E60 Performance Enhancement!

[maddog99]

Disclaimer: I know this is an often asked question, but I started a new thread as its important to get updated opinions.

Question:
Im a proud owner of a '04 545i with 105K miles on it. Does not have sport package.
Ive recently decided to keep it another 4 years, so wanted to add some pep.

Can you suggest the best mods for enhanced engine performance?
Id like a good balance of performance & cost.

Obviously not interested in anything that could affect the engine long term.
Ideally its a "simple" chip type solution & not running pullies.

Id like to get more responsiveness when I hit the pedal & maybe more torque / hp. Obviously the top end of my cars specs are quite nice, but I would like to feel them a bit more...

Thanks

[sssje60]

RPI scoops + air filter upgrade with that kit.

Go to a good muffler shop have them do a 3" piping muffler delete.

Reset your transmission learning curve by turning the key to the second notch "electrical and hold down the gas for over 20 second.

Go drive around so the car relearns how you drive.

BAM you have a more fun car than you did before.

[ETNav382]

If you want the car to feel more responsive, you can get a Sprint Booster. In case you dont kn ow what that is, its pretty much goes in between your gas pedal and the electronic connection and increases the signal. Pretty much it pushes the pedal electronically farther for you while you dont have to push it as far. Hope you understood that.

[in transit]

Air filter and RPI scoops will make noise but not power. For simplicity go with the sprint booster.

[ETNav382]

Air filter, RPI scoop and RPI exhuast will probably add a minumal amount of power but it might still be noticable. Granted you're in at about $1400-$1500 with maybe 15-20hp increase if you're lucky. But, once again sprint booster is best bang for you buck. If nothing else it will step on the gas harder for you.

[bud92273]

Air filter and RPI scoops will make noise but not power. For simplicity go with the sprint booster.

Sprint booster does not make powe, it just remaps throttle settings. It will help get you going quicker from idle. Essentially it makes the pedal more touchy.

[in transit]

Google eurotuner m3 makeover . I'd post the link but i don't know how to do that on my tablet. It will surprise you what horsepower claims the manufacturers make versus what eurotuner magazine discovered when they tested intake and exhaust systems.

Sprint booster does not make powe, it just remaps throttle settings. It will help get you going quicker from idle. Essentially it makes the pedal more touchy.

True that.

[ETNav382]

Trust me Transit, I'm not believing the HP gains are anywhere near that much or at least enough for a butt dyno to notice, but I will say that my car is probably a hair faster than another auto 550. I say this because the exhaust is about 20 lbs lighter and my M6 forged rims are about 2-4 lbs lighter each (I'm not sure of the exact weight difference), nothing really noticeable tho.

[in transit]

I'm not doubting you one bit. You and I are on the same page.

[TheDuke]

Why not check out one of the tuners like burger motorsports JB products, Cobb access port, etc. probably the best bang for the buck and you can select the level of power you want.

[ETNav382]

You cant really tune a BMW NA engine. They are pretty maxed out from the factory.

[TheDuke]

I guess I just assumed that there would be plenty of aftermarket tune optons for them, but it looks like they are pretty mild and intake and exhaust look like they are more popular.

[sssje60]

Super sprint sounds like a waste of money. So in theory all it does is change the pedal sensitivity. So if you smash the pedal past half way or 2/3rd's the rest of the pedal wont give a response because your technically floored at 2/3rd's throttle?

Air filter, RPI scoop and RPI exhuast will probably add a minumal amount of power but it might still be noticable. Granted you're in at about $1400-$1500 with maybe 15-20hp increase if you're lucky. But, once again sprint booster is best bang for you buck. If nothing else it will step on the gas harder for you.

If you have custom pipes mandrel bent it would cost like 200 bucks at worst. RPI is just a huge ripp off axel back.

RPI scoop + filter + custom pipes = around 400-450 bucks

[in transit]

Dinan claims 17 hp with their $850.00 high flow intake system, 6 hp with their muffler and 8 hp with their software. However, before you spend your money, I would refer you to my post above where Eurotuner magazine tested intake and exhaust sytems. Eye opening to say the least in terms of what tuners claim versus how their products actually perform when tested. I don't see how a $100.00 piece of stamped steel (RPI scoop) bolted behind a grill that's supposed to channel air to the air filter will add 5-7 hp. Sounds like poppycock.

The Cobb and JB4 tunes are for turbo cars.

[kernelmaker]

You cant really tune a BMW NA engine. They are pretty maxed out from the factory.

Balogni cakes! RD Sport is claiming a believable ~496HP on their $20k N/A N62 V8 kit.

A 550i will pull noticeably harder than a factory 550i if you do headers, intake, de-cat, exhaust, tune. Everything should be relatively easy to install and you won't even have to pull the motor out of the engine bay....and that's power you can feel without even opening up the motor.

[kaineb]

Balogni cakes! RD Sport is claiming a believable ~496HP on their $20k N/A N62 V8.

