Bmw performance intake

[danewilson77]

It is also, mainly for looks.....really.

[AAZHP]

It is also, mainly for looks.....really.

I completely agree. You will get more performance just replacing the factory paper filter with a K&N Drop In. Speaking from personal experience.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

The only thing holding me back from the bmw strut bar is the shape. Shouldn't a strut bar be as straight as possible? Or is the carbon fiber solid enough so as not to flex at all under stress?

JB, I trusted that BMW knew what it was doing when it designed that brace. The brace is very well made. It's solid. I have it.

[kayger12]

The only thing holding me back from the bmw strut bar is the shape. Shouldn't a strut bar be as straight as possible? Or is the carbon fiber solid enough so as not to flex at all under stress?

CF is generally twice as rigid as steel-- I don't think rigidity would be an issue.

Also, CF does not expand due to engine compartment heating like aluminum and, to a lesser degree, steel.

I don't think it would be a bad purchase.

[Tampa330i]

CF is the way to go, no doubt. I love the look of the bmw one, too. Just about every bar I've looked at is completely straight, I wonder why this one is not.

[danewilson77]

Definetely built to a nice pedigree....but I doubt we notice a diff in daily driving is what I meant.

[Mtnman]

Follow up post after install:
Sound is a little better. I like it.
Throttle response may be a little better, but may be just me wanting it to be.
Did not notice a performance difference.
However..... Gas mileage may have been increased substantially! I normally average 17.5 to 18.5. I reset and calculate mileage every time i get gas. My last 4 tanks were all between 17.5 and 17.9. I filled up right after install, and just filled up again today and got 19.5mpg!!!!! That is a large increase for all city driving. I drive for work half the day all in the city, and in neighborhoods driving slowly and also idling a lot. 2 mpg city increase would be huge, and it would pay for the intake in less than a year. Given, this is only one tank, and it could easily be an anomoly. I will post again after this tank in about 4 to 5 days.

[billschusteriv]

Thanks for the follow up. Looking forward to numbers from the next tank.

[pyreguy]

I thought I was getting bad mileage at 25. I guess the 26 miles of interstate I drive for work everyday make a HUGE difference. I had no idea. Mileage is an interesting thing...

[az3579]

I thought I was getting bad mileage at 25. I guess the 26 miles of interstate I drive for work everyday make a HUGE difference. I had no idea. Mileage is an interesting thing...

25 is actually a very good average if you drive any sort of city driving at all, even if it is just a mile of traffic lights. Once you get off the highway and into an urban environment, your mileage always goes DOWN. I average about 23 mpg on my daily ~7 mile work commute, mainly because 1) there are city parts involved and multiple traffic lights despite totaling less than 1 mile of my commute, 2) my engine is COLD by the time I get on the highway and doesn't settle in for good mpg 'till I'm halfway there, 3) from the time I start the car to the halfway point, I'm battling non-ideal road inclines on the highway and on the road leading up to it, and finally 4) the good mpg section of my journey only lasts maybe 2 miles. Maybe.

It's very, very difficult to get anything above 23mpg in my commute. The road/surface/traffic conditions make ALL the difference in average mileage. If you're averaging 25mpg in your daily commute, that's actually pretty darned good in my book.

Betcha if my commute was 40 or so miles each way opposing traffic on the highway, I'd be averaging over 27-28.