[Gladius]

Any comparable photos of the M Perf side sills vs the stock sills on the M235i/M240i?

I know there is also an option with a "decal" but are the actual sills any different?

[Anthony235]

Not sure what the question is. Stock has no side sills/blades.

Side blades on mine (I made them white to match the body) below the decal.

[Dylan86]

Two common confusions lol. The "sills" and the "decals". The two combined, complete the package and added flare that they should. More often than not, I see one or the other.

Anothny's is a great display of having both.

Here's another,



Here's one without the decal or side blade,

[Gladius]

The "sill" is the actual side skirt itself. Every car has this, even my 3 series.

Are the "blades" an BMW M Performance part? Or some kind of aftermarket non-BMW item?

Is the shape of the BMW M Performance side sill just the same shape as the stock one, but with a decal on it? Or is the shape/curvature of it different?

Basically I'm trying to understand if the M Performance part is just the same as the stock side sill, and just has a decal on it? Or is it a different shape?
Sorry, the second link in Dylan's post is broken.

[Dylan86]

Good point ^^ didn't consider that. I've heard side sills, side blades etc lol

This pic helps capture how much the sills actually pop, when installed

[Dylan86]

Originally Posted by Gladius

Are the "blades" an BMW M Performance part? Or some kind of aftermarket non-BMW item?

Is the shape of the BMW M Performance side sill just the same shape as the stock one, but with a decal on it? Or is the shape/curvature of it different?

Basically I'm trying to understand if the M Performance part is just the same as the stock side sill, and just has a decal on it? Or is it a different shape?

They are both "M" Performance OEM parts. The decal (they come flat, I believe) wraps to the contour of the factory side skirt(sill). The lower blades are pretty $$ which is why most I've seen only do the sill decals. I feel they're worth it, as it helps swell up the back half a bit which only adds to this car's flavor.

[CanadianGatorBacon]

The side sills/skirts/rocker panels (whatever you want to call them) that come standard on the M235i/M240i are the M performance part. The black decal is a separate part from the skirts/rocker panels that can be applied. The non-M performance versions are on the 228i/230i without the M sport package. Notice the difference in the center line in the top two images (shallow crease that sweeps up) versus the bottom two images below (bulges out and is straight). As pointed out above, there is another M performance part, the blades (some might alternatively refer to them as sills, which can be confusing when people might also use sills for the skirts/rocker panels), that are thin curved plastic pieces that can be attached underneath the skirts/rocker panels (see the white strip in Anthony235's post and blue strip in Dylan86's post under the decals).

These images do not include the blades:

[Dylan86]

Originally Posted by CanadianGatorBacon

The side sills/skirts/rocker panels (whatever you want to call them) on the M235/M240i are the M performance part simply without the black decal applied. The non-M performance versions are on the 228i/230i without the M sport package.

That's right, the "rocker" is different on the non M equipped cars, forgot about that. So if you have an M235/240 all you'd need is the decal strips and the lower blades. The bottom "blades" add to the overall width the factory side sill/skirt/rocker in addition to the M Perf decal strips for the M packaged cars. It's a great finishing touch, IMO

[Gladius]

Thanks, all. I think it's pretty clear now.

[2seriesaddict]

I just installed the blades in mine. Thing is that they are matte black (OEM color) and if I install the sticker they might get lost. Shouldn't the blades match the car color for the sticker to really do the job?

[Maynard]

Thanks for the pics, small and subtle, but it really does change the look.

[Anthony235]

Originally Posted by 2seriesaddict

I just installed the blades in mine. Thing is that they are matte black (OEM color) and if I install the sticker they might get lost. Shouldn't the blades match the car color for the sticker to really do the job?

Attachment 1545554

That is the reason I color matched my side blades. To make them "pop" against the black decals.

Never knew the rocker panels were different on the non-M sport cars. Interesting.

[Dylan86]

FWIW my blades were painted to match the car, from the factory. If not, it would be a bit difficult to distinguish between the different pieces.

D

[mikeyymonster]

Originally Posted by 2seriesaddict

I just installed the blades in mine. Thing is that they are matte black (OEM color) and if I install the sticker they might get lost. Shouldn't the blades match the car color for the sticker to really do the job?

Attachment 1545554

I'm personally not a fan of the decal, so I would think having the blades in black would then add the appropriate contrast. Maybe if they were gloss black to match the shadow trip, that would be nice too.