Track-ready sleeper build - 2019 edition

[Asbjorn]

For inspiration I made an overview of where my build landed end of 2019. If any questions or comments I am super happy to discuss.



Am planning to continue working on the oil sump, wheels and perhaps adjustable dampers in 2020. Pretty happy with everything else.

[StLMO]

Originally Posted by Asbjorn

For inspiration I made an overview of where my build landed end of 2019. If any questions or comments I am super happy to discuss.



Am planning to continue working on the oil sump, wheels and perhaps adjustable dampers in 2020. Pretty happy with everything else.

That's a fantastic build!! Going to have Dimitri tune in a few months after walnut blasting valves and inlets. Did you keep your factory intake?

[Asbjorn]

Originally Posted by StLMO

That's a fantastic build!! Going to have Dimitri tune in a few months after walnut blasting valves and inlets. Did you keep your factory intake?

Thanks and yes sir. The factory intake is perfect for my power level, and there are many advantages to this design.

Below I have overlayed two 3rd gear wot logs done with an hour or so in between. One is the stock airbox with snorkle. The other is DCI with snorkle.

https://datazap.me/u/asbjoern/dci-vs...17-22-25-29-30

Contrary to common belief, you will find no increase in wgdc with the stock airfilter at my power level. Remember though that I have upgraded VTT GC inlets. Others jts1981 have tested stock inlets vs these inlets and found a difference.

So to sum up, the advantages of using the stock airfilter and snorkle are:
- Lower iat without hurting wgdc or boost. At higher speeds, the stock intake system might in fact be helping build boost.
- Better air flow through the main radiator, because air can't escape above it and go into the engine bay. Remember air always chooses the path of least resistance.
- Stock acoustics (dcis sound like there's a boost leak. Also you wouldnt be able to hear a slight boost leak if there was one due to the intake noise)
- I have 60cc water spray in front of the DCT transmission cooler. Whatever water mist is not cooling the transmission cooler will get sucked up into the air intake or go through the radiator.

The only disadvantages I can think of:
- Under the hood temps will be slightly higher, less airflow around the engine
- Not good if you really like the sound of induction noise

If you go significantly above my power level, you may want to consider the Mr5 style intake, which is a DIY mod where you add a cold air intake to the stock airfilter box.

[StLMO]

Originally Posted by Asbjorn

Thanks and yes sir. The factory intake is perfect for my power level, and there are many advantages to this design.

Below I have overlayed two 3rd gear wot logs done with an hour or so in between. One is the stock airbox with snorkle. The other is DCI with snorkle.

https://datazap.me/u/asbjoern/dci-vs...17-22-25-29-30

Contrary to common belief, you will find no increase in wgdc with the stock airfilter at my power level. Remember though that I have upgraded VTT GC inlets. Others jts1981 have tested stock inlets vs these inlets and found a difference.

So to sum up, the advantages of using the stock airfilter and snorkle are:
- Lower iat without hurting wgdc or boost. At higher speeds, the stock intake system might in fact be helping build boost.
- Better air flow through the main radiator, because air can't escape above it and go into the engine bay. Remember air always chooses the path of least resistance.
- Stock acoustics (dcis sound like there's a boost leak. Also you wouldnt be able to hear a slight boost leak if there was one due to the intake noise)
- I have 60cc water spray in front of the DCT transmission cooler. Whatever water mist is not cooling the transmission cooler will get sucked up into the air intake or go through the radiator.

The only disadvantages I can think of:
- Under the hood temps will be slightly higher, less airflow around the engine
- Not good if you really like the sound of induction noise

If you go significantly above my power level, you may want to consider the Mr5 style intake, which is a DIY mod where you add a cold air intake to the stock airfilter box.

Thanks for the tip. I ended up getting rb inlets and catted downpipes. Just waiting for some warmer temps before tearing into it.

