2007 BMW 335i 3 Series E90 - Deadly Weapon

As it sat under the harsh desert sun, with its matte black mask absorbing the heat, many people chuckled under the assumption this BMW couldn't hang with the M crowd. But you know what they say about assumptions...

You see, Nick's '07 335i isn't your average modified 3-Series. Like Rambo going into battle, his E90 is equipped with the right weapons to turn the smiles of M3 owners upside down.

The 3.0 bi-turbo motor has been dyno-tested up to 439whp. This is thanks to upgrades like software, catless exhaust, redesigned intake manifold and water/meth injection. So after M-Fest 3 we reconnected with Nick in Downtown Los Angeles to uncover this mysterious slaying machine.

From Mitsubishi Evos to Chevy Tahoes, Nick's been infatuated with modifying cars since he was old enough to drive. He had even owned a 5-Series but it wasn't customized to the extent of his 335i. "This is the first Euro I've gone crazy on," Nick stated. "I crashed my Evo twice; it was jinxed. So I wanted something as fast as an Evo but more comfortable. And it had to be a four-door as well; all my cars have been four-doors."

After a search for the perfect sedan, he visited his local BMW dealership and selected the 335i. A four-door M3 would have been the ultimate choice but "I chose the 335i because it was $30k less. And it's more tuneable for a lot less money. Plus, I love turbos," he explained.

With most factory turbo cars, the easiest way to gain horsepower is with software. So Nick contacted Burger Motorsports who set him up with its Juice Box piggyback harness. It remapped the ECU to preserve driveability without throwing engine codes. "I've seen cars dynoed with 60whp gains," Nick told us.

The next piece of the pie was the exhaust system. Riss Racing mid-pipes and catless downpipes were used to eliminate back pressure, while giving the 335i its pissed-off growl. The new stainless pipes improved top-end performance according to Nick. The 3" system was matched to Bastuck quad-tip mufflers for a more aggressive backside.

Maintaining the power became an issue, especially since Nick daily-drove his whip through the hot SoCal summers. So he was introduced to Fred Su at Evolution Racewerks (ER). The company specializes in fabrication, making exhausts and rollcages but especially, front-mount intercoolers like the one on our own Project Silverstone (et 9/06) and also its 135i racecar, which competed in the 100° heat of Super Lap Battle (et 3/09). Fred modeled the 335i intercooler on the race-proven cooling efficiency of ER's 1-Series product, and the rest is history.

After that, Nick continued to chip away at the N54 engine by installing at Stett cold-air intake, which relocated the cone filter down in the bumper. Forge diverter valves were also added to maintain boost pressure.

At this point, Nick dyno-tested the car using a mixture of race and pump fuel, producing 439whp. But he was thirsty for more, so revisited Evolution Racewerks. This time Fred suggested two more performance adders they'd used on their 1-Series racecar: ER's own intake manifold and Snow Performance water/methanol injection.

Fred installed the tank for the water/meth mixture in the trunk, while the controller on the center console manages how much liquid is injected into the intercooler system. This pulls heat away, allowing the motor to run more boost and ignition timing as if it was on higher-octane fuel.