[SmallChicken]

Hi all - new here.

I have a completely bone stock E92 335i and I’m looking for the best way to get a (semi) conservative increase in power. My mechanical knowledge is admittedly pretty low and this is my first BMW, so please forgive any cluelessness.

I know there’s tons of options available out there. The catch for me is, I’m in California and want to try to stay smog legal. I went through swapping back to stock parts on my previous car whenever it came time for a smog check and it’s just a minor hassle I don’t care to deal with anymore.

I’m not looking to build a track car or anything, I’m reasonably happy with the stock power - just looking for a little boost (maybe 50-60ish HP). This is what I was thinking of doing:

JB4 (not for use in CA, but I’m assuming there’d be no problems passing in Map 0)
Injen Cold Air Intake (C.A.R.B certified)
Mishimoto Intercooler
Cobb Charge Pipe (I’ve read the stock plastic ones can crack at higher than stock boost)

Would this be a reasonable path to take? Would the intake be mostly for sound and a waste of money (performance wise)?
Would it be bottlenecked due to the lack of a downpipe + exhaust? As far as I know, even catted downpipes are off limits here, and the legal exhaust options are very limited.

Any advice/alternate set-ups would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Kevin39]

Yeah the intake is mostly for sound. An intercooler, charge pipe, and a tune is a good start.

[Johnny Boost]

Yes you'd pass inspection with those mods. If you like the intake then go for it. Make sure that you drive the car for a few days in map 0 before you try to pass emissions.

[surfcali]

could you take a pic of the CARB sticker for your injen intake? I can't find mine.

[racermp]

Mhd stage 1+

[ShaneN55]

Originally Posted by SmallChicken

Hi all - new here.

I have a completely bone stock E92 335i and I’m looking for the best way to get a (semi) conservative increase in power. My mechanical knowledge is admittedly pretty low and this is my first BMW, so please forgive any cluelessness.

I know there’s tons of options available out there. The catch for me is, I’m in California and want to try to stay smog legal. I went through swapping back to stock parts on my previous car whenever it came time for a smog check and it’s just a minor hassle I don’t care to deal with anymore.

I’m not looking to build a track car or anything, I’m reasonably happy with the stock power - just looking for a little boost (maybe 50-60ish HP). This is what I was thinking of doing:

JB4 (not for use in CA, but I’m assuming there’d be no problems passing in Map 0)
Injen Cold Air Intake (C.A.R.B certified)
Mishimoto Intercooler
Cobb Charge Pipe (I’ve read the stock plastic ones can crack at higher than stock boost)

Would this be a reasonable path to take? Would the intake be mostly for sound and a waste of money (performance wise)?
Would it be bottlenecked due to the lack of a downpipe + exhaust? As far as I know, even catted downpipes are off limits here, and the legal exhaust options are very limited.

Any advice/alternate set-ups would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Live in CA and currently running JB4+Catted Downpipes. Would recommend getting CEL delete. Also purchasing Intercooler and Chargepipe soon.

[SmallChicken]

Thanks everyone for all the replies. Great info. I think I'll probably forego the intake for now.

Originally Posted by ShaneN55

Live in CA and currently running JB4+Catted Downpipes. Would recommend getting CEL delete. Also purchasing Intercooler and Chargepipe soon.

Nice. Which one did you get - Cobb? AR? I take it you had no problems with the smog check? Did you notice much of a performance gain vs. before??

[ShaneN55]

Originally Posted by SmallChicken

Thanks everyone for all the replies. Great info. I think I'll probably forego the intake for now.



Nice. Which one did you get - Cobb? AR? I take it you had no problems with the smog check? Did you notice much of a performance gain vs. before??

VRSF Catted. Just got it installed today. (Tried it myself before I took it to a shop massive pain in the ass but it was cheap to have someone do) HUGE power difference and sound difference. Downpipe+PPK (got it from Joe)+JB4 is insane!!! Haven't had to smog yet but I should be fine

[YouAreMyWorld]

Originally Posted by ShaneN55

VRSF Catted. Just got it installed today. (Tried it myself before I took it to a shop massive pain in the ass but it was cheap to have someone do) HUGE power difference and sound difference. Downpipe+PPK (got it from Joe)+JB4 is insane!!! Haven't had to smog yet but I should be fine

If I may ask, how much did you pay for install? I'm looking into getting DP's soon, so I just want to see if I should shop around based on your install price. Plus I'm leaning heavily on the "reinstall DP" for emissions purposes as I don't want to leave anything up to chance when the time comes around.

[ShaneN55]

Originally Posted by YouAreMyWorld

If I may ask, how much did you pay for install? I'm looking into getting DP's soon, so I just want to see if I should shop around based on your install price. Plus I'm leaning heavily on the "reinstall DP" for emissions purposes as I don't want to leave anything up to chance when the time comes around.

Payed $200 at SSR Performance in Santa Ana. Great shop with nice workers! Very knowledgeable with BMW's and helped me a lot with my build.

[YouAreMyWorld]

Originally Posted by ShaneN55

Payed $200 at SSR Performance in Santa Ana. Great shop with nice workers! Very knowledgeable with BMW's and helped me a lot with my build.

Thank you very much, I appreciate the information!

