Chadillac2000's 2008 BMW 535i Build Thread
03-18-2015, 10:00 AM
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Chadillac2000's 2008 BMW 535i Build Thread
Quick background story: Rewind back to 2011 when I started looking to upgrade from my high-mileage E46 M3 convertible. I found my ideal CPO 2008 535i with 55k miles that was in immaculate condition, the Space Gray color I wanted, and included the 6 year, 100,000 mile CPO warranty with free maintenance. I toyed around with modding a bit, including purchasing a JB4 and DCI combo from BMS a few months after I purchased the vehicle. Unfortunately, removing and reinstalling everything for every maintenance/service visit became a bit tedious, so I decided to resist the urge to mod this car until it was out of warranty.
Around 95,000 miles I had some issues with both the water pump and injectors, but luckily they were replaced under warranty before I reached 100,000 miles.
I spent another 20,000 miles of easy driving before deciding to mod again, which was about 3 or 4 months ago. Since then I've added a few parts here and there. Started with a few minor things like front bumper plugs to hide the holes left behind afte removing the front plate holder. By then it was time to replace the tires on the 17" stock wheels, so I decided to upgrade everything. I picked up a set of 19" 351M wheels from a local F10 535i with new OEM tires in a square setup. I added 10mm spacers in the front and 12mm spacers in the rear to make clearances work and also so I'll be able to rotate the square setup. To correct a small dent I had on the trunk lid, I picked up one of the M5 style spoilers from BMWChop168. Shipped from Taiwan and painted to match for only $93. Here's what the car looks like before I started addressing the performance/maintenance aspects of the car:
On the performance side of things, I knew the BMS JB4 + DCI combo was something I was going to go with. I ended up picking up a used JB4 (G4 Board) and a used set of DCIs for around $360 bucks. With these savings I also picked up a set of free-flowing DPs to help aid in flow. I thought this would provide plenty of extra power to keep me occupied for a while.
Replaced these...
With these...
Here was the first cold startup with the new DPs, JB4, DCIs, and fresh spark plugs installed.
I then discovered that by adding 4 gallons of E85, filling the rest of the tank up with 93, switching the JB4 to Map 5, and doing some 3rd gear pulls for the car to autotune, that A LOT more power can be extracted. So much so that I immediately started planning other mods. Here's a quick 3rd and 4th gear pull from 40-120MPH. Felt even faster than it looked.
At this point I also decided to upgrade to the G5 ISO board and grab some USB cable/extension for logging. My initial expressions after only trying Map 2 with 93 octane, is that the car feels a lot smoother; especially at low throttle. I somewhat miss the raw acceleration and hit of the boost with the G4 board, but still prefer the smoother powerband and needed the ability to upload a backend flash to incorporate more E85 once I upgrade my LPFP in a few months. I still need to compare the feel of the G5 ISO Board versus the G4 Board when running 30% E85.
With the warmer months approaching, I've went ahead and put in an order for a 7" FMIC, some miscellaneous IC piping, and silicon couplers that I'll be installing here over the next few weeks.
UPDATE!
On the way to work this morning I had the chance to add 4 gallons of E85 to an empty tank and then fill the rest with 93. I routed my USB cord through the firewall so I'll be getting some logs very soon to make sure everything is properly and to its full potential before adding the FMIC, LPFP and eventually more E85 in the coming months.
Around 95,000 miles I had some issues with both the water pump and injectors, but luckily they were replaced under warranty before I reached 100,000 miles.
I spent another 20,000 miles of easy driving before deciding to mod again, which was about 3 or 4 months ago. Since then I've added a few parts here and there. Started with a few minor things like front bumper plugs to hide the holes left behind afte removing the front plate holder. By then it was time to replace the tires on the 17" stock wheels, so I decided to upgrade everything. I picked up a set of 19" 351M wheels from a local F10 535i with new OEM tires in a square setup. I added 10mm spacers in the front and 12mm spacers in the rear to make clearances work and also so I'll be able to rotate the square setup. To correct a small dent I had on the trunk lid, I picked up one of the M5 style spoilers from BMWChop168. Shipped from Taiwan and painted to match for only $93. Here's what the car looks like before I started addressing the performance/maintenance aspects of the car:
On the performance side of things, I knew the BMS JB4 + DCI combo was something I was going to go with. I ended up picking up a used JB4 (G4 Board) and a used set of DCIs for around $360 bucks. With these savings I also picked up a set of free-flowing DPs to help aid in flow. I thought this would provide plenty of extra power to keep me occupied for a while.
