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      12-09-2010, 11:42 PM   #1
johanness
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Thumbs up Stuff went in

Just got back from putting a smattering of gear in my completely stock car. Figured I'd leave my opinion on each of them:

UPDATED!
  1. Black Jlevi kidney grills - These popped nicely in and look great. I wonder why BMW put chrome around the originals when there's not a spot of chrome anywhere to be found? These can easily be stolen
  2. Mangowalk 4" Stubby antenna - Fits great. No reception loss on AM or FM that I could tell
  3. UUC Black tranny mounts - Installed by CG Motorsports in Richmond, BC. (Great people to entrust the M to). Tech knew the 'correct' way to install and torque them down. No squeaks or heavy vibration (see below)
  4. Zeck CDV - Works (see below)
  5. UUC Big Boy clutch stop - WELL worth it. Clutch feels like it should have all along. No issues with the install. 3 zap-straps (zip-strips) and 1/2" off the shaft and bingo! (see below)
  6. AFE cold air intake - I FIRMLY believe the people who nag about intakes on our cars have NEVER had one installed on thier personal ride. Otherwise they wouldn't be arguing over the +/- factors of ownership. There is NO DOUBT that the car is more responsive to throttle input. Period. There's not a murmur in idle, and it pulls hard to WOT. Sound aside (which is absolutely fantastic) I couldn't find one negative about it. My car didn't feel like it lost power. Quite the opposite. Not a gain per se, but greater linear power along with a much more blippy throttle. Wonderful. Haters be damned, this is a great mod.
  7. SuperSprint X-Pipe mated to stock exhaust cans (mufflers) - Job took a few hours. Had to cut back the X-Pipe about 4 inches and flange the ends. Used an aftermarket coupler that kept things tight and bingo! Report on the sound and opinions in a post below.

I think with the combo of clutch stop, CDV and tranny mounts... my car had a noticeable shift improvement. It's still not perfect tho. 2nd gear (whether coming from 1st or 3rd) still feels like the one they never got quite right. But the rest of the gears all got a very much needed polish.
It's a lot easier to run thru them and I felt it definitely took up a lot of the slack there was before.
(Btw... the trick of making sure u press firmly to the left thru 1st/2nd really works, even after the mods above)

All in all a good day. Forgot to bring my RP Synchromax, but that can wait.

Next up is a good tune (jury's still out on who's) and my H&R springs (until I blow out my shocks - then it's V3 time!)
The springs were supposed to be here already, but UPS got the address wrong (by one #) and now they're MIA. Claim time!

Oh yeah, and I'll be mating my SS X-pipe to the stock cans next week. Let's see how she goes...

Last edited by johanness; 12-22-2010 at 12:23 PM..
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      12-10-2010, 12:57 AM   #2
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easily stolen huh....Hey buddy let me know when you are next down here!!!
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AFE Intake/Euro Cats/CSL Headers/Sportline CSL/H&R Springs
1217/1815
!!! BOILER UP !!!
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      12-10-2010, 02:12 AM   #3
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I have the Jlevi grills too...I think they look cheap, Id love to have gloss black grills but no one makes any :/

Can't wait to hear this exhaust!
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      12-10-2010, 05:47 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SSKE92 View Post
I have the Jlevi grills too...I think they look cheap, Id love to have gloss black grills but no one makes any :/
I've seen them before. If I run across them again, I'll be sure to post a link.

johanness - Glad to hear everything is working out! CDV and brake flush are next on my list. Tranny mounts seem to be pretty popular, so I'm going to look into those too. The aFe is a GREAT mod. I highly recommend the AA tune; it's good for pretty much any kind of driving. Cold start behavior is greatly improved, but more importantly is the way the car drives. I don't have to concentrate as much on my right foot. Rather than tailoring my inputs (somewhat reactively) to what the car feels like it wants, I'm so in tune with the car I don't have to think to drive it smoothly. It's priced well too.
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      12-10-2010, 12:51 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SSKE92 View Post
I have the Jlevi grills too...I think they look cheap, Id love to have gloss black grills but no one makes any :/

Can't wait to hear this exhaust!
We do offer gloss black custom painted grilles available.
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      12-10-2010, 01:34 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cal@Jlevi SW View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by SSKE92 View Post
I have the Jlevi grills too...I think they look cheap, Id love to have gloss black grills but no one makes any :/

Can't wait to hear this exhaust!
We do offer gloss black custom painted grilles available.
Pm'ed
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      12-10-2010, 03:03 PM   #7
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Congrats on finally getting those parts done and seems CG treated you well. I can't wait to hear your exhaust project as well..
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      12-13-2010, 12:01 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johanness View Post
Next up is a good tune (jury's still out on who's) and my H&R springs (until I blow out my shocks - then it's V3 time!)
The springs were supposed to be here already, but UPS got the address wrong (by one #) and now they're MIA. Claim time!
Found my springs! UPS delivered to the unit directly below me. Sweet! Should have those on this week too.

QUESTION: CG Motorsports informed me that they're an authorized AA dealer and can burn the chip on site.
If I were to go for the AA tune, do you think this is wise, does it make a difference, or should I just send mine in the mail like everyone else?
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      12-13-2010, 01:45 AM   #9
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Ask them for the out the door price. Many charge an install fee, plus tax. How far is the drive? If your M is your daily, the convenience of having it done in a couple hours is something to consider.
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      12-13-2010, 03:16 AM   #10
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Ya, it's ultra local and they said it would take pretty much all day to load the tune. Still better than shipping it IF its a good idea. Wondering if anyone's gone that route?
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      12-21-2010, 10:56 PM   #11
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Update on the exhaust?
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      12-22-2010, 01:35 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SSKE92 View Post
Update on the exhaust?
Got back from the muffler shop today and have to say I'm quite pleased. The shop cut back the SS X-pipe and used an aftermarket coupler to mate it to the stock cans.
I have to say I thought it would either be louder, have a bit of rasp or drone ... But nada. If I REALLY put my ear-focus on, I would say its 5% louder than stock if that (Under idle and normal load).
However, step into it and it produces a nice little wail that wasn't there b4. I'm also wondering if it freed up some power?
I only went on 25 mins of spirited runs coming back from the shop, but it seemed to have picked up some punch. Especially to redline. Smooth all the way and pulls hard. I was just getting used to the intake, when this took another noticeable turn for the better.
I'll update once I've got some more miles under my belt.
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      12-22-2010, 01:47 AM   #13
ZeD4Mr
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^^^^ congrats, finally Would like to hear it sometimes....
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      12-22-2010, 12:42 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johanness View Post
Got back from the muffler shop today and have to say I'm quite pleased. The shop cut back the SS X-pipe and used an aftermarket coupler to mate it to the stock cans.
I have to say I thought it would either be louder, have a bit of rasp or drone ... But nada. If I REALLY put my ear-focus on, I would say its 5% louder than stock if that (Under idle and normal load).
However, step into it and it produces a nice little wail that wasn't there b4. I'm also wondering if it freed up some power?
I only went on 25 mins of spirited runs coming back from the shop, but it seemed to have picked up some punch. Especially to redline. Smooth all the way and pulls hard. I was just getting used to the intake, when this took another noticeable turn for the better.
I'll update once I've got some more miles under my belt.
Nice work

Now you can use what ever bolt on exhaust you want. Very cool!
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