I had originally posted this on Facebook. I've been asked to re-post it here on SpoolStreet to share with the larger community, my personal honest feedback on my purchase.
Since the original post I've added AKG 75D Poly Subframe bushings to the car, which have also made a huge difference. The combination of the effects of these new bushings along with the coil system is very satisfying. Pulling away aggressively from a dead stop is really very smooth (manual gearbox). It feels way better than an old school automatic in my opinion. Similar to how the ZF 8 speed feels in my M235i.
Edit: This is the "V2" version of this coil system, which includes a more refined micro-controller configuration for easy installation.
Anyway, here is a paste of my original review:
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Because I am local to Alex I was very excited to get my hands on the BL Ignition system upgrade. More specifically, I thought that anything that BMW Motorsport uses on their race cars should be worthwhile. The fact that these coils are incredibly robust, and battle hardened, the fact that you remove thermal load from the DME, and the fact that they're used as well on some of the greatest super cars on the road today were just bonuses really.
I really had a feeling for what I should expect as a result, but the sharpness, the responsiveness, the incredibly healthy power delivery were significant differences, a bit more than I thought they would be. The car should have come from the factory with these. The fit and finish, and effect, really demand that they do.
I dropped in a set of n20 plugs (couple steps colder, .03 gap.) and drove over to his place for install. It went in, in about 10 minutes or so, while dicking around and chatting. There were no splices. No re-pinning connectors. No spark plug wires. (My favorite part) It looks OEM. That was another important aspect of the system to me. Simply because if it fits perfectly and cleanly, then there's a better chance it was meant to be.
Leaving his sort of residential community after install there was a small issue. I would have to re-learn the power delivery as I was already sideways at a much lower throttle input than normal. (The other essential update for this platform is an LSD. ) I know most people love the exhilaration of straight line performance, but driving dynamics such as a limited slip or a quick rack for me are more important for road-course type racing or canyon carving.
The responsiveness and sharpness: The reaction from throttle input to engine response is very much improved. The car loved to be torquey before but now It's more like a laser guided warhammer. You can really feel a more direct relationship between the amount of power you get based on pedal input, way more than before.
The power delivery: The manner in which the car pulls is very healthy. When you get a new car, or even when you just properly maintain one like mine, you come to expect how the engine is supposed to feel as new. You drive someone else's beater where they're unable to maintain it properly and it's just a miserable experience. This re-defines what a healthy motor SHOULD feel like. It's mountainous. Even more so than before.
I'm not going to talk about butt dynos because my name isn't Omar and I'm not into butt stuff. BUT, it was worth twice as much as the full price that I paid for the privilege of experiencing what I think is the most essential upgrade, probably to any engine, ever. One of my buddies is a die hard M fan. Like, fully built big six, N/A all the things, throttle response ITB's blah blah blah. He was shocked at how the car felt. And now he's looking for a 335 to buy.
There are I know a few people working on their big number cars who want to put down some truly impressive numbers with an upgraded kit, and I am not one of those 1000WHP or bust people. Normally I don't post anything, but this was a truly impressive piece of electrical engineering that I definitely had to share. Some of the specific details of that genius I will leave for Alex to show when he is ready. If you can get your hands on the Bimmerlife kit, it doesn't really matter if you want to do it for big numbers, or because you want parts with a Motorsports pedigree, or any number of reasons. You will not be disappointed in the slightest.
Since the original post I've added AKG 75D Poly Subframe bushings to the car, which have also made a huge difference. The combination of the effects of these new bushings along with the coil system is very satisfying. Pulling away aggressively from a dead stop is really very smooth (manual gearbox). It feels way better than an old school automatic in my opinion. Similar to how the ZF 8 speed feels in my M235i.
Edit: This is the "V2" version of this coil system, which includes a more refined micro-controller configuration for easy installation.
Anyway, here is a paste of my original review:
---
Because I am local to Alex I was very excited to get my hands on the BL Ignition system upgrade. More specifically, I thought that anything that BMW Motorsport uses on their race cars should be worthwhile. The fact that these coils are incredibly robust, and battle hardened, the fact that you remove thermal load from the DME, and the fact that they're used as well on some of the greatest super cars on the road today were just bonuses really.
I really had a feeling for what I should expect as a result, but the sharpness, the responsiveness, the incredibly healthy power delivery were significant differences, a bit more than I thought they would be. The car should have come from the factory with these. The fit and finish, and effect, really demand that they do.
I dropped in a set of n20 plugs (couple steps colder, .03 gap.) and drove over to his place for install. It went in, in about 10 minutes or so, while dicking around and chatting. There were no splices. No re-pinning connectors. No spark plug wires. (My favorite part) It looks OEM. That was another important aspect of the system to me. Simply because if it fits perfectly and cleanly, then there's a better chance it was meant to be.
Leaving his sort of residential community after install there was a small issue. I would have to re-learn the power delivery as I was already sideways at a much lower throttle input than normal. (The other essential update for this platform is an LSD.
) I know most people love the exhilaration of straight line performance, but driving dynamics such as a limited slip or a quick rack for me are more important for road-course type racing or canyon carving.The responsiveness and sharpness: The reaction from throttle input to engine response is very much improved. The car loved to be torquey before but now It's more like a laser guided warhammer. You can really feel a more direct relationship between the amount of power you get based on pedal input, way more than before.
The power delivery: The manner in which the car pulls is very healthy. When you get a new car, or even when you just properly maintain one like mine, you come to expect how the engine is supposed to feel as new. You drive someone else's beater where they're unable to maintain it properly and it's just a miserable experience. This re-defines what a healthy motor SHOULD feel like. It's mountainous. Even more so than before.
I'm not going to talk about butt dynos because my name isn't Omar and I'm not into butt stuff. BUT, it was worth twice as much as the full price that I paid for the privilege of experiencing what I think is the most essential upgrade, probably to any engine, ever. One of my buddies is a die hard M fan. Like, fully built big six, N/A all the things, throttle response ITB's blah blah blah. He was shocked at how the car felt. And now he's looking for a 335 to buy.
There are I know a few people working on their big number cars who want to put down some truly impressive numbers with an upgraded kit, and I am not one of those 1000WHP or bust people. Normally I don't post anything, but this was a truly impressive piece of electrical engineering that I definitely had to share. Some of the specific details of that genius I will leave for Alex to show when he is ready. If you can get your hands on the Bimmerlife kit, it doesn't really matter if you want to do it for big numbers, or because you want parts with a Motorsports pedigree, or any number of reasons. You will not be disappointed in the slightest.
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