Project F10 M5 Frozen Gray
** Updated 11/29/2012 **The M5 has always been a favorite amongst us here at Turner. There is nothing quite like a super luxury sedan with huge amounts of power. The unassuming aesthetics and absurd performance figures combined with the latest technology and gadgets make this car the ultimate sleeper. To the untrained eye the M5 might just look like any other luxury sedan on the road today with its long wheelbase and bulky appearance. Aside from some subtle changes in the front and rear aero features of the car along with the M5 side grills and M5 wheels, the car does not look much different than any other F10 5-series, especially considering both the 550 and 535 are available with M sport packages which make them look almost identical to the M5 from the front.
This latest M5 comes from a strong lineage of high performance super sedans which means it has an extremely high expectation to live up to. Both the E39 and E60 M5s produced huge amounts of power. The E39’s 5.0 liter V8 made amazing torque throughout the entire power band making it a blast to drive while making the life of the OE clutch very short. The E60 had a very different type of power, the kind of power that is only really utilized on the racetrack or the autobahn. There is nothing quite like that S85 V10 revving at 8000 rpm.
This latest M5 comes with the S65 B44TU which is a twin turbo 4.4 liter V8 producing 560 HP and just over 500 ft-lbs of torque edging out the E60 by 60 horsepower and 116 ft-lbs of torque. In addition to the added power, there is some added weight as well; the F10 M5 is just under 200 lbs heavier than its predecessor.
First Impressions:
Yes 200 lbs is a considerable amount of weight and yes the newest M5 is a bit longer and wider but when you get behind the wheel and put the car is sport+ the added weight and size is hardly noticeable. Once you get behind the wheel and dip into the throttle the instant torque throws you back in your seat and the weight and size of the car are distant memories. " I love the new M5, the car is so smooth, comfortable, and fast! The power delivery of this twin turbo V8 in unbelievable. The torque is instant with absolutely no turbo lag." Said Will Turner. "It is the ultimate daily driver".
Driving the car around Germany gives you a perspective on the car you would otherwise not have driving in the US. Driving the autobahn in the new M5 demonstrates the need for some of the new features available in these cars. For example, the frontal collision avoidance, lane departure features as well as the blind spot monitoring and heads up display with speed limit info are extremely important when traveling at high rates of speed for long durations. During a few of our longer drives down the Autobahn, from the Nurburgring to Munich in particular it was obvious how helpful these features really are.
Another feature that became extremely useful in some of the compact cities of Germany was the parking assist and cameras. Since this M5 is both longer and wider than previous generations it proves to be somewhat difficult to park in some situations. This is where the new and improved park assist and "top down" view is extremely useful. The cameras positioned under each side view mirror, in the trunk and on the top of the windshield allow you to park the car in very tight positions with pinpoint accuracy.
Night vision was also another interesting feature that was surprisingly useful in several situations. When navigating the tight back streets of cities such as Heidelberg and Cologne the night vision with pedestrian detection became very useful in alerting us if a pedestrian was crossing the street up to 980 feet ahead. The system alerts the driver as soon as a detected pedestrian moves toward the road. On paper these features and options seem a bit superfluous but when put to use in the real world they prove their practical use in many situations. Using these features through our time in Germany gave us a new appreciation for these features that may not be so crucial here in the US.
The Project:
At Turner we pride ourselves on being on the cutting edge of performance and technology for BMWs. We want to have a complete understanding of these new cars to secure our future as a leading BMW tuner. Please stay tuned for more to come on the new M5. Our goal is to take this fifth generation M5 and make it unique. We are going to hand pick the best possible products and accessories for this project car to learn first hand the true potential of this latest generation of forced induction BMW power plants. Please stay tuned as we begin to modify this M5 and review the products we use.
The Gallery:
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Video:
Gruppe M Intake Install:
The Gruppe M Intake for F10 M5 fitment is very good. The install takes approximately 2-3 hours depending on skill level, this includes the removal of the front bumper. We followed the instructions which were good but were sometimes hard to follow due to the translation from Japanese to English. We began the install by removing the front bumper of our M5, this was relatively easy. The most difficult part of removing the front bumper on our particular car was the connections to the night vision. There are power supply and video cables as well as a washer fluid hose that connect directly to the back of the camera inside the driver’s side kidney grill.
