[wtfbrah]

First off, thanks for the help in deciding on the M235i.

After driving one at the dealership, I realized it had a front lip and splitter.

Now I am one to stress out about little things - especially scraping the lip if it can do any sort of real damage.

Presumably, the fact that I drove it without noticing would mean that it's not a big issue in daily driving, but my driveway does have a little cantor in it.


So then the question is - does the lip actually provide an advantage in terms of protection? Does it protect the front underside by getting scraped before more important parts would get scraped?

Or, on the other hand, if I'm worried about scraping am I better off going without the lip? I'm assuming there is no real performance difference for daily driving.

[Kiwi]

Even taking the lip off the bumpers are low and you have to drive carefully on ramps and humps.

[wtfbrah]

Originally Posted by Kiwi

Even taking the lip off the bumpers are low and you have to drive carefully on ramps and humps.

I see you've refused to answer the question - presumably to force me to make my own decision based on the information you provided

If I could ask, what's your personal opinion? Would you keep the lip if it's a lease, or ask that it be removed?

[MrBucket]

I've had the front splitter on my car now for a little over my month and I have not managed to scrape it on anything. This is even despite me having to go to a few places with parking lots with absolutely horrible inclines to their driveways/sidewalks.

I just put it in sport just to make the suspension is as stiff as possible in sport + (no idea if this actually helps but in my mind it seems to make sense) along with trying to take the best angle absolutely possible and ALWAYS make sure you are going very slowly so that if you do hear it begin to scrape you can stop and see how the proper way to proceed at that point is. I'm really liking it and the lack of issues is really surprising to me with how shitty the NJ/NYC area roads are.



I definitely would not to drive a lowered car with the splitter at all though, that is just asking for trouble IMO.

[nike001]

Blows my mind that people cannot make their own decisions on things here...

OP, we can't decide for you to get it or not.. we don't know your area and if you'll scrape or not. If you don't scrape on ANYTHING now, I think you'll be fine. But if you consistently scrape things, you might not be fine. This is 100% your decision.

[wtfbrah]

Originally Posted by nike001

Blows my mind that people cannot make their own decisions on things here...

OP, we can't decide for you to get it or not.. we don't know your area and if you'll scrape or not.

If you read, you'd notice that my OP asked about more than just your opinion about whether or not I'd scrape, but also asked about more factual things (such as, will the lip protect anything else), which I Googled but was not able to figure out.

God forbid I ask a dedicated 2-series BMW forum about something related to a 2-series..

[Richy_Boy]

On std. suspension you should be OK. If you plan to lower it, then you'll end up scraping it, or worse.

I managed to catch mine on a 'cobble incline', which caught the BMWP front lip and folded it under the car, cracking a number of other bits at the front. I have H&R springs..

Even now, I really wish I could fit one back on, as the car looks bad-ass with it.. it's just not practical for me.

[B_Rice]

It depends on how careful of a driver you are. I used to have a pretty low s2000 before and I rarely scraped.

[bimmerfile]

Originally Posted by wtfbrah

.....................................I'm worried about scraping am I better off going without the lip? I'm assuming there is no real performance difference for daily driving.

When it comes to scraping, the biggest problem we have is parking curbs.
As long as you have the "Park Distance Control, Front and Rear" option - and you are faithful in using it, then you should have no problems..
BTW, the lip looks cool. If yours came with it, keep it on and enjoy it.

[kevinh211]

Having a lip on a stock ride height is no problem for a daily driver.
As said above parking spot curbs are what you need to watch out for!

[Poochie]

I scraped the lower bottom of my splitter a day after the bodyshop painted it but no one really sees it.. It's unavoidable, unless you only have a show car and garage it.. Even the BMW installation instructions suggest that you should periodically check it for damage, vaguely hinting that road damage is inevitable.. So if you really want it, keep it and just drive carefully..

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by wtfbrah

I see you've refused to answer the question - presumably to force me to make my own decision based on the information you provided

If I could ask, what's your personal opinion? Would you keep the lip if it's a lease, or ask that it be removed?

I would take it off.

[qnet]

As far as I know the lip provides no protection against other car body parts, other than getting crushed before other parts do, I suppose. It may provide a little advantage aerodynamically but I'm not sure. In my experience, I agree with what others have said. It looks nice on the car, and if you like it; you just have to be careful. Always leave yourself room pulling in front-first during parking, and drive careful on steep inclines and bumps.

My M235i had a lip installed when I bought it. My driveway is inclined, and even at stock height I have to drive out of my driveway at a angle. I've scrapped the bottom a few times but nothing major.

[ohohoh123456]

I don't see a "do it and I don't scrape anything" option...so i'm not going to vote.

[Rayscott]

Originally Posted by B_Rice

It depends on how careful of a driver you are. I used to have a pretty low s2000 before and I rarely scraped.

I owned 2 S2000's with a splitter. Whacked it on the first one, but replaced it for under $200. No issues after I got used to it.

[Dylan86]

No real issues with mine. I'm still at stock height, though.

[Grentz]

Just put mine on, no issues so far. Its not THAT much lower but you do need to be careful.

[rich8566]

With or without it you will scrape the front end. So you should leave it on and try to be careful. That will work for awhile but invariably you will scrape the front end. Do as I have done and get over it and enjoy the car since it is fabulous.

[raleedy]

These cars, with standard equipment, have low ground clearance and a shallow departure angle. Drive accordingly.

[1LegitM235i]

Agree with raleedy. Definitely drive accordingly with or without splitters. I've driven on what I assumed was cleared and still scraped. In situations you have passengers in your 2, you'll need to drive carefully. Depending on the incline or decline, you'll still need to drive one front wheel at a time to maneuver the clearance of the splitters. Good idea on putting it on sport mode to compensate a tighter steering. I'll be using that next time for sure.

[SchmullisBob]

If you have the parking assist, turn that on when you're parking front in to get the audio warning before you scrape the bumper.

[hoppy6698]

I would leave it on and not worry about scrapes. In the end, at the end of the lease it doesn't add much value to the overall car. I'm personally not a fan of the MP splitter either (it leaves too many noticeable gaps unless the car is black or it is body color painted).

Keep it as insurance until it fails :P