[IAmJovonW]

Hi everyone,

New here but I recently bought a 2016 M235i (32k miles)maybe 3 weeks ago and already looking to mod it.

For starters, I'm not a car guy. Never worked on cars and raised by a single mom so didn't have pops to teach me anything. Learned how to change my own oil well into college lol.

Overall my vision for this car is to be a fun daily driver that I can also act like a complete idiot with on the highway or down back roads. I'd love for the car to be a quiet and respectable daily while in comfort mode but then a beast once switched to Sport and Sport+.

Over the next 1-2 months I'd like to get started on bolt on's for a Bootmod3 Stage 2 tune.

So far the part recommended to me by a local shop have been:

VRSF Catless Downpipe
VRSF intercooler (or CSF?)
VRSF Chargepipe
Turbo Inlet
MST intake
Turbo Smart BoV
Spark Plugs (no brand given)

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Future plans will be springs and maybe wheels, although I really like the stock wheels tbh.

Maybe worth mentioning I currently live in Florida and will be moving to DC Fall/Winter this year.

Picture of my baby attached

[4Hockey4]

Nice ride, I have 16' in Gray. Everyone here has different brand preference. I went Catted Active Autowerkes downpipe (since I didnt tune yet and couldn't have CEL for emissions) and using Evolution Racewerks for chargepipe, as I want to use their Intercooler when I make swap. (not huge deal but connection is seamless in this case)

List you have sounds fantastic, but you could do first 3 and plugs for stage 2. Others may have different thoughts....love the blue and lived in DC/Nova for 34 years....good luck

Plenty of threads here and under general and mods to sift through.

(also I went to Titan 7 ts5 forged for wider wheel since I wanted bigger PS4S tires, being square 225 was largest stock wheels would take, there is a great couple of wheels threads in that area if you get to)

Also I can pull name, but there is a fantastic shop in Ashburn/Sterling area of NOVA, that is the go to BMW mod shop, great guys and prices

[XutvJet]

VRSF parts have hit and miss quality. You get what you pay for. A BOV and turbo inlet are unnecessary at these power levels.

I would look towards some mods to improve traction, specifically an LSD and quality tires at the least. Without the traction, the car won't put down the power and will be a handful in turns and such. An LSD makes a monumental difference in chassis dynamics with this car. I can't stress that enough..

[IAmJovonW]

Originally Posted by 4Hockey4

Nice ride, I have 16' in Gray. Everyone here has different brand preference. I went Catted Active Autowerkes downpipe (since I didnt tune yet and couldn't have CEL for emissions) and using Evolution Racewerks for chargepipe, as I want to use their Intercooler when I make swap. (not huge deal but connection is seamless in this case)

List you have sounds fantastic, but you could do first 3 and plugs for stage 2. Others may have different thoughts....love the blue and lived in DC/Nova for 34 years....good luck

Plenty of threads here and under general and mods to sift through.

(also I went to Titan 7 ts5 forged for wider wheel since I wanted bigger PS4S tires, being square 225 was largest stock wheels would take, there is a great couple of wheels threads in that area if you get to)

Also I can pull name, but there is a fantastic shop in Ashburn/Sterling area of NOVA, that is the go to BMW mod shop, great guys and prices

If you could pull that name, that would be great! Really hard to find trustworthy guys that do good work. I prefer using recommendations over just googling/winging it.

Originally Posted by XutvJet

VRSF parts have hit and miss quality. You get what you pay for. A BOV and turbo inlet are unnecessary at these power levels.

I would look towards some mods to improve traction, specifically an LSD and quality tires at the least. Without the traction, the car won't put down the power and will be a handful in turns and such. An LSD makes a monumental difference in chassis dynamics with this car. I can't stress that enough..

Is the BoV something I can just get into much later?
I agree fully with upgrading wheels, tires and traction. Seems expensive but I value safety above all else and I can already feel the slightest bit of sketch when I need to brake sometimes.

