135i Turbo Engine (N54 / N55) *General Questions Thread*

[oman135]

i contacted member ar design but he didnt not replay yet !

[oman135]

bryce if u had choose to buy 1 of these exhausts which 1 u will buy ?
1- cp-e cat-back ( axle + mid)
2- Mesiterchaft GT axle back
the price is very similar

[bryce]

Originally Posted by oman135

bryce if u had choose to buy 1 of these exhausts which 1 u will buy ?
1- cp-e cat-back ( axle + mid)
2- Mesiterchaft GT axle back
the price is very similar

well, the cp-e is a catback, so you'd be getting more for your money. plus, i think it'd provide higher power gains than the axle back from meisterchaft

[oman135]

Originally Posted by bryce

well, the cp-e is a catback, so you'd be getting more for your money. plus, i think it'd provide higher power gains than the axle back from meisterchaft

yap thats right (y)
unfortunately no 1 replayed from cp-e ! mike @ n54 tuning said that it might not fit the n55. if not then am getting berk mids + AA axle

[oman135]

any1 installed Maddad street axle back on the N55 ?
I think it will fit right ?

[Impervious]

Anyone have a link with dyno sheets of a stock N54?

[OneThreeFive]

Originally Posted by Impervious

Anyone have a link with dyno sheets of a stock N54?

A good place to start is Cobb's dyno page since they currently only support N54 and the stage 1 targets a stock car. http://www.accessecu.com/dyno/

Also, here is a link to the search results for thread titles with "stock dyno" http://www.1addicts.com/forums/searc...rchid=15708362

[chachacha28]

Im considering swapping out my stock midpipes. I have 3" catless dp's in the mail, and i was wondering how much of a bottleneck the stock midpipes would be. also, would it be better to run dual 2.5" mids, or a single 3"? 2.5's would flow better, but they would also weigh more. 3's would probably be cheaper, but have less clearance. would it be better to run an x-pipe in the mids if i went 2.5?

thanks!

[bryce]

Originally Posted by ezeedee

Im considering swapping out my stock midpipes. I have 3" catless dp's in the mail, and i was wondering how much of a bottleneck the stock midpipes would be. also, would it be better to run dual 2.5" mids, or a single 3"? 2.5's would flow better, but they would also weigh more. 3's would probably be cheaper, but have less clearance. would it be better to run an x-pipe in the mids if i went 2.5?

thanks!

downpipes are the main restriction in the stock exhaust. catless midpipes will add slightly more power, however. i preferred the stock exhaust w/ 3" catless dp's when i had a 135i. the sound, performance, and power levels were more than agreeable in my opinion.

[MrBlonde]

Originally Posted by Impervious

Anyone have a link with dyno sheets of a stock N54?

Click on the last link in my sig and find the post with a dynosheet for stock N54 in my 135.

[Yogijet]

Bryce, I see nobody has fed you any questions in almost 2 weeks which is just wrong, lol. Anyway, I have the BMW performance exhaust on my N54 135i which I love as the sound is great throughout the rev range. Planning to do a catless downpipe, and wonder which you would recommend. Does using one that is not thermal coated result in a extra heat transfer into the passenger compartment? I think I heard that but not tech savvy enough to know whether or not it's true. Also, what would be possible downsides and how would one avoid them, for example, preventing the throwing of codes, with catless dps? I see where you mentioned using a BMS DPFix. What's that and how does it work? I think on my system, the 2 secondary cats were removed so the only set I have currently would be those in the downpipes. How much hp/tq gain could I expect with the catless dps you recommend? What can I expect from the sound? Super loud? Don't mind loud really as most of my driving is done at night when I leave the office late . I don't have any other power-mod plans for the moment except for the BMW PPK in a few months. Do you think there would be any issues with the catless dps? I'm thinking no but want to hear from an expert. BMW PS and Quaife LSD (the cheap one - mine's a step - left knee injury) are on their way in a few weeks. Thanks a mil for this thread Bryce and hope 2011 has been good to you so far. I know I've asked a lotta noobie and neo-p questions but bear with me. By the way, the scariest thing for me in reading the thread is the extra soot inside the car! Real concern?

