[PKumarM3]

Hi guys

Today was the culmination of something that started in 2007. My good friend Sal from Autocouture Motoring, before he had ACM, had a 335i. This was the newly touted N54 based motor - turbo had come back to BMW after a long history of naturally aspirated inline 6s, v8s, and some v12s, BMW was never associated with turbos in recent history. At the time, I had my E46 M3 and a Cadillac Escalade (of all cars). The lease on my Escalade was coming to a close the following year - June of 2008. After how amazing my E46 M3 had been for the 9 months that I had owned it, I was really aiming towards a 3 series sedan. I had loved how the E46 ZHP looked, but it was an older car, and it was so similar to the E46 M3 - body / interior - that I was thinking the E90 335i. At the time, the xi versions were not available, so I kinda put the 335 on the backburner. I was told by Sal that there would be an xi version for the 08 model year. I thought wow, that would be great.

My first run in was on a cold February winter day in 2008. I was hosting some M3 meets at the time and asked Sal to come down and hang out with us as we went to V-17 and got some food afterwards. On the way there, I caught my first glimpse of what is called "boost addiction". we all took turns getting SPANKED and i mean SPANKED by Sal and his 335. At the time, i am not sure what tune he had, but his car would do 3-4 car lengths on us very quickly. And to make matters even more embarassing, he was on his winter wheels. We all were while Sal was enjoying his luxury sedan just stomping us. This was something very envious to me.

Fast forward to September of 2008. The Escalade is now gone. I am in the market for a sports sedan. I went to BMW first, test drove a 335i AT. The car was fast! It was one of those cars that is very casual. You only know how fast it is when you look at the dash. I was doing 80 and it felt like I was going 60. I liked the car. The styling was nice, I actually like the rear of the e90 vs. the e46. The interior layout, although missing the tilted center instrument panel and the window control surrounding the shifter assembly, I thought everything was great. I loved the iDrive and i loved the simple gauges on the dash. I decided this was the car to get. There was no competition with Audi - I wouldn't be dead than caught driving an A4 or an S4 - the RS4 was a choice, but the carbon build up issue made me stay away, Mercedes had nothing that wasn't an AMG - RWD, that could compete with an AWD 335i. This is not to say that there were not any problems with the N54. The HPFP had already reared its ugly head, but what are you going to do - stay away from an amazing car because there is a chance that a fuel pump would die. Thats what engineers are for.

At the time, there were not many cars available to buy. Ordering was out of the question, since I needed the car ASAP. Mandatory options - 6sp and Navigation. I picked up a gorgeous 09 335i xdrive with 6sp and Navi. It was great. I only was upset I did not have an oil cooler, but the car has been doing fine.

34,400 miles later. I decided to finally get a real tune. I purchased the JB+ about a 2 years ago. Installed it for a few weeks, but quickly removed it. I think that the JB+ is just a quick band-aid for more power. I also disliked that it would throw tuner codes or had the possibility of having shadow codes. I also disliked the manner in which it was installed. I wanted a new tune, but I didn't want to rush into anything.

I started my search for a new tune on the internet. I first spoke to Sal. He had gone through half a dozen tunes before he sold his 335 and picked up a 135. This guy is the man. He knows his shit and actually helped me install both my tunes. He told me that both tunes were good, but in order to make a decision two important things - drive both tunes and do your research. Each tune is catered towards a different consumer. Knowing me, he said, I would go with the Procede. It is very advanced and sophisticated. It has things other tunes do not have - namely the command center, ignition timing, cold start readiness, code clearing, and the list goes on and on.

I began my quest. I tried to read as many threads as I could. I wanted to understand how each tune was installed, how each tune worked, what were the pros, what were the cons, what were the similarities, what were the differences, how good the customer service was, how bad it was, and most importantly, which would be the safest. Safety became the #1 priority. As much as I enjoy going really fast on the race track, I try to calm myself down as much as I can. A 45 foot burnout in front of a police officers house landed me a reckless driving ticket when I was 17 years old, and I have been EXTREMELY cautious ever since. What's funny is that I am unable to get a personalized license plate in the state of NJ because of that reckless driving ticket, until I turn 27 - this year.

