The VERY worthwhile mods! Build review inside!

[alex_d_22]

Hey Guys,

My name is Alex, and Ive had my 135i for about a year now. Ive been reading a lot on this forum, however I cannot say that I am an active poster. Over the past year, ive fallen in love with how our little machines drive, and Ive added some mods to increase the driving pleasure a little So I thought id make this thread to explain what I have done to my car, and possibly to give insight on those that do not want to compromise comfort while increasing the cars performance. My Philosophy has always been: if the mod doesn’t perform flawlessly, it goes in the dumpster. If the mod is an excellent product and it performs in an excellent way, I’ll take it to the grave with me.



Here are is a list of a couple of mods that I’ve done to the beast:
- JB4 Chip
- SS brake lines
- ATE SuperBlue Brake Fluid
- EBC Red Pads
- Eibach Pro Kit
- BMS Catch Can
- BMS dual cone intake
- Spacers 12mm front and 15mm rear
- Raceland Catless Downpipes
- BMW PedalBox Throttle Control Unit
- TWM Performance Short Shifter and Carrier Bushings
- TWM Big Type R Weighted Shift Knob in Graphite


I basically installed all of these mods over the span of one weekend, and let me say that it was a busy one! Lol Firstly, the JB4 chip really brought the car to life! I keep it on Map2 all the time and I just love it. I did change all the sparkplugs and the coil packs before chipping the car to avoid any misfires from old plugs and coils. I am very happy I did this, and so far, after a year the JB4 has not given me anything but a reliable and powerful car.

Next are the downpipes. Now, after reading countless threads on expensive VS cheap pipes, and 2.5” VS 3” pipes, I have decided to let the money factor decide on which ones to buy. I picked up the Racelands for under 200$. Fitment wasn’t perfect, the install was difficult and long. However, in the end I am very happy with them, the sound is great, and most importantly I am happy I didn’t spend $800+ on another set of downpipes. I totally agree that you get what you pay for, however for me, $200 and an extra hour for fitment was hard to beat for what is essentially a pair of stainless pipes. I decided to keep my stock exhaust since I don’t want to hear the exhaust on highway cruising speeds, but rather only when you give it the beans! With this combination I get the best of all worlds, I have a great sound, performance increase, and the car is still quiet on the highway as it was stock.

I then changed out the brake fluid, new OEM discs and EBC Red Pads. I must say that I am on the fence on these pads. The initial bite isn’t as good as stock, but when they get hot the braking isn’t bad for daily road use. The pads are relatively quiet. I will tough them out, but will probably go with a different pad next time.

The Eiback Pro Kit and the BMS spacers really gave my car a more aggressive stance. This suspension is still very soft, but I find it to be more comfortable than stock, and it really takes corners better than stock as well. This is not a set-up for individuals looking to regularly track their car, but for daily road use, its really, really good!

Lastly, I have been testing the TWM Performance short shifter and their new PedalBox throttle control unit for the 135i. These two products are fantastic. They’re engineered to the smallest thousandth of an inch and precision engineering makes me a very satisfied human being.
Let me run you through how simple installing this PedalBox Throttle Controller Unit is, actually I’ll let this quick and simple instructional video show you how easy it gets done.

They used my car to make this video:

Here’s where to buy: BMW PedalBox

You can’t even tell it’s there! It’s only there when you need it to be, otherwise it’s tucked anywhere you wish to tuck it or even leave it exposed so your friends can ask you what that contraption is! This PedalBox is amazing. Once I found my optimal setting it was game on, my car is all set now!

