jmciver
05-01-2007, 11:28 PM
Well, after installing the kit myself and driving the car for over a week, including the break-in period, I thought I would post my impressions of the kit, including the DIY install. According to VF, I am one of a few brave, non-BMW mechanic/tech types to attempt an install of this kit. As far as the install is concerned, I will cover the highlights (or maybe low-lights :( ).
The Install
The install was very straight forward for the most part. Prior to this install, I had done such items as spark plug replacement, header replacement, fuel injector replacement, and intake replacement, all on my E36. I had not done anything on the E46 prior to this install other than an Angel Eyes install. The E46 and E36 are similar, but the E46 did have it's challenges.
All of the parts of the kit were top quality as far as I could tell and the instrucions were very straight forward. That being said, I still had several questions, and VF was very patient with me regarding them. Now, the stuff that annoyed me about the install.
1. Parts. Apparently BMW changed the intake manifold design for the M3, the split occured for cars produced after 10/2004. How did this affect me? The rubber couplers that connect the manifold to the engine from my car did not fit the VF manifold. I ended up having to order the parts from the dealer. VF refunded me for the parts and future buyers should not have to worry about this (I was one of the first cars that VF encountered this problem, my car is a 02/2005 build).
2. Fuel injectors. All I will say here is that the fuel rail on the E46 did not come off as easy as the E36 (or as easy as the Bentley manual made it look). After a little cursing, they finally came out :) .
3. New manifold install. This was a ***** to say the least. VF upgraded the bypass valve to a more "beefy" one. The bypass valve connects to the intake snorkel, making the fit very, and I mean very tight. The bad news is that it took me almost 2 hours to get the damn thing on until I figured it out(kicking and swearing all the way). The good news is that the fit is so tight (which is a good thing) that I am not worried about any boost/vacuum leaks. Also, getting to the bolt that attaches the bracket under the manifold was a *****. So much so I couldn't get my hands under there. Since I just moved to the Washington, DC area, I had the boys at RRT help me out with this.
4. Coolant reservoir install. This was actually one of the very easy parts of the install. The rear brackets for the tank attach to the swaybar brackets. Now when VF says don't over torque those nuts, they mean don't over torque
those nuts. Long story short, I snapped off one of the nuts and stud. The boys at RRT helped me out here as well by conducting the repair. I was lucky I was close to a shop like RRT who specializes in building BMW race cars so this repair was very simple for them.
Well those were the high (or maybe low) points of the install. The only other thing that bothered me was that I had to wait 5 weeks to complete the install because I could only work on the weekends. The real good news is that the car started up right away an purred like a kitten. Some of you may remember the issue I had with my dealer about not updating my software, which is required prior to VF loading their software. Long story short, my software was a bit old, but it was still new enough to work (I was lucky). However, I wouldn't take a chance so if you get this kit, get your software updated as VF instructs.
The Drive
Waiting for the break-in period, which was 300 miles, to be done was painfull. But it was made easy by the fact that I didn't want to drive the car hard until I got the sway bar bracket fixed anyway. At least my wait wasn't long since most of the break-in miles were on my highway trip from Chesapeake to DC and I took the car to RRT right away.
After the repairs were complete, it was time to have some fun. In a word, the car is fast, very fast. Not the sledge hammer hit like a turbo. This is not a hit against the kit, we all know that turbo characteristics are different than a supercharger, at least centrifugal ones anyway. The increase in power seemed to match the stock power curve, there was just more of it. I always found the "sweet spot" on this engine to be between 3k-5k rpm. The blower made that spot (and every other spot) even sweeter.
However, when off boost, the car feels (and sounds) just like stock. The car is also very quiet. At idle, you will only hear the blower if you are looking for it, either inside or outside the car. When driving, again the blower is very quiet. I could hear a very faint whisper of the blower if I had the radio off. But again, I had to look for it. When I first installed the kit, I did get some slight vibration at low RPMs that seemed to come from the firewall. After some investigation (some more help from RRT here as well) I found out that the wiper cowl was very close to the manifold and came in minor contact with the manifold due to the torquing of the engine when under throttle. A few minutes with a dremel tool on the wiper cowl and the vibration was gone.
Overall I am very impressed and pleased with the kit, including fit and finish. Even though I got pissed at times, I am still glad I did the install myself and feel a sense of accomplishment. Also, I started what looks to be a good working relationship with RRT (my car was the first one they had seen the VF kit installed). Which is good since I will be in the DC area for the nest few years.
I would definately recommend this kit. I like it better than Dinan because it is significantly cheaper. And I liked it better than AA because the install was easier for a novice like me (no water/alcohol system to deal with) and didn't require extra parts (headers, etc) to make the power. I have nothing against AA or Dinan (I think they both are also very high quality kits from what I have read and seen), but the VF kit was the best fit for me.
The Install
The install was very straight forward for the most part. Prior to this install, I had done such items as spark plug replacement, header replacement, fuel injector replacement, and intake replacement, all on my E36. I had not done anything on the E46 prior to this install other than an Angel Eyes install. The E46 and E36 are similar, but the E46 did have it's challenges.
All of the parts of the kit were top quality as far as I could tell and the instrucions were very straight forward. That being said, I still had several questions, and VF was very patient with me regarding them. Now, the stuff that annoyed me about the install.
1. Parts. Apparently BMW changed the intake manifold design for the M3, the split occured for cars produced after 10/2004. How did this affect me? The rubber couplers that connect the manifold to the engine from my car did not fit the VF manifold. I ended up having to order the parts from the dealer. VF refunded me for the parts and future buyers should not have to worry about this (I was one of the first cars that VF encountered this problem, my car is a 02/2005 build).
2. Fuel injectors. All I will say here is that the fuel rail on the E46 did not come off as easy as the E36 (or as easy as the Bentley manual made it look). After a little cursing, they finally came out :) .
3. New manifold install. This was a ***** to say the least. VF upgraded the bypass valve to a more "beefy" one. The bypass valve connects to the intake snorkel, making the fit very, and I mean very tight. The bad news is that it took me almost 2 hours to get the damn thing on until I figured it out(kicking and swearing all the way). The good news is that the fit is so tight (which is a good thing) that I am not worried about any boost/vacuum leaks. Also, getting to the bolt that attaches the bracket under the manifold was a *****. So much so I couldn't get my hands under there. Since I just moved to the Washington, DC area, I had the boys at RRT help me out with this.
4. Coolant reservoir install. This was actually one of the very easy parts of the install. The rear brackets for the tank attach to the swaybar brackets. Now when VF says don't over torque those nuts, they mean don't over torque
those nuts. Long story short, I snapped off one of the nuts and stud. The boys at RRT helped me out here as well by conducting the repair. I was lucky I was close to a shop like RRT who specializes in building BMW race cars so this repair was very simple for them.
Well those were the high (or maybe low) points of the install. The only other thing that bothered me was that I had to wait 5 weeks to complete the install because I could only work on the weekends. The real good news is that the car started up right away an purred like a kitten. Some of you may remember the issue I had with my dealer about not updating my software, which is required prior to VF loading their software. Long story short, my software was a bit old, but it was still new enough to work (I was lucky). However, I wouldn't take a chance so if you get this kit, get your software updated as VF instructs.
The Drive
Waiting for the break-in period, which was 300 miles, to be done was painfull. But it was made easy by the fact that I didn't want to drive the car hard until I got the sway bar bracket fixed anyway. At least my wait wasn't long since most of the break-in miles were on my highway trip from Chesapeake to DC and I took the car to RRT right away.
After the repairs were complete, it was time to have some fun. In a word, the car is fast, very fast. Not the sledge hammer hit like a turbo. This is not a hit against the kit, we all know that turbo characteristics are different than a supercharger, at least centrifugal ones anyway. The increase in power seemed to match the stock power curve, there was just more of it. I always found the "sweet spot" on this engine to be between 3k-5k rpm. The blower made that spot (and every other spot) even sweeter.
However, when off boost, the car feels (and sounds) just like stock. The car is also very quiet. At idle, you will only hear the blower if you are looking for it, either inside or outside the car. When driving, again the blower is very quiet. I could hear a very faint whisper of the blower if I had the radio off. But again, I had to look for it. When I first installed the kit, I did get some slight vibration at low RPMs that seemed to come from the firewall. After some investigation (some more help from RRT here as well) I found out that the wiper cowl was very close to the manifold and came in minor contact with the manifold due to the torquing of the engine when under throttle. A few minutes with a dremel tool on the wiper cowl and the vibration was gone.
Overall I am very impressed and pleased with the kit, including fit and finish. Even though I got pissed at times, I am still glad I did the install myself and feel a sense of accomplishment. Also, I started what looks to be a good working relationship with RRT (my car was the first one they had seen the VF kit installed). Which is good since I will be in the DC area for the nest few years.
I would definately recommend this kit. I like it better than Dinan because it is significantly cheaper. And I liked it better than AA because the install was easier for a novice like me (no water/alcohol system to deal with) and didn't require extra parts (headers, etc) to make the power. I have nothing against AA or Dinan (I think they both are also very high quality kits from what I have read and seen), but the VF kit was the best fit for me.
