[turbotko]

I do agree with you that cast iron would probably be stronger, but the engine block design these days is so good I don't think the aluminum block will be a problem at all.

The "reciprocating" assembly would be the pistons and rods. I'm sure the stock forged crank will handle anything you can throw at it, you just need to worry about the production rods and pistons.

[6Zylinder]

Originally Posted by herbz

how is it bs? it is well known that the n54 is aluminum. I remember reading somewhere that BMW put "cast iron lining" on the interior walls of the cylinder walls. this is a good thing, but cylinder lining alone won't be sufficient for massive power numbers. hence the reason i said "its still aluminm". because the block, in majority, is aluminum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_N54

The block is aluminum, correct. The cast iron linings are there most probably, because BMW didn't want to have the aluminium cylinder walls only to have a "coating". More reliability was on there agenda than cheaper manufacturing (my guess). Also if the linings are 5mm thick or more, less stretching occures of the cylinderwall, meaning smaller tolerances and less piston tilt.
Just my BS....

[scottp999]

Originally Posted by ArmyBimmerDude

The funny thing is that at the end of the day, who would really put an aftermarket turbo kit in their 335? I mean REALLY? You do that and you're on your own as far as the warranty's concerned.

My magic number's 500whp. Thats what I want.

Do you think you will get 500whp with stock turbos? I want 400whp, I think that's doable in the next 6 months with bolt-ons only. I have no plans to take it above there.

[meyergru]

Hi, I just wanted to inform you that the information about the bigger ZF tranny was wrong. In an internal BMW memo, it was said that from MY 2008 the new ZF tranny was being used for all cars with less than 600 Nm. This was proven wrong, any 335i has the 6HP19TÜ (6HP21).

ZF seems to believe that Noelle's and Alpina's tuning does not do any harm - they are concerned about other tuners, though...

This is the relevant posting.

[ArmyBimmerDude]

Originally Posted by scottp999

Do you think you will get 500whp with stock turbos? I want 400whp, I think that's doable in the next 6 months with bolt-ons only. I have no plans to take it above there.

If I were to guess, probably low 400's w/ stock turbos. Also I agree with you. This car costs too much to be changing turbos, etc. I'll buy another Supra to do that.

[midlife]

Originally Posted by bimmermans54

There for awhile has been a "theory" that the cylinders 5+6 get hot and over heat due to something with the crankshaft. Thats what I hear from my bmw tech friends. They also said that there was a rumor of a newer stronger engine making more power supposed to come out to replace the 335 motor thats out now. BUT havent seen or heard anything yet.
But I can tell you this. I have been doin this awhile now, and bmw motors are STRONG. MY 2001 e46 330ci was s/c with 9lbs of boost, and a 100 shot on top of that, and it held it like a champ. Many of my e46 m3s were 270rwhp stock, and when I was done they were 650rwhp. I will be doin things to push the car a little further than most, so I guess we will see.

how far have you gotten so far?

[midlife]

Originally Posted by zenmaster

There is nothing magical about the engine and drivetrain on this car. It is a little more robust than most, but there has been a general trend in the industry to beef up the high performance engines. I posted a great article a while back that talks about the order in which things tend to break as HP is increased to over triple or quadruple from stock output. I highly recommend reading something that to get a feel for what tends to get stressed.

would love to read the article, do you still have it, or the link?
if not, can u remember which engine items tend to break first?

thanks
love your e90post name btw.

[zenmaster]

Originally Posted by midlife

would love to read the article, do you still have it, or the link?
if not, can u remember which engine items tend to break first?

On the Ecotec 2.2L, these:
connecting rods, pistons, piston wrist pins, and piston rings

On the N54, I'd guess the rods are proportionately stronger. BMW specifically made the N54 rods thicker than what they use in the N52.

However, the stock pistons I dunno. Alpina felt the stock N54 cast pistons should be replaced with forged when bumping up only 30 HP. But they may have done this simply to reduce the compression ratio.

It is interesting to note that, on that Ecotec engine, they doubled the HP without changing *anything*. However, they started with an NA engine.
A non-turbo N54 would be about 230 HP.

Next on the Ecotec, included the camshaft and head fasteners. The N54's chamshaft is another part that BMW beefed up over the N52. It's solid as opposed to hollow.

The article is gone, but archived - here is a link:
http://web.archive.org/web/200707091...com/ecotec.htm

love your e90post name btw.

thanks.