Sunburst Gold Build Journal (9/3 Update Bavsound Audio!)

[Curt2000]

POST 1: Overview
POST 2: Akrapovic Exhaust, ESS eTronic Tune, Eventuri Intake
POST 3: HRE Wheels & Michelin Tires
POST 4: Mode Carbon Matte CF Aero
POST 5: iND Custom Exterior Pieces & OnEighty NYC Custom Headlights
POST 6: KW Clubsport Suspension
POST 7: Brembo Big Brakes
POST 8: Awron Digital Gauge, iND Custom Interior Pieces, and Bavsound Stage One Speakers <-NEW!

Exterior:
- Mode Carbon Trophy S1 Front Splitter
- Mode Carbon GTS Front Splitter
- Mode Carbon F80 M4 Style Spoiler
- Mode Carbon Trophy R2 Rear Diffuser w/ Side-Extensions
- OneEighty NYC Matte Black Refinished Headlights
- iND Sunburst Paint Matched Reflectors and Tow Strap Cutout
- iND Matte Black Appearance Package

Interior:
- Awron Digital Gauge w/Exhaust Flap Control
- M Performance Steering Wheel w/custom iND Matte Carbon Finish
- M Performance Shift boot/knob w/custom iND ///M Stitching
- M Performance eBrake Handle w/custom iND ///M Stitching and Matte Carbon Finish
- iND Custom Matte Finish OEM CF Trim

Suspension:
- KW Suspension 3-way Clubsports

Brakes:
- Brembo GT 380mm Front and Rear Kit with Type 3 Rotors

Wheels:
- 19" HRE R101 in Satin Oil Rubbed Bronze Finish
- Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2's
- MRG Titanium Racing Studs w/Tuner Lugs
-----------------------------------
- 20" HRE Flow Form FF15 in Tarmac Finish (stay tuned)
- Michelin Pilot Super Sports
- Macht Schnell 12mm Spacers

Performance:
- Akrapovic Evolution Titanium Exhaust
- Eventuri Carbon Fiber Intake
- ESS eTronic Tune

Paint Care:
- Specialist Detail Studio LV Paint Leveling/Correction
- C-Quartz Finest Glass Coating

"Special thanks to:"
Mode Carbon
Michelin Tires
iND Distribution
Steve Thomas BMW
European Auto Source
Speeddistrict
HRE Wheels & Akrapovic
Race Technologies
KW Suspension
Awron
OnEighty NYC
ESS Tuning
The Car Consultant
Formula Autohaus

[Curt2000]

ESS Tuning S55 eTronic Tuner
ESS Tuning is a standard in the BMW community for aftermarket supercharger systems. I ran their VT1 kit on my E92 and the OEM-like quality in fitment of the kit was astounding. I was able to install it by myself in my garage using simple tools.

The reason ESS is so well known for high quality power is due in-part to their top notch tuning capability. They can flash tune just about any ECU for big power gains and the S55 is no exception. Since I plan on taking the tune off of any warranty visits I opted for the S55 eTronic tuner cable. It provides safe and simple to install/manage power which is exactly what I wanted from a tune. There was a time when all I would have been able to think about was a turbo upgrade and max-out tune, which ESS offers , but these days I'm more about a modest bump which gives me complete peace of mind that it's within a large safety margin for stress on the motor. It provides a multi channel controller that has RPM and MAF intergration. This provides full control of boost at all RPM ranges and proper fuel calibrations during partial load which reduces lag in throttle response. Pretty advanced for something that plugs directly into OEM ports.

ESS Claims it can make up to 550HP/560lb/ft at the crank on its aggressive map settings. We'll be sure to verify that with dyne numbers! I can't wait to feel the difference!





Akrapovic Evolution Exhaust System
I had a very hard decision to make when it came to exhaust system, there are already a ton of very high quality options available from great manufacturers! However, there has never really been a question in my mind as to who the best was. When you think about quality of construction and materials paired with a flawless, long standing reputation, Akrapovic is the clear choice!

I have an aerospace engineering background which somehow predisposes me to covet anything that is primarily constructed of Titanium! Some people may scoff at the price of this system but good God, I could crumple this thing up and still make $3k off the titanium from a scrap metal dealer! Once you have a chance to really analyze the construction, welds, design, and materials you know exactly what you are paying for...and honestly I think its actually under priced! Akropavic products also hold their value better than any other brand on the forum so you can make a good percentage of your investment back when its time to part out.

