compatible intakes?
 

i've seen tons of intake threads but none that indicate if an intake can be used from a 3-series car as i've got the 3.0L engine that is apparently one used with one of the 3-series models :dunno:
other than that i dont see any intakes for my E70..
i dont want it for power, just love the sound and ive always put intakes in all my vehicles anyways

thought i'd bump still wondering

I would love an intake for my 4.8! I have seen a few for inline sixes, but I don't remember who made them off hand

I was also looking for a cold air intake for my 4.8 but couldn't find anything for it. I don't think they made intakes for the 4.8

I cut the silencers off of the two intake plenums into the air box and made a new pipe between the MAF and the throttle body out of silicone tubing. It helps the sound a little, but not as much as an intake. I still need to upgrade to better air filters, but haven't decided which ones I want.

Ya everytime I search anything intake related I oy find afe filters, these better then OEM filters?
Does the 3.0 X5 not share the same engine as an e90 or e92??

AFE makes great filters... they improve the stock box flow and retain the OEM look. I have them in all my cars. (the added bonus is they are dry flow filters which are not heavily oiled like k&n. while some feel the oil from k&n filters never make it onto the maf others have had failures within miles of installing them. YMMV.)

Really? Source?

AFE filters are generally inferior to stock filters- they trap less dirt and any 'increased airflow' is immaterial in a turbo system.

But the NEED that many owners have to DO SOME MODS is powerful, and air filters and CAIs are easy money. (Especially the CAI where people can open the hood and marvel at their mods)

(Suggestion: Stock filters reduce flow as they trap dirt (all filters do) so simply replace stock filters more often.)

Oh, why does filtration matter? Take a car with stock filters, drive it- test the oil (UOA) every 7500 miles. Then use one of the "hi flo" filters with less filtration efficiency. Drive it- test the oil. Look for contaminants in the oil and wear metals. Compare.

If you have a turbo, don't waste you money,

Cold air intake has long been thought beneficial in power to turbo cars. What makes it not so on an X5?

1) The stock (original equipment) air intake is a cold air intake. I haven't taken apart an E70 intake, but this was true on every other BMW I owned, so I suspect it is true on the E70 as well.
2) The restriction in the stock intake is negligible.
3) Aftermarket CAIs commonly take their air, paradoxically, from under the hood. Those that do are in fact hot air intakes, despite the marketing labels attached to them.

I have no knowledge of the first two points where the BMW is concerned. And agree with the last. My Twin-Turbo CAI is a custom modification of the stock box and and it breathes true cold air from outside the engine compartment; it does a great deal to lower both the charge and inter-cooler body temperatures as measured before and after installation.

I just wanted to know why there seemed to be a blanket "not worth it statement."

Thanks

I honestly like the extra bit of engine sound from them when u put ur foot down
I had an AFE one on my 3series and although I'm sure there wasn't much, if any HP increase it sounded great

Actually that is not true- at least the assertion that somehow trubo versus non-turbo impacts the question.

If a car has an intake that sucks warm air, then a system that sucks cooler air will be a benefit.

HOW MUCH of a benefit depends on (1) how much cooler, and (2) how much more resistance (static pressure) the CAI creates.

Just becuase a mfg calls something a "cold air intake" does not make it true. They toss up a cooked dyno, and people plunk down $$ becuase they like the sound....


On the X5? You should post the data. or are you talking about the RX7 which has a poorly designed intake from the factory?

Also, could you explain how a cold air intake changes the 'intercooler body temperature'.... to change the IC temp you need to have an air-to-air IC AND change the airflow into the intercooler, or make the intercooler more efficient.

On turbo cars, changing to "less restrictive" air filters/intakes usually does nothing, as the turbo can pull as much air as it needs (generally they are dumping/limiting the pressure anyway). An NA car WILL benefit from less restriction as it will use all the air it can get, but most facotry systems are already pretty well designed.


Anyway, unfortunately nobody will put the engineering effort into blueprinting the X5 for tune, intake, etc, etc....you'll find shops that toss half-assed stuff out, but a careful mapping (a la Dinan) will not be done- no market. IMO