First, I'd like to thank APE for their great prices and service. Taylor really goes above and beyond, and it sounds like that good feeling is resonating among other customers, too. So, keep up the good work!
I installed the "drop-in" air-filter that Taylor has made by S&B. Install was a breeze, but I had to rescue my Torx 20 from the engine tray as it wasn't as secure in the driver as it should have been. If it wasn't for fishing around with a telescoping magnet thing and a flashlight, this install would have literally taken 5 minutes.
Didn't really push it for the first 30 miles or so on my journey this weekend to the shore. There was local traffic and I wanted to give the car a little mileage to adjust to the new filter. Then I got on it...
Now, it goes without saying that if you have incredibly high expectations for a drop in filter it probably isn't the mod for you. However, for $75 shipped, it does feel like it smooths things out a bit and the sound changes slightly as well (for the better).
I guess the easiest way to describe the difference is if you are in a higher gear at low RPM... say 4th gear at 3k RPM... When you nail it, it doesn't feel like it wants to "bog" as much. I don't want to say that this is "mid-range torque" without any kind of dyno proof, but that is my perception. If any of you guys had an S&B/Streamline filter on your old e46 M3s, it's pretty much an identical change in feeling/response. I think I paid $100 shipped for the e46, so $75 from APE is a steal!
Great bang for your buck mod!
Patrick
PS - Forgot to mention, over my 150 mile trek I averaged just right around 0.5mpg better after installing the filter in mixed highway/local driving conditions.