Hi all - I've been lurking for a while and have decided to pop my head up now that my journey to find an E61 manual finally looks like it's nearing conclusion.

I've owned several M cars over the years (E30 M3, E34 M5 (RIP), E39 M5 (current)), so I'm no stranger to BMW performance (normally aspirated, at least...). But since I learned that the E61 was available in manual transmission form (albeit rare), I knew I had to have one - it just checks all the boxes for me now that I'm a single dad of three. At first, I was totally hyped about the performance potential of the N54. But since, I've been increasingly crest-fallen w/ the limitations of modifications due to the variety of factors I'm sure you all are very familiar with - CA emissions, E61 xi space constrains (downpipes, charge tube, suspension, wheel fitment, etc.)

Don't get me wrong, I'd the take the manual transmission in stock form all day if I was forced to. But since we all know that personalization and modification are like addictive drugs, I just can't leave it alone. I don't need a TON of power, but I'd feel solid getting as much out of it as my stock E39 M5.

Hence, my post here. I've done a ton of reading and would just like some affirmation that I'm going to be spending my money in the right places. Here's what I'm proposing based on what I've read:

Phase 1 - Basic Performance Upgrades

- Cobb APv3 (this one appears to be a no-brainer even though we're stuck w/ 91 for premium fuel)

- Muffler (I've been a fan of Supersprint ever since I could drive. Turner Motorsport claims that the SS unit fits the E61 535xi. The price tag is a bit tough to swallow, but you have to pay to play, right?). I'd really like a true cat-back, those don't seem to be available either...

- FMIC (again, Turner Motorsport claims that their unit fits the E61 535xi w/ minor modification)

Potential Phase 1 Modifications (these "potential" mods are mostly where I need help)

- charge pipe (finding one that fits)

- catted downpipes (finding a rear DP that fits, or just going custom)

Phase 2 - Wheels/Brakes
- looking at getting 19's in the CSL Competition vein - Vertini Magic, VMR, etc...I'm leaning on going w/ a square setup at 8.5", but I haven't made up my mind (the offset vs. tire size issue is confusing, not to mention that I can't seem to find a clear answer the true sweet spot is. Then factor in this...

- installing E60 M5 brakes. I know you have to install M5 rear hubs to accomplish this, but is that it? No master cylinder upgrade? And I heard this modification alters the wheel offset even further...

Phase 3 - Suspension
- I have a real hard time justifying 2.5-3k for _two_ KWv3 coilovers. But from what I can tell, it's the only real option. I may stay stock if the wheel gap from the 19's isn't too bad...

I'm willing to hear any and all feedback. Thanks in advance! Jeff

 

Hey fellow E61 MT owner! I can comment on some of this...

Tune: I'd say MHD is a no brainer. Less expensive, more functionality and they're constantly updating maps which are staged based on your bolt-ons and fuel. Discussion post

FMIC: I have a 7" VRSF ready to install. can't comment on fitment of Turner.

Down Pipes: AR Designs DP that fits e6X XI models was just re-released. To my knowledge it is the only true bolt-on option for out AWD models...

Wheels: Yes, XI offsets.... I just installed a square set of 19x8.5" wheels with 38 offset. The front looks great (imo), outside of wheel sits fairly flush with outside of fender. The rear is sitting in a bit too far. I'll by trying a 15–20mm spacer on the rear to even it out. Now, if you upgrade rear hubs to accommodate M5 brakes, that will change the offset. Pics without spacers for reference, my car is obviously not lowered...

<img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7433/27648867434_a8d5ff9f2a_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_8939">

<img src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8603/27648937783_63396e78a9_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_8941">

<img src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8878/27648865404_1d69d97ede_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_8943">

 

Someone say "E61" and "Performance Mods"?


Awesome, I also came from an E39 M5 to the E61. Mine was Imola Red with the rare M-cloth Alcantara interior, full exhaust, FBO, riding on KWs and DPE S20s. mmmmmmmmmm My goal with the E61 was to gain the practicality of the AWD (at the time) and the wagon body but replicate the performance and driving enjoyment of the M5 as much as possible.

Regarding mods, I am just going to give you my opinion from personal experience and what I have gathered being pretty deep in the N54 community for the past couple years. I tend to gravitate towards value when it comes to mods (price-performance) but not at the expense of quality of reliability.


The N54 needs a very custom and unrestricted exhaust to sound decent, all other exhaust setups are just shades of bad IMO. I would recommend NOT spending your money on fancy-pants muffler that costs $1,000. I am a fan of SS as well, I ran their LT headers and x-pipe on my M5 in combination with race cats and Dinan cans, I don't think even the magical wand of SS can make the N54 sound good. I know exhaust is subjective but please take my advice on this unless you have the opportunity to hear the potential mufflers in person on a N54 E6X.

