[Randomizer2]

I currently do not own a 135i but have been eying them due to their tuning capabilities and turbocharched motors. I am in Canada, so we do not have access to e85 at pumps here so I just want to get an idea of what WHP I can achieve with pump 94 as well as pump 94 +meth/water. I have done some research the past couple of days and I have come to these mods:

Catless DP: https://www.vr-speed.com/vrsf-3-stai...-bmw-135i.html

DCI: https://burgertuning.com/products/bm...ke-for-n54-bmw

Berk Axle Back: https://www.vividracing.com/-p-15071...BoCo_4QAvD_BwE

BMS Charge Pipe + Tial BOV: https://burgertuning.com/products/bm...nt=20292918083

VSRF 7.5" FMIC: https://www.vr-speed.com/vrsf-7-fron...2-e90-e92.html

I have a couple questions as I am new to this platform in general and this is my first time diving into them. I have a goal of 400WHP with those mods on 94 alone. 450WHP with meth and 94. Is this possible or will I need other mods? I also am not sure what to do for tuning, I see alot of people saying to get a JB4 and run one of the maps but 1, I am not sure what map to run and 2, wouldn't a dyno tune be better than one of the maps already on the device? Hopefully I can get some useful help from you guys.

[lookalikehuuh]

Question for you about Canadian fuel. Do you guys use the same R+M/2 method for determining the octane rating of fuel in Canada or is it similar to what europe uses?

[Bimmer_Bro]

I also live in canada. I run 94 octane we get here. Husky, Petro-can or Chevron. I would avoid JB4 all together. If you browse the forums you will see we are all a big fan of MHD. Lots of maps to choose from that are right off the shelf. No point doing a dyno tune until you go single turbo or something crazy. These ots maps are pretty darn good (and safe).
I am running MHD stage 2+ 93 oct map with 94 fuel. I believe that is rated around the 420ish hp mark.

Have a look into MHD. Also if you buy a car thats auto.. XHP make excellent transmission tunes. I run stage 3 myself.

Both of these applications are tuned with an app by your phone or tablet.

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

Question for you about Canadian fuel. Do you guys use the same R+M/2 method for determining the octane rating of fuel in Canada or is it similar to what europe uses?

Google says:
In most countries in Europe (also in Australia, Pakistan and New Zealand) the "headline" octane rating shown on the pump is the RON, but in Canada, the United States, Brazil, and some other countries, the headline number is the simple mean or average of the RON and the MON, called the Anti-Knock Index (AKI), and often written on pumps as (R+M)/2.

[neilvan]

Canada/U.S gas calculations are the same.

I use JB4 and I'm happy with it; though I added an MHD back end flash to get the best of both. I also use 91 octane w/ FBO and inlets/outlets. RB ones will be on in the spring.

Generally stock turbos max out ~400WHP and that's with all the bolt ons available. Meth should be able to get you more but with both you are maxing out the turbos(shortening life).

Off the shelf tunes are generally pretty good but dyno'ed tunes will be better(I'm not too familar with many in Canada though who dyno tune N54)

[Randomizer2]

Originally Posted by neilvan

Canada/U.S gas calculations are the same.

I use JB4 and I'm happy with it; though I added an MHD back end flash to get the best of both. I also use 91 octane w/ FBO and inlets/outlets. RB ones will be on in the spring.

Generally stock turbos max out ~400WHP and that's with all the bolt ons available. Meth should be able to get you more but with both you are maxing out the turbos(shortening life).

Off the shelf tunes are generally pretty good but dyno'ed tunes will be better(I'm not too familar with many in Canada though who dyno tune N54)

What does the back end flash allow you to do? I saw this thrown around on the forums but I don't know what its used for and when or why I would need it. Also, how much am I reducing the turbos lifespan by roughly?

[Randomizer2]

Originally Posted by Bimmer_Bro

I also live in canada. I run 94 octane we get here. Husky, Petro-can or Chevron. I would avoid JB4 all together. If you browse the forums you will see we are all a big fan of MHD. Lots of maps to choose from that are right off the shelf. No point doing a dyno tune until you go single turbo or something crazy. These ots maps are pretty darn good (and safe).
I am running MHD stage 2+ 93 oct map with 94 fuel. I believe that is rated around the 420ish hp mark.

Have a look into MHD. Also if you buy a car thats auto.. XHP make excellent transmission tunes. I run stage 3 myself.

Both of these applications are tuned with an app by your phone or tablet.




Google says:
In most countries in Europe (also in Australia, Pakistan and New Zealand) the "headline" octane rating shown on the pump is the RON, but in Canada, the United States, Brazil, and some other countries, the headline number is the simple mean or average of the RON and the MON, called the Anti-Knock Index (AKI), and often written on pumps as (R+M)/2.

