[rawskyb]

Well, I lasted just over 2 months, but I finally broke down and installed my first mod this morning. I'm extremely concerned with aesthetics and performance, so I had to make sure I started off on the right track. Here it is:

Yep, that's right, I now have OEM fog light protectors. Those babies are about 2mm of high-tech (I'm pretty sure they were developed for NASA) plastic.

From what I read on one of the other BMW boards, I should be looking at 10-15HP gain at the rear wheels, presumably from the aerodynamics that cause ram-air injection off of the lamps into the engine. Should be something close to a turbo now. I'm gonna hit the streets tonight looking for an M3 to race. Won't they be surprised to see my tail lights as I leave them in my dust....

And as for looks - WOW!!! It's a subtle yet huge improvement, comparable to the M-aero package. This should set my Topaz baby apart from the other wannabe's.

I would highly recommend this upgrade. Simple installation (took me about 10 minutes), minimal tools (blow dryer, some alcohol and water, and obviously a torque wrench), and great bang for the buck. $17 at my dealership after I sweet-talked a discount out of them (All I had to do was buy a $48K car first!!!).

I'll post details on Mod#2 later - the glove-box flashlight socket power adapter!!! Hoooooooboy, somebody stop this insanity!

 

[Plaz]

Hoooooooboy, somebody stop this insanity!

:lmao:

 

[johnlew]

I prefer non-modded cars. So poseur.

 

[bmwsfca]

Good one !!!

At least you're putting on mods that make sense.

Functional things that will make the car last longer.

It always amazes me with the amount of money spent on mods that may improve things yet the most important thing never gets spent on....advanced drving schools.

Read years ago in several magazines about calls they get from (mostly kids) about what mod to do to get more performance out of the car.

All of them say basically this....

Take the money and enroll in a drving school. You'll learn things that not only make you a better driver, but also ANY CAR you drive will perform better.

To spend hundreds to thousands of dollars to go 1 second quicker or 5mph faster......unless you are racing on a track.....

I have nothing against mods in general. Just do it for the right reasons. I have yet to find a highway where the roads are racetrack smooth and I have to get to the store in record time.

Saw a mod BMW the other day. All the "go faster, better handling stuff". The road got a little rough and he had to slow down - bottoming out - and began holding up traffic. Said to myself, "better performance eh?"

Thanks for you entertaining post.

 

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Re: Good one !!!

Saw a mod BMW the other day. All the "go faster, better handling stuff". The road got a little rough and he had to slow down - bottoming out - and began holding up traffic. Said to myself, "better performance eh?"

That's not go fast stuff. It's called rice-a-roni.

 

[rawskyb]

Re: Good one !!!

At least you're putting on mods that make sense.

Functional things that will make the car last longer.

It always amazes me with the amount of money spent on mods that may improve things yet the most important thing never gets spent on....advanced drving schools.

Driving school is definitely in my future. I think my local BMWCCA chapter has something planned this fall - hopefully I'll get my wife to join me. I certainly know that I'm not pushing this car anywhere near it's limits, nor should I be until I get the proper training. Spending over 10 years on a motorcycle (1991 Honda CBR), I've certainly learned that the hardware is definitely years ahead of the software. (Sorry for the tech reference - I'm at work right now...)

 

[Plaz]

Re: Re: Good one !!!

Driving school is definitely in my future. I think my local BMWCCA chapter has something planned this fall - hopefully I'll get my wife to join me. I certainly know that I'm not pushing this car anywhere near it's limits, nor should I be until I get the proper training. Spending over 10 years on a motorcycle (1991 Honda CBR), I've certainly learned that the hardware is definitely years ahead of the software. (Sorry for the tech reference - I'm at work right now...)

Yeah, the last thing any of us need is a serious wetware error in a production environment!