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      06-13-2014, 11:30 PM   #23
Hujan
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Installed this today along with the ER Z4-specific charge pipe and Tial BOV.

Everything went pretty smoothly. I was able to get this done on a pair of ramps in my garage. I'm actually not sure it would have been easier with a lift because I found it very useful to be able to work from above as well as below.

The biggest PITA was trimming the plastic horizontal air dam that directs air from the front grille to the intercooler. The OEM intercooler is about 4.25" deep and the ER unit is about 6" deep, so you have to trim 1.75" off to get it to fit. I typically suck at things like this, but trimmed it pretty damn cleanly, if I do so say so myself. Of course, there was little black plastic dust all over my face, hair, mouth, clothes, etc. It's not fun.

This is definitely not a plug-and-play install. Aside from needing to trim a significant chunk off the horizontal air dam, the install requires you to remove a short section of rubber tubing that is held on by a single-use clamp. You have to break the clamp to remove it. So flipping the car back to stock will require a new air dam (probably a $25 piece) as well as a new clamp or tube.

That's the downside. The plus side is that my charge-air tract consists of nothing but large diameter, metal tubing from turbo to intake manifold. It can only help with throttle response and minimizing pressure drop. And, obviously, the ER FMIC is absolutely massive and will no doubt help keep IATs in line.

One huge gripe, though, came when I tried to install the Tial BOV. Money must be really tight at Evolution Racewerks these days because they could not have been more stingy with the vacuum line they included with the BOV. Given that vacuum line realistically costs a retailer $0.10 a foot, common sense and good customer service would dictate that if your customer needs, say, 16 inches of vacuum line, you provide them with 24. Not Evolution Racewerks. If you need 16 inches, you get 12 and not a sliver more.

The 12-inch vacuum line that ER includes with the kit should have been closer to 16 inches, at least if you want some slack in the line. As you can see from the photo below, the 12-inch line results in a very taut vacuum line from BOV to intake port. Obviously, it would have been much appreciated if ER had shipped the unit with a good deal extra, just in case.

No problem, right? I mean, this stuff has got to be easy to get at the auto-parts store . . . right? I went to O'Reilly's, NAPA, and AutoZone. All three only had two options for vacuum line that were anywhere near the ballpark. One of which I call "gnat's vagina," as it's way too tight and won't connect to the BOV. The other is like the Panama Canal and is too loose for the port on the intake manifold.

I have no idea what I'm going to do. But it's very, very frustrating that an involved project like this is ultimately stymied because ER didn't have the good sense to include a little extra vacuum line with their kits. (And by "extra" I mean "enough.")

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      06-17-2014, 07:00 PM   #24
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I apologize greatly for the vacuum line that is too short. I checked the issue and the error was in our part. Our parts checklist for the Z4 had the wrong length listed. The 12" length was meant for the 1/3 series charge pipes and not the Z4. We have made the corrections and we will be sending you the correct length. Again, I greatly apologize for our mistake.

Fred
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      06-18-2014, 10:16 AM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Evolution Racewerks View Post
I apologize greatly for the vacuum line that is too short. I checked the issue and the error was in our part. Our parts checklist for the Z4 had the wrong length listed. The 12" length was meant for the 1/3 series charge pipes and not the Z4. We have made the corrections and we will be sending you the correct length. Again, I greatly apologize for our mistake.

Fred
No problem, Fred. Can't say enough good things about your customer service. You've been very responsive and helpful. I was going to update the prior post but you beat me to it.

Other than the vacuum line, the fitment of the charge pipe and FMIC was absolutely spot on. It's a big unit, but it sits nice and flush with the under tray and bumper. Plus, the little clips to pull the radiator fan shroud snuggly against the FMIC were a nice touch.

Performance wise, it's hard to get the IATs to rise above 15 degrees above ambient, and even then that's when I'm flogging it. Most of the time, it sits 10 degrees above ambient. Very impressive!
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      06-19-2014, 02:57 AM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hujan View Post
No problem, Fred. Can't say enough good things about your customer service. You've been very responsive and helpful. I was going to update the prior post but you beat me to it.