Fun fact: I can hold the midsection off the ground with one finger and the rear section with two fingers! Try that with the stock system. Also, to prevent anyone from making the same mistake as me...its pronounced a-Krop-a-vich

I ordered the system from Ilia@IND who is the best in the business when it comes to professionalism and prompt communication and even faster shipping!

I tried to capture the joy of receiving and unpackaging this piece of art in the below photos...enjoy!




Ohhhh yeahhhhh that was better than sex!









Installed!

Eventuri Intake System
Keeping with the theme of this build of only the most well engineered and reputable products I decided to pick up an Eventuri Intake. These intakes are meticulously designed with complete CFD and M&S graphs and demos as proof on the Eventuri website. The intake is constructed entirely of carbon fiber, not just for the incredibly pleasing aesthetics but because CF better resists heat soak in the engine bay and keeps intake temps cooler. Eventuri repurposed the stock grill ram-air system only they made it better by including two scoops which greatly increase ram air flow to the engine bay. The signature reverse cone intake filter is not just to look cool and different, it provides a greater filter area for the constrained shape of the intake bell and creates a purposefully modeled vortex of air intake which results in greater airflow!

The install was seamless and all parts fit into place like butter, it only took about 2 hours by myself with basic tools...I possibly could have done it faster but beer was involved .

Overall, I am greatly pleased with this intake, it sounds amazing, giving a powerful blow off sound in-between shifts as well as the pleasing turbo spool which is clearly audible in the cabin. It looks incredible under the hood and was easily installed which are all attributes that I expected from a reputable company such as Eventuri!

[Curt2000]

Michelin Pilot Super Sports
I came home to a stack of glorious, grippy, and wide Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on my front porch last week. They are 255/35/20 Front and 285/30/20 Rear and ready to wrap around my 20" HRE FF15s.

Speaking from personal experience I'll tell you it's a bad idea to buy a premium set of wheels then wrap them in some cheap off brand tires as if the rubber was an afterthought. I've learned that the tires are more important than the wheel itself! You could spend $10,000 on a set of custom HRE ultra light racing wheels and ruin the performance of the car by mounting discount rubber on them. Ever hear the phrase 'where the rubber meets the road' it typically is describing the most important aspect of a project or system. Just like the phrase, in cars, you can make or break the performance of your high power machine by choosing the wrong tires.

BMW has equipped their cars with Michelin tires for over 30 years and for good reason, they provide tested/proven race-car levels of performance but still retain ride comfort for daily driving. For the same reason I chose the Pilot Super Sports for use on my FF15s which are intended to be daily driven.

Check out these reviews which reveal how Michelin has really upped the bar in the performance summer tire market with the PSS!

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

http://www.bmwblog.com/2015/10/12/ti...t-on-a-bmw-m4/

In the future I will pick up a set of lightweight 18" racing wheels and expand into the Michelin Sport Cup line of tires for dedicated track use. Until then I can't wait to start putting miles on these new shoes!


I love the smell of new tires in the morning!

HRE Flowform FF15s
HRE is a staple in the exotic and racing community for their premium quality wheels. With a continually refreshing catalogue that spans from hard core track wheels to vintage designs they truly have something for any project. Of the many wheels that I ran on my E92 my favorite was the HRE FF01 for several reasons.

1. The design is classic yet unique and very lightweight
2. They are offered in a myriad of colors from the factory
3. They are designed specifically for each vehicle so the offset is perfect right out of the box eliminating any need for spacers or aggressive suspension geometry.
4. They are incredibly priced for the level of quality and pedigree guaranteed with the HRE centercap!

For these reasons I decided that the initial set of wheels that I would use daily on the F80 project were also going to be HRE Flow Forms. This time I wanted to try out the latest offering in the Flow Form line which is the FF15. I chose a flat black color called 'Tarmac' since the color of the car is so blindingly bright black was pretty much the only option even though the FF15s are offered in everything from silver to lime green.

Sizes:
20x9.0 et25 23.2lbs
20x10.0 et40 24.2lbs

[Curt2000]

Mode Carbon made their debut in the E9X community a few years ago with a variety of great pieces which I ran on my Santorini M3. Their fit and finish is very refined and their cost is very reasonable. Since then Sam and Mode Carbon have climbed the ranks to become one of the most well recognized and respected Carbon Fiber companies in both the BMW and Mercedes communities.

