My brave pill: E92 BMW 335i with the infamous N54 engine

[pmorg4]

Court_S said:

Will do; I’ll probably do it once I know when the adapters from NRW are on the way. It’s the paddle and adapters that I’m selling, same as what you’d buy from the states.

I found a few pairs of complete of M3 paddles; too rich for me and new is brutally expensive. Sod that.

Thanks Sam. No rush on my side (it'll probably take me weeks to find the time to get them fitted anyway ) and it'll be nice to not have to deal with the hassle of importing from the US.

Your car is looking fantastic as always, and I'm looking forward to hearing how the remaps go. The stock N54 does feel very restrained, and whilst I'm no longer the speed demon I once was, I can see the appeal in unleashing a bit more of its potential. Same for the gearbox map, I'm very tempted to try the Alpina map (not least because it's free so nothing lost if I don't like it) but I'm sure a proper bespoke map or XHP will really take it up a level.

[Court_S]

pmorg4 said:

Thanks Sam. No rush on my side (it'll probably take me weeks to find the time to get them fitted anyway ) and it'll be nice to not have to deal with the hassle of importing from the US.

Your car is looking fantastic as always, and I'm looking forward to hearing how the remaps go. The stock N54 does feel very restrained, and whilst I'm no longer the speed demon I once was, I can see the appeal in unleashing a bit more of its potential. Same for the gearbox map, I'm very tempted to try the Alpina map (not least because it's free so nothing lost if I don't like it) but I'm sure a proper bespoke map or XHP will really take it up a level.

I was amazed at how much more punchy the remapped Z4 felt compared to my car, it really livens it up. My gearbox largely doesn’t bother me too much (it’s much smoother after a service), it can just be a bit slow to kickdown. My friend has a 330 and had his gearbox mapped at P Torque and he thinks it’s much better.

[bargeista]

Court_S said:

as I’m stuck with the stock airbox

Apparently the Z4 35is airbox lid flows better but it requires the M3 scuttle panel.

It doesnt have the stepped part at the back.

[Court_S]

bargeista said:

Apparently the Z4 35is airbox lid flows better but it requires the M3 scuttle panel.

It doesnt have the stepped part at the back.

I’ve heard that; it’s quite a pricey upgrade because the scuttle panels are expensive (even used) because it’s become a popular mod with 130i owners so bits are getting snapped up. Makes it easier to get the engine cover off though.

[helix402]

Court_S said:

I’ve heard that; it’s quite a pricey upgrade because the scuttle panels are expensive (even used) because it’s become a popular mod with 130i owners so bits are getting snapped up. Makes it easier to get the engine cover off though.

I’ve looked at the M3 scuttle conversion in conjunction with the M3 strut brace. The issue I can see is the M3 bonnet is the only bonnet that seals correctly against the M3 scuttles due to the underside shape.

[Court_S]

helix402 said:

I’ve looked at the M3 scuttle conversion in conjunction with the M3 strut brace. The issue I can see is the M3 bonnet is the only bonnet that seals correctly against the M3 scuttles due to the underside shape.

I did not know that. It’s certainly never mentioned by anyone who’s done the conversion. To be honest, given the costs involved I’ll be swerving it.

[KPB1973]

Court_S said:

pmorg4 said:

Thanks Sam. No rush on my side (it'll probably take me weeks to find the time to get them fitted anyway ) and it'll be nice to not have to deal with the hassle of importing from the US.

Your car is looking fantastic as always, and I'm looking forward to hearing how the remaps go. The stock N54 does feel very restrained, and whilst I'm no longer the speed demon I once was, I can see the appeal in unleashing a bit more of its potential. Same for the gearbox map, I'm very tempted to try the Alpina map (not least because it's free so nothing lost if I don't like it) but I'm sure a proper bespoke map or XHP will really take it up a level.

I was amazed at how much more punchy the remapped Z4 felt compared to my car, it really livens it up. My gearbox largely doesn’t bother me too much (it’s much smoother after a service), it can just be a bit slow to kickdown. My friend has a 330 and had his gearbox mapped at P Torque and he thinks it’s much better.

Looking forward to hearing about the results of the map. I am really impressed with how much punch the stage 1 Z4/N54 has from such low revs, it certainly makes for easy progress at a decent lick and makes it feel like a bigger n/a engine.

