Meds 3.0si Coupe - Carraero CentroPlenum

I won't make suggestions on destinations in Wales, I doubt you'd be dissapointed no matter where you went, but if you are coming in via M54, A5 I would reccomend taking the B4396, off the A5, to Knockin then head over to Lake Bala, the A5 now has average speed camera's for miles and sure its a great road but traffic and the speed limits, ruin it.
At Bala go straight over at the staggard cross road then like this post when you reach the end.
 
4play said:
I won't make suggestions on destinations in Wales, I doubt you'd be dissapointed no matter where you went, but if you are coming in via M54, A5 I would reccomend taking the B4396, off the A5, to Knockin then head over to Lake Bala, the A5 now has average speed camera's for miles and sure its a great road but traffic and the speed limits, ruin it.
At Bala go straight over at the staggard cross road then like this post when you reach the end.
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Yes, we did exactly that, in both directions.
The road between Pen-Y-Bont-Fawr and Bala was excellent and we had a great run with a Cayman S and M Roadster on the way back. 👍
 
Meds said:
Yes, we did exactly that, in both directions.
The road between Pen-Y-Bont-Fawr and Bala was excellent and we had a great run with a Cayman S and M Roadster on the way back. 👍
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Next time over I want to go via Hereford, Abergavenny then head West on the A40 before going North on the A483, I've done some of this, but on a motorcycle, fantastic roads although in the Z you'd need to get lucky with the traffic.

The A498 Tremadog/Bedgellert/Nantgwynant is bonkers did a breakfast run through there on my ZRX1200, you wouldn't have wanted to be a pasenger, scared me a few times.

Seems to me the more often you go the better runs you find. Was having a rollup looking over lake Llyn Clywedog when this little old local man pulled up, he said he'd lived there all his life and didn't realise there was a road passing the reservior, another great little road (B4518) takes you up to Machynlleth, well sort of.

I could go on. I love Scotland but it's so far, Wales can be easily done in a day if you set off early, and for me Wales maybe has better roads, just not the scenery.
 
What’s the condition of your front struts?

I fitted and removed Eibachs as I felt it was too low. I have since learned that tired shocks and top mounts also affect ride height. I have proven this to myself twice now. Maybe I would have liked the Eibachs if I had my current shocks fitted but I live in a speed bump area and M Sport is a good compromise.

Love the bumper, pre facelift rear lights would look great too but obviously much more work than just lamps.
 
4play said:
another great little road (B4518) takes you up to Machynlleth
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That was one of our favourites.

Z44Jon said:
What’s the condition of your front struts?

Love the bumper, pre facelift rear lights would look great too but obviously much more work than just lamps.
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The struts are Koni Sport Yellow, I dont have any reason to doubt them but it's an area for consideration when I start the investigations, again.
Top mounts look fine from the top and when I swapped the spring pads, they seemed fine.
I can see myself going for a height adjustable setup in the near future, then I'm done with it. But I really rate the Koni, the car feels excellent on them.

Thanks for the compliments of the bumper. I've never really seen the love for the pre-FL rear lights, they're nice but missing the FL LED light bars which I really like.
Speaking of rear lights, I now have a brake light bulb out after the trip.
 
It was an amazing trip and one I’ll remember for a long time. I’m already looking forward to next year!

The standard brakes definitely aren’t up to the job, so that’s one thing I’ll be sorting out, along with a new set of rear tyres.
 
The rear brake upgrade to match the 6pot fronts has finally started.

I spent too many hours researching options, each solution resulted in far too much effort and money to justify even my own OCD, so I kind of gave up.
Our man @damocell worked a solution using the 40mm piston version of the early m135i rear caliper and rotor.
Everything works with the wheel offsets and stock 160mm handbrake.
He documented the upgrade on his thread, also on a YT upload which details everything very well.
Using the spreadsheet of geekyness from @B21 they worked out the upgrade path to achieve the correct braking forces. The much more common 44mm version could be an option if you run larger than 345mm front rotors.

They share the same part number as the 44mm calipers.
The only way to tell is to locate a stamped number on the inside between the mount holes, this is usually caked in brake dust so hard to see. P2.40 vs P2.44.

Painted BMW 445 Phoenix Yellow to match the fronts. I'm 90% happy with the DIY job.
Primer and paint is much thinner than I thought, it didn't fully fill the chips on the previous factory blue paint I was expecting it too, I should have flattened them down more.
I flattened some more and they're better but not perfect, they'll look absolutely fine when installed and inside the wheel, though.
Maybe I'll revisit the refurb one day.

I had some genuine stickers left over from the front project, nice.

Part numbers:
m*35i rear 345x24mm rotors: 34206797605​
m*35i rear calipers (40mm): 34216860737, 34216860738 (P2.40)​
Bolts and washers: https://ebay.us/m/9Wsdyf​
m*35i rear pads: 34216887576​
New bleed screws​

Hoses from BTR: https://www.brtmotorsport.co.uk/
Braided Brake Hose 720mm x2​
M10x1 Male Swivel Nut 90 bend x2​
M10x1 Square Swivel x2​
Type 6 Hose Locator x2​
Brake Hose Retaining Clip x2​

I'm waiting on the bolts to arrive, then it's install time.!

