[GreenPlease]

Just a little while ago I posted saying I felt the 335i was "too powerful" for day to day driving. I lied. I'm addicted to the power and its awesome

So I'm tempted to play with fire and start upping the hp. I don't have the balls to do an ECU tune, but I'm thinking about adding an IC. Questions:

1. Which, in your opinion, is the best $/hp?
2. Which provides the most hp?
3. If I install a new IC, could I always put my old one back on? Would the dealer notice? Basically, if something goes horribly wrong I'd like my warranty to be intact. I don't want some SA saying "we detected you added an aftermarket IC. I just used your warranty to wipe my ass because that' all its worth at this point."

Thanks!

[techforge]

If you don't mind me asking - why not start with a tune? It's arguably the best bang for the buck and the least intrusive. The "other" mods like intake, IC, DP's, exhaust, etc don't give you all that much without a tune.

[ATSR]

Originally Posted by techforge

If you don't mind me asking - why not start with a tune? It's arguably the best bang for the buck and the least intrusive. The "other" mods like intake, IC, DP's, exhaust, etc don't give you all that much without a tune.

+1

I never modded any of my previous cars so initially I was scared shitless about getting an ECU tune as well, but after doing a lot of research I went with the JB1. It is a mild upgrade but it is extremely noticeable (20-30whp 30-40wtq gains). And for $99 bucks you can't find a better bang for the $.

BEWARE: once you start modding you will NOT be able to stop. When I got the JB1 I swore that it was the only mod I was doing and that the newly found power would be more than enough, but now I am upgrading to Procede V3, Dual Cone Intake, Dimisa tips, modified CDV and a shorter shift knob.

I am planning to stop after that. I swear

[rukawa005]

Originally Posted by alejotrujillo

+1

I never modded any of my previous cars so initially I was scared shitless about getting an ECU tune as well, but after doing a lot of research I went with the JB1. It is a mild upgrade but it is extremely noticeable (20-30whp 30-40wtq gains). And for $99 bucks you can't find a better bang for the $.

BEWARE: once you start modding you will NOT be able to stop. When I got the JB1 I swore that it was the only mod I was doing and that the newly found power would be more than enough, but now I am upgrading to Procede V3, Dual Cone Intake, Dimisa tips, modified CDV and a shorter shift knob.

I am planning to stop after that. I swear

this might be a stupid question but.. if i do a ECU tune like the JB1.. what implications does this have on my existing warranty? is this tune "bmw" legal? will bmw not uphold the warranty because of it? i mean.. i've always only put in aftermarket intakes and the dealers have always been fine with that.. but what about an ECU tune?

THANKS!

[sd390r]

either make some friends with some SAs / techs at your dealer or take the tune out before you go everytime... juicebox and vishnu are invisible when taken out... dnot throw the warranty killing code

[aut0sh0cker]

In the event you have to bring the car in to service for whatever reason, a tune is much easier to remove than an intake or FMIC. Plus, you can get boat loads of power for just a few hundred bucks with a tune...

[Lane]

Originally Posted by GreenPlease

Just a little while ago I posted saying I felt the 335i was "too powerful" for day to day driving. I lied. I'm addicted to the power and its awesome

So I'm tempted to play with fire and start upping the hp. I don't have the balls to do an ECU tune, but I'm thinking about adding an IC. Questions:

1. Which, in your opinion, is the best $/hp?
2. Which provides the most hp?
3. If I install a new IC, could I always put my old one back on? Would the dealer notice? Basically, if something goes horribly wrong I'd like my warranty to be intact. I don't want some SA saying "we detected you added an aftermarket IC. I just used your warranty to wipe my ass because that' all its worth at this point."

Thanks!

Helix IC does not require any cutting and you can put the stock one back on if you want. But you don't want since I don't think anyone will pay any attention to your IC. Helix is efficient and keeps IATs lower than others, except perhaps AA, which is huge but requires cutting.

[cn555ic]

Adding a FMIC is not going to make you feel anything...You will be disappointed for sure compared to tuning the ECU with a piggyback..

[Lane]

Originally Posted by alejotrujillo

+1

I never modded any of my previous cars so initially I was scared shitless about getting an ECU tune as well, but after doing a lot of research I went with the JB1. It is a mild upgrade but it is extremely noticeable (20-30whp 30-40wtq gains). And for $99 bucks you can't find a better bang for the $.

BEWARE: once you start modding you will NOT be able to stop. When I got the JB1 I swore that it was the only mod I was doing and that the newly found power would be more than enough, but now I am upgrading to Procede V3, Dual Cone Intake, Dimisa tips, modified CDV and a shorter shift knob.

I am planning to stop after that. I swear

Depends on how you calculate the cost. I bought V1, then V2, then V3...might need to upgrade even further to Rev2?? the depreciation in value has been a lot. Alternatively I could have bought IC that has kept its value and only now Procede Rev2. Sure, the performance would not have been the same having IC only. JB tunes have been more safe to own though.

[ATSR]

Originally Posted by rukawa005

this might be a stupid question but.. if i do a ECU tune like the JB1.. what implications does this have on my existing warranty? is this tune "bmw" legal? will bmw not uphold the warranty because of it? i mean.. i've always only put in aftermarket intakes and the dealers have always been fine with that.. but what about an ECU tune?

THANKS!

I will remove EVERYTHING before taking my car to the dealer. The dealer will make a note of any aftermarket parts that you have and then if something breaks they *might* use it against you.

They still have to prove that the mod created the problem, but I don't think it's a good idea to go against BMW and their lawyers.

[cn555ic]

Originally Posted by Lane

Depends on how you calculate the cost. I bought V1, then V2, then V3...might need to upgrade even further to Rev2?? the depreciation in value has been a lot. Alternatively I could have bought IC that has kept its value and only now Procede Rev2. Sure, the performance would not have been the same having IC only. JB tunes have been more safe to own though.

