STETT Performance Charge Pipe WITH Meth Bungs **REVIEW**

Former_Boosted_IS · 06-25-2009, 05:55 AM

The charge pipe on the N54 is quickly getting a reputation of blowing off at tuned boost levels if you upgrade to forge DVs or a BOV. STETT Performance was well aware of the issues with the stock and many aftermarket charge pipes so they decided to take an innovative approach to secured the charge pipe to the throttle body. They created a charge pipe with a patent pending notched silicone coupler secured by T-Bolt clamps that I reviewed about 6 weeks ago and I can happily say it has held very secure. There is zero oil accumulation anywhere on the coupler or in the circular notch in the throttle body opening. All is well. Ok, why is there a new review then?

I think a lot of people on the forums know that water/methanol injection is about to become huge on the N54 platform. Many including me do not want to drill the stock plastic pipe to mount the nozzles in case we want to go back to stock. The truth of the matter is many don't want to drill any pipe that leads to the throttle body because they are worried about some shavings getting injested into the engine. The problem is a lot of us are nervous about aftermarket pipes and their reputation of "blowing off" the throttle body. I think we have a win/win here. STETT Performance now has their secure charge pipe with water/methanol bungs welded onto the pipe in production! The pipe will be available for the following:

1. Stock DVs
2. Forge DVs
3. Aftermarket BOV

The pipe will have 2 water/methanol bungs (1/8 - 27 npt port) installed on the pipe and they will come with plugs in case you don't want to use them for now. This will give you huge flexibility down the road. So, on to the review...

Packaging

As always, everything was well wrapped. The charge pipe was bubble wrapped, and then packed well in peanuts in a large box.

What comes with the STETT Performance Charge Pipe with Water/Methanol Bungs?

- (1) STETT Charge Pipe with (2) water/methanol bungs (1/8 - 27 npt port)
- (2) Water/Methanol bung plugs
- (4) T-Bolt clamps
- (1) Silicone coupler for the intercooler side of the pipe
- (1) Notched silicone coupler for throttle body side of the pipe

Installation

Since I already did an extensive write-up on the installation process, I will defer to that. Here it is:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ett+BOV+charge

Installation of the water/methanol nozzles is pretty obvious too. Place your water/methanol nozzle in the port and tighten it down. Here is what it will look like as you install your nozzles.

Performance

There was a lot of discussion about the nozzle placement. STETT Performance, Matt Snow (President for Snow Performance), and Snow Performance engineers were all involved in the placement of the water/methanol nozzles. The location was picked because it will maximize octane enhancement from the water/methanol becase it is within about 6" of the throttle body, yet still give substantial cooling of your charge temps. The spray pattern fogs so well, that there will be almost no interruption or collision of the mist from the two nozzles in this location. In addition, with the nozzles on the bend of the charge pipe, the flow will be turbulent and they feel that the T-MAP sensor would only see a negligible amount of the mix. They say it is a non-factor.

My initial testing showed the charge temperatures dropped about 8-10 degrees over ambient during a couple of shorter full rpm pulls. Much more data and a review of the water/methanol kit I chose will be forthcoming soon.

Conclusion

Chad at STETT Performance has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Through this beta testing process he has devoted an enormous amount of time to short turn arounds and quality. They even had a "runner" waiting on the production run of the pipe to make sure they got the charge pipe to FEDEX, so I could have the pipe as soon as possible. I cannot say enough good things about STETT Performance.

The charge pipe addressed the "pop off" issues with their patent pending silicone coupler for the throttle body. STETT did not "cheap" on the hardware and includes T-Bolt clamps and all quality hardware. The water/methanol bungs are well designed and extremely well placed.

I am not sure of the final price, but it appears it will be under $250 for all the parts listed. You eliminate the pop off problems that so many have had with the charge pipes. You get flexibility to go water/methanol if you want or leave the bungs plugged if you have no interest in water/methanol. Either way you have flexibility and that is a good thing.

On top of everything, this is universal so the pipes will be available whether you like BOVs or DVs.

gt3fever · 06-25-2009, 06:15 AM

thanks for the review !! any ETA on this ?

Former_Boosted_IS · 06-25-2009, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hipertech

thanks for the review !! any ETA on this ?

STETT Performance says they will be available within two weeks.

