[burro_blasta]

This is meant for folks like myself who are new to this and trying to get their new car to a clean baseline, get to stage 1, and then figure the advanced stuff later.

It took me a ton of reading from a lot of disparate sources , this post is me hoping to save the next rookie a lot of time by putting what seems to be all the generally accepted wisdom in one place. I thought I'd find something like this by now but never did.

This 101-level info will bore the hell out of the majority of people on here, but I’m all ears for any edits/additions I can make. Hopefully edits are more about adding more nuggets/trivia, rather than me having my head up my a$$…

Stage 0:

- Plugs and coils: OEM is fine through at least Stage 1, search for “colder plugs” to understand when you’ll need to upgrade to those. Plugs due around 60k normally, as low as 15k when tuned
- Intake walnut blast: these engines’ direct injection creates a somewhat unique issue of intake build up and this cleans it out. I’ve seen it recommended anywhere from every 30k-60k miles, and it’s not likely your previous owner did it so you should plan on this. Probably $350, give or take $100.
- Intake and throttle body O rings: common weak link, ask your mechanic about it while they’re in there doing the walnut blasting. Should be cheap and worthwhile
- OFHG, or oil filter housing gasket: a common weak link, can start to leak and cause problems if you’re not proactive. Something to ask your mechanic to look at if you’re 50k+
- Closer to 100k miles, start to expect issues with your water pump and valve cover gasket. You’ll read about a lot of water pump issues with N54s but it’s not a recall/major issue with N55s besides normal wear
- Try to get most things in this PDF on your radar, a good bit of it is only relevant for engines older than the N55 but still very helpful: https://www.dslreports.com/r0/downlo...e%20v03.13.pdf
- Look up the Carly app, it’s not for “tuning” but lets you unlock a lot of goodies in your car, like automatic side mirror folding and window roll-up activation with your key fob, etc. If you have to replace your battery, Carly can code the new one, saving you hundreds of dollars

Stage 1:

- Stage 1 can add 50-70hp to your N55 and run on stock parts. It’ll push everything that much harder, which is why you should complete your stage 0 stuff to start.
- MHD is an app that is generally accepted as the best tuning software for this level of use: http://mhdtuning.com/. JB4 is popular in general but not necessary at this stage.
- You’ll need an Android tablet (cheap is fine) with “USB on the go” capability and the Google Play store to get and use MHD, not an iPhone. You can “root” your kindle fire to get the Google store one there if you’re into that kind of thing.
- You’ll need an OBD (on board diagnostics) cable to connect your tablet into your car. BimmerGeeks is generally accepted as the best: https://www.bimmergeeks.net/product-...eeks-pro-cable
- Then you plug your tablet into the the OBD cable, and plug the OBD cable into your car in order to “flash” or update your DME (BMW’s name for ECU, or car computer) with the MHD Stage 1 program. $250 for the flash module, and an additional $99 for Stage 1.
- Through MHD, you can read your car’s error codes for free, and also download their Monitor module for the cost. The Monitor will read/graph your car’s vitals which is useful to help you understand how the car performance is changing as you tune – internal air temperatures, boost pressure, etc…and the code reading will tell you why you’re getting a CEL (check engine light) for example, so you can interpret it yourself, research the issue, maybe get help on the forums, or at the very least be informed when you go to a mechanic. Read these to better understand how your engine works:
o https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=493245
o https://www.docdroid.net/file/downlo...d-datalogs.pdf
o http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21269

Stage 2 and on:

- This is where you’re pushing the car a lot harder for more power. You can’t do it on stock parts, and this is generally something you shouldn’t do until you really understand your car. In the meantime, understand FBO (full bolt on) as the basic set of enhancements of certain stock parts that allow for increased power through the tune, create some extra power themselves, and create more reliability. Here goes:
- FMIC, or front mounted intercooler
- DP, or downpipe
- CP, or chargepipe: no performance gains here, but aftermarket CPs replace the stock plastic one and lower your (high) chances of the stock plastic one cracking or leaking with increased boost. I used VRSF, seemed like a good value and well-reviewed. Your N55 doesn’t need the BOV (blow off valve) so that saves you a couple hundred bucks.
- CIA: cold air intake. Really just a direct air intake, lots of debate whether these actually matter. Should help more at higher boost level, on a stock car they’re mostly just aesthetics – look nice in the engine bay, make the engine sound meaner, and turbo more audible. Lots of debate about whether these let in too much hot air which ruins the benefits, although this seems to be negated when paired with a fmic. I used BMS, also seemed like a good value and well-reviewed.

[jimk]

Thank you. Very informative.

[Force2013]

Thank you for the post.
I new with my f10 535i and i want to get more power out of it. i'm planing on saving for a a charge pipe and down pipes. I agree with you its tones of reading just to find out the right info.

[Bmw doubles]

Stage 1 just go with tune of choice. Do not go Stage 2 on a stock turbo.