Replaced these...
With these...
Here was the first cold startup with the new DPs, JB4, DCIs, and fresh spark plugs installed.
I then discovered that by adding 4 gallons of E85, filling the rest of the tank up with 93, switching the JB4 to Map 5, and doing some 3rd gear pulls for the car to autotune, that A LOT more power can be extracted. So much so that I immediately started planning other mods. Here's a quick 3rd and 4th gear pull from 40-120MPH. Felt even faster than it looked.
At this point I also decided to upgrade to the G5 ISO board and grab some USB cable/extension for logging. My initial expressions after only trying Map 2 with 93 octane, is that the car feels a lot smoother; especially at low throttle. I somewhat miss the raw acceleration and hit of the boost with the G4 board, but still prefer the smoother powerband and needed the ability to upload a backend flash to incorporate more E85 once I upgrade my LPFP in a few months. I still need to compare the feel of the G5 ISO Board versus the G4 Board when running 30% E85.
With the warmer months approaching, I've went ahead and put in an order for a 7" FMIC, some miscellaneous IC piping, and silicon couplers that I'll be installing here over the next few weeks.
UPDATE!
On the way to work this morning I had the chance to add 4 gallons of E85 to an empty tank and then fill the rest with 93. I routed my USB cord through the firewall so I'll be getting some logs very soon to make sure everything is properly and to its full potential before adding the FMIC, LPFP and eventually more E85 in the coming months.
Last edited by chadillac2000; 03-28-2015 at 04:09 PM.
03-20-2015, 10:07 AM
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My Ride: 2008 535xi Cold and Premium Package
did you do all the installs yourself? How hard was the downpipe install?
Also in the video of you going from 40-120MPH, how come your gas meter was moving all over the place?
Also in the video of you going from 40-120MPH, how come your gas meter was moving all over the place?
03-21-2015, 07:24 AM
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And the JB4 hijacks the gas gauge to show boost whenever the pedal is pressed down past 50%. 0 equals 0psi, 1/2 equals 10psi, and full tank equals 20psi. I tend to hit around 16-17psi at full throttle on Map 5 with E85.
03-21-2015, 07:25 AM
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Finally got around to downloading the JB4 App on my Mac and putting my new extension cord in the glovebox to use. I had thought about getting the Bluetooth adapter and purchasing the JB4 app, but this works for now and I'd rather put the money towards other mods.
03-23-2015, 05:43 PM
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I followed this guide: N54Tech.com - Your Source for International Turbo BMW Racing Discussion - View Single Post - 5-series: JB4 Install through Firewall
03-23-2015, 05:44 PM
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After a few weeks of research, emailing back and forth with members and vendors, as well as a lot of forum searching, I finally pulled the trigger on attempting the install of a 7" VRSF FMIC in the front of my E60 535i. Following in the footsteps of ucsbwsr and his thread: How To: Fit a 7" VRSF Intercooler to your E6X N54 chassis - N54Tech.com - Your Source for International Turbo BMW Racing Discussion I picked up a few extra pieces in addition to the standard 135i/335i kit that VRSF offers. Just as ucsbwsr did, I opted for the optional lower charge pipe upgrade.
With a few aluminum pipes, some silicon hoses, and a few more T-bolt clamps I had everything I needed to make this fit. I'm currently piecing together a complete step by step DIY on how to make this FMIC fit the E6X chassis. In addition to the post made by ucsbwsr, anyone should be able to make the necessary modifications to make this install feasible for anyone.
The car runs even stronger, and now with the IATs staying lower, can do so for even longer. Spool up has even become more audible when doing away with the factory plastic intercooler piping and replacing them with the aluminum variety. Even with the standard E60 front bumper, and not the MTech version as I've seen in most other FMIC installs, the silver core can be seen with ease while still achieving sleeper status. For now, I'll let the pictures do the talking.
With a few aluminum pipes, some silicon hoses, and a few more T-bolt clamps I had everything I needed to make this fit. I'm currently piecing together a complete step by step DIY on how to make this FMIC fit the E6X chassis. In addition to the post made by ucsbwsr, anyone should be able to make the necessary modifications to make this install feasible for anyone.
The car runs even stronger, and now with the IATs staying lower, can do so for even longer. Spool up has even become more audible when doing away with the factory plastic intercooler piping and replacing them with the aluminum variety. Even with the standard E60 front bumper, and not the MTech version as I've seen in most other FMIC installs, the silver core can be seen with ease while still achieving sleeper status. For now, I'll let the pictures do the talking.
