New E60 535i owner

eriksbmw

New Member
Jul 24, 2022
8
4
0
Hi all,

Been lurking around for a while and finally decided to join in on the fun.

I'm a long time BMW owner...I have an E34 M5 Touring, an E30 M3 and my new addition the E60 535i. As I'm pretty competent with NA cars I felt I needed a turbo car to understand what exactly is going on in this world. Almost all cars have gone turbo so I had to align accordingly and fully understand the workings of a turbo car.

That said I did all the maintenance work on the E60 myself and then went down the MHD route. Just this weekend I flashed the Stage 1+ tune and did a 600km trip to visit my Dad. It was one of the best trips of my life !!! The power change in the car is a night and day difference ......now that I'm up to speed on the basics of tuning I'm going to flash the Stage 2+ (93RON) for my return trip tomorrow.

My car has all the necessary mods, brand new Koni Sports suspension set to full hard, new brakes...pads and discs, Michelin Pilot Sort 5 rubber and a host of other parts to ensure my travels are hitch free...new water pump and stat, LPFP, HPFP. two step colder plugs, BMS drop in filter, belt, rollers, oil change with Liqui Moly 5w-40 and Ceratec to mention some of the work done.

I really love the car and especially the N54 platform and look forward to absorbing as much knowledge from you OG's as possible.

Cheers,

Erik
 

eriksbmw

New Member
Jul 24, 2022
8
4
0
Thanks a lot...and so glad to be here !

Just returned today from a 1200km round trip in the 535i. Flashed the ECU with the Stage 2+ map and all I can say is that its mental !
Even at 220kmh the car still pulls like a freight train.....it was a wonderful trip. Next thing I have to learn how to do is creating and uploading logs.

Keep you all posted.
 

TheFixer

Sergeant
Aug 16, 2020
493
352
0
Tennessee
Ride
2008 535i
Welcome.

I bought my 08 535i three years ago. Back then I was so naive to think simple bolt ons and ots mhd tunes would be enough.

But no, it is not. The desire for more power never ends, it's never enough. It will consume you and before you know it you just keep adding more. Just telling yourself each time... just this one last mod. One more upgrade and I'll be done........ lies.

May the boost be with you.

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eriksbmw

New Member
Jul 24, 2022
8
4
0
Welcome.

I bought my 08 535i three years ago. Back then I was so naive to think simple bolt ons and ots mhd tunes would be enough.

But no, it is not. The desire for more power never ends, it's never enough. It will consume you and before you know it you just keep adding more. Just telling yourself each time... just this one last mod. One more upgrade and I'll be done........ lies.

May the boost be with you.

View attachment 74053
View attachment 74054
Very nice car you have here !

In my case I'm a relatively old fart so , as Dirty Harry said, "A man has got to know his limitations"...hahahahahaha

That said, my goal was to build a reliable 450bhp car that I can travel extensively with. Some of my trips take me over 3000km return so reliability was paramount for me. Power, as you stated though, is addictive and I try my best to stay within my set limit. Maybe if I find a hidden pot of gold i'll buy another 535i that will be only for my power cravings :)
 
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TheFixer

Sergeant
Aug 16, 2020
493
352
0
Tennessee
Ride
2008 535i
Very nice car you have here !

In my case I'm a relatively old fart so , as Dirty Harry said, "A man has got to know his limitations"...hahahahahaha

That said, my goal was to build a reliable 450bhp car that I can travel extensively with. Some of my trips take me over 3000km return so reliability was paramount for me. Power, as you stated though, is addictive and I try my best to stay within my set limit. Maybe if I find a hidden pot of gold i'll buy another 535i that will be only for my power cravings :)
If you go for another N54 powered car, go for the e90 335i. Although a tad smaller, for some reason they are easier to mod. Especially when swapping turbos.

For your 535i. Maintenence done first is the key. Don't neglect it. If you have no clue what's been done, do it. Especially if related to the cooling system, belts and pulleys.

Do those belts and pulleys first for sure if unknown. Last thing you want is that belt being pulled into the crankcase.

Also, I'm almost 50. If you can hold a wrench you can still turn it. Just takes longer to get up off the floor from under the car.
 
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eriksbmw

New Member
Jul 24, 2022
8
4
0
If you go for another N54 powered car, go for the e90 335i. Although a tad smaller, for some reason they are easier to mod. Especially when swapping turbos.

For your 535i. Maintenence done first is the key. Don't neglect it. If you have no clue what's been done, do it. Especially if related to the cooling system, belts and pulleys.

Do those belts and pulleys first for sure if unknown. Last thing you want is that belt being pulled into the crankcase.

Also, I'm almost 50. If you can hold a wrench you can still turn it. Just takes longer to get up off the floor from under the car.
Very correct. One of the first things I did was to change the belt and all the rollers (pulley). We did an engine out job and attended to every single thing that needed to be done......turbos, all gaskets, water pump and stat. HPFP, cam sensors etc. Car is proving to be quite reliable and its doing much better than one would have expected given all the horror stories you see online.

As with all cars, well, most of them, if you take good care of them they'll take good care of you.

Your last quote got me rolling on the floor......because it's so accurate...