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      08-31-2020, 11:03 PM   #1
watsonwild
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New Z4 owner

Will be purchasing my first BMW this week.
2011 Z4 35i - manual transmission

Trying to understand all the tune upgrades that can be done. Overwhelming.

From the search on this site, it looks like JB4 - MHD - RaceChip.
I'm sure there are more that I just missed.
A lot of the posts are older (4 years), so I just wanted to see what the current recommendation is. Want something user friendly, and looking for 50-70 ish HP gain. I don't really want to upgrade any parts if possible.

Thanks to this forum and all the advice.

Last edited by watsonwild; 09-01-2020 at 12:11 AM..
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      09-01-2020, 12:21 PM   #2
bryanhoag
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I have a 35i and did the Dinan Stage 3 tune. Was on sale at the time and cost about $500. Did not require other parts.
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      09-01-2020, 07:06 PM   #3
watsonwild
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bryanhoag View Post
I have a 35i and did the Dinan Stage 3 tune. Was on sale at the time and cost about $500. Did not require other parts.
Do you know what the hp and torque gain was?
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      09-01-2020, 07:31 PM   #4
watsonwild
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bryanhoag View Post
I have a 35i and did the Dinan Stage 3 tune. Was on sale at the time and cost about $500. Did not require other parts.
Just looking up the Dinan Stage 3 on their website, and they say that an oil cooler and intercooler are required. You didn't have to upgrade?

https://www.dinancars.com/products/s...arts/D900-30TC

Gary
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      09-02-2020, 05:31 PM   #5
bryanhoag
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Per Dinan's site as I'm sure you saw, they quote 398hp/429tq vs stock 300/300. Who knows exactly... would have to dyno for that I assume.

Here is a copy of an old email I received from the Indy shop/Dinan dealer that did mine.

"Did some research and found that there are no bolt on oil coolers available for the Z4. Contacted Dinan and they stated that they do not make one and it would be completely fine to install stage 3 with just a drop in intake filter.

So this high HP jump will not require any additional components beyond a drop in air filter. Exhaust would be recommended , although not required. Tune will add an incredible 90 HP over stock and a ridiculous 110 ft lb of torque."

I did the drop in air filter but skipped the exhaust. So... sorry I guess I lied. It did require 1 other part. All told was still under $1,000 for some pretty impressive gains.
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      09-02-2020, 10:45 PM   #6
watsonwild
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You said you had a tuning shop do it for you, but aren't most of these tunes DIY? ... that's what I thought I had read for the most part.
Gary
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      09-03-2020, 01:44 AM   #7
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Get MHD, it will be about $170 for the app, android device (I used an old phone), Car K + DCAN cable ($25), and usb adapter (~$5). The license will include multiple off the shelf tunes and you can upload a custom tune as well.

Dinan stage 3 runs 14.3 psi and MHD stage 1 starts at 15 psi.
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      09-03-2020, 11:42 PM   #8
watsonwild
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nontoxic View Post
Get MHD, it will be about $170 for the app, android device (I used an old phone), Car K + DCAN cable ($25), and usb adapter (~$5). The license will include multiple off the shelf tunes and you can upload a custom tune as well.

Dinan stage 3 runs 14.3 psi and MHD stage 1 starts at 15 psi.
Decided to go with MHD. Price is sure reasonable, and it seems pretty straight forward.

Wonder if anyone has done any real world dynos with the stage 1 with no parts upgrades.
Also - on the octane - We do have 94 up here in Canada, so would I use the 93 or 95 map?
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      09-04-2020, 01:59 PM   #9
eli371
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I've had a 2010 35i manual here in Toronto area for about 3 years. First german car. 350z, rx8, boosted civic all sold.

- When time came to change the filter, instead of stock drop in I went with the BMS Dual cone intake, basically same price. I did some looking around and others I considered had reviews saying they disintegrated over time. BMS seems like the go to here. Took about 20 min to install. Ran about $100.

- MHD stage 1 stock will get you 360hp. I went with MHD because the OTS tunes will support me to the 400hp+ mark with bolt ons and the UI is really easy to use. Also, I didn't want a "hard flash" that I would just be stuck with unless I went back to the shop and JB4 was a little more than I needed, since the only real difference was higher price and more features. Nice to be able to flash my car anytime, reset adaptations, tons of monitor gauges etc. Get the MHD wifi adapter, it's worth it, no dangling cable when you're running monitor or logging and it's way faster when flashing. JB4 definitely has some features if you're looking for more features than what the MHD OTS tunes will get you. Lots of safety features to throw the car into limp mode and a valet tune which I thought was neat, among others. For me it just made sense to get MHD then I can always go JB4 if I'm feeling like having those features but in terms of tune I'll likely always stick to MHD OTS tunes. Currently on MHD stage 1 making around 370hp. I'm running 91 and only filling at Shell since it's the only one here with 0% ethanol. I thought about 94 but I decided it wasn't worth being up north or out of town and not knowing where the closest 94 station will be or if there even is one.