It'll be interesting to see if your remap has much effect on economy. Mine is too much of a weekend car to really monitor that aspect over different driving conditions. I suspect my car has more capacity for economy than my right foot does but I have noticed that mpg does drop off very quickly (almost disproportionately so) when pressing on.

[Court_S]

KPB1973 said:

Looking forward to hearing about the results of the map. I am really impressed with how much punch the stage 1 Z4/N54 has from such low revs, it certainly makes for easy progress at a decent lick and makes it feel like a bigger n/a engine.

It'll be interesting to see if your remap has much effect on economy. Mine is too much of a weekend car to really monitor that aspect over different driving conditions. I suspect my car has more capacity for economy than my right foot does but I have noticed that mpg does drop off very quickly (almost disproportionately so) when pressing on.

I’m really looking forward to getting it done too especially after discovering how much punchier they are when mapped.

My other half’s 125i once it was mailed to 130i power was more economical then my 130i (in day to day use). I expect that it’ll chong through fuel when driven hard though (which to be fair it does in stock form as I discovered on Sunday).

[wol]

Excellent looking car.

Just popped in to say...I'm always a little weary of applying tyre shine these days. If you push the car enough through corners you might (definitely on older larger sidewalled tyres) get more sideways action than you expect as it reduces the traction.
Just a thought

[Court_S]

I had some time to kill this morning so thought I’d swap the intercooler over. Looks easy enough on the DIY’s I’ve watched and the replacement is supposed to be a straight swap with no cutting needed.

New 5.5 inch Masata stepped intercooler.



Once I’d removed the big undertray I could see the stock one.



There were two small pieces that join the whee arches to the bumper that needed removing as well. The push rivets that do up from the back are a stupid design….

The stock intercooler is held in by two T25 screws and a couple of plastic clips. Once the charge pipes were un clipped it came out really easily.



Compared with the new one, it’s absolutely tiny and really light. I can see what it struggles with more power given how small it is.





The new one is a st load heavier and is quite a snug fit so it took a bit of wiggling to get it in by myself. I didn’t think it was going to fit when they were side by side, but it did.





The joy of this on was all of the crap that had collected on the undertray and around the intercooler. What didn’t end up in my eyes / face….



I wasn’t that hard a job to do. I think pissing around with the trim pieces and tray took me loads longer (those two pieces I mentioned need replacing due to damage, so I’ll source some new ones).

Popping out this afternoon, so I’ll get a chance to see if I’ve broken anything or not!

[d_a_n1979]

Court_S said:

I had some time to kill this morning so thought I’d swap the intercooler over. Looks easy enough on the DIY’s I’ve watched and the replacement is supposed to be a straight swap with no cutting needed.

New 5.5 inch Masata stepped intercooler.



Once I’d removed the big undertray I could see the stock one.



There were two small pieces that join the whee arches to the bumper that needed removing as well. The push rivets that do up from the back are a stupid design….

The stock intercooler is held in by two T25 screws and a couple of plastic clips. Once the charge pipes were un clipped it came out really easily.



Compared with the new one, it’s absolutely tiny and really light. I can see what it struggles with more power given how small it is.





The new one is a st load heavier and is quite a snug fit so it took a bit of wiggling to get it in by myself. I didn’t think it was going to fit when they were side by side, but it did.





The joy of this on was all of the crap that had collected on the undertray and around the intercooler. What didn’t end up in my eyes / face….



I wasn’t that hard a job to do. I think pissing around with the trim pieces and tray took me loads longer (those two pieces I mentioned need replacing due to damage, so I’ll source some new ones).

Popping out this afternoon, so I’ll get a chance to see if I’ve broken anything or not!

Good job well done there Sam Some weight saving too with all that crud removed

[cerb4.5lee]

I just love how you get so stuck into stuff Sam, and I bet you get loads of satisfaction from it.

The new intercooler looks like it means business I reckon.

[Court_S]

d_a_n1979 said:

Good job well done there Sam Some weight saving too with all that crud removed

it’ll just offset the extra weight of the new intercooler, which is loads heavier than the stock one.

[Court_S]

cerb4.5lee said:

I just love how you get so stuck into stuff Sam, and I bet you get loads of satisfaction from it.

The new intercooler looks like it means business I reckon.

Cheers Lee. The wonders of YouTube help a lot

It is satisfying but it can be bloody infuriating too (like the chargepipe which was no way as easy as the videos make it look).

