Charge pipe questions

[zkanter101]

I have a 2011 N55 manual. I just bought the JB4 stage 2 for the car. I'm wondering how necessary is a charge pipe? Do I need it, just another accessory? Can I get away with not having it? I've been told that the stock pipe leaks, does this make a huge difference?

Any info is very helpful thank you!

[Angerman]

Depends on what other mods you have besides the JB4. People have ran the stock piping with no problems, but people have ran with it cracking as well. After a while under higher boost (not stock PSI) plastic is bound to have a breaking point, just keep that in mind. It's not a necessity, but to get one wouldn't hurt. That was the first mod I did to the car, and I don't regret any bit going that route.

[zkanter101]

Originally Posted by Angerman

Depends on what other mods you have besides the JB4. People have ran the stock piping with no problems, but people have ran with it cracking as well. After a while under higher boost (not stock PSI) plastic is bound to have a breaking point, just keep that in mind. It's not a necessity, but to get one wouldn't hurt. That was the first mod I did to the car, and I don't regret any bit going that route.

There's not a horsepower increase in it is there?

[ragingpanda]

Originally Posted by zkanter101

There's not a horsepower increase in it is there?

Nope.

On the N55, an aftermarket charge pipe is actually a necessity as the stock one breaks even when its under pressure from stock boost.

[135Pats]

A chargepipe isn't a "necessity" per se, but as angerman said, if you plan on running elevated boost, it should be strongly considered. An aftermarket CP is going to hold boost much better, and has no real chance of breaking, whereas the stock plastic unit flexes and expands under boost. Eventually it will go, that's the reality of the OE unit. Your car is a 2011, if you value your warranty i'd take some time to think this thru..you can generally get away with some mods like an intercooler, but chargepipes seem to cause stress for alot of dealers. It really is dependent on the dealer you go to, maybe drop a friendly hint to your SA if you are on good professional terms with him/her. Due to warranty concerns I'm still using the stock charge pipe, but since the boost i'm running isn't particularly aggressive (cobb stg1 sport) it should hold up for a decent amount of time. It's a worthy upgrade, warranty issues aside.

[ragingpanda]

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...rge+pipe+crack

Its highly suggested on the N55, not so much on the N54...

[zkanter101]

Originally Posted by 135Pats

A chargepipe isn't a "necessity" per se, but as angerman said, if you plan on running elevated boost, it should be strongly considered. An aftermarket CP is going to hold boost much better, and has no real chance of breaking, whereas the stock plastic unit flexes and expands under boost. Eventually it will go, that's the reality of the OE unit. Your car is a 2011, if you value your warranty i'd take some time to think this thru..you can generally get away with some mods like an intercooler, but chargepipes seem to cause stress for alot of dealers. It really is dependent on the dealer you go to, maybe drop a friendly hint to your SA if you are on good professional terms with him/her. Due to warranty concerns I'm still using the stock charge pipe, but since the boost i'm running isn't particularly aggressive (cobb stg1 sport) it should hold up for a decent amount of time. It's a worthy upgrade, warranty issues aside.

That is also anther great point! I definitely am trying to keep my warranty. If it makes no difference in performance except that it seems to be a more sturdy piece why should it affect my warranty?

[Angerman]

Originally Posted by zkanter101

That is also anther great point! I definitely am trying to keep my warranty. If it makes no difference in performance except that it seems to be a more sturdy piece why should it affect my warranty?

It's a nice upgrade, regardless if it even gives you 5hp or not. HP increase isn't the reason behind buying that modification....I was voided my warranty for just having the ER charge pipe installed (outside regular maintenance). Nothing was wrong with my car at the time, I was just hoping to get brand new turbos for no apparent reason before my warranty ended lol; but they said the waste gates and everything was fine, but if something was wrong since you have that pipe installed we can't warranty you for any damages. Was put in their computer system as modifications done to the car, so if I came back and said blah blah needs replacing under warranty (if I came back completely stock) I would already be in their system as voided. So like "135Pats" said, it depends on the dealership, and also depends on the SA. I think my dealership were just assholes, so I took about 3 of their free beverages they had sitting out lol