[mtn335xi]

I have been reading quite a bit in the forums to get a sense of what folks are doing.

What would be your recommended first mods for our mile high altitude?

Intake?
Downpipes?
Piggyback?
ECU flash?

It appears there are quite polarized camps in the forums but what works better up at elevation, PROcede or JB? Other?

Do you guys use Bimmerhaus or someone else in Denver who specialized on 335 aftermarket tunes, etc.?


Thanks for any input.

[chinoxs203]

a drop =).. piggyback would be the easiest to install and $ for $ would yield you the most gains. also find out what DME version you have. search because if you have 29.2 your piggyback options will be limited. do a search on here for that info.

[mtn335xi]

I am trying to tell:

1) If I have an oil cooler. I read something about oil temp gauge will tell. I have 340.

2) If i have 29.2 or higher.

[chinoxs203]

Originally Posted by mtn335xi

I am trying to tell:

1) If I have an oil cooler. I read something about oil temp gauge will tell. I have 340.

2) If i have 29.2 or higher.

1) best way is to look at the passenger side fender wheel well. if you see a vent then you have it.
See Here

2) when was the car at the dealer last? if it has been there since March 08 you most likely have been flashed. The new software went into production on March 08 builds but get flashed onto older cars when they come in for service.

[raceyBMW]

You will have the oil cooler if you have the sport package WITH the 18" wheel option on the XI. Otherwise, you won't have it.

I personally like the intake. I love the way it sounds, and will help you on the top end, and your car will breathe easier. As for mods, it really depends on what you are going for. Drag strip speed, tracking, spirited mountain driving. All of those items you mentioned will give you more HP.

[mtn335xi]

Thanks guys! I will check that later today. I don't have the sport package so I guess I don't. I was reading on here they install an oil cooler for free since all new 335s have this mandatory? True?

I just got my ride back from ABC Tinters off of Monaco. They added a nice 20% 3M tint and clear bra. They do good work!

Next steps, I have some 18" Hammans from my totaled M3 and I want to see if they fit. Do you guys know if I have to disconnect anything for runflats or just swap out rims?

I am looking at the Vinshu, JB3 or the new Jim Conforti flash (I had his stuff in my old 325i way back in the day).

Also considering the catless DPs but not sure if that will pass emissions up here.

[hov333]

hey bro. I can give you a world of advice haha. ok...

if the wheels are 20's you may have a hard time. Read the back of the rear wheel and tell me what the "et" number says, its a 2 digit number. Lower than 32ish will probably be difficult if you want to lower the car.

Go to autozone, and spend between $50-$100 depending on brand. I have the "cone filters" setup, where its basically 2 KN or whatever cone-style filters. This really makes the car sound sick and even gives it a blow-off sound. do a search for "dual cone intake" and you'll probably find a DIY. ask me if you can't find a decent writeup.

next, I have a procede and I love it. I have never driven the car stock, but with the cone filters, this thing rips. You have all the traction you need so its a lot of fun. I raped an e46 m3 the otherday while I had 2 passengers with me. It wasnt a flyby, i'm talking back to back both from a stop and a roll.

go coilovers if you want to take care of that body roll on corners and especially if you want to drop the car. Its going to be pricey though because not many companies make them for our car.

by the way, before you mount your wheels, PM me what the tire measurements (XXX.XX.XX) are so that you don't mess up your tranny since its all wheel drive.
I'm at work but i can send you a website that checks the car's rolling diameter of the tire.

lol also, try driving the car after momentarily pressing the DTC button, DTC should light up on the dash. Its like enabling "sport traction", and the car feels great.

let me know if you need some more help, and welcome to the forum!

[raceyBMW]

No, not all 335's are fitted with the oil cooler from the factory. Only "i"s with the sport package, and "xi"s with the sport package and 18" tire option get them. I have an early build (10/06) 335i with sport and AT. The early AT's did not get the oil cooler, where the MT's did. Most of the retrofitted oil coolers are going into those early AT's with sport pkg(like I just got). You will have a very hard time convincing BMWNA that you need an oil cooler if you don't have sport package, unless you actually can prove to them that you have limped because of oil temps.

Unfortunately, I doubt the Hamanns are going to fit your car. The E46's (that's the M3 you were talking about right?) had a lot larger + offset than the E90/E92 does. You might be able to get away with them if they were 18's, but I doubt you will with them being 20's.

