which intake?

txz4 · 12-08-2010, 12:46 PM

have no idea why the have a sperate intake for the si and the i. i know that the one for the i they just released, and looks to be much higher quality from the pictures.

for the i

http://afepower.com/shop/details_new...ily&brandID=53

for the si

http://afepower.com/shop/details_new...ily&brandID=53

couldnt get in touch with anyone from AFE who would actually be able to give me an answer, other than "well it says its for your car so get that one"....

any ideas on which one to purchase? and saying keep it stock isnt an answer, and i already have the rpi scoop.

3002 tii · 12-08-2010, 01:34 PM

neither, or first find a dyno that shows gains on the n52 with this intake. but until then i'll keep the stocker =)

if you want just sound increase, take out the foam from the sound generator. awesome and free mod, haha

txz4 · 12-08-2010, 02:14 PM

ive already done the sound generator mod. after the sound, i do believe there will be an increase in power witht the intake. sure the day i instal it there will be a loss in power, but once the ecu adapts, (or i get it tuned) im sure there will be some power. after all, i dont know about you but when i first installed my k&n and took out my carbon filter i was definitely slower for about 4 days. and then faster than stock after the fact. and i can garuntee that against a friend in another car

r4gs · 12-08-2010, 09:33 PM

^i can substantiate ecu adaptation, since my gruppe m felt underwhelming the day i installed it. fast forward a week exactly, and about 400 miles later, completely different animal! the sound itself has settled into a sonorous growl tt's truly intoxicating, and i'm definitely feeling a more responsive behavior from the throttle. helps to reset the throttle adaptation too.

given both the 3.0i and 3.0si use the n52, i'm really not sure why two different intakes are available. can't go wrong with the 3.0si one since it's slightly cheaper to boot! still pricey though for afe.

jra · 12-08-2010, 09:37 PM

the 2.5 and the 3.0 m54 have different sized mafs. if you buy a 3.0 intake for a 2.5 you have to buy a silicone reducing coupler and vice versa. for the m54 the 2.5 is 3" and the 3.0 is 3.5". im going to guess that its the same issue for the n52...ust not sure what the diameter is though

3002 tii · 12-09-2010, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by txz4

ive already done the sound generator mod. after the sound, i do believe there will be an increase in power witht the intake. sure the day i instal it there will be a loss in power, but once the ecu adapts, (or i get it tuned) im sure there will be some power. after all, i dont know about you but when i first installed my k&n and took out my carbon filter i was definitely slower for about 4 days. and then faster than stock after the fact. and i can garuntee that against a friend in another car

I'll also give on the ecu adaptation but drop-in filter vs whole new intake housing is different. With a better flowing filter, I can see the possibility of gains, albeit minimal. But it's a well known fact that the afe intake lacks proper heat shielding and thus is a hot air intake. Sure it sounds better but I have yet to see a dyno on the n52 showing gains with this intake. I've definitely seen loss on the n54 motors with this intake.

r4gs · 12-09-2010, 11:07 AM

^s54 u mean. i installed my gruppe m to fit almost exactly over the rubber air intake tube opening where the stock airbox would connect to, and the overall shielding from the engine bay itself is at the very least adequate. it's a hassle to get it installed to fit almost flush but well worth it i feel.

i don't have hard numbers to backup any performance numbers claims, but i honestly feel tt even if u did lose some power, the losses are going to be minimal. tuning the ecu to better utilize the open intake design would definitely help see some gains in the very least.

3002 tii · 12-09-2010, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by r4gs

^s54 u mean. i installed my gruppe m to fit almost exactly over the rubber air intake tube opening where the stock airbox would connect to, and the overall shielding from the engine bay itself is at the very least adequate. it's a hassle to get it installed to fit almost flush but well worth it i feel.

i don't have hard numbers to backup any performance numbers claims, but i honestly feel tt even if u did lose some power, the losses are going to be minimal. tuning the ecu to better utilize the open intake design would definitely help see some gains in the very least.

