directinjection

Interested in purchasing our F30 intake system? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto BMW F30 Performance Intake!

With testing and data collection complete, we assembled our final prototype BMW F30 air intake to confirm that the full kit fits flawlessly prior to starting production. We have been pretty excited to see this unique kit come together. Check it out in its final form!

Final Intake Images

Our final prototype BMW F30 intake was cut from a sheet of metal using a waterjet. Once we had the template cut to our drawing and model specs, we bent each piece appropriately.

First, the base of our airbox.

Final prototype BMW F30 intake airbox base

Final prototype airbox base

Next we tacked up the airbox lid!

Final prototype BMW F30 air intake airbox lid

Final prototype airbox lid

Once everything was in proper position this unit was fully welded.

Final prototype BMW F30 air intake airbox lid

These welds were then ground down for a smooth finish.

Final prototype BMW F30

Interested in purchasing our F30 intake system? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto BMW F30 Performance Intake!

We already knew our BMW F30 intake system looked fantastic within the engine bay of the F30. With our final prototype design fully complete, it was time to see if our intake system would produce any improvements in both intake sound and power output.

Dyno Runs

We strapped our test vehicle to the Dynojet and began making pulls. This particular vehicle was equipped with a aftermarket tuning device, and we would be checking data both with and without this software as a means to compare the stock intake system to our prototype design.

Test vehicle on dyno

We captured pulls with each system installed to compare the sounds of both systems. Check out the compilation video below!

You can certainly hear the difference in our video, but in person the tone changes are even more audible. By using a larger cone-style filter in our airbox, intake sound is much improved

Interested in purchasing our F30 intake system? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto BMW F30 Performance Intake!

Time for an update on our F30 intake project! Check out the continued progression of our development below!

Airbox Base Fabrication

We left off last time with the completion of our intake pipe fabrication that leads to the airbox. Next on the list: assembling our airbox and refining the design to the appropriate shape we wanted to achieve.

We started with the base of the box, which will be utilizing the factory air duct to acquire a cool stream of airflow.

Airbox base cardboard template

A few bends and we had the basic shape in steel form.

Airbox base fabrication

Open up the argon tank and fire up the Miller! This piece was tacked up and fit into position on our test vehicle.

Airbox base fabrication

We decided to make this a two piece box, differing slightly from our other airboxes. Typically, our boxes comprise a dual piece unit, but the lid is just a single

Interested in purchasing our F30 intake system? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto BMW F30 Performance Intake!

BMW F30 on dyno

After wrapping up some loose ends with our E36 and E46 projects, it was time to turn our attention to one of the new offerings from BMW. The  4-cylinder turbo N20/N26 caught our eye as a very interesting new engine, and we decided to bring one into the shop for an initial look at the vehicle and to begin developing a few products for this chassis.

Stock Intake System

Before pulling out the welder and aluminum, we needed to evaluate the stock intake system to determine our game plan for design. Below is what you see once the hood is popped. The double-pull hood latch system is pretty slick!

Stock BMW F30 engine bay

Stock BMW F30 engine bay

Stock BMW F30 engine bay

The stock intake system pulls air from the front kidney area via a duct, shown below.

Stock airbox duct

This duct provides airflow to the lower portion of the intake airbox.

Stock

Interested in picking up our N54 oil catch can system? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

BMW N54 Baffled Oil Catch Can Kit

After selecting a catch can location and fabricating a mounting bracket, we needed to fully install the can/bracket combo and begin putting together a set of CCV lines to complete our kit.

Catch Can Lid

Before doing so, the functional prototype of our catch can lid arrived for evaluation by our team. Check it out!

Mishimoto CNC-machined catch can lid

Mishimoto CNC-machined catch can lid

We added our internal baffle system as well as our 50-micron bronze filter. Here's a shot of the fully assembled can, ready for mock-up!

Mishimoto catch can assembled

Mishimoto catch can assembled

Now that we had both a prototype lid and a fabricated mounting bracket, we could install these components together and set up our lines properly.

Mishimoto catch can mock-up

Mishimoto catch can mock-up

Mishimoto catch can mock-up

Hose Routing and Mock-Up

We are now at

Interested in picking up our N54 oil catch can system? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

BMW N54 Baffled Oil Catch Can Kit

E90 Test vehicle engine bay

After evaluating the design of our first prototype and performing some additional research regarding customer needs, we were prepared to fabricate a second prototype. As noted toward the end of our last post, we would be relocating our catch can for easier servicing, and we would also be designing a new catch can lid to accommodate the larger ports for the N54 CCV system.

Catch Can Lid Prototyping

A teaser in our last post revealed the plans we had for our large-port catch can lid. Check out a few more shots of this 3D-printed unit below.

3D-printed prototype catch can lid

3D-printed prototype catch can lid

This lid uses exactly the same mounting bracket and system as our standard baffled catch can, which allows the can to swivel nearly 360 degrees and which provides some adjustment to its mounting. The ports are much

Interested in picking up our N54 oil catch can system? Check out more details on our product page linked below!

BMW N54 Baffled Oil Catch Can Kit

BMW 335i test vehicle

The BMW N54 is a fantastic engine that produces great power in stock form and responds very well to basic modifications such as exhaust and ECU tuning. However, if you do not stay on top of servicing your BMW, maintenance and repair bills can certainly cast a shadow on 135i or 335i ownership. One of the primary challenges is dealing with valve buildups caused by oil entering the intake tract. Because the N54 is a direct injection engine, it does not benefit from the valve cleaning properties that a port injection engine can offer. Massive buildup can result in a loss of power and can have a negative impact on vehicle driveability.

Installing an oil catch can will slow down the speed at which this buildup occurs. An oil catch can separates oil contaminants from the CCV system, thus preventing these contaminants from ending