[labitd]

Hey all I am in the market for a new intake for my 2016 340i. I really want to find out the best sounding/performing intake right now. I know the vast majority of people go with a Agency Power or a BMS intake. However now that the car has been out for a while there has been a lot more intakes appear for this car recently such as AFE, Injen, Dinan, MST and CTS. One of the problems I have been having is finding proper reviews and sound clips for these newer intakes. So please share your experiences, videos, and whatever other info you have on these products to help me and I am sure many others decide!

[chenry]

Originally Posted by labitd

Hey all I am in the market for a new intake for my 2016 340i. I really want to find out the best sounding/performing intake right now. I know the vast majority of people go with a Agency Power or a BMS intake. However now that the car has been out for a while there has been a lot more intakes appear for this car recently such as AFE, Injen, Dinan, MST and CTS. One of the problems I have been having is finding proper reviews and sound clips for these newer intakes. So please share your experiences, videos, and whatever other info you have on these products to help me and I am sure many others decide!

There is no "best" - however you can probably break down the offerings that you have listed into two seperate camps:

1. Open element filters (BMS & Agency are examples)
2. CAI designs (Dinan & AFE are examples)

If you simply want sound and are not a believer that an open element approach creates an issue with warm engine bay air being sucked in to the intake - go open element

If you don't want as much sound and believe that the cost associated with a closed box CAI solution is justified because they were engineered better and/or look better and the cooler air is better for engine - go with a closed box solution

In the end it's really going to come down to what you subjectively believe to be true and best for you. People will have opinions and some will have dyno graphs but opinions are just that (opinions) and any dyno graph gains will likely be small and within the dynos margin of error

ps- as an example of this - Mission Performance with all their tuned and dynoed cars etc...simply uses the factory drop in filter

Good luck let us know what you decide

pps- welcome to the forum. A little advice I like to share with all new members when I can.
1-never ask for what is "best" it'll often turn into a pissing match - which is silly because everyone has their own personal "best" this or that but that doesn't mean its objectively best for all - I always suggest "what did you choose and why"
2-often times subjective opinions are presented as objective fact - be mindful of this
3-usually the people that will tell you that something is "best" are people or vendors that have a vested interest in a particular product or offering

Hope this helps - happy modding

[hokiedood]

Is the stock intake a CAI on the 340i? Does it draw air from the bottom of the car?

[SC_B5X]

Originally Posted by hokiedood

Is the stock intake a CAI on the 340i? Does it draw air from the bottom of the car?

No, but it draws fresh air from the intake in the passenger side kidney grill.

[hokiedood]

Originally Posted by SC_B5X

No, but it draws fresh air from the intake in the passenger side kidney grill.

How are those CAI actually pulling cold air?

[MPJ88]

Depending on the location you bought your car with you either have item 13 or 14 fitted to your car:
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=13_1756

If you have item 14 this goes through a panel which feeds through to the section behind the kidney grills. You can get scoops (e.g. from AFE - https://afepower.com/afe-power-54-12...amic-air-scoop) which connect to this hole and direct air down the ducting. I'm not overly sold on it as I think it would also direct water etc down that way towards your filter.

[E90ROXS]

COntact Mike from ExtremePower House. I got the Agency Intake from him and couldn't be any happier.

[SC_B5X]

Originally Posted by hokiedood

How are those CAI actually pulling cold air?

Any open (not in a sealed airbox) "CAI" isn't a cold air intake. It's just sucking in hot air from the engine bay. I wont be buying a intake for my B58 as the stock airbox and more than adequate. I had an open filter BMS intake for my N55 and the car idled awful with it and I didn't see any improvements in performance (most intakes will never yield much power, if any). The only reason I kept it was because it sounded great.

[JayFar]

Originally Posted by SC_B5X

Any open (not in a sealed airbox) "CAI" isn't a cold air intake. It's just sucking in hot air from the engine bay. I wont be buying a intake for my B58 as the stock airbox and more than adequate. I had an open filter BMS intake for my N55 and the car idled awful with it and I didn't see any improvements in performance (most intakes will never yield much power, if any). The only reason I kept it was because it sounded great.

I can't recall where I saw a thread with actual temperatures of an open intake vs closed, but it's completely negligible.

[kern417]

For performance, you want the biggest intake you can fit in an enclosed system. From that aspect

#1 Dinan
#2 MST

I'm also sticking with the stock intake for now but if I do ever upgrade, it'll be the MST. The Dinan is too expensive imo, but it is the best design on the market currently.

