This Is The Key to Reliable Power in an N54...

[@cd919performance3]

From a tuning perspective, it's always easy to tell which cars have been taken care of. This one was a breeze to dial in! 😎

[@ThicWhips]

Thank you sir!

[@bluntintheair]

@cd919performance3 can you do my 135i !!!!

[@Marwen_Pekae]

Bought a 335i E92 with the n54 engine in late 2018 with 55.000 km on the clock. Now it has about 90.000 km on the clock and so far I've had zero issues. When I read and hear about all the issues that come with owning an N54 I always thought to myself, maybe I was just happy so far. I think maintenance and proper driving when the engine is cold does a lot. Greetings from Bavaria, Germany

[@joshuaquilliam2887]

Same, had my 08xi for 4.5 years. It has never left me stranded, and I have never had a limp mode. But I am very meticulous about my maintenance and I change parts before they go. So far so good with pure stage 2s on 93. Car is awesome and makes me smile every single time I get in and drive.

[@timlad123456]

Five years of daily driving and 130k miles on the clock and yes I had to replace the water pump, valve cover, vanos solenoids, but the motor is incredible. Flying bye M cars with a tune and aftermarket turbos is an amazing experience for very little expense. The negative comments come from haters who have never owned one, the N54 is a beast for relatively low cost to run. Great content and there is nothing suspect on any of your builds keep up the excellence

[@Dami2theMoon]

I be telling them I want another N54 motor and my people think I’m insane for it but I didn’t really have any problems

[@mateo10734]

It’s always people who’ve never touched these cars that got a lot to say. It sucks cause for newbies it turns them off and scares them into buying a bimmer but I think they’re amazing cars. It just not a Honda where you can run on 2 cylinders but who tf is trying to do that? We grown now, do your maintenance lil bros.

[@LateBoosted]

ive had my e92 n54 for a year and a half now got it with 43k miles and went from fbo e50 for about 6 months and now its top mount big turbo and still is a daily driver at 60k miles . As long as you take care of the platform, it will take care of you

[@joshuaquilliam2887]

N54 is a great platform, for the money imo not much can touch it. I have had mine 4.5 years, has never broke down, never left me stranded. But I am anal about my maintenance, I change things before they go bad. The E chassis is timeless, I always have people asking what year my 08 is, and when they hear it they are stunned. It isn't a Toyota so it cannot be maintained like one. Treat them right, and they will reward you every time you hit the start button.

[@RexRogers_]

I have a f30 and I low key want an E chassis but I’m scared of failure points

[@carzkickz2580]

N54 is what created all of the new bmw engines we allove now.. 1m clone is looking lovely. I can't wait to see it at invasion 💯

[@Dami2theMoon]

I been saying this for years

[@FortniteCompetition]

I think most people who buy these get them for the power and then when something goes wrong they can’t afford it and trash the platform. As a n54 owner I recommend maintenance first, power second

[@lms_apollo326]

Exactly what I say, a lot of guys just slap on bolt on mods with no sort of supporting/ maintenance mods then call the n54 unreliable when something goes wrong

[@Quisescp]

That’s what I’m focusing on myself been watching 100 maintenance vids, just totaled my f22 bought a 08 n54 cabrio for 4K

[@FortniteCompetition]

@ they can be very reliable if the maintenance is done, my biggest headache is oil leaks so I’ll be replacing every seal and possibly turbos as well.

[@atEase1775]

i had a 2009 e90 lci. OFH, Water Pump, injectors, bad injector drivers in ecu, catch can / evap system, walnut blasting, vanos, ignition / coil upgrade. the list goes on

[@GreeNe2k6]

Maintaining a bmw is very important and it will treat you well.

[@joshuaquilliam2887]

Cheap or young owners give this car a bad name. They have 5k bucks to buy a car and make 500 horse lol. They can afford the ebay parts, and the Jb4 but when the water pump goes bad they can't afford to fix it, so the car is of course a pos. I see more clapped TF out E90's and E92's than about any other model. If you don't have 3k bucks to fix things sitting in your bank all the time, don't buy an N54. For those of us that can afford it, that can turn our own wrenches, these cars will be a bargain for a long time.

