ZPOST
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Go Back   ZPOST > BMW Z4 Roadster and Coupe > General BMW Z4 Forum
  TireRack

SUPPORT ZPOST BY DOING YOUR TIRERACK SHOPPING FROM THIS BANNER, THANKS!
Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      01-06-2020, 08:28 PM   #1
3002 tii
Lieutenant General
3002 tii's Avatar
2272
Rep
12,559
Posts

Drives: Z4 M, X5, GX460
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: CT

iTrader: (99)

Garage List
Euro Headers + Stage FP Tune Review (35whp Gain)

After picking up my M roadster in 2018, I spent the next few months addressing both scheduled and preventive maintenance. With the 2019 track season underway, I scheduled a dyno session in June hoping I'd get confirmation of money well spent...

We all know peak hp #s are meaningless since every dyno reads differently but I was still surprised how LOW my baseline figures were. Out of 3 runs, my best was SAE 5: 251whp 209lb-ft (uncorrected 259whp 216lb-ft). I don't know what these other 'factory freak' M3’s have under the hood. Maybe they're quoting uncorrected figures but my s54 was certainly on the low end of the spectrum.

Truth be told, I knew this car wouldn't be setting TT4 records as I wasn’t willing to commit to converting it to a full track car (e.g. seats, roll bar, etc.). I wanted to keep this one a street car that I can time trial occasionally. However, I'd like to know that I was in a position to put down some respectable lap times. So I started talking to few tuners as headers were already on their way. I considered the usual suspects (Frank Smith, Epic, Evolve, etc.) but I recall a shop down in NC who had done amazing work for the N52, including developing a turbo kit.

AA was the first to offer a legit 3 stage manifold tune yet what Bob at BPC put out was truly impressive. Better low-mid range torque, higher peak hp and even optional maps for MILVs. So I sent Bob an email and turns out he had just ventured off and started his own company Stage FP. Though his claim to fame on Bimmerpost may be N52 and N57 tuning, Bob's no stranger to the S54. He’s tuned many of NASA's race cars in the mid-atlantic region. After explaining to him where I was, he was pretty confident he could get my car running the way it should.

After emailing him my baseline dyno files, list of mods, and some custom requests (e.g. higher redline, remove delimiter, etc.) I was provided 2 maps 3 days later. The first was a performance tune for stock headers, second was performance tune for catless headers. Uploading the tunes was quite simple using a Win10 laptop and OBD cable. Had the car hooked up to a battery charger (not tender) and car was flashed under 40 mins. At the same time, I installed all new spark plugs, Euro headers and DKF Section 1 with 100 cell cats.

After 3 pulls, I put down SAE 5: 285whp and 238lb-ft (uncorrected: 303whp and 252lb-ft), that's a gain of 35whp and 28lb-ft! If you're wondering why the latest dyno begins reading out at 3k instead of 2k, that's my fault. It was my first time in the driver seat during a dyno run and I shifted into 5th way too high.

For anyone considering quality ecu tuning while saving few bucks, I highly suggest reaching out to Bob at StageFP. His prices are very competitive and I'm sure he has an application for you, whether it's m54, n52, s54, and even SC kits. Also what really sold me was his willingness to help the n52 community, working with members to provide tunes never seen before, answering all my inquires, etc. Some of the other tuners are so big they just don't have the time to field every question which is understandable but also makes forking over your hard earned money not so easy of a decision. And FWIW, if you check out his page you'll see he doesn't tune just BMWs but is familiar with every platform from American muscle to imports so the guy definitely knows his stuff.
Attached Images
  
__________________
Follow for latest mods

Last edited by 3002 tii; 01-19-2020 at 05:47 PM..
Appreciate 0
      01-06-2020, 09:23 PM   #2
3002 tii
Lieutenant General
3002 tii's Avatar
2272
Rep
12,559
Posts

Drives: Z4 M, X5, GX460
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: CT

iTrader: (99)

Garage List
(Yes I see the Xmas tree lights but they only came on during the dyno and disappeared once we got off the rollers so hoping its just a wheel sensor fluke).

