[kjrulz]

I plan on keeping this car for the long haul.

I don't care about getting more power, but would adding modifications like a Helix IC, Intake, etc...help longevity of the car or hurt it? I'd like to upgrade whatever is needed in the car to ensure the car lasts.

[GAaaAR]

To be honest, just leave it stock and perform routine maitenance. Nothing will really make much of a difference in adding longevity to your car. The most important thing is how you drive and take care of the car.

[veightkiller]

Originally Posted by GAaaAR

To be honest, just leave it stock and perform routine maitenance. Nothing will really make much of a difference in adding longevity to your car. The most important thing is how you drive and take care of the car.

it's mechanical so expect something to break.

[kjrulz]

true...that's probably the route i'm going to take...but I'd just like to know if a larger IC would help or hurt longevity...etc I don't know if anyone would have a definitive answer tho... :'(

[JoosyJoos]

In theory a larger intercooler should help the longevity of your car by diminishing some heat and giving you lower intake air temperatures. Its hard to say whether or not it will make a significant difference though.

[kjrulz]

exactly why i'm torn on the idea of upgrading anything mechanical thus far

[tintivilus]

Mike Miller (Roundel "Tech Talk") has recommended preventative oil cooler upgrades (Dinan or similar) on more than one occasion, especially for cars without the factory equipment. I'd definitely do that before IC.

[scottp999]

I plan on keeping the car for many years. I am going to do full bolt on modifications for performance (probably not upgrade the turbos). I baby the car most of the time, and only put on about 4500 miles a year. I'm building up my tool inventory, waiting for the bentley manual to be released, and plan to do much of the maintenance and repairs myself.

What you really need is a good performance and service shop that is local to you and likes to work on BMW's. One is moving closer to me (will be 3 miles from my house by the end of the month). They guys that own it are BMW/Audi/VW enthusiasts and will be able to do anything I need that is beyond my level of confidence.

My car was handed over to me about 2 hours after it got off the truck, and the goal is to never take it to a BMW service center.

Intercooler, Forge Diverter Valves, Oil Catch Can, and even high flow downpipes may reduce some stress on the car.

[Sniz]

Originally Posted by scottp999

I plan on keeping the car for many years. I am going to do full bolt on modifications for performance (probably not upgrade the turbos). I baby the car most of the time, and only put on about 4500 miles a year. I'm building up my tool inventory, waiting for the bentley manual to be released, and plan to do much of the maintenance and repairs myself.

What you really need is a good performance and service shop that is local to you and likes to work on BMW's. One is moving closer to me (will be 3 miles from my house by the end of the month). They guys that own it are BMW/Audi/VW enthusiasts and will be able to do anything I need that is beyond my level of confidence.

My car was handed over to me about 2 hours after it got off the truck, and the goal is to never take it to a BMW service center.

Intercooler, Forge Diverter Valves, Oil Catch Can, and even high flow downpipes may reduce some stress on the car.

+1

in the 40k modded miles I put on my car, it saw a dealership once and that was for a steering rack problem.

Scott, you can always bring your car over Adam's garage so we can play with it and learn together. 3 heads have got to be better than 1....or maybe not...

where and what shop?

do u want to buy my n54 spark plug socket for cheap?

[scottp999]

Originally Posted by Sniz

where and what shop?

do u want to buy my n54 spark plug socket for cheap?

That's a yes on the spark plug socket.

Eurotec Motorsports - They are up near Mt Zion rd now and will be moving to east church street this month.

I gotta get down to Adam's and get that exhaust out of his way soon! I know he is a little busy right now.

Next mod install party, maybe we can do the catch can, or some diverter valves, or lightweight battery kit. I'm going to take a day off soon to go take a drive to Helix, check the place out, and have them throw on the intercooler and DP's.

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by scottp999

I plan on keeping the car for many years. I am going to do full bolt on modifications for performance (probably not upgrade the turbos). I baby the car most of the time, and only put on about 4500 miles a year. I'm building up my tool inventory, waiting for the bentley manual to be released, and plan to do much of the maintenance and repairs myself.

What you really need is a good performance and service shop that is local to you and likes to work on BMW's. One is moving closer to me (will be 3 miles from my house by the end of the month). They guys that own it are BMW/Audi/VW enthusiasts and will be able to do anything I need that is beyond my level of confidence.

My car was handed over to me about 2 hours after it got off the truck, and the goal is to never take it to a BMW service center.

Intercooler, Forge Diverter Valves, Oil Catch Can, and even high flow downpipes may reduce some stress on the car.

Nice post first off.

After the 50k, I won't be going to dealership, just as I stopped when my 330xi was out. Thankfully I have a BMW mechanic work on my car at his house, family friends.



Back to the issue - Adding all those modifications.

This is a reply from Dustin@Vishnu a few weeks ago:

"In terms of turbo longevity, downpipes and intakes can help (free flow= less stress when trying to reach boost targets.)

However, with those mods, you will be adding even MORE power, which creates more stress on the rest of the drivetrain.

Realistically, the drivetrain on these cars is very stout, and you wont need to worry about it.

Cheers,
Dustin-"


Still torn on the issue because nothing has been tested nor can I find a reliable source to explain it thoroughly.

However, opinions are extremely appreciated.

[Sniz]

Originally Posted by kjrulz

Nice post first off.

After the 50k, I won't be going to dealership, just as I stopped when my 330xi was out. Thankfully I have a BMW mechanic work on my car at his house, family friends.



Back to the issue - Adding all those modifications.

This is a reply from Dustin@Vishnu a few weeks ago:

"In terms of turbo longevity, downpipes and intakes can help (free flow= less stress when trying to reach boost targets.)

