There is still some stuff to figure out. I get a weird idle for 3 seconds or so after cold start when car has been sitting for a day or two - might have something to do with intake. I do only have like 40-50 miles on the car since the upgrade. I'm also at 5,200ft elevation so not sure how that's impacting performance - probably reducing hp potential.

I'm planning on adding an axelback exhaust -AWE Touring, Turbosmart BOV, Bilstein B16 Damptronic suspension and replacing front strut mounts within the next couple months.

Within the next year I plan on upgrading the HPFP and getting a custom tune. Should be a fun journey.

FYI a custom tune isn't really going to give you anything more than the new BM3 2+ OTS maps unless you have a unique hardware setup or something.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by juliomadara7

Been patiently looking into finally starting to tune my 435i, nothing too crazy just more power and sound.

The plan is:
AA Catless DP
JB4
Injen intake
FMIC (eventually)

Main question I have is; is there any precautions I should take to make sure it's ok to send it. I know you can't just slap bolt-ons on and call it a go, but this seems fairly simple for what I'd like to achieve.

Really any advice/suggestions would be helpful

Congrats on taking the mod plunge. It's a fun ride! IMO are getting suggestions that are all over the place and out of order. I've modded my N55 EWG over the past three years. Here's what I would suggest in order.

1) aFe Pro Dry air filter. It's a drop-in that will give you a little performance bump without being oiled, which can gunk up your expensive MAF sensor. It's washable and reusable. ~$80.

Also makes it easy to install an M Performance Intake box for <$200, or modify your stock airbox for free to accomplish the same thing. The aFe filter provides the performance bump and the MP intake provides the sound enhancement, without changing the location or conditions around the MAF sensor which causes many of the problems of aftermarket intakes. Ask me for details if interested.

2a) Evolution Racewerks Charge Pipe.
No one makes a better CP than ER. Made in the USA. You will hear good and bad opinions about cheaper overseas made CPs. That's because many have quality control that sucks so fitment is questionable. You don't want to cheap out and get something that doesn't fit perfectly and eventually leaks. Those leaks are expensive to troubleshoot and repair. It will be a hassle and cost much more than any money you may have saved by buying a cheap CP.

It's not mandatory to do this next mod this early, but you can save in labor by doing them together so it makes a lot of sense.

2b) Wagner Competition EVO1 Intercooler.
IMO the best FMIC for tuning an N55 street car. It's perfectly sized to handle cooling up to 400+hp and it uses the same quick flow technology that BMW chose to make the car very drivable without turbo lag.

Caution: You will read an over emphasis on IATs and a fixation with choosing the FMIC with the lowest IATs. That originates from intercooler being chosen that way for tracking. Often parts designed for tracking are good for street use but not in this category. Tracking is a high rev environment where IAT is the primary concern to avoid Heat Soak. That's not the case in daily driving that is low rev with a lot of stop and start. Turbo lag is what most effects a daily driver so it should be the primary concern.

For example, If six intercoolers were being considered, and ALL had the capacity to prevent heat soak for the specific engine configuration. Then IAT would no longer matter for that group under consideration. But many would tell you to choose the one with the lowest IAT. Typically the one with the lowest IAT also has the highest turbo lag.

Many guys will swear that their big heavy intercooler doesn't have turbo lag. It's really that they've just gotten used to it. Engine logs would show that they have big Intake Pressure drops. That causes the delay from when you step on the gas and the power finally comes on- when a light turns green, when you pull out to pass someone or you try to accelerate onto the interstate highway.

The Wagner Competition EVO1 is perfectly sized and uses quick flow technology to prevent both heat soak and turbo lag up to 400+ horsepower. (The Competition EVO2 is the next larger model up for higher HP configurations.)

3) BootMod3 N55 EWG Stage1 tune, either for 91 octane or 93 octane, whichever is readily available in your area. BootMod3 is a smooth powerful factory-like tune from a strong reputable company with excellent tech support, free updates and an enthusiastic helpful user base. It includes a free automatic transmission tune too. BootMod3 installs from your laptop in 15 minutes without ever opening the hood. A $50 multitune pack is all you need from BootMod3 to switch to any other tune to change octane levels or Stages, etc as often as you like.

