2012 N53B30a 272 HP F11

N53B30A

Newbie
Points
1
Location
Europe
Car
F11, 2012 530i 272
Hello guys,

I'm new to this forum. I am looking to gain some more horsepower from the 272HP engine. Already fitted a K&N filter which after resetting the ECU did made a difference. But i'm curious if you guys have any experience/tips with easy tuning this motor.

I am familiar with exhausts, camshafts etc. but looking for some easy DYI mods

Thanks in advance
 
Hello and welcome |B

It would be helpful to know if the car is a turbo or NA as well as petrol or diesel powered.
 
Hi, I'm sorry. I drive a BMW F11 2012 n/a Petrol 3l inline 6 engine with 272 HP. It's pretty fast as it is and i drive the car as daily and for business. The K&N made a difference and i read something about customizing the airbox. Is that worth it?
 
The K&N may have made the induction noise a bit louder so it seems faster but IMO the best way to measure any power increasing mod is on a dyno by doing before and after testing.

I sold my turbo car and bought a NA powered car and getting any worthwhile power increase in it is much more costly.
 
I've been driving cars a long time now and played a lot with exhausts, filters, turbo's etc. Fitting the K&N DID make a difference. But i've driven it without resetting the ECU and it made a loss of power/torque in the midrange but picked up in the higher revs. After resetting it regained power in the midrange and is marginal but notabely faster now. Especially higher revs it's an improvement. And it makes more noise indeed. The pitch changed also after resetting. Much more aggressive.

I know there is a lot of discussion about HP gains with a sports filter but in all my cars i noticed a difference when driving with a sportsfilter. They are more aggressive on the throttle and seem to breath more easy in higher revs. The biggest improvement you can find in Turbo'd cars. But only if it's sucking in cool air instead of hot air from the engine bay. If a sportsfilter could give 2% more power at 272 HP then the 5HP won't make a big difference but there will be a difference.

Yes turbos are much easier to tune. I had a Sierra Cosworth for about 6 years and started with 290HP and ended with 370HP after a new exhaust, new engine map and some injectors. HUUUUUGGEE difference;)
 
Is it a panel replacement filter or a cone filter?
The panel replacements will give slightly better throttle response but a power increase is debatable.
A cone filter is much the same really to be honest.
A forced ram airfilter with a dedicated cold air feed would give a difference. But again, Not that much. The main improvement would be it revs more freely.
Even on a turbo application an airfilter alone wouldn't make that much difference.

To be honest. Gaining power will always depend on what you want to spend on it.

It's all well and good gaining more air into the intake. But totally useless if the engine cannot get rid of it fast enough.
 
I may be wrong but I tend to think when it comes to K&N filters it is the placebo effect and one wanting to think that their money was well spent because nobody wants to think or admit that they have wasted hard earned money.

IMO they are ok for a tarmac race car but would not recommend they be fitted for use in off road dusty situations or Dakar type events.
 
the mind is a wonderful thing and can easily turn minimal gain into a noticeable difference.

The fact is if you just change an air filter the difference will be negligable on a dyno.

Howver if you have a self learning ecu a reset could make a difference - they dont only learn for the better.
Other obvious factor could be the old air filter was clogged up in which case you would notice an improvement but more back to where it was supposed to be.
 
Its a panel filter which replaces the original one. Like i said, i know there is a lot to say about sportsfilters and hp gains. For me it's noticable. My BMW definetly feels faster and responds better to higher RPMs. The old filter was still in good shape BTW.

But if you take in the science of an engine and a self learning / recalibrating ECU. More air/better flow and a bit more fuel would me a little gain in HP. I think it works the same with fitting a sports exhaust. Better flow means more power. The exhaust itself doesnt make the power. It's the restriction of air that's coming out that makes the difference.

But don't let my emperical experience be the benchmark of this discussion. I was simply wondering if there would be any tricks in the book of DYI tuning i havent heard of. Like say, shaving off the panels/restrictors in the airfilter box
 
I've heard of people smoothing the inside of the airfilter box. But again it would only give better throttle response. The power gain is debatable. It would feel like it is faster due to the better throttle response but more than likely wouldn't pick up much if any hp on a dyno.
More air will only be better if it is cold air. And even so. The limit on that cold air intake is the exhaust getting rid of it fast enough. Which in turn means the cams and other components need to match that airflow.
Newer model cars these days have good intake and exhausts so trying to change them would get minimal effects without throwing money at it.
 

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