No, I meant n54

I was referring to 335i owners who dyno'd before/after with afe, and the after shows loss.

pokeybritches · 12-09-2010, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

No, I meant n54

I was referring to 335i owners who dyno'd before/after with afe, and the after shows loss.

Where did you see the before/after dyno?

Pulling the foam out of the sound generator is definitely a good mod because it's free. The only thing I didn't like about it was the resonance at certain RPM.

3002 tii · 12-09-2010, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pokeybritches

Where did you see the before/after dyno?

Pulling the foam out of the sound generator is definitely a good mod because it's free. The only thing I didn't like about it was the resonance at certain RPM.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169169
http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?p=22700

Only intake I'd ever buy is Gruppe M or Dinan (if they made one) but even that, I'd never pay full price.

txz4 · 12-09-2010, 03:47 PM

correct me if im wrong but isnt the n54 a trubo motor? its usually not a good idea to replace the intake on a turbo motor unless you swap to a bigger turbo. mainly because a trubo will always boost what you ask. at least thats been my car experience in the past. learned first hand as well. but the sound was impressive

pokeybritches · 12-09-2010, 11:18 PM

That sounds logical. I've always thought that the aFe increases airflow at the expense of inlet temps. On a stationary turbo car being dynoed, this effect would be maximized. I have a feeling engine bay temps would be higher with turbos, and I don't think a 70 mph fan can move air efficiently enough to exactly simulate the airflow the car would experience at higher speeds. If what you say is correct, the benefits of increased airflow would not be realized because the car will stop at X psi boost. The intake might cause a different effect in a NA car.

Dubbedown, thanks for the dynos.

txz4 · 12-09-2010, 11:41 PM

exactally my point. i really dont think that the inlet temps would be different if at all. the afe relativly well blocked off. any increase in temp i feel would be negligable. i may be wrong but i doubt it. there was a guy who had more power with each dyno pull with an afe or a gruppe m (dont remember) that sounds to me that the increased engine temps have very little effect on the cars performance for N/A at least. now with a turbo car you cannot increase boost without changing the boost level, therefore the only thing to play with is the charge temp IE closed box is cooler than an open element.