[@OpressivePeach]

I got a 335 for $1000 and replaced some stuff already and it runs strong, 270k miles.

[@thisguyshorty3554]

Have you done rod bearings?

[@OpressivePeach]

@@thisguyshorty3554nope

[@mewfuz37]

2.. 270? What how

[@skinny6710]

Still running strong? No one talks about high mileage on this engine

[@thorpersing1408]

Psyched to watch the progression of your build 👌. Couldn't agree more regarding your philosophy on doing the maintenance on N54's. Thankfully through forums and guys like yourself, there is a wealth of knowledge regarding the common maintenance issues. I bought a 2009 black/black 135i 6 speed a year ago and did the walnut blasting, index 12 injectors, water pump, clutch upgrade from a 550i manual (which is a gem), charge pipe, catless downpipe, VRSF intercooler, and off the shelf MHD tune. Clutch and injectors were spendy, but necessary. I've put almost 10k miles on it and love it. Super reliable. Freeway pulls on E30 blend tune are like WOAH... Can't wait to watch your feedback on your M3 subframe and Ohlins. Huge props dude. N54's are absolutely reliable if you do your homework and do the proper maintenance. Preach!

[@user-gl5ld9vm7i]

Keep up the awesome work, Thic! Please never sell 1M-dupe. Absolutely love the car.

[@Omarion14able]

Your initial statement is so accurate about reliability on this platform. My E90 335i was my second most reliable car I’ve ever owned. Service and maintenance is a must. 🎉

[@qwert54321qaz]

Agreed on your point about maintenance, but some of the N54 'maintenance' isn't what I'd consider reasonable. E.g. changing the rod bearings.

[@mjflit]

Guys coming from domestics also just can't fathom this. You can literally drive an LS motor and beat the crap out of it and it just doesn't care. Oil and gas and that's it.

[@donDiago]

I have a 335i N54 for 14 years the last 4 with T17 Ebay turbo's a 600 reliable HP which I fitted myself and it is one of the most reliable cars I have owned in my 55 years of driving, regular maintenance is the key.

[@josephkelly4893]

Have a e92 335i with the n54, just clicked over 200k kms (50 thousand of those mine). It’s been bulletproof, keep in maintained, still stock but I have boxes of parts for fbo upgrades one day, think I’ll wait till wastgate rattle gets too bad and I’ll push the button on a set of Pure Turbos for it. I enjoy driving it stock for the time being, such a sorted platform. Don’t listen to the online haters, they don’t know what they are speaking about. Great car brother, bet you can’t wait for the new rear and the LSD

[@1laimmiss]

I'm glad you as me think that anything over 500 who is just ridiculous. 700-1000whp you can't put the power down in no gear on street. Yeah it might hook on the dragstrip but on dragstrip there's cars making 1000-2000whp so you ain't wowing anyone. 500whp is awesome. Those dyno racers can go f off

[@ArtemDzhadzha]

I own N54 (335xi) for about 8 years, tuned it around a year after buying it. Not too much, chargepipe + BOV, downpipes, intercooler, oil catch, MHD stage 2, E30 mix, and suspension. Just recently I also bought 20203 X5 M50i (N63TU3) for the family. And despite I always loved V8 more, I love both my engines. The V8 is stock and on the heavy X5 it's not faster than my tuned N54. Just feels different and has more torque on the low end

[@JimmiMack]

Thanks for this. I've got a 2009 335i and I've been dreading all the negative talk about the N54. I'm all in on keeping it maintained.

[@mike-ps2cb]

It's about time you put an lsd in that car. $50k+ into a build and still driving around with an open diff is ridiculous.