[Cloudywolf]

What made you decide to go with a BQ tune over the other options? I also have DCT. I am interested in the Dinan Stage 3 tune but am researching how it stacks up with others

[StLMO]

I inquired about Dinan as well. I was asking the Dinan dealer if the tune was specific to the car with DCT and they didn’t know. To this date, I’m still waiting on a response from the dealer or rather Dinan. Reason I decided to go with BQ is he seems to do majority of the DCT tunes for member on this and on another board that I visit from time to time. My main concern is finding someone that is well versed in working with the DCT transmission (very expensive to fix if something goes wrong). He seems to know his stuff, he has a loyal following from people that had cars tuned by him. I’m not trying to push the limits of the engine, rather have something fun, refreshed to at least stay up with the power on some of the current cars coming out and reliable.

I also looked into JB4 with BEF. In fact, I already bought the JB4 but in the end, it was too complicated and I’m not diehard into fine tuning or want to reference all the great info others have shared on various boards. There are other highly regarded tuners out there for flash only, jb4 and back end flash, etc. But ease of use and reliability and rep of the person I work with are top priorities for me. I’m sure BQ can get you to where you’re wanting with your car. Another thing I like in his posts is his regard to safety limits.....keeping safety measures in place and not trying to max your engine out and cause issues. At least that’s what I found in my research. Hope that helps.

[Cloudywolf]

Originally Posted by StLMO

I inquired about Dinan as well. I was asking the Dinan dealer if the tune was specific to the car with DCT and they didn’t know. To this date, I’m still waiting on a response from the dealer or rather Dinan. Reason I decided to go with BQ is he seems to do majority of the DCT tunes for member on this and on another board that I visit from time to time. My main concern is finding someone that is well versed in working with the DCT transmission (very expensive to fix if something goes wrong). He seems to know his stuff, he has a loyal following from people that had cars tuned by him. I’m not trying to push the limits of the engine, rather have something fun, refreshed to at least stay up with the power on some of the current cars coming out and reliable.

I also looked into JB4 with BEF. In fact, I already bought the JB4 but in the end, it was too complicated and I’m not diehard into fine tuning or want to reference all the great info others have shared on various boards. There are other highly regarded tuners out there for flash only, jb4 and back end flash, etc. But ease of use and reliability and rep of the person I work with are top priorities for me. I’m sure BQ can get you to where you’re wanting with your car. Another thing I like in his posts is his regard to safety limits.....keeping safety measures in place and not trying to max your engine out and cause issues. At least that’s what I found in my research. Hope that helps.

Hey this is great! I am also looking for a tune under the same parameters--ease of use, reliability, and rep of the person are my top priorities too. I would love to switch over to a manual and avoid the potential DCT tuning issues but I haven't been able to find a good example in over 2 years of searching. BQ seems to be the most reliable tune

[Asbjorn]

Originally Posted by Cloudywolf

What made you decide to go with a BQ tune over the other options? I also have DCT. I am interested in the Dinan Stage 3 tune but am researching how it stacks up with others

BQ offers custom tuning for N54 through MHD. The primary reasons I need a custom tune are that my exhaust, turbos, manifold, cooling etc are all different from stock. The secondary reasons are that I want a track-ready tune. I do not want to tune my car for drag racing.

Before my stock turbos died, I was tuned by ESS. I was very happy with their tune, but they did not want to make a custom tune for my new turbos. VTT told me that I was leaving way too much power on the table with the ESS tune, and Fillippo introduced me to BQ, who is widely admired among Z4 owners.

I initially requested a lot of stuff, such as extra "roar" on start-up, and tuning for throttle responsiveness, and was a bit disappointed to have my expectations lowered. But I eventually gave BQ a go, and well...

holy moly he is exceptional!!

It has been almost two years now, and he is the best thing that has ever happened to my build.

Pros
Delivers quality tuning
100% trustworthy
Very knowledgeable

Cons
Well as I mentioned... Say you want different throttle maps for wet time attack and dry time attack. Or different throttle maps for different tracks. Like really high level track tuning stuff which is also very driver independent. This is not easy to do through online tuning to begin with, and is also not something BQ specializes in.
EDIT: Only does IN and IK cars which are Z4 N54, 335is, and 1M. He also travels alot nowadays.