Stage 2 upgrade your turbo, BEF, FMIC, DV+, CP(I think the DP is optional at this point)

Stage 3 Turbo, FMIC, BEF, CP, DP, LPFP and PI, JB4

[Force2013]

Originally Posted by Bmw doubles

Stage 1 just go with tune of choice. Do not go Stage 2 on a stock turbo.

Stage 2 upgrade your turbo, BEF, FMIC, DV+, CP(I think the DP is optional at this point)

Stage 3 Turbo, FMIC, BEF, CP, DP, LPFP and PI, JB4

Why should we not go stage 2 on stock turbo? i tought the turbo can handle the boost up to stage 3 on stock turbos?

[Bmw doubles]

Originally Posted by Force2013

Why should we not go stage 2 on stock turbo? i tought the turbo can handle the boost up to stage 3 on stock turbos?

You might get 20-30k on a stock turbo maybe 40 if you baby the throttle. Let's be honest though we don't get tuned to baby the car.

[Force2013]

Originally Posted by Bmw doubles

You might get 20-30k on a stock turbo maybe 40 if you baby the throttle. Let's be honest though we don't get tuned to baby the car.

Damn you are a real "Dream Crusher" there goes my plans with tuning up the car to a stage 2... i was planing on buying CP and Dp's. What kind of turbos would handle well on stage 2. are there any options out there that is bolt on?

my car is a 2010 f10 535i with 80k miles on it.

[burro_blasta]

Originally Posted by Force2013

Damn you are a real "Dream Crusher" there goes my plans with tuning up the car to a stage 2... i was planing on buying CP and Dp's. What kind of turbos would handle well on stage 2. are there any options out there that is bolt on?

my car is a 2010 f10 535i with 80k miles on it.

That was the first I've heard of needing an upgraded turbo for stage 2. MHD certainly doesn't mention it, nor other places I've read...you could upgrade a lot of very expensive parts for the sake of reliability but that doesn't mean it's money and time well spent. But that could just be my ignorance.

Also I understand BEF (back end flash) add a lot of goodies but is not necessary whatsoever for someone running stage 2 using just pump gas, etc...

[Bmw doubles]

Force2013 If you have 80k then stay with stage 1 tune. The turbo stock with no tune is probably good for 80-100k before things start leaking and if the car has been driven softly maybe more. Now imagine stressing the turbo with a tune and see how long it lasts. CP is a piece of mind thing. I ran my car hard on the stock CP and zero problems on all my beemers. Recently I upgraded because I upgraded my turbo. You can still add a DP but it wasn't a huge improvement for me, the smell was undesirable and in my opinion not a great trade off for a DD. The only turbo you should consider is Pure Stage2.

burro_blasta no one is ever going to mention that they blew a turbo especially the distributor themselves. Take it from me who's been through several beta and proven tunes, if you're going beyond stage 1 on the N55 upgrade the turbo. BEF stands for Backend Flash. MHD is a BEF. Anything that flashes is BEF. BEF is more than just extra bells and whistles in fact, you could say a JB4 is bells and whistles. BEF is actually the preferred way to get the most power out of your car. A JB4 and BEF is a common setup.

As a note to both of you guys; you don't have to upgrade your hardware if you want to push to stage 2. Don't let me discourage you. Just know that the life of your turbo will vary and you should be prepared for that. One guy might get 20-30k before the turbo dies and another might get 50k. Remember, tuning is a pay-to-play sport. Maybe you can stay with a stock turbo on stage 2 if you upgrade the FMIC and DP to keep the 1000 degree temps off the stock turbo. Also note that even with the best BEF on a stock turbo the F10 N55 ECU at best can put out peak 330whp and that's pushing it really hard. BTW I said peak, it doesn't hold to redline. 400whp to redline becomes real with a PS2 and maybe 500whp with a PS2 and a upgraded fuel system.

[burro_blasta]

Helpful stuff, thanks. If the turbo starts failing 20k-50k more, any reason not to drive the car that long then replace when needed? ie, get up to 50k more for free...unless a failing turbo causes a lot of other problems if you're late to notice/fix it?

[Bmw doubles]

Originally Posted by burro_blasta

Helpful stuff, thanks. If the turbo starts failing 20k-50k more, any reason not to drive the car that long then replace when needed? ie, get up to 50k more for free...unless a failing turbo causes a lot of other problems if you're late to notice/fix it?

Yeah I'm mean thats what I basically did. Drive it until the wheels fall off.

[MOBF10]

Originally Posted by Bmw doubles

Stage 1 just go with tune of choice. Do not go Stage 2 on a stock turbo.

Stage 2 upgrade your turbo, BEF, FMIC, DV+, CP(I think the DP is optional at this point)

Stage 3 Turbo, FMIC, BEF, CP, DP, LPFP and PI, JB4

I dont agree with this at all.
stage 2 with dp, cp, fmic, jb4 and bm3 on stock turbo.

Nobody would hold out till a stage 3 to buy jb4. The earlier you buy jb4 the better imo. You can use it at the very least to monitor your car better.