[nyc_king]

I am interested in buying the BMS stage 1 for my 328xi f30. My car is a lease and i am very worried if the modification will kill my engine and void the warranty, leaving me to pay 15k for another engine from BMW.

The website claims it will have the car doing 4.9 0-60mph from 5.6 seconds. Is that true? if it is, does anyone have any dyne tests for verification?

I have never done any work on my car, and I am worried about the installation. Is the installation as easy as the instal guide claims?

Do the benefits exceed the costs for this mod?

Thanks.

[marcoac14]

Originally Posted by nyc_king

I am interested in buying the BMS stage 1 for my 328xi f30. My car is a lease and i am very worried if the modification will kill my engine and void the warranty, leaving me to pay 15k for another engine from BMW.

The website claims it will have the car doing 4.9 0-60mph from 5.6 seconds. Is that true? if it is, does anyone have any dyne tests for verification?

I have never done any work on my car, and I am worried about the installation. Is the installation as easy as the instal guide claims?

Do the benefits exceed the costs for this mod?

Thanks.

Given normal conditions, it wouldn't kill your engine. But you know, even without a piggyback you can experience engine failures. You never know.

I did all the labor myself and it's pretty easy. Once you figure it out for the first time, it's a 20 minutes work. If you're afraid of voiding the warranty, you could simply remove it before servicing.

If I were you, I would definitely jump to Stage 2. Stage 1 alone already exceeds anyone's expectations. Stage 2 is even better.

I am a very happy customer and can't wait until Terry releases the e-wastegate mod to unleash even more power.

Cheers

[Spikey]

^ ditto that. Also installation and removal is literally 5 mins (if that) once you're familiar with which plug goes where.

[K320]

Great unit, very recommended and Terry support is A++.
My car did 13.5 in the 1/4 mile.
Now Iám in the middle of upgrade to stage2.

[nyc_king]

Originally Posted by marcoac14

Given normal conditions, it wouldn't kill your engine. But you know, even without a piggyback you can experience engine failures. You never know.

I did all the labor myself and it's pretty easy. Once you figure it out for the first time, it's a 20 minutes work. If you're afraid of voiding the warranty, you could simply remove it before servicing.

If I were you, I would definitely jump to Stage 2. Stage 1 alone already exceeds anyone's expectations. Stage 2 is even better.

I am a very happy customer and can't wait until Terry releases the e-wastegate mod to unleash even more power.

Cheers

Where do I get the stage 2? I only see stage 1 for the 328i N26 engine on their website.

[jfisher160]

Go to N54tuning.com they have both the stage 1 and stage 2.

I just installed the stage 2 yesterday and I didn't even do the stage 1 and you can notice a big difference. It's so easy to install and you will be very happy with it. Also my car is a lease, what I did is talked to my sales guy and he said just let him know before i bring in for service so he can set it with the right person so I don't have to worry about the tune.

You can also buy the stage 1 for like $250 used and then upgrade it to the stage 2 which will save you about $100.

[marcoac14]

Originally Posted by nyc_king

Where do I get the stage 2? I only see stage 1 for the 328i N26 engine on their website.

There it goes…

http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15536

Read all posts. It'll take some time but it's worth it.
If you have questions, that is the most likely place to find the answer or email Jeff from Burger Motorsports.

Then, if you feel comfortable and ready to place your order go to
http://burgertuning.com/N20_Jb4.html

[K320]

With stage1 your F30 328 will be as fast as F30 335 stock.
At the track i beat one several times
It is fun to change to sport settings and feel the car alive.

[carzaddict]

I recently installed Stage 1, i definitely noticed an improvement over stock.

0-60 in 4.9? maybe not....but i definitely feel a push in my gut when i get on the gas.

as for the install....SUPER simple, the hardest part is getting the OEM connectors to let go of themselves. I would strongly recommend getting a small pick or something to help release the clips from the opposite side of where you press (hard to explain in text, you'll understand when you see it)

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by jfisher160

Go to N54tuning.com they have both the stage 1 and stage 2.

I just installed the stage 2 yesterday and I didn't even do the stage 1 and you can notice a big difference. It's so easy to install and you will be very happy with it. Also my car is a lease, what I did is talked to my sales guy and he said just let him know before i bring in for service so he can set it with the right person so I don't have to worry about the tune.