I originally had a JB tune. It is old technology with a wiring harness that you have to crawl all over your engine and plug in to all of your engine sensors. You are dealing with plastic connectors that aren't meant to be disconnected/reconnected over and over. Connector pins can get bent easily which happened to me. The JB tune felt herky jerky at times, while BootMod3 always feels smooth.

Guys will talk horsepower numbers all the time but they are often meaningless since there are many variables. The statistics to pay attention to are the increases/improvements over stock.

From the BootMod3 website:
N55 EWG Stage1 93 Octane tune
+27% Bhp, +30% torque

From BMW factory data for N55 EWG:
302 Bhp, 295 lb ft torque

So this simple BootMod3 Stage1 flash tune will increase your engine approximately:
Bhp from 302–> 384
Torque from 295–> 384

A Stage1 tune is easily to biggest bang for your mod buck. Best increase for the smallest investment. BootMod3 for the N55 is $595, but it includes as part of the license the ability to transfer once to a different VIN. So when guys sell their car they often remove BootMod3 and flash the car back to stock. Then they can install it on their new BMW, or sell it for the current street price of $300-$350.

Do not listen to the hype about throwing on a catless downpipe and installing Stage2, like you are missing out on something. You are not. With any mod, investigate the pros and cons from every angle before making a decision that's based on your own priorities.

A Stage2 tune is NOT a monster improvement compared to the improvement from stock to Stage1.

BootMod3 N55 EWG 93 Stage1–>Stage2
+6% Bhp, +6% torque

So again based on BMW & BM3 numbers Stage1 to Stage2 increases are:
Bhp from 384–> 402
Torque from 384–> 401

A Stage2 requires a free flow downpipe, either catted or catless, to prevent backpressures from the higher boost levels that could damage the turbo. Catless downpipes are cheaper but they have a horrible gasoline smell not befitting a quality car like a BMW, and they fail emissions in most states.

Emissions: BootMod3 prevents a Check Engine Light from popping up on the dash. But the emissions error is still there and will be found by any state that plugs into the OBD port under the dash.

Catted high performance downpipes prevent the gasoline smell and some use very high quality catalytic converters that guarantee no CEL. Cats come in different quality levels and you can't judge quality by whether a cat has 200 cells or 300 cells etc.

I have a Fabspeed HJS catted downpipe. HJS makes the best cats in the world Fabspeed guarantees no CEL. Fabspeed is also the only catted downpipe that I know of that dyno tested their catted vs catless downpipes and catted came in at 93% of the performance of the empty pipe. The Fabspeed is the most expensive but I justified the cost after much consideration by factoring in buying it during a holiday sale, selling my stock catted downpipe and the money and hassle I would save by not having to swap in/out my stock downpipe in the tough emissions state where I live.

The only other catted downpipe that I know of that guarantees no CEL is the Active Autowerke. There is only a model for the larger 4" N55 EWG downpipe. So it will fit all 435i/ix and 335i/ix built after July 2013. But it won't fit earlier N55 PWG engines that have 3.5" downpipes. I do not know if anyone has ever dyno tested the Active Autowerk catted downpipe to quantify performance.

CONCLUSION:
Based on my experience, I would suggest starting with the mods discussed. Drop-in airfilter, Chargepipe, Intercooler and the BootMod3 Stage1 tune. That will provide you with a big engine performance increase while at the same time being smooth and reliable.

MAINTAINANCE:
Just change your oil every 3k-5k miles, replace spark plugs every 30k miles with stock Bosch plugs using stock gap (0.030") and at least every other oil change, soak your aFe airfilter in warm soapy dish detergent water, rinse thoroughly and allow to air dry while you drive for a day with your original airfilter.

FUTURE MODS:
I already mentioned Stage2 tunes and downpipe options. But really once you start driving and enjoying the Stage1 engine mods, you will have so much more driving fun if you do some handling, suspension, brake mods.

When you replace wear parts like brakes and tires it is so easy to upgrade to aftermarket parts that are a big improvement. Some obvious upgrades are:

Hawk 5.0 brake pads- IMO the best for the street

Fully crossdrilled rotors (not dimpled or slotted which are noisy and don't bite or handle rain like crossdrilled). StopTech makes excellent crossdrilled

Upgraded Tire Size using stock wheels-
for example, stock 225/45-18 to 245/40-18 for best handling. Or 245/45-18 for great handling, best ride comfort and they also reduce some tire/fender gap for a dropped look without any actual drop.

