E70 X5 3.0si Burger Tuning PowerBox PBX Review

[jandref321]

Review of BMS Powerbox (PBX) on 2008 E70 X5 3.0si

Bottom Line: Very noticeable performance upgrade; no regret purchasing; Highly Recommend.

Background: The warranty on the wife’s 2008 X5 3.0si went up last year and it came down to decision time: purchase a new vehicle or pay for upkeep on the current one. I was immediately forced to make the decision as the brakes were due for a refresh so I went all in on some slotted and drilled rotors with carbon fiber/ceramic pads from rockauto. The price wasn’t bad and the labor was free (me) so I didn’t feel the pain. That was until I recently noticed that there was a minor oil leak seeping around the oil pan. It turns out that the oil pan gasket has a minor seeping leak, not a big deal and not an emergency, but I'm picky. The gasket is only a $20 part so it’s not terrible, but the procedure is a whole weekend job or a $1600 indy bill. This is because the DIY requires you to drop the axles, front differential, steering column, and the subframe. I went into crisis management mode and started running numbers; essentially I would lose significantly more selling the car and buying another than spending the cash to get this one up to date. I found that for only $1300 I could replace almost all of the front suspension and upgrade some parts while servicing the oil pan gasket, both differentials, and the transmission. This all requires time so I set a date in the future while I save up the cash and reserve some time; I’ll complete the project in October. In the mean time I’ve decided to work on fixing up the car. I started with some painted front reflectors and blacking out the rear reflectors with plastidip. I had already scrubbed and painted the calipers so silver all around looked nice. The only real gripe I had with this car was the performance part; I went with the 3.0si because my wife wanted to make sure that the fuel economy would be closer to her old 330i. The car was quicker than I would have thought, but it was still slow compared to other BMWs, notably my E46 M3 and F10 535i. I searched around but no turbo or supercharger kit is available for this vehicle because of the odd build of the X-drive; no one really wants to build up a 6 cylinder SAV. The only performance upgrades I found were axle back exhaust, K&N drop in, and tunes. The Turner tune was expensive and invasive so I figured I’d give BMS a shot since the JB4 made a world of difference with my 535i. I shot the BMS guys an email since I was skeptical about how the Powerbox was able to produce the same 10hp out of several different versions of the N52. It just doesn’t make sense, BMW already pulled 30+ more HP out of the same engine with some intake and tuning trickery to make it move the X5 so I figured there was no way for even more. The BMS response was that “we can still squeeze 10 more HP out of the X5 also.” After getting the response I just gave in and bought it.

Install: I was a little nervous about this since I couldn’t find a DIY, and from what I could find, no one else installed this on an X5. It was really simple and straight forward. (1) You remove the passenger cowl in the engine bay with 13mm socket. (2) Remove the cabin air filter housing with 13mm Socket and Extension. (3) Unclip the cabin air filter intake tube using the cam buckles inside of the tube and the plastic trim fastener. (4) Unclip the metal DME housing clips. (5) Follow the BMS instructions the rest of the way. Too easy.

Feedback: This was immediate: the chip is auto set to map 3, 100% throttle remapping and performance tuning on. It was a bit much for me driving around so I set it to map 2, 60% throttle and performance tuning on. This was my goldilocks setting, the throttle is smooth and pickup is much better. I had to wait a week for the part to be delivered so I set to work immediately trying to validate my purchase before it arrived. I had previously purchased a wifi OBDII adapter and a iphone app called DashCommand. I have used it primarily for reading codes but figured I could use the performance functions to figure out if the BMS PBX actually made a difference. I input the myriad of specification requirements for the vehicle to include frontal area, drag coefficient, weight, wheel size, etc. and then did a few runs in sport mode to get a baseline max HP. I came out with a max HP of 256 and max torque of 255 ft/lb at the crank. This is definitely lower than the 260 BHP that BMW quotes and the 268 BHP that car magazines reviewed at, but for an 8 year old car with 87k miles it made sense (it’s not a real dyno anyway). I did change the spark plugs 20K miles ago if anyone was wondering. Anyway, after installing the BMS PBX I ran the car under similar conditions and came out with a max HP of 267 and max torque of 265 ft/lb at the crank; that is a change of 11HP and 10 ft/lb of Torque. Even if the OBDII adapter and the app are crap it does show that the PBX is affecting the tuning, not just the throttle. The real change, however, is definitely the throttle. Before the PBX, the throttle felt like it had some slack in it, and it would take the better part of a second for the engine to respond to my command. Now, the throttle feels direct, crisp, and definitely more responsive. I have renewed confidence that the vehicle will respond the way I expect it to and I really enjoy the added performance aspect. There are things that the PBX does not address well: Fuel Economy and the Transmission. Back before I got the PBX and before I installed the Thule aeroblade roof racks I would average 24mpg in flat ol’ Florida. After the roof racks I dropped to 21mpg average and then with the K&N drop in I went back up to 22mpg. Living in Hawaii now, I get an average of 19.6mpg; with the PBX this has dropped to 16.6. Even being very cautious, I only get 17.1mpg on average. I used to brag quite a bit about how my 2.5 ton SAV would get 30mpg highway and average 24mpg, but now I have nothing to brag about. If you want to see the MPG needle snap to the highest consumption, then just select map 3 and lightly tap the pedal. I don’t see super power and acceleration like I would in the V8 but now I get near the same MPG, which is aggravating. The other negative is that this in no way affects the transmission, which everyone agrees isn’t the best. The 6 speed still has its fumbles, like waiting to downshift from 3rd to 2nd or 2nd to 1st when you’re decelerating, which ends up jerking you when the tranny decides you don’t have the power you need when you hit the throttle again. It can be annoying, but not much can be done without jumping up to the newer 8 speed, and it still beats the hell out of my 2014 Toyota Tacoma’s transmission, and engine, and everything. Really what I’m saying is: it’s not a manual. I still enjoy the car, and enjoy it a great deal more with the PBX. I feel that the tuner is definitely worth the price and even the loss of fuel economy. If you’re thinking about purchasing then I recommend it, hopefully this review will help make the decision either way.

