My 135i will this thing last?

[V8<turbo4]

Hello

i just got a 135i 2008 with 94K miles 6 speed with M package

Seller wasn't honest about some things and i found an oil leak.
rear main seal
oil pan

from what i can tell. i will be fixing both of these. Car seems to run good but feels so soft and tame to me. stock car at the moment.

I come from an Evo background.

I'm looking to go Full Bolt ons. Would you expect me to have any problems with a FBO car with such high millage or do you think i will be ok? going to compression test the motor as soon as i get my Thin wall spark plug socket.

Also should i go with JB4 or accessport?


Parts I'm thinking of
Down pipes
custom exhaust (stock muffler)
Charge pipe
Intercooler
clutch

anything else that I'm missing?

Thanks

[infinitekidM2C]

won't feel tame after a tune lol; do some research on JB4 and MHD tunes. also i'm sure you'll get an intake so ill just leave it at that but don't expect any real gains from the exhaust.

[captain slowly]

I come from the Evo X world as well, and unless your "new" 135i is broken, stock for stock its faster. With that said, obviously just like the Evos, when you modify the car the reliability becomes iffy.

[Ric in RVA]

Part out?

(Kidding)

[ThatKidDavid]

datalog datalog datalog

[YearOneOne]

Originally Posted by Ric in RVA

Part out?

(Kidding)

Originally Posted by Ric in RVA

Part out?

(Kidding)

I'm not lol

[xQx]

Originally Posted by V8<turbo4

Hello

i just got a 135i 2008 with 94K miles 6 speed with M package

Seller wasn't honest about some things and i found an oil leak.
rear main seal
oil pan

from what i can tell. i will be fixing both of these. Car seems to run good but feels so soft and tame to me. stock car at the moment.

I come from an Evo background.

I'm looking to go Full Bolt ons. Would you expect me to have any problems with a FBO car with such high millage or do you think i will be ok? going to compression test the motor as soon as i get my Thin wall spark plug socket.

Also should i go with JB4 or accessport?


Parts I'm thinking of
Down pipes
custom exhaust (stock muffler)
Charge pipe
Intercooler
clutch

anything else that I'm missing?

Thanks

I come from a WRX background - rapidly RWD / Grip is going to become your limiting factor.

Like with a EVO or WRX, there's big gains following the intake & exhaust airflow path. Unlike with EVO and WRX, there are almost no gains to be had behind the downpipe. (Exhaust changes are just for noise).

From intake to exhaust:
DCI
Silicone Inlets (usually a stage 2 mod due to cost & difficulty to install)
Silicone Outlets (usually a stage 2 mod due to cost & difficulty to install)
Intercooler
Charge Pipe + BOVs
Downpipe

For a tune, go MHD, or get a second hand JB4 v5 ISO from these forums. The JB4 is safer (though MHD would dispute this), has greater on-the-fly customization and flexibility and is _very nice to have_ if you ever go for meth or E85.

Either way, you're going to need an android tablet and an OTG + K-Line cable.

For 'what will break', don't stress about the miles. My car has 60k on it and I had to do bloody everything.

Budget for Coils and Plugs immediately. Good non-rft tires if the car didn't come with them.

Regardless of if you tune or not, keep money aside for a replacement water pump, high & low pressure fuel pumps & injectors. Running a tune or E85 won't necessarily break these items, it just puts more stress on them.

Once you've done all that, you'll be chomping at the bit to install a LSD, because the rear-wheel spin in 2nd gear will kill you.

[V8<turbo4]

Thanks so much for the response i find it so hard to believe that there isn't big gains to have with upgraded exhaust! looking at the stock exhaust its so skinny and so many restrictive bends.

so the Turbo inlets and outlets are a good modification? i have access to lifts so install won't be to bad.

There are so many different JB4 is there one that i should stay away from? their website doesn't have much information on different versions.

[xQx]

Originally Posted by V8<turbo4

Thanks so much for the response i find it so hard to believe that there isn't big gains to have with upgraded exhaust! looking at the stock exhaust its so skinny and so many restrictive bends.

so the Turbo inlets and outlets are a good modification? i have access to lifts so install won't be to bad.

