While the BMW M3/M4 might be one of the best performance cars currently on the market, it’s not completely perfect. BMW has to make its cars appealing to a wide range of potential customers, which means it’s not as performance-oriented as many enthusiasts would like. Luckily, that can easily be fixed with the help of some aftermarket parts.
Of course, the automotive aftermarket is huge and determining which mods are best for you can be a challenge. So, to help purchase the best mods for your needs, we’ve created this short guide covering the best modifications for the BMW F80/F82 M3/M4.
#1 Lowering Springs
One of the most popular mods for any performance car and especially the BMW F80/F82 is a set of lowering springs. The OEM suspension of the M3/M4 is surprisingly good, however, the overall ride height is very high it leaves undesirable wheel gap.
The easiest way to eliminate the wheel gap without replacing your OEM shocks is with lowering springs. The total reduction in ride height depends on the springs you buy, but typically you’ll see about 1-inch. Some lowering springs, such as the Megan Racing Pro-S Series, offer height adjustment, allowing you to fine-tune your ride height to perfection.
#2 5×120 Wheels
Another very popular modification for the F80/F82 platform is a set of aftermarket wheels. While the OEM wheels on many BMWs are awful, they aren’t the best looking wheels in the world. With a set of high-quality aftermarket wheels, you can reduce unsprung rotational mass while also increasing wheel strength.
For many M3/M4 owners, 19″ or 20″ wheels are the most common size. Both vehicles use the 5×120 bolt pattern, and the specific fitment depends on how aggressive you want to go. Some of the most popular wheels we offer for the F80/F82 come from HRE, Vorsteiner, Brixton Forged, and BBS.
#3 Cold Air Intake
One of the easiest ways to increase power output on any engine is with a cold air intake. This is especially true with BMW’s S55 engine found in the F80/F82. With a cold air intake, you eliminate your restrictive OEM intakes, increasing airflow to the turbocharger, which ultimately means more air enters your engine.
Not only will a high-quality cold air intake increase airflow, but it can also lower intake air temperatures by pulling air from outside the engine bay. A great example of this is the Agency Power intake, which locates two filters right behind the OEM grilles.
#4 Catback Exhaust
Another great way to increase airflow through your F80/F82’s engine is with an aftermarket exhaust. Your OEM exhaust is very restrictive and massively chokes your engine. By replacing your exhaust with a larger diameter aftermarket exhaust, you allow exhaust gases to escape your engine easier.
Increasing exhaust flow also allows the turbocharger to spool up faster and reach a higher peak RPM, ultimately improving the throttle response and allowing the turbo to make more boost. On top of that, an aftermarket exhaust will give your BMW a fantastic exhaust note!
#5 Intercooler
While increasing airflow in and out of your engine is a great way to increase power, you also need to keep the air going into your engine cool. As you compress air, it becomes hotter and less oxygen dense. Hot air is much more susceptible to detonation, which can be detrimental to your engine and severely limits how much boost can be forced into your engine through tuning.
The job of the intercooler is to cool the compressed air before it enters the engine. Unfortunately, the OEM intercooler doesn’t offer the best possible, so upgrading to an aftermarket intercooler can massively decrease charge air temperatures which simply means you can run a more aggressive tune without the worry of detonation.
#6 ECU Tuning
ECU tuning is arguably the single most important modification you can put on any turbocharged BMW. With tuning, air/fuel ratio, ignition timing, boost, throttle response, torque limiters, rev limiters, and many other parameters, are changed. To put it simply, a good tune can increase power output on your F80/F82 by as much as 100hp.
Not only will tuning massively increase power on a stock BMW M3/M4, but it also capitalizes on aftermarket bolt-on parts such as an intake, exhaust, intercooler, etc. Your stock ECU tune won’t capitalize on these modifications on its own, meaning power is left on the table without an aftermarket tune!
