Im a complete noob that needs mod suggestions

[Joal0503]

Links, products, or direction to some good threads for info would be appreciated!

So bought an 09 135i with around 60k miles a couple years ago. Replaced the turbos (wastegate rattle), HPFP, Water Pump, Valve Cover, and fixed a Rear Diff leak since then. I am not sitting around 85K, and have some questions about modding because I am completely lost on the subject. The only thing I do know...is that I have developed a craving for more powwaaa

First, the mileage that I am at...does it make sense to start modding?

I have gathered that the place Id like to be is somewhere around a "stage 2". The products I am currently looking at:

Cobb accessport for like a stage 2 or 2+ map?
Intake - BMS dual cone
FMIC - Cobb or any other reliable performers?
Charge pipe and downpipes - I have no idea, prices seem to vary a great deal and I am wondering if anyone could explain the price discrepancies - is it performance/reliability related, or are certain companies just able to sell cheaper products?
Anything else I might need?!

I am really lost, there just seems to be so much out there. It seems to come down to personal preference. Just looking for solid performance, that isn't going to necessarily destroy my car.

Another thing...I am not sure about the DIY (0 experience) or taking it into a shop for these modifications. Is cost to have shops do the work outstanding on bolt ons? Can a noob with minimal tools even perform these modifications? Will the shops be able to help me with the accessport? HELP!!

[Neiman Levenson]

go with vrsf for downpipes charge pipe intercooler and bov. MHD for stage 2+ tune. you will be around 400whp.

you can easily tune it yourself with MHD. chargepipe and bov are very easy to install as well. if your a noob then I would get a shop to install the downpipes and intercooler. Unless you can jack up your car yourself, then in that case u could easily do the intercooler yourself. downpipes are a pain in the ass and require some skill though

[Joal0503]

Originally Posted by Ne1man35

go with vrsf for downpipes charge pipe intercooler and bov. MHD for stage 2+ tune. you will be around 400whp.

you can easily tune it yourself with MHD. chargepipe and bov are very easy to install as well. if your a noob then I would get a shop to install the downpipes and intercooler. Unless you can jack up your car yourself, then in that case u could easily do the intercooler yourself. downpipes are a pain in the ass and require some skill though

THANKS! Ill definitely check those products out...

Have you heard anything about the reliability with ARM products? they seem pretty cheap, but 400+ whp sounds nice.

they have an FRIC for 279.00, downpipes for 197.00, and a charge pipe for 97.00...

Figure something like that with a BOV, DCI, and a tune from Cobb would be all around 1600? Im sort of afraid of that price...seems too low.

[xQx]

There's a wealth of threads here covering it, but I'll summarize from intake to exhaust:

Mandatory: DCI or Cold air intake. DCI is easier to install and much cheaper. CAI gives a better under-hood look, and arguably better preformance.
Recommended: BOV or "diverter valve". Stock plum-back BOV is restrictive. These things aren't expensive so throw one in.
Optional: OEM Side Inlets. Absolute bitch to install. Not cheap. Small peak power gains, but much reduced turbo lag and reasonable power gains mid-rev-range
Optional: Hotside Charge Pipe / Compressor Discharge Pipe. Again, really a later stage mod, but if you decide to do it later you'll be taking the downpipes off.
Mandatory: Aftermarket intercooler. Bigger the better, 7" is preferred. The good ones are an easy fit. The cheap ones are a PITA. OEM intercooler is restrictive, replace it.
Mandatory: Charge-Pipe. OEM one breaks when you run 14psi of boost, which you'll be doing in no time.
Mandatory: Catless Downpipes / Hi-Flow catted downpipes. These give the biggest benefit, they unblock your exhaust, make the car sound great and give you huge gains.
Mandatory: MHD Tune - Once you've done all the above, you'll want to crank up your boost to get the performance gains. Buy a Tablet, OBDII Cable, and MHD tuner. You'll need this platform in the future to run Carly & xHP Flashtool.
Optional: Instead of the MHD you could go JB4. It's more powerful, you can get Bluetooth gauges on your phone and you get reasonable performance benefits without re-flashing your ECU. In no time flat you'll want to re-flash your ECU with the backend flash, and you'll be buying all the stuff above for MHD though.
Cosmetic Only: Quad Exhaust. There are basically zero performance gains by doing anything to the exhaust behind the downpipes. But if you want to wake the neighbours and look like a '///M' car from behind, you'll want a quad exhaust.
Strongly Recommended: Ditch the RFT's and get some Michelin Plot Super Sport tires.