Other than the vacuum line, the fitment of the charge pipe and FMIC was absolutely spot on. It's a big unit, but it sits nice and flush with the under tray and bumper. Plus, the little clips to pull the radiator fan shroud snuggly against the FMIC were a nice touch.

Performance wise, it's hard to get the IATs to rise above 15 degrees above ambient, and even then that's when I'm flogging it. Most of the time, it sits 10 degrees above ambient. Very impressive!
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      10-27-2021, 12:58 AM   #27
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E90 Intercooler and downpipes in an E89

Hello guys
I was hoping someone could help me determine if aftermarket Downpipes and FMIC from an E90 will fit the E89.
thanks
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      10-27-2021, 06:49 AM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sduncan219 View Post
Hello guys
I was hoping someone could help me determine if aftermarket Downpipes and FMIC from an E90 will fit the E89.
thanks
FMIC-s should fit. At least the ones that use stock piping or fit onto stock piping with hoses. Intercoolers with oem quickconnect fit fine. Like CSF fmic.
If the kit contains piping then piping is different on e89 vs e90. ​
Kits like Wagner Evo 2 that comes with piping from intercooler to the chargepipe needs to be e89 specific.

If i someday get to installing one its probably going to be wagner evo 2.. Was close to pulling the trigger this summer but then they went out of stock and price went up considerably... And then when i was waiting for it to come back in stock with reasonable price other ​things came up and so put that plan on hold... maybe next summer...

E90 downpipes dont fit e89. They can be made to fit by cutting and welding i guess but it would be simpler to get e89 specific pipes...
Vrsf is probably best bet to get some.

Cheap China downpipes also often need some modifications to fit even if they are sold as for e89.
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Last edited by KennyP; 10-27-2021 at 06:55 AM..
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      10-27-2021, 11:07 AM   #29
sduncan219
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Thanks Kenny
I was at CTS turbo yesterday before having stage one tuning done and picked up their FMIC,Downpipes and intakes for E90 series cars. They all look good and I can return them if unused and they don't look like they will fit, so I'll cross my fingers and have a look when the car is up on the hoist. I'm in Vancouver Canada and hoped to get these bits installed so I could have the stage 2 tune done once the satge one is complete.
If anyone has had experience with the CTS E90 series parts on an E89 I would be greatful for your input.
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      10-27-2021, 12:59 PM   #30
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I took a look at their website...
I think that intercooler piping wont fit... that long piping towards the intake manifold...

Downpipes i think you need to cut the flanges off on the exhaust side, rotate them 90 degrees and weld back. Otherwise they would not mate up. Ive seen people do that on forums with china downpipes.

Also noticed that downpipes were 2.5inch not 3 inch like i have usually seen them to be... Vrsf e89 specific downpipes are 3inch for example.
And if you are going to return the intercooler then look for a stepped style intercooler for more cooling surface area.
I think years ago non stepped thick intercooler like you just got were a thing but now all the popular intercoolers have a stepped core design..

And dont go too big with the intercooler size if you are going for stage 2+ only.
5.5 inch is enough for that. Everything beyond that is pretty much for upgraded turbos and so on...
I would suggest csf if using stock piping and bmw connections... easy to install... no silicon hoses... only thing changed is the intercooler.
Or vrsf e89 kits like 5 inch (they have a few options) and wagner kits evo1 and 2 but they are pricy... evo 2 is 6 inch though...
I was looking at wagner because it wasnt totally huge like 7.5 inch monsters but was a bit bigger than 5 or 5.5 inch models... Happy medium you could call it. If i happened to upgrade turbos down the line(if/when they happened to fail) then it would be able to deal and keep up with that and i wouldnt have to replace it right away like i probably would with 5 inch intercoolers. Plus i liked the tube/fin lighter construction. And its located in EU so no import tax like when i get anything from the states. Ordering vrsf from the states with import tax and shipping totals almost the same as ordering Wagner from within EU with just a small shipping fee added to it.
CSF was option nr 2 for me, but i really wanted to eliminate bmw quickconnects.
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