[8335i9]

So I got the vrsf downpipes and 7" fmic installed over the weekend. I did not do the install, but my shop said install was pretty easy, and fitment was perfect. On the dps he did have to mess with it a little to get it perfectly aligned.

First time start up, sounded great! Definitely throatier, and you can hear the turbo so much better. I have the jb4, and bms dci, installed already, and have 93 octane here. So I set it on map 2, and definitely felt a HUGE difference. Car really woke up. If you are wanting to get downpipes and intercooler, DO NOT SPEND MORE THAN YOU NEED TO! The products are definitely of great quality.

The only issue I had was with the T Clamp that connects the intercooler to the charge pipe. When I first got on it, I hit about 13 lbs of boost, and it came off. Put it back together, tightened it, and went wot again, and bam blew off again. So I just went to autozone, grabbed some regular couplers, tightened the shit out of it, and no problems. I hit 17 lbs and no problems.

Another thing, if you are getting these and expecting your exhaust to be louder, it wont be. It is a little louder under wot, and the burble is really nice in low rpms, and you do hear the turbo spool a lot more, however its definitely not what I was expecting. The only reason I bring this up, I was expecting to have a drastically louder car, but its really not that much louder. It does sound nice though! You will not be disappointed!

I have an e90 335i Lci.

[JAL0988]

Ya I have the 7" FMIC and DP's from VRSF and love them. Good to see another happy customer. If you want a little more sound I would suggest the golf tee mod. Takes literally 15 seconds and is reversible in the same amount of time. The catless DP's with golf tee mod sounds awesome IMHO.

[8335i9]

Oh yes I completely agree! I have the jb4, with the exhaust flap open at all times! I do love it! I'm thinking of getting the exhaust as well

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by 8335i9

So I got the vrsf downpipes and 7" fmic installed over the weekend. I did not do the install, but my shop said install was pretty easy, and fitment was perfect. On the dps he did have to mess with it a little to get it perfectly aligned.

First time start up, sounded great! Definitely throatier, and you can hear the turbo so much better. I have the jb4, and bms dci, installed already, and have 93 octane here. So I set it on map 2, and definitely felt a HUGE difference. Car really woke up. If you are wanting to get downpipes and intercooler, DO NOT SPEND MORE THAN YOU NEED TO! The products are definitely of great quality.

The only issue I had was with the T Clamp that connects the intercooler to the charge pipe. When I first got on it, I hit about 13 lbs of boost, and it came off. Put it back together, tightened it, and went wot again, and bam blew off again. So I just went to autozone, grabbed some regular couplers, tightened the shit out of it, and no problems. I hit 17 lbs and no problems.

Another thing, if you are getting these and expecting your exhaust to be louder, it wont be. It is a little louder under wot, and the burble is really nice in low rpms, and you do hear the turbo spool a lot more, however its definitely not what I was expecting. The only reason I bring this up, I was expecting to have a drastically louder car, but its really not that much louder. It does sound nice though! You will not be disappointed!

I have an e90 335i Lci.

The T clamps are actually the better clamps and less prone to slipping off.

Worm clamps create uneven pressure and prone to slipping off.

I would put the T clamps back on and tighten them a lot. I would rub down the area with rubbing alcohol first and then spray some hairspray, seriously.

[8335i9]

I agree the t clamps are usually better, but for some reason, it kept busting off. Maybe I had a random faulty one, haha. I'll try that when I get another t clamp! Thanks!

[stanlalee]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

Worm clamps create uneven pressure and prone to slipping off.

Its the exact opposite. Worm clamp distributes pressure more evenly across the circumference. T-clamp applies more pressure but more unevenly. I prefer worm clamp. Too many junk T clamps and V bands out there. Most worn clamps are more reliable unless you NEED something stronger because race car

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by stanlalee

Its the exact opposite. Worm clamp distributes pressure more evenly across the circumference. T-clamp applies more pressure but more unevenly. I prefer worm clamp. Too many junk T clamps and V bands out there. Most worn clamps are more reliable unless you NEED something stronger because race car

I agree somewhat and that makes me look like a hypocrite but hear me out.

You can get a more equal distribution with a worm clamp but you normally can't get the same clamping force as the T Bolt. So it's a give and take.

Another problem is sometimes the worm clamps dig into the coupler and over time they can tear. (Happened to me personally by trying to over-tighten it). Went to a T bolt and problem was solved.

You are right that there are some junk T bolt clamps and another issue is that the piping should really have a bead roll at the end. The bead roll at the end of the pipe really helps when you are looking for a good seal.

[nitehawk]

I'm just going to leave this right here

[8335i9]

Well so far the worm clamp works fine. So worm clamp-1 t clamp-0

[AlpineSwift]

Can't imagine why you're having t-bolt issues. Tightened mine until I had some decent resistance. I boost up around 16psi at this altitude. Done tons of pulls and haven't blown one off.

[N0Chill 335i]

Thanks for this review. Ordering mines next week along with their charge pipe. Did you keep your original pipe? They are supposed to be blown to like BLOWING apart under high boost.

[8335i9]

I have my original charge pipe, but I did crack it about 6 months ago? Realistically you don't HAVE to get an upgraded charge pipe, but it definitely doesn't hurt. I'll probably end up getting one! The last time I cracked mine, I went from the economy map to map 5 real quick, and it popped. I think it was just the right conditions! Haha

[Tiago@VRSF]

If I had to guess, the t-bolt is causing a blow off due to the coupler being mis-placed on either end.

The t-bolt is about twice the width of the worm gear so if the lower charge pipe isn't seated deeply enough into the coupler, the bead is too close to the edge of the coupler and the wider t-bolt will prevent the clamp from holding. This can be resolved by pushing either angling the coupler up a bit and off the intercoolers end tank or by pushing the L pipe into the coupler a bit.

To be honest, a worm gear clamp correctly placed will perform as well as a t-bolt will anywhere from 15-25psi. You start running into trouble at boost levels above that depending on the quality of the worm gear and quality of the bead on the piping.

[Dmacc]

My T-clamp on my vrsf 7" holds fine with 21psi. Maybe reposition and rub the area down with alcohol like Jeff mentioned.

[8335i9]

the shop that did the install, was not the best, but it works, if the worm clamp goes ill put another tclamp on.