Newbie needs advice on N55 mods

[JDZ609]

Hey guys, this is my first post so I apologize in advance for any mistakes or "beaten to death" topics.


I just bought my first, stock 2011 BWM 135i N55, DCT trans.
I need a little advice please. I've been on the forums and it's all very overwhelming and confusing.
I have a few goals in mind for my mods, but I'd love some suggestions from you guys please.

Here's my thoughts;
1. Tune (MHD)
2. Catless Downpipe
3. Upgraded intercooler

I'd like to buy decent parts, but don't want to break the bank. Also I would very much like to balance reliability versus performance. I'm not looking to go to the track, rather just to bring my car to life.

Questions;

1. Can you recommend the Level of tune?

2. Are all catless downpipes created equal? Can i buy the least expensive one? Do you have a recommendations? what size or brand?

3. Can i buy the least expensive FMIC (intercooler). Which one will fit without any "cutting" (Direct fit). What FMIC do you guys recommend with cost being a factor?

4. Is there any other "mods" that can improve engine safety and overall reliability? I really don't want to have things "break" just because I want a little more power.

Thanks!!

[asiflicious]

MHD tune, any cat less down pipe that will fit, and any 5' FMIC will fit without any cutting

[tracer bullet]

Random thoughts:

I bought the Forge intercooler, had a good reputation, was clearly larger than stock, and was very easy to install it myself.

Dinan could be a consideration as well as MHD for the tune. Their prices have lowered which was generally the big reason not to go with them.

Consider the charge pipe as well, the stock one is plastic and some owners have seen the seems blow. It's a cheap and easy swap. Might not actually be needed but most do it as an insurance policy of sorts.

[mfindigital]

Don't waste money on the MHD stage 1 if you really are going to purchase all those items within a relatively short time frame, just acquire all the parts and go stage 2 as it's for cars with dp's and fmic. I started a very similar thread not long ago, I am currently MHD Stage 1 (35 minutes total install time) if you have a droid you're all in for around 300$. I also purchased a Berk street axle back used from a member for $150. This combo is very nice and the car is very fast.

I'm looking at a low price catless DP at the moment as VRSF is on back order (check my thread on the DP), it's $250. FMIC is a bigger commitment to me as it would be quite a bit of work to retrofit, I have a warranty so I'm holding off until I have time to figure out how to install myself so I can uninstall in case of major warranty work.

[JDZ609]

Thanks!! Any thoughts on a high flow air filter or CAI? I kind of forgot that in my list lol

Also has anyone tried this intercooler?

https://www.amazon.com/335is-335xi-S...tercooler&th=1

[Cavpilot2k]

You're going for the obvious power mods, but in reality, there are some others I think are more important:

1. Whiteline Rear Subframe Bushing Inserts (vastly cheaper and easier than the M3 subframe bushings to start for 80% of the benefit) - they'll get rid of that back end wiggle.

2. If you have a 6MT, get the BMS clutch stop - prevents overtravel of the clutch pedal.

3. If 6MT: Delete your clutch delay valve - cleans up clutch engagement

[Cavpilot2k]

Originally Posted by 2fast4u2see

Thanks!! Any thoughts on a high flow air filter or CAI? I kind of forgot that in my list lol

https://www.amazon.com/335is-335xi-S...tercooler&th=1

K&N Drop-in panel filter. $50 from BMS
I may get flamed by some for this, but unless you are laying down massive HP, which you aren't going to be with the mods listed, you are wasting money by anything more significant (most of them will have you sucking in hot engine air - you aren't looking at needing enough airflow to make it where your need for air volume is greater than your need for the air to be cool (i.e. from outside the engine compartment).

[Cavpilot2k]

And I'll second the Dinan Stage 2 tune. These days it's cheap.

Depends what you want though. If you want to tinker and datalog and fine tune, then look for something else, like MHD.
If you just want set-it-and-forget-it reliable power, try the Dinan.

[mfindigital]

MHD is also extremely reliable and a set it and forget it tune.

[tracer bullet]

I'm not sold on CAI's, I get the idea I really do but in my experiences there's little difference. It's not the air filter so much as the overall arrangement and twists / turns the air most go through to get to the engine. As for the filter, it's not absolute, but basically the better the flow the worse at stopping dirt. In extreme cases that dirt gets in the combustion chamber, scrapes between the cylinder walls and rings, and eventually causes low compression and some oil consumption.

They can be a small improvement, and their risks aren't super high, but I wouldn't put it very high up the mod list.

[BimmerAg]

For power mods, it looks like you've got a pretty good idea of what to do. To answer your questions:
1) With the downpipe and intercooler you'll be at MHD Stage 2+.
2/3) VRSF is typically considered a good "bang for the buck" supplier of performance parts and many have used their products with good results.
4) As far as other engine mods for reliability, you'll definitely want to get an upgraded charge pipe as the stock ones tend to crack when the boost is raised. You'll also want to replace your spark plugs and possibly your coils if you don't know when they were last changed. Spark plugs will wear out faster with the tune and need to be changed more frequently (~15k miles) Besides that, just stay up to date on maintenance.