Upgrade from runflats to standard tires-
Runflats with their ultra stiff sidewalls are the cause of half of the BMW harsh ride. My current recommendations are:

All Season- Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4. Many guys like the DSW06 also

Summer- Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, absolutely the best!

Winter- Michelin X-Ice Snow. Terrific on snow, ice, wet. If you live where there is heavy snow, unplowed roads the consider Blizzak WS90. They handle heavy snow great, but are also more noisy

Obviously lots of mods out there to customize your car based on your interests, priorities and budget. Watch Kies Motorsports YouTube channel for tons of mod ideas.

Hope this helps!

[thejeremyman9]

johnung gave all great advice, and while i don't want to turn this into an IC debate thread, i would recommend doing some independent research on ICs to chose one appropriate for your goals. The evo comp 1 is OK for stage 1 but not really stage 2 or 2+ based on all the data i recall seeing. See lots of posts from AmuroRay on ICs.

[AmuroRay]

Do NOT buy a Wagner Evo 1/2 IC -

First, they are close to the worst performing products, and they are priced higher than comparable models. There is no objective data that proves they provide any benefit over similar ICs.

My recommendation is:

Race/Competition use: VRSF RACE and/or WMI
Stage 2: Wagner Evo 3, VRSF Competition, Evolution Raceworks, CFS
Stage 1: I do not recommend buying a 5” IC.

Most of the ICs are similar is cost, the VRSF Competition is the best bang for buck at under $500 and offering performance on par with almost every other core.

No increase in lag for going with a larger core either:


https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1727351 thread on Evo 2 vs Evo 3 - huge size difference and zero increase in lag/drivability



https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1752195 VRSF Competition review, with logs and discussion. This is my recommended Stage 2 intercooler.


I'm not going to make this an IC thread, and overall I would consider most the recommendations here pretty good.

Charge pipe - FTP
Intercooler - see above
Inlet - MST, Pure
Downpipe - Depends on if you want catted or catless.
Tune - BM3, MHD

Also consider the Turbosmart Diverter Valve a it’s on sale now, and it has shown to give more headroom and consistent power than the stock unit.

Intake and exhaust are just noise generators that Lighten the wallet, so look at those last.

[juliomadara7]

Originally Posted by johnung

Congrats on taking the mod plunge. It's a fun ride! IMO are getting suggestions that are all over the place and out of order. I've modded my N55 EWG over the past three years. Here's what I would suggest in order.

1) aFe Pro Dry air filter. It's a drop-in that will give you a little performance bump without being oiled, which can gunk up your expensive MAF sensor. It's washable and reusable. ~$80.

Also makes it easy to install an M Performance Intake box for <$200, or modify your stock airbox for free to accomplish the same thing. The aFe filter provides the performance bump and the MP intake provides the sound enhancement, without changing the location or conditions around the MAF sensor which causes many of the problems of aftermarket intakes. Ask me for details if interested.

2a) Evolution Racewerks Charge Pipe.
No one makes a better CP than ER. Made in the USA. You will hear good and bad opinions about cheaper overseas made CPs. That's because many have quality control that sucks so fitment is questionable. You don't want to cheap out and get something that doesn't fit perfectly and eventually leaks. Those leaks are expensive to troubleshoot and repair. It will be a hassle and cost much more than any money you may have saved by buying a cheap CP.

It's not mandatory to do this next mod this early, but you can save in labor by doing them together so it makes a lot of sense.

2b) Wagner Competition EVO1 Intercooler.
IMO the best FMIC for tuning an N55 street car. It's perfectly sized to handle cooling up to 400+hp and it uses the same quick flow technology that BMW chose to make the car very drivable without turbo lag.

Caution: You will read an over emphasis on IATs and a fixation with choosing the FMIC with the lowest IATs. That originates from intercooler being chosen that way for tracking. Often parts designed for tracking are good for street use but not in this category. Tracking is a high rev environment where IAT is the primary concern to avoid Heat Soak. That's not the case in daily driving that is low rev with a lot of stop and start. Turbo lag is what most effects a daily driver so it should be the primary concern.