[Court_S]

335i One Year Update

As of yesterday, I’ve had the 335i for a year. In that time I’ve covered 15,000 miles and life hasn’t always been plain sailing with the car. The boost solenoids were a minor inconvenience that was sorted by myself for about £120 and sone swearing fiddling with bolts in a confined space. The big issue that caused me lots of frustration and headaches was when it kept going into limp mode on long trips. I tried to sort it myself by changing the VANOS solenoids and oil filter cap but it kept doing it. I attempted to use my insured warranty and my local dealer diagnosed the car as having worn cam ledges but the warranty refused to cover the work on the grounds that I’d read the codes myself The car was booked in with the local indy since I didn’t want to foot the £3.6k quote from BMW. Oddly, when they had it in the error had jumped from the intake to the exhaust side. They couldn’t see any evidence of worn ledges so reset all VANOS adaptations and cleaned the cam sensors. It’s one over 2,000 miles since and has been as good as gold. It’s had a fair bit work done since and has never run better.

Looking back, I’ve been a busy bee….

Maintenance carried out:

• two oil changes done by me
• gearbox service done by my local indy with a genuine ZF kit
• diff oil changed by me
• 6 new Bosch plugs and Eldor coils
• brake fluid change by me
• front discs and pads changed by me (Zimmermann discs with ATE ceramic pads)
• both boost solenoids changed by me
• pollen filter changed by me
• leaking injector on cylinder six replaced with a good used index eight
• oil cooler and filter housing gaskets replaced
• carbon clean

Exterior mods:

• CSL reps fitted with none runflat Good Year Asymmetric 5’s
• 12mm front spacers
• Eibach pro springs
• Bilstein B4S dampers
• M3 LCA’s and tension struts on the front, front and rear upper M3 control arms on the rear
• new springs cups and mounting gear at both ends
• shortened bump stops
• M3 style rear lip spoiler
• rear diffuser painted in gloss black by me
• brake callipers painted in copper
• LED angle eye bulbs

Engine mods

• aluminium charge pipe
• 5.5 inch Masata stepped intercooler
• K&N panel filter
• Performance Exhaust mod

Interior mods:

• Andream screen fitted for CarPlay
• wood trim swapped for brushed aluminium
• LED interior bulbs
• wheel retrimmed in alcantara and made thinner
• Nelson Racing Wheel paddles fitted and paddles reworked to work like modern ones
• BMW Performance pedals, gear selector and gaitor
• handbrake grip in nappa leather with the gaiter in alcantara
• black leather swapped for red

I think that covers it all

Overall, I’m pleased with the car. It’s capable of being pretty economical having seen 37mpg a few times but has a reasonable turn of pace when required. It drives pretty well as it stands; not as fun as the previous 130i but it’s much better at the boring stuff. It’s a good cruiser despite the exhaust mod which is quite loud, especially on a cold Starts. I have a love hate relationship with the exhaust now; it can be a bit droney at times but the inner child in me loves it on a B road flanked by drystone walls and the burbles on downshifts to second.

I don’t have too much more planned for the car. It’s getting remapped in a few days time. It'll need a pair of rear tyres in due course and the rear discs and pads will get done. The final mod / cosmetic tweak will be sorting the stock exhaust tips which BMW helpfully welded on.

[christhreadgill]

Good to read it’s all going well. Nice little annual update, too!

[Tom4398cc]

Wow, that 12 months has flown by. Great write up Sam.

I know the mods might complicate the picture by lifting the value, but I suspect you’ve done that 12 months and 15,000 miles free of depreciation. Which is a great trick.

[Craikeybaby]

A 49 page thread in a year isn't bad going either!

I noticed the exhaust note on Thursday and thought it sounded good, rather than loud, but obviously, that was at low revs.

[Court_S]

christhreadgill said:

Good to read it’s all going well. Nice little annual update, too!

Cheers. It is after its wobble and it’s didn’t break anything fitting the intercooler either which is a bonus.

Looking forward to adding a bit more power next well.

[Court_S]

Tom4398cc said:

Wow, that 12 months has flown by. Great write up Sam.

I know the mods might complicate the picture by lifting the value, but I suspect you’ve done that 12 months and 15,000 miles free of depreciation. Which is a great trick.

It has indeed. It should feel a bit like a new car next week when some extra go is added.

I guess the money spent fiddling with it is down the toilet from a resale point of view, but that’s fine. I’ve largely enjoyed the cat over the last 12 months so it’s fine.