[MarkyMark619]

Hey everyone,

I'm trading in my '15 IS250 F-Sport for my first BMW on Tuesday (Mineral Grey M235i) and I'm super excited. Already looking into what modifications I'd like to invest in.

As far as modding these cars go, what's the best bang for your buck performance wise? The standard intake, dp, catback & a tune? Any recommendations on brands would be appreciated as well!

Cheers,
Mark

[amw896]

cool buddy welcome! I came from 2 IS models so I think I can say with confidence you won't even look back lol.

For tuning, this depends how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. I would say drive it for a bit before dumping parts.

[MrMoe99]

I agree with what AMW said. As for brands, VRSF provides quality products at a lower price. Ive used VRSF for some of my previous cars and haven't had any problems. You should also check out the members classifieds section to see what bolt-ons people have for sale, you will save a good bit of money that way. When you get your basic bolt-ons, i'd recommend you get a flash tune from either BM3 or MHD. Heard great things about both. If you want even more power then you'll have to look into fueling upgrades (for e85 and meth) or new turbos. Its a solid & reliable car, you'll definitely enjoy it

[BentZero]

Go ahead and order an intake like yesterday. The sound is intoxicating. I still love mine. You won't gain too much in performance, but a ton in sound and driving fun.

I have the BM3 platform for my tune. Well worth the money and for an additional $50 it'll grow with you as you get more parts.

[MarkyMark619]

Thanks for the responses, guys! I picked the car up on Saturday and just gave her a full detail today (wash/clay/cquartz) and it she looks great!

Absolute blast to drive, huge upgrade coming from the '15 IS F-Sport. Definitely never looking back

I was looking into the Dinan Exhaust & Intake - the exhaust sounded great and not too loud since this is my daily. They seem pretty pricey compared to some other brands, are they worth the extra money?

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by MarkyMark619

Thanks for the responses, guys! I picked the car up on Saturday and just gave her a full detail today (wash/clay/cquartz) and it she looks great!

Absolute blast to drive, huge upgrade coming from the '15 IS F-Sport. Definitely never looking back

I was looking into the Dinan Exhaust & Intake - the exhaust sounded great and not too loud since this is my daily. They seem pretty pricey compared to some other brands, are they worth the extra money?

If you want a quieter exhaust go with the BMW M Performance exhaust. MPE for short. Do a search on here for MPE and you'll see lots of happy customers. I have an Injen intake. It sucks in air and sounds good doing it. I didn't need it to do much more than that.

[DrJones]

I have a Burger tuning JB4 and the VRSF charge pipe on my m235. A lot of people on these forums really seem to like the JB4. I have had my car since January and am enjoying it so far. Thinking about doing an intercooler (FMIC) but am still on the fence. The car seems to run hot. - not sure if this is "normal", due to the higher boost, or just me.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by MarkyMark619

Hey everyone,

I'm trading in my '15 IS250 F-Sport for my first BMW on Tuesday (Mineral Grey M235i) and I'm super excited. Already looking into what modifications I'd like to invest in.

As far as modding these cars go, what's the best bang for your buck performance wise? The standard intake, dp, catback & a tune? Any recommendations on brands would be appreciated as well!

Cheers,
Mark

Tune is the best bang for the buck.

Then downpipes and intercooler.

Intake and cat back exhaust add a small amount of performance but mainly for sound (until you get to really high HP set ups).

Originally Posted by DrJones

I have a Burger tuning JB4 and the VRSF charge pipe on my m235. A lot of people on these forums really seem to like the JB4. I have had my car since January and am enjoying it so far. Thinking about doing an intercooler (FMIC) but am still on the fence. The car seems to run hot. - not sure if this is "normal", due to the higher boost, or just me.

As someone in Florida, you are in serious need of an intercooler upgrade, especially when tuned. I'm not sure if you are referring to oil temps but these cars average around ~238F normally.

[DrJones]

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

Tune is the best bang for the buck.

As someone in Florida, you are in serious need of an intercooler upgrade, especially when tuned. I'm not sure if you are referring to oil temps but these cars average around ~238F normally.

Thanks for the advice! I am getting also getting some good info from the temperature management thread.

[MG_M235i]

Definitely do the VRSF chargepipe and Intercooler combo at the same time to save labor time. I have a Dinan axle back with the resonator delete kit and it definitely pops a lot! I would describe it as a semi louder version of the stock exhaust.

[DrJones]

Originally Posted by MG_M235i

Definitely do the VRSF chargepipe and Intercooler combo at the same time to save labor time. I have a Dinan axle back with the resonator delete kit and it definitely pops a lot! I would describe it as a semi louder version of the stock exhaust.

I agree that doing the charge pipe and intercooler at the same time is a good idea. I only did the charge pipe and wish I had done the intercooler too. Now I am going to have to pay the labor again if I do an intercooler.

I am looking to do an intercooler and am debating on a catted downpipe. I have seen too many videos and read too much about the raw sound and smell (mainly the sound). As far as I can tell, I have the standard exhaust (not MPE) and it is loud enough for me with the CAN flap open.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Good luck with your new car

Performance wise, the best parts would be tune, intercooler, downpipe, charge pipe, methanol injection, intake, upgraded turbo.