For example, If six intercoolers were being considered, and ALL had the capacity to prevent heat soak for the specific engine configuration. Then IAT would no longer matter for that group under consideration. But many would tell you to choose the one with the lowest IAT. Typically the one with the lowest IAT also has the highest turbo lag.

Many guys will swear that their big heavy intercooler doesn't have turbo lag. It's really that they've just gotten used to it. Engine logs would show that they have big Intake Pressure drops. That causes the delay from when you step on the gas and the power finally comes on- when a light turns green, when you pull out to pass someone or you try to accelerate onto the interstate highway.

The Wagner Competition EVO1 is perfectly sized and uses quick flow technology to prevent both heat soak and turbo lag up to 400+ horsepower. (The Competition EVO2 is the next larger model up for higher HP configurations.)

3) BootMod3 N55 EWG Stage1 tune, either for 91 octane or 93 octane, whichever is readily available in your area. BootMod3 is a smooth powerful factory-like tune from a strong reputable company with excellent tech support, free updates and an enthusiastic helpful user base. It includes a free automatic transmission tune too. BootMod3 installs from your laptop in 15 minutes without ever opening the hood. A $50 multitune pack is all you need from BootMod3 to switch to any other tune to change octane levels or Stages, etc as often as you like.

I originally had a JB tune. It is old technology with a wiring harness that you have to crawl all over your engine and plug in to all of your engine sensors. You are dealing with plastic connectors that aren't meant to be disconnected/reconnected over and over. Connector pins can get bent easily which happened to me. The JB tune felt herky jerky at times, while BootMod3 always feels smooth.

Guys will talk horsepower numbers all the time but they are often meaningless since there are many variables. The statistics to pay attention to are the increases/improvements over stock.

From the BootMod3 website:
N55 EWG Stage1 93 Octane tune
+27% Bhp, +30% torque

From BMW factory data for N55 EWG:
302 Bhp, 295 lb ft torque

So this simple BootMod3 Stage1 flash tune will increase your engine approximately:
Bhp from 302–> 384
Torque from 295–> 384

A Stage1 tune is easily to biggest bang for your mod buck. Best increase for the smallest investment. BootMod3 for the N55 is $595, but it includes as part of the license the ability to transfer once to a different VIN. So when guys sell their car they often remove BootMod3 and flash the car back to stock. Then they can install it on their new BMW, or sell it for the current street price of $300-$350.

Do not listen to the hype about throwing on a catless downpipe and installing Stage2, like you are missing out on something. You are not. With any mod, investigate the pros and cons from every angle before making a decision that's based on your own priorities.

A Stage2 tune is NOT a monster improvement compared to the improvement from stock to Stage1.

BootMod3 N55 EWG 93 Stage1–>Stage2
+6% Bhp, +6% torque

So again based on BMW & BM3 numbers Stage1 to Stage2 increases are:
Bhp from 384–> 402
Torque from 384–> 401

A Stage2 requires a free flow downpipe, either catted or catless, to prevent backpressures from the higher boost levels that could damage the turbo. Catless downpipes are cheaper but they have a horrible gasoline smell not befitting a quality car like a BMW, and they fail emissions in most states.

Emissions: BootMod3 prevents a Check Engine Light from popping up on the dash. But the emissions error is still there and will be found by any state that plugs into the OBD port under the dash.

Catted high performance downpipes prevent the gasoline smell and some use very high quality catalytic converters that guarantee no CEL. Cats come in different quality levels and you can't judge quality by whether a cat has 200 cells or 300 cells etc.

I have a Fabspeed HJS catted downpipe. HJS makes the best cats in the world Fabspeed guarantees no CEL. Fabspeed is also the only catted downpipe that I know of that dyno tested their catted vs catless downpipes and catted came in at 93% of the performance of the empty pipe. The Fabspeed is the most expensive but I justified the cost after much consideration by factoring in buying it during a holiday sale, selling my stock catted downpipe and the money and hassle I would save by not having to swap in/out my stock downpipe in the tough emissions state where I live.

The only other catted downpipe that I know of that guarantees no CEL is the Active Autowerke. There is only a model for the larger 4" N55 EWG downpipe. So it will fit all 435i/ix and 335i/ix built after July 2013. But it won't fit earlier N55 PWG engines that have 3.5" downpipes. I do not know if anyone has ever dyno tested the Active Autowerk catted downpipe to quantify performance.