For the F80 build there was no question that Mode Carbon would provide every CF aero piece. However, I wanted to be a little different with the theme for this build and Mode Carbon is a big part of it with providing a custom matte finish on all the pieces! The quality of the finish is top shelf and I couldn't be happier!

Pictured below is my brand new Mode Carbon Matte Finish full aero kit!
- Trophy S1 Front Splitter
- Trophy R2 Rear Diffuser
- F80 Performance Spoiler

Enjoy!






Installed!

[Curt2000]

One theme on all of my cars has always been custom headlights from OnEighty NYC. If there is a singular most impactful mod you can do outside of wheels, custom headlights is it! Headlights are risky because if you don't do them right then you can ruin the look of the car, which is why I always choose OnEighty because their designs always come out looking incredible! You have to take the headlights out and send them to OnEighty so the car is undriveable for about a week, but the wait is well worth it! The headlights really completed the black trim theme of the Sunburst build and I get compliments left and right on the lights!




There are a lot of eBay and discount brands that offer what seem like similar products to what iND offers with their cosmetics appearance pieces but I can assure you the difference in quality is worth the premium. It is especially worth it when dealing with individual color cars like my Santorini M3, iND was able to match the paint perfectly on the first try.

I ordered their F80 M3 cosmetic package which includes:
Painted front reflectors
Painted rear reflectors
Painted Side Gills

I also ordered a set of painted grills

For the reflectors of course I had them paint matched to my new color and for the grills/gills I opted for a matte black finish which is going to be a theme for the car.

I tried to capture the quality, care and detail which is standard with any iND purchase!

[Curt2000]

I have been through several different types of suspension set-ups over the years. I used to be of the mindset, why spend money on coilovers when you can buy springs for a fraction of the cost and achieve a modest drop and stiffening of the ride. As I started going to car shows and perusing the forums I saw more and more cars that achieved a 'perfect' stance with paper thin wheel gaps and camber/stiffness/rideheight control. I thought that stuff was all cool but much to expensive for my goals.

From coil springs I moved on to an adjustable spring set-up, I was able to achieve the stance I was looking for and for a modest cost but soon came to realize that it was at the expense of ride comfort and my struts. The car had an unnatural bouncy feeling and I would actually say handling was degraded and my struts eventually gave out.

So I decided to finally splurge for a set of true coilovers. I went with KW's entry level Variant 3 system for my E92 M3. What a difference these made, the car was still very comfortable to drive but had a much more 'sporty' feel. Plus I was able to adjust the ride height at my whim which I really liked.

Then I started getting into a more 'track day' oriented mindset. The large coil design of the V3s took up a lot of real estate inside the wheel well that could have been used for a wider rim/tire set-up. Additionally to run an aggressive wheel in the front you also need camber control in order to tuck the wheel and provide a greater contact patch during hard cornering. So I sold the V3s and picked up a set of KW Clubsports! The upgrade from V3 to CS was just as dramatic as the upgrade from springs to V3. The CS system does not retain any part of the stock strut tower and ultimately mates to the vehicle without any rubber buffer which leads to a very tactile feedback and increased responsiveness.

Naturally, the search for a suspension system for the F80 was as short as a phone call to Ilia@IND to order the new and improved KW Clubsport 3-way for the F8X! I have yet to receive them but am so excited I decided to take some of iNDs photos and post them up in anticipation of delivery!

UPDATE:

Just received them in the mail and right off the bat I noticed how much bigger the box was compared to the E92 system, this is due to the external reservoirs on each of the struts. They were very well protected and arrived without any damage despite FedEx obviously tossing the box around a bit. I need my car so I can put them on ASAP!





Installed!

[Curt2000]

It goes without saying that Brembo is the industry standard when it comes to performance aftermarket brakes. They produce the preponderance of OEM equipment on cars ranging from Mitsubishi to Ferrari and have a 50+ year pedigree in the automotive racing community.

Every Rotor and Caliper is produced in Italy and shipped world wide, for the U.S. market they are imported by Race Technologies LLC out of Southern California. When I ordered my 380mm Front and Rear Gran Turismo system from Ilia@iND I promptly received notification that Race Technologies was constructing the kit from the imported lots. I imagined some Brembo utopian warehouse where crates and crates of beautiful calipers and rotors were neatly stacked from floor to ceiling. My options were drilled or slotted rotors and a myriad of colors for calipers both standard and custom. I chose drilled rotors and Yellow calipers for no other reason than I feel like drilled rotors look cooler than slotted and Yellow is going to go nicely with my GT3RS color scheme.

