How to Make 600+ HP from your N54 E9x! | Upgrade or Unload

Welcome back to another episode of Upgrade or Unload! In today's episode, we work on Chris's E90 335xi to see if we can help upgrade his car, or if ultimately he wants to unload it! Along the way, Chris will show you how to take your N54 to the next level with just a few modifications!
Follow Chris on Instagram! - / racecar_camp
Thank you to this episodes sponsors:
‪@liquimolywebtv‬
‪@HengstFiltration‬
‪@bilsteinUS‬
‪@HAWKPERFORMANCE‬
‪@CSFracing‬
‪@TurnermotorsportBMW‬
Bosch
Febi
Suvneer
Want to build your E9x like Chris's?
ECS Tuning Intake - bit.ly/3vN2jz1
Turner Motorsport Cowl Delete - bit.ly/3HsY4LN
Turner Motorsport E9x xDrive Skid Plate - bit.ly/493nPxS
Suvneer GT4 Front Lip - bit.ly/42NWcH6
ECS M3 Style Front Bumper - bit.ly/4bNE0Bx
Turner Motorsport Valved Titanium Exhaust - bit.ly/3T787fT
ECS Tuning N54 Chargepipe - bit.ly/3UOGoC8
CTS Turbo Intercooler - bit.ly/49MbwGn
VRSF Intercooler - bit.ly/42NrTQS
Turner Motorsport Heavy Duty Coolant Tank - bit.ly/3T7VpO9
ECS Tuning Performance Air Scoops - bit.ly/3ORdmOp
Turner Motorsport Short Shifter - bit.ly/3T9AkCI
ECS Tuning Coilovers - bit.ly/48qDLcI
Looking for more for you E9x?
Check out our wide selection of parts here! - bit.ly/4c0loP5
For all your European Auto Parts needs, visit our website: www.ecstuning.com/
Follow us on Social Media:
FB: bit.ly/3eaTyWT​
IG: bit.ly/3cD3N5N
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:27 - Your first steps to making power
05:18 - Some quality-of-life mods
06:57 - Time for BIG power
10:32 - The cool new parts
13:23 - New parts install montage
17:37 - Always double check fitment!
19:10 - Who doesn't love Titanium?
20:03 - Brake talk with Mitch
22:00 - Maintenance and Upgrade time!
24:40 - The final build day
29:19 - Will he keep it? Or will he Unload it?
Don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more DIY's, Car Builds and other content for enthusiasts, by enthusiasts.
#N54 #E90335i #ECSTuning

[@ecstuning]

Make sure you hit up Chris on Instagram ( instagram.com/racecar_camp/ ) if you have any questions or are interested in his 335xi!

[@ArticulateArena]

*if for off road. are they not allowed on road? just some states or the whole country?

[@fir3851]

@@ArticulateArenadepends on your state

[@carvelera]

feeling proud own the n54, there is still new video saying about this beast in 2024...

[@racecarcamp9056]

I subscribe to the thought that the N54 is the new modern 2JZ-ish!

[@exiteternium]

@racecarcamp9056 German 2 jz.. but not modern, the 2 just uses some tech that is seen on motorcycles that the n54 isn't using like cam buckets on the valves, abd a timing belt instead of a chain.. Personally I prefer the lower maintenance of hydraulic lash adjustment over bucket valves, and chain over belt. Might not Rev as high, but will last a very long time.

[@racecarcamp9056]

@@exiteternium I can agree with that! Having to work on your own cars, I'd take a chain over belt though!

[@exiteternium]

@racecarcamp9056 I have the n54 cause I prefer chain too, and hydraulic lash adjustment over shims under cam buckets ( I also own a zx10r motorcycle) less maintenance.

[@BrokeMahWallet]

Yessuh we love e90 content 🔥🔥❤️‍🔥

[@frankwickham2950]

For the mirrors either replacing it or just with bimmercode you can switch off the automatic mirror folding feature without having to cut wires or anything

[@SyncedCyberSoule]

Sweet, Chris! I have an e90 as well, and have done and plan to do similar things. (EBay rep skirts got me too, lol.) The mirror folding problem; I fixed by disabling the unlock folding. It works great on the m3 style mirrors, but the Highline units just seem to constantly have issues. On top of that the motor for moving them quit so I just decided to swap them out with the other non folding larger style from the junkyard and set them manually with my finger. They work great and I can see so much more in traffic. Eagerly awaiting more on this!

