I've posted my car here plenty of times before but my latest mods (wrapped black roof and ECU flash tune) got me thinking about how interesting it is to see a car transform over time. So for my own #tbt enjoyment, here's a recap of my mods and some quick thoughts of what I think of them all
August 2014 - Mods before even getting the car?! [ M Performance Grilles ]
First mod, albeit minor, that I did to the car. I was so excited about getting a new car that I just went ahead and bought the M Performance Grilles about a week before actually taking delivery...as a result, I don't have many pics of my car in pure stock form
August 2014 - Yay, new car!
Took the car on a drive on a nice twisty road near where I live right after taking delivery (what's a break in period?). My first impression back then, coming from a E93 323i, was that the power was a lot punchier, but the steering took a bit of time to get used to. M Performance Grilles went in a day or two after getting the car
September 2014 - CF Goodies, M135i Exhaust
Next mod(s) to go on was a carbon fiber set from Exotics Tuning/MTC Design, which included a front lip, rear spoiler, rear diffuser, canards and mirror caps. Since the diffuser was designed for the M235i, which has different exhaust tip placement, I found a used F20 M135i exhaust and had it installed, which required some minor alterations due to different pipe diameters and tailpipe lengths, but nothing too major. The exhaust sound did change slightly, but not enough for anyone to think it was modified at all. The car did look a bit awkward on stock height and wheels...
December 2014 - Low, low, low [ KW V1 ]
Christmas came a few weeks early. I ordered and had a set of KW V1 coilovers installed, which made the car instantly look 100% more aggressive, despite still being on the stock wheels. Why the V1s? I figured that since I had no idea what kind of setup I liked, there wasn't much point to spending the extra on the V2 or V3, which probably would've just been set-and-forget anyway. It did take me a little while to get used to the suspension, having never driven a car with modified coilovers before, but today, having sat and driven much harsher riding cars, the V1s feel perfectly comfortable
I also had a resonator delete done, which added a bit of volume as well as a more noticeable CRACK on upshifts.
December 2014 - The Real Christmas Presents [ PUR Wheels RS07 ]
Christmas then
actually came in the form of 4 large, shiny metal objects. WHEELS! After months of tormenting from my friends on Facebook
...they finally arrived! A set of 19" PUR Wheels RS07, custom forged to order, finished in optional gloss charcoal bronze (basically a dark, not so saturated brushed bronze). Accompanying them was a set of Michelin PSS tyres in 225/255. I honestly think I can get away with 235/265, but due to my low drop, I'd rather not risk any rubbing
The wheels and tyres were one of the biggest transformations to the car. I chose this finish as I wanted something a bit more unique compared to the myriad of silver, grey and black wheels out there (although gold, red and bronze do seem to be getting more popular now...). The ride quality did noticeably change for the better after swapping to the non-RFT PSS, but was kinda offset by the larger wheel diameters.
I also had the OEM foglights swapped out for the 'blade' panel found on non-NA spec M235i's, the reason being that I had future plans to add a colour accent there which wouldn't have been possible with the foglights.
January 2015 - SHINY! [ Glass Coating ]
Nothing major to report, had the car detailed and coated in a glass coating from Japan, which basically makes washing the car less of a chore.
Also throwing these M Performance pedals (aftermarket, non-drilled) and non-OEM RHD footrest in here because I can't remember when I got them.
June 2015 - LOUD NOISES! [ Manhart Race Exhaust]
I wanted noise. I got noise.
It's quite loud but doesn't drone, definite noticeable sound upon acceleration though. Honestly doesn't sound very loud with the windows up and music playing. It's actually an exhaust for the M235i so I had to get some custom welding done, nothing major though.
July 2015 - BLUE!
Got hold of some blue 3M vinyl wrap and DIY wrapped the two M235i-style blades in the lower corners of the front bumper, something I'd been wanting to do for a long time. I know it doesn't really match the rest of the car but I'm a sucker for this shade of blue and couldn't resist
May 2016 - MORE BLUE! [ Autotecknic Paddle Shifters ]
Yes, I'm aware they clash pretty badly with my red interior. No, I don't care, and I love blue too much. Impulsively purchased them after seeing a few pics on Instagram and love them!
Also got the NBT screen installed, so much nicer than the standard screen!
July 2016 - M Style Grilles
I originally wasn't a massive fan of the dual slat grilles until a friend took delivery of his M2 and started modding it, including the M Performance grilles for the M2. Someone took a photo holding it in front of my grille, and next thing I know I ordered a set of M style grilles for myself (minus the M2 badge, of course). I also took this opportunity to wrap the two 'bars' behind the front grilles in the same shade of blue as the M235i 'blades', which I find is a lot more subtle and looks better than the grille stripes.
July 2016 - Transformation [ Black Roof + ECU Flash Tune ]
Probably two of the biggest changes to happen to the car, in addition to the wheels. The black roof was something I'd been considering since last year, but was really indecisive about because all my photoshop efforts looked a bit off. Finally got round to getting it wrapped, and I have absolutely zero regrets - it looks so much more aggressive now, and is a much needed update to the looks of the car.
The other MASSIVE change to the car I did this week was to get a ECU Flash tune from Simon Motorsports, based in Dubai. I had been quite hesitant to tune the car, but since the warranty is running out next month, hey, why not. The other driving factor was that I've recently had the chance to drive a few pretty powerful cars, including a Mercedes AMG GT S, and damn, my car felt slow as hell afterwards. One flash tune later, and HOLY SHIT. It feels like a completely different car. It pulls a lot harder throughout, but it's especially noticeable at higher speeds; where the car used to struggle from 60kmh upwards, it now surges to 100 easily. I'm also getting some wheelspin from standing starts that I'm not really used to, as I used to only break traction in the damp/rain. Hands down one of the best mods I've done to the car though. I dropped around 1.9s from the 0-100 time in a completely unscientific comparison I did, but I don't really care enough to get more specific data - I'm happy enough that it feels like a completely different car
Something I hear and read often from people, both online and in real life, is why I didn't just get a M235i with the cost of all my mods. The N55 is a much more powerful engine, with a lot more potential than the N20, and sounds much nicer, but now, ESPECIALLY with the tune, I'd be a massive liar if I said I would happily take a stock M235i over the chance to have a car modded to my own tastes. I'm also aware I'm very inconsistent with my plate blanking
Special thanks to:
ReinArt Design (Hong Kong)
Wrap Workz Hong Kong
PUR Wheels
Exotics Tuning/MTC Design
Full Mod List:
M Style Gloss Black Grilles
PUR Wheels RS07 19"
Exotics Tuning/MTC Design Carbon Fiber exterior pieces
Simon Motorsport Stage 1 ECU Tune
KW V1 Suspension
Gloss Black Roof (wrapped)
Autotecknic Competition Paddle Shifters
Manhart Race Exhaust
Foglight Delete
Harman Kardon front door pillar speaker retrofit
NBT retrofit
M Performance Style pedals