[RevC]

As some of you know, i had the AWE BOV'S and was in love but now i have passed my babies on to another enthusiast who i know will appreciate them.
my problem had started from leaky dv's when i started running 15psi, so i changed them out to AWE BOV's and then again a boost leak. so i said "hey..whats going on now" its neverending, and then my buddy and i pinpointed it to the oem charge pipe and it was just flexing and not holding my boost levels the way it should. I didnt want an obnoxious HKS chirp, a subdued tial, a 50 dollar ebay replica bov, or that huge venturi AA bov one that i had on my last e92 (that thing was a monster, but it DID work great) but nothing fit around it...so i picked up an ER/SYNAPSE BOV COMBO with a meth bung.

for fitment its spot on and tight--as long as you have the short pipe with separate elbow piece. late 06 builds-08 iirc, not the one manufactured after late june my9 my10 years. in that case you need the revised 2010+ retrofit pipe which works fine as well. in late 09-10+ The accordian elbow between the lower intercooler piping and the diverter valve charge pipe was integrated into the diverter valve charge pipe. In past years, this "accordian" rubber elbow was a seperate part and could be removed as i previously noted.( you can take this shorty pipe and connect it to your oem elbow on your 06.5-08 build model cars although id recommend the 2010 model for appropriate years and best peformance). Or you could just buy the 2010+ charge pipe from ER directly and its a straight "retro" swap. In june 2009 to 2010+ models, OEM BMW charge pipes ( the longer versions) got rid of the sound badffle and it is now part of the new revised charge pipe on new n54 models and it can not be removed. As an answer to that, ER now offer a longer "meth elbow" integrated into their longer chargepipe. i didn't see any differences nor can i compare performance between short or long pipe since i changed my FMIC and all hoses accordingly after. I guess what i am trying to say is if you have the OEM BMW charge pipe on increased stock boost levels working with the OEM dv's-- get rid of them as this piece from ER is really a fantastic product, a lot of R and D went into as it fits just like OEM. as long as you dont have the oem charge pipe and dv's---increased performance, marginal turbo longevity (yes i know they are not downpipes), increased throttle response, and decreased turbo lag are going to expected, which i never thought it would originally. i thought it was all looks and trusted myself but then i ran into problems shortly after procede's great aggressive maps and trust me on the following statement. the ER/SYNAPSE bov combo-- it DOES make a difference. as i said earlier i never thought it would (thought it was all hype) but the short two piece oem plastic charge pipe (seen on 07-08 135i--you can see it on their track car build as well) flexes SO MUCH it causes turbulence in the charge of air going through (air charge velocity to get technical)--which causes an overall detrimental effect on performance in the long run in high boost modifications/tuned vehicles..just look at your oem charge pipe when you take it out, youll see. its so thin and flexes in the middle under WOT, that can't be optimal for increased air flow. change out too silicone straight hoses are recommended as well for optimal performance.

here is a comparison of the two OEM chargepipes that you have on your engine relating to your build date


FWIW, the oem charge pipe worked fine for me up to about 12-13 psi, which is subjective due to your boost levels, but started giving me problems when i hit higher pounds of boost. now i run 16+ psi through this pipe everyday and it just stays and builds boost solidly, no leaking what so ever. the fact it uses the C clip on the TB really gives me piece of mind in terms of fitment and the pipe NOT blowing off like a few other designs out there that i've seen personally. the only other one i would even consider is the new patented design of the patented STETT charge pipe, the only one i know and have seen work perfectly but i just don't like the idea of silicone wink wink, but hey thats just me. i never liked the DV designs so i went with the welded synapse bov flange but if you are reusing dv's or like the idea of a plumback system this pipe from ER is perfect for you. it also has an adaquately placed single meth bung for future single spray methanol system installation (although i will be having it placed and drilled differently upon PWM installation) OR you can use a 1/8 NPT bung adapter to plug it in while methanol not in use . i'll be upgrading to meth VERY SHORTLTY so this was a no brainer. if you are looking for fitment issues with an intake, it also places the BOV down in low enogh and recessed towards the back to fit nearly every aftermarket intake. also to mention--the finish has a nice semi gloss to it so it doesn't look out of place, and the polished version is gorgeous. anyways..i can conclude this is a great combo.


info and picture source: Evolution Racewerks/ and personally running the ER shorty pipe with helix fmic and hoses right now with synapse flange/bov with straight connectors on order, awesome sound and awesome performance. i hate to come across like a sales person but i just wanted to offer my personal experience with ER and synapse products. it sounds absolutey righteous and i actually like it better than my AWE's now, not busting on them since it wasnt their fault for boost leaking, but the synapse sounds so bloody clean and it is louder for sure. end rant!

i would like to thank the local members here and Alex and Kevin at AKMOTORWERK for the flawless installation and continued support and courtesy.

if you guys want, i can upload some videos and pictures of my setup! lmk


thanks for reading!!
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