[@racecarcamp9056]

Yeah, I probably should have fit the skirts before I painted them! Bodywork is new to me, you only make the same mistake once (hopefully). Thanks for the notes on the mirrors, I'm not ready to throw in the towel on saving the factory mirrors! Maybe if I can figure it out we can do a whole DIY on them because I've found loads of people have the same issue. It annoys me that it's the only thing on the car that's subpar :(

[@racecarcamp9056]

How did you disable the unlock folding? That would at least reduce my blood pressure everyday!

[@aombarbor]

Removing Cabin air filter actually help with heat soak like a lot alot

[@exiteternium]

ECS should partner with seems legit for the F8X and up M series brake upgrade kit using the 4 Pot brembo calipers with the 380mm rotors. .

[@dylanpage4106]

Can you guys do F30 N55 stuff please and thank you

[@bavarianhero]

I need me some of those parts still. I used to have catless/full exhaust circuit werk, but with index 4 I couldn’t keep the engine happy. Since then I just did resonator delete with stock downpipes. Luckily I changed to silicone inlets, charge pipe, and turbo smart bov and the car sounds like a raging bull. I recommend everything here on this video for your n54! Also change your DMLT before you change anything around the platform, if your codes are still there change everything else. If not that was the only issue the whole time. Talking from experience.

[@racecarcamp9056]

Oh man, index 4 is living brave! For my build I wanted to zero out any potential issues and jumped right to the index 12s when I started adding big power. I haven't had any issues with the DMLT fume pump *knocks on wood*

[@xriot1752]

I wouldn't flash an MHD tune on my car before upgrading the stock (3in) FMIC to at least a 5in FMIC and getting cat-less downpipes like MDH RECOMMENDS. If you're making more power you want that extra cooling and that exhaust to have higher flow. At least they mentioned the charge pipe.

[@dariusGarage]

For the mirror look up M539 restorations, he's fixed this same issue in nearly every BMW he owns

[@racecarcamp9056]

Thank you! That was exactly what I needed to watch!

[@friguy4444]

The problem with the HKS BOV is that you can't up grade the vacuum line to a larger ,ine which is needed when going to bigger power and a full size BOV.

[@MatthewGlad]

Your running 1st racing inlets same Chinese factory as VRSF - Now they are reinforced too. The 2" inlets work perfectly on the factory turbos with the rubber boots which are on the turbos. Also where does the water go with your cowl delate? Your much better cutting the factory cowl so it directs water to the correct place

[@racecarcamp9056]

I've had the cowl delete on for a couple of years. I have not noticed any water intrusion anywhere and I'm climbing around in and out of the car often. The rain tray is still there at the base of the windshield and it is directing water into the side drains as you'd expect! Same with the leaves lol you still gotta clean those drains!

[@carfeen]

I can run 2 inch inlets on stock turbos ???

[@shabirbhatti11147]

Is this with stock internals or is your engine built?

[@AcousticheroM]

With the sidemirror. You got water damage in the control until on the driver side/ or it just went bad. Just change out the unit it’s about 20-30

[@racecarcamp9056]

Interesting. It's still folding, just too far. I'm going to try the mechanical repair first and see if that helps! I'll keep the control unit in mind though!

[@exiteternium]

the ride height of the car at beginning, with about 3 to 4 inches wheel gap, what suspension is that? i live in midwest and my 335I i jsut bought had like half an inch wheel gap and is not good for midwest roads.

[@ecstuning]

The car at the beginning was actually on stock suspension still

[@Nico_335i_DCT]

Very nice video guys. I have a question about which size FICM will fit on a factory M-tech front bumper with the "radar" sensor from the adaptive cruise control still intact? Is it 5,5" max? Thanks in forward. Dutch regards Nico.

[@ErrollJenkinsJr]

A 7.5 will fit into ur trim

[@ErrollJenkinsJr]

But if your staying under 500hp then a 5 or 5.5 stepped is all you need

[@Nico_335i_DCT]

@@ErrollJenkinsJr okay, many thanks. 450Hp is my goal. So I think I go for a 5 inch. Regards Nico.

[@Kh.J.]

Folding issue revers the wire

[@spool616]

No downpipes?

[@friguy4444]

I understand your selling stuff and that's fine. But the Cowl delete isn't the best thing to be doing. It takes away the protection of the water shed on the top of it. If you don't really go into automatic car washes or in much rain or park in the rain then your fine but if you're like me and use it everywhere as my daily then there are problems that can happen like water in your ECU or in your cylinders especially 5 and 6.

[@eman9372]

Damn is ECS on the verge of bankruptcy?? Nice sales pitch!!

[@warnin6925]

Forgot to mention down pipe

[@jasonleskiw9942]

Still waiting on any meaningful HP adding part… nothing done aside from the MHD provides meaningful gains. The IC will help safely run 1+ on the MHD, so you’re looking at 350hp.

