[RSL]

Originally Posted by Thewind727

[/ATTACH]


heres my dyno before custom tune on e60 mhd v7e60 tune , ARM fmic, ARM dp,s, stock inlets with bms dci, and stage 2 fuelit lpfp

This is about right think i got 384whp with stage 2+ mhd and fbo

not sure why the pic isnt loading but 422whp and 467wtq

They're weaker than I thought or maybe that version is. I guess E50 or higher OTS should get it closer to 425whp lol I'd expect custom tune wouldn't take as much E85, but point was, it will take E85

[Thewind727]

Originally Posted by RSL

They're weaker than I thought or maybe that version is. I guess E50 or higher OTS should get it closer to 425whp lol I'd expect custom tune wouldn't take as much E85, but point was, it will take E85

yeah for sure on the E85 i had a full e85 run on a custom tune with inlets boosting 21psi and made 461whp so anything north of 400whp is probgonna take E85 my car aslo only has 50k on it so shes still pretty fresh

[Jklad]

Originally Posted by GEOS07335i

Just curious and I'm reading into what your saying so please correct me. Are you saying with VRSF DP,CP,7"FMIC and tune your not making 425RWHP? I would think that along with better fitment, quality and efficiency I would easily see 425WHP on MHD 2 tune. Can anyone confirm?

Sorry, Didn't realize you meant wheel hp

With the above, some e85, an upgraded lpfp and proper tune should get you past the 425 whp mark. Without the e85, you'll likely be a little below the 400 mark. In either case, That's a fair amount of engine hp and if your trying to keep up w your mustang friend in a drag race it will come down to how you launch the car and tires.

I've never dyno'd so can't say exact figures.

But what I can say is that there's no reason to pay $800 for for name brand dp for example that can be had through vrsf for $400. But I would not go any Cheaper than that or buy from unknown / ebay vendors to avoid problems. And problems on this platform are a huge time suck. . Just my 2 cents.

[IvanE66]

I just installed the 1320 DP build was actually spot on to factory DPs pretty much lined up with no problems

[feuer]

My vote goes to 1320 DP's and ARM IC. However 425whp is little too optimistic on tired OEM turbos and fuel pumps. I would say 425hp or 350whp would be more realistic figure if you want things to last a little bit.

[JuniorB]

Honestly, there is so much info out there for this, but really,,unless you've done a hpfp,intake cleaning,coils, plugs, compression check, and there's no sence in going any further till you know if your engine and hardware are ready for more boost. All the opinions here are correct, if you can't afford Vrsf, then buy a nitous kit. That company has many proven parts at more than reasonable pricing, unless you buy used. Speed costs, how fast do you want to go?

[GEOS07335i]

Originally Posted by feuer

My vote goes to 1320 DP's and ARM IC. However 425whp is little too optimistic on tired OEM turbos and fuel pumps. I would say 425hp or 350whp would be more realistic figure if you want things to last a little bit.

I was thinking 1320 dp and the on3performance 7" FMIC as a cheaper alternative to VSRF

[feuer]

Originally Posted by GEOS07335i

I was thinking 1320 dp and the on3performance 7" FMIC as a cheaper alternative to VSRF

I'm not familiar with on3perfomance at all. I have first hand very good track experience with 1320 and ARM.

[GEOS07335i]

Originally Posted by feuer

I'm not familiar with on3perfomance at all. I have first hand very good track experience with 1320 and ARM.

There we'll known for an affordable ST kit. Super cheap and has decent reviews. There ST kit for 3k comes with all supporting mods except the LPFP.

[techwhiz]

Originally Posted by vncung

Newbie here.. we have about the same hp goal
if i was to mod, i would go in this order:

Plugs and coils
Vacuum hoses
Intake valves clean
Mhd e30 maps (with stock lpfp)
Lpfp stg 2 (e50-e60)
Fmic
Dp(if you really want it)

I would save the money on dp, cp, dci, bov for a lpfp stg 2. This is assumming you have access to e85.

Ymmv
Im in california so im not gonna touch the dp.
And with my driving style, i dont think i will ever gonna blow up a cp.
Only big difference is my car has 68k miles.

I went with a better CP, because they will pop at stock boost.
I'm also in CA so I won't touch downpipes.
I do have a Cobb tune.
No dual cone. It's not really going to get you much on a turbo car.
Get a good panel filter. You either make ghost or you don't. You may spool a tiny bit faster with a dual cone. But unless you can prevent sucking hot engine compartment air, you will lose horsepower with a DCI.

[nissubaru]

This reminds me of one of those Subaru forum threads where the guy wants to do anything and everything available just cause it makes the mod list longer, plus they want a certain power goal that is like 10 horsepower higher than is realistically possible.