I received the 4 discreetly packaged kits on my doorstep within two weeks. They are packaged in 3 layers of protection and figuring out how to open them up was half the fun of receiving them

I went with the 380mm GT kit for a couple reasons. As most of you know, for only a couple hundred more dollars, a 405mm kit is available for the front but this diameter definitely precludes you from 18" wheels and even some 19" wheels out there. Would it have been cool to have, yes! But will I notice a huge difference at the track or even daily driving? No...and I would lock myself into big aftermarket wheels, not even able to put the stockers back on without a brake swap.

Which brings me to why I chose a Brembo BBK in the first place, Having not driven the F80 on the track yet I can't attest to the stock brakes but I can report on the E92 system. After one lap on the Nurburgring I could already feel the notorious brake fade which all E9X owners who have tracked their car complained about. A BBK significantly extends the onset of fade and thermal issues experienced by the OEM system. Additionally there is the obvious advantage of much larger rotors and more powerful calipers with better purposed pads (depending on what you choose to run) which significantly increase the stopping power of the car.

So here's the big question..."Why did I choose Brembo's over the Carbon Ceramic Brake offering from BMW?" They are similarly priced and there is no argument that the CCBs are constructed of a superior material. But am I really going to be able to over task the Brembo kit at a speed district event? I think not...for a HPDE every other month I can guarantee I will never complain about how I wish I had better brakes than a Brembo GT kit. If I were planning on some sort of endurance event or even prepping the car for NASA or Lemans circuit duty then maybe the CCBs would be worth the investment but for street driving with the occasional track day...Brembo's are more than enough!

"But they cost about the same as the CCBs" Do they? If you purchase an aftermarket kit from Brembo then you have the option of reverting the car back to stock and selling the kit for a significant re-coupe of your investment. Obviously with the CCBs this is not an option. Additionally with the recent discovery of how much the CCB rotors are to replace paired with the inherent vulnerability of ceramic brakes to damage from rocks and wheel install, you can expect many times your initial investment in maintenance/repair costs if you plan on tracking the car. Not to mention significant depreciation if the CCBs are in need of attention when you try to sell the car. So all of these factors considered the Brembo's are actually looking like a far better investment!


April 2016 Update, I fell in love with the type 3 rotors so I paid the restocking fee to exchange the type 2 rotors. Pricey but I'm please with the results!









Prius Hubcap for size reference

[Curt2000]

I have a theme with the car of matte carbon so naturally that will include all interior pieces. There is one company that I trust when it comes to quality custom work on OEM pieces and thats iND!

I had them strip and re-finish all the Carbon Fiber on the following BMW performance parts.
- BMW Performance Steering Wheel
- BMW Performance E-Brake Handle
- BMW Performance Shift knob w/iND suede boot and tri-color stitching to match the E-brake boot.



Installed!





AWRON Digital Gauge

If you have a turbo car then you naturally want a boost gauge to watch those turbos spool up! There are a few steam dial style options out there but when it comes to the most elegant and well designed option, the Awron Digital Gauge is the only way to go! Awron purchases OEM center vent assemblies and repurposes them for use with the digital display. Awron went to great lengths to match the factory plastic and also purposefully designed the backlighting to match the BMW amber and white scheme. The Gauge comes with a harness which interfaces with the CANBUS system in the passenger footwell, the same point the MPerformance Steering wheel plugs-in, and links into steering wheel controls for easy manipulation. In addition to boost, I get coolant temp, oil temps, and voltage on the primary display. In addition to the information the gauge also allows you to manually control the exhaust flap as well as automatically deleting the emissions CEL for catless downpipes.

Other functinos include realtime G-meter, 0-60, 0-80, 40-120 timer, AFR, EGT, max temps and values for last drive, and the coolest feature in my opinion, a 1/4 mile timer complete with starting tree and stats analysis!

This is a top shelf product and well worth the money!

Bavsound Stage One speaker upgrade and Ghost Subs
The Sunburst M3 came with the 'best' speaker system available for BMW models but once the OEM speakers were side-by-side with the Bavsound speakers there was no question that I just made the 'best' much better! The mid speaker magnets are 2x the size of the OEMs and all of the speakers were much more substantial looking/feeling. As promised, everything plugs-in to the stock wiring and bolts back into the stock mounting points without any issues.