I digress, I am neither interested in street racing or going to the drag strip. I just want a brutally fast car for daily driving. Now some of you may say, why not get a Viper, Z06, E60 M5, Cadillac CTS-V? Something nuts. Well I needed the AWD, needed 4 doors of the e90, love the small size of the e90, like the affordability of the car, love the maintenance, like that the car is a 6sp, love that it gets great mileage, and loves that I can go to ikea in it and buy A LOT of stuff.

So I get to the second part of my research. Driving the tunes. Sal had the JB3 in a car, so I went to see him to drive the car. It was a 135 and an AT, so quite different from my car. Luckily I had a 135 loaner for a few weeks so I knew exactly how the car felt stock. The JB3 has the intense feeling of torque even in the passenger seat. It just feels like its ready to fly! Even in D and w/out any throttle application, the car just moves along. This was very entertaining to drive. What I noticed is that the power tapers off at the higher rpms. Maybe it was smooth, but I noticed nothing, something, sorta something. The JB3 was something very unique. It was interesting to drive. It made the car feel like it had one really big turob, w/out the lag, but w/the brute force. Complementing modifications included a front mount intercooler, intake, and catless downpipes (all for off-road usage).

Next up was the Procede V4. One of my old friends from college has the Procede V4 on his 335i coupe. He also has catless downpipes and an intake. His car was just out of this world to drive. The smoothness compared to the JB3 was there. Although the initial "torque" feeling was slightly missing, the moment you got on it, it started really moving. What differentiated the jb3 and v4 to me was how hard the procede car pulled to redline. This was what really sold me. Not only did it pull to redline, there wasn't anything that was vicious about the pull. The JB3 is smooth, but its very unrefined. It doesn't feel naturally aspirated. as the procede sometimes felt like. There isn't turbo lag with the jb4, but there is a build up of boost, almost like in music notation - a crescendo - But the increase is very abrupt. With the procede, there is an anticipation of power when just cruising around, but the power is so linear, its quite amazing. The power comes through only is there when the throttle is applied. This for me, makes a better type of tune. Powerful, linear, safe, and smooth.

Then came the whole COBB Saga. Cobb Tuning, known for its AccessPort. It is a flash vs. a piggy back. It essentially flashes over the ECU. There is no need to fiddle with the ECU box in the engine bay. This is a nice set up. I decided against it because it was relatively new and it was slightly expensive - $895 vs the $625 for the Procede Enthusiast. I have heard nothing but good things about the COBB. To me, Shiv@Vishnu has been working on the Procede for 4 years now, and I think its gone so far and has been reputed as the safest and most sophisticated tune out there, I wanted to go with something that has been proven and been tested through and through. I also think that the cobb HAD to remain conservative since it is just starting out. Procede appeared to be able to PUSH more, which is nice to know, if I do decide to go crazy (cough, meth, cough). I am sure that the COBB will eventually be a VERY VERY powerful and wonderful tune. I just wanted something to start with that was a bit more advanced.

Now that I had decided on a Procede over a JB3/4 and a Cobb AP, I had to decide between the Enthusiast or the Professional. I had no need for the n/a mode or the meth mode just yet. The enthusiast is nice because it allows me to upgrade the features whenever I want to. I am considering the n/a mode, but think its kind of pointless, i'd rather just turn the tune off, but I guess the mileage makes sense. The meth is definitely something I would like to explore. At the same time, adding meth, has been reliable, but I will do the same amount of ridiculous and long spaced out research. Thats just me! I ordered the procede in an alcohol induced state () and waited a few weeks.

In all her glory:



I would definitely like to thank Sal@AutoCouture, DeFactoM6 for letting me drive their cars and their knowledge. I would also like to thank TheMyst and JPSlick for the countless IMs and hours of helping me come to this decision. Thanks guys!