[@vek94reviews54]

Finally someone who noticed that. Hope he goes with a clutch/plate lsd and not wavetrac and other lsd types

[@ThicWhips]

Relax man good builds take time. I’m getting there, just gotta enjoy the process

[@user-ki8zf1rp1e]

​@@vek94reviews54Hoping for a Ford 8.8 from SLG. They're about to be dropping a version 2 of the kit soon

[@BMWEiMSport]

I have an OS Giken Superlock on mine.

[@khemchee4685]

@@user-ki8zf1rp1e I was wondering what was up they took the kit off the website

[@punkboy459]

People think it cheap to buy N54 and make big power, but can't afford proper maintenance first on these cars are the real reason why those platform are neglected. I have been in N54 game for more than 8 years. No issues. I even already know few b58 owners are starting to have issues with the higher miles platform such as oil pump failure, rod bearing etc! Its pretty much same thing where they need attention just like N54.

[@littleroller]

Thanks for the 135i Build Sheet - amazing!

[@theradgamerx]

It’s basically 1m they come with n54 lol

[@USTheMiniDude]

I just picked up my first N54 with my 2011 Z4 35IS and even completely stock it is a joy. And only 49K miles. I plan on keeping any upgrades mild, maybe a tune, and a little exhaust work. The rest will just be maintenance.

[@kaiichinose9590]

Dude phenomenal build and explanation. Im not new to bmw and you are 100percent correct. The n54,n55,b58,s55,s58 whatever..... you have to do the maintenance and not put cheapo depo parts on the car, get a custom tune and the car will do you right. Using high quality parts and knowing what you are doing makes the world of a difference. People chase 900whp for these cars that are meant for more than just a straight line does take away. 550-650whp is a great street car and can be achieved on each of these. The n54 with doc race top single mount turbo is an animal. I actually think the s55 with top mount single is a beast too (only way id own an s55). Keep up of the great teaching tools and videos brotha.my buddy did the same with his 135 and its narly. Dynoed at 705whp. Daily drives and has 101k miles.

[@jaimehurtado356]

Hey that's the 1st thing I noticed and commented when you did the new setup, it sounds like a V8 but like a low displacement V8 a more exotic V8 instead of like a hemi or LS

[@hawkhand6238]

The only real problems on the n54 is the serpentine belt, it will slip eventually, but everything else is just gaskets and leaky injectiors. I definitely miss my n54

[@ThicWhips]

Yes! Leaky injectors is a fact I’ve got one right now lol

[@exiteternium]

i see one mod never done on BMW crankshafts for oiling.. and that is chamfer the rod bearing oil hole on the backside of rotation. i think a slight chamfer would drastically help with bearing wear and oiling. also i think 500-600HP on twins would be my happy spot, maintain factory like spool, maybe add the Reflex Motiv SFI box and flex fuel kit to run MPI with some corn juice when i want, and that is about it. i also think mods that also cover maintenance are a good path, like the bremmen aluminum cover, and the B58 coil conversion, replace all coils, and plugs, and upgrade the ignition system at the same time. CSF aluminum radiator for better cooling efficiency and get rid of crappy plastic end tanks.. ( this isn't BMW specific, i hate plastic end tanks on everything, especially since coolant from any manufacturer but especially GM Dexos just eats the crap out of plastic) the Aluminum Mickey Mouse flange, a billet oil filter cap, for ease of removal using a standard owned wrench or socket. maybe the mosselman oil thermostat and cooler upgrade to maintain oil viscosity over time. hard pipes and blow of valve for those happy turbo noises.

[@CasualStarlord]

loving this content, looking to pick up a 135i soon and this really helps my hesitation for the N54, I wasn't even going to turn mine up and I was still warey :)

[@illkillas12]

I just bought a 335xi auto for a steal really wanted a rwd variant and manual but parts really arent that expensive and you’re right previous owners did not keep up with maintenance and im currently replacing a bunch of parts new to the platform to

[@Tachyon836]