Next, you'll be looking at suspension, because the stock suspension is too 'squishy' doesn't respond very nicely to 400whp. This means a LSD, rear subframe bushes and m3 control arms. ... or just swapping the entire stock suspension system over to coilovers & m3 parts. (which costs more than everything else you've done to date combined) Then you'll start looking at a feul-it upgrade and Meth (WMI) kit and locating your nearest service station with E85 on pump.

For longevity, google: oil catch can, upgraded oil cooler, and PCV replacement. If you've got a manual ditch the CDV.

After that, you're looking at upgraded turbos.

My advice: If you're paying someone to install the kit, buy the expensive stuff to start with. If you're doing all the work yourself, sure, try the stuff off eBay - but it's often not worth the effort. As for brands, just google the part number / name and read all the threads you can. If it's remotely popular, there'll be someone on a forum who's written up their install experience.

[xQx]

Originally Posted by Joal0503

Will the shops be able to help me with the accessport? HELP!!

Look, this is flamebait, but I'm just going to come out with it. Nobody does Cobb anymore. JB4 has heaps more development backing, and MHD is cheaper.

Don't buy an accessport.

[Neiman Levenson]

i would not go with ARM products. Bolt ons are pretty darn cheap considering the performance you get from them. I wouldn't try to make them even cheaper buy using a company thats not well documented, supported, and well known such as ARM for our platform. Plus, do you really want sub-par mods? whole point in mods is to improve performance so why take the cheap way out on products that won't work as effective or efficient as quality ones.

VRSF is even considered to be cheap brand by some but their products are good quality and anyone who has ordered before will tell you. I use all their bolt ons and feel that they are the best for n54's for the money.

[Joal0503]

Originally Posted by Ne1man35

i would not go with ARM products. Bolt ons are pretty darn cheap considering the performance you get from them. I wouldn't try to make them even cheaper buy using a company thats not well documented, supported, and well known such as ARM for our platform. Plus, do you really want sub-par mods? whole point in mods is to improve performance so why take the cheap way out on products that won't work as effective or efficient as quality ones.

VRSF is even considered to be cheap brand by some but their products are good quality and anyone who has ordered before will tell you. I use all their bolt ons and feel that they are the best for n54's for the money.

Yea...I noticed after doing a little more digging, their stuff seems sort of janky. So far, VRSF, COBB, BMS, Wagner, Evolution Raceworks ... these brands seem pretty legit ?

[Joal0503]

Originally Posted by xQx

Look, this is flamebait, but I'm just going to come out with it. Nobody does Cobb anymore. JB4 has heaps more development backing, and MHD is cheaper.

Don't buy an accessport.

Hang on with me here....cuz I really dont even know the correct way to talk about this stuff...but the advantage of the accessport (from what Ive read) is that its the easiest to use and that it can pretty much do the work and just be unplugged/reset when taken into the dealership? JB4 is a lot more involving, and tougher to install?

But I really have no idea what MHD is...is it pretty much an accessport but cheaper?

[dsocold]

Originally Posted by Joal0503

Hang on with me here....cuz I really dont even know the correct way to talk about this stuff...but the advantage of the accessport (from what Ive read) is that its the easiest to use and that it can pretty much do the work and just be unplugged/reset when taken into the dealership? JB4 is a lot more involving, and tougher to install?

But I really have no idea what MHD is...is it pretty much an accessport but cheaper?

i had cobb for 2 years and mhd for 6 months dude do yourself a big favor and forget cobb mhd has more features is faster and smoother and better in many many ways..

mhd is just as easy to setup go on ebay and buy a
samsung tab 3 8 inch. (tm-310) to the tune of 60 bucks its a great tablet then download mhd from play store pay 100 for license then 50 for either stage 1 or 2 map pack buy an obd cable from **************.com 40 bucks and an otg cable 5 dollars or less and charge ur car or use jumper cables using another car and install it to your car using the tablet (very easy process) and tadaa your done. Mhd is lightyears ahead off cobb and just as easy to install/uninstall

[xQx]

Originally Posted by Joal0503

But I really have no idea what MHD is...is it pretty much an accessport but cheaper?

Okay, don't be scared - it really is easy, and if anything goes wrong it's easy to fix. If anything goes wrong you can't drive the car until its fixed, but fixing is just a case of using known good hardware to flash the software. It's pretty bulletproof.

MHD rewrites your ecu with new software using your android phone/tablet and a OBD-II adapter. No piggyback hardware needed. You pull your low pressure fuel pump fuse, put the car on the charger, plug the android tablet into the diagnostics port, pay about $200 for the android app and map, and leave it for 40mins to flash your ecu.