[bryce]

Originally Posted by Yogijet

Bryce, I see nobody has fed you any questions in almost 2 weeks which is just wrong, lol. Anyway, I have the BMW performance exhaust on my N54 135i which I love as the sound is great throughout the rev range. Planning to do a catless downpipe, and wonder which you would recommend. Does using one that is not thermal coated result in a extra heat transfer into the passenger compartment? I think I heard that but not tech savvy enough to know whether or not it's true. Also, what would be possible downsides and how would one avoid them, for example, preventing the throwing of codes, with catless dps? I see where you mentioned using a BMS DPFix. What's that and how does it work? I think on my system, the 2 secondary cats were removed so the only set I have currently would be those in the downpipes. How much hp/tq gain could I expect with the catless dps you recommend? What can I expect from the sound? Super loud? Don't mind loud really as most of my driving is done at night when I leave the office late . I don't have any other power-mod plans for the moment except for the BMW PPK in a few months. Do you think there would be any issues with the catless dps? I'm thinking no but want to hear from an expert. BMW PS and Quaife LSD (the cheap one - mine's a step - left knee injury) are on their way in a few weeks. Thanks a mil for this thread Bryce and 2011 has been good to you so far. I know I've asked a lotta noobie and neo-p questions but bear with me. By the way, the scariest thing for me in reading the thread is the extra soot inside the car! Real concern?

well, i ran AR design downpipes on my 135i. they fit really nicely, and they were thermal coated from jet-hot. after reading some detailed info about the difference between 2.5" and 3" downpipes, i don't think it's that necessary to pay 2-3 times more money for 3" downpipes. you're not going to lose more than 5-10 whp on 2.5" downpipes, and it might even be less of a difference than that. shiv w/ vishnu recently said it makes no difference if you run 2- 2.5" or 2- 3" downpipes, in the 400-500whp levels.

i like vk downpipes, if you can find a set, since they're no longer made. they're inexpensive, fit nicely, have a beefy construction (flanges, etc) so they're going to last. the bms downpipe fix gets hard-wired into the ecu subconnectors. it basically prevents the service engine light from coming on, because of the deleted cat convertors. with the procede and jb4, that's now integrated into the piggyback, so there's no need for the dpfix. if you're running the stock ecu, or a flash, you'll need the dpfix. i think cobb will eventually support code suppression, which will be essentially the same thing (you can pass emissions, no SES light, etc).

the noise level is higher with catless dp's, but not obtrussive at all. i loved the way they sounded with the stock exhaust. quiet during everyday driving, gurggle sounds on letting off the gas, the turbo swoosh was definitely more audible. it sounded beautiful in the upper rpm range, too....

if you're tuned, expect upwards of 30+ whp/tq. the great thing about downpipes is that you can run significantly more boost, safely, so the potential for more power is there. procede map 2 and jb3/4 higher maps are possible with the catless downpipes. the bmw ppk should work fine with dp's, but you'll get much more bang for the buck with a procede, jb4, or cobb tune. no extra soot because of catless dp's, it's barely noticeable if you stand behind the car with the engine running. you may have to clean your exhaust tips a little more often, that's about it

[Yogijet]

Originally Posted by bryce

well, i ran AR design downpipes on my 135i. they fit really nicely, and they were thermal coated from jet-hot. after reading some detailed info about the difference between 2.5" and 3" downpipes, i don't think it's that necessary to pay 2-3 times more money for 3" downpipes. you're not going to lose more than 5-10 whp on 2.5" downpipes, and it might even be less of a difference than that. shiv w/ vishnu recently said it makes no difference if you run 2- 2.5" or 2- 3" downpipes, in the 400-500whp levels.

i like vk downpipes, if you can find a set, since they're no longer made. they're inexpensive, fit nicely, have a beefy construction (flanges, etc) so they're going to last. the bms downpipe fix gets hard-wired into the ecu subconnectors. it basically prevents the service engine light from coming on, because of the deleted cat convertors. with the procede and jb4, that's now integrated into the piggyback, so there's no need for the dpfix. if you're running the stock ecu, or a flash, you'll need the dpfix. i think cobb will eventually support code suppression, which will be essentially the same thing (you can pass emissions, no SES light, etc).

the noise level is higher with catless dp's, but not obtrussive at all. i loved the way they sounded with the stock exhaust. quiet during everyday driving, gurggle sounds on letting off the gas, the turbo swoosh was definitely more audible. it sounded beautiful in the upper rpm range, too....

if you're tuned, expect upwards of 30+ whp/tq. the great thing about downpipes is that you can run significantly more boost, safely, so the potential for more power is there. procede map 2 and jb3/4 higher maps are possible with the catless downpipes. the bmw ppk should work fine with dp's, but you'll get much more bang for the buck with a procede, jb4, or cobb tune. no extra soot because of catless dp's, it's barely noticeable if you stand behind the car with the engine running. you may have to clean your exhaust tips a little more often, that's about it

Purrfect! Thanks Bryce.

[onesick]

As someone who previously owned a VW GTI 1.8T.... I was familiar with the order process of modifications. You would usually start out with the boost gauge, diverter valve, intake, J valve, turboback exhaust, etc... I got my 135i about a year ago, and I've gotten a couple cosmetic mods... but I'm starting to get the itch to do engine mods. For someone starting out what would you recommend as the top 5 engine mods to start out with.