Here is a picture of the install (pretty slick if you ask me)



The Pedalbox Throttle Control Unit works in harmony with my JB4 chip, it actually brings the JB4 to life. It adds a real sense of immediacy in the accelerator and brings out the most of my N54. I was explained that the progressive curve of the OEM throttle signal creates a lag to improve fuel efficiency, etc. The Pedalbox Throttle Control Unit when set to the Sport mode gives the car a true cable throttle feel, eliminating the lag produced by the OEM throttle pedal. This really refined the way the engine responded to the throttle, and gave the impression of reduced turbo lag and the power feels WAY more available, ALL over the RPM range.
The best all-around setting for me was in Sport mode. When you put the PedalBox Throttle Control Unit at its most aggressive setting (Sport Plus) the throttle is really REALLY sharp and responds so quickly to any little movement of your foot that it can sometimes become too responsive for daily driving. But that’s one of the strengths of the PedalBox Throttle Control Unit; it is EXTREMELY DYNAMIC with its 18 level adjustment across 3 main modes. It can be adapted to ANY driving style and I guarantee you’ll fall in love with it, just as I did... And I’m one tough son of a gun to convince.

Next great mod is the TWM Performance Short Shifter,
I really did not like the vague feel and abusive amount of play from the OEM shifter. I felt that the throws were a little too long for a “sports car” and this forced me to always have the arm rest interfering with my elbow during shifts. The short shifter and carrier bushings from TWM Performance solved all my problems overnight, lol. The play from the OEM shifter is all gone, shifts are simple, short, direct, and the feel is just great. The OEM knob and boot works perfectly on the short shifter. They have added some threads at the top of the shaft to allow the installation of their Signature TWM Performance Weighted Shift Knobs, and to have the sturdiest fixture possible. No more knobs popping off the shifter! It was getting so damn annoying. I was waiting for too long for a company to come up with a legitimate product to solve this problem. The short shifter combined with my TWM Performance Big Type R weighted knob, feel right at home inside the car. The Weighted shift knob makes the TWM Performance Short Shifter shift as smooth as butter.




I am very impressed by the performance of my mods by TWM Performance and how well they mesh and improve my existing mods. The driving experience of my car has been greatly improved with no compromise, and that’s what I really love. If you are adamant about top quality products with careful attention to EVERY SINGLE DETAIL, accurate engineering and extremely involved (and effective) R&D, you’re looking for a product from TWM Performance.

If you guys have any other questions in regards to any of these mods, feel free to ask

Alex.

[MRWILT]

Excellent post man! This is the type of stuff I want to do to mine. Ya know give it alittle extra kick in the pants but by no means a beastly street racer.

How much would you say you went in on all these goodies?

[alex_d_22]

Originally Posted by MRWILT

Excellent post man! This is the type of stuff I want to do to mine. Ya know give it alittle extra kick in the pants but by no means a beastly street racer.

How much would you say you went in on all these goodies?

Thanks man! Looking at about 3-3.5k all in. I did install everything myself however, so i saved costs there...

I loose traction in second and when its wet in third... Lol my tires took a beating once these mods were installed... Lol

[1speedbike]

That's a great review of a lot of stuff! Thanks for it! Yeah, the stock pads bite REALLY well. Nothing else really matched it from what I've heard, but the stock ones don't really stand up to repeated abuse at all. I don't think you'll be able to find a pad that's more resilient and still give that same bite with good, even modulation. The ferodo DS2500 pads are great though, as are cool carbons (if you're looking for a street-friendly pad). Also, I've heard horror stories about SS brake lines on our cars. I've heard of them snapping on the track (I forget for what reason). You didn't really mention them much in the review, though.

I got racelands as well. They hit each other and would rattle, so the shop had to spot weld them apart. They were awesome about it though.. spend 5 hours on them and billed me for only 3.5. I didn't expect the fit to be THAT terrible, especially after I emailed raceland and was ASSURED that their fitment issues were resolved.

Either way, great thoughts about the pedalbox (something I used to think was unnecessary if you have a JB4) and the shift knob looks great. Thanks man!

[135v]

How much is the booster bro?

[alex_d_22]

Originally Posted by 135v

How much is the booster bro?

The Pedalbox units are $299 shipped.

