[BEM-S4]

Little background, had a RWD coupe that I loved and kept stock, sold to a forum member when I got my xDrive vert. Vert is nice for different reasons but heavier from AWD and convertible. Would have thought perfectly fine had I not had a coupe for 2 years first.

Had done Dinan Stage 1 on sport wagon I got for dad since he was coming out of a Macan and liked the BMW but thought it was under-powered. Had a GREAT experience with Matt at Thomson, anyone near Doylestown PA definitely call him up. I sleep better at night knowing the work was done at a BMW / Dinan shop. Know all the arguments about more performance for less etc. etc. but between the two cars combined MSRP ~$120K I've paid maybe an extra $1500 for Dinan and have warranty. That's like what 1-1.5% of the value?

Anyway last weekend went to see Matt again, planning to do Stage 2 with the intake. We test drove a Stage 1 convertible he had on the lot and decided that was more than enough for the kind of driving I do. So I went with Stage 1 and was VERY happy with it - until I got a screw in my tire and stole the sport wagon back for the week!

That said, and the reason for the title, is I have been thinking about the CAI nonstop and then going Stage 2. Already planning on slotted rotors when my brakes are due for replacement.

Gateway drugs are a dangerous thing...

[Benandluna]

I think you should have gotten the stage 2 with intake. the power and sound is great and not too aggressive as other tunes. Or perhaps slap on a sport Cat?

[jpnh]

I wouldnt mind an additional 125hp on my 240.....

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Benandluna

I think you should have gotten the stage 2 with intake. the power and sound is great and not too aggressive as other tunes. Or perhaps slap on a sport Cat?

Yeah I am thinking I will do that in a few months. Nice thing is nothing with Dinan is rip and replace, I can add the CAI and have them update the software. If the shop does everything it will cost me like $75 more in labor than doing it all at once - could also install the intake myself doesn't look too hard. Just worried about cutting the brace.

[Dylan86]

I'm "on the pipe", according to my fiance, every time a package/invoice hits the doorstep. My gateway drug was the GTI and it's easy transition from 220hp/250tq --> 320hp-400tq for under $2k. And it's bleeding into the m235i now, except @ twice the cost, lol.

Such is life, but you only get one..

On another note, are you truly happy with the power adder? Have you had a JB4 or alike in the past car, or any experience with other tuning solutions on this platform?

[Benandluna]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Yeah I am thinking I will do that in a few months. Nice thing is nothing with Dinan is rip and replace, I can add the CAI and have them update the software. If the shop does everything it will cost me like $75 more in labor than doing it all at once - could also install the intake myself doesn't look too hard. Just worried about cutting the brace.

I have never been the mechanic type guy, and i was able to do it in about an hour. My car for some reason ( in cali ) had the cold weather thing which requires the cut or else it would have been done in 20.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

I'm "on the pipe", according to my fiance, every time a package/invoice hits the doorstep. My gateway drug was the GTI and it's easy transition from 220hp/250tq --> 320hp-400tq for under $2k. And it's bleeding into the m235i now, except @ twice the cost, lol.

Such is life, but you only get one..

On another note, are you truly happy with the power adder? Have you had a JB4 or alike in the past car, or any experience with other tuning solutions on this platform?

With these cars, the tune is so worth it. For very little money you can get a good bump in power you can feel. You can't say that for many other mods in that price range.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

I'm "on the pipe", according to my fiance, every time a package/invoice hits the doorstep. My gateway drug was the GTI and it's easy transition from 220hp/250tq --> 320hp-400tq for under $2k. And it's bleeding into the m235i now, except @ twice the cost, lol.

Such is life, but you only get one..

On another note, are you truly happy with the power adder? Have you had a JB4 or alike in the past car, or any experience with other tuning solutions on this platform?

Yes I did really enjoy the car in the 1 day I was able to drive it. Parents are out of town and stole dad's wagon while my tire was being replaced so logistics of getting my car back are annoying at the moment.

Wouldn't need Stage 2 but I know it's out there. Intake was on the car I drove sounded great and looks really nice.

This is the tire BTW I've never seen a screw in this location. Neither had tire shop or tire rack insurance.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Benandluna

I have never been the mechanic type guy, and i was able to do it in about an hour. My car for some reason ( in cali ) had the cold weather thing which requires the cut or else it would have been done in 20.

Good to know. I'm fairly good with things like that but certain stuff I've never done - river gun and trimming brace for vert makes me nervous. Already called and found out it's a $40 part if I screw it up though.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

I'm "on the pipe", according to my fiance, every time a package/invoice hits the doorstep. My gateway drug was the GTI and it's easy transition from 220hp/250tq --> 320hp-400tq for under $2k. And it's bleeding into the m235i now, except @ twice the cost, lol.

Such is life, but you only get one..

On another note, are you truly happy with the power adder? Have you had a JB4 or alike in the past car, or any experience with other tuning solutions on this platform?

To answer your other question I did have a GIAC chip on my old twin turbo S4 but we were starting with much lower HP/Lbs to begin with there. Was cheap and fun though. Other than that until I took dad's car for an "oil change" and brought it back a lot faster hadn't done anything in that regard.