CONCLUSION:
Based on my experience, I would suggest starting with the mods discussed. Drop-in airfilter, Chargepipe, Intercooler and the BootMod3 Stage1 tune. That will provide you with a big engine performance increase while at the same time being smooth and reliable.

MAINTAINANCE:
Just change your oil every 3k-5k miles, replace spark plugs every 30k miles with stock Bosch plugs using stock gap (0.030") and at least every other oil change, soak your aFe airfilter in warm soapy dish detergent water, rinse thoroughly and allow to air dry while you drive for a day with your original airfilter.

FUTURE MODS:
I already mentioned Stage2 tunes and downpipe options. But really once you start driving and enjoying the Stage1 engine mods, you will have so much more driving fun if you do some handling, suspension, brake mods.

When you replace wear parts like brakes and tires it is so easy to upgrade to aftermarket parts that are a big improvement. Some obvious upgrades are:

Hawk 5.0 brake pads- IMO the best for the street

Fully crossdrilled rotors (not dimpled or slotted which are noisy and don't bite or handle rain like crossdrilled). StopTech makes excellent crossdrilled

Upgraded Tire Size using stock wheels-
for example, stock 225/45-18 to 245/40-18 for best handling. Or 245/45-18 for great handling, best ride comfort and they also reduce some tire/fender gap for a dropped look without any actual drop.

Upgrade from runflats to standard tires-
Runflats with their ultra stiff sidewalls are the cause of half of the BMW harsh ride. My current recommendations are:

All Season- Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4. Many guys like the DSW06 also

Summer- Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, absolutely the best!

Winter- Michelin X-Ice Snow. Terrific on snow, ice, wet. If you live where there is heavy snow, unplowed roads the consider Blizzak WS90. They handle heavy snow great, but are also more noisy

Obviously lots of mods out there to customize your car based on your interests, priorities and budget. Watch Kies Motorsports YouTube channel for tons of mod ideas.

Hope this helps!

Can't even explain how much I'll be looking at this over the next few months man, thanks!

I've got the K&N drop-in filter currently installed and just order the Catless DP by Active Autowerke since I've seen they produce no CEL. Next up in CP and FMIC then more than likely BM3, I want to wait until I have e the CP on first before adding everything on.

The talk for FMIC helps quite a bit since there's different answer everywhere, I wasn't aware of the tracking info either.

Appreciate the advice man!

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by juliomadara7

Can't even explain how much I'll be looking at this over the next few months man, thanks!

I've got the K&N drop-in filter currently installed and just order the Catless DP by Active Autowerke since I've seen they produce no CEL. Next up in CP and FMIC then more than likely BM3, I want to wait until I have e the CP on first before adding everything on.

The talk for FMIC helps quite a bit since there's different answer everywhere, I wasn't aware of the tracking info either.

Appreciate the advice man!

Just to confirm, I hope you mean the catted downpipe from AA? The catted DP has the no CEL guarantee and 49-state legal EPA certification for the cat.

A catless DP is a catless DP, and will produce a CEL and not pass emissions.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Just to confirm, I hope you mean the catted downpipe from AA? The catted DP has the no CEL guarantee and 49-state legal EPA certification for the cat.

A catless DP is a catless DP, and will produce a CEL and not pass emissions.

+1 catless will always throw a check engine light no matter which brand you get.

[TheJungatron]

Originally Posted by exE36M3

My 2-cents...

1. Charge pipe
2. FMIC
3. Limited Slip Differential
4. Tune

I know there's a BIG debate online when people talk about the LSD ONLY if you *turn* the car... but it's stupidly amazing how much more power you feel... even pointed straight.

Plus leaving trails of 11's is fine too.

I have an M performance LSD, Charge pipe and BM3 tune. You really feel much more planted with the LSD. Its been a dream in the wet.

[Randy Johnson]

Originally Posted by ozymandias435

The hierarchy of parts installed in my opinion would be

1. Charge pipe
2. FMIC
3. Downpipe
4. Tune
5. Intake if you must purchase one. I would get inlet over intake

Chase

This is all wrong!!!

This is the correct order:

1. Giant Wing
2. Stickers
3. Hot air intake

That should get you at least 100 extra ponies!!!