| 
| Top 10 Power and Performance Mods for your BMW This Spring
With the sunny days of spring comes that compulsion to get out in the garage or behind the wheel. If you are just starting your BMW build, this is an excellent chance to take advantage of the temperature to comfortably start working on your BMW. Recently, we have focused heavily on getting your car ready for driving season, so hopefully, you have already taken care of or begun to tackle all the general services. This week, we’d like to remind everyone about a few of our favorite modifications to ensure you are enjoying your BMW to the fullest this summer. |
|
Wheels
While not necessarily the first modification those of us seeking performance enhancements choose, wheels are still one of the best ways to give your BMW a unique look that reflects the attitude you want your BMW to embody.
There are almost infinite choices of wheels, and picking a set will really depend on what preferences you have. Lightweight, monoblock, proper fitment wheels like APEX are excellent track wheels and provide a quite aggressive stance to your BMW. Someone looking for more traditional styles should consider BBS or OEM BMW styles from different cars. Style 5s look good on about everything. | | | | | | | |
|
Suspension
We have frequently been asked whether to upgrade power or handling and brakes first. In all honesty, your BMW’s capabilities in all departments are excellent. However, improving on those systems is easy and can exponentially improve your experience. In general, we recommend to improve the handling and braking abilities of your BMW before adding power, as the benefits from more potent brakes and stiffer suspension are more easily felt on the street or track under most conditions. Additionally, learning how sway bars, bushings, dampers, spring rates, and geometry all affect how fast you can drive is a major benefit. You can brush up on suspension in our Keys to Performance here as well.
Good choices for early setups are springs and dampers. Koni dampers offer sport valving for improved performance and ride quality with the ability to adjust damper force, which makes them unique in that segment. Paired with H&R Sport or Race springs, this basic setup is more than capable of providing drastic handling improvements and offer an intimidating look with the drop in ride height. | |
|
Brakes
As we said, the ability to stop quickly and effectively is a major contributor to your ability to drive at the limit. Shorter stopping distances means more time on the throttle, and being able to use more of the track for acceleration is a huge advantage. Upgrading to Hawk pads and performance rotors is a popular choice for higher initial bite and less fade. Additionally, a big difference will come from a proper fluid suitable for track conditions. For a refresher, our braking article has everything you need to know about basic brake upgrades, the science behind it all, and even the most aggressive brakes on the market for high-performance track weapons. | | |
|
Intakes
Intakes are popular not just for the marginal power gains. They offer a cleaner look in the engine bay, engaging sound, and are generally required for software upgrades that improve the overall power output of the engine. Turner Motorsport intakes for the N55, for example, add hearty power on their own, but paired with a tune, are almost doubly effective. These are generally early modifications as they provide an initial point around which to direct your power modifications.
For M52/S52 owners, an extra upgrade that adds significant power and torque is the M50 OBDI intake manifold. This popular swap is fairly easy, all it requires is the OBD1 manifold from an M50, the wiring tray underneath, and a block off plate that helps mate the manifold to its newer engine. Turner Motorsport has the best option available for guaranteed fitment and performance. | | |
|
Exhaust
Once again, this is a dual-purpose modification. Performance exhaust is one of the most popular modifications since it both adds horsepower and makes all the noises that put smiles on the faces of enthusiasts. Freeing up the exhaust flow is an easy DIY with a performance system that can be installed in an afternoon with basic tools. This modification might be the most initially rewarding, besides visual upgrades, and we highly suggest a system early on in your modification process. | | |
|
Software
Perhaps one of our more well-known contributions to the BMW community are the Turner Motorsport Performance Software Upgrades. Our experience has fostered a series of performance tunes for street and track BMWs for almost every model. Software upgrades allow the engine to access more of its potential, which ultimately means more power and better responsiveness across the board. In tandem with an intake, exhaust, and other mild modifications, quite surprising amounts of horsepower can be gained from a plug-in device or chip tune. | | | | |
|
Interior
This is going to be fairly open-ended. The interior of the car is where you spend the most time, so tailoring that feel to what makes you most comfortable is more important than anything. For a dedicated track car, lightweight racing seats and delete panels are perfect. In a road car, going too aggressive with your interior can result in discomfort. The last thing you want to do is make your driving experience less engaging.
The Turner Motorsport Adjustable Short Shift Kit is a well-rounded upgrade, perfect for any street car or track car, to improve the feel and engagement of each gear change.
Racing Wheels like MOMO and OMP provide excellent grip and a sportier, more modified, look to your BMW without really changing too much. While they aren’t necessary, racing wheels can totally change the feel of your commute or time on the track by just looking the part. | |
|
Safety
Harnesses, harness bars, and fire extinguishers, people. If you have a racing wheel, or just need to be held more firmly in your seat, harnesses are almost essential. The last thing you want is unexpected dental work by Dr. Racing Wheel, DDS. if you are just driving around town without a helmet. To a similar degree, fire extinguishers can help prevent a potentially bad situation from becoming a tragic one. Racing bodies almost unanimously require an extinguisher be mounted in the car, so go ahead and grab one. Especially if you are driving a classic BMW. | | | |
|
Exterior
Functional or not, exterior upgrades help further set your BMW apart as one unique to you. There are tons of possible combinations of OEM and aftermarket options for beefing up the presence of your BMW. Popular conversions are M Sport bumper kits for non-M Sport cars, as well as carbon fiber lips, spoilers, side skirts, and more. Really, carbon fiber anything works well to add a sporty attitude to your BMW. | |
|
Driver Mod
It’s important that your BMW performs to its best abilities and your expectations, but at the heart of the build is you, the driver. The last thing you want to do is overbuild your car if you are pursuing racing. Improving your abilities behind the wheel is the single most important modification to make. According to Don Salama, ‘Just get out and drive on a track.’ Naturally, if your BMW needs attention in one or more areas, that is a good opportunity to add performance parts. As we said, early modifications should be some beefier brake pads, sway bars, bushings, springs, and shocks. This will allow you to make basic changes and improve both your driving and understanding of how your car behaves with different settings. So don’t spend too much time under the hood! | | | |
|
| - - - - - - SUGGESTED ARTICLES - - - - - - |
|
|
|
