Hello,
Two days ago, I picked up an E61 (Monaco Blue Metallic / Cream beige w/ sport wheel and "night vision".


Planning on doing CIC upgrade, and will order parts for that in a week or so. Also considering HUD upgrade, but not sure if I'll get ~5K worth of use out it.


Planned:
- M5 bumpers, moldings, and mirrors. Not planning on fenders.
- E60 oil cooler
- COBB access port tune (so I can remove it if I choose to)
- HDD to SSD conversion on CIC
- Black kidneys
- DINAN exhaust
- Coilovers
- Wheels (Lookling at Avarus AV12's)


IIRC, Umnitza has the body parts, so once I get space, that will be my 4th order. COBB and oil cooler are 2nd & 3rd. Bentley manuals were #1.


*yawn* Do yourself a favor and don't work a 12 hour day after driving for ~700 miles.


Pics to come after she gets a bath. Drive from Baltimore, MD to Seattle, WA. She's a mess...

 

Welcome, what is the purpose of an e60 oil coolers

 

None whatsoever IMO on this car, unless you're going to track it.

The very early 335's used to overheat on the track when pushed hard, hence why with the sport package eventually BMW included the oil coolers.

 

From what I understand, there is no oil cooler in the E61, sport package or not. If I plan on doing a tune, be it Cobb or Dinan, an oil cooler is required.


And it may get tracked. Possibly. In the future. Maybe...

 

I have to say you're wrong. Care to link where you got that info from?

Cobb (and I highly doubt Dinan) does not require an oil cooler for a tune on this car. Or even on the 335. I've been running a Cobb tune for two years on this car, and a few more on a 335, so I should know.

Here's a chart explaining what you need for various stage maps:

It's the same for all ECU s/w versions

And go ahead read the map notes even:

Cobb Map Notes

 

From Dinan's website, notes for stage 2 software upgrade:


Peak Horsepower378 horsepower at 5700 rpmPeak Torque415 lb-ft torque at 4300 rpmRequired ItemsOil-Cooler Required

 

I've been in the N54 game for over 6 years.

I don't know why they'd require it at those power levels. But as you point out, that's stage 2, not stage 1, which is the default. It's like saying Cobb requires a FMIC for their stage 1+ tune. Or downpipes for their stage 2 tune. Of course at the higher levels extra hardware is required. But for a first stage tune, which is what the discussion here was about, you don't / shouldn't need an oil cooler.

It makes no sense to get a Dinan tune anyway, if you're out of warranty, since the only reason to pay a premium for their tune is the warranty they offer in case something breaks during your OEM warranty. 4 years ago, they were the only flash tune option. But now, for less than half its cost, you can buy a Cobb that does way more, and you can sell it after! It's a no brainer IMO. And no oil cooler required.

Do as you wish though.

 

E39 (M5) --> E61 ...I did the same thing. Hard to beat an E39 M5 but once I fix the hicccups I am having with my wagon and dump the stupid AT for a proper manual, I think it will really transform the car. Anyway, welcome.


Isn't an oil cooler built into the radiator? There are lines running from the T-stat into the back of it.

There is also a Transmission Oil Cooler located in front of the intercooler.

Evan

 

How difficult is it to do a manual swap? What does it need?

 

A good amount of work but not impossible from what I hear. If you are decent with cars/BMWs, have the proper tools, and can code it should be doable. I plan on doing it myself once I am capable. No need to shell out a couple grand for someone else to do it.

Evan