n26

When I last left off our engineer, Steve, was busy scanning and creating a 3D model of the F30 stock unit as a reference for our new design. There is an impressive amount of engineering that has gone into this intercooler project already, with more to come. One of the reasons for this attention to detail is because of the wide range of models that this new cooler is going to fit, as seen by our photo gallery. Another reason is because BMW has a pesky habit of living up to their moniker, "The Ultimate Driving Machine," they leave little room for error.

Steve working the Faro Design ScanArm to create a 3D model of the stock intercooler unit.

I've always been a huge fan of BMW, especially when it comes to the meticulous engineering that goes into each of their vehicles. Every model they put out is designed to last. Whether it be a 28-year old 3-series speeding around the flat back roads of New Jersey, or the much bigger and heavier X3 taking on the winding mountain roads of the Colorado

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