[sree]

Originally Posted by 4Hockey4

Also I can pull name, but there is a fantastic shop in Ashburn/Sterling area of NOVA, that is the go to BMW mod shop, great guys and prices

Pretty sure you are referring to RRT Racing by Ashburn. They've taken care of my '04 ZHP very well. On the expensive side, but well worth it.

[4Hockey4]

Originally Posted by sree

Pretty sure you are referring to RRT Racing by Ashburn. They've taken care of my '04 ZHP very well. On the expensive side, but well worth it.

yep thats it, think its technically Sterling, but that whole area blends together. , couple friends had used and went there cause labor rate was good, maybe they went up...they brought parts.

[IAmJovonW]

Thanks guys, just ordered a ARM Intercooler and VRSF downpipe and chargepipe today.

I think after getting the tune done, my next move will be H&R springs but it was recommended to find different wheels. I was looking at a couple from APEX. Any suggestions?

[4Hockey4]

Whats budget ? Few of us went with Titan Ts-5. They are forged (18 lbs) but $2K delivered. There is also a VMR and APEX thread on Wheels Tires section

[IAmJovonW]

Originally Posted by 4Hockey4

Whats budget ? Few of us went with Titan Ts-5. They are forged (18 lbs) but $2K delivered. There is also a VMR and APEX thread on Wheels Tires section

I think 2k is a reasonable budget for wheels.

I think I want to recontextualize (is that a word?) what I'm going for as sometimes it seems saying "daily driver" can sometimes infer the wrong thing.

I essentially want this to look like a track car, without being totally obnoxious.
I want it to the driving characteristics to be sporty. Should be livable in the suburbs and then track focused at the push of a button like a GT3

A poor mans m2 competition

[DBinOH]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

VRSF parts have hit and miss quality. You get what you pay for. A BOV and turbo inlet are unnecessary at these power levels.

I would look towards some mods to improve traction, specifically an LSD and quality tires at the least. Without the traction, the car won't put down the power and will be a handful in turns and such. An LSD makes a monumental difference in chassis dynamics with this car. I can't stress that enough..

Any specific LSD's you like? Is OEM the only real option?

[MagnetarSplatter]

I have an identical car except mine came with the MSport LSD, I think there are cheaper options though. Word of warning on the MST intake, I bought one and had two issues:
Fitment - The pipe part of the intake made contact with the inside of my hood and rubbed paint off there.
Check Engine Lights - My car hated it but I hear that is hit or miss. I put in an AFE drop in filter as many recommended.

LSD and tires first, you drive a car at the limits of its traction...not its power.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by DBinOH

Any specific LSD's you like? Is OEM the only real option?

I like the M Performance LSD because:

- It's a clutch-based LSD (3 clutch)
- Is made by Drexler, a very reputable LSD company
- Has a streetable and light track lock-up (30% lockup on acceleration and 9% lockup on deceleration)

Diffs Online also have lots of LSD options and they're a really good company. The advantage of using Diffs Online is that you can get the exact LSD you want and have them install a different rear gear ratio too.

[IAmJovonW]

Originally Posted by MagnetarSplatter

I have an identical car except mine came with the MSport LSD, I think there are cheaper options though. Word of warning on the MST intake, I bought one and had two issues:
Fitment - The pipe part of the intake made contact with the inside of my hood and rubbed paint off there.
Check Engine Lights - My car hated it but I hear that is hit or miss. I put in an AFE drop in filter as many recommended.

LSD and tires first, you drive a car at the limits of its traction...not its power.

Unfortunately I already ordered are the parts for the stage 2 BM3 but tires and suspension are on my list. Haven't really considered a LSD.

Question, can I lower my car with the stock wheels shown in the picture above or do I need to get new wheels?