Maybe he could do a group buy if there was enough interest?

Crazy AWD · 06-25-2009, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Former_Boosted_IS

STETT Performance says they will be available within two weeks.

Maybe he could do a group buy if there was enough interest?

I would be in for that!

bulldog_yyc · 06-25-2009, 07:30 AM

what are the improvements of this vs. the riss racing charge pipe?

Former_Boosted_IS · 06-25-2009, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turkish335

what are the improvements of this vs. the riss racing charge pipe?

I have never used the Riss pipe, so I don't really have any details on it.

LemansE82 · 06-25-2009, 07:51 AM

Thanks for the review!!...I wish I didn't have to wait two weeks for this.
Please have stett start the groupbuy.

ThorsHammer · 06-25-2009, 08:52 AM

Group Buy For a DV Version

1. ThorsHammer

LemansE82 · 06-25-2009, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThorsHammer

Group Buy

1. ThorsHammer

I'm down for one if price is right.

Going to need more info on the setup first.

If this is going to take too long UR has a BOV kit that'll work too.

5soko · 06-25-2009, 10:09 AM

Nice review, this looks very promising.

lpphreakx06 · 06-25-2009, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turkish335

what are the improvements of this vs. the riss racing charge pipe?

This one probably fits better.

TurboSid · 06-25-2009, 12:26 PM

im buying, Stett, do a group buy!!

marcvtec · 06-25-2009, 01:16 PM

Does this have any benefit on a tuned car with mods, ie more air more power etc.
I do not mean the meth aspect

brianhn1 · 06-25-2009, 01:25 PM

I'll be interested for a group buy also.

LemansE82 · 06-25-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcvtec

Does this have any benefit on a tuned car with mods, ie more air more power etc.
I do not mean the meth aspect

From my experience, the stock charge pipe is not sitting on the body very securely, so, there could possibly be leaks.

ThorsHammer · 06-25-2009, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcvtec

Does this have any benefit on a tuned car with mods, ie more air more power etc.
I do not mean the meth aspect

My stock CP blows off about every other day. That's what this will help.

Former_Boosted_IS · 06-26-2009, 04:52 AM

Thanks for the kind words on the reviews guys.

I am almost 100% sure that there will be a group buy. Thors, you can finally have a fix to your charge pipe blow off!

cincy335i · 06-26-2009, 07:53 AM

I'm in for a GB as well.

bulldog_yyc · 06-26-2009, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Former_Boosted_IS

I have never used the Riss pipe, so I don't really have any details on it.

I was asking for a comparison of the features, not so much a personal comparison with "feel" per say.

The riss racing charge pipe has similar features, LESS THE METH bungs. The RR also comes with T-bolt clamps and has a notch close to the TB.

Not saying which is better or worse, but ignoring the meth feature (which not everyone will want), in your opinion, how does the stett add value over the riss charge pipe?

Former_Boosted_IS · 06-26-2009, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turkish335

I was asking for a comparison of the features, not so much a personal comparison with "feel" per say.

The riss racing charge pipe has similar features, LESS THE METH bungs. The RR also comes with T-bolt clamps and has a notch close to the TB.

Not saying which is better or worse, but ignoring the meth feature (which not everyone will want), in your opinion, how does the stett add value over the riss charge pipe?

Please understand I will always provide every ounce of personal information I have. I don't have any first hand experience with the Riss Racing charge pipe. Without that info, I am simply speculating.

What I can tell you is that the STETT has not had a single instance of blowing off. The "notch" on the silicone coupler is a locking design that STETT has a "patent pending" on. An extensive effort was put into making sure this charge pipe stays secure.

I have a lot of respect for Riss as well, so it would be foolish of me to speculate without first hand knowledge.

bulldog_yyc · 06-26-2009, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Former_Boosted_IS

Please understand I will always provide every ounce of personal information I have. I don't have any first hand experience with the Riss Racing charge pipe. Without that info, I am simply speculating.

What I can tell you is that the STETT has not had a single instance of blowing off. The "notch" on the silicone coupler is a locking design that STETT has a "patent pending" on. An extensive effort was put into making sure this charge pipe stays secure.