From what I've seen on the N54 platform the tune/boost levels, IATs, fuel type and timing make the biggest difference when making power. I'm pretty shit with tuning so I'm sure someone else can chime in here who knows more but picking a number such as 425 is pointless when there's so many other factors that goes into making a car fast. On this platform you can make a bunch of power in stock form with just a tune and a few gallons of E85. However this won't last long as your stock intercooler will heat soak and you'll see reduced IATs and then reduced power as a result...so you add an intercooler which as I understand it, doesn't directly increase horsepower but through the reduction of IATs, you make more power. My car came with a VRSF FMIC installed so I can't really comment on the stock intercooler but point is, if you wanna make x amount of power..you can probably do it for a couple pulls, but don't expect it to last. But you still made x amount of power right??

Next you got the downpipes which will allow you to make slightly more boost overall than on stock downpipes, but let's say both tunes are equal and you're only targeting 16 psi which you can do on stock dps... A car with catless downpipes will still be faster because the reduced backpressure will allow the turbos to spool quicker, producing more boost quicker in the RPMs. If you were to plot this out on the dyno chart you would see more hp/torque being made earlier in the powerband. Peak numbers might still be the same, but who cares about that number if it's only for a split second? The entire area under the curve is what matters most.

E85 helps a ton on this car but you'll need to watch your LPFP to make sure it's not taking a shit on you. Upgraded LPFP is probably the best option if you have E85 readily available, then you can go nuts on ethanol which is where the real power is made.

Anyways, if we're really looking to make the most horsepower for the least amount of cash spent then I think everyone is looking at this all wrong. I haven't really seen many people mention JB4 in this thread, maybe there's a lot of MHD fanboys floating around nowadays but for OP, a JB4 + backend flash might be his best option. With the JB4 + BEF + some E85 you'll only be out like $500 (need to buy MHD flasher module, $80) but the amount of horsepower gained would be significant. I wouldn't take that car to the track or beat the hell out of it on the highway because no FMIC but the power will be there when needed. Add a FMIC and it will be even better.

Charge pipe is not absolutely necessary unless you're getting boost leaks or a 30FF. As far as I know there is no evidence of a charge pipe making increased power, it's simply a more durable version of a stock part that is prone to failure. Worth purchasing, but if you just wanna say your car can make x amount of horsepower then I guess you can leave this one off. Same with the diverter valves/BOV, your stockers are fine unless they leak.

DCIs will get you some more horsepower and will be a nice addition for pretty cheap.

Nothing against MHD, but I found the different map packs to be not worth purchasing. If I want to run a few gallons of ethanol on the off chance I pass by an E85 station then I would have to completely change tunes. In order to run an E30 MHD tune, that's another map pack. I also may put my stock cats back on sometimes for emissions & again, that's another pack I would have to purchase. JB4 does it all and the backend flash is free, including the ethanol flash.

[GEOS07335i]

There are multiple vendors that claim 500hp on healthy N54 with FBO's. It's called marketing. That's how this all started. I want to say ARM and I believe some other vendors mention this too. 500hp is roughly 425RWHP. If this is truly possible I think a lot more people would be jumping on the band wagon. But to set the proper expectation from what most people are saying one with good quality DP, FMIC and Mdh +2 tune would make number closer to 380rwhp and if you go with a LPFP upgrade and do an E mix you could get much closer to the 425RWHP number with just a tune.

Because I'm such a cheap ass and don't really want to spend the money and will attempt to install most of the FBO's myself I can save a bunch of $$that I will never get back out of the car when I go to sell it. I will probably just go the ultra cheapie route and see if I'd be happy with $250 1320 DP and $200 eBay FMIC. The ARM IC is probably the cheapest with proven results so will probably go that route and spend the extra$100. For CP $120 honestly I've looked at three of them and they all look the same it's the DV Or BOV that make this setup expensive but enough people have popped the stock one to warrant getting a replacement.

Regardless of the direction and especially if going down an unknown route with questionable parts is the Being able to capture some good data logs before and after and making sure all that crap I'm buying is actually working.

Several people have sited that the 1320 DP fit so not too concerned. Finding a $200 FMIC is a bit of a challenge not a lot of people post and or log their findings. LPFP haven't really researched so don't have any idea of the cost. CP may just get an ALU one that uses the stock diverter valves and replace orings. From what I can tell most of the failures are due to them cracking at the neck not from a leaking diverter valve.

[feuer]

If you ask me CP is not needed. Yes people break them but you really never hear the true story about how and why it happened. Spend the money on engine and transmission mounts. I give you more realistic WHP on older N54 for daily application. 350whp. More than that and things will start failing rapidly. Think transmissions if AT. Or clutch if MT. Also the Diff. Fuel pumps. Turbos. None of these will have in them.... Nothing wrong with building this car on the cheap. Car was cheap to begin with. 11y old 335i with over 100k on the ODO is less than a $10k so....

[Go Horns!]

Originally Posted by feuer

If you ask me CP is not needed. Yes people break them but you really never hear the true story about how and why it happened.