Installation:



I set up a time with Sal to teach me how to install this Procede. I had spent the last few weeks watching the procede install video. It seemed simple enough. Remove all the a/c and microfilter elements. Undo the ecu box, undo the ecu wiring harness, undo the connectors, put the procede connectors in, put the oem ecu connectors into the procede connectors, power it up. What was interesting was wiring the usb cable. There is an actual hole that goes through the firewall. Its like BMW set up a hole strictly for USB cables. Removing the underpanel under the glove box held on by 2 T15 torx screws allowed you to snake the USB cord through.

All in all, the install took around 30 minutes and we were taking our sweet ass time. Sal was kind enough to guide me through each step and let me do each step over and over so I would remember it. I think that my first test will be when I have to remove the Procede or help someone else put one on. I think I remember it...I hope

Command Center - simply amazing. From watching it over and over, it is very intuitive and very simple to use. I think I will carry around the Vishnu Procede manual for a bit so I can quickly access the command center and know whats going on if I ever need to.

Experience:

This is going to be an ongoing thread where I can come back and write about my reviews on the car. As I left the parking lot of Autocouture Motorsports, I was hesitant. I have read so many stories about clutches dying recently and most of these cars are tuned, I was very sure about my downshifts and did not want to engage the clutch sloppy on upshifts. I kept it in second gear until I got onto a comfortable highway and shifted into third. I usually spend most of my time in 1st, 3rd - my passing gear, and 6th - my cruising gear. I went into third gear, gave myself enough space from the car in front of me, looked at all directions, turned up the v1 to the highest audible sound, and got on the throttle. THe car built boost quite quickly and kept moving until 7k rpm. I am used to the car falling pathetically on its face at 5500 rpm. This was AMAZING! I never have had a really fast car (00 ml320, 99 m3, 01 911 c4, 04/05 Escalade, 03 E46 M3, 09 335 stock), so it was very very new for me to have something that just pushed me back into my seat and I was holding onto dear life. I think that this modification has made me enjoy this car SO much more than it was in stock condition.

A few funny things to note –

Snow tires are useless with the procede! I was losing traction all over the place. It also was very windy, but my car was having a HARD time getting traction. That should change this summer. I am thinking I might have to forgo my oem 162s and run a square rear 162 set up for the ultimate concavity, or might step it up and run square 9s or 9.5s


I really want a big brake kit. I know that pads, fluid, and line will help, I am more familiar with stoptech brakes and the brake pad choices available. Not planning on tracking this car, but with this much power, I am assured that brake pads will be chewed through much quicker.


The rear end of the car felt very wobbly. Esp under load, the rear end squatted, and then when off load, the weight shifted pretty poorly upfront. It’s a combination of the rear subframe bushings (garbage) and the oem xi suspension (not garbage this winter season ). I really don’t know how far I want to go. I am definitely thinking about the rear subframe bushings. It’s a costly job – 6-7 hrs of labor, but from what I’ve read, its very well worth it.


I only drove the car about 20 miles. It was really really fun. I was so shocked at how much more responsive the throttle got. I also was amazed at how the car sounds differently. I remember Shiv describing something with the wastegate being different, which changes the sound of the car.


Overall this is the best modification for the car. I am usually a guy that likes to make his car handle first and then add power. I might change my mind about that. This car's motor is begging to be pushed. I am not going to go overboard, but I definitely am going to add a FMIC and possibly go a catless downpipe route if I can swing it. I believe A/R are the only xi dp available right now. At the same time I really don’t want to deal with the headaches one gets into when doing anything with emissions.


I am very happy with the Procede V5. I think it was the best mod for me and for what I was going for.

I know this thread is more about the story of how I got to where I am and not a lot of datalogs and graphs, but those will come. I just wanted to create a thread that brings everyone into the journey I went through.

Thanks for reading and I hope that my journey can inspire others to take similar ones.

[MF80]

1st

[e90injrz]

ummm,summary?

[dadgar]

Originally Posted by e90injrz

ummm,summary?

He bought a procede and he likes it.

[Funkmob]

He needs votes

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Great review, very informative.

I also liked your musical description ("crescendo"). Too few people out there know about classical music...!

Alpina_B3_Lux

[PKumarM3]

Originally Posted by e90injrz

ummm,summary?

went through a lot of research. bought a procede. really like it. will contribute to this thread w/datalogs and dyno sheets.