The night vision camera actually has a washer jet on the lens to keep it clear just like the headlights which we thought was pretty cool, something you don’t think about. After we removed the washer fluid hose and capped it off the bumper was removed and we could access the area behind the grills to install the ram air scoops which collect air flowing through the grills and forces it into the air intake inlets behind the headlights. The install of these scoops was simple.
After the scoops were installed we continued on to remove the stock air boxes and stock mass air flow sensors to switch them over to the new Gruppe M intake piping. The fitment was great and there were no issues with installing the OE Bosch sensors into the Gruppe M piping. As we began to install each Gruppe M piece we had absolutely no fitment issues at all. Everything lines up as it should. All the hardware needed to install the kit is provided, including the hose clamps, screws, and bolts.
We are extremely happy with the install of this intake. The directions were as clear as they could be with the needed translation, each component of the Gruppe M intake was flawless both aesthetically and functionally. Each part fit perfectly, as if it was original equipment. The one thing we would improve is to make the photos in the instructions a bit bigger. Other than that minor complaint we would recommend this product for any M5 owner looking for a high end intake that looks great and fits great. The carbon scoops behind the front grills look awesome as well as the carbon air boxes and intake tubes under the hood. The high quality look of the carbon fiber really compliments our M5, improving the look of the engine compartment. Stay tuned to hear our first impressions of the intake as we put some miles on our M5.
This mass air intake system is designed to harness the maximum amount of air available in the F10 M5 engine bay. Careful testing went into the production of this Carbon Fiber system. The air is directed from the rear of the front grill directly into the intake manifold. The air flow is greatly increased within the 4,000-5,500rpm range where the M5 makes the most power adding approximately 15hp and 30 ft lbs of torque. Stay tuned for our first impressions of this intake kit as we put some more miles on the M5.
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H&R Sport Spring Install:
We installed the H&R Sport Springs on our F10 M5. H&R springs are designed to lower you vehicle to improve handling by lowering the center of gravity, thus decreasing body roll and weight transfer. They also reduce that annoying fender well gap on BMWs with stock suspension. Although the new M5 does come from the factory with a lowered ride height from other F10 5-series it still needed to be a bit lower. We were a bit hesitant to put springs in this car because of how good the stock ride comfort and handling was, the EDC system on this car is fantastic. That being said, H&R springs are the best out there and we knew they could only improve the car. They are one of the first upgrades we perform on any of our project cars from our E92 M3 to our ActiveE Electric 1-series and X3.
The Install:
The install of these springs took approximately 6 hours. It involves removing all four coil over (spring and strut assemblies) from the vehicle. Each coil over plugs into the EDC system which makes the removal and install of the strut assemblies a bit tricky, especially in the rear where you need to access the top of the strut from under the rear deck tray. You must remove the rear speakers and some trim pieces to access the the EDC harness and the 3 bolts holding the strut.
The most difficult and time consuming part of doing the spring install is making sure there is ample room to remove the rear strut assemblies without damaging the EDC harness on the strut its self or anything around it like the electronic emergency brake. We found the best way to do this is to disconnect the rear sway bar, remove the rear caliper with electronic emergency brake and disconnect the rear control arms. This gives plenty of room to pull out the coilover strut out of the rear wheel well. Other than that the install is relatively straight forward, the front is basically just like most other BMWs.
The H&R springs lowered the car exactly 1 inch in the front and a little over ½ inch in the rear giving the car a great stance with a small amount of rake. We love the look of the car with the H&R sport springs, just the right amount of lowering giving the car a bit more of an aggressive stance.
Driving Impressions:
The comfort of the ride is virtually unchanged, especially when the EDC is set to comfort mode. You begin to feel the difference when you put the car into sport and it stiffens the dampening. The car is a bit stiffer going over certain bumps and changes in the roadway surface but they are very minor. The body roll is significantly decreased and acceleration and braking feel better. Before you could feel the rear of the car hunch down when on wide open throttle and you could feel the nose drop when threshold braking. Those symptoms of the stock springs seem to be minimized with these H&R springs which makes the car a lot more fun to drive. The steering also feels a bit sharper in all steering modes while still tracking down the road as the stock set up did. Overall we feel these springs are a great fit for any M5, there is very little compromise in stock ride comfort for less body roll and sharper handling. These springs are very well matched to the F10 M5 so if you are looking for a relatively inexpensive but significant improvement in your M5s stance and handling you cannot go wrong with H&R.