For reference, I can't think of a single new car in the last 10-15+ years that doesn't have a CAI design from the factory. Every intake pulls air from the front of the car, whether it's behind the grille or under the hood opening. The main thing is if the filter is causing a restriction, so some people just swap to a higher flowing filter in the stock airbox.

Originally Posted by JayFar

I can't recall where I saw a thread with actual temperatures of an open intake vs closed, but it's completely negligible.

It's not in a real world scenario. A lot of people take measurements with the hood open because that's how you run on a dyno, but for regular driving where the hood is closed there's a big difference. And it's not just IATs. Look at MAF values, timing correction, fuel trims, etc. Granted we're probably talking +/- 10-20hp max, but it's worth it from an efficiency and reliability standpoint.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Agency Power is the most popular option we carry, BMS is a close second.

OP i would not worry to much about performance gains. All proven brand perform the same on this platform.

Get the intake based on looks, sound and price.

Originally Posted by E90ROXS

COntact Mike from ExtremePower House. I got the Agency Intake from him and couldn't be any happier.

[E90ROXS]

Originally Posted by Fuel-It!

BMS retains the factory airbox and ducting for cold air, it's an inexpensive and easy to install/remove design, well proven, looks good, sounds good, and is budget friendly at $180.

I have one available for $120. Let me know if any of you need it.

[hokiedood]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

Agency Power is the most popular option we carry, BMS is a close second.

OP i would not worry to much about performance gains. All proven brand perform the same on this platform.

Get the intake based on looks, sound and price.

Dinan states their CAI has max gains of +15 hp and 13 torque.

I don't know if that's the truth or BS. I think those are worthwhile gains if true.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by hokiedood

Dinan states their CAI has max gains of +15 hp and 13 torque.

I don't know if that's the truth or BS. I think those are worthwhile gains if true.

VM did a dyno on the BMS intake on a completely stock car and got similar gains.

The brand of the intake does not matter as long as they are using high quality filters.

[PURE340i]

The most perfect fitted intake and ill probably get shit for this is the BMS. It bolt's right up and it fits perfect...... and your other option would be just getting a drop in filter. I had the Injen intake which is pretty much the same as the Agency power and it was horribly fitted so i removed it within 2 days and reinstalled my BMS.

[Supr3me]

I have the AP intake and it's great, sounds awesome. I installed it at the same time as catless DP and JB4 so I can't speak to performance gains. My only gripe is that it came with this length of rubber edging/piping that's supposed to fit over the metal edge of the heat shield but it didn't fit well and wouldn't stay. I ended up using some adhesive to get it to stay, which made a bit of a mess and was a PITA. No complaints otherwise.

[Fuel-It!]

BMS is a very popular option and 100% made in the USA. It's also really easy to install and remove so makes it easy for service visits.

[labitd]

Went with the CTS intake and couldn't be happier the sounds are amazing!

[BMWApp]

Originally Posted by hokiedood

Dinan states their CAI has max gains of +15 hp and 13 torque.

I don't know if that's the truth or BS. I think those are worthwhile gains if true.

I got the Dinan CAI for my 340i and believe their stated gains. I can definitely feel the power increase. There is a separate thread somewhere in this forum where a poster Dyno'd his car before and after the Dinan CAI and he got very similar gains as to what Dinan stated. I am very happy with my purchase.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by BMWApp

I got the Dinan CAI for my 340i and believe their stated gains. I can definitely feel the power increase. There is a separate thread somewhere in this forum where a poster Dyno'd his car before and after the Dinan CAI and he got very similar gains as to what Dinan stated. I am very happy with my purchase.

[Wires]

Originally Posted by hokiedood

Dinan states their CAI has max gains of +15 hp and 13 torque.

I don't know if that's the truth or BS. I think those are worthwhile gains if true.

All the aftermarket companies post numbers like that, but I'm calling 100% BS to it. Just isn't possible on our torque target based turbo cars.

Only benefit the aftermarket "CAI" has is intake noise. It gives the acceleration more "drama", but don't expect noticable power gains.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by Wires

All the aftermarket companies post numbers like that, but I'm calling 100% BS to it. Just isn't possible on our torque target based turbo cars.

Only benefit the aftermarket "CAI" has is intake noise. It gives the acceleration more "drama", but don't expect noticable power gains.

With all due respect I don’t think it’s fair to call bullshit when you have no data proving otherwise.

VM posted dyno using BMS Intake. VM don’t make intakes so they have no reason to lie about it. They took the time to dyno their car and post results