I've driven a lot of things that are a lot more $ and faster than the 235 but there's something weird/cool/different I guess about dropping the car off one way then getting it back 2 hours later and it's totally different.

[Benandluna]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Good to know. I'm fairly good with things like that but certain stuff I've never done - river gun and trimming brace for vert makes me nervous. Already called and found out it's a $40 part if I screw it up though.

Haha. We didn't even have a rivet gun. Just applied pressure with our hands, screw driver, wrench.


So funny. I had a giac chip in my old 1.8 turbo golf. Oh the memories.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Benandluna

So funny. I had a giac chip in my old 1.8 turbo golf. Oh the memories.

Ahhh the "Tip Chip" - that was a fun car. Still look for one every now and again for a winter beater.

[Dylan86]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

To answer your other question I did have a GIAC chip on my old twin turbo S4 but we were starting with much lower HP/Lbs to begin with there. Was cheap and fun though. Other than that until I took dad's car for an "oil change" and brought it back a lot faster hadn't done anything in that regard.

I've driven a lot of things that are a lot more $ and faster than the 235 but there's something weird/cool/different I guess about dropping the car off one way then getting it back 2 hours later and it's totally different.

Yea, I can't wait to feel the improvements of going FBO, it's going to be a whole new gig for me in my first RWD car. The fun part about the car as it is now, in "stock" form, is that I can go WOT on almost all of my turns in the mountains without worrying about total loss of grip out back. The way it is now, I can mat the throttle mid turn and I just hook up and go. With FBO, I feel like it'll be at that power level to start breaking the back end out due to the TQ levels, but I suppose the only way to find out is to get the parts installed and de-tune my driving style to suit the new power levels. I am not against de-tuning my power levels to achieve max grip, as that to me is more important than just making whp.

I also had a couple of B5's over the years, great platforms for their time. I built a big turbo 2.0 stroker A4 w/ S4 gearbox, prior to getting into newer turbo cars, and it was a monster in the 1/4. After years of fixing/rebuilding engines though, I got fed up with the high costs of sustaining a custom high hp setup, so I moved on to the newer cars, that had lots of "bolt-on" tuning solutions with "OEM" like drive-ability and warranty.

To me the m235i is a "mature" version of today's tuner cars. These .5l/cylinder direct injected turbo engines are the best thing that ever happened to the tuning world, IMO. It's also really refreshing when you hear the i6 howl in these cars, brings me back to my VW VR6 days

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

Yea, I can't wait to feel the improvements of going FBO, it's going to be a whole new gig for me in my first RWD car. The fun part about the car as it is now, in "stock" form, is that I can go WOT on almost all of my turns in the mountains without worrying about total loss of grip out back.

I got the back end to step out on my xDrive

This is really a great platform for performance mods, feel like it's the grown up version of the stuff we were messing around with as kids. Love the fact that the feel is OEM+ for lack of a better term, car behaves as it should but with a good kick in the ass. Warranty is nice to have too.

Vert is still at dad's house took a coworker to lunch in the stage 1 sport wagon. Not in the same league obviously but when he was giving me a hard time about a "mom mobile" I turned all the nannies off at a light and launched it without giving him any warning. That shut him up quick

[dukeapenguin]

I will go a used dinan, warranty is nothing to me.

Or keep jb4 with a backend flash for more great AFR and timing.

[BEM-S4]

Prepped the patient for surgery! Matt hooked me up with a new pipe!

[BEM-S4]

Successful transplant. Really a lot easier than I feared.

[Benandluna]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Successful transplant. Really a lot easier than I feared.

Right? How long did that take. Enjoy the sound

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Benandluna

Right? How long did that take. Enjoy the sound

To be fair Matt at Thomson did me a HUGE solid and cut the brace for me, that would have taken me a long time with the tools I have in the garage.

The rest of it honestly had I known the "tricks" I would have been done much sooner. Installing the new shorter clips for instance I was trying to force them in for quite a while then basically put them in finished position on the outside and pressed down to flatten and they popped right in. So stuff like that I could do much more easily if I had to do it again.

Whole thing was under an hour but if I were to start over again probably 30 mins. Life lesson kiddos, if something seems much harder than it should be you're probably doing it wrong

[BEM-S4]

Stage 2 complete! Really should have just done it from the beginning but since it didn't cost me anything to do it this way I am actually glad I did. 2 trips to Thomson to see Matt aside, I really know it was worth the $ and I am not concerned that I blew $1K and should have just stuck with Stage 1 no intake.

Next up is the resonator delete Going muffler shop for that we confirmed making the Dinan one fit would be a nightmare.

[Dylan86]

Your making these next 4-5 weeks very difficult for me, lol. Weather is perfect, just need the roads swept up...

[Benandluna]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Stage 2 complete! Really should have just done it from the beginning but since it didn't cost me anything to do it this way I am actually glad I did. 2 trips to Thomson to see Matt aside, I really know it was worth the $ and I am not concerned that I blew $1K and should have just stuck with Stage 1 no intake.

Next up is the resonator delete Going muffler shop for that we confirmed making the Dinan one fit would be a nightmare.

Bravo