I'm based in Bangkok and owns an e-39 523i as my weekend car - mostly trips to the golf course. I also owns an e-36 316i which I drive when I'm back in Manila. I've seen that several members in the club already have installed GruppM's cold air intake. Does anybody have confirmed the actual HP gain (based on dyno run) after installing their CAI? and is there a supplier in the region other than Japan. I am thinking of installing one on my e-39. I've made a direct inquiry to their office in Japan and was quoted > $ 1,000 including shipping, recently I've found a UK based supplier which quoted ~ $ 700 US for the RAM system including shipping too. Does the above pricing makes sense?
In the past I've tried K&N's CAI - their 57i kit and was not satisfied with the performance - first of all the installation is not robust and needs periodic adjustment and it looks out of place in the engine bay - eventually I've installed back the original air intake system. There is also a concern that since the filter element itself is not shileded from engine heat - the result could actually be negative HP gain - I should have taken the car to the dyno shop to prove this.
Future plan is to install GroupM's CAI and re-map the piggy back ECU (Unichip)- be nice to know how much additional HP and torque can be gained.
In the past I've tried K&N's CAI - their 57i kit and was not satisfied with the performance - first of all the installation is not robust and needs periodic adjustment and it looks out of place in the engine bay - eventually I've installed back the original air intake system. There is also a concern that since the filter element itself is not shileded from engine heat - the result could actually be negative HP gain - I should have taken the car to the dyno shop to prove this.
Future plan is to install GroupM's CAI and re-map the piggy back ECU (Unichip)- be nice to know how much additional HP and torque can be gained.