Notes:
Spark Plug Change 68k miles
Thule Aeroblade Roof Rack installed 80k miles
K&N drop in filter installed at 80k miles
PBX installed 87k miles
Used an OBDII wifi connector off amazon
Used the DashCommand App for performance numbers (manual input of specs from BMW pamphlet, did not account for fuel weight just made sure it was at the same level both times)

Before PBX: 256BHP, 255 ft/lb
After PBX: 267BHP, 265ft/lb on Map 2

[Demetri520]

Originally Posted by jandref321

Review of BMS Powerbox (PBX) on 2008 E70 X5 3.0si

Bottom Line: Very noticeable performance upgrade; no regret purchasing; Highly Recommend.

Background: The warranty on the wife’s 2008 X5 3.0si went up last year and it came down to decision time: purchase a new vehicle or pay for upkeep on the current one. I was immediately forced to make the decision as the brakes were due for a refresh so I went all in on some slotted and drilled rotors with carbon fiber/ceramic pads from rockauto. The price wasn’t bad and the labor was free (me) so I didn’t feel the pain. That was until I recently noticed that there was a minor oil leak seeping around the oil pan. It turns out that the oil pan gasket has a minor seeping leak, not a big deal and not an emergency, but I'm picky. The gasket is only a $20 part so it’s not terrible, but the procedure is a whole weekend job or a $1600 indy bill. This is because the DIY requires you to drop the axles, front differential, steering column, and the subframe. I went into crisis management mode and started running numbers; essentially I would lose significantly more selling the car and buying another than spending the cash to get this one up to date. I found that for only $1300 I could replace almost all of the front suspension and upgrade some parts while servicing the oil pan gasket, both differentials, and the transmission. This all requires time so I set a date in the future while I save up the cash and reserve some time; I’ll complete the project in October. In the mean time I’ve decided to work on fixing up the car. I started with some painted front reflectors and blacking out the rear reflectors with plastidip. I had already scrubbed and painted the calipers so silver all around looked nice. The only real gripe I had with this car was the performance part; I went with the 3.0si because my wife wanted to make sure that the fuel economy would be closer to her old 330i. The car was quicker than I would have thought, but it was still slow compared to other BMWs, notably my E46 M3 and F10 535i. I searched around but no turbo or supercharger kit is available for this vehicle because of the odd build of the X-drive; no one really wants to build up a 6 cylinder SAV. The only performance upgrades I found were axle back exhaust, K&N drop in, and tunes. The Turner tune was expensive and invasive so I figured I’d give BMS a shot since the JB4 made a world of difference with my 535i. I shot the BMS guys an email since I was skeptical about how the Powerbox was able to produce the same 10hp out of several different versions of the N52. It just doesn’t make sense, BMW already pulled 30+ more HP out of the same engine with some intake and tuning trickery to make it move the X5 so I figured there was no way for even more. The BMS response was that “we can still squeeze 10 more HP out of the X5 also.” After getting the response I just gave in and bought it.

Install: I was a little nervous about this since I couldn’t find a DIY, and from what I could find, no one else installed this on an X5. It was really simple and straight forward. (1) You remove the passenger cowl in the engine bay with 13mm socket. (2) Remove the cabin air filter housing with 13mm Socket and Extension. (3) Unclip the cabin air filter intake tube using the cam buckles inside of the tube and the plastic trim fastener. (4) Unclip the metal DME housing clips. (5) Follow the BMS instructions the rest of the way. Too easy.