If I had to do it over again I would just have my custom single 3" system built right off the bat and had an additional test pipe + cat with v-bands that can be swapped in during emission periods. That or just do a secondary cat and muffler delete, leave the oem resonator, it flows pretty well and minimizes drone. With the 2ndary and muffler delete you will get a slight bump in performance, more noise, and a little more drone but all things considered, it's the best bang for the buck. That OR snag a used E6X muffler, cut it open, and see if you can gut the valved side, essentially giving you a muffler delete when the valve is open and oem-like performance when shut.

As Rkundrat stated I would also not go for the Cobb, my personal recommendation is the BMS JB4 due to the wide array of features, datalogging and diagnostic capabilities, wide performance capabilities, and of course the excellent support from BMS and N54Tech. You can get a used JB4 with a G5 board for about $350. Many high-HP (700+whp) N54 cars use the JB4 with excellent results. The JB4 can be "stacked" with other off the shelf flashes, for example my JB4 handles everything but I flash some fuel-specific backend flashes with MHD. I have one for 91 oct and one for E85. I have no personal experience with running MHD as a stand alone so I can't comment on it as the tuning device.

You can get a few intercoolers which will fit, I know Evolution Racewerks sells a unit that is bolt-on but it costs ~$1,000. Can't comment about the Wagner or any others but if you will have to do any mods to fit them, then might as well get the VRSF 7" unit, runs about $400 and has been tested and proven up to 800+whp levels. I and many others can confirm satisfactory performance at more "reasonable" power levels.

I made a DIY on how to fit one on the E61, big zip ties for the win:
How To: Fit a 7" VRSF Intercooler to your E6X N54 chassis - N54Tech.com - Your Source for International Turbo BMW Racing Discussion

ER Racewerks makes a CP that fits, I can confirm that. There are more and more cheaper alternatives on the market for the 335i and I think some have been confirmed to fit the E6X, I would continue to search around as you can likely find a decent CP for about 1/2 the price of the ER unit. The stock charge pipe flows pretty well but it is replaced more for reliability at higher boost levels as the DVs can leak and in some cases the entire CP will explode as it is plastic. CP is more a peace-of-mind modification, I much prefer a blow off valve (Tial) to the DVs.

If you are serious about performance upgrades on this platform catless DPs are a must and AR DPs are the only bolt-on option. Just deal with the emission hassles of swapping the DPs back or whatever you need to do, mentally prepare and commit to it right now, you will eventually cross this bridge so no need killing yourself with the internal debate. DPs sans-cats are necessary and a fantastic addition to the N54 both for performance and prolonged turbo life. If the website is correct and AR is now producing the 535xi specific DPs, just buy them at that $1,000 price. In the recent past used ones were going for about $800 IF you could find them.

Wheels are tires can be tricky on this platform and most of the info online is very conservative since the majority of E61 owners look for a bolt-up setup without making any fender modifications; when the stock setup is 17x7.5 et53 or whatever it is (a joke) there is little room to add a REAL set of rubber under the car is no extra clearance is made. A tuned E61 really needs more contact patch underneath it to handle the mass of the vehicle. IMO 8.5 square won't cut it. Something like 9.5" square with 255 is a much more capable setup.

But before you get too much into the wheels and tires now I would make a decision on the M5 brakes and possibly M5 front fenders since they will impact your wheel/tire clearance and offsets. Once those are chosen or not you can think about how much fender work you are willing to do: none, rolling, or rolling and pulling. After that is decided you can move onto the dance of wheels, tires, offsets, and keeping the DSC and Transfer Case happy.

For coils KWs are the best option. There is a company called ICS (ISC?) that released a kit about a year ago and it only cost ~$900, they also offered coils that retain the factory air and one that deleted it. I have heard poor reviews from most who took the plunge but I guess a few months ago they revised the spring rates and strut valving for better performance? If this revised kit performs well, it appears to be a great value, long term reliability isn't proven yet. KW V3s are expensive but money well spent on the E61, I shy away from all the other expensive mods but I would have no hesitation quickly pulling the trigger on the V3s. I was lucky and found mine used with ~13,000 miles for $1,200 so there are deals but just like the AR DPs super hard to find used since the application is so specific.


Here are a couple more recommendations:

Motive Mods paddle shift harness and an M5 SMG steering wheel: the combo will set you back about $1,000 but it DRASTICALLY changes the nature and driving experience of the wagon. One of the best mods for maximizing the 6AT.

SAT Flash: FREE! Software that improves the 6AT performance. Better downshifts, more aggressive "sport" characteristics, and faster shifts.

Turbo inlets: Really help the turbos breath, especially in conjunction with the DPs and other upgrades to the charge tract. They are a pain to install but relatively cheap and offer a nice bump in flow, performance, and less turbo strain. I would buy them and hold off on installing them until you do DPs or replace your water pump.

