Three Stage Intake Manifold Conversion for 525i - 50+HP Gain!
05-01-2011, 11:29 AM
#21
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My Ride: 2007 Black Sapphire 535i
I did this on my 528xi about 10 months ago. I have an OE Tuning tune. No local all wheel drive dyno, but my butt dyno shows way more torque. There is a write up on this for a 325 by member e90pilot on e90post.com/forums - it is actually a sticky on top of the normally aspirated section. He now has the AA tune. I did the manifold swap with a buddy who is very mechanically inclined in about 3 hours. Less parts are needed with the 528, but still straight forward. Good luck...
Thanks for the feedback. I provided links to e90pilot's posts in the first page of this thread. Its a "must-read" for sure. Its great to hear your mod was successful. Does the car drive and idle with the same smoothness as it did before and is it more responsive at the low end and high end of the trotle body? Also, if you don't mind me asking, what did your OE Tune end up costing and was it modified for performance gains also? Gintani was also doing tunes for this but to the best of my knowledge, the dudes over at AA are amongst the best in this field.
05-01-2011, 12:11 PM
#22
I think the OE Tune was about $400. Better throttle response, same smoothness. More responsive (torque) at low end, but I don't drive it that hard to note high rpm changes honestly. OE Tuning (Jeremy) rents space from Gintani - all the tunes you see on Gintani's website are OE. e90pilot switched because he had knocking. I don't.
05-03-2011, 04:48 AM
#23
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My Ride: 2007 Black Sapphire 535i
I received feedback from Evan over at GetbmwParts yesterday and will have the order placed today. Updated pricing on the components are as follows (I ordered a few extra screws):
(06) 11-61-7-559-523 NTAKE MANIFOLD ? USD $477.00
(07) 11-61-7-559-530 VENT HOSE ? USD $71.43
(08) 11-61-7-579-114 ADJUSTER UNIT ? USD $179.54
(09) 11-61-7-560-538 ADJUSTER UNIT ? USD $179.54
(10) 11-61-7-547-242 SET OF PROFILE G ? USD $16.52
(11) 11-61-7-535-850 SCREW ? USD $0.62 x 4 PCs ? USD $1.86
(12) 11-61-7-535-849 SCREW ? USD $0.62 x 6 PCs ? USD $3.72
(13) 11-61-7-535-851 SCREW ? USD $0.62 x 2 PCs ? USD $1.24
(06) 11-61-7-559-523 NTAKE MANIFOLD ? USD $477.00
(07) 11-61-7-559-530 VENT HOSE ? USD $71.43
(08) 11-61-7-579-114 ADJUSTER UNIT ? USD $179.54
(09) 11-61-7-560-538 ADJUSTER UNIT ? USD $179.54
(10) 11-61-7-547-242 SET OF PROFILE G ? USD $16.52
(11) 11-61-7-535-850 SCREW ? USD $0.62 x 4 PCs ? USD $1.86
(12) 11-61-7-535-849 SCREW ? USD $0.62 x 6 PCs ? USD $3.72
(13) 11-61-7-535-851 SCREW ? USD $0.62 x 2 PCs ? USD $1.24
05-03-2011, 06:01 AM
#24
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My Ride: 2005 525i, 6spd manual, Premium pkg, Cold Weather pkg
If I can do this for my ride, this may be in my future modding plans soon! Good luck with the mod. You're right, if you get the gains you are anticipating then you can't beat the cost ratio.
05-03-2011, 07:06 AM
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My Ride: 2007 Black Sapphire 535i
If I can do this for my ride, this may be in my future modding plans soon! Good luck with the mod. You're right, if you get the gains you are anticipating then you can't beat the cost ratio.
Depending on how mechanically inclined you are in terms of changing the manifold itself and based on what AA will charge for the tune, there is a good chance that this mod can be completed for as low as USD $1,400 - $1,500.00 (parts inclusive). Not bad for 40hp - 50hp gain. Cash left over to install a Rpi exhaust or the likes.
Ha ha. Goodness knows, it never ends!
05-03-2011, 08:28 AM
#27
If I were you, I would try junkyards, etc and get the 3 stage manifold used - the same manifold is on x5 3.0si, 330, 530 so it's not that hard to find. It's a plastic piece. You will save quite a bit of money this way. I got mine from bmrparts.com but I would not recommend them. They sent a single stage manifold and then it took them several months to send the right part.
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e60daily (09-24-2020)
05-03-2011, 08:44 AM
#28
I believe it is actually on more cars than I mentioned including the x3 3.0si. Type the part number into realoem.com and you will see what all vehicles it is on. I paid less than the amount you list for the intake alone for all the parts including the adjuster units.
) thread so that we can follow it! 