Feedback: This was immediate: the chip is auto set to map 3, 100% throttle remapping and performance tuning on. It was a bit much for me driving around so I set it to map 2, 60% throttle and performance tuning on. This was my goldilocks setting, the throttle is smooth and pickup is much better. I had to wait a week for the part to be delivered so I set to work immediately trying to validate my purchase before it arrived. I had previously purchased a wifi OBDII adapter and a iphone app called DashCommand. I have used it primarily for reading codes but figured I could use the performance functions to figure out if the BMS PBX actually made a difference. I input the myriad of specification requirements for the vehicle to include frontal area, drag coefficient, weight, wheel size, etc. and then did a few runs in sport mode to get a baseline max HP. I came out with a max HP of 256 and max torque of 255 ft/lb at the crank. This is definitely lower than the 260 BHP that BMW quotes and the 268 BHP that car magazines reviewed at, but for an 8 year old car with 87k miles it made sense (it’s not a real dyno anyway). I did change the spark plugs 20K miles ago if anyone was wondering. Anyway, after installing the BMS PBX I ran the car under similar conditions and came out with a max HP of 267 and max torque of 265 ft/lb at the crank; that is a change of 11HP and 10 ft/lb of Torque. Even if the OBDII adapter and the app are crap it does show that the PBX is affecting the tuning, not just the throttle. The real change, however, is definitely the throttle. Before the PBX, the throttle felt like it had some slack in it, and it would take the better part of a second for the engine to respond to my command. Now, the throttle feels direct, crisp, and definitely more responsive. I have renewed confidence that the vehicle will respond the way I expect it to and I really enjoy the added performance aspect. There are things that the PBX does not address well: Fuel Economy and the Transmission. Back before I got the PBX and before I installed the Thule aeroblade roof racks I would average 24mpg in flat ol’ Florida. After the roof racks I dropped to 21mpg average and then with the K&N drop in I went back up to 22mpg. Living in Hawaii now, I get an average of 19.6mpg; with the PBX this has dropped to 16.6. Even being very cautious, I only get 17.1mpg on average. I used to brag quite a bit about how my 2.5 ton SAV would get 30mpg highway and average 24mpg, but now I have nothing to brag about. If you want to see the MPG needle snap to the highest consumption, then just select map 3 and lightly tap the pedal. I don’t see super power and acceleration like I would in the V8 but now I get near the same MPG, which is aggravating. The other negative is that this in no way affects the transmission, which everyone agrees isn’t the best. The 6 speed still has its fumbles, like waiting to downshift from 3rd to 2nd or 2nd to 1st when you’re decelerating, which ends up jerking you when the tranny decides you don’t have the power you need when you hit the throttle again. It can be annoying, but not much can be done without jumping up to the newer 8 speed, and it still beats the hell out of my 2014 Toyota Tacoma’s transmission, and engine, and everything. Really what I’m saying is: it’s not a manual. I still enjoy the car, and enjoy it a great deal more with the PBX. I feel that the tuner is definitely worth the price and even the loss of fuel economy. If you’re thinking about purchasing then I recommend it, hopefully this review will help make the decision either way.

Notes:
Spark Plug Change 68k miles
Thule Aeroblade Roof Rack installed 80k miles
K&N drop in filter installed at 80k miles
PBX installed 87k miles
Used an OBDII wifi connector off amazon
Used the DashCommand App for performance numbers (manual input of specs from BMW pamphlet, did not account for fuel weight just made sure it was at the same level both times)

Before PBX: 256BHP, 255 ft/lb
After PBX: 267BHP, 265ft/lb on Map 2

This is an awesome review... Thank you so much. I have the same exact year & model and have been looking for something that will give me little added power and I have been contemplating on buying the BMS Powerbox for some time now, just have never found any solid reviews. You have answered all my questions in this review, not to mention the install instructions which are great. I did get the Sprint Booster a friend of mine recommended and the throttle is definitely more responsive, just wished it offered a little more power as well. I recently replaced my stock exhaust with a megan racing exhaust and replaced the center resonator with an xpipe. I don't get the deeper tone V8 sound I was looking for, but I'm happy with the sound and the added little perfomance i get. So I'm going to give this BMS Powerbox a wind. I should of gotten this to begin with, it happens to be cheaper than the Sprint Booster and from your review you definitely get an added boost.

So I want to thank you again for this post!! It's just what I was looking for! Awesome post!!

[jandref321]

Originally Posted by Demetri520

This is an awesome review... Thank you so much. I have the same exact year & model and have been looking for something that will give me little added power and I have been contemplating on buying the BMS Powerbox for some time now, just have never found any solid reviews. You have answered all my questions in this review, not to mention the install instructions which are great. I did get the Sprint Booster a friend of mine recommended and the throttle is definitely more responsive, just wished it offered a little more power as well. I recently replaced my stock exhaust with a megan racing exhaust and replaced the center resonator with an xpipe. I don't get the deeper tone V8 sound I was looking for, but I'm happy with the sound and the added little perfomance i get. So I'm going to give this BMS Powerbox a wind. I should of gotten this to begin with, it happens to be cheaper than the Sprint Booster and from your review you definitely get an added boost.

So I want to thank you again for this post!! It's just what I was looking for! Awesome post!!

Woah, I'm way late on responding to this...I'm glad I could help. My wife has been driving the X5 way more than I have but recently I got in and was surprised to notice that the average MPG have gone back up to 20.8 so it has actually improved over the past few months. When I get the chance I'll check the Dashcommand performance again.