Not Just a Prettier; Better in Every Way
At Partee Racing, we don’t make carbon parts just to look good. We make them to outperform anything on the market—especially OEM. In this deep-dive conversation between myself and our lead engineer and carbon fabrication specialist, Christopher Knerr, we break down exactly what makes our carbon fiber intake plenum for the BMW S62 not just a cosmetic upgrade, but a functional performance tool that delivers real horsepower gains.
Autoclave-Baked, Motorsport-Grade Carbon Fiber
Our carbon isn’t laid up in a garage with brushes and resin. It’s prepreg carbon fiber sourced from the UK, the same used in F1 and aerospace applications. It’s autoclave-cured at 250°F and high pressure to compress the fibers and eliminate air pockets. The result? A dense, incredibly strong, and lightweight structure that doesn’t just resist heat — it actively reflects it.
Aluminum plenums act like heat sinks. Ours doesn’t. The carbon fiber material has low thermal conductivity and reflects engine bay heat away from the intake path, preserving air density and performance.
The plenum top and bottom are engineered for strength and stability while remaining 73% lighter than the OEM unit.
Precision-Engineered to Increase Volume by 20%
Unlike the OEM unit, our plenum bolts directly to the throttle bodies using thin composite gaskets, eliminating the bulky factory rubber seals. This frees up precious vertical space, allowing us to increase internal volume throughout the entire structure.
The attention to detail continues with a billet 6061 aluminum base, bonded to the carbon with MMA adhesive and fastened with titanium hardware. The adhesive layer acts as a thermal flex buffer, accommodating the different expansion rates between carbon and metal. Nothing wiggles, nothing fails.
All in, we achieved a 20% increase in plenum volume — more air = more power.
As An Added Bonus: The Acoustics
We’ll be honest—this wasn’t the primary goal, but the result is undeniable: with the stanchions gone and airflow optimized, the induction sound is crisper, louder, and incredibly satisfying. The intake noise is always the first thing our customers rave about when riding in one of our builds.
Pair It With Our S62 Velocity Stacks for Maximum Gains
This plenum was built to work hand-in-hand with our Partee Racing Velocity Stacks, featuring a true 180-degree bellmouth and updated bonding design to eliminate past failure points. The result?
The stacks now insert deeper into the billet base, converting adhesive stress from peel to shear (a far stronger bonding mode), virtually eliminating the chance of separation under pressure.
The Best Breathing Setup Ever Built for the S62
We’re not afraid to say it. Paired with our velocity stacks, this plenum offers the most complete airflow and power upgrade available for the S62. Better volume. Better cooling. Better throttle response. And a sound that turns heads every time.
Yes, it’s expensive. But if you’re building an S62 to perform, there’s no smarter place to start than letting it breathe.
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Final Word
At Partee Racing, we don’t build anything unless we can build it better than what’s already out there. This plenum is the clearest example of that philosophy in action: functional engineering, top-tier materials, obsessive attention to detail, and performance you can feel every time you hit redline.
There are no compromises in this setup. Just power, precision, and purpose.