Hell, a 550i will pull noticeably harder than a factory 550i if you do headers, intake, de-cat, exhaust, tune. Simple bolt-on's. Same internals (pistons/rods/etc). Everything should be relatively easy to install and you won't even have to pull the motor out of the engine bay.

Can you elaborate on this?

[kernelmaker]

Can you elaborate on this?

Elaborate on what specifically?

This?: http://www.racdyn.com/localized/inte...motor_body.htm

[kaineb]

What exactly you did, parts, etc. Was it custom or off the shelf stuff. Was it a challenging upgrade? What real world difference do you think it made? Did you take a big hit in gas mileage? Any Dyno or 1/4 mile stats for before and after?

[ETNav382]

Kernel, I wouldn't say that you're car is the average modded 550. You have went beyond what many have done. I still need to come back to Seattle one day to see how your car is with that supercharger.

[kernelmaker]

What exactly you did, parts, etc. Was it custom or off the shelf stuff. Was it a challenging upgrade? What real world difference do you think it made? Did you take a big hit in gas mileage? Any Dyno or 1/4 mile stats for before and after?

Going to keep my response N/A focused to avoid fraying too far away from the original topic..

All of the parts as a whole really add up and make a difference. The only part a normal person will actually FEEL a difference after installation will probably be the headers. Let's face it...people that claim their car is more responsive after installing an RPI scoop are living life in their heads. If you're only going to do one thing, do headers. You may pick up only 20whp extra at the peak and maybe around the same for TQ, but you'll pick up a ton of TQ in the lower areas around 2500 RPM. My dyno sheets are on another computer at the moment, but here is the dyno sheet posted on the supersprint.com website that compares 550i to 550i+headers:



Full exhaust (such as a Magnaflow, etc) will yield around +10.5 to +12.5 (I forget what the exact numbers were).

Dinan advertises around 18bhp gains on their intake, but that probably accounts for only like 11-12whp (let's be safe here).

All in all, just those mods alone, you're looking at some decent gains. Gains you will feel. Remember though, lots can change outside the RPM's where peak numbers reside, in turn changing how the car feels as a whole.

Bleh, I just spewed that out. Hopefully that makes sense.

Regarding gas. No idea. Haven't really looked at the mpg unless I'm on a long drive. No idea what it does on a day to day basis. Just fill it when it's empty.

[morbo]

Thanks SO much for this info Kernel. I've been looking to do some easy mods to my e60 550i and these sound perfect.

I was not aware that headers for our engines had been made, when I got my car in the summer of 2010, I didn't find much info on them.


I also love your comment about gas. I learned within a week or so that I shouldn't pay too much attention to mpg or how often or how much I spend when I fill up. The car is too damn fun to drive, and has amazing power. I didn't buy it for fuel economy

Thanks again.

[kernelmaker]

Thanks SO much for this info Kernel. I've been looking to do some easy mods to my e60 550i and these sound perfect.

I was not aware that headers for our engines had been made, when I got my car in the summer of 2010, I didn't find much info on them.


Thanks again.

You're welcome. You guys help me out with info every now and then too.

You've got a few options as far as headers go for the N62. They are as follows:

- SuperSprint
- RD Sport
- Shmiedmann (I think that's how you spell it)

Those are ordered based on personal preference, and happen to be sorted by price as well (high to low).

[morbo]

Is there a viable difference in the different manufacturers?

For example, I know that I'll never buy Nexxen tires again. they came with my Miro wheels on my car when Ibought it, and I hated them. they were cheap. I have some (rather expensive) Dunlops now, and I'm much happier. I'm much of the belief "You get what you pay for".

I guess another way to ask it is, is there any measurable difference in quality/performance/reliability between any of them?

[kernelmaker]

Is there a viable difference in the different manufacturers?

For example, I know that I'll never buy Nexxen tires again. they came with my Miro wheels on my car when Ibought it, and I hated them. they were cheap. I have some (rather expensive) Dunlops now, and I'm much happier. I'm much of the belief "You get what you pay for".

I guess another way to ask it is, is there any measurable difference in quality/performance/reliability between any of them?

Can't 't say for sure, but I can say that the quailty of the SuperSprint headers is quite high. Here are a few photos of the headers next to the 545/550 manifolds:

[morbo]

That quality looks top-notch, thanks (again) for the pics.

Hey bro, I was doing some late night googling, and I'm pretty sure I ran across your thread on "that other" forum.

I saw you had major problems getting them delivered? Do you know if those problems have been worked out? I'm also not sure of the price range, since the italian site is listed in euros? If so, the price would come to 7k or so? Per side?

:EDIT:

I tried to answer my own question by adding them to my cart and seeing if it would convert. apparently, they do not ship to the USA. Well What the firetruck?


I've got lots of questions, and I think you and me are real similar. I also wanted something unique that I could transform and make my own. No one pimps the 550i. I'm looking to make a pseudo-m5. Like yourself. But different. Only the Same. Kinda.