__________________
Follow for latest mods

Last edited by 3002 tii; 01-07-2020 at 04:49 AM..
Appreciate 1
Vanne1593.00
      01-07-2020, 07:40 AM   #3
racerbruce
Brigadier General
racerbruce's Avatar
3849
Rep
3,004
Posts

Drives: 21 X3 & 13 335is E93
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Seattle

iTrader: (1)

Wowie!
That's an appx 14% inc....this is enormous! Perhaps I missed it, but are the performance headers installed in these numbers??
__________________
Racerbruce
Appreciate 0
      01-07-2020, 08:35 AM   #4
3002 tii
Lieutenant General
3002 tii's Avatar
2272
Rep
12,559
Posts

Drives: Z4 M, X5, GX460
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: CT

iTrader: (99)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by racerbruce View Post
Wowie!
That's an appx 14% inc....this is enormous! Perhaps I missed it, but are the performance headers installed in these numbers??
Yes baseline was entirely stock.

After was euro headers + 100 cell cat + tune. If I went full catless and k&n I think we could’ve hit 290whp.

Also forgot to mention, aside from the gains the car just feels more lively across the band, it’s good for street and track. It’s almost as if sport button is in on but without the twitchiness.
__________________
Follow for latest mods
Appreciate 0
      01-07-2020, 09:12 AM   #5
racerbruce
Brigadier General
racerbruce's Avatar
3849
Rep
3,004
Posts

Drives: 21 X3 & 13 335is E93
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Seattle

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the clarity -

Quote:
Originally Posted by 3002 tii View Post
Yes baseline was entirely stock.

After was euro headers + 100 cell cat + tune. If I went full catless and k&n I think we could’ve hit 290whp.

Also forgot to mention, aside from the gains the car just feels more lively across the band, it’s good for street and track. It’s almost as if sport button is in on but without the twitchiness.
Shouldn't read these before coffee....
__________________
Racerbruce
Appreciate 1
Vanne1593.00
      01-09-2020, 04:32 AM   #6
Vanne
Down Under!!
Vanne's Avatar
United Arab Emirates
1593
Rep
4,293
Posts

Drives: 2007 Z4MC
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Dubai

iTrader: (4)

Lol.. (rb) .. awesome read, thanks for sharing.
Amazing what these cars can do with the right mods.
just been watching some of your track vids.. starting to get withdrawl symptons...
__________________
2007 EuroSpec Z4///MC - Building/Developing Z4 GT3
Powered by
Appreciate 0
      01-09-2020, 06:47 AM   #7
3002 tii
Lieutenant General
3002 tii's Avatar
2272
Rep
12,559
Posts

Drives: Z4 M, X5, GX460
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: CT

iTrader: (99)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vanne View Post
Lol.. (rb) .. awesome read, thanks for sharing.
Amazing what these cars can do with the right mods.
just been watching some of your track vids.. starting to get withdrawl symptons...
I haven’t been able to properly track the M so it’s really hitting me hard as well. I’ve done few open track days but it was more test n tune and no timing. These are the times I lived in the west coast.
__________________
Follow for latest mods
Appreciate 1
Vanne1593.00
      02-03-2023, 06:31 AM   #8
yahweh
New Member
3
Rep
29
Posts

Drives: 88 ix, 94 530it
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Louisville, ky

iTrader: (0)

So you have an S54? Not sure why N52 mentioned so often.
Appreciate 0
      02-03-2023, 07:45 AM   #9
3002 tii
Lieutenant General
3002 tii's Avatar
2272
Rep
12,559
Posts

Drives: Z4 M, X5, GX460
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: CT

iTrader: (99)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by yahweh View Post
So you have an S54? Not sure why N52 mentioned so often.
Because I had an N52 for 10 years before this
__________________
Follow for latest mods
Appreciate 0
      02-03-2023, 08:17 AM   #10
yahweh
New Member
3
Rep
29
Posts

Drives: 88 ix, 94 530it
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Louisville, ky

iTrader: (0)

Ah, You had me excited for some good N52 numbers!
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:37 AM.




zpost
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST