Everybody knows the twin turbo six in the BMW 335i is powerful and responsive to mods, what do you wanna bet the M57 Turbo Diesel Six under the hood of your E90 BMW 335d isn’t just as receptive to a bit of massaging? Diesels and straight sixes are known for one thing: TORQUE. Combine the fact that your straight six is ALSO diesel, make it a frigging TIDAL WAVE of torque. It’s this mountainous push of thrust that’s utterly unattainable in any gasoline powered car. A while back, Dinan made a 335d potent enough to beat up the M3, called the D3 – while we’re not sure if the D3 is still a thing, what it did was prove that the diesel E9X cars can kick some serious butt when tuned.
In fact, with the right mods, your 335d will make so much torque, you might spin the earth the other direction upon launches, and laugh in the fact of 335i’s with a hearty blast of soot.
While most 335i’s can get away with their stock differential and still leave, with your insane freight train of torque, you’ll need that limited slip with the 3 Best Power Mods for BMW 335d [E90] M57.
That’s why in this piece we’ll be showing you exactly what you can do to your 335d’s M57 to make it more fun to drive and transform it from economical fuel sipper to insane torque monster. Let’s get started.
#1 A TUNE
One of the easiest ways to crank up the power of your turbodiesel is offered by Burger Motorsports. The BMS JBD Diesel Tuner Module for E90 335d + X5d offers an impressive INSTANT 60whp gain and a positively stupid 100wtq gain! A HUNDRED POUND FEET! WOW! That’s a serious kick in the pants.
Check it out – this is how the JBD looks installed. Pretty innocous, right? Well, CARB seems to think it’s the work of the devil himself and is causing the end of days, so they’re not legal in California, unfortunately – but those of you in the other 49 states and the rest of the world can go enjoy those ridiculous gains for us.
Seriously though, check out the dyno sheet – that’s a positively silly power curve that is certain to put a big stupid grin on your face.
Say you do live in the People’s Republik of Kalifornia and you want to avoid the SMOG Gestapo. No worries, there’s a Cali-Legal option from aFe Power. Another direct plug-n-play tuner device like the JBD, the aFe Power Scorcher module for M57 Diesel BMW 335d + X5d does basically the same thing, but with a different programming logic.
The gains from the aFe Power Scorcher module for M57 Diesel BMW 335d + X5d are by no means shabby either – scope out the dyno sheet above – on an otherwise stock car, the Scorcher is good for a dyno-proven 42whp / 57wtq gain – not bad at all for something that gets past the smog police, and a great idea for someone who has more conservative taste.
Before we move on to other hard parts, one more little device we’d like to mention is the Sprint Booster. The guys on the forums swear by these and the customers we’ve installed them for have been thrilled with them. Check out what one user had to say about the Sprint Booster for BMW 335d [E90]:
“I have a fair selection of performance mods on my 335d and TBH it is a bit of a beast now. I had just below stock power before any mods were done and ended up with 380BHP and 600 torque.
The biggest improvement to making it exciting to drive was actually the Sprint Booster. The drive is so much more “spirited” the only thing to note is you can’t drive it around town with the gearbox in sport mod…it’s far too lively !! Having the remap done again after the Wagner FMIC, exhaust and ITG Air filter was worth it too, as it sharpened everything up a bit.”
With an electronic throttle, most of the time, if you’re pressing the gas pedal to the floor, you’re not getting full wide-open throttle like you’d expect. This results in the drive feeling more sluggish and less responsive- which is where the Sprint Booster comes in, forcing the car to deliver 1-to-1 throttle response – meaning if you sink your foot in it, you’re getting 100% throttle.
Ready to order a tuner, have questions or not sure how the tuner will work with another mod you have? Consult the experts! Talk to our team of Mod Experts by calling 714-582-3330, chatting live at ModBargains.com or just stop by the ModAuto showroom during business hours in person to see what we can do for you.
With the ECU smartened up, it’s time to look at air charge.
#2 A MASSIVE INTERCOOLER
With any turbocharged car, upgrading the intercooler will create a cooler air charge, creating more horsepower and torque from each combustion cycle. It’s no different with the 335d, however its unique chargepipe configuration makes it such that we can’t just use the same FMICs as a 335i.
Wagner Tuning has specifically developed a high performance intercooler specifically intended for BMW’s new performance diesels. Featuring a 70% larger than stock core, the Wagner Tuning Competition Intercooler for BMW 335d is the next step in making power with your diesel. Since there’s not much out there in terms of intake and exhaust for 335d, it’s extra critical to upgrade the intercooler.
Featuring superior pressure drop characteristics and greater flow than the OEM unit, the Wagner Tuning FMIC not only fits like stock, but is technically better in every regard.
Wagner’s stepped core design allows for greater frontal surface area and more efficient use of space than the stock intercooler.
Finished in stealth black and with a guaranteed “Like OEM” fit, the Wagner FMIC is a stealthy mod that the average person isn’t likely to notice, meaning no “unwanted attention”.
Need to schedule installation for your 335d Wagner Tuning Intercooler? Have questions? Ask the Mod Experts – call 714-582-3330 or stop by ModAuto in person.
#3 A Limited Slip Differential
With 600wtq on tap, the 335d has more of a need for traction at takeoff than any other 3-Series, M3 included, since the 335d makes all its torque down low, and we know the V8 M3 needs to rev. A WaveTrac Automatic Torque Biasing will improve traction and cornering response significantly, and make every take off that much more surefooted.
Fitting a limited slip is a bit of a challenge for every car, and BMWs are no exception, so we strongly recommend professional installation. If you’ve got a few minutes to watch a “How It’s Made”, scope out exactly what goes into building a Quaife in a 135i in the video below.
That’s it for our recap of the 3 Best Power Mods for the E90 BMW 335d.
With the addition of just these few simple mods, your 335d will be a serious street brawling machine. Of course, with the 335d, it’s still an E90, so that means all the wheels, suspension, bumpers etc still fit, and we’ve seen people build some good looking D’s as a result.
Not sure where to start modding your E90 335d? Check out our guide to the overall Best Mods for the E90 3-Series here.
Interested in giving your BMW a bit more oomph? We invite you to consult our team of Mod Experts, give us a call at 714-582-3330, chat live on ModBargains.com or just stop by the ModAuto showroom in La Habra, CA any day during business hours to see what we can do for your ride.
Story & Photos Nick Gregson