[jlegelis]

Greetings from MA - we're in the same boat here with OBD tests, etc. Guessing a catted downpipe is required. Does anyone know if the new VRSF catted is prone to CELs?

[ANMVQ]

Originally Posted by jlegelis

Greetings from MA - we're in the same boat here with OBD tests, etc. Guessing a catted downpipe is required. Does anyone know if the new VRSF catted is prone to CELs?

In MA also!
Any HFC with throw a CEL at some point because of the increased flow. I had Z1 HFC's on my G37 and had a CEL 2 twice for cat efficiency in 2 years, just cleared it with my ECUTEK . I had no issues with getting my stickers those two years with ECUTEK and the HFC's. I know BWM is a different animal.


Op any thoughts on Dinan? They have a half off sale right now!

[DYOOS]

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I live in CA, and want to stay smog legal for the most part. I'm all stock right now, but looking to start my performance build with the following:

- JB4 or MHD
- VRSF Charge Pipe or BMS Charge Pipe
- Mishimoto Intercooler
- BMS Intake or Injen Intake

The JB4 I'd plan on running map 0 for a week or before getting a smog. Charge pipe should be fine in general as long as it is not chrome or anything that won't pass a visual check. Same goes with the intercooler. My question is, would it be worth it to get an intake? Injen intake is CARB legal, but is it better to put that money towards another performance part that'll help me increase power much more? Downpipes? Exhaust? Injectors?

Basically looking to reach the 400WHP/WTQ range, while staying CA smog legal. If that is possible. The upgrades listed above is only a start to reaching my goal. Any advice/tips would be appreciated. Cheers!

[DrRobert]

DP replacement (i.e. removing the OEM catalytic converters) is when you need to start worrying about passing smog in CA. You should be OK with the other mods. There is a DP fix available for those without cats as others mentioned; you can search for more info on that. A catted DP is another alternative but I have not seen a much info regarding which ones can pass CA without the DP fix. I recently passed CA smog with a HJS HFC without the DP fix. But unfortunately AFAIK nobody makes a catted DP for N55 E90s using HJS cats. I had one retrofitted into an OEM DP, and it was very expensive.

[mike@x-ph.com]

I would do JB4 (not Carb legal yet), VRSF CP, Injen Intake, Wagner EVO I intercooler

[DrRobert]

Originally Posted by RepBolt

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I live in CA, and want to stay smog legal for the most part. I'm all stock right now, but looking to start my performance build with the following:

- JB4 or MHD
- VRSF Charge Pipe or BMS Charge Pipe
- Mishimoto Intercooler
- BMS Intake or Injen Intake

The JB4 I'd plan on running map 0 for a week or before getting a smog. Charge pipe should be fine in general as long as it is not chrome or anything that won't pass a visual check. Same goes with the intercooler. My question is, would it be worth it to get an intake? Injen intake is CARB legal, but is it better to put that money towards another performance part that'll help me increase power much more? Downpipes? Exhaust? Injectors?

Basically looking to reach the 400WHP/WTQ range, while staying CA smog legal. If that is possible. The upgrades listed above is only a start to reaching my goal. Any advice/tips would be appreciated. Cheers!

Air intake will not give you a lot of bang for the buck if it is power you are after. Intercooler, CP and JB4 or a custom tune are good ideas. I don't think it is realistic for you to expect to reach 400 WHP and stay CA smog legal, at least not on crap CA pump gas.

[Jdub679]

Originally Posted by DrRobert

Air intake will not give you a lot of bang for the buck if it is power you are after. Intercooler, CP and JB4 or a custom tune are good ideas. I don't think it is realistic for you to expect to reach 400 WHP and stay CA smog legal, at least not on crap CA pump gas.

I agree with this. And I've personally shied away from a downpipe (catted or otherwise) because of CA's smog laws. I would put my vote in for MHD though. I had my JB4 for 5 yrs and it was great, but it's a PITA to remove the thing every time you go into service. Flashing the MHD is about as easy as things get.

[DYOOS]

Originally Posted by Jdub679

I agree with this. And I've personally shied away from a downpipe (catted or otherwise) because of CA's smog laws. I would put my vote in for MHD though. I had my JB4 for 5 yrs and it was great, but it's a PITA to remove the thing every time you go into service. Flashing the MHD is about as easy as things get.

What steps do you have to take with the MHD to be able to pass a smog?

[Jdub679]

Originally Posted by RepBolt

What steps do you have to take with the MHD to be able to pass a smog?

I would personally just flash back to stock. Might take a little bit of time, but it doesn't have me sweating under my hood.

I "think" you can get a smog check with MHD installed, as long as the "catted downpipes" option is checked and all your readiness sensors are up and running. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

[DrRobert]

Originally Posted by RepBolt

What steps do you have to take with the MHD to be able to pass a smog?

I flashed back to stock and passed with a catted DP.

[DYOOS]

Originally Posted by Jdub679

I would personally just flash back to stock. Might take a little bit of time, but it doesn't have me sweating under my hood.

I "think" you can get a smog check with MHD installed, as long as the "catted downpipes" option is checked and all your readiness sensors are up and running. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

Originally Posted by DrRobert

I flashed back to stock and passed with a catted DP.

Excuse my ignorance as I'm still learning more about MHD. Like JB4, do you have to flash it back to stock and drive a certain amount of miles before taking it in to smog?