Be careful with the catless DP's, because BMW will give you hassle were your car to have any major warranty issue. I will probably go to catless DP's when I am out of warranty and don't have to worry about it. Also they won't really gain you anything unless you have a tune on your car.

I don't think you could go wrong with the V3 or JB3. As far as JC, it might still be a while until he comes out with his flash for our car. At first he is just going to come out with a way for other tuners to re-flash the car, and will not have his own tune like the shark injector. So you may still be buying re-flashes from those like Burger Tuning or Vishnu.

And post up some pics of the ride! Welcome to the party!

[mtn335xi]

thanks for the noob info guys. nice pics of your rides. i was reading the 335s should all be shipped with the oil cooler standard? should i add one?

They are 18" off of my turboed E36 M3 4dr that was not totaled by me. long story.

E36 won't fit? it does roll in turns trying to get used to that. looking at 19" down the road.

[DrEvil]

Best mods I did were the KW V3 coilovers and the ECU flash. IMO, the coilovers correct the only serious performance/design deficiency of the car.

[DrEvil]

Originally Posted by mtn335xi

I have been reading quite a bit in the forums to get a sense of what folks are doing.

What would be your recommended first mods for our mile high altitude?

Intake?
Downpipes?
Piggyback?
ECU flash?

It appears there are quite polarized camps in the forums but what works better up at elevation, PROcede or JB? Other?

Do you guys use Bimmerhaus or someone else in Denver who specialized on 335 aftermarket tunes, etc.?


Thanks for any input.

Not sure who everyone has used for mods - but I got really good treatment at MAC in Parker. The mostly do STI's and Evo's.

[mtn335xi]

Posted pics with of my new ride with Tint and clear bra. I just disconnected the exhaust flap actuator in rear and it adds a nice exhaust note now.

[Neill222]

I did the charcoal filter delete and it runs a kit vetter and better throttle response. Really good mod for free. I did it on a 2007 328xi.

[AlpineSwift]

My mods went as follows:

-BMS DCI's
-Vishnu OFT
-VRSF Charge Pipe w/Tial BOV
-VRSF 7" FMIC
-Walnut Blast & Plugs (not really a mod but at 45-50K miles, it's a necessity and free's up a ton of power with the blasting. Plugs are just a damn good idea every 20K miles when you're tuned.)
-Switched to Cobb AP from Vishnu OFT
-BMS Cowl Filters (deletes the tray and allows hot air to release out the back of the hood very easily. If you don't have the factory oil cooler, I highly recommend it.).
-ar Design catless down pipes + BMW PE axle back w/ race cats in mid pipes
-H&R Coilovers
-Renn Motorsport RS-51 19" (8.5 front, 9.5 rear 35mm offsets all 4 corners) wheels wrapped in Continental DW tires (235 front, 265 rear).

...and a ton of other minor mods for appearance like LED's and coding.

Grand total not including LED's and minor stuff like that has me around $7900 in mods right now. Add that to my vehicle cost of about $22,500 puts me @ $30,400. Still cheaper than a used E92 M3 with roughly 50K miles and I consistently spank them from a roll or a dig. For a street car build, I couldn't happier, especially when you consider it's my DD.

How you choose to build your car is your decision, but I feel my path of mods was the best fit for me. I will tell you if I had to do it again, I would have done my coil overs first. The stock Xi sport suspension makes the added power from tuning a real handful.

Next items on my immediate list are RB PCV upgrade, upgrade rotors and pads, and eventually single turbo swap (whenever PTF decides to launch it's kit).

[stevejiange92]

AlpineSwift, advise needed. I got a 2011 e92 335xi coupe - m sport. Should I go with JB4 and the BMS intake? Or should I get the different brand tune like the access port? I kinda want the tune and intake only and keep the car as stock as possible. Should I add other mods like the DP and extra cooling etc to ease the engine?

[Fnne99]

Originally Posted by stevejiange92

AlpineSwift, advise needed. I got a 2011 e92 335xi coupe - m sport. Should I go with JB4 and the BMS intake? Or should I get the different brand tune like the access port? I kinda want the tune and intake only and keep the car as stock as possible. Should I add other mods like the DP and extra cooling etc to ease the engine?

If you have easy access to e85 and don't want to bother with an inline lpfp, I'd go with the jb4 and put about 4gal in and the rest 91 switch to map 5 and have fun!

[chepy24]

cobb and call it a day lol