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      05-06-2013, 08:48 PM   #1
tuj
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new to BMW, just ordered my 135i

Hi all:

I just ordered my 135i. I have some questions I was hoping you all could help me with?

The chassis code for the 135i is the E82, is that correct? And the 135i has the N55 engine? Or the N54 engine? The N55 is a single-turbo, 'twin-scroll'-design, while the N54 actually has two turbos? Is one engine better than the other, particularly in terms of modification?

How many pounds of boost does the engine run? Is it hard to add a boost gauge? I'd really like to know more about what's going on. Is there an overboost in sport mode? I've heard it mentioned that some models had an overboost for 7 seconds in sport mode?

I know the differential is open, but can someone explain what the 'e-diff' is? Is this just the traction control modulating the throttle and controlling the rear brakes? Do you have trouble putting the power down exiting corners? All the sports cars I have had have had some form of limited slip, usually a Torsen. How does the 135 feel with the e-diff; ie. will it slide smoothly into oversteer?

Just how hard is it to put a LSD into the car? I've seen people on the forum have put in Quaffies but I'm curious as to how hard the operation is. It seems like the newer differentials are welded, so maybe not so easy?

After I put several thousand miles on the car and break it in and get used to it, I'll want to mod it. What's the best bang-for-the-buck mod? Tuning? Is that primarily the Cobb?

Sorry if these questions are covered in stickies or other threads; if so, please kindly point me in the right direction.
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      05-06-2013, 09:10 PM   #2
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E82 is the chassis code. N54 is the engine for 2008's till 2010. N54 is best for mods. N55 gets better gas mileage. I'm sure others here will chime in on your other questions.
And welcome to the club. The car is addicting..
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      05-07-2013, 01:35 AM   #3
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^^ Everything the above said. Minus the N54 being better for mods then a N55. I personally see no difference, stock yes there is a little difference. Modded not so much.. as far as my car I've beat every modded/tuned N54 I know. Also the single turbo does save a little more gas and is more reliable. To be honest though I don't notice much of a difference in that either.

I haven't tried a Cobb tune and even though I know a lot of people on these forums have it, not many from where I'm from do. I prefer BMS Jb4 it was about $500, i think a little bit more. Very easy to use, you can set your gas or car temp as your boost gauge. I'm not sure how much boost you get before the tune but with the jb4 I got up to 15 psi.
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      05-07-2013, 06:51 AM   #4
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What's the sizing on the N55 turbo? Ie. I know it's got to be fairly small to spool up so fast, but where does it begin to run out of flow? 350rwhp? 400? Obviously having to upgrade the turbo would be a fairly big expense.

I ordered the "performance exhaust" from BMW. Is this the same exhaust that they are putting on the 135is models when they hit port? Is it worth a few ponies or just a better sound?
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      05-07-2013, 01:54 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuj View Post
...Obviously having to upgrade the turbo would be a fairly big expense...
and you will not likely get out of it what you put into it with a bigger turbo. The software has to be upgraded with a component like that for sure. I suspect that you could get more out of it but the $$$ spent will be out of line. If you are looking to do something like that I would rather spend the money on an ///M
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      05-07-2013, 02:27 PM   #6
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Yes obviously the car would have to be completely remapped for a larger turbo...

So how much hp are people gaining from tuning the stock N55 engine?
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      05-07-2013, 02:27 PM   #7
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The e diff is the computer using the rear breaks to try to even out the resistance to the tire lacking it. Power goes to the place of least resistance with an open dif instead of a dif locking so power is 50/50 to the rear tires. If you are putting the power down out of a corner and your inside wheel only has 20% of the traction you will overcome that 20% easily and spin the inside tire. The e dif applies the break to the rear wheel so your power has to overwhelm both the 20% traction that inner tire as well as the breaking force being applied to that one corner which they hope to get the remaining percentage to 50 so that the inside rear wheel does not end up spinning with the least resistance for the power to go to, which is not very useful. In the above example they want to be able to apply ~30% traction worth of breaking power so that 50% power can go to the outside tire which has the weight on it and traction to allow the power to be useful.

The n55 engine is newer than the n54 and as such does not have as much aftermarket support yet. The n54 seems to have a little more power with FBOthan the n55 which can get to a little under 400 at the wheels but are happier around 370whp but with over 450 lb ft of torque at the wheels and over 400lb for most of the rev range. N54 has a good number of members over 400. The twin turbos have a little more flow for up top but take a bit longer to build the power than the twin scroll single turbo on the n55. To me the difference in transmissions is grater than the difference in engines. The 7speed DCT is so very well matched to the n55. The gearing in the 7 speed is actully shorter than in the 6 speed so you are always where you need to be power wise. I love it in all the traffic I have to drive in. If you see a gap just a flick of the fingers for a downshift or two, point, and shoot. 40-80 mph is just so easy and quick that you can just pass.

