[GnomeChild]

Are there any aluminum chargepipes available on the market for anyone looking to keep a completely stock setup, just aluminum? Stock diverter valves, No meth bungs, no BOV flange. I'm not even exactly happy with how the aftermarket handles the diverter valves but it seems like something I'll just have to live with since the benefits of an aluminum charge pipe are well documented at this point

The BMS Charepipe looks good at a solid price but even that includes meth bungs. I don't ever plan on running meth and I want something that would effectively fly under the radar while smogging. Not to mention they can just be another point of failure/boost leak if they just sit going unused

I bought a new OEM LCI chargepipe to replace my original blown one (90k miles) before I knew about even the pre-LCI ones with the rubber boot and lower failure rates. Im trying really hard to justify the upgrade to Aluminum if it doesn't have what I want on offer over just running a pre-LCI pipe

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by GnomeChild

Are there any aluminum chargepipes available on the market for anyone looking to keep a completely stock setup, just aluminum? Stock diverter valves, No meth bungs, no BOV flange. I'm not even exactly happy with how the aftermarket handles the diverter valves but it seems like something I'll just have to live with since the benefits of an aluminum charge pipe are well documented at this point

The BMS Charepipe looks good at a solid price but even that includes meth bungs. I don't ever plan on running meth and I want something that would effectively fly under the radar while smogging. Not to mention they can just be another point of failure/boost leak if they just sit going unused

I bought a new OEM LCI chargepipe to replace my original blown one (90k miles) before I knew about even the pre-LCI ones with the rubber boot and lower failure rates. Im trying really hard to justify the upgrade to Aluminum if it doesn't have what I want on offer over just running a pre-LCI pipe

VRSF do one, the one I have uses stock diverter valves, pretty sure others do as well. What's smogging got to do with a metal charge pipe? It has absolutely zero effect on it. It's just made out of metal instead of plastic. Plastic charge pipes will crack or blow, it's just a matter of time and when.

[GnomeChild]

Originally Posted by Saif2018

VRSF do one, the one I have uses stock diverter valves, pretty sure others do as well. What's smogging got to do with a metal charge pipe? It has absolutely zero effect on it. It's just made out of metal instead of plastic. Plastic charge pipes will crack or blow, it's just a matter of time and when.

I checked out the VRSF pipe and it still included meth bungs. I also forgot to specify I did not want tacky logos that scream "I'M UPGRADED!" to smog refs during visual. As petty as it sounds, they will fail you in Cali for intake related systems/upgrades that are not CARB approved; that includes aftermarket aluminum chargepipes. No blingy chrome for us here in Cali

Ultimately I just coughed up the money for the black anodized Pre-LCI style Evolution Racewerks chargepipe. You can specify no bungs and it reuses the Pre-LCI rubber chargepipe boot so no tacky logos like on the silicone boot they provide for the LCI style chargepipe. I sourced a used Pre-LCI OEM chargepipe on eBay for the boost sensor, c-clip, o-ring, and rubber boot. ER doesn't ship directly to Cali so I had to order off a third party website that would. I can probably resell the plastic chargepipe part to recoupe some of the cost

Best part is the pipe will look 100% stock minus the diverter valve hoses. Now to find a solution to my diverter valve upgrade and I will essentially be done with my cold-side intake solution

[R3dLeader]

The eBay charge pipes for about $50 are pretty sleek and do not have any markings on them. It fit better than the BMS charge pipe I have on my other car. I don't recall if it has meth bungs or not. Don't be worried about them leaking. If you are super paranoid, just add some sort of threadlock or sealant to the threads.

I recently passed smog with my car that has the BMS chargepipe. It all depends on the Tech, most don't go looking around.

[GnomeChild]

I'm sure any aluminum pipe would work as long as the finish is decent and it seals well. It's pretty hard to mess up a pipe, unless, or course, you design it out of plastic (LOL)

I just paid the premium for the ER pipe because it checked off all the requisite boxes. I know a few places that are pretty lenient with smog (last few smogs I got by with my catch can front and center in the engine bay) so a black metal chargepipe that looks stock will probably fly through no issues, it just never hurts to be too careful

[feuer]

Since 2010, I have replaced many parts on n54, not only on my personal n54, currently have two, but other n54 professionally, but have never replaced cracked charge pipe,

[GnomeChild]

I had to replace mine
Running stock boost too
It was an LCI
New OEM pipe was $400
I have heard the full plastic piping on the LCI cars torques the throttle body flange and after some time with many heat cycles it cracks/pops right at that flange
Usually last 90-100k miles, mine broke at 92k. I've seen Pre-LCI CPs hit 150k+ before popping
That's exactly where mine popped, at the flange
I have heard of more LCI pipes cracking than pre-LCIs since Pre-LCIs have an extended rubber boot instead of full plastic piping and it helps flex better
My friend blew his Pre-LCI chargepipe too though
But he was running 25PSI

No, I am not sponsored by Evolution Racewerks nor am I a shill.
I just think they have the most premium product
My Pipe actually arrived today
I'm excited to open it up tonight after work

[feuer]

ER is good just too expensive. I just had to replace oil cooler from the dual kit and was about $500 for a little cooler.