12-08-2010, 12:46 PM	#1
txz4 Major 59 Rep 1,097 Posts Drives: 2006 M coupe Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: san antonio, texas iTrader: (3)	which intake? have no idea why the have a sperate intake for the si and the i. i know that the one for the i they just released, and looks to be much higher quality from the pictures. for the i http://afepower.com/shop/details_new...ily&brandID=53 for the si http://afepower.com/shop/details_new...ily&brandID=53 couldnt get in touch with anyone from AFE who would actually be able to give me an answer, other than "well it says its for your car so get that one".... any ideas on which one to purchase? and saying keep it stock isnt an answer, and i already have the rpi scoop.
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12-08-2010, 01:34 PM	#2
3002 tii Lieutenant General 2282 Rep 12,565 Posts Drives: Z4 M, X5, GX460 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: CT iTrader: (99) Garage List F15 X5 xDrive35i [8.75] E86 Z4 M [10.00] F10 550i (Retired) [9.17] F25 X3 xDrive35i (R ... [9.43] E82 135is (Retired) [9.50] E85 Z4 M (Retired) [9.41] E90 328i xDrive (Re ... [9.25] E86 Z4 3.0si (Retired) [9.24]	neither, or first find a dyno that shows gains on the n52 with this intake. but until then i'll keep the stocker =) if you want just sound increase, take out the foam from the sound generator. awesome and free mod, haha __________________ Follow for latest mods
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12-08-2010, 02:14 PM	#3
txz4 Major 59 Rep 1,097 Posts Drives: 2006 M coupe Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: san antonio, texas iTrader: (3)	ive already done the sound generator mod. after the sound, i do believe there will be an increase in power witht the intake. sure the day i instal it there will be a loss in power, but once the ecu adapts, (or i get it tuned) im sure there will be some power. after all, i dont know about you but when i first installed my k&n and took out my carbon filter i was definitely slower for about 4 days. and then faster than stock after the fact. and i can garuntee that against a friend in another car
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12-08-2010, 09:33 PM	#4
r4gs Viper Driver 36 Rep 1,311 Posts Drives: F-16 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Singapore iTrader: (2)	^i can substantiate ecu adaptation, since my gruppe m felt underwhelming the day i installed it. fast forward a week exactly, and about 400 miles later, completely different animal! the sound itself has settled into a sonorous growl tt's truly intoxicating, and i'm definitely feeling a more responsive behavior from the throttle. helps to reset the throttle adaptation too. given both the 3.0i and 3.0si use the n52, i'm really not sure why two different intakes are available. can't go wrong with the 3.0si one since it's slightly cheaper to boot! still pricey though for afe.
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12-08-2010, 09:37 PM	#5
jra Captain 38 Rep 879 Posts Drives: 2005 z4 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Texas iTrader: (3)	the 2.5 and the 3.0 m54 have different sized mafs. if you buy a 3.0 intake for a 2.5 you have to buy a silicone reducing coupler and vice versa. for the m54 the 2.5 is 3" and the 3.0 is 3.5". im going to guess that its the same issue for the n52...ust not sure what the diameter is though
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12-09-2010, 11:07 AM	#7
r4gs Viper Driver 36 Rep 1,311 Posts Drives: F-16 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Singapore iTrader: (2)	^s54 u mean. i installed my gruppe m to fit almost exactly over the rubber air intake tube opening where the stock airbox would connect to, and the overall shielding from the engine bay itself is at the very least adequate. it's a hassle to get it installed to fit almost flush but well worth it i feel. i don't have hard numbers to backup any performance numbers claims, but i honestly feel tt even if u did lose some power, the losses are going to be minimal. tuning the ecu to better utilize the open intake design would definitely help see some gains in the very least.
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12-09-2010, 03:47 PM	#11
txz4 Major 59 Rep 1,097 Posts Drives: 2006 M coupe Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: san antonio, texas iTrader: (3)	correct me if im wrong but isnt the n54 a trubo motor? its usually not a good idea to replace the intake on a turbo motor unless you swap to a bigger turbo. mainly because a trubo will always boost what you ask. at least thats been my car experience in the past. learned first hand as well. but the sound was impressive
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12-09-2010, 11:18 PM	#12
pokeybritches Colonel 479 Rep 2,782 Posts Drives: ESS/G-Power Z4M, VF Z4, 996tt Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (12) Garage List 2006 BMW Z4M [10.00] 2006 BMW Z4M [8.50] 2003 BMW Z4 3.0i [9.00]	That sounds logical. I've always thought that the aFe increases airflow at the expense of inlet temps. On a stationary turbo car being dynoed, this effect would be maximized. I have a feeling engine bay temps would be higher with turbos, and I don't think a 70 mph fan can move air efficiently enough to exactly simulate the airflow the car would experience at higher speeds. If what you say is correct, the benefits of increased airflow would not be realized because the car will stop at X psi boost. The intake might cause a different effect in a NA car. Dubbedown, thanks for the dynos.
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12-09-2010, 11:41 PM	#13
txz4 Major 59 Rep 1,097 Posts Drives: 2006 M coupe Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: san antonio, texas iTrader: (3)	exactally my point. i really dont think that the inlet temps would be different if at all. the afe relativly well blocked off. any increase in temp i feel would be negligable. i may be wrong but i doubt it. there was a guy who had more power with each dyno pull with an afe or a gruppe m (dont remember) that sounds to me that the increased engine temps have very little effect on the cars performance for N/A at least. now with a turbo car you cannot increase boost without changing the boost level, therefore the only thing to play with is the charge temp IE closed box is cooler than an open element.
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