Originally Posted by dadgar

He bought a procede and he likes it.

+1

Originally Posted by Funkmob

He needs votes

I do! Thank you for voting! Also, I wanna contribute more to this section now that I actually have a tune!

Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux

Great review, very informative.

I also liked your musical description ("crescendo"). Too few people out there know about classical music...!

Alpina_B3_Lux

Thank you sir. Your reviews are sensational! Hope to have a beer with you if I ever do european delivery.

I love the Alpina lip!

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by PKumarM3

Thank you sir. Your reviews are sensational! Hope to have a beer with you if I ever do european delivery.

I love the Alpina lip!

Thanks a lot, that is very kind of you.

If you're ever in Germany or near it, let me know and I'd be pleased to invite you!

Alpina_B3_Lux

[PKumarM3]

Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux

Thanks a lot, that is very kind of you.

If you're ever in Germany or near it, let me know and I'd be pleased to invite you!

Alpina_B3_Lux

My friend Lightwerkz and I experienced European Delivery on his '11 335i xDrive. Wish I had known before I left!

Europe is so superior to America in so many areas.

Of all the things, I just miss being able to get to one location to another in relatively a short time frame. I only experienced traffic 1 time - heading into Stuttgart. Everything else was smooth sailing. Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and most of Germany.

[techlogik]

Cliff notes...

[KyLu II]

I don't know Wat to say....

[DaFish]

Well I really enjoyed the read and I knew where you were going and what you were saying...

I am in the exact spot you are - I think....

I have the dinan stage 2 and here are my thoughts:
1) I just got the latest flash... the boost comes on very suddenly now, there is noticable lag, big rush, drops off at 6k max. I just shift then to compensate.

2) I am not getting the power down with what I have - a mild tune....

3) once you get more power, you need the suspension to go with it. Once you get the suspension (I got Dinan Stage 3 which does nothing for the back end unless you do it) you realize that the rest of the car needs tightening up.

4) I am doing this spring an LSD (probably Wavetrac), subframe and rear Dinan bar to match my front. In retrospec, I would have gone to Harold at HPAutowerks and got the swift springs, and M3 bars.... but I have what I have now.

The rear end needs fixing. Once the stiff springs were placed in the back I can actually feel AND hear the subframe bushings compress and bottom - at least I think that is it. On slow speeds - bumper to bumper traffic, I go over compression joints and you can feel and hear a kind of thump.

5) Once I fix the rear end, I want to now get the power up - I think I can then support more power. I am heavily leaning toward the procede, exhaust, DPs, intercooler, meth - just do it all. I just sent Mike at N54 a note for a quote.

OP, I would love to hear more descriptions of the Procede and different maps. Also, I would like to know if Proceded does anything with the Dynamic stability control.... I have to keep turning mine to the first setting to really get on the power it seems.

Anyway, love the discussion.

[blacknbean]

Originally Posted by techlogik

Cliff notes...

cliffs: procede ftw!

[XPO186]

great write up! very thorough to say the least!

[ETS Michael]

How you not going to include me in your story haha.. Great story!

Michael

[forza1976]

[themyst]

I didn't make any choice for you! You made it on your own.

[ChristosK]

Nice story , I am looking at the options for more power, this period for my 135i and trying to make up my mind where to go...
Thnx for sharing

[orionredwing]

Nice write up

[e92bmw]

I was really stuck between the PROcede v5 and the cobb ap, however since my car is 07 and not even compatible with cobb and also due yo the fact that their a new company, Im going with the PROcede Thanks for the great review, you confirmed my decision on thr v5.( another thing that attracts me to the procede is how knowledgable shiv is, that guy knows abselutly everything on our cars)

[PKumarM3]

Thank you guys.

I forgot to mention ETS, since I am waiting to write a review about the ETS Intercooler once it gets installed!!!!

[stressdoc]

+1 on the need to upgrade suspension & brakes with more power.
There is a reason why the M3 has LSD, firm bushings etc.
Make a complete plan for your car when you get the Mod bug.
Don't be penny-wise pound foolish.