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Vorsteiner VS-340 Wheels:
We are extremely happy with the look and fitment of these Vorsteiner wheels on our M5. The quality and attention to detail of these wheels is superb. Pairing these wheels with the H&R sport springs really gives the car an aggressive stance and look while retaining much of the stock ride comfort and feel. The fitment could not be better, no rubbing issues in either the front or rear which is great.
Front 21x9.5 with 265/30/21 Michelin Pilot Super Sport Suggested
Rear 21x11 with 305/25/21 Michelin Pilot Super Sport Suggested
Twin 7 Spoke Race Inspired Design
Bolted 3-piece assembly for elegant & sporty final appearance
Factory Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) compatible
Aftermarket big brake clearances ready to be built out of box
Utilizes the highest quality forged T6-6061 aircraft aluminum materials
Rigorously tested to exceed safety standards
Designed & engineered to minimize unsprung weight for improved vehicle performance
Snap-in OE factory center cap fitment available
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F10 M5 Performance Parts:
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Suspension |
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H&R Sport Springs for F10 M5 (2012+) This spring set will help firm up the stock suspension as well as reduce body roll. They will also make a noticeable visual improvement to the F10 M5s stance, reducing the perceived fender gap of the stock ride height by 1.0" front, and 0.6" rear over the stock suspension. Click here to order. |
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Exterior |
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Turner Motorsport Official Windshield Banner Turner Motorsport vinyl graphics are made from high performance cast graphic film, which has superior resistance to sunlight and adhesive longevity. The Turner Motorsport Logo is printed in super high quality vinyl inks giving the banner a professional look. We currently offer the Turner Motorsport logo in either white or silver, with gloss black trim on a matte black background. Just like the ones on our Turner Motorsport Project Cars! Click here to order. |
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Black Grills for F10 M5 and 5-series These direct replacement center grills let you eliminate the stock chrome kidney / center grills, feature perfect fit and beautiful finish, and give you a darker more aggressive look. These girlls fit all 2011+ F10 5 series and M5 sedan Kit includes two blacked out grills with matte black finish. Made from impact resistant long life ABS polymer, these grills are precision crafted for a perfect OEM fit. Unlike some competitors blacked-out grills which have a shiny finish that give off a cheap look and feel, these black grills feature a high quality matte finish reminiscent of genuine BMW parts Click here to order. |
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Black Side Grills for F10 M5 The only chrome on your M5 is the front and side grills. Black out the chrome with these! These matte black grills are a direct replacement to the standard grills, these are easy to install and a great improvement over the stock chrome grills. Made from impact resistant long life ABS polymer, these grills are precision crafted for a perfect OEM fit. Unlike some competitors blacked-out grills which have a shiny finish that give off a cheap look and feel, these black grills feature a high quality matte finish reminiscent of genuine BMW parts. Part #: F10M5GSIDE Price: $129.95 Click here to order. |
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Engine |
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Akrapovic Exhaust System for F10 M5 The F10 M5 is one of the most impressive road cars ever created and the Akrapovic Evolution exhaust is the perfect enhancement. The new M TwinPower Turbo M5 has been a welcome challenge to the Akrapovič R&D department, which is responsible for developing truly amazing exhaust system that offer more power, weighs less, and have an EC type-approval stamp at the same time.
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Gruppe M Carbon Fiber Intake Kit On the GruppeM intake for the BMW M5 the factory ductwork and airboxes are replaced with heat-shielding carbon fiber with enhanced inlets to capture the maximum amount of air. Lower intake air temperatures carry higher concentrations of oxygen, allowing for more energetic explosions and producing more horsepower and torque. Of course, reliability is never sacrificed -- high-efficiency, high-flow K&N air filter materials prevent contaminants from interfering with proper engine function. Click here to order |
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Wheels |
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Vorsteiner VS-340 Series Wheels Twin 7 Spoke Race Inspired Design with satin black finish center and brushed aluminum lip. Bolted 3-piece assembly for elegant & sporty final appearance available with Factory Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Aftermarket big brake clearances ready to be built out of box. Utilizes the highest quality forged T6-6061 aircraft aluminum materials and rigorously tested to exceed safety standards. 21x9.5 Front Michilen Pilot Super Sport 265/30/21 21x11 Rear Michilen Pilot Super Sport 305/25/21 Click here to order. |