Haven't seen a M235i lowered with my wheels so I don't know how much to drop it by or pony up a little more dough and go for a HAS

[60_Driver]

Great thread. I just bought a ‘16 F23 with 27.5k mi & will be looking at some reasonable mods since everything but the paint is out of warranty. Keep us posted!

[IAmJovonW]

Originally Posted by 60_Driver

Great thread. I just bought a ‘16 F23 with 27.5k mi & will be looking at some reasonable mods since everything but the paint is out of warranty. Keep us posted!

Will do man. Scheduled a date with the garage for next Monday.

After this tune, I'll move towards wheels/tires and suspension.
Most people seem to agree that those should actually be done before adding more power so I'm a bit out of order. I also need new brakes, I'm hearing the squeak.

[AmuroRay]

-Skip the intake they do nothing but generate noise.
-Go with the VRSF 6.5 competition - it's $40 more and offers more headrooom with no tradeoff
-I would consider the Turbosmart DV. While it doesn't "increase" power, it does allow the car to hold boost better, and improve throttle response.
- Apex wheels. I know, everyone has them, but they are light, relatively cheap, and work.

[335Abuser]

OP, where in Florida are you? Down south we have a few great BMW shops on the east coast, BimmerSpeed and Germanline Motorsports. Both do great work. I also recently got an M235i and went with CTS Turbo intercooler and charge pipe because I was afraid of bad quality from VRSF (had a downpipe recently from them on my father's B46 330i and it didn't fit right). I'm just stage 1 right now on bm3 and boy did it wake up the car. Stock bosch plugs are fine until you go big turbo. Congrats and enjoy the new ride!

[IAmJovonW]

Originally Posted by 335Abuser

OP, where in Florida are you? Down south we have a few great BMW shops on the east coast, BimmerSpeed and Germanline Motorsports. Both do great work. I also recent lunch got an M235i and went with CTS Turbo intercooler and charge pipe because I was afraid of bad quality from VRSF (had a downpipe recently from them on my father's B46 330i and it didn't fit right). I'm just stage 1 right now on bm3 and boy did it wake up the car. Stock bosch plugs are fine until you go big turbo. Congrats and enjoy the new ride!

I live in Orlando. I went with the tune with the upgraded chargepipe and downpipe. Unfortunately the FMIC was wrong so I'll have to wait for a replacement. So far the car has a bit of a different personality. More angry. However, when pushing down on throttle, it sound like air being released from a balloon. Whiny like. I'll call the shop tomorrow and let them know but is that normal with a stock intake?

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

-Skip the intake they do nothing but generate noise.
-Go with the VRSF 6.5 competition - it's $40 more and offers more headrooom with no tradeoff
-I would consider the Turbosmart DV. While it doesn't "increase" power, it does allow the car to hold boost better, and improve throttle response.
- Apex wheels. I know, everyone has them, but they are light, relatively cheap, and work.

On top of bringing in the FMIC, I do plan on upgrading the intake and BoV. Do I need a chargepipe to match with the BoV? I think I was having a hard time looking for compatible parts for that.

[XutvJet]

A BOV will cause nothing put problems.

[IAmJovonW]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

A BOV will cause nothing put problems.

How so?

Also, any ideas on why the car would sound so whiny now? I think it's the turbo spooling but idk, not a car guy (Yet. Car guy in training lol)

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by IAmJovonW

I live in Orlando. I went with the tune with the upgraded chargepipe and downpipe. Unfortunately the FMIC was wrong so I'll have to wait for a replacement. So far the car has a bit of a different personality. More angry. However, when pushing down on throttle, it sound like air being released from a balloon. Whiny like. I'll call the shop tomorrow and let them know but is that normal with a stock intake?



On top of bringing in the FMIC, I do plan on upgrading the intake and BoV. Do I need a chargepipe to match with the BoV? I think I was having a hard time looking for compatible parts for that.

A BOV or a diverter valve? I recommend the Turbosmart Diverter valve, but not a BOV. I haven’t seen them do much but vent the wallet