You can also buy the stage 1 for like $250 used and then upgrade it to the stage 2 which will save you about $100.

+1 Its a great chip and really "wakes" up the car.. Lots of positive feedback on it.

Mike

[GL888]

Originally Posted by marcoac14

Given normal conditions, it wouldn't kill your engine. But you know, even without a piggyback you can experience engine failures. You never know.

I did all the labor myself and it's pretty easy. Once you figure it out for the first time, it's a 20 minutes work. If you're afraid of voiding the warranty, you could simply remove it before servicing.

If I were you, I would definitely jump to Stage 2. Stage 1 alone already exceeds anyone's expectations. Stage 2 is even better.

I am a very happy customer and can't wait until Terry releases the e-wastegate mod to unleash even more power.

Cheers

Hi mate,

So your saying even with stage one where you have the e waste gate you can achieve higher power gains with this mod. I have an n20 engine with the e wastegate so blue cable not connected.

[carzaddict]

Originally Posted by GL888

Hi mate,

So your saying even with stage one where you have the e waste gate you can achieve higher power gains with this mod. I have an n20 engine with the e wastegate so blue cable not connected.

yes, you will achieve a higher power output. i have the e-wastegate and stage 1....the car feels great

[casualDIYer]

If you take your car to a track weekend and run it hard would there be any problems with the BMS Stage 1 tune? Sessions are typically 25 minutes and the track is quite fast. Would hard running with a stage 1 tune damage the engine?

[mlc1978]

Originally Posted by menncars

If you take your car to a track weekend and run it hard would there be any problems with the BMS Stage 1 tune? Sessions are typically 25 minutes and the track is quite fast. Would hard running with a stage 1 tune damage the engine?

I can't comment on the specific product. In general, the biggest concern would be heat load on the engine. In the cooler months of the year, probably not a concern. If outside temps were very warm, and you ran the car on overboost for 25 minutes, yes, you might have a heat soak problem. This occurs when the total cooling capacity of the powerplant (water radiator, oil cooler, airflow cooling etc) cannot keep up with the heat energy generated by the engine. You don't see this at the dragstrip because the car only runs at full throttle for a few seconds. 25 minutes is quite a different situation. Best advice is to keep a close eye on water temp and oil temp; if you see they are climbing and not coming down rapidly during cool down laps, you should give the engine a break. Maybe lift off the throttle a little earlier than you would have, stuff like that.
Probably the car will eventually go into a limp mode if your oil or water temps get too high. Not sure what the significance of the electric water pump is in that situation.
Be aware that BMW has pruned, pared, tuned, and squeezed these cars to the very limit in search of higher fuel mileage and lower weight. The camshafts are made out of hollow steel pipes. The oil pump is plastic. They are over engineered like BMWs always have been, but now the over engineering is in a different direction. I suspect that the safety margin is a lot lower than it used to be for stuff like tuning and track driving.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Actually, that is an not a correct assumption.

When you tracked N54 335s many suffered limp home modes and had insufficient cooling.

Meanwhile, the people here who have tracked the 328 have yet to experience any cooling issues.

Originally Posted by mlc1978

I can't comment on the specific product. In general, the biggest concern would be heat load on the engine. In the cooler months of the year, probably not a concern. If outside temps were very warm, and you ran the car on overboost for 25 minutes, yes, you might have a heat soak problem. This occurs when the total cooling capacity of the powerplant (water radiator, oil cooler, airflow cooling etc) cannot keep up with the heat energy generated by the engine. You don't see this at the dragstrip because the car only runs at full throttle for a few seconds. 25 minutes is quite a different situation. Best advice is to keep a close eye on water temp and oil temp; if you see they are climbing and not coming down rapidly during cool down laps, you should give the engine a break. Maybe lift off the throttle a little earlier than you would have, stuff like that.
Probably the car will eventually go into a limp mode if your oil or water temps get too high. Not sure what the significance of the electric water pump is in that situation.
Be aware that BMW has pruned, pared, tuned, and squeezed these cars to the very limit in search of higher fuel mileage and lower weight. The camshafts are made out of hollow steel pipes. The oil pump is plastic. They are over engineered like BMWs always have been, but now the over engineering is in a different direction. I suspect that the safety margin is a lot lower than it used to be for stuff like tuning and track driving.