Your water pump, oil filter housing gasket, oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket, and possibly high pressure fuel pump will all probably fail at some point, but there's no real way to prevent any of those, so just make sure you have the budget available for those repairs if needed.

Welcome to 1Addicts!!!

[JDZ609]

Awesome guys, thanks! I will look into the Dinan tunes, and I'm not concerned about the CAI so much.

What about these?


1. Are all catless downpipes created equal? Can i buy the least expensive one? Do you have a recommendations? what size or brand?

2.. Can i buy the least expensive FMIC (intercooler). Which one will fit without any "cutting" (Direct fit). What FMIC do you guys recommend with cost being a factor?

anyone try this?

https://www.amazon.com/335is-335xi-S...tercooler&th=1

[JDZ609]

Thanks! exactly what I was looking for.

[JDZ609]

Originally Posted by BimmerAg

For power mods, it looks like you've got a pretty good idea of what to do. To answer your questions:
1) With the downpipe and intercooler you'll be at MHD Stage 2+.
2/3) VRSF is typically considered a good "bang for the buck" supplier of performance parts and many have used their products with good results.
4) As far as other engine mods for reliability, you'll definitely want to get an upgraded charge pipe as the stock ones tend to crack when the boost is raised. You'll also want to replace your spark plugs and possibly your coils if you don't know when they were last changed. Spark plugs will wear out faster with the tune and need to be changed more frequently (~15k miles) Besides that, just stay up to date on maintenance.

Your water pump, oil filter housing gasket, oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket, and possibly high pressure fuel pump will all probably fail at some point, but there's no real way to prevent any of those, so just make sure you have the budget available for those repairs if needed.

Welcome to 1Addicts!!!

Thanks again. Would you go with the Dinan tune over the MHD? Is the Dinan a tune or a "piggy back"?

What reasonably priced suspension mods, if any, do you suggest without giving up too much ride quality?

The car has 27K miles. Is it time for plugs and coils?
Around what mileage do you think I can expect the other components to fail?

[BimmerAg]

I don't have any experience with either tune yet, so I can't give you a comparison, but from my understanding of others' experiences the Dinan will give very smooth and stock-like driveability with a good power bump. Dinan is a flash tune also. The JB4/5 (idk what number they're on now) is a piggyback that offers some cool features, but I've heard that the flash tunes are typically a little better. Especially for your car with the DCT, flash tunes can increase the pressure to make sure the clutches don't slip at higher torque. MHD is still kinda being developed and updated continuously so it's not quite as refined, but will give you a little bit more power than Dinan.

For suspension it really depends on your goals. I'd say to start out, just drive your car and get to know the stock handling and then decide for yourself what you think needs to be upgraded. Quality shocks can actually help ride quality. M3 front control arms will reduce understeer by adding some camber. A front sway bar will also make the front end feel more planted. People swear that the rear subframe bushing inserts/replacements are life changing lol

At 27k, you'd probably be ok on the stock plugs and coils for a while. The other components could fail tomorrow or at 100k+ it's really just luck of the draw

Oh also, tires!!! The run flats suck. They ride worse, wear faster, grip less, are louder, and are more expensive than non-runflats. Ditch them as soon as you can!

[YearOneOne]

Originally Posted by 2fast4u2see

Awesome guys, thanks! I will look into the Dinan tunes, and I'm not concerned about the CAI so much.

What about these?


1. Are all catless downpipes created equal? Can i buy the least expensive one? Do you have a recommendations? what size or brand?

2.. Can i buy the least expensive FMIC (intercooler). Which one will fit without any "cutting" (Direct fit). What FMIC do you guys recommend with cost being a factor?

anyone try this?

https://www.amazon.com/335is-335xi-S...tercooler&th=1

As stated above vrsf is great cost effective supplier of both intercooler and dp I run them both on my car and I have not had any problems.

Also your link does not work

[JDZ609]

Originally Posted by YearOneOne

As stated above vrsf is great cost effective supplier of both intercooler and dp I run them both on my car and I have not had any problems.

Also your link does not work

Thanks for your input Year One, and sorry about the link. I'll try and fix that.

[JDZ609]

Has anyone tried this intercooler from Amazon?

[JDZ609]

Originally Posted by YearOneOne

As stated above vrsf is great cost effective supplier of both intercooler and dp I run them both on my car and I have not had any problems.

Also your link does not work

Here is a pic of the intercooler from Amazon

[JDZ609]

Thanks man! Appreciate the details reply.

[tracer bullet]

My Forge fit w/ no cutting or modification of any sort. But it wasn't the cheapest (nor the most expensive).

I never looked into the catless DP's. I guess it was partly the cost of them, partly the effort to install it (DIY, or $ if paid someone else). But the last I looked the car was pretty new, over time everything gets cheaper.

[tracer bullet]

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1482914

I'd generally stick to one thread for a subject.