I think you will love the car no matter the engine and transmission. They are all so good. BMW made some great decisions when they decided to make the 135i. Enjoy.
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      05-07-2013, 06:02 PM   #8
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ok, I understand the e-diff; it works like I thought. So will the car powerslide into on-throttle over-steer or will it just under-steer?

I did not opt for the DCT; I am an old school driver who likes the interaction and heel-toe shifting and braking techniques. Will the manual leave me wanting? There were only six manual trans. cars in the country when my dealer did his search on 135i's, so apparently not a lot of people are like me any more....

How about suspension setups? I see some people running staggered tire setups and some running M3 front bits. What is the advantage to the M3 front components? More neg. camber?

Thanks to all for helping this BMW-newbie along.
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      05-07-2013, 09:44 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuj View Post
I did not opt for the DCT; I am an old school driver who likes the interaction and heel-toe shifting and braking techniques. Will the manual leave me wanting? There were only six manual trans. cars in the country when my dealer did his search on 135i's, so apparently not a lot of people are like me.
I, too, am a longtime fan of manual...until I drove the DCT. It rev matches for you, so no need to worry about heel-toe shifting. If you plan on this car being your DD, than the DCT is the way to go AND you get the N55, which (not to start a N54 vs N55 debate) seems to be less temperamental than the N54...though they're both great engines. It just depends on your needs.
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      05-07-2013, 11:01 PM   #10
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Welcome, tuj. You'll love the car.
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      05-07-2013, 11:10 PM   #11
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The car will oversteer but it can be a bit inconsistent as there is a little delay for breaking and the 135i suspension bushings allow for some movement. It helps with noise and vibrations but has a little more give then the m3 bushings. We are lucky that BMW was nice enough to build them to the same platform to the point that we can swap in a lot of parts from the M3. In the front people sometimes change to m3 front sway bar, front lower control arms and tension rods. The later parts do add aroun half a degree of negative camber but the feel is a fairly large improvement in my opinion and all are very easy to swap out. In the back everyone raves of the m3 rear subframe bushings. There are four and the 135i OEM units can move a full inch. They are paired to go with run flat tires so when people change tires and or rear spring rate they feel this even more. The M3 ones are relatively cheap but the labor is 6-8 hours and requires dropping the subframe. That is why I have not made that upgrade yet but I do want to. The back end squarms around a little but I don't know how much of that can trully be fixed. Another one that I think will be a good upgrade and is pretty cheap but not as common is the traction arms which are basically a spring bar tuned to be softer with the bushings. You can go with camber links from the M but that requires a decent amout of other modifications including shocks and springs.

As for the transmission, in have driven a manual for many years but have gotten to old or drive in too much traffic. I can heel and toe downshift but not super quick, it requires concentration for me, and don't end up liking to drive the manual as hard because I am worried about wearing the clutch or transmission. I also like the idea that it can shift fast enough to not loose boost between shifts. I miss some of the manual transmission and ability to control the clutch but I also like not having to so I took a chance on my first auto since a civic in high school. So far so good for me.
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      05-08-2013, 12:09 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuj View Post
So how much hp are people gaining from tuning the stock N55 engine?
about up to 60hp to the wheels (80hp crank) on a completely stock car or up to 100hp to the wheels (120hp crank) on a fully modified car.
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      05-08-2013, 09:40 AM   #13
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Quote:
I, too, am a longtime fan of manual...until I drove the DCT
Since my dealer didn't have any manuals on hand, I too drove the DCT version. Honestly, it left me feeling a bit hollow. Sure it shifted really fast and the rev-matching was cool, and I know that paddles and the DCT is faster-shifting than a manual, but there's something about the 'snick-snick' of shifting a manual that just does it for me. I live in a big city and the traffic sucks but honestly I hate automatics. I guess it's just the fact that I've been driving manual cars for 16 years. I actually double-clutch rev-match, so I think that's a little easier on the syncro's.

My car is supposed to arrive on the 24th this month, so I'm excited!

Can anyone tell me about the "performance exhaust" option? Is this the same exhaust that the 135is gets at port?
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      05-08-2013, 10:55 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuj View Post
Since my dealer didn't have any manuals on hand, I too drove the DCT version. Honestly, it left me feeling a bit hollow. Sure it shifted really fast and the rev-matching was cool, and I know that paddles and the DCT is faster-shifting than a manual, but there's something about the 'snick-snick' of shifting a manual that just does it for me. I live in a big city and the traffic sucks but honestly I hate automatics. I guess it's just the fact that I've been driving manual cars for 16 years. I actually double-clutch rev-match, so I think that's a little easier on the syncro's.