To piggyback on the maintenance and reliability. The B58 is really solid, but it still has some things. You gotta do things like fuel injectors and coolant leaks and be on top of your oil. So even that's not perfect and the injectors aren't cheap. You'll be needing new bolts for the fuel rail and those are torque to yield. The injectors alone are costly as well. So yeah. Things can fail and high pressure fuel pumps can go out, it's not common but it can happen. Gotta do coils and plugs more frequently than most cars too

[@VeeDubJordan]

9:00 described my exact philosophy! I got a hard time from one of my friends when i installed my hybrid turbo on my GTI because i wasn't pushing it to the extreme like 500+ zone. My car makes the same power as a Stage 2 Golf R with E85 on pump gas and that's all i wanted lol, usable> making it undriveable and a risk. 500hp in a front wheel drive car can't take corners like a 350-400hp one can lol. Anyways, love the content as always. Every time i watch your channel it just makes me want to get a E Chassis BMW as a project even more!

[@Notyourfathersbmw]

Picked up a e90 335i 162k miles for 1200. Replaced turbos runs like a charm!

[@NightStalkerrMc]

Maintenance first, mods after! 162k she probably has an oil leak or two 😅

[@cameron6554]

“Thing thing sounds fucking rad dude” 😁👍

[@Dami2theMoon]

After getting into a accident with my 335is I told everyone I want to go back and some of my people say n54 isn’t a reliable but one of my boys had a 328 that didn’t even last him a year and my 335is with maintaining ny engine was lasting me 5 years still ran strong til I got hit

[@ahmadalghunaim2467]

I have a 2011 n54 e92 335is dct I bought it in 2012 and i upgraded it to full bolts on except the exhaust i was running approximately 390 whp on low rpm boost just for fun, i dont like to race with other people. Btw this car is the most beautiful car in my pov it is really reliable if u maintain it good. Now i am reviving it again because i stopped driving it for 3 years 😅 hopefully it holds on with the reliability after i revive it. I believe in this engine alot i am not seeking for power i am seeking for pure joy of the n54 power delivery in this next stage wish me luck please

[@zacmenton]

usable horsepower and reliable suspension and handling is all I ever need

[@gabrielgordon9104]

Great vid. What is the SMFW gearbox rattle like under load? I had a 135i with one and the rattle noise under load was a killer (i.e. anything from 1k to 3k rpm in eg. 4th gear). Over 3k rpm the noise went away. I ask as I have also built a 1m clone and am not looking to go single turbo - but will need a SMFW to support the power and not sure I can bare the noise again! Cheers

[@mattlau]

Lovely car. How is the reliability of the turbo? I am not sure if the 128i is a better choice for me as a daily driver.

[@efp1103]

I’ve always said the N54 only has a bad rep because of bad owners. Too many kids who wanna go fast and know nothing about maintenance buy these because of the entry price

[@richmusick4881]

Gonna put a big boy single turbo on my N54 335is. Would love for you to drive it and see how it feels when I'm all done man!

[@raxx2rowdy]

Thank you for defending the n54 man people always try and talk trash about legends when there older

[@chris347438]

I’ve blown 4 n54 I’m on my 5th now w upgraded t19 turbos. Hopefully this one doesn’t let me down 😅

[@chris347438]

And just FYI I’ve owned two MT 335i for like 10 years

[@660syndicate2]

My dude showing what happens when you take care of your N54 they fuckin rip ..mine has 190k+ miles and still gets it fbo stock turbos on mhd 🤷

[@maxweinbach3996]

tldr - have connections (parts, service, and a garage) to perform maintenance

[@Lolitofuneko]

I will do the huge maintenance job on next summer on my 335i. Will do the single turbo conversion at the same time and I want it to last. Gonna aim for 500hp on 93 and 600hp with ethanol. It's going to be a lot of work but it's gonna be worth it! Also btw, who is your tuner?

[@sayan1667]

In general BMW's are cars that want to be maintained. Germans are people who follow the rules and the engineers build their cars expecting people to follow the rules when they own a BMW. They are not expensive to buy and people dont know that BMW have one of the most expensive OEM parts for maintaining. Most BMW owners can not afford to regularly do the work, but they drive the cars like they can afford the bills and when the car says enough is enough and they start trashing on the car, while in reality its not the Car's fault. The I6 diesel is super strong engine and can do over 400k kilometers without a single major problem if its being maintained properly.

