128i N52B30 with 3 Stage Intake Manifold (330i) - Anyone do try this yet?

[Tom Koh]

Reference earlier posts on the 3 series form (http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...=37444&page=15) - has anyone tried to install one of these 3 stage intake manifolds on their 128i?

Ive read exhaustively on all of the common intake substitutes (Injen, BMW Perf, AFE) and I think this could potentially be better, all things considered.

On another note - I haven't been able to find a dyno or hard data on a solid intake + tune + exhaust setup. I have owned a E90 335i, E82 135i, and currently have an E92 M3. These are great cars but I primarily autocross and none of them are really competitive in their respective classes (D Stock, A Stock). I'm looking at building a 128i STX autocrosser and the jist of it would be:

-Blisten PSS10 or KW v2s (havent decided)
-Intake mod
-AA Tune
-Magnaflow Exhaust
-18x9 lightweight TR1 Motorsports (have these on my M3 now, they are great)
-Dunlop Star Specs 265 square

[wolfe]

This is the most comprehensive 3-stage manifold swap I've seen for the N52:

http://forums.5series.net/topic/1127...1#entry1336485

The short version is that he got pretty close to the 330i n52 numbers, but the power curve was different. Seems that the software tune is the tricky part.

[Bimmer-Bob]

How the heck are you going to fit 265 Star Specs in front? I think they'd even be a tight fit in back, especially lowered.

[JimD]

I have no doubt the 3 stage intake could improve hp some but the part numbers for the exhaust manifolds of the X5 N52 is also different from the part numbers of my 128i N52. If you really wanted maximum hp, I think you would want the 3 stage, plus the X5 exhaust manifold (or aftermarket headers) and probably as much of the exhause sytem as you could afford or justify. Downpipes without catalyst would help too but not be legal, at least in the U. S..

It also seems like having the tuner there while the car was on the dyno is indicated by the results. Running back and forth to fine tune things seems like it would be frustrating.

Jim

[m_thompson]

My 128i came from the factory with a 3 stage intake manifold.

[jaf89f]

i think the hassle of doing this conversion is not worth it, unless you had mod fever. the standard n52 with 230hp is pretty good for this little car.

[AW128i]

Originally Posted by m_thompson

My 128i came from the factory with a 3 stage intake manifold.

So did mine

[AlwayzUnce]

Originally Posted by AW128i

So did mine

wtf really?!

[Riley1524]

I think my 09 came with it also. I need to make sure though

[jaf89f]

I believe the 128i only comes with the three stage if you have the n51 variant which has different compression ratios made for emissions purposes

[Riley1524]

My build date is 09/2008, so I need to dig a little deeper and see what engine I actually have. LOL I never really cared before, but now I'm intrigued

EDIT: I have the N52N, so I'm guessing I have the regular manifold. The part number for the manifold in my car is: 11617559524

[DriveHard]

Originally Posted by AW128i

So did mine

and mine !!

[AW128i]

Originally Posted by AlwayzUnce

wtf really?!

Being that you're in NJ, your car might have the 3-stage manifold, too. All you need to find out is whether your car has the N52 or the N51. If it has the N51 (like my car), then it has the 3-stage manifold.

[Bimmer-Bob]

No offense, but why are you all so excited to have 3-stage intake manifolds? There's more to the high-output N52 than the intake manifold (not least of all the different ECU) and the N51 has a lower compression ratio besides. If anything, the N51 makes less power than the regular N52, but BMW publishes only one set of engine specs so as not to confuse consumers.

[AW128i]

The only people that seem to get excited about the 3-stage manifold on the N51 are the people with the N52 that want the 3-stage manifold. My experience has been that most people think the 3-stage manifold only exists in the HO versions of the N52 and so they're surprised that the N51 has it also.

The N51 does have a slightly different power curve than the N52 with what feels like more mid-range and top-end power. Of course, it could just be that since you can feel the manifold changeover points (3,000 and 5,000 RPM, I think), it's placebo. If you do some research on the N51, you'll find that it's rumored that the N51 actually makes slightly more power than the N52. But since I don't have any proof, that's just a rumor.

[wolfe]

Originally Posted by AW128i

since you can feel the manifold changeover points (3,000 and 5,000 RPM, I think), it's placebo.

That's really interesting to learn - I hated this about my e46 330i which I believe has a 2 stage manifold. It always felt like the car was really sluggish until it switched over, then it'd have a very faint 'hiccup' then pull strongly. The n52 with single stage is nice and smooth the whole way up.

[Tom Koh]

Gents - I didnt want to start the N51/52 conversation - the intent here is to see who has found the best intake + ECU + exhaust setup to make the 128 a couple tenths faster. Based on all of the reading I have done, the 3 stage intake (NOT the one on the N51) is one of the core components that the high output N52s (e.g. 2006 330i E90 Sedan) uses to achieve 255 bhp vice 230 bhp.

JAF89f - Yes, the 128i stock is a pretty great setup, especially for autocross - thanks for posting a comment telling everyone posting comments about this is not worth the hassle.

[1speedbike]

Originally Posted by Tom Koh

Gents - I didnt want to start the N51/52 conversation - the intent here is to see who has found the best intake + ECU + exhaust setup to make the 128 a couple tenths faster. Based on all of the reading I have done, the 3 stage intake (NOT the one on the N51) is one of the core components that the high output N52s (e.g. 2006 330i E90 Sedan) uses to achieve 255 bhp vice 230 bhp.

JAF89f - Yes, the 128i stock is a pretty great setup, especially for autocross - thanks for posting a comment telling everyone posting comments about this is not worth the hassle.

This guy upgraded his 325i (an even more detuned N52) to ~260 hp and ~225 ft lbs (crank, correcting for drivetrain loss, compared to 230 hp and 200 ft lbs). He and has info on the manifold DIY (pretty much the same engine, so it should be similar..) and the 330i intake he used..

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=372973

If you wanna go crazy, you can also go this route. Some guy's 323i put down 291 hp :

http://www.armaspeed.com/eng/goods.php?act=cat&no=27

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368899

[Riley1524]

Originally Posted by 1speedbike

This guy upgraded his 325i (an even more detuned N52) to ~260 hp and ~225 ft lbs (crank, correcting for drivetrain loss, compared to 230 hp and 200 ft lbs). He and has info on the manifold DIY (pretty much the same engine, so it should be similar..) and the 330i intake he used..

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=372973

If you wanna go crazy, you can also go this route. Some guy's 323i put down 291 hp :

http://www.armaspeed.com/eng/goods.php?act=cat&no=27

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368899

Hmmm, pretty cool!!

[Evice]

I think idea is without FI, to see how much we can get out of this puppy. I will be really happy if I can get 130i numbers out of this.

[wolfe]

I wish there was some way to get the factory 130i software on there. Think it's all locked to the VIN.

[jaf89f]

Originally Posted by wolfe

I wish there was some way to get the factory 130i software on there. Think it's all locked to the VIN.

That's what I've read, the difficulty in this process is finding the tuner. I think one of the guys on the 3 series forums went through Active Autowerks.