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      10-12-2015, 10:10 AM   #1
mangekyou80
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Modding and tuning a BMW for the first time

Hey guys I've got a 2011 Z4 sDrive35i with the 7spd DCT. I want to make it a bit more fun for Mountain driving and the occasional track day. AFter doing a bit of research I've come up with the following list. Can anyone provide any feedback on these parts or recommend something better? Also, can anyone recommend a really good tuning shop in or near Atlanta, Georgia?

Charge Pipe/BOV Stett CP + Tial BOV
Intercooler Stett FMIC
Tune/Air Filters JB4 + DCI
Spark Plugs NGK 5992
Coil Pack Bosch OEM
Brake Lines Bavarian Autosport BMW-1590

Also does anyone have a recommendation for an exhaust that provides a nice sound but isn't going to deafen my neighbors every morning? Airflow is paramount but the sound needs to be there too.
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      10-12-2015, 12:25 PM   #2
Lambobimmer
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mangekyou80 View Post
Hey guys I've got a 2011 Z4 sDrive35i with the 7spd DCT. I want to make it a bit more fun for Mountain driving and the occasional track day. AFter doing a bit of research I've come up with the following list. Can anyone provide any feedback on these parts or recommend something better? Also, can anyone recommend a really good tuning shop in or near Atlanta, Georgia?

Charge Pipe/BOV Stett CP + Tial BOV
Intercooler Stett FMIC
Tune/Air Filters JB4 + DCI
Spark Plugs NGK 5992
Coil Pack Bosch OEM
Brake Lines Bavarian Autosport BMW-1590

Also does anyone have a recommendation for an exhaust that provides a nice sound but isn't going to deafen my neighbors every morning? Airflow is paramount but the sound needs to be there too.
If money is no object then buy the Eisenmann. Otherwise buy the Remus Exhaust.
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      10-12-2015, 05:51 PM   #3
nicknaz
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mangekyou80 View Post
occasional track day
Hi, I think you would need to also install the 850W cooling fan and auxiliary radiator from the 335is / 1M or look for other aftermarket cooling solutions

I won't bother to go into the details since I have posted them before but long story short I suggest you modify the cooling system first (get the car to stay at 230F oil temps all day long) then start adding the other stuff

Or if it is just mountain driving on the street, you should be fine with your list. My minor edits would be to go with a Cobb instead of JB4 and skip the DCI, and skip brakelines until you know you are overheating the brakes, and in which case go with pads and fluid.

The other obvious statement would be to get RE71R caliber of street tire, or at a minimum a generation old tire of that class, like RE11
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      10-13-2015, 01:40 AM   #4
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Firstly, you don't really need more hp to have fun on the track, or even to practice drifting. 300 is plenty to begin with. The limiting factors in having fun here are the tires, suspension, brakes, engine cooling and sound. Those are what will actually keep you from having fun. Not lack of hp.

But since you probably wont believe this, do remember you need to tune the DCT for increased engine torque as well. Otherwise it might slip under load causing premature clutch wear. Piggies such as the JB4 do not offer this sort of tuning, but you may still want the JB4 just to run water mist or meth injection on the side.

BTW I never experienced limp mode (neither engine nor DCT) with my tuned Z4. I went drifting together with an older C63 AMG a few months back, and since that car decided to overheat and spill coolant and mine didn't, I conclude things could be worse. That being said I keep a constant eye on the temp gauge, and my buddy's N55 is definitely superior in this department. It is fair to say the cooling system is not track ready out of the box, and if you spend a lot of time near the red-line you will probably miss the dedicated DCT oil cooler of the E9x M as well.

So for tracking, I support the idea of installing the aux water cooler. Additionally I would look into ways of tricking the outside temp sensor to activate the "get to work"-mode of the cooling system. I imagine installing a switch with a component that increases or lowers the impedance of the temp sensor equal to +20C somehow. Because I have noticed that when the outside temperature gets near 40C/+100F here in China, the oil temp drops to a stable 100C instead of 120C where it normally sits. It basically causes the ecu to skip economy mode, letting the fan come on earlier etc. A bit like activating sport+ in an M4. Anyway, it is just an idea...

As for exhaust sound the cheapest solution, that does not cause error codes, is installing cat-less mid-pipes and high-flow race cats up front. You will also find that the left OEM muffler mutes the sound more than the right muffler, and I guess this is where the difference between the 35i and 35is lies. The 35is probably has less damping material inside the left muffler, creating a more balanced/less 3 cylinder-ish sound. As soon as you go completely cat-less or worse, you will most likely start annoying your neighbors and even yourself while just cruising at highway speeds. Also there is a reason BMW uses active exhaust flaps, even with their M cars, and you would most likely want to keep that feature. On mine, although the flap is closed on cold starts, the start up sound actually causes car alarms to go of in the parking basement where I live (I just did mid-cat delete).

Oh and I almost forgot. You can also do throttle and engine response tuning. AFAIK COBB does throttle map tuning and ESS does engine response tuning. Personally I don't like the nonlinear throttle map of the Z4, especially in sport+ mode, but I love the improved engine responsiveness of the ESS tune. It basically means that the car feels more awake (not to be confused with sport+ mode where the car just feels like it has more hp in an uncontrolled way). And since the N54 does not have valvetronic, it benefits from the extra does of caffeine that engine response tuning yields. And since you probably have cruise control for high ways, the only time you will miss the lazier engine response is during stop and go traffic jams.

For suspension and tire (pressure) tuning check out the other threads on using M suspension components.
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      10-13-2015, 02:24 AM   #5
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1. PSS tires
2. Stubby Antena
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      10-13-2015, 01:49 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Asbjorn View Post
But since you probably wont believe this, do remember you need to tune the DCT for increased engine torque as well. Otherwise it might slip under load causing premature clutch wear. Piggies such as the JB4 do not offer this sort of tuning, but you may still want the JB4 just to run water mist or meth injection on the side.
JB4 with backend flash (free) or JB4+MHD won't slip
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