Invisible performance mods for 4.4 sport

[Woofer]

Right decision made. , I've got a rarely used but good condition 4.4 sport facelift, mileage is 59k and still under bmw warranty but sod it I want to give it a stealth upgrade,

1 must look OE
2 must sound awesome but pass MOT regs
3 must have major power/torque uplift
4 std handling is fine but brake upgrades are welcome

So xdrivers what can I blow my wad on?! 

[AW8]

I would say a 4.8is.....

4.4i facelift with 320hp no slouch - not sure how well these respond to a remap as quite a rare beast.

Remap, upgrading to 4.6is/4.8is brakes (bigger) may be beneficial though I have only had brake fade on my 4.4i pre-facelift once. One owner I know of had a brembo big brake upgrade done - significant cost though.

No idea what a decent cat back system would release - long life exhausts can be good if you find a decent franchise.

In all seriousness if you want better brakes and performance then I would look at 4.8is rather than messing about.

[graemeX5]

Hi

I guess you could go for a 4.6 or 4.8 engine, the alpina one as an option, but it would be costly, the other is a remap as it's a bit more stealthy like.

XHave a look at the sticky posts in e53 there are several from Jason as he has done a lot of remaps on X5 etc for people on the form

Also if you want a better power to weight ratio then your next step could be to start removing weight from the car would hel, in my case eating a little less would do it. Haha )

Hth

[Woofer]

The reason for not changing to a 4.8iS is that I've already got too many cars on the drive and even my missus would spot it a mile off I swapped one for another!

Stealth mode upgrades thou' would pass her by 

I've got a quote for a longlife exhaust and am just waiting for the 10 year old OE system to let go before swapping it.

On brakes I'm inclined to upgrade because the std system is just ok and can feel underwhelming if stopping from higher speeds >:(

I'll have a search for remaps as I'm sure I've seen talk of 20 to 40 ps improvements which would get me to 4.6/4.8 levels even without a free flowing Longlife exhaust system?

Cheers

PS I'm fifteen stone and fighting fit so no diet involving me is an option 

[AW8]

Might also be worth getting a price from Hayward & Scott.............I know a fair few of the old M5 E39 crowd in UK fitted their custom systems. I don't of know anyone on here with a decent aftermarket exhaust on a V8 E53.

I can speak 1st hand re good experience of long life Basingstoke branch albeit some 3 or so years ago and on a Jap car. 

It may be worth looking at integrity of stock brakes as the discs can go off as they age and of course the quality can vary if aftermarket has ever been fitted. Increasing the spec of brake fluid is unlikely to yield a lot other than perhaps some stamina under sustained and heavy braking......Of course I stand to be corrected by anyone who has seen a significant brake performance gain from fluid upgrade alone & in everyday road use.

It can be tempting to merely fit more aggressive pads but then this may lead to increased disc wear..........Do beware as there are lots of non OEM discs/pads out there of same size as OEM on yours but the marketing infers better performance than might be obtained from same.

Quoted remap figures can vary and some argue they can be of less benefit for petrol cars......It can be hard to ascertain any benefit in absence of before and after rolling road figures.  Maps can vary whether the aim is best economy, best performance or somewhere in the middle....as for how far the remapped middle dle varies from stock is debatable & depends on the car, it's health & the remap........... There are lots of businesses that will be able to perform a remap but prices and arguably results can vary.

Most of what I have posted here is general brake and remap discusion & I am sure none of it breaking news

[graemeX5]

Hi

For exhaust talk to Raj or send him a pm as he uses I think profusion which I think is in slough area. He already has a custom system and is going for sport cats on his 4.8is so he will be able to tell you what difference it has made apart from the sound.

I can ask him on Friday for their details when I meet up with him.

Hth

[Fostersice]

I've got the e53 facelift on a 04 4.4i
I've just fitted standard 4.6i rear exhausts and Decats and my god it sounds great View My Video