I have a lot of respect for Riss as well, so it would be foolish of me to speculate without first hand knowledge.

ok, that is a fair response and we all appreciate your intimate reviews of these products

inthemiddle · 06-26-2009, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LemansE82

From my experience, the stock charge pipe is not sitting on the body very securely, so, there could possibly be leaks.

But i don't get it.... it locks on with the SAME little spring clip things that hold the pipes on both ends of the intercooler.... how is it popping off ??

Also... meth holes, great... what about injector size.... for those of us waiting for Shiv and his meth kit... (which might have a charge pipe, or might not ?? shiv ? ) .. are the holes the right size for whatever size injector(s) ??

Shiv, can you chime in with any compatibility issues with what you are working on ?? or will your kit include a pipe ?

06-25-2009, 05:55 AM	#1
Former_Boosted_IS Major General 307 Rep 5,175 Posts Drives: 4 Wheels Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Planet Earth! iTrader: (15)	STETT Performance Charge Pipe WITH Meth Bungs REVIEW The charge pipe on the N54 is quickly getting a reputation of blowing off at tuned boost levels if you upgrade to forge DVs or a BOV. STETT Performance was well aware of the issues with the stock and many aftermarket charge pipes so they decided to take an innovative approach to secured the charge pipe to the throttle body. They created a charge pipe with a patent pending notched silicone coupler secured by T-Bolt clamps that I reviewed about 6 weeks ago and I can happily say it has held very secure. There is zero oil accumulation anywhere on the coupler or in the circular notch in the throttle body opening. All is well. Ok, why is there a new review then? I think a lot of people on the forums know that water/methanol injection is about to become huge on the N54 platform. Many including me do not want to drill the stock plastic pipe to mount the nozzles in case we want to go back to stock. The truth of the matter is many don't want to drill any pipe that leads to the throttle body because they are worried about some shavings getting injested into the engine. The problem is a lot of us are nervous about aftermarket pipes and their reputation of "blowing off" the throttle body. I think we have a win/win here. STETT Performance now has their secure charge pipe with water/methanol bungs welded onto the pipe in production! The pipe will be available for the following: 1. Stock DVs 2. Forge DVs 3. Aftermarket BOV The pipe will have 2 water/methanol bungs (1/8 - 27 npt port) installed on the pipe and they will come with plugs in case you don't want to use them for now. This will give you huge flexibility down the road. So, on to the review... Packaging As always, everything was well wrapped. The charge pipe was bubble wrapped, and then packed well in peanuts in a large box. What comes with the STETT Performance Charge Pipe with Water/Methanol Bungs? - (1) STETT Charge Pipe with (2) water/methanol bungs (1/8 - 27 npt port) - (2) Water/Methanol bung plugs - (4) T-Bolt clamps - (1) Silicone coupler for the intercooler side of the pipe - (1) Notched silicone coupler for throttle body side of the pipe Installation Since I already did an extensive write-up on the installation process, I will defer to that. Here it is: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ett+BOV+charge Installation of the water/methanol nozzles is pretty obvious too. Place your water/methanol nozzle in the port and tighten it down. Here is what it will look like as you install your nozzles. Performance There was a lot of discussion about the nozzle placement. STETT Performance, Matt Snow (President for Snow Performance), and Snow Performance engineers were all involved in the placement of the water/methanol nozzles. The location was picked because it will maximize octane enhancement from the water/methanol becase it is within about 6" of the throttle body, yet still give substantial cooling of your charge temps. The spray pattern fogs so well, that there will be almost no interruption or collision of the mist from the two nozzles in this location. In addition, with the nozzles on the bend of the charge pipe, the flow will be turbulent and they feel that the T-MAP sensor would only see a negligible amount of the mix. They say it is a non-factor. My initial testing showed the charge temperatures dropped about 8-10 degrees over ambient during a couple of shorter full rpm pulls. Much more data and a review of the water/methanol kit I chose will be forthcoming soon. Conclusion Chad at STETT Performance has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Through this beta testing process he has devoted an enormous amount of time to short turn arounds and