Bigger Turbos

[Pete_vB]

Not for the purists, but has anyone looked into curing the 1M's asthma above 5500 rpm with some bigger turbos?

It seems some interesting options have become available in the past year such as Rob Beck Turbos (RB Turbos) and ASR, some of which would be visually indistinguishable from stock, but do unleash the beast. It looks like ~450 at the wheels is available boost only, pump gas, in the 15-16 psi boost range.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480025

Which makes me think... Are there any differences between our cars and other N54s that would be roadblocks to doing this? Other than the obvious potential reduction in the collector value of the car, of course.

Thoughts? I did a search and didn't see any mention of RB turbos here, and I was a bit surprised given the seeming giant-killing potential...

[NihonX]

I'm planning on doing this in six months.

[Alekshop]

wheels are in motion

[Eugene-TAIWAN]

going to our local dealer in Taiwan tomorrow to put down orders for 3 1Ms

turbo upgrades are a must for us in the near future

[IND-Distribution]

The 1M and 135i share the same part numbers for turbochargers, so upgrading should not be an issue.

[ZCP M3]

Do you need to upgrade the fuel system at that point?

[Pete_vB]

For you guys that are planning on it, what turbos and tuning solution are you going to go with, if you've decided?

From what I have read, the stock fueling and ability to tune it runs out right around the 450 whp level. Most guys going beyond that now seem to be using meth, though that may change. It sounds like upgrading the fuel pumps, etc, is likely to raise the hp limit soon, as the big turbos could make more power if the fuel was available.

I'm just learning, but it currently looks to me like a decent intercooler, down/ midpipes, RB turbos and a flash tune are all you need to get in the 430-450 whp range on pump gas. Boost would only need to be in the 15 psi range (stock overboost is 14.5 psi) so it doesn't seem like it would be a very stressed package, and it would look nearly stock- even a dealer might not know you'd done turbos.

[IND-Distribution]

Thus far we have not seen the ceiling of the factory fuel system, so at present I can't say exactly what power level will require a fuel system upgrade. The N54's direct injection fuel system seems to have a very high ceiling indeed. I don't believe a fuel system upgrade will be required until well past the 500 hp mark.

ESS Tuning is at present searching for a 1M owner who is interested in testing their new turbo upgrade. Anyone interested in sending their car to ESS for development can shoot me a PM, and I can make the necessary arrangements.

[M///1rider]

Sorry where is ESS located could be interested i know they do great work maybe it would be easier if i did there turbo kit through one of there vendors or somthing since its closer auto coutore is great and i know there a big ESS vendor

[M///1rider]

Sorry for the second post but im looking to purchase ESS flash today, i alrdy have AR dps comming in with wideband and have already in agency power midpipes from my 135i injen intake cpe or stettj charge pipe have both with bov or dual dvs, have an active autowerke fmic but idk if thats going in so im really looking for good power let ESS know im very interested thanks

[JHOOPS2]

You guys should do some reading in the N54 135i or even 335i sections. There is a lot of valuable information and 100% of every question in this thread has been answered at some point.

[River Rat]

Originally Posted by Eugene-TAIWAN

going to our local dealer in Taiwan tomorrow to put down orders for 3 1Ms

turbo upgrades are a must for us in the near future

Eugene... which dealer are you planning to order from? I have called most of them, and seems like the 1M is very difficult to get.

[Rob@RBTurbo]

1M is the same as 135 turbos. They are indeed harder to get, but they are available.

Originally Posted by River Rat

Eugene... which dealer are you planning to order from? I have called most of them, and seems like the 1M is very difficult to get.

[NihonX]

N54tech.com

I'll be going with the RB Twins and Meth.

[M1one1M]

Originally Posted by Ilia@IND

Thus far we have not seen the ceiling of the factory fuel system, so at present I can't say exactly what power level will require a fuel system upgrade. The N54's direct injection fuel system seems to have a very high ceiling indeed. I don't believe a fuel system upgrade will be required until well past the 500 hp mark.

ESS Tuning is at present searching for a 1M owner who is interested in testing their new turbo upgrade. Anyone interested in sending their car to ESS for development can shoot me a PM, and I can make the necessary arrangements.

Any details on this 'turbo upgrade' or the progress of their Stage 2 tune?

[Tony135]

Would love to see these. I'm trying to get a BT set up for the N55 as well.

[IND-Distribution]

Originally Posted by M1one1M

Any details on this 'turbo upgrade' or the progress of their Stage 2 tune?

ESS needs a 1M to test in order to ensure the turbo upgrade functions as it should, but 1Ms are so rare they have had a tough time getting the car! If I can connect ESS with a willing volunteer, we can have a turbo upgrade ready.

ESS as a company will not release a product without performing extensive testing and proof, so even though the turbos can be proven on other N54 engines, they are searching for a 1M in particular before moving forward.

[Rob@RBTurbo]

The turbos are the same part numbers. If they work on any N54 they will work the same on a 1M. There is no reason to treat it as there is some exclusitivity with the 1M in this regard. My $.02

[Alekshop]

Originally Posted by Ilia@IND

The 1M and 135i share the same part numbers for turbochargers, so upgrading should not be an issue.

I think finding right hardware is not an issue ...

Originally Posted by Ilia@IND

Thus far we have not seen the ceiling of the factory fuel system, so at present I can't say exactly what power level will require a fuel system upgrade. The N54's direct injection fuel system seems to have a very high ceiling indeed. I don't believe a fuel system upgrade will be required until well past the 500 hp mark.

ESS Tuning is at present searching for a 1M owner who is interested in testing their new turbo upgrade. Anyone interested in sending their car to ESS for development can shoot me a PM, and I can make the necessary arrangements.

ESS can get access to 1M pretty much at any time I think they are a bit busy with all the other projects they are working on ...

[crzy4135i]

Originally Posted by RobBeck

The turbos are the same part numbers. If they work on any N54 they will work the same on a 1M. There is no reason to treat it as there is some exclusitivity with the 1M in this regard. My $.02

The 1M has different ecu software and the exhaust system might have less restriction than 135i. The slightly larger 1M intercooler might be another reason they want to test/tune a 1M.

[MDORPHN]

Originally Posted by crzy4135i

The 1M has different ecu software and the exhaust system might have less restriction than 135i. The slightly larger 1M intercooler might be another reason they want to test/tune a 1M.

1M intercooler is identical to 135i, as is exhaust system except for rear muffler.

Neil

[Rob@RBTurbo]

The boost control system also seems to have the same hardware. Highly doubt there's anything to be concerned about with the 1M. If success can be had with upgrading on any of the others it will be had on the 1M as well. If the DME turns out to be a little smarter, it will just have to be overcome via flash or piggyback.