I have an AFE intake for my M54 and like it quite well. I do notice a little better response and pick-up. I know I got a slight improvement in MPG's with my '04 X5. I also had a Shark Injector(software) set-up with some free flowing exhaust. All mods combined really helped. And the engine note is an added plus. ;) The cherry on top was the headers I bolted on. WOW. Night and day. The factory exhaust manifolds, at least the M54, choke the engine. Your engine oversimplified is an air pump.

I'm not one who fully buys into the theory that the gods at BMW tuned it to perfection. To many watered down compromises. I get it. Is it tuned well from factory? You bet. Can it be improved. Just look at what the guys in the ///M division do. Intake, throttle bodies, head work, cams, different exhaust, and software. And then a whole suite of packages to compliment the added performance and handling.

Next issue, cost. That's the boogie man in the closet. It can get expensive real quick. You are fully aware of this, I know. I try to do mods that compliment each other.

The intake is a nice mod. Keep it. Skip the throttle body spacer. Add some software, and refine the exhaust to your taste. I think the N62 would respond nicely/or naughty.:thumbup:

Here is the write up from the first drive after my AFE install a couple years ago.

Completely different engine, nothing shared between your N62 and the S62. S62 is based on the M62 engine that's in the the pre-facelifted X5's. Higher compression, 0.3 more Litres volume, dual Vanos, and the individual throttle bodies with fixed length intake runners (tuned for the target HP) along with a different DME give that engine the 60HP increase over the 4.6L that's in my X5.

If BMW decided the only way to get more power from your engine was forced induction (twin turbo), I'd have to agree with their engine engineers. Your engine became the normal engine in all the V8 cars starting in 2005. 2008 they redesigned your engine and made the twin turbo N63 (and later the //M S63).

Cold air intakes + butt dyno = Placebo effect

I'd be willing to bet if you strapped your car to a Dyno after that intake install, you'd see zero gain over the stock intake with a drop in pipercross or K&N.

compression is the key I overlooked 11:1 on s62 10:1 on mine

ur m62 is more in the middle of urs and mine
I got variable intake manifold and valvetronic and dual vanos

all 3 got crappy exhaust manifolds

Go with the tornado

http://i01.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/020/8...866020_208.JPG

LOL @ Tornado...

I remember when that thing first came out, all the TV commercials and stuff.

Install one of those and a magnet on your fuel line and you'll add 20hp and 20mpg.

Lol sick

Some people plumb their emisions air pump on a foxbody mustang to their intake track

Good idea. Time to hook up our secondary air pump to the airbox!


Your engine architecture is completely different than the M62/S62 which are both the same.

True on the exhaust, but without removing cats or swapping in high performance cats, there isn't any benefit in changing to proper headers except for making your wallet weigh less. Although your cats are part of your header, so your only option is to get a high performance cat, or euro cats, or no cats...