- Ignition system. First pull on the highway on stage 1, I was getting misfires on high load high rpm, it was spark blow out. I had someone recommend getting the kit from fcp euro (delphi plugs/ngk 1 step colder) and gap to .022. (or just the plugs if you feel your coils are okay) This was recommended to me from another user after I had looked around for coils/plugs and immediately solved my issue. FCP Euro also recommends the same gap on the plug for a tuned N54. Not sure where you're getting your car from but for what its worth, this is likely worth doing right of the hop.

- I'm currently waiting for my charge pipe and bov from EvolutionRacing. They're the only ones I could find with the HKS flange and bov together and that's the sound I was personally looking for. Otherwise, if you're looking for something softer the go to seems to be VRSF + Tial.

- Next for me is FMIC, this will get me to stage 1+, which is 390hp. Then once I'm ready, all I'll need is downpipes for stage 2+ at 420hp. I'll likely be satisfied at that point as I have zero intention to track my car.

All said and done
-MHD flasher + maps $200
-plugs/coils $250
-intakes $90
-charge pipe + hks bov $650 (The Tial kit was $200 cheaper)
-FMIC, Downpipes not purchased yet but I figure these will run me around $1000.

Extra 60hp for $200-$300 was nice but it didn't take long for me to want more.
So ~$2k USD for 120hp if you can do your own labor. No brainer for me.


Enjoy the car, hope this helped!

Last edited by eli371; 09-04-2020 at 02:24 PM..
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      09-04-2020, 07:23 PM   #10
watsonwild
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eli371 View Post
I've had a 2010 35i manual here in Toronto area for about 3 years. First german car. 350z, rx8, boosted civic all sold.

- When time came to change the filter, instead of stock drop in I went with the BMS Dual cone intake, basically same price. I did some looking around and others I considered had reviews saying they disintegrated over time. BMS seems like the go to here. Took about 20 min to install. Ran about $100.

- MHD stage 1 stock will get you 360hp. I went with MHD because the OTS tunes will support me to the 400hp+ mark with bolt ons and the UI is really easy to use. Also, I didn't want a "hard flash" that I would just be stuck with unless I went back to the shop and JB4 was a little more than I needed, since the only real difference was higher price and more features. Nice to be able to flash my car anytime, reset adaptations, tons of monitor gauges etc. Get the MHD wifi adapter, it's worth it, no dangling cable when you're running monitor or logging and it's way faster when flashing. JB4 definitely has some features if you're looking for more features than what the MHD OTS tunes will get you. Lots of safety features to throw the car into limp mode and a valet tune which I thought was neat, among others. For me it just made sense to get MHD then I can always go JB4 if I'm feeling like having those features but in terms of tune I'll likely always stick to MHD OTS tunes. Currently on MHD stage 1 making around 370hp. I'm running 91 and only filling at Shell since it's the only one here with 0% ethanol. I thought about 94 but I decided it wasn't worth being up north or out of town and not knowing where the closest 94 station will be or if there even is one.

- Ignition system. First pull on the highway on stage 1, I was getting misfires on high load high rpm, it was spark blow out. I had someone recommend getting the kit from fcp euro (delphi plugs/ngk 1 step colder) and gap to .022. (or just the plugs if you feel your coils are okay) This was recommended to me from another user after I had looked around for coils/plugs and immediately solved my issue. FCP Euro also recommends the same gap on the plug for a tuned N54. Not sure where you're getting your car from but for what its worth, this is likely worth doing right of the hop.

- I'm currently waiting for my charge pipe and bov from EvolutionRacing. They're the only ones I could find with the HKS flange and bov together and that's the sound I was personally looking for. Otherwise, if you're looking for something softer the go to seems to be VRSF + Tial.

- Next for me is FMIC, this will get me to stage 1+, which is 390hp. Then once I'm ready, all I'll need is downpipes for stage 2+ at 420hp. I'll likely be satisfied at that point as I have zero intention to track my car.

All said and done
-MHD flasher + maps $200
-plugs/coils $250
-intakes $90
-charge pipe + hks bov $650 (The Tial kit was $200 cheaper)
-FMIC, Downpipes not purchased yet but I figure these will run me around $1000.

Extra 60hp for $200-$300 was nice but it didn't take long for me to want more.
So ~$2k USD for 120hp if you can do your own labor. No brainer for me.


Enjoy the car, hope this helped!
Wow, good information. That will keep me thinking about upgrades for a while.
I'll start out with the MHD stage 1 flash, and expect to get new plugs as you mentioned.

Gary
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      10-01-2020, 05:29 PM   #11
accts4mjs
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Something else to consider, especially if you're increasing your boost pressure, is to upgrade your PCV (https://www.ecstuning.com/b-vargas-t...t-n54-pcv~vtt/). The stock one leaks and lets oil back into the intake and clogs your intake valves. The n54 is a direct injection engine and the intake valves don't have gas sprayed across them so they don't get cleaned up. At 40k miles I had to pull my intake and blast the valves and ports with ground walnut shells to get the black tar off so my valves would seat properly and I'd get better air flow. It ran rough before and super smooth after. You can also look at using a spray cleaner you put into the intake pipe (after the MAF before the intake) https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05319-Int.../dp/B00PHNQKR2. Recommendation is every time you change your oil. After spending several days to clean out my valves by hand I use it regularly.
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