Then you unplug everything & drive the car and your ecu does the rest.

To uninstall you just repeat the process but say "flash back to stock"

Map updates take 2 minutes. Initial write and complete uninstall are 40 minutes.

[Neiman Levenson]

MHD is by far the best tune for N54's currently. Its the easiest to use, even easier than cobb. Its the cheapest, and its a flash tune like the cobb so you can be flashed back to stock in a heartbeat.

MHD even feels so good. I havent tuned with cobb or Jb4 but the MHD is so smooth and makes the car drive honestly better than stock. besides the extra power the MHD gives it it also makes the throttle feel better and there are tons and tons of options you can do to do your car (adjust idle, exhausts pops on decel, etc.)

MHD is the way to go for tuning

[Cmoney135i]

Originally Posted by xQx

There's a wealth of threads here covering it, but I'll summarize from intake to exhaust:

Mandatory: DCI or Cold air intake. DCI is easier to install and much cheaper. CAI gives a better under-hood look, and arguably better preformance.
Recommended: BOV or "diverter valve". Stock plum-back BOV is restrictive. These things aren't expensive so throw one in.
Optional: OEM Side Inlets. Absolute bitch to install. Not cheap. Small peak power gains, but much reduced turbo lag and reasonable power gains mid-rev-range
Optional: Hotside Charge Pipe / Compressor Discharge Pipe. Again, really a later stage mod, but if you decide to do it later you'll be taking the downpipes off.
Mandatory: Aftermarket intercooler. Bigger the better, 7" is preferred. The good ones are an easy fit. The cheap ones are a PITA. OEM intercooler is restrictive, replace it.
Mandatory: Charge-Pipe. OEM one breaks when you run 14psi of boost, which you'll be doing in no time.
Mandatory: Catless Downpipes / Hi-Flow catted downpipes. These give the biggest benefit, they unblock your exhaust, make the car sound great and give you huge gains.
Mandatory: MHD Tune - Once you've done all the above, you'll want to crank up your boost to get the performance gains. Buy a Tablet, OBDII Cable, and MHD tuner. You'll need this platform in the future to run Carly & xHP Flashtool.
Optional: Instead of the MHD you could go JB4. It's more powerful, you can get Bluetooth gauges on your phone and you get reasonable performance benefits without re-flashing your ECU. In no time flat you'll want to re-flash your ECU with the backend flash, and you'll be buying all the stuff above for MHD though.
Cosmetic Only: Quad Exhaust. There are basically zero performance gains by doing anything to the exhaust behind the downpipes. But if you want to wake the neighbours and look like a '///M' car from behind, you'll want a quad exhaust.
Strongly Recommended: Ditch the RFT's and get some Michelin Plot Super Sport tires.

Next, you'll be looking at suspension, because the stock suspension is too 'squishy' doesn't respond very nicely to 400whp. This means a LSD, rear subframe bushes and m3 control arms. ... or just swapping the entire stock suspension system over to coilovers & m3 parts. (which costs more than everything else you've done to date combined) Then you'll start looking at a feul-it upgrade and Meth (WMI) kit and locating your nearest service station with E85 on pump.

For longevity, google: oil catch can, upgraded oil cooler, and PCV replacement. If you've got a manual ditch the CDV.

After that, you're looking at upgraded turbos.

My advice: If you're paying someone to install the kit, buy the expensive stuff to start with. If you're doing all the work yourself, sure, try the stuff off eBay - but it's often not worth the effort. As for brands, just google the part number / name and read all the threads you can. If it's remotely popular, there'll be someone on a forum who's written up their install experience.

Loads of good info there GJ!

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Some good info here. If you need any further help I'd be happy to assist. We've been in the platform since 2008

[Joal0503]

Thanks everybody! I decided to begin my mods with some small cosmetics and paint detailing first (ass backwards but figured my engine is running nicely so make these changes first)...but I definitely have a whole list of parts I am saving up for as far as performance upgrades.

Having Bilstein B12's and some Sportline 8S wheels added on, along with some black kidneys.

Just bought a shit ton of auto detailing products too to work on the body. This forum is awesome.

[Mandinca]

I'm looking at buying some mods for my N54, most of the items I am able to find good information about, what about the BOV ?
When it comes to BOV's do they come in various sizes, spring pressures etc ?
HKS or Tial ?
**noob alert** - can I buy any HKS or Tial and it will just plug and play or do I need to buy a specific one for the motor ?