[mlc1978]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

Actually, that is an not a correct assumption.

When you tracked N54 335s many suffered limp home modes and had insufficient cooling.

Meanwhile, the people here who have tracked the 328 have yet to experience any cooling issues.

I looked in the track/racing/autocrossing section. Very few threads, maybe 8 or 10 per month, mostly from the same few people. I don't think any are driving the exact engine and tune that the question was posed about. So with any new product with very limited experience, it's prudent to give generic advice that might be helpful. Certainly not harmful, and better than a blown engine. I'm not convinced that a very small number of posts by a small group of people constitutes an ironclad guarantee that nothing bad will happen. I didn't say he can't take his car to the track. I said to watch for any overheating problems on hot days. Sound advice for any turbo car, especially one with a tune.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by mlc1978

I looked in the track/racing/autocrossing section. Very few threads, maybe 8 or 10 per month, mostly from the same few people. I don't think any are driving the exact engine and tune that the question was posed about. So with any new product with very limited experience, it's prudent to give generic advice that might be helpful. Certainly not harmful, and better than a blown engine. I'm not convinced that a very small number of posts by a small group of people constitutes an ironclad guarantee that nothing bad will happen. I didn't say he can't take his car to the track. I said to watch for any overheating problems on hot days. Sound advice for any turbo car, especially one with a tune.

I am on two other forums where people track F30s. Again, the 328 is not suffering from the same issues the N54s were.

Again, your statement:

"Be aware that BMW has pruned, pared, tuned, and squeezed these cars to the very limit in search of higher fuel mileage and lower weight. The camshafts are made out of hollow steel pipes. The oil pump is plastic. They are over engineered like BMWs always have been, but now the over engineering is in a different direction. I suspect that the safety margin is a lot lower than it used to be for stuff like tuning and track driving."

Your implication is that BMW has done things in this application that may have made it less track friendly. I am saying data so far shows the opposite, that the N20 328 has shown to be MORE track friendly than previous offerings.

[casualDIYer]

Originally Posted by mlc1978

I can't comment on the specific product. In general, the biggest concern would be heat load on the engine.

Yeah, I had that concern too. But maybe fitting the 328i radiator to the 320i could help. Or swapping out the inter-cooler as well. Might be overkill on a stage 1 mod.

I wonder how the warranty would change if these parts got swapped?

[mlc1978]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

I am saying data so far shows the opposite, that the N20 328 has shown to be MORE track friendly than previous offerings.

That's good to hear. My experience with driving BMWs on track is limited to the E30, E36, E34, E46, E36/8, E86, and E92. They were all great track cars.

[David328M-Sport]

Originally Posted by menncars

If you take your car to a track weekend and run it hard would there be any problems with the BMS Stage 1 tune? Sessions are typically 25 minutes and the track is quite fast. Would hard running with a stage 1 tune damage the engine?

It's possible, yes. It's also possible to damage the engine tracking the car without the tune. It's also possible the tune & engine will be just fine and you will have a great time on the track.

The F30 cars are first and foremost a mid sized family road car. No more, no less. Yes, they are fast, but so are plenty of other cars. Tracking a standard sedan is always going to be risky, no matter what simple (or complex) mods you do.

[casualDIYer]

Originally Posted by David328M-Sport

The F30 cars are first and foremost a mid sized family road car. No more, no less. Yes, they are fast, but so are plenty of other cars. Tracking a standard sedan is always going to be risky, no matter what simple (or complex) mods you do.

Well, family sedans built in a country that has a network of highways with no speed limit and a 'road course' with a misleading name like North Loop that is in fact one of the most challenging race tracks in the world and all you need to drive it is . . . a driver's license.

[Ouzzo]

The question can be . Does the JB tune increase the car temp beyond stock in hard driving and if yes by how much? All you need is to treat the car in common sense and not hard drive it while temp is beyond the mid way point. Same goes with brakes if they should fade quickly from hard braking into corners.