[Carlito12]

PREFACE:

PROcede or Xede? That was the dilemma. I was going to purchase the PROcede, initially... then AA came out with their Xede. What to do?

Last couple weeks have been interesting here at the General Hospital /Technical Forum / Gen F.I. section, to say the least. However, if you can cut through all the drama, there were lot of valuable information to be found.

Everyone at this forum should know all the relevant FACTS, so I am not going to repeat the numbers. Lets just say I am aware of plus/minus of both products.

First of all, hats off to Shiv of Vishnu , both as a tuner/programmer and a business man. You have a great product and a loyal customer base.

However, in the end, I ordered the Xede from AA. The decision was not based on the HP/TQ, chip type/manufacturer, possible future upgrades, nor other datas. Oddly enough, it was based on few of the members and their behavior on this forum. Some respectable and few, well, not so much, to say the least. There also seems to be lack of understanding about Capitalism. Ultimately, as a consumer, I gave my money to AA, a reputable BMW tuner, for a product nearly equivalent to the most popular choice at a lower price.

I am happy with my choice, at this time.

Installation:

Got the box on the May 8, 2007. Arrived home from work at 9pm. Was going to install this weekend, but it looks like I will be installing the KW V2 this Saturday - BTW Thanks to Ron************.com for hooking me up!

Started after dinner around 10 pm. The install manual provided by AA seemed detailed and straight forward, so I started taking the cowels off... it 'd be a lie if I said I didn't see my warranty fly out the window, tho...

The work, once daunting, was done relatively without a complication. Only issue came up regarding the fuse connection. My E-box did not have the 40amp fuse shown in the AA manual. Instead it had a larger 50 amp fuse located near-by. Also, the fuse connector provided by AA did not look like the one in their own manual, which confused me even more. The connector they provided looks like a wire clamp, but it was too small for the 50amp fuse wire.

I took a chance and PMed Terry335 and explained my problem. This was near 11pm so imagine my surprise when he called. He was very helpful. A great guy, it seems.

note - contacted AA and explained my problem today. Karl at AA said he will send out the proper part and that they will update the manual to avoid further confusion. we will see...

By the time I put everything together, it was midnight. The car started up without a delay. Decided to go for a run. Did a 30 min drive on a hwy and a local deserted street where i did few 0-60. Imagine my surprise when I see a cop at the end in the middle of the street waiting for me... I had my windows open (to hear the exhaust) so I just waved to him as he was staring me down, and made a left turn, casually. I looked in the rear view mirror, expecting the all-too-familiar lights, but to my surprise(or relief ) he drove away. whew. Time to go home.

No error code. So far so good.

Review:

This is only the initial review. I havent really had time to test it.

With the DTC on, u can chirp to the 3rd gear. (I still have the RFT's )

The gear shift from 1st to 2nd has become very smooth. I actually think this is due to the extra turbo lag u feel with the Xede. But this is a definite plus for me. Almost feels like a different gear ratio.

When the turbo does kick in, it feels more forceful than before.
I think few people describe it best when they say that every gear feels like the one before. i.e 4th gear feels like the 3rd gear before adding the piggyback.

Looks like I am getting better MPG when I am cruising. I always have my on-board comp to display the Constant/Actual MPG as I am driving. When I cruise at 80 I used to get 28 mpg on my 6MT. Last night and this morning, I was getting like 33 MPG.

I will update after I get a chance to drive a bit more. But so far, I am loving it.

Questions:

1- I dont know how PROcede is set up, but if ur car breaks down (knock on wood) and u gotta call BMW service, do u remove the piggyback? if yes, do u remove everything (including the wiring harness) or just the unit itself? Does that mean I have to carry around 8mm ratchet at all times?

2- Any good Dyno place in Southern Cal? Besides the LAPD? thx but no thx, Terry335.

3- Can we focus our animosity towards other makes, such as Audi ?
After all, we all love our 335i with the n54, right? We will see who the best driver is on the tracks.

Pic 1 - what it looks like now. KW V2 this Sat. Still looking for new shoes. Suggestions welcomed.

Pic 2 - get this, u will love it. w/o the m-logo

[Spool]

Nice write up...you gonna install the KWs yourself? have fun, it's painful...

[CASHBY]

im not starting anything, but did you say you chose one over the other because you didnt like the attitude of people who had PROcede?

just a questions.

good write up!