[GnomeChild]

I thought so too, they are nearly double the price of comparable chargepipes. With tax and shipping it came out to $270 to my door even with the 20% off. But it was shipped direct to California which ER themselves refused to do, so I can avoid the middleman hassle and double shipping

I am willing to pay a premium if it has exactly what I'm looking for or can be customized to my personal specifications. Does that mean I pay more often? Yes, but I also get exactly what I want and that's important to me

[R3dLeader]

Please don't ever spend over $100 on a charge pipe. This one has been perfect for me, and fits better than the BMS crap that pinches the power steering lines. There's about 1000 different sellers on eBay of this same pipe.

[GnomeChild]

I reserve my right as a resident of the first world to be as frivolous with my financials as I possible can sustain, thank you

I WILL NOT BE CONTAINED

[GnomeChild]

Evolution Motorwerks/Middleman sent me the wrong pipe



Yeah, I did technically get updated to their new LCI "09+" design for free but that's not the point. The issue is it's not what I wanted and ultimately not what I ordered. Back it goes...

[335i54n]

not worth the hassle even with stock valves they gonna hassle you, i always just put the stock cp back in when smog

few things about most cp on the market. they dont have the bracket that support the cp and have the expansion hump/flex section to account for engine movement. besides a little extra wear on tb doesnt really seem to affect much but yeah er at least took that into account

[GnomeChild]

Yeah that is why I was hoping to get my hands on the Pre-LCI style pipe to mitigate TB wear. At least the ER pipe has an extra mounting bracket for support and the Pre-LCI style used the substantially larger OEM boot to account for more flex. That is both a good and a bad thing: good because it will allow more play in the system so less torque on components and help mitigate wear and bad because well, it allows flex in the system which you don't really want for maintaining proper boosted pressures. The change/risk is so minimal that the added flex seems worth it in the long run though.

To be absolutely safe I will probably still be removing it during smog in exchange for the OEM plastic pipe. It is one clamp and a C-clamp. My air box will already be off since I will have to be swapping back to stock air box by that point too. It never hurts to be too safe

I already dealt with a "return scare" already this week too (three actually). I didn't really need another one...

[335i54n]

i dont think they make the earlier version anymore, it wouldnt take much to cut a vrsf one and add a silicone hump section and fab up a bracket-functional but ugly vs one premade with it in mind

[GnomeChild]

That would be a shame. I guess we'll find out tomorrow which way this will go. If ER truly doesn't sell the early model design anymore they should remove it all together from their site/customizable configuration. Obviously this bitching will lead to nothing because no one here has any capacity to make changes at ER, it's just venting

I would rather avoid making a custom pipe if possible. As you said, it will never come out good or looking as clean as one that was designed that way from the start. Oh well

I guess maybe I should change the name of this topic to "Evolution Racewerks sent me the wrong parts". Very fitting to stick with the theme of this week lol

[R3dLeader]

The eBay one I posted has the silicone elbow that allows some flex

On this topic, the downpipes really scare me. I recently installed OEM downpipes and the flex section is substantial. My VSRF ones don't have any flex. That's concerning, but for how many years have people been running similar downpipes on the N54?

Where does that flex go, into the turbo housings? Downstream of the downpipes?

[GnomeChild]

I know, I just prefer to run as many stock/OEM parts as possible, even down to the inconsequential details like a chargepipe boot. I only upgrade to aftermarket parts if absolutely necessary or the design is 100% proven superior to OEM

You make a good point about the Downpipes. I know high-end aftermarket downpipes incorporate a flex section in some way: Akrapovich comes to mind. They however hampered their design by funneling down to 2.5" almost immediately while most other downpipes on the market try to maintain a 3" pipe and funnel down to 2.5" at the very end where the midpipe flange is. A flex section could also introduce minor turbulence into the system and could inhibit exhaust expelling smoothly; probably why most other DPs don't incorporate a flex section. It is probably the difference between maybe 2-3hp, but hey it's something.

My guess on the tensile strength in the DPs is that the exhaust system and turbo housings are all made out of some form of metal. Yeah they probably do flex some, and the metal in the system probably does experience some degree of torque at high loads: however, nothing in the exhaust system is subject to boosted pressures. Flex/torque/etc probably all becomes more of a pertinent consideration when you dial 1.5bar of air pressure into it: nothing in the exhaust system even comes close to those degrees of pressures.

I personally am not bothered by the lack of a flex section on aftermarket offerings. Plenty of aftermarket headers on NA cars don't have them and get rid of the factory flex sections, most likely for the performance gains as mentioned before. The Long-Tube equal-length Racing Dynamic headers for M20s come to mind; I always wanted them when I had an e30. People used to notch their subframes even just to run them, the sound and performance were substantial over the stock setup.

Coincidentally I went with the Racing Dynamic Downpipes on my 335i: the smoothbore bent tubular design seemed superior to any welded design. They cost a premium and were hard to track down (don't buy the eBay imitation pipes, they have horrible fitment) but I ultimately got a set before California really started cracking down the Iron Curtain. Even if they are only worth 2-3hp more over a cheaper option, a couple hp here, a couple hp there, will all add up overtime. Proven and superior aftermarket companies tend to create good designs for a wide range of cars, and Racine Dynamics has been in this business for nearly 30 years. Even though I never got my hands on the RD EL Headers for my former e30, in a way I fulfilled the spiritual commitment to that dream by running the RD Downpipes on my 335i