[@RaggoMiguel]

All well and good saying that the n54 is a reliable platform but the maintenance on this engine you’re talking about gets expensive and not everyone has an endless pit of money to spend when things go wrong, and when things go wrong they go wrong bad!!!

[@Kh.J.]

Once you start put more power and keeps going WOT then let’s talk about build reliability and what kind of issue but it’s solid around 500/600 HP

[@donDiago]

These cars are going up in value big time.

[@Allmotor1m]

It really does have an s65 tone to it. Sounds sick 👍🏻

[@DLindgren46]

I havent followed your build and am very interested in getting myself a 135i and would like to know what things I should think and look for in buying one. Like what needs to be done? Heard ypu talk about vanos solenoid? I have read about a oil gasket also.

[@ronsmith647]

Love the car Nice build. If you’re swapping to M3 rear subframe, differential etc. Which drive shaft will you use or is the M3 driveshaft compatible?

[@ThicWhips]

It will be a custom driveshaft. If you use m3 it must be shortened

[@nickbarba9809]

love my e82! best purchase ever. glad my 335i got taken out or i would have never got it

[@liammartin8773]

when you say you did all of the bearings did you do just the rod bearings? or literally all of the bearings?

[@sayan1667]

Beautiful car and I like the taste of your style! Simple, effective and clean. Chef's kiss *

[@MrCougar1825]

never had a problem with my ST n54 335i did I replace almost everything yep did It brake down nope and I got vanos off amazon lasted 9months o2 diff story but thats st life I daily my car at 750whp for years never a problem tbh I didnt get on it at every stop light or no it would of not lasted

[@oRicardoHetfield]

So jealous!! What a car! Keep going man! I would just get rid of that tires, so noisy i just couldn't ahah

[@sethfindley7794]

I paid 5k for a 50k mile n54 … idk where you find 1500 blocks. Best up leaky ones go for 2500 all day

[@Twiztid_Metal]

Does have a lil v8 bark to it

[@denyvarghese906]

Hey man! I love his car. Ie ollowing you for a good minute. I love how you play with your whip. I had question, I know you probably don’t want to sell your 1serious but if you where to sell it, what would dollar amount? I’m asking I love the way this sounds & perform! I’m 45 so street racing secne I’m done with all that. Like you I’m down just driving around the car.

[@johnzuniga3567]

Definitely looks like NJ or PA back roads

[@carfeen]

So what should i address on my 30k mile 335is before going single? 🤔

[@emncali]

between the og m2, f82 m4 and the supra for my next car. m2 and m4 are both in my budget but do i stretch the budget to get the supra? i love the supra

[@Sander_Salamander]

While he isn’t wrong. A good platform wouldn’t need so much work. My charge pipe blew up on the second day I owned my n54. It of course needed a hpfp right after that and would go on to need another one not long after. Water pump failures, $1400 injectors needing replacement at 80k miles, waste gate rattle, you name it all on a 100% stock car. Great actual engine block, not so great everything else.

[@ysdontplay6171]

what mic do you use to capture the turbo so well?

[@wrektem240]

154k on my n54. Love it.

[@brokeitracing1320]

I wish I could get ohlin suspension for my car ...but no love for the e92 xDrive chassis😢.. I already have the M3 rear end on my car tho .. I could probably get it for that😊

[@n54_GOAT]

Running ohlins on my e90 335xi

[@j.barnett3392]

It is all about ratio in diff with the lsd

[@Maddden]

B58 is going to cost more then the N54 in the long run have you looked at that engine bay lol no shade either still a solid car

[@lovertskeet]

What’s his steering wheel spec ??

