BMW 335D M-Sport build

I was able to get some routine maintenance done recently. Oil & filter change, transmission fluid/filter/pan service, fuel filter, air filter, cabin filter, power stop pads at all corners, had all the rotors turned, and put some nitto NT555 G2's on the rear.

I'm really impressed with the amount of insulation on this car. Even the first half of the exhaust pipe is insulated. Ridiculously quiet...

No metal to speak of in the transmission pan, however the fluid was pretty dark. BMW calls it a lifetime fluid however ZF doesn't agree. Consensus is about a 50k mile change should be mandatory. With the new fluid and a reset of all the transmission adaptions, I could tell a very noticeable change for the better with shift quality. Much more quick and firm shifts.

Next up will be the new intercooler and boost pipe...

Intercooler and boost pipe got installed. DPF was removed yesterday, ported out the primary turbo wastegate, installed the new stainless downpipe, and shipped off the ECM for some tuning. Tonight I am gutting the SCR and removing the DEF tank/pump/wiring mess... Then it's time to delete the EGR and finish replacing all the vacuum lines. Later this week plans are to install a new breather tank for the crankcase to keep oil out of the intake and install a secondary fuel filter/water separator. Hope to have it all done and back on the road this weekend.

That should be an awesome ET Bracket racer! Run the ODSS series and if you can cut a good light you could pocket some cash!!!

Any updates? I started the buyback process this evening, starting to look a bit for the next victim.

Damn, thats a nice car.

Most of the aftermarket parts came from European Tuning by Malone and JR AutoTuning. I went with the JR stage 2.8 tune. This past weekend I got all the vacuum lines replaced (very brittle) as well as two vacuum solenoids that are used for wastegate control (had to remove when replacing lines anyway). I also reflashed the transmission with a stage 3 file from xHP. Man does it transform the car. Alters shift speed, firmness, shift points, torque converter control etc. Very impressed with it!

Just need to finish up the methanol injection kit and then I'm done messing with it for a while.

Makes about 38 psi boost vs factory 25ish. This thing is a riot to drive!

GOT-Torque said:

Most of the aftermarket parts came from European Tuning by Malone and JR AutoTuning. I went with the JR stage 2.8 tune. This past weekend I got all the vacuum lines replaced (very brittle) as well as two vacuum solenoids that are used for wastegate control (had to remove when replacing lines anyway). I also reflashed the transmission with a stage 3 file from xHP. Man does it transform the car. Alters shift speed, firmness, shift points, torque converter control etc. Very impressed with it!

Just need to finish up the methanol injection kit and then I'm done messing with it for a while.

Makes about 38 psi boost vs factory 25ish. This thing is a riot to drive!

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Videos!

I'll get some next weekend, going out of town for the week for work.

I didn't realize there was so much aftermarket for these. Now I kinda want one.

CorneliusRox said:

I didn't realize there was so much aftermarket for these. Now I kinda want one.

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It's fair. Tuners and exhaust are a vast majority of the aftermarket of these things. I'd love to see them start building the engine and trans and making some real power with them. Still a dream car of mine, I'm just scared of them still maintenance and failure wise.

DDually said:

It's fair. Tuners and exhaust are a vast majority of the aftermarket of these things. I'd love to see them start building the engine and trans and making some real power with them. Still a dream car of mine, I'm just scared of them still maintenance and failure wise.

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They've come a long ways. My buddy has a stock trans/long block '14 335 gasser, 71mm charger, e85 with second set of port injectors and puts down 660hp at the wheels. He's been driving it like that for a good year and a half now with not so much as a bent rod.
I think a lot of the new stuff is getting really high safety margins, which makes them more fun for guys like us. I bet he'll be fine cranking this thing up a bit more.

This is all with factory head bolts, stock fuel pump and injectors... rail pressure boxes are available as well as bigger turbos.

Anything new to report?
Just curious, since BMWs can be very expensive to repair, but what issues should a person look for/be aware of on these cars? I guess they have a troubling issue with EGR/carbon from what Ive read. Im tempted to start looking for one of these instead of a diesel Cruze.

I have yet to finish up the meth kit install but have tried a few 1/4 mile runs using the torque app. Launching is a bit challenging as it is either total wheel spin with traction control disabled or the computer pulls power back once it detects wheel spin with it on. I'm still trying to figure it all out as there are 3 levels of traction and stability control settings. Need to find the right balance of rpm and tire pressure to get the launch down...

Regardless, 1/4 mile trap speed was about 108 with two of us in the car (and a horrible launch) which puts it at about 362hp to the wheels. This setup should be good for about 390 to the wheels. Meth kit should be about another 40-50hp based on others dyno sheets. Currently at 5.4 sec 0-60, should be in the 4 sec range.

Next up is the meth kit and a rail pressure box.

As far as things to look for:
-trans is a lifetime fluid deal (yea right). Try to find one that has had a fluid change done at some point.
-EGR and crankcase vent style create a soot buildup in the intake and on the runners and valves (just like on the VW ALH engines). Try to find one with documented evidence of a cleaning recently or be prepared to clean it yourself. You can buy a walnut shell cleaning kit that uses your shop vac and an air compressor for about $250 with all the right fittings (takes about 8 hours of labor to do it I'm told).
-Vacuum lines get hard and dryrotted over time, mine where about shot at 90k. I also replaced the two vacuum solenoids that control wastegate functions just because they are known to go bad about 100k.
-boost hose between turbo and intercooler is a known poor design that leaks (upgraded replacements available)
-Delete everything that you can to eliminate a bunch of potential costly problems down the road
-some have reported the balancer rubber getting dry rotted at about 100k but haven't seen it as a major issue

Holy cow, I can't believe how cheap these things are. 2011's, under 30,000 miles, and under $25k. I feel like this is a pretty undiscovered second hand market.

Thanks for the information, GT. Appreciate you taking the time.

If anyone is interested, there is a blue one at Land Rover of San Antonio that could likely be had for about 15 or 16k, they have had it for a while from my research. Only has 50k on it, but no nav.

Jesse, I sure am glad you decided to work on one of these.

SmokeShow said:

And people have logged some reasonable miles on the trans while hotrodding at those levels?

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the way mine is tuned i cant disable traction control, and its as "trans safe" as i can get, if i hammer on it down low and it remotely wants to rip the tires loose, silly thing just defuels. these cars get out of their own weight pretty easily, good bit of fun to drive, gets mid to upper 30mpg driving aggressively and can easily embarrass a z06 or viper... i put my nephews car seat in the back of mine when i lined up with my buddies 01 rt10

Car pics:







Torqbyte methanol injection controller installed next to ECM. I ran the USB cable into the glove box for making changes to the configuration.