vrondados

I just bought a 2008 535xi and i am curious as to what chip i should look for to put into my car? I am new to these things and need some serious educating. Is this what people refer to as remapping? Also can BMW do this so i dont affect my guarantee? Also what kind of hp and torque am i looking at? Please help!!!

Russ1974

A "chip" usually refers to a plug in device which sits inline between the computer and the engine. A remap is where they reprogram your existing computer. A remap allows for more flexibility in what can be altered and will give better performance and reliability than a chip. A remap is also supposedly virtually undectable to BMW, whereas a chip is obvious and would most likely have to be removed prior to your car going in for service/etc each time. The advantage on the other hand is that a chip _can_ be removed very easily, whereas a remap is permanent (unless you get the company to "unremap" your engine). Of course, a remap costs more, and has to be performed by an expert - whereas a chip can be purchased mail order and slotted in by anyone capable of changing a light bulb.

BMW will not do this. You have to get it done by a 3rd party company. It technically would void your warranty for any parts which BMW can prove were damaged by a chip/remap. For example, if your iDrive went faulty or your fuel tank developed a leak, they couldn't blame the chip/remap. If you blew a piston or turbo, then they could argue it. The more reputable remappers will guarantee that any warranty work BMW won't honour due to a remap, they will cover the cost. Again a chip usually won't come with this guarantee - another reason a remap is more expensive.

I can't talk for specific hp/torque improvements on your 535xi, but the difference is usually fairly impressive and certainly noticeable. My personal opinion would be to get a remap and avoid a chip, but others on here will probably argue the other way round!

s4iscool

check out e90 forums, there is a ton more discussion about the 3.0TT software mods. If you arent willing to pay for a complete engine/turbo replacement due to your modificatons, then dont do it. Chances are that you will not have a problem, but if you do, be prepaed to foot the 5-10k bill because BMW will find out after there is a large problem.

now, if you are willing to man up to the risk of adding engine mods to a car under warranty, then you will gain a lot of power on this engine. Many claim near 400hp and torque at the crank. Thats fast. Alsoremember the stock 3.0TT engine usually dyno's higher than the advertised 300 crank hp.

Russ1974

Why would somebody go to an E90 forum to read about E60 chipping/remapping. They are different cars. And like I said, if you find a good remapper, they will add warranty to cover any items BMW won't cover. But remappers aren't stupid - they don't work outside the limits of what the car is capable of.

Don't let the above post scare you off. Thousands and thousands of people have remaps done. A handful have problems. Those that do have problems would most likely have had problems with their engines anyway regardless of the remap - but of course if you have a problem and have had a remap, you will assume that is the problem. Chances are, it wasn't, and would have happened anyway.

redwhiteblue

haha different cars huh? Try the exact same engines and they have been out a year and a half longer in the e90 plus people driving 3 series are more likely to modify their cars-hence reading an e90 forum.

Yes your right the car looks different but thats about it.

Plus your whole description of chipping v remapping is way off. Basically chips do not exist anymore since back in the day the ECU was either not existent or not advanced and a simple chip would plug in a basically modify a few different things in the ciruitry such as air/fuel ratio etc.

Nor does any reputable tuner offer to pay for damages bmw does not cover.

Google Vishnu for bmws-that is the most popular "chip"and it is something you can remove. Basically it cranks up the boost of the turbos and thats about it-do it at your own risk. And yes the same turbos and engine as the e90

s4iscool

why thank you for that response, now I dont have to say nearly the same thing. Maybe things are diff in europe

HotLap

I wanted to take this conversation a bit further as I too have been trying to figure out if these cars really use a "chip". In the US we haven't been using chips since way back when the OBD II (On board Diagnostics ver II) came out...either late 90's or early 2000's...what we do is purchase a hand-held "Tuner" i.e., SuperChips XCalibrator or Diablo Predator (there are others).

You usually purchase the tuner along with 1 to 3 tunes stored on it from a reputable tuner who has dyno'd and developed the tunes specifically for your engine, tranny, and mod level. You then load whichever tune you want (typically 91 octane race, 91 octane torque or 87 octane performance). It's as simple as plugging the handheld tuner into the OBDII port under the dash near your left knee, and walking through the options...takes about 2 minutes and the tuner uploads the factory tune so you can quickly reload the stock tune if you were heading into the dealer, etc. The handheld tuners also allow you to tune individual parameters such as ignition advance, octane, fuel pressure at WOT, change in wheel size, rear gears, etc. I would have to believe that a US spec BMW would also have to comply with the OBDII requirements and that someone must be developing and selling the tuners with tunes to the US market?

I currently have this kind of tune on both my GT500 and F-150 and they do make a great deal of difference.

s4iscool

it is a piggyback, read about it here, and this is the only way to do it until we get reflashing fromt he tuners:

http://www.vishnutuning.com/BMW_FAQ.htm

When I was shopping for a 335, I was going to wait until the reflash technique was available, but there still isnt one, unless one came out recently that I dont know of. Vishnu is probably the most respected 3.0TT tuner in the states right now.

vrondados

has anyone tried this? how safe is this? they make it sound so simple and harmless it would be worth it for 60 more hp and added torque.

s4iscool

It is NOT that simple to install. They make it sound very easy, but when you actually read through the DIY guide on their site...lets just say, its not a few simple steps. This is all about having the right mentality to mod a 40k+ car that is under warratny. Be ready to pay to play if you mod the car. Performance numbers are for real through, proven by thousands of 335 and 535 customers.