Original info/announcement on 335i Performance Edition Model and Retrofit Kit
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=553916
A few words & first impressions:
1. Price - $1,200 installed, including tax. I was able to negotiate $100 off. So $1,300 for others. Part came to $985, install was $250 (dealer dependent), plus sales tax.
a. Given that the only other part I ever had retrofitted before was an alarm on my 2007 e90 ($299 from factory, $750 retrofitted) I can appreciate that there will be a price difference between the factory & retrofits.
b. Since I had considered the full PPK (Hardware + Software) and was quoted over $2,500, although disappointed that it wasn't close to the factory $550, I was happy that it was less than 1/2 the cost of the full PPK
c. Price change - As of 9/19/11 and for the remainder of 2011 the kit will be reduced to $599. My dealer is working with me and BMW NA to recover the difference in price of the part since I purchased within 2 weeks of the price change.
First Impressions - disclaimer - I'm the first one to admit that you can't really appreciate differences in vehicles just by "feeling it". This is truly anecdotal, and given that I'm not interested in ever putting my car on a dyno take that into consideration when reading my review.
a. I didn't realize I ever had turbo lag. I now have immediate power at very low RPMs. This was the first noticeable difference from stock. I can honestly say I definitely don't have any turbo lag, although I didn't think I ever had any - boy I was wrong.
b. Ground was wet, so didn't go crazy.
c. The gains were definitely noticeable, especially with the low end torque. I have an XI so wheelspin isn't typical, but in DTC mode I was able to get some wheelspin. I have yet to play around with DSC completely disabled.
d. I agree with the other post thus far, there is no "throw you back in your seat" moment, but again, it was wet and sloppy out so I didn't really push it to its limits.
e. The difference was also noticeable when accelerating between 40 & 80mph. I was about 10mph faster than I expected to be when I looked down at the speedometer after a brisk acceleration.
Second Impressions - 2 weeks after install -
1. You definitely "get used" to the tune. After about 2 weeks of daily driving, and over 500 miles, I can honestly say you don't really realize it's there anymore
a. Then you put your foot to the floor. There seems to be a sweet spot just around 3,000 RPM where you can get thrusted back in your seat.
b. If you're just doing daily driving in D mode, you may not be able to appreciate it at all.
2. Gas Mileage - Maybe it was the route, or maybe I was driving consciously, or maybe it was the tune - I did a 240 mile trip and for the first time in 20,000 miles I averaged more than 500 miles to the tank.
a. When they say gas mileage is unaffected, I can honestly agree (under normal driving circumstances). That is of course unless you're pushing it to the limit and well, you'll get 12mpg. If you are driving in a more "spirited" manner, but not pushing its limits I'd say gas mileage is slightly diminished by at most 25 miles/tank.
Summary -
The PPK Retrofit is a fast, easy, and warrantee-d way to give your 335 a little performance boost. For 20hp and 33tq, I agree that this is a good value if you were to build your vehicle with the "Performance Edition Kit". It is as close to a 335is as you can get from the factory, obviously minus the DCT and over boost.
As a retrofit - I'd only really recommend it to owners. I spent a pretty penny on my vehicle, and an even prettier penny on the extended warranty for 7 years.
If you lease your vehicle, save your bucks and buy one of the AM tunes. You can't go wrong with $300-700 for up to 60-70hp. My motto though is "you get what you pay for" and I'm sure none of the vendors would step up to the plate if your vehicle was damaged as a result of their tune (except Dinan, but that's another story). From what I read they all have fantastic customer support, but I would never expect them to say "yeah, sounds like my tune did that to your car, we'll fix it" - especially if BMWNA blames it on the tune.
If you own your vehicle, this is a great way to get a little bit more performance, and the security that BMW will back its product through the extent of the warranty. I'm sure it will retain its value dollar for dollar out of the factory, $0.50/$1 if you get the retrofit.
Overall I'm happy with my decision. But then again people value different things. I'd rather pay more and have this covered the full 7 years of my warranty, than have a problem with a cheaper solution that provides more performance gains. You may want the product that gives you the best $$ per hp.
Hope this helped. Bottom line for me is that this should be the way the 335 performs right out of the factory, and it's a bit disappointing to have to pay for it.
Official Tech Specs (per BMW):
Performance Retrofit Stage 1 Kit Part # 11-12-2-219-488
For N55 engine
Horsepower increase from 300 to 320
Torque increase from 300 to 317ft-lbs for a manual trans
Torque increase from 300 to 332 ft.-lbs for automatic trans
0.2 seconds faster acceleration time than the standard factory model from 80 to 100 km/h
0.5 seconds faster acceleration time than the standard factory model from 80 to 120km/h
Retains the orginal BMW limited warranty.
Requires spark plug updates if over 45,000 miles (not included in pricing)
Quoted 2.0 hours for installation / reprogramming.
Price for me - $1,200 installed, including tax. I was able to negotiate $100 off. So $1,300 for others
Here's images of the kit's documentation and badge (posted by mimmitt):