However, with those mods, you will be adding even MORE power, which creates more stress on the rest of the drivetrain.

Realistically, the drivetrain on these cars is very stout, and you wont need to worry about it.

Cheers,
Dustin-"


Still torn on the issue because nothing has been tested nor can I find a reliable source to explain it thoroughly.

However, opinions are extremely appreciated.

I agree w/ Dustin, there have been basically no drivetrain failures that I have heard about.....am I wrong? That includes a lot of cars pushing well over 100hp beyond stock.

adding free flow mods is the 1st step to letting your engine work easier. Its an air pump after all.

The moderate HP gain from those mods will not hurt this car....sounds like you do not plan on adding a tune?

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by Sniz

I agree w/ Dustin, there have been basically no drivetrain failures that I have heard about.....am I wrong? That includes a lot of cars pushing well over 100hp beyond stock.

adding free flow mods is the 1st step to letting your engine work easier. Its an air pump after all.

The moderate HP gain from those mods will not hurt this car....sounds like you do not plan on adding a tune?

haven't decided. i'm still at 25k, so i'm waiting out the warranty either way. plus by the time i'm at 50k, i'll have the car paid off.

see that's the question - shouldn't the new mods not only "not hurt the car" but actually help it? or am i wrong?

[Makushr1]

I plan on the same thing, which is why I havent got a JB3 or other tune in my car. Actually, I havent done anything else other than the catch can and intake (dual cone). IMO, I think the only thing that will actually hurt your car over the years would be a tune. I plan on adding an intake and exhaust to my OCC and DCI. As long as everything is properly installed, it wont hurt your car, and could possibly help a tad.

If you dont have an oil cooler, I'd suggest that too.

[ckay]

Don't touch anything and have a 100k warranty.

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by Makushr1

I plan on the same thing, which is why I havent got a JB3 or other tune in my car. Actually, I havent done anything else other than the catch can and intake (dual cone). IMO, I think the only thing that will actually hurt your car over the years would be a tune. I plan on adding an intake and exhaust to my OCC and DCI. As long as everything is properly installed, it wont hurt your car, and could possibly help a tad.

If you dont have an oil cooler, I'd suggest that too.

makes sense.

[thegeneral101]

intercooler won't hurt, if anything it will lower heat and help but like others have said the best thing you can di is stay stock and keep a great waranty

[carve]

There was a thread a while back about doing things to make your engine last longer. As far as mods go

-a bigger intercooler means your turbos won't have to work as hard, which should make them last longer. It probably won't do much to help overall engine life, but it won't hurt and turbos aren't cheap either. On the flip side, intercoolers can be expensive and I don't know if you'll really ofset it's cost in increased turbo life, so the only reason to really get one is for performance
-Use the stock intake. Paper filters have been proven time and again to filter far better than the aftermarket ones
-Reducing restriction on the intake side won't help longevity. The engine is an air pump, but 99.9% of the time the biggest restriction is the throttle plate. In normal driving, any reduced restriciton on the intake must be made up for by closing the throttle that much more, so intakes only really help when your foot is on the floor (unless you have a diesel)
-Reducing exhaust restriction might help a little, but not much. The stock exhaust is pretty damn good

In a nut shell, leave it stock for best engine life. Of course, you did buy a performance car and a tune will give you a lot more bang for your buck, which may be the better VALUE (not necessarily lowest cost) if you bought this car for performance.

For technique tips, don't drive it hard until it's warm. If you drove it hard, or did a long freeway drive, let it idle for a minute before shutting down. This'll allow the turbo to spin down and cool off, which can prevent coking in there.

Change your oil 2-3x more often than recommend. It's absurd the N54 has the same oil change intervals as it's non-turbo siblings. Turbos and high specfic-power engines are simply harder on their oil.

[kjrulz]

Originally Posted by carve

There was a thread a while back about doing things to make your engine last longer. As far as mods go

-a bigger intercooler means your turbos won't have to work as hard, which should make them last longer. It probably won't do much to help overall engine life, but it won't hurt and turbos aren't cheap either. On the flip side, intercoolers can be expensive and I don't know if you'll really ofset it's cost in increased turbo life, so the only reason to really get one is for performance
-Use the stock intake. Paper filters have been proven time and again to filter far better than the aftermarket ones
-Reducing restriction on the intake side won't help longevity. The engine is an air pump, but 99.9% of the time the biggest restriction is the throttle plate. In normal driving, any reduced restriciton on the intake must be made up for by closing the throttle that much more, so intakes only really help when your foot is on the floor (unless you have a diesel)
-Reducing exhaust restriction might help a little, but not much. The stock exhaust is pretty damn good

In a nut shell, leave it stock for best engine life. Of course, you did buy a performance car and a tune will give you a lot more bang for your buck, which may be the better VALUE (not necessarily lowest cost) if you bought this car for performance.

For technique tips, don't drive it hard until it's warm. If you drove it hard, or did a long freeway drive, let it idle for a minute before shutting down. This'll allow the turbo to spin down and cool off, which can prevent coking in there.

Change your oil 2-3x more often than recommend. It's absurd the N54 has the same oil change intervals as it's non-turbo siblings. Turbos and high specfic-power engines are simply harder on their oil.

great post!

[zhuntai]

Originally Posted by carve

In normal driving, any reduced restriciton on the intake must be made up for by closing the throttle that much more, so intakes only really help when your foot is on the floor (unless you have a diesel)

So... what happens in a diesel?

[sisbak1999]

Originally Posted by ckay

Don't touch anything and have a 100k warranty.

Sounds good, but a $500 tune w/ that much power is too hard to pass up.

[sisbak1999]

anybody reading this ever consider a IS350, that is what I am looking at now.