Is that 420whp without meth roughly? Why MHD over JB4? Also this is kind of off topic, but what are the options for mounting gauges (boost, afr, oil psi etc) to the dash? I can't find any that mount to the A pillar.

[Randomizer2]

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

Question for you about Canadian fuel. Do you guys use the same R+M/2 method for determining the octane rating of fuel in Canada or is it similar to what europe uses?

Same as US.

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by Randomizer2

Is that 420whp without meth roughly? Why MHD over JB4? Also this is kind of off topic, but what are the options for mounting gauges (boost, afr, oil psi etc) to the dash? I can't find any that mount to the A pillar.

MHD is cheaper, and good enough that you don't need JB4

You can monitor and Datalog pretty much everything in MHD, hook up any android tablet or your phone and it'll do the job. You don't need to mount any gauges.

Just buy the MHD super license.

[fgpalmer71]

I'm not there yet, but I've been researching too. Gauges....I haven't really seen many gauges mounted other then some I've seen mounted in the drivers side air vent. I'll be using my Eonon headunit to monitor the tune. I've seen most use there phones or tablets mounted to show digital gauges.

The JB4 is a piggy back.....the MHD is a flash and is overwriting the DME. The JB4 is more expensive and has a few extra, possibly unnecessary, safety features. Possibly unnecessary if your not taking the car to the stratosphere it seems. When they speak about using both they're saying that they're using the JB4 and then using the MHD on top of that. It seems like the MHD overwrites the DME but the JB4 still montiors in the background. Advantage being your using the more agressive MHD maps while also maintaining the built in safety features of the JB4. I'm pretty sure that's the deal.

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by fgpalmer71

I'm not there yet, but I've been researching too. Gauges....I haven't really seen many gauges mounted other then some I've seen mounted in the drivers side air vent. I'll be using my Eonon headunit to monitor the tune. I've seen most use there phones or tablets mounted to show digital gauges.

The JB4 is a piggy back.....the MHD is a flash and is overwriting the DME. The JB4 is more expensive and has a few extra, possibly unnecessary, safety features. Possibly unnecessary if your not taking the car to the stratosphere it seems. When they speak about using both they're saying that they're using the JB4 and then using the MHD on top of that. It seems like the MHD overwrites the DME but the JB4 still montiors in the background. Advantage being your using the more agressive MHD maps while also maintaining the built in safety features of the JB4. I'm pretty sure that's the deal.

Cheapest and probably best is to use phone or tablet to monitor, something like a P3 can be fitted but you end up paying a lot more and loosing an ac vent just for looks.

[Randomizer2]

Originally Posted by Saif2018

MHD is cheaper, and good enough that you don't need JB4

You can monitor and Datalog pretty much everything in MHD, hook up any android tablet or your phone and it'll do the job. You don't need to mount any gauges.

Just buy the MHD super license.

Is it accurate? idk seems like kind of a pain to have to navigate through the tablet or mount my phone solely to get those readings..... Gauges would be more convenient although I cannot find any good solutions. I have come across the p3 psi gauge which is fine and then I can mount 2 above the steering column but I am worried about visibility there. I can also mount another one at the bottom of the a pillar but not actually attached to it just next to it. So I have boost, afr, oil temp and oil psi. Could something like this be possible?

[Bimmer_Bro]

Originally Posted by Randomizer2

Is that 420whp without meth roughly? Why MHD over JB4? Also this is kind of off topic, but what are the options for mounting gauges (boost, afr, oil psi etc) to the dash? I can't find any that mount to the A pillar.

420ish to the crank. Yes no meth.
MHD is the newer option of the 2 and it's just a lot easier. With MHD you are flashing your ecu. With jb4 you are wiring a piggyback ecu into your car.
Not many bmw drivers install Gauges. With jb4 or MHD you can use the app to choose which gauges you want to
See or monitor logs. Do some reading up on them before you decide. You will also need to do a lot of normal maintenance and some
Mods before you tune. Different pros and cons to each the N54 and n55 engine

[Randomizer2]

Originally Posted by fgpalmer71

I'm not there yet, but I've been researching too. Gauges....I haven't really seen many gauges mounted other then some I've seen mounted in the drivers side air vent. I'll be using my Eonon headunit to monitor the tune. I've seen most use there phones or tablets mounted to show digital gauges.

The JB4 is a piggy back.....the MHD is a flash and is overwriting the DME. The JB4 is more expensive and has a few extra, possibly unnecessary, safety features. Possibly unnecessary if your not taking the car to the stratosphere it seems. When they speak about using both they're saying that they're using the JB4 and then using the MHD on top of that. It seems like the MHD overwrites the DME but the JB4 still montiors in the background. Advantage being your using the more agressive MHD maps while also maintaining the built in safety features of the JB4. I'm pretty sure that's the deal.

I see, how does one go about doing the JB4 as well as the MHD? That sounds like something id want to do.

