[tc328]

Looks like a pricing thread than a review thread

[spacemonkey1112]

Originally Posted by Zajac1

Help me guys where i can find all the parts in good price : )

PMed you just so people wont complain about getting off topic

[spacemonkey1112]

OKay so quick review from myself. Background I've been driving around with the 3 stage manifold installed for about 2 years before i saved enough money for PE & an AA tune.

1.5 weeks since i flashed the car using the simon tool - 260mi on the car. Right after the reflash and i started the car, I gave the car a few revs and quickly notice the change in throttle sensitivity. I've driven my brother's e92 M3 and I requested to zak, if he can make my throttle response like that of an M3, I'd be more than happy. I would say he pulled through! He even told me that he can make the throttle even more sensitive & to just let him know if I wanted him to up it. Im curious as to how sensitive it can get, but I can assure you there is virtually 0 delay in throttle response. Some people claim that there still is a delay and thus why they keep runing their BMS box with the AA tune, I never had that box so I have no comment on the matter. I know that the throttle response is sharper when compare to stock.

on to power. before the tune, the car went no where fast. Not much torque was to be found off the line and it seemed sluggish climbing first & 2nd gear. at freeway speeds, doing a third gear pull started at 60mph, when the car hit around 4500rpm, it felt like vtec kicked in and a bit of torque was to be found.

Now after the tune, the car feels much more agile. My dad and my brothers have all driven the car and they all feel a substantial increase in torque in the car from what it used to be. power delivery as it climbs the rpm is VERY smooth. I don't feel any drops or changes when i do 10mph-70mph pulls. this climb feels much more effortless for the car compared to before.

IMO, the car feels much more complete now. on California freeways, I really don't need to downshift out of 6th gear to make a pass anymore, there is enough torque to be found to make safe passes in 6th. But paired with the PE, I can't help my put it in 4th and have a little fun while I'm at it.

overall impression. Very satisfied as a 325i owner. Car and driver rated the 545i at 5.5s and the 330 at 5.6s.... Sure these #'s may not be the same since i have 83k miles on the car, but if I am producing more HP than a stock 330, then technically I should be on par with my dad's 545i e60. I haven't done the run yet, however a part of me believes his car will still beat mine. As much as I've driven my car since the tune, The sensation i remember feeling from driving the 545i was much greater than my car at its current state.

Is it worth it. Definitely. without the PE, cost of the 3IM + Install labor + tune + simon tool was a little over 1k for me. Im not gonna exaggerate, the car feels great right now. It is a transformations from what it used to be. Will it beat a 335i? No way. I've driven a 335i once before and I've driven my brothers m3 countless times... the sensation from those cars are incomparable and quite scary (the m3 at least). But when you take the car for what it was & what it has become, it is a very noticeable difference that is worth raving about. Be realistic with yourself & you wont come out disappointed.

[andrey_gta]

On the 128i and i guess 328i non xi

Adding the manifold alone, then spending 4 months with it. I can say that the Aggression of the 4k-7k increased. Low end torque increase made traffic easier to tolerate and also parking lots for a manual car.
The dip at 3.5k rpm is seldom felt. Once you get tune the hindsight makes you realize it was there. The dip that actually is noticed is the 6.5 k rpm dip - its not cool.
The mod makes your engine angrier/aggressive and makes the car more fun. After all the gains are around 15 HP and 15 TQ

The tunes achieve refinement. Pedal feel, mid dip fix, rpm limit dip fix and more aggressiveness in the low end in TQ and some HP. In my research the top end really benefits from TQ, not HP gains which are small compared to TQ across tuners. Between tuning companies the difference is how much mid power HP and TQ is opened up, and also how smooth the power curve is. I'll let you do the leg work your self to make note of the differences.

Intakes open up TQ more than HP.

So the underlying story is that TQ is the ever increasing result of the mods.

German tunes know more about opening up extra TQ not seen from US tuners and maybe 5 more HP up top when talking wheel HP numbers converted from kW or PS.
UK tuners seem to do the HP as good as germans, but I do not know if all of the tuners know how to. I guess same for TQ. After all secret sauce and differences between dynos prevent direct comparisons.

So choose a budget, get a manifold and the tune choice depends on ability to run headers and location.

[optimaxedm3]

andrey_gta

Why did you choose the evolve tune over the AA tune ?

I think they are a UK based entity, so do you think they have more power at the top end ? do they advance the timing for running on US 93 octane rating ?

[andrey_gta]

Originally Posted by optimaxedm3

andrey_gta

Why did you choose the evolve tune over the AA tune ?

I think they are a UK based entity, so do you think they have more power at the top end ? do they advance the timing for running on US 93 octane rating ?

To be honest, to try something new and with hopes that Evolve knows what they are doing. Their Christmas pricing made it slightly more than AA with flasher kit and I was seeking a present.

They are UK based, with an office/affiliate tuner shop in USA. The kit arrived from USA, the software via emails from UK.

Found the customer service good at every step. I specified my local avail gas and think they made adjustments. I have more Octane 91 here, as I dont have octane 93 without additives here ( petro-canada 94 octane has additives). The tune shines on certain Octane 91 and im sure Octane "94" does no harm.