For sure JB tunes have been more affordable.....well atleast the new Vishnu products are like gas prices these days!!

[ATSR]

Originally Posted by Lane

Depends on how you calculate the cost. I bought V1, then V2, then V3...might need to upgrade even further to Rev2?? the depreciation in value has been a lot. Alternatively I could have bought IC that has kept its value and only now Procede Rev2. Sure, the performance would not have been the same having IC only. JB tunes have been more safe to own though.

What I meant was that the cheapest way to get more power out of your car is with the JB1 (for example). Unfortunately it is very unlikely that you will stop there, and that's when it gets very expensive

One way to minimize the cost will be to stay with the JB tunes since they give you full credit towards an upgrade, but in my case I had to go with the new V3 since it is the only one that offers the speed limiter defeat and the performance gains seem to be very close to JB3 (which is the one I originally wanted).

[Sniz]

Originally Posted by alejotrujillo

What I meant was that the cheapest way to get more power out of your car is with the JB1 (for example). Unfortunately it is very unlikely that you will stop there, and that's when it gets very expensive

One way to minimize the cost will be to stay with the JB tunes since they give you full credit towards an upgrade, but in my case I had to go with the new V3 since it is the only one that offers the speed limiter defeat and the performance gains seem to be very close to JB3 (which is the one I originally wanted).

if you just get the new rev 2 V3 the cost is much cheaper than before. I also went V1, V2, V3....all worked just fine for me, basically 0 problems in over 35k miles tuned w/ Procede.

[GreenPlease]

If you don't mind me asking - why not start with a tune? It's arguably the best bang for the buck and the least intrusive. The "other" mods like intake, IC, DP's, exhaust, etc don't give you all that much without a tune.

No interest in an ECU tune, even if it only costs $99. To me, it is invasive in that the dealer could recognize a tune was in place in case something went wrong.

Shouldn't I be able to get 10-15hp out of an IC? Plus, shouldn't it make things easier on the engine?

IC+Intake+Exhaust should yield ~30hp, no? I'd be willing to put ~$2,500 into such mods...

[techforge]

Actually if done properly there's less chance of the dealer knowing you had a tune than knowing you added an IC, Intake, DP's, etc. You have to take all of those mods off before it goes in for service. These days it looks like any mod is asking for trouble with the dealer, so it all has to come off.

[ATSR]

Originally Posted by Sniz

if you just get the new rev 2 V3 the cost is much cheaper than before. I also went V1, V2, V3....all worked just fine for me, basically 0 problems in over 35k miles tuned w/ Procede.

The new price it's also why I got it. I already placed my order

[Sniz]

GReenplease......just get a tune man...seriously. You will be shooting yourself in the foot if you dont. The other mods you are mentioning are harder to install/uninstall, give you less HP, and are just as detectable by a dealership.

and they cost more altogether for less HP and TQ

BMW left so much power on the table w/ the N54, it would be a shame not to use it IMO. Its like driving a M5 around P400 mode all the time and never using all 500hp.

[GeorgiaTech335coupe]

Originally Posted by GreenPlease

No interest in an ECU tune, even if it only costs $99. To me, it is invasive in that the dealer could recognize a tune was in place in case something went wrong.

Shouldn't I be able to get 10-15hp out of an IC? Plus, shouldn't it make things easier on the engine?

IC+Intake+Exhaust should yield ~30hp, no? I'd be willing to put ~$2,500 into such mods...

I would seriously consider a tune. Im in orlando if you need some persuasion. Also, I take my car to a shop (Precision Sport in Sanford) to avoid the dealer for things like an oil change. They also were nice enough to use their BMW computer to look for any stored codes and nothing showed up after running Procede V2,V3 for about 5 months. If you really need a kick in the butt, meet me at Orlando Speed World and you'll be buying a tune the next day!

[TheMadDutchman]

Originally Posted by GreenPlease

No interest in an ECU tune, even if it only costs $99. To me, it is invasive in that the dealer could recognize a tune was in place in case something went wrong.

Shouldn't I be able to get 10-15hp out of an IC? Plus, shouldn't it make things easier on the engine?

IC+Intake+Exhaust should yield ~30hp, no? I'd be willing to put ~$2,500 into such mods...

Should make things a lot easier on the engine. I would start with a Code 3 FMIC, AFE intake & scoops, and Forge bypass valves.
The more efficient core from the Code 3 FMIC with result in quicker turbo response, cooler IAT, and more power. The AFE dual cone intake will help along with the Forge bypass valves to help keep things in check.
I performed all the mods I mentioned along with a complete Borla system and saw a little more than a 30hp gain. You can feel that improvement through your "butt" dyno.
All these parts can be installed without "hacking" up the car and not being able to reinstall the stock components. The FMIC requires some trimming of the lower radiator support but nothing too aggressive.
If you do decide to add a tune in the future your car will be ready to make the most of it.
Got hooked up through HP Autowerks
Good luck!

[eric@helix]

The tune is clearly the best bang-for-the-buck, but I would disagree that you don't feel anything with just an intercooler. Especially in warmer weather, there's a seat-of-the-pants gain with just an intercooler. Moreover, the Helix intercooler is easily installed with no cutting or trimming, without having to remove the bumper so I'd say it's a toss-up as to whether is harder to to install/remove it compared to a piggy-back tuning device. This ease of installation did not force us to compromise in the design or performance of our intercooler compared to any on the market. We have the largest frontal area, the thickest core, cast end tanks, and greatly reduced pressure drop compared to stock. Perhaps some impartial good samaritan wants to do a comparison...