[bryce]

Originally Posted by onesick

As someone who previously owned a VW GTI 1.8T.... I was familiar with the order process of modifications. You would usually start out with the boost gauge, diverter valve, intake, J valve, turboback exhaust, etc... I got my 135i about a year ago, and I've gotten a couple cosmetic mods... but I'm starting to get the itch to do engine mods. For someone starting out what would you recommend as the top 5 engine mods to start out with.

in my opinion, it's simple: 3 basic parts, around 400whp/wtq:

*upgraded FMIC
*catless downpipes
*tune (vishnu or cobb preferrably, they're safer and offer more complete engine tuning)



exhausts and intakes don't necessarily have to be added to get that power level. they also add significantly higher engine/exhaust noise, so if you prefer a sleeper that can murder most cars on the road, stick with the above three parts. intakes can lower the wastegate duty cycle, but at the expense of throttle response. exhausts can free up maybe 10-15 more whp, but the stock downpipes are the main restriction.

[onesick]

Originally Posted by bryce

in my opinion, it's simple: 3 basic parts, around 400whp/wtq:

*upgraded FMIC
*catless downpipes
*tune (vishnu or cobb preferrably, they're safer and offer more complete engine tuning)



exhausts and intakes don't necessarily have to be added to get that power level. they also add significantly higher engine/exhaust noise, so if you prefer a sleeper that can murder most cars on the road, stick with the above three parts. intakes can lower the wastegate duty cycle, but at the expense of throttle response. exhausts can free up maybe 10-15 more whp, but the stock downpipes are the main restriction.

Thanks, man. Definitely appreciate it, as when I was starting with my VW... I knew absolutely nothing and gained a ton of knowledge by going on forums and doing research on different products and people's experiences with them.

When I first checked into tunes about a year ago before I got the car.... I read that the JB tune was one of the more aggressive tunes. I see that the Cobb tune is fairly newer? I'm not that familiar with Vishnu and Cobb. I just know that they were popular manufacturers in the WRX/EVO community. How do they compare to the JB tune?

[MrBlonde]

Originally Posted by onesick

As someone who previously owned a VW GTI 1.8T.... I was familiar with the order process of modifications. You would usually start out with the boost gauge, diverter valve, intake, J valve, turboback exhaust, etc... I got my 135i about a year ago, and I've gotten a couple cosmetic mods... but I'm starting to get the itch to do engine mods. For someone starting out what would you recommend as the top 5 engine mods to start out with.

1. Tune
2. Downpipes
3. Methanol kit

Click on the link in my sig for details of my project with dynosheets.

[bryce]

Originally Posted by onesick

Thanks, man. Definitely appreciate it, as when I was starting with my VW... I knew absolutely nothing and gained a ton of knowledge by going on forums and doing research on different products and people's experiences with them.

When I first checked into tunes about a year ago before I got the car.... I read that the JB tune was one of the more aggressive tunes. I see that the Cobb tune is fairly newer? I'm not that familiar with Vishnu and Cobb. I just know that they were popular manufacturers in the WRX/EVO community. How do they compare to the JB tune?

the juicebox is pretty aggressive and offers no timing control. they just came out with a lego-block CPS add-on to the JB4, since people were realizing how inconsistant the jb4 was in regards to timing.

cobb is the easiest to install/uninstall and it's pretty awesome for just stage I maps so far. when stage II maps and custom tune ability are released, it could be ridiculous. vishnu procede is the best piggyback, it has features like traction control and wastegate compensation, plus a naturally aspirated mode for better gas mileage.

i've run the jb3, jb4, and procede and there's really no comparrisson, procede with 1-21 maps or newer.

i want to try the cobb out, but i'm going to make sure they release things like the downpipe fix, wastegate control, etc first

[bryce]

Originally Posted by MrBlonde

1. Tune
2. Downpipes
3. Methanol kit

Click on the link in my sig for details of my project with dynosheets.

i'd personally want an intercooler rather than meth; far less maintenance involved and it's more consistant. meth is great, don't get me wrong, it's just less reliable than a bolt-on front mount

[chachacha28]

Originally Posted by bryce

i'd personally want an intercooler rather than meth; far less maintenance involved and it's more consistant. meth is great, don't get me wrong, it's just less reliable than a bolt-on front mount

x2. i prefer an always mod over a sometimes mod.

i also like my teeth, so meth is a no-go for me.

[onefast1]

Hey bryce,

Thanks for all the valuable insight on n54 engine tuning... What car are you driving now? If you don't mind me asking, why the switch from the 135i?

[matt]

Does the performance exhaust from the n54 fit on the n55?