Hey guys. So i'm coming from the BMW world. I've been apart of the e36 community for a long time and my cousins lease on his is250 just ended so I'm going to be doing a lease takeover/payoff.

Anyway pictures of the car will soon follow but I have a couple questions.

I know about the whole intake giving/losing HP thing but I feel like there is alot of improper testing going on. I just can't wrap my head around NOT gaining HP by cutting out all those restrictions and maximizing airflow into the engine. Regardless of the stock box directing a higher pressure more controlled wind channel.

Are these tests being done with the hood up? Down? All these dyno's im seeing claim to be losing power its really blowing my mind. Is there any way to test HP besides a dyno? Like on real world conditions?

And also I want to see what everyone thinks of this license plate relocation kit. I have one on my e36 and It helps clean up the front middle a little bit. Better than the plate being right spank in the middle.


Thanks guys pictures will follow on tuesday when i get the car.

 

You are in CA so your only legal intake is the F-Sport one. Personally I'd stay away from the "short ram" type intakes with their cone filters and stick with the f-sport/joe-z type ones.

As for the tow hook license plate holder that one should work

 

Cool i'm definitely picking up the relocater then. I don't really mind going with the AFE. Smog checks are kind of a joke here.

The short ram filters however like the AFE have a heatshield so I won't be sucking up that much hot air. I hope...

Oh and also. I looked into the Joe Z its literally just a pipe. Seems like its just for smoother airflow? Can't get myself to drop 120 bucks on a piece of aluminum piping

 

The stock intake already provides more air than the engine is capable of using... so there's really no "restriction" to air volume you remove with a huge honking cone filter- you just suck hotter air.

The Joe Z provides a smoother airflow path, which is why you pick up a few hp with it, and does it by retaining the colder-air stock intake box (which as we mentioned isn't, at all, a restriction to the engine)

 

Do a google search for "is250 f-sport dyno import tuner" or search the forum here.

Someone posted dyno numbers for F-sport parts on IS250 by Import Tuner Magazine.

If I remember correctly, F-Sport intake dyno'd in at around 15 HP gain.

F-sport exhaust had around 2 HP gain.

Cost wise, F-sport intake gives a better bang for the buck than the exhaust. Joe Z intake should give about the same results. If you want it to sound louder, you can drill holes to the bottom of your air intake box.

 

After doing alot of research it looks like i'll just go with the Joe Z. I don't really wanna drill any holes to be honest...

Just a random thought. Do you guys take your engine covers off or leave them on?