55277812404_9325a4f1f6_b.jpg

Knocking out the bolt threads that the new eccentric bolts will replace.
55272091898_ccc20fb29e_c.jpg

Scuffed up, masked up, ready to go:
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Fancy hoses:
55286348821_d306317c2d_b.jpg

They look great!:
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The Carraero 'CentroPlenum' has arrived!
It's a beauty, and huge!
It's far too hot to be under the car port be installing this, so it will wait until the end of the week. Boohoo. 😫20260622_122952.jpg20260622_122751.jpg

There's limited room in front of the MAF sensor location so there'll be a bit of trial and error with regards to the filter, I want to keep the filter as enclosed as possible to keep the boom down, so I might need to get the angle grinder out to shorten the ITG cylinder airbox a little.
We'll see.
Updates to follow.

The rear brakes are being done on Thursday. 👍

Some detail:
20260622_141655.jpg

I asked for the same silver/grey 'BMW Performance/Motorsport ' colour for the main decal, turned out well:
20260622_141647.jpg

I see trumpets:
20260622_141841.jpg20260622_141831.jpg
 
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Amazing.
You’ve got AC haven’t you?! Get on the road.
Note to self.. Pointless on a 2.5 and I can’t afford it.
 
Right, here's my mini review after a short drive.

Prior: BDS/ITG filter (cylinder removed) and BDS intake elbow, sound generator disconnected with the foam still installed.

Product spec:
Quality excellent, weave uniform, internals clean, machining excellent.

Install:
  • Easy, just a faff getting the old manifold disconnected, there's a lot under there!
  • 4 hours, my lower back was in tatters towards the end. 🤣
  • CCV squeeze clips are an absolute PITA, remove the one on the engine pull it out with the old manifold (thanks to @DaveD for this tip).
  • Remove the manifold studs or the new plenum will not go in, install again after.
  • CCV hose not as snug compared to stock manifold, almost like the o-rings need to be a tiny bit girthier. The same on a brand new CCV hose. I'll check these again in a few months.
  • Throttle body bolts need to be nipped in a little 1 by 1, and before the silicon pipe. Easy to cross-thread these guys!
  • DISA cables get tied onto any other random cable nearby.
  • I didnt need the CCV extension hose that was included, unsure what that was for, tbh.
  • If you plan to keep the engine cover, dont bother with shiny new manifold bolts, they're hidden from view.
  • Open the junction box (the clips will break) and route the MAF cable out the front, reassemble the box.
  • (I still need to do a little more cable tidying)
  • There's very little room in front of the MAF. My ITG/BDS foam cone filter just fits without the cylinder airbox.
Sound:
  • Idle,- sounds deeper, maybe* I'm imagining that? Yes after a 2nd drive, it's the same.
  • Low down-, like pulling out of junctions and the road/wind noise is minimal, a subtle (you have to listen for it) swirly sucky whooshy whistle, almost turbo like sound. 👍
  • Mid range (3>4.5k)- no real difference in sound 👎 but it's removed the boom (unsure how) I had around 4k with the open filter.👍
  • Upper Mid (4>5.5k)- the bark starts to appear. 👍
  • Higher (6k)- it really rasps. 👍
Power/feel:
  • Idle- no lumpy idle, smoooooth. :thumbsup:
  • Low down- the same. 👍
  • Mid-range- the same, maybe* a little lower? (n) On 2nd drive this moring, this maybe* seems better :thumbsup:
  • Top end- more*, with the noise increase it feels great? 👍 (I need more time to get a proper drive in)
Conclusion:
  • Looks fantastic
  • Sounds great
  • Removes the open filter boom I had
  • No engine lights or codes.
  • Lacking a little sparkle in the mid range (where I'm usually at) but as the top end is more rewarding it will encourage me to be up there in a lower gear, more often.
  • Quieter than expecting below 4.5k but after that it really livens up. This might be a good thing, after the honeymoon period.
  • I'm glad I went for the road trumpets, as the shorter ones could have made the mid range worse, I want a road machine, not a track weapon.
  • For drivers always on it, this will be an excellent upgrade.
  • * Regarding the power/feel comments, it's hard to tell, marginal. Nothing was a 'holy sh1t' moment. Only a true RR session will prove but as I didnt have benchmark prior to install, I guess I'll never know. A tune will bring everything together.
  • For someone coming from a stock airbox setup, the CentroPlenum will be a larger difference. But, if the foam has been removed, overal volume may be lower, but very different. When I removed the foam in mine, it was so fricken boomy, I hated it.
  • Spendy, especially with options.
Future:
I've been in contact with a few tuners, who say they can confidently bring the torque up while giving extra at the top. This is promising and I'll update with what I decide.
Carraero have always stated that to take full advantage of the plenum, a tune will be needed.
I'll butcher the ITG cylinder airbox (basically chop the front end off) to close in the filter, debatable if this is needed but it'll be a nice job for a rainy day.
 
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Good effort sir. Gutted mine isn’t here yet but can’t wait to get it installed. I think I’ll take the loom box off completely and loom tape it up. I like that Gruppe M filter install that someone else has done but I think I’ll try it open for a while and might try butcher / adapt the OE Airbox to fit the filter in. Will see. I have sport trumpets as I ultimately want to map and up the rev limit to 7,500rpm. Sport trumpets give peak power apparently at 7,000rpm.

All good fun
 
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DaveD said:
Good effort sir. Gutted mine isn’t here yet but can’t wait to get it installed. I think I’ll take the loom box off completely and loom tape it up. I like that Gruppe M filter install that someone else has done but I think I’ll try it open for a while and might try butcher / adapt the OE Airbox to fit the filter in. Will see. I have sport trumpets as I ultimately want to map and up the rev limit to 7,500rpm. Sport trumpets give peak power apparently at 7,000rpm.

All good fun
Click to expand...
Love it...
 
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