Right off the bat I could tell a dramatic improvement in purity/clarity of the system at higher volumes. The beat/bass is sharp and powerful and doesn't distort as you crank it up. I can fully manipulate the equalizer without ever worrying about the speakers not being able to handle the increased loads. I would liken the OEM vs Bavsound experience to 780i HD to 4K television quality, its that good!

[bronch]

lol, this is hilarious! Nice planning ahead and reserving your spots. Congrats on the new car too! Hopefully, I didn't take one up.

[AW BMW]

Originally Posted by Curt2000

Reserved for Interior

That is great, if this car gets done like your E92 m3 did, then it will be one finely executed car. I ordered parts during the Christmas sales way ahead of time, funny to have the parts here but no car to put them on but I can use my imagination lol. The first week that I get the car the parts will go on.

[YMB_F80]

Originally Posted by AW BMW

That is great, if this car gets done like your E92 m3 did, then it will be one finely executed car. I ordered parts during the Christmas sales way ahead of time, funny to have the parts here but no car to put them on but I can use my imagination lol. The first week that I get the car the parts will go on.

Its okay, I actually had all the side reflectors, grills, and small cosmetic things ready! It actually makes a huge difference!

Wow haha!! Unboxing the exhaust already?!?! Better store that somewhere safe until you can install it!

[dkhm3]

Hey, can i borrow your exhaust til you get your car?

Congrats!

[AW BMW]

Originally Posted by Victorwu120

Its okay, I actually had all the side reflectors, grills, and small cosmetic things ready! It actually makes a huge difference!

Wow haha!! Unboxing the exhaust already?!?! Better store that somewhere safe until you can install it!

Yeah that's true, what I should do is take my 335 over to LTMW to get it back to stock so I can get rid of it before the m3 shows up. That way I can sell the parts and buy more m3 goodies. The craftsmanship on that exhaust is amazing, must feel good to open up those boxes!

[YMB_F80]

Originally Posted by AW BMW

Yeah that's true, what I should do is take my 335 over to LTMW to get it back to stock so I can get rid of it before the m3 shows up. That way I can sell the parts and buy more m3 goodies. The craftsmanship on that exhaust is amazing, must feel good to open up those boxes!

LOL thats exactly what I did!! Used all of those funds towards new parts on the f80. Thats how I got so much so quickly!

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by bronch

lol, this is hilarious! Nice planning ahead and reserving your spots. Congrats on the new car too! Hopefully, I didn't take one up.

Nope I got them all in before anyone noticed lol, thanks!

Originally Posted by AW BMW

That is great, if this car gets done like your E92 m3 did, then it will be one finely executed car. I ordered parts during the Christmas sales way ahead of time, funny to have the parts here but no car to put them on but I can use my imagination lol. The first week that I get the car the parts will go on.

Stockpiling parts is half the fun! I wish i had the foresight to take advantage of holiday deals, good thinking!

[BMWDavid]

Epic thread in the making! Can't wait!

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by Victorwu120

Its okay, I actually had all the side reflectors, grills, and small cosmetic things ready! It actually makes a huge difference!

Wow haha!! Unboxing the exhaust already?!?! Better store that somewhere safe until you can install it!

Maybe before the car gets here Ill align all the parts in their proper places in the parking spot in my garage and pretend its there.

Originally Posted by dkhm3

Hey, can i borrow your exhaust til you get your car?

Congrats!

I'd have to charge rent!

[Tnitaly]

Epic thread in the making! I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in the sickness that one gets after ordering an M3. I too plan to contact IND shortly to get parts ordered well before the car is even built Congrats and I too plan to follow this thread closely.

[GOLFFRR]

You need the Akra DPs! Get back on the phone and get those ordered

[vonmayr]

subscribed.

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Give us a hint on the colour you chose

Mike

[dnvrdrvr]

Originally Posted by Curt2000

Most of you may remember my Santorini Blue E92 Project which has gone to a great new home with a NASA certified lady race car driver and fellow bimmerpost member dnvrdrvr

I'm honored to be able to take care of this amazing car.

Originally Posted by Curt2000

Maybe before the car gets here Ill align all the parts in their proper places in the parking spot in my garage and pretend its there.

Do it! It'd make everyone