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Originally Posted by SteveOStyle
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Wow! I'm loving this so what is the difference between 128 and 130 N52? Is it the intake stage 3 manifold? Or it's because you are overseas..Also do you have the AA exhaust headers installed or just stock..... my next question is ...can I have my mechanic install the kit with the AA headers and have Bob at BPC send I tune for it to be installed or is it more complicated than that..
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Let's tackle the question one by one, to my knowledge;
1. I think the difference is in the manifold (N52 with 3-stage), the ECU tuning, and the lack of secondary Cat (I only have the primary cat build in with the OEM header.) My car is listed with 265hp stock from BMW, actual wheel horsepower should be about 220~230hp. Oh one other thing, here in my country we can only buy 98-octane petrol, no other choice.
2. In terms of power, my car only has the Vortech V3 supercharger with 120mm pulley, custom dyno tune and a BMW performance exhaust (which does not much). My car is RHD, so no off-the-shelf header available... AA is only for LHD vehicle.
3. That's a decision you have to make. Installation itself isn't extremely hard with a knowledgeable BMW mechanic, the kit's fitment is relatively good.
To be honest for a custom build like this Supercharger on an NA motor I do not think remote tune is optimal at all. Try to search for any local tuner with a Dyno. FYI, using the original ESS tune which comes with the Supercharger only net me 258 wheel horsepower, about +35hp from stock., which is ... well.
Just in case you are really in for the supercharger, here are some of the things to look out for;
i. The SC kit's intake is relocated to bumper level around where the fog light is. Hydrolock is a real issue if you country rains a bit. I created a shield of sort to stop water splashing into the intake. Relocating the intake elsewhere is not easy because the engine room is very tight after installing the supercharger.
ii. The original ESS tune will disable your ability to use the throttle and brake simultaneously, which is a big issue if you do left foot braking or is a manual car which required throttle blipping during downshift. You can try to cut the brake signal to the ECU or maybe dial it out by re-coding?
iii. Despite the Vortech, being a centrifugal supercharger, only produce a small amount of extra heat, the engine will still no doubt be running hotter than NA. I recommend to add at least a small oil cooler and an oil temp gauge for peace of mind. I retrofit N54 oem oil cooler, which only requires minimal trimming and gets the job done.
iv. Check your vortech unit's oil level every now and then. The seal will weep a little, keep the oil top up.
v. In case you do not know, the Vortech V3 is a centrifugal supercharger type, which mean it makes boost in proportion to the rpm. It brings minimal boost at low rpm (good for economy, but not much to offer below 4000rpm), and max boost at redline. So to make it all work you need to keep up the rev a bit like how you drive those old type Honda Vtec.
Here is how the car drives in an empty mountain road.
I personally love the supercharger. It may not be the most efficient way to boost the engine but it has such a unique character.
That's it for now, if you still have question just ask away.