Showing posts with label performance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label performance. Show all posts

Sunday, June 9, 2013

DIY: JB4 Stage 3 Performance Tuner installation

It took about 30 minutes to install but most of the time was spent removing covers and filters to get to the ECU (Electronic Control Unit). Below is a demo of the steering wheel controls. 


Right away, I can feel a big difference in acceleration and torque. My next purchase would have been an HPF intercooler but the company went out of business last month. While Hubs finds another intercooler brand, I'm saving up for Alufelgen SF-71 19" wheels.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Wish List: Performance


The whole point of getting a 2010 BMW 135i was Performance. I want a fast car. My previous car fit the bill. It was a great ride until I sold it two years ago. For some, it's their dream car. To me, it was a hassle and it caused me to be more paranoid than ever. I always had to valet it, park it at the far end of the parking lot plus it drew too much attention. I remember driving it to work one day and the COO of our company caught me driving around the parking lot looking for a parking space. This guy drove a $500K Porsche and he looked at me like I was getting paid too much. Obviously, I stopped driving the car to work.

Since then, I wanted a less pretentious car. Something I can drive around anywhere I want without having to worry about dings, dents or be afraid to be car jacked. I also wanted a car that can be modded for performance. This brings me back to my college days where I was heavily into the import car scene (damn rice rockets).

The car I really wanted was the 2011 BMW 1M. Unfortunately, it was a limited release so it was impossible to find and very expensive. It's no longer in production now but I do find them on Autotrader for around $65K. Crazy! The next best thing was the 135i. But not any ole 135i. It had to be specifically the model years with the N54 engine (3.0L twin-turbocharged engine). It's the same engine used in the 1M.

Now that I got the right car, what am I gonna do to it to make it the way I want it to be...lots of torque and really really fast. The one complaint I had with the M5 was torque. It wasn't the same as driving Hub's older M5 (a few years ago we had His and Her M5s). At that time, there wasn't a solution for that issue so I dealt with the fact that it wasn't what I expected from a car like that. When it was time to let it go, I didn't shed a tear.

So what's my plan? Hub's did some research and came up with this setup:










JB4 PNP (N54 Stage 3) plus BMS USD Cable Combo by Burger Motorsport - Price: $509.00

Stage 3 BMW N54 Boost Cooler by Snow Performance - Price: $738.55















BMS N54 Methanol Elbow - $59.00


AFE Power 31-10156 OER Pro Dry S Air Filter for BMW E82 - Price: $84.95






If I install all of these add-ons, here's the result:

Video:
BMW 135i (with JP4 FBO + Methanol) on the left
vs.
Supercharged E90 M3 on the right



Yup, that will do it.