[@wendymorgan6651]

I love my 1M they can cost you up to 5 grand a year here in OZ

[@davewallace9048]

Can you tell us how much a used M3 subframe differential assembly goes for

[@ThicWhips]

I paid $2200 for the entire rear shipped. From what I’ve researched this is a solid price when it includes shipping. The shipping via freight is not cheap

[@davewallace9048]

@@ThicWhips yes, I think that’s a killer deal considering a wave track differential would cost that

[@littleroller]

@@ThicWhips amazing price!

[@denniscasasnovas7402]

I just absolutely love this car!

[@Fate-tv.]

I mean I’m not too knowledgeable about this platform, but with all you put into this car, couldn’t you have just bought a real 1M

[@ashtonv2891]

Definitely not

[@myles_n54]

SPEAKING ONLY FACTS BRO💯💯 Sick ass build man

[@joshuafidone]

i know that you have an OEM approach to car build, but, with that power why not try to use AP Racing brakes?

[@ThicWhips]

Let me borrow $8k for front and rear brakes bro and I got you. 😂🫰

[@joshuafidone]

@@ThicWhips right 😅

[@spacemonkey7461]

Do you have the front e92 subframe on it already? Or is it coming too?

[@ThicWhips]

Only reason to do front subframe is if I were s65 swapping. With n54 you just upgrade arms, knuckles and brakes to run your setup if choice. Which I’m doing when I install rear end

[@mixxeerr]

How do I find an N54 for $1500? Is there a website?

[@kirkthorpe5392]

“But bro I wanna slam it and do a burble tune so I’ll wait on maintenance” 😂

[@Beemerboii]

Very cool build

[@ForceFed]

I had a chuckle from the smooth brainer's "suss" comment. Thanks! 🤣

[@darklegion7780]

Just put a tune , better cooling system and that's it.

[@Big.J243]

What model this one??

[@SweeTM8-]

You should totally put the e92 M3 engine in the 1M clone

[@NickRidgers]

Finishes the setup then literally swaps the two motors between the cars 😂

[@SweeTM8-]

@@NickRidgers when you start a build you can never finish it there’s always something you can change

[@BMWEiMSport]

I think the S65 was always the long term plan. Not sure if that is still on the table though.

[@yapira3d]

Hell no

[@Saielb]

Love the Sus build killer car🔥

[@frederickhalljr8947]

NICE WORK

[@ThicWhips]

Thanks

[@bigt060654]

Hell yeah new vid 🔥🔥🔥

[@importjdmexport3119]

True people give up on there’s cars because of the expensive injectors 😭

[@B58luja23]

I really does sound like a jet

[@Little.R]

Nobody knows what preventative maintenance means anymore lol.

[@vDungeon]

Oh i have bmw e71 with the n54b30. I have a lot to say…. Mostly about car shops whose hands are growing from their asses instead of shoulders…..

[@simonshek8701]

Yep. Really anybody buying an n54. Be ready to repeat leaning over and sliding under the little beast. Its still embarrassinh compared to my old evo 8.. Kinda weak for a 3.0 tt

[@alexhentschel1080]

When you droppin in the s65?? lol ;)

[@ThicWhips]

Naj

[@RexRogers_]

You can tell when people only want high HP that they don’t really drive

[@inouske2975]

whop dont likes hearing turbo sounds on their sports car.....? bruh u might be loosing it. Ure officially growing into old ppl category. Soon enough u will hate loud cars and u finna get mad at ppl and shii

[@mikemartin6857]

All you young cats wanting into this platform need to.listen to this man because he is spitting facts!! It's not always about being the fastest! If you wanna have the fastest car on the block on a budget this is not the car for you. The n54 is an aging sports car platform and yes they are maintenance heavy. And if you get all you maintenance done they arr amazing cars! I personally own an 08 e93 with the n54 and I ama fbo stage2+ still on stock turbos with 140k on the clock and my car makes 400hp and is damn fun to drive! And yes on these cars 400 -500 is the sweet spot and still maintian a level of reliability.Sometimes you have to enjoy a car for what it is and not have expectations for what it isn't. N54 😎💯🫡