I blew my charge pipe on my 335is. Engine is bone stock. I was going full throttle to get up to speed on entering a highway. Blew the pipe during the 2-3 shift. Dealer replaced under warranty.

[feuer]

Originally Posted by Go Horns!

I blew my charge pipe on my 335is. Engine is bone stock. I was going full throttle to get up to speed on entering a highway. Blew the pipe during the 2-3 shift. Dealer replaced under warranty.

Yes, sometimes million dollar shift at red line will do it

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

If you want the cheapest way to 425WHP without nitrous, Intake, Tune, Charge Pipe, Methanol Injection (Spray and pray kit). It can be done for under $1000 easily.

[GEOS07335i]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

If you want the cheapest way to 425WHP without nitrous, Intake, Tune, Charge Pipe, Methanol Injection (Spray and pray kit). It can be done for under $1000 easily.

I dont want to go the cheapest way to 425WHP Just the cheapest way to FBO's. I just needed to set my expectations. With out an emix 425rwh is a pipe dream. So I think I have a set path with some proven part's even though some of them have questionable reputations and some not so proven.

1) DP's I think I'll go with the 1320's I like the fact that there bent and not welded and I've seen more positive reviews than negative. There a little cheaper than the VSRF. DP $250
2) FMIC- I've heard to much crap about ebay so I'll probably go the ARM / One3Performance 7"$359 or VSRF 7" not sure yet but these seem to have a decent reputation and definitely on the cheaper side. $300-500
3) Charge pipe- Boost Monkey (if you put it sided by sided with $180 CP you would not be able to tell the difference) with the fake TIAL BOV and a "real" TIAL spring witch cost $25 just for the spring WOW! $119 +59 + 25 = $205 (several members at our club run these) I dont think they will admit it publicly but they do with out issues. I have heard can be a bit of hit and miss.
4) DCI $100 - The jury is out if this is a wast of $100?
5) Tune MHD 2+ $200 or so with the logging module?

Phase 2:
Stage 2 LPFP and run an e-mix.

I think this way I stay well with in budget still using components that will make the car breath easier and work more efficient at the same time increase the performance. My phase two would be the LPFP upgrade on e-mix.

So far I've done a lot of maintenance. Getting Walnut blasting next week. Replaced all 6 Bosch coils with new Bosch coils, New NGK 95770 plugs gaped at .22 will be going in this weekend. Flushed most of the fluids. Replaced and coded Fuel Injectors. So if I can get the car running good I'll start ordering some fun stuff next week and hopefully get a nice big fat grin on my face and keep the pocket book in check at around $1000-1100 with out sacrificing too much on longevity or durability.

[Jklad]

Keep us posted, this will be an interesting lesson in frugality.

[GEOS07335i]

I do have a question about the dp's though. I live in a county that has emissions. Does the MHD app allow you to bypass this is there something you have to do prior to going in and getting your emissions? Also I see a few vendors sell some sort of bypass cable? What's that all about?

Also anyone provide a quick estimate on labor for the following. I think I can handle the CP, FMIC, and MHD tune. The DP's look like a BIATCH to install.

Cost to install Down Pipes?
Cost to install Charge Pipe?
Cost to install FMIC?
Cost to get a custom Tune?

[Faredo]

Originally Posted by feuer

Nothing wrong with building this car on the cheap. Car was cheap to begin with. 11y old 335i with over 100k on the ODO is less than a $10k so....

I see this point. IF the part actually works. The day I nearly threw a friend out of my garage because he spent $150 on downpipes that had fitment so bad it took 2 days to install. Cheap bastard wouldn't take them back so I had to reweld the flanges and dent one to clear the motor mount bolt.

On the cheap PROVEN parts are ok. i.e. VRSF.




.

[Faredo]

Originally Posted by GEOS07335i

I do have a question about the dp's though. I live in a county that has emissions. Does the MHD app allow you to bypass this is there something you have to do prior to going in and getting your emissions? Also I see a few vendors sell some sort of bypass cable? What's that all about?

Also anyone provide a quick estimate on labor for the following. I think I can handle the CP, FMIC, and MHD tune. The DP's look like a BIATCH to install.

Cost to install Down Pipes?
Cost to install Charge Pipe?
Cost to install FMIC?
Cost to get a custom Tune?

If you cant install your own DPs this may not be a good platform for you. On the cheap mods and paying a mechanic for BMW work do not go hand in hand. Any mechanic worth his/her salt will charge more for BMW work just because it takes longer.
VCG? Ive seen people charge 4 hours for this. change one on a Honda faster than an oil change.
No offence but from what im reading you should consider another platform. there are a lot of easier and cheaper and mechanic friendly alternatives that a young fella can cut his teeth on without going broke.
s13
s14
damn near any honda from 90s+
5.0s
etc. etc. etc.

[feuer]

Originally Posted by Faredo

If you cant install your own DPs this may not be a good platform for you.

These days people get ASI certification on YouTube but watching DIY vidoes. So perhaps OP need to keep watching