[Bimmer_Bro]

Originally Posted by Randomizer2

Is it accurate? idk seems like kind of a pain to have to navigate through the tablet or mount my phone solely to get those readings..... Gauges would be more convenient although I cannot find any good solutions. I have come across the p3 psi gauge which is fine and then I can mount 2 above the steering column but I am worried about visibility there. I can also mount another one at the bottom of the a pillar but not actually attached to it just next to it. So I have boost, afr, oil temp and oil psi. Could something like this be possible?

The logs and gauges will be more accurate on MHD then the ricer ones in the cockpit. It is reading the information directly from the ecu and sensors. There is a lot to
Monitor on these cars to make sure they are running properly once tuned. Also beware before you buy how expensive it is to
Maintain an N54 properly. Some of the common problems are an expensive pain.

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by Randomizer2

Is it accurate? idk seems like kind of a pain to have to navigate through the tablet or mount my phone solely to get those readings..... Gauges would be more convenient although I cannot find any good solutions. I have come across the p3 psi gauge which is fine and then I can mount 2 above the steering column but I am worried about visibility there. I can also mount another one at the bottom of the a pillar but not actually attached to it just next to it. So I have boost, afr, oil temp and oil psi. Could something like this be possible?

Yes. Reads data from DME through obd port

I wouldn't bother fitting p3 or other gauges, just to view boost psi, afr etc your going to need a tablet or a phone to Datalog.

Boost psi, Boost target, lpfp, hpfp, afr, trims, timing corrections, oil, temp and 40+ more parameters to choose from, last time I checked.

[Randomizer2]

Originally Posted by Saif2018

Yes. Reads data from DME through obd port

I wouldn't bother fitting p3 or other gauges, just to view boost psi, afr etc your going to need a tablet or a phone to Datalog.

Boost psi, Boost target, lpfp, hpfp, afr, trims, timing corrections, oil, temp and 40+ more parameters to choose from, last time I checked.

Wow alright... So do people have they're phone mounted on a vent or something and have the app constantly running?

[Randomizer2]

Originally Posted by Bimmer_Bro

The logs and gauges will be more accurate on MHD then the ricer ones in the cockpit. It is reading the information directly from the ecu and sensors. There is a lot to
Monitor on these cars to make sure they are running properly once tuned. Also beware before you buy how expensive it is to
Maintain an N54 properly. Some of the common problems are an expensive pain.

That's another thing I am worried about is the reliability of the car. That's why im so surprised people use an app for monitoring..... Not saying it is bad but it just doesn't seem practical to have my phone only being used for that. As well as having to open up the app every time I want to drive. Is there a better way? Some say get P3 boost gauge some say don't... Not sure what to do here.

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by Randomizer2

Wow alright... So do people have they're phone mounted on a vent or something and have the app constantly running?

Yep, some people have it running all the time, others run it when they want to log and monitor. Some prefer to have a tablet mounted and running the app. Your choice

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by Randomizer2

That's another thing I am worried about is the reliability of the car. That's why im so surprised people use an app for monitoring..... Not saying it is bad but it just doesn't seem practical to have my phone only being used for that. As well as having to open up the app every time I want to drive. Is there a better way? Some say get P3 boost gauge some say don't... Not sure what to do here.

The solution to free up the phone is to Buy a cheap tablet, and have MHD running on the tablet instead of your phone.

With regard to reliability, you need to make sure all maintenance is taken care of, leaks, gaskets replaced, plugs and coils sorted including charge pipe etc , you will probably have some issues but if you maintain the car properly then you will have a lot less issues to deal with.

[fgpalmer71]

If your worried about using your phone a cheap tablet can be had for change and a low profile magnetic vent mount for pennies. The tablet can stay in the car and even be wired up. Unless your in love with the stock head unit there are a number of android based headunits that will handle this function and look factory in the dash.

[Randomizer2]

Originally Posted by Saif2018

The solution to free up the phone is to Buy a cheap tablet, and have MHD running on the tablet instead of your phone.

With regard to reliability, you need to make sure all maintenance is taken care of, leaks, gaskets replaced, plugs and coils sorted including charge pipe etc , you will probably have some issues but if you maintain the car properly then you will have a lot less issues to deal with.

The car I am looking at has around 160,000kms... Owner says oil pan gasket was changed, fuel pump, water pump and thermostat and that is it.

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by Randomizer2

The car I am looking at has around 160,000kms... Owner says oil pan gasket was changed, fuel pump, water pump and thermostat and that is it.

Mileage is not really a issue as long as it's been looked after. I'm at 124 miles and there's others at 150+k miles

It's good, that some common failure points been hopefully addressed.

Have it checked properly by someone who knows about N54's

Oil filter housing gasket and crank seals can also leak,

If you can, get the car on a ramp and have the undertray removed and inspected from bottom.