[Terry335]

Glad it worked out, forum drama aside I'm always happy to help a fellow 335er. My fix is a bit of a hack but when you get the right connector all will be good.

[BoostedBMW]

Nice review. Keep us posted on your KW V2 coilover install, i'm thinking of going with the same setup when my car arrives. I want to hear what you think of the install.

[Spool]

Originally Posted by BoostedBMW

Nice review. Keep us posted on your KW V2 coilover install, i'm thinking of going with the same setup when my car arrives. I want to hear what you think of the install.

Didn't you read my thread in the suspension forum? haha i wanted to kill myself

[Carlito12]

Originally Posted by CEA 3

im not starting anything, but did you say you chose one over the other because you didnt like the attitude of people who had PROcede?

just a questions.

good write up!

no. not all people. just a few. i was 60-40 % for PROcede. the last couple of weeks changed that. so i guess that was the deciding factor.

and no thats not the only reason. but all the other negative reasons, i rather not list here.

[Kbueno]

Originally Posted by CEA 3

im not starting anything, but did you say you chose one over the other because you didnt like the attitude of people who had PROcede?

just a questions.

good write up!

+1. You based your decision on people's attitide on the forum? Please elaborate. Bad attitude seems to be a universal constant on this forum.

[Chesmu]

BTW: That knob in the 2nd pic is what i installed in my wife's X3. She LOVES it.

[Carlito12]

Originally Posted by Spool

Nice write up...you gonna install the KWs yourself? have fun, it's painful...

no. i am not tackling this one...

I will be getting it done at EF1 or the place Ron is recommending.

Install + alignment.

[bnj]

Some childish cursing and biased views of some fanboys are making me sick. Shiv has his temper too, but his effort and vision earns him my deapest appreciation and customership. Too bad some people make potential customers not feeling at home among Procede owners. I understand that well.

[scottp999]

Thanks for the review. Your car continues to look better and better. I am going to put 19" m6 reps on my Tiag coupe. Was told that I can probably pick the car up by next thursday. Wheels and other mods standing by.

[Carlito12]

Originally Posted by 335lvr

+1. You based your decision on people's attitide on the forum? Please elaborate. Bad attitude seems to be a universal constant on this forum.

Sorry, I really rather not elaborate. if u didnt sense it as u were reading all the threads, its all good.

[Carlito12]

Originally Posted by Carlito12

2- Any good Dyno place in Southern Cal? Besides the LAPD? thx but no thx, Terry335.

no suggestions? dont u want to see my dyno??

[Walked U]

Theres a lot of places out there. Lol trust me i know...

Where in socal you located?

[BoostedBMW]

Originally Posted by Spool

Didn't you read my thread in the suspension forum? haha i wanted to kill myself

... I still want to do it, i'm an idiot. Actually, I think I might be forced to do it since I wouldn't even know of a shop around here that has even seen an E92 before, let alone worked on one. I don't want my car to be the guinnea pig unless i'm the one working on it.

[Ryan(e92)]

If u dont want to elaborate why bring it up?

[SfValley335i]

nice bit of info. I also like the initial lag in power. We dont need to be in boost when crusing.

[Carlito12]

Originally Posted by Walked U

Theres a lot of places out there. Lol trust me i know...

Where in socal you located?

Eastside. I don't mind driving... looking for place where they know how to do a proper dyno on a e92 6MT.

Originally Posted by Ryan(e92)

If u dont want to elaborate why bring it up?

cause some people can accept it without elaboration.

like i said, if u need an elaboration, my personal reasons for my decision doesnt apply to u, so its not important to u, thus no elabotration is needed... confused yet? anyways, just take it for what it is.

[marcvtec]

How long did it take to get the AA xede ?
order date ?
ship date ?

nice write up btw

[Carlito12]

Originally Posted by SfValley335i

nice bit of info. I also like the initial lag in power. We dont need to be in boost when crusing.

100% with u!

makes for a smooth shift.

much better driving experience.

I have the CDV modded and it was still little jerky if i am a little off on the shift from 1st to 2nd. Now its smooth as silk and the exhaust sound to match.

[Carlito12]

Originally Posted by marcvtec

How long did it take to get the AA xede ?
order date ?
ship date ?

nice write up btw

they shipped out day or two after the order (ups tracking #)

four business days of transit.