quality. They even had a "runner" waiting on the production run of the pipe to make sure they got the charge pipe to FEDEX, so I could have the pipe as soon as possible. I cannot say enough good things about STETT Performance. The charge pipe addressed the "pop off" issues with their patent pending silicone coupler for the throttle body. STETT did not "cheap" on the hardware and includes T-Bolt clamps and all quality hardware. The water/methanol bungs are well designed and extremely well placed. I am not sure of the final price, but it appears it will be under $250 for all the parts listed. You eliminate the pop off problems that so many have had with the charge pipes. You get flexibility to go water/methanol if you want or leave the bungs plugged if you have no interest in water/methanol. Either way you have flexibility and that is a good thing. On top of everything, this is universal so the pipes will be available whether you like BOVs or DVs.
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06-25-2009, 06:15 AM	#2
gt3fever Major 77 Rep 1,232 Posts Drives: 992 GT3, G87 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Socal, Taiwan iTrader: (15)	thanks for the review !! any ETA on this ?
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06-25-2009, 07:30 AM	#5
bulldog_yyc Major General 130 Rep 5,040 Posts Drives: GT3RS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: probably work iTrader: (28)	what are the improvements of this vs. the riss racing charge pipe?
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06-25-2009, 07:51 AM	#7
LemansE82 Formally known as xXxMLEExXx. 38 Rep 653 Posts Drives: Lemans E82 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: N. New Jersey iTrader: (3)	Thanks for the review!!...I wish I didn't have to wait two weeks for this. Please have stett start the groupbuy. __________________ My 1 borned on 03/26/09 On the ship...eta NJ 04/16. Picked up 04/24/09
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06-25-2009, 08:52 AM	#8
ThorsHammer Major 82 Rep 1,389 Posts Drives: '09 BMW 335i Coupe Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: San Antonio, TX iTrader: (10)	Group Buy For a DV Version 1. ThorsHammer __________________ "SYONRA" is for sale! http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=366678 BSM '09 e92 335i \| Performance: JB3, RR Catted DP's, INJEN DCI, Britalman Exhst, AA FMIC, FORGE DVs \| Suspension: ST-V1 Coils, Hotchkis Chassis Brace & F/R Sways \| Wheels: Bremmer Kraft BR03s, Brake Performance Rotors, Cool Carbon Pads, ECS Lines \| Exterior: OEM Aero Lip/Rear, ****** CF Trunk Lid, BLUX5 Angels, M-Force M3 Sides \| Interior: Passport 9500ci, Black Trim, M3 Wheel Last edited by ThorsHammer; 06-25-2009 at 10:56 AM..
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06-25-2009, 10:09 AM	#10
5soko Brigadier General 333 Rep 4,632 Posts Drives: M5 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Brooklyn, NY iTrader: (4)	Nice review, this looks very promising.
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06-25-2009, 12:26 PM	#12
TurboSid Brigadier General 1112 Rep 3,262 Posts Drives: 2022 M4Cx BSM/FR Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Florida iTrader: (4) Garage List 2008 335i [0.00]	im buying, Stett, do a group buy!! __________________ 2022 BSM/FR M4 Competition X-Drive 2017 MW/SO M4 ZCP [SOLD] • 2015 MW/SO M4 M-DCT FBO [SOLD] • 2011 AW/CR 335is DCT FBO [SOLD] • 2008 AW/CR 335i 6MT FBO [SOLD]
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06-25-2009, 01:16 PM	#13
marcvtec Banned 407 Rep 2,704 Posts Drives: M5 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: toronto iTrader: (0)	Does this have any benefit on a tuned car with mods, ie more air more power etc. I do not mean the meth aspect
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06-25-2009, 01:25 PM	#14
brianhn1 Slow Mo 15 Rep 534 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: US iTrader: (0)	I'll be interested for a group buy also. __________________ BMW '17 X5 35i, '15 M4, ED 7/1/14, US 8/4/14, PU 8/18/14, '13 X5 35i, '08 335i Motorcycles: BMW '12 R1200GS, '10 F800GS, '74 R90S
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06-26-2009, 04:52 AM	#17
Former_Boosted_IS Major General 307 Rep 5,175 Posts Drives: 4 Wheels Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Planet Earth! iTrader: (15)	Thanks for the kind words on the reviews guys. I am almost 100% sure that there will be a group buy. Thors, you can finally have a fix to your charge pipe blow off!
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06-26-2009, 07:53 AM	#18
cincy335i Lieutenant 77 Rep 418 Posts Drives: '08 Black Saph 335i coupe 6mt Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio iTrader: (0)	I'm in for a GB as well.
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