Thanks in advance

[asiflicious]

Originally Posted by Joal0503

THANKS! Ill definitely check those products out...

Have you heard anything about the reliability with ARM products? they seem pretty cheap, but 400+ whp sounds nice.

they have an FRIC for 279.00, downpipes for 197.00, and a charge pipe for 97.00...

Figure something like that with a BOV, DCI, and a tune from Cobb would be all around 1600? Im sort of afraid of that price...seems too low.

Originally Posted by Joal0503

THANKS! Ill definitely check those products out...

Have you heard anything about the reliability with ARM products? they seem pretty cheap, but 400+ whp sounds nice.

they have an FRIC for 279.00, downpipes for 197.00, and a charge pipe for 97.00...

Figure something like that with a BOV, DCI, and a tune from Cobb would be all around 1600? Im sort of afraid of that price...seems too low.

ARM is totally fine, especially for downpipes and chargepipe. No point is paying a brand name premium for a pipe. FMIC is debatable but it's better than stock and good enough for stage 2 from what I've heard

[Mandinca]

So I'm seeing a lot of brands on ebay and I'm wary of them since they are considerably less expensive than others I see at the more reputable vendors.
I'm on a reasonably limited budget, the ARM pipe and BOV is $406.

This at ECS is $280
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part...SABEgL_lvD_BwE

But this on eBay is $162
https://www.ebay.com/i/222706125933?chn=ps&dispctrl=1

So what's the difference ?

Worth mentioning my transmission is auto - will I get the same benefit from a BOV with such short shifts ?

I also see a lot of downpipes, ranging from $180 to $600+
Same question....what's the difference - do the cheap ones just rust out ?

I read a post somewhere about FMIC and how the cheap ones were not much different from the expensive ones.
I'm not looking to race, just to get a fast, safe setup that won't cost me a fortune and won't implode after 10K. I need to be able to daily it but have fun.

Thanks

[BoosTonian]

Originally Posted by Mandinca

So I'm seeing a lot of brands on ebay and I'm wary of them since they are considerably less expensive than others I see at the more reputable vendors.
I'm on a reasonably limited budget, the ARM pipe and BOV is $406.

This at ECS is $280
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part...SABEgL_lvD_BwE

But this on eBay is $162
https://www.ebay.com/i/222706125933?chn=ps&dispctrl=1

So what's the difference ?

Worth mentioning my transmission is auto - will I get the same benefit from a BOV with such short shifts ?

I also see a lot of downpipes, ranging from $180 to $600+
Same question....what's the difference - do the cheap ones just rust out ?

I read a post somewhere about FMIC and how the cheap ones were not much different from the expensive ones.
I'm not looking to race, just to get a fast, safe setup that won't cost me a fortune and won't implode after 10K. I need to be able to daily it but have fun.

Thanks

go with vrsf...negligible different in a majority of the parts.

some brands use titanium or some other premium material. unless you are racing professionally or want people to know you have expensive stuff in your car then there is no point in getting it.

some of the biggest power n54s/n55s use vrsf downpipes, chargepipes and intercoolers.

I can't comment on bov since I've never ran one, but I'll venture to say it's along the same lines (I ran upgraded DV valves)

[xQx]

Originally Posted by Mandinca

So I'm seeing a lot of brands on ebay and I'm wary of them since they are considerably less expensive than others I see at the more reputable vendors.
I'm on a reasonably limited budget, the ARM pipe and BOV is $406.

This at ECS is $280
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part...SABEgL_lvD_BwE

But this on eBay is $162
https://www.ebay.com/i/222706125933?chn=ps&dispctrl=1

So what's the difference ?

Worth mentioning my transmission is auto - will I get the same benefit from a BOV with such short shifts ?

I also see a lot of downpipes, ranging from $180 to $600+
Same question....what's the difference - do the cheap ones just rust out ?

I read a post somewhere about FMIC and how the cheap ones were not much different from the expensive ones.
I'm not looking to race, just to get a fast, safe setup that won't cost me a fortune and won't implode after 10K. I need to be able to daily it but have fun.

Thanks

Don't skimp on the downpipes. We have a steering column on the hot side of the engine which US delivered cars don't have to contend with.

VRSF downpipes fit RHD cars. Many of the cheaper ones don't.

[Mandinca]

Originally Posted by xQx

Don't skimp on the downpipes. We have a steering column on the hot side of the engine which US delivered cars don't have to contend with.

VRSF downpipes fit RHD cars. Many of the cheaper ones don't.

I'm not sure that I understand your logic, I'm in the US so my car is LHD.