There are so many different JB4 is there one that i should stay away from? their website doesn't have much information on different versions.

You want this one: N54 JB4

The latest version is the JB4 v5 ISO, which is all BMS support - people will be selling JB3's, JB4 v5 (not ISO) etc. which are earlier versions, or the JB+ Quick Install Tuner, which is the cut down version. Just make sure you get the JB4 v5 ISO. It's not worth getting the older ones or cut-down ones because it's cheaper and easier just to run a MHD flash.

I'd say buy second hand since they sell for almost half RRP and still work as well as the day they were purchased. Again, there's enough people ripping them out because they don't see the value in it above a straight MHD flash that there's good deals on the second-hand market.

Outlets are a bigger benefit to us in the Right-hand-drive world, because the stock ones are crushed to fit the steering column in. I think there's less gains for LHD, but they're not hard to install and it's a point where you've compressed your air (made it hotter and less dense) before it's in the intercooler (where it cools and gets more dense) - so it's a good place to remove any restriction.

Inlets are a real benefit. The OEM ones are crushed to buggery, and it's a lot harder to 'suck' air than it is to 'blow' it - so removing this restriction gives noticeably faster spool-up and turbo response. Beware - especially with a DCI and if you've removed your engine Cowls, it also opens up your intake noise. Any wastegate rattle you have is much louder. Even with a lift they're a bitch to install. It's a case of routing a large stiff tube through a very tight windy space. Allow at least 4 hours

[methodz]

You got to throw some rear subframe bushings in there

[V8<turbo4]

Thanks for the info so far

sounds like ill be getting a JB4 for sure

now for down pipes id like to go catless if exhaust doesn't add much power (which is crazy to me coming form the Evo world) maybe i will just use stock exhaust and get rid of the 2nd cats?

seems like people really like the VRS down pipes

also charge pipe is a must i hear? do they really crack and can put plastic into the motor?

[xQx]

Yep, loads of people on here are running the VSRF catless downpipes (myself included). The OEM catted DP's are a huge restriction, and aftermarket high-flow catted downpipes are pretty expensive

You'd have to be pretty unlucky for the charge-pipe to throw plastic into your engine, especially since they generally break under boost (ie. with positive pressure). But the key issue is they pop off or break leaving you with an open intake - so you really don't want to drive home. They were a sore point in the N54 engine with stock boost levels, so you've got a ticking time bomb on your hands when you start running 15psi. Again, really easy to install, and not a particularly expensive item, so it's worth doing.

Get one with 2x meth bungs. ... it's only a matter of time before you'll want to use them

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by xQx

Yep, loads of people on here are running the VSRF catless downpipes...

*VRSF noticed the spelling in your sig as well just FYI lol.

To OP - downpipes are really the only exhaust component that will give you more power, some guys even run stock past the DP's or just swap the N54 mids with the N55 mids (n55 are catless).

Definitely do the charge pipe, they're pretty much all the same. If it's metal it should be fine, there's never been a recorded increase in power from one CP to the next from those that have dyno'd and tested.

The JB4 is definitely the easiest and cheapest power add, but expect it to be peaky and not consistent. I run Map 5 and the sensation is well worth the peakiness.

MHD+JB4 will give you some nice features and some people have said it's smoother.

If you're going to add power definitely get the seal and oil pan fixed up prior. As well as doing spark plugs, oil, filter, trans fluid, diff fluid, and brake fluid. Trust me these are important and will greatly increase the life of your car.

Also expect the HPFP/LPFP and water pump/thermostat to go if they haven't already. They are especially problematic on the N54's.

Do a walnut blasting too since it's very unlikely it's ever been done on that car and it should be done every 50k miles or so. It will increase responsiveness, power, and general running characteristics.

There's a ton more info in my thread here that many other members helped write up.

Enjoy the new car and happy modding!!

[xQx]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

*VRSF noticed the spelling in your sig as well just FYI lol.

Hahaha, thanks!

.... I don't know how long I've been doing that for ...

Signature updated.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by xQx

Hahaha, thanks!

.... I don't know how long I've been doing that for ...

Signature updated.