[@destruxandexploze2552]

Damn, didn’t know they let idiots comment. Talks about upgraded turbos, fuel upgrades, FMIC upgrades (which keep air temps down and increases horsepower) intakes, charge pipes. Like??? Did you watch the video?

[@bullyzelda5981]

Do a b9 A4

[@dylanpage4106]

No don’t

[@jetonbalidemaj]

Youre telling me no water gets into those performance cabin filters when it rains???? Lmao

[@racecarcamp9056]

Correct. They've existed for 10+ years and are available from many different companies. It's a very common swap/mod. I've been driving the car with them for years, no issues.

[@evaniezzi]

Take the painted plastic cover off the side mirrors and clip the white wire (make sure to cap the exposed wire) to fix the folding mirror issue. You lose the folding mirror function but retain complete mirror control and reverse dip. Otherwise, you will need to replace the whole mirror assembly which is a pain and costly.

[@racecarcamp9056]

Thank you for a clear plan B if I fail to fix the mechanism!

[@The_smooth_2j]

Put a big turbo on it and call it a day.

[@racecarcamp9056]

I put two bigger turbos on it :D

[@brianj6314]

Where is the one for the n20 🤦🏾‍♂️ everyone hates on it but if u replace all plastic with metal that thing can run

[@CARTUNE.]

This should be, “How to make power for 11 days before something breaks again on your BMW.”!

[@racecarcamp9056]

Ha ha, that could be any BMW build video :P

[@336motorsportsllc]

Somebody a lil hurt ,need a hug

[@Michael-tc1yq]

Nuh uh, my car lasts at least 13 days between catastrophic failures.

[@B_M_DUBBA_U_]

The hate is real in this one

[@destruxandexploze2552]

“CARTUNE Productions!” Has no content. Seems like someone can’t tune, is this comment projecting your failures of tuning? 🥺

[@DC_E90]

.... ima be completely honest as much weight that tray is that sits under the stock cowl. i wouldnt remove it because its used to Redirect water to the side drainage system. with out it water is going into your engine and of course all over the wiring and plugs under that rea. things will get prone to drying and braking. my E90 335i i kept mine on for thsi reason. if your blower doesnt cause a fire a wire of plug due to water damage and corrosion would just saying.

[@racecarcamp9056]

Haven't had any issues with the cowl delete. Rain tray is still underneath the windshield with water (and leaves) still collecting properly in the gutters on either side of the bay. The cowl is a bit deeper under the hood.

[@DC_E90]

right.... thats exactly what i was saying lol to leave the tray because it redirects water......................... -.-! @@racecarcamp9056

[@y00h000]

Why would a charge pipe be the number one mod… with nothing else done

[@summerholiday2]

By itself, it's only going to add reliability and better turbo noises. The real magic happens when paired with other supporting mods, especially a tune.

[@bigash_n54]

Best mod is an LSD

[@Cmanns05]

All of his stated numbers are crank, not whp. Hybrids can do 600’s wheel but the left side of the tables numbers were definitely high.

[@jessicaandtrains7768]

The power people are actually making is far less than most say or think. Speaking as an owner of a 335 for 11 years.

[@Syntax73]

vargas lol

[@destruxandexploze2552]

DO NOT GET THE CABIN AIR COWL DELETE! It’s only like 6-8 bolts to take off the cowl, super easy. The reroute kit causes it to suck hot air into the cabin to a point you need to do AC and recirculation to cool things down, AND when it rains heavily, there’s no routing to drain the rain water, there’s cases of water getting into the firewall and even the blower motor. Just don’t do it!

[@JacesOwnWorld]

Curious at how overpriced you’re planning to sell this at?

[@racecarcamp9056]

Ha ha, right. Hard to find comps for a highly modified 335 that works correctly. Similar builds are around 17k on the forums and marketplace, but what they sell for.... who knows. I'm thinking 15k and see what happens. But I'm going to try and fix the dang mirror first.

[@racecarcamp9056]

OEM hood, bumper, summer wheels, OEM parts, etc. all included with the whole sale.

[@dylanpage4106]

Can you guys do F30 N55 stuff please and thank you

[@philmccrackin6465]

F30 LS swaps are in the works. https:/ /kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJyymZhji52Uaa8si=PlsWEfbWIs39TIi_

[@jasonleskiw9942]

Still waiting on any meaningful HP adding part… nothing done aside from the MHD provides meaningful gains. The IC will help safely run 1+ on the MHD, so you’re looking at 350hp.