Justin M brought in his mostly stock E92 335i a few weeks back for an all day session in the shop with Mod Expert Sean. Starting by walnut blasting the N54 turbo six under the hood, we had a freshly cleaned engine to fit with upgrades. We had a lot in store cosmetically and in terms of performance. Check out just what we did to instantaneously transform this 335i from stock to street scorcher in a single afternoon.
To the untrained eye, it deliberately looks like a stockish E92 335i – but you’d be wrong. Under the hood, we’ve fitted a good number of upgrades that significantly enhance engine output of the N54, all while remaining totally CARB and emissions legal. Pretty cool, right?
We’ll start with the obvious- in case you couldn’t see the big plastic heatshield with massive embossed INJEN lettering, we’ve installed an Injen Intake for BMW N54 to enhance throttle response and power.
The Injen Intake is good for a 13hp and 12tq gain at the wheels on its own, but adding it as a part of a larger power package makes a much bigger difference.
Peeking out from under the intake, you can just barely see the HKS SSQV Blow Off Valve fitted to the Evolution Racewerks N54 Chargepipe with HKS BOV. The OEM Chargepipes are failing anyways, so replacing the brittle plastic OEM chargepipe with a high flow chargepipe enhances reliability and power delivery. That brittle plastic is leak-prone too, meaning you’re probably bleeding boost and not as fast 0-60 or as responsive in gears 1-3 as the car SHOULD be.
The other half of the equation is the oversized Evolution Racewerks Front Mount Intercooler for BMW N54 335i
Helping keep the motor clean and push the next Walnut Blasting service as far off as possible, a Mishimoto BMW N54 Baffled Oil Catch can has been installed to collect the oil vapor that normally accumulates inside your intake and intercooler and gums up your intake valves.
We also set Justin up with a Cobb Tuning AccessPORT, which Justin was then able to install himself. The AccessPORT not only unlocks serious horsepower, but is also a wonderful diagnostic tool.
Enhancing the car’s sound and performance is a Cobb Cat-Back Exhaust for BMW N54 335i models – the dual 4in round angle-cut tips look great and the Cobb etched logo adds a nice touch, and the oversized tips fill out the cutouts in the bumper beautifully.
A body-color painted BMW Performance Trunk Spoiler for E92 3-Series sits atop the rear decklid, giving the Coupe’s profile a bit more flair.
Up front, a set of Gloss Black OEM BMW Performance Kidney Grilles completes the Gloss-Black-on-Gloss-Black this E92 has going.
While still at stock ride height, this car looks pretty damn good for stock wheels and suspension.
Here’s the side profile so you can better appreciate the car’s clean lines.
From the rear, the Cobb Exhaust is probably the single most noticeable Mod, which suits Justin’s more “sleeper” oriented style.
Check it out from a few different angles.
The exhaust tips protrude just enough to add a hint of aggression without overdoing it.
All told, the parts we installed today should yield a massive gain of nearly a hundred horsepower to the wheels, between the intake, exhaust, chargepipe, intercooler and AccessPORT, this is by no means the same car it was when it rolled in, on top of the power and throttle response the car regained simply by doing a walnut blasting service on its intake valves. Pretty amazing, no?
Thanks for joining us, we hope you enjoyed the photos, and thank you to Justin for sharing his build with us.
Want to make your boring stock E92 BMW 335i more interesting? Check out our guide to the Best Mods for the BMW E92 335i here, then talk to our team of Mod Experts like our resident E9X M3 specialist Sean (x8009 for Sean), give us a call at 714-582-3330 to chat with our team of experts or stop by the ModAuto showroom in La Habra CA during business hours (8-5 M-Sat) and talk to our experts in person.
Story & Photos Nick Gregson