E85 fuel upgrades: If you have access to local E85 it is REALLY cheap power on FI cars, the N54 is a great example. With 100% stock wagon and a JB4 you can add roughly 3-4 gallons of E85 into your tank and make an additional 20-30whp. Of course it is best to run the appropriate air-flow and cooling mods to help the engine but this is just an example. The stock LPFP can't handle much more E85 than that but if you upgrade to a Fuel-It Stg 2 LPFP it will allow for roughly an E45-E50 mix (which is about 9 gallons in the 18.5 tank). Furthermore if you add the Fuel-It Throttle Body Injection you can run 100% E85 on stock turbos. This is a great setup for stock snails as it maximizes performance and as a bonus you won't have to calculate/blend ethanol and pump gas which gets very old very quickly.

The mods discussed above along with the Stg 2 LPFP + TBI will net you around 420-440awhp.

Before doing any modding I would pay close attention to your maintenance history and make sure the car is up to par and also prep for future "soon to fail" items. HPFP, Injectors, Waterpump, carbon buildup, and turbos (WG) should be top priorities. These cars have "lifetime" fluids in the diff, TC, and trans which is complete BS, I would flush those as well.

Evan

 

^^^ Very good writeup Evan.

I've been waiting close to a month for my ISC comfort setup so we shall see if it goes the distance.

Thanks to you I'm starting to gather parts for m5 oem front end but having a hard time pulling the trigger for the m5 fender liners at $205 for each side for a piece of plastic essentially. I'll mount up a m5 fender and see if I can fiberglass the void for now or fill it in somehow. I know the brake duct opening will need to be modified if I go this route.

Also got M5 brakes but after seeing your post, I'm really regretting doing the rear since I might encounter stuck hubs too.

Probably just looking to do MHD for now in terms of power.

 

Wow, Evan! Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed and thoughtful reply! (thanks to rkundarat too!)

Well, I pulled the trigger Wednesday! (I'd post pics but I'm having trouble w/ my FTP )


A few thoughts in response:

- No SAT flash for me as mine is a 6spd.

- Not opposed to going 19x9.5 all around. What are my offset windows and tire sizes w/ those? (really opposed to the tire-stretch look that's so common these days.. ) not interested in installing M5 fenders or rolling though...

- I'm definitely interested in going w/ the E60M5 brakes. The problem is that used sets doesn't seem to be very plentiful...I'd hate to be waiting 6+ months to find a set before I can spring for a set of wheels (unless, I just pop spacers in the rear (which I'd like to avoid...))

- Leaning toward your exhaust recommendation - AR DPs (still not sure if I can go catless because I live in smog-nazi land California), custom mid-sections w/ provisions for cat swappage. Having a hard time letting go of the Supersprint muffler idea (though to your recommendation, I've asked someone who has one to send me a phone video of the sound...

- regarding E85, I never considered that before but if I can source it locally, I'll definitely consider it.

Thanks again for your insight! - Jeff

 

As always, great post! Reading your posts equal a masters degree in BMW mechanics and upgrades. Thanks again.

 

I am becoming desensitized to the prices of new oem BMW parts but at the same time better at finding deals. theBMWpartstore.com usually has the best new oem pricing, other than that forums, Craigslist, and eBay are my sources. for something like wheel liners I would check Craigslist for people parting out an M5, that would likely yield the best pricing.

I would go for the rear brakes too, just make sure you have the right tools.


You are welcome.
Ah yes, 6MT, you will be so happy. No SAT flash, no paddles, no infuriating "didn't want it to shift but it shifted" or any nonesense like that, just your hand directly controlling the transmission, direct simplicity (and reliability). Congrats again.

For the wheels/tires, 9.5s with no rolling and no stretch will be a challenge, it may be possible but it is all dependant on what your definition of stretch is, and how low your car will be. Although not as common as 8.5 and 9.5, 9" wheels are also an option. Ah the challenges of 535xi fitment...

DPs really wake up the engine. The install/removal process isn't easy or enjoyable but once you have done it and you learn the subtle tricks of the process it can be completed in a few hours. People get all up in arms about how hard it is but if you have mechanical inclination and patience it really isn't that bad, the biggest challenge is the awkward space you have to work with.

E85 is liquid gold for the performance minded, definitely worth investigating.

Flattering, thanks.

Evan

 

19x8.5 and 19x9.5 et45 VMR 710FF wheels with 245/40 and 275/35 tires fit at stock ride height with no fender rolling or pulling required on my 535iX factory M-Sport. Had a faint rub at the very front of each front wheel on the inner fender liner, which could easily be heated and arched forward 1/4”, but I haven't bothered because they’re both getting replaced soon with M5 units.