I have since learned that a local e9x guy previously tired Evolve's early development of a e9x n52 tune but it didnt work out, full refund was issued. i would ask before buying.

[optimaxed]

Originally Posted by andrey_gta

To be honest, to try something new and with hopes that Evolve knows what they are doing. Their Christmas pricing made it slightly more than AA with flasher kit and I was seeking a present.

They are UK based, with an office/affiliate tuner shop in USA. The kit arrived from USA, the software via emails from UK.

Found the customer service good at every step. I specified my local avail gas and think they made adjustments. I have more Octane 91 here, as I dont have octane 93 without additives here ( petro-canada 94 octane has additives). The tune shines on certain Octane 91 and im sure Octane "94" does no harm.

I have since learned that a local e9x guy previously tired Evolve's early development of a e9x n52 tune but it didnt work out, full refund was issued. i would ask before buying.

Have you put your car on rolling road post evolve tune to see how the tq and power curves look like ? Would be good to compare with AA tune

[andrey_gta]

^^ this will happen sometime this summer. I missed a dyno day promotion at the same location that I did a ll my runs.

user ST|G will also do a full bolt on 128i ( 3stage intake, something for the intake, headers, evolve tune)

[NorthernCAE90]

Please keep the reviews coming, as a new 325i owner, I really want to see if the 1500$ im going to shell it REALLY will get me to 256hp and 225tq (fly wheel ofcourse)

[surewin]

Hey guys,

I'm spacemonkey1112's brother and I just want to say that the 3IM+ tune is definitely worth the money. After driving his car with the 3IM, tune, and PE, I found that the tach needle climbs a lot faster in all gears, and there is significantly less time spent between gears.

The car feels like complete different car with these simple mods. The throttle sensitivity has increased to a perfect level, and even though the power and torque have increased substantially, the power delivery is smooth throughout the powerband. The exhaust is quite while cruising, and produces a nice, european rasp during WOT- complete with subtle backfires. In stock form, the power and torque was comparable to my old E46 325, but now I'm positive that it will leave that car in the dust.

It's really up to you in what you're looking for in modding your car. You can always go F/I, but personally, I would want to keep the car as long I can, and would only mod the car if it didn't add additional stress to the engine. Since these mods are only "awakening" the power the engine is designed to produce, they are not negatively affecting the longevity of the engine.

[smellthebeans]

Originally Posted by NorthernCAE90

Please keep the reviews coming, as a new 325i owner, I really want to see if the 1500$ im going to shell it REALLY will get me to 256hp and 225tq (fly wheel ofcourse)

Your paying way to much. I think I spent $276 for the manifold (complete with DISA valves and old hoses), 26 for the gaskets, and what ever AA charges 499 I think or 550. It is completely DIYable. Watch the intake manifold bolts they only require 11 inch pounds (thats wrist tight at best).

[Dafttt]

Try to find a used manifold from the following:

2008-2012 E82 BMW 128i/328i (N51 SULEV engine)
2006 E90 BMW 330i 330xi - Sedan
2006-2007 E60 BMW 530i 530xi
2006-2010 E83 BMW X3 3.0si
2007+ E70 BMW X5 3.0si
2006-2008 E85 BMW Z4 3.0si
2009+ E89 BMW Z4 sDrive30i

Pieces and part numbers:

11617559523 manifold
11617579114 adj unit (DISA Large)
11617560538 adj unit (DISA Small)
11617559530 vent hose (for e9x only, I believe)
11617547242 gasket set
13547522361 throttle body seal ring
11617535850 screws (2)
11617535849 screws (2)
11617535851 screw

Bought mine from Bavarian Auto Recycling.

$402 taxed and shipped for manifold and both adj units.

Pick up the remaining pieces from getBMWpart.com using the part numbers above.

Hope this helps.

[optimaxed]

I am running the PE and PI with 3 stage IM and no tune. Definately feels like a strong VTEC kick at around 4500, but car is running better than with none of these parts.

Need to get AA custom tune as there is too much unevenness and flat spots throughout the rev band.

[ska///235i]

My setup is a 325xi with euro intake, 3IM, AA tune, & PE. Its alot better than stock and takes the lag away on the XI. Im not going to say that these tunes made my 0-60 times faster but from +50mph is when these tunes come alive.....the perf exhaust note and the pull to 100mph is freakin amazing

[smellthebeans]

Okay well back on track then.

3 stage intake with Active Auto exhaust and AA stage II tune for the N52.

Rolling pulls from 2nd to 3rd up to 4th come on with a sense of urgency that was absent in my stock 328i. It is NO N54/N55 but, will certainly leave the driver feeling thrust forward.

-I have the manual transmission. I have not dyno'd the car. But, I owned an E90 330i for almost 5 years. Hands down this car pulls with more urgency than the 330i ever did.

[optimaxedm3]

I have now added the AA tune to my 3IM, PE, PI combo.

Improved the lumpiness, PE sounds deeper/louder.

Still need to let AA tune adapt. Would like a sharper throttle response.

Occassionally get a large flat spot at 2900 rpm, happens say once/twice a day in 40 mile commute, believe this occurs at a certain large throttle opening but I also noticed this without the AA tune