My car is supposed to arrive on the 24th this month, so I'm excited!

Can anyone tell me about the "performance exhaust" option? Is this the same exhaust that the 135is gets at port?
Correct, it is the same exhaust as the 135is
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      05-08-2013, 12:26 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuj View Post
Since my dealer didn't have any manuals on hand, I too drove the DCT version. Honestly, it left me feeling a bit hollow. Sure it shifted really fast and the rev-matching was cool, and I know that paddles and the DCT is faster-shifting than a manual, but there's something about the 'snick-snick' of shifting a manual that just does it for me. I live in a big city and the traffic sucks but honestly I hate automatics. I guess it's just the fact that I've been driving manual cars for 16 years. I actually double-clutch rev-match, so I think that's a little easier on the syncro's.
+1

No way could I ever go back to driving an automatic after driving a stick for all these years... The only automatics I drive are rentals, and that's only because they never have any manuals on the lot where I rent.

I need to feel the car when I'm driving.
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      05-08-2013, 05:32 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuj View Post
Since my dealer didn't have any manuals on hand, I too drove the DCT version. Honestly, it left me feeling a bit hollow. Sure it shifted really fast and the rev-matching was cool, and I know that paddles and the DCT is faster-shifting than a manual, but there's something about the 'snick-snick' of shifting a manual that just does it for me. I live in a big city and the traffic sucks but honestly I hate automatics.
DCT isn't an 'automatic', it's a manual with electro-mechanical clutch actuation.

I've owned manual trans cars for 33 years, but I find the DCT is just way better on street and track, and it suits the engine characteristics better as well IMHO.

I love 'old technology' manuals, but have yet to find a modern 6-speed manual I like.
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      05-08-2013, 05:32 PM   #17
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I love my 6MT. Love shifting. It's just part of my brain now. And with the SSK it just flicks through the gears. It's a blast to drive. I don't race it, just have fun on whatever road I'm on. I suppose either is great. But it's a manual for me.
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      05-08-2013, 05:59 PM   #18
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Quote:
I love 'old technology' manuals, but have yet to find a modern 6-speed manual I like.
Have you driven the NC MX-5 Miata? Great transmission.
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      05-08-2013, 06:53 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GeeRam View Post
DCT isn't an 'automatic', it's a manual with electro-mechanical clutch actuation.
Both automatics and DCT's have "electro-mechanical clutches" which use computers to do most of the leg work for you. I consider it a lazy-man's manual tranny, if anything. It's basically an automatic that allows you to control shifting.
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      05-08-2013, 07:38 PM   #20
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No, normal automatics don't have a clutch and no, the 7speed DCT is not a auto that just lets you control shifting. The two clutches allow the transmission to have the next gear selected and ready while still in one gear under power. This allows the engine to maintain boost between shifts which is an advantage. The 7 speeds are also geared shorter than the 6 giving a good amout more flexibility for staying in the power band with a transmission that shift so fast that you can always stay there. I can drive a manual, and can heal and toe downshift but I chose the DCT. The attitude that if you drive a manual car you are in some way suppior to someone who drives a car with a DCT. However, we don't need to start this discussion od manual DCT again.
OP, I am glad you ordered the if I is what you enjoy in your driving experience. the6 speed in the 135i is pretty good and has less to go wrong than the DCT
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Last edited by Clovef; 05-08-2013 at 08:18 PM..
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      05-08-2013, 08:43 PM   #21
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Most cars I have had are manuals in my 46 years of driving. Nothing like setting up for a curve, downshifting, a little tail-spin, hitting the apex, and grabbing the next gear! I now drive an automatic because of left knee surgery, and it will not get any better. Ever stall the car taking off because your knee won't work? I still like driving the stick more but WTF, we get older!
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      05-08-2013, 08:49 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuj View Post
I ordered the "performance exhaust" from BMW. Is this the same exhaust that they are putting on the 135is models when they hit port? Is it worth a few ponies or just a better sound?
Regarding your second question... BMW used to claim 5hp and 3ft-lb, but I notice they no longer quote any numbers on bmwusa.com.

Others have dyno'd it and lost power, see http://www.eurotuner.com/techarticle...mance_exhaust/ for more details.

Personally, I don't care if I lost a little power, the sound is worth it. I've never cared for "aftermarket exhausts", but I love the BMW PE.
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