Here is the link for it: http://www.twmperformance.com/pedalbox/bmw-pedalbox.htm

Also, in regards to the stainless lines, I dont track my car, and its kinda hard to REALLY notice a difference since I changed fluid,discs,pads, and the lines, its hard to tell "what changed what" in terms of feeling... lol

[alex_d_22]

Originally Posted by 1speedbike

That's a great review of a lot of stuff! Thanks for it! Yeah, the stock pads bite REALLY well. Nothing else really matched it from what I've heard, but the stock ones don't really stand up to repeated abuse at all. I don't think you'll be able to find a pad that's more resilient and still give that same bite with good, even modulation. The ferodo DS2500 pads are great though, as are cool carbons (if you're looking for a street-friendly pad). Also, I've heard horror stories about SS brake lines on our cars. I've heard of them snapping on the track (I forget for what reason). You didn't really mention them much in the review, though.

I got racelands as well. They hit each other and would rattle, so the shop had to spot weld them apart. They were awesome about it though.. spend 5 hours on them and billed me for only 3.5. I didn't expect the fit to be THAT terrible, especially after I emailed raceland and was ASSURED that their fitment issues were resolved.

Either way, great thoughts about the pedalbox (something I used to think was unnecessary if you have a JB4) and the shift knob looks great. Thanks man!

For me the only isse with the racelands was that I had to pull the **** our of the midpipes to connect them up. Didnt have any issues apart from that.

I guess for the pads, its going to be a trial and error thing until I find the one that I like. I think the Cool Carbons will be next...

[Ammonia]

Add some meth and you'll be g2g :]

[ShocknAwe]

Great post. Been considerimg some sort of throttle controller.

Thanks!

[alex_d_22]

Originally Posted by Ammonia

Add some meth and you'll be g2g :]

Ive been considering this, how much of a difference does it make in how the car drives? Can I keep the stock clutch?

[alex_d_22]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Great post. Been considerimg some sort of throttle controller.

Thanks!

I REALLY recommend the Pedalbox unit! Its hard to describe exactly the feeling, but it makes a very big difference in how the car drives. Its all of a sudden really responsive and it feels as if there is much less turbo lag. It kinda turns the car into a little beast that likes to jump forward quickly... lol And on top of that you can fine tune it to exactly how you like it... So you are guaranteed to like it as a result...

[Ammonia]

Originally Posted by alex_d_22

Ive been considering this, how much of a difference does it make in how the car drives? Can I keep the stock clutch?

Its makes a considerable difference haha its so much power! Also helps to counter carbon build-up, to a degree. Not sure about the clutch though.

[135i_vs_]

Nice post! Doesn't the JB4 have pedal sensitivity settings already under user settings...

[alex_d_22]

Originally Posted by 135i_vs_

Nice post! Doesn't the JB4 have pedal sensitivity settings already under user settings...

I am not certain that it does.....

[alex_d_22]

Originally Posted by Ammonia

Its makes a considerable difference haha its so much power! Also helps to counter carbon build-up, to a degree. Not sure about the clutch though.

What clutch are you running? I must say meth is very very tempting... lol And its not all that expensive too... lol

[Ammonia]

Originally Posted by alex_d_22

What clutch are you running? I must say meth is very very tempting... lol And its not all that expensive too... lol

No clutch haha I have the auto

[alexmtl_135i]

Nice post ! I'd be curious to see the car and feel the difference against my stock N55
The Pedalbox is very interesting as well!

[alex_d_22]

Originally Posted by alexmtl_135i

Nice post ! I'd be curious to see the car and feel the difference against my stock N55
The Pedalbox is very interesting as well!

Well, I did drive a JB3 chipped N55 with downpipes and my car felt much stronger...

Compared to stock, its quite a different car.... lol

If your seriously interested in checking out the mods, we could maybe arrange a something during one of the local meets I attend on the south shore of montreal...

I wil be posting some more content, sound clips, and short videos as soon as I get a change to make them..

[alexmtl_135i]

Yeah I wish I had a N54.. Oh well

I'm curious about the local meets and the videos !