[scoale]

Considering an M2 Competition. I was able to test drive a DCT car and liked it (but bias towards a manual).

A couple of thoughts:

1. Brakes & wheels are heavy! Lot of unsprung weight. Any good options?
2. Anyone switch to 18" wheels? Impact on suspension compliance and steering?
3. Have a 30 minute freeway commute. How stable at speed? Does cabin noise wear on you after awhile?
4. Wish it had a carbon fiber roof, but at least you can get a slick top
5. 6th gear on F80 manual runs high rpm. Is M2 the same?

Thanks for input

[Moflow]

People like to stick the 763 style wheels from the M2 CS on there because they’re lighter, if you want 18’s you will have to get smaller brakes. Not even all 19s will fit over the brakes.

I find the car to be pretty stable at speeds, drove it down to California and back from Seattle going 80 much of the time. There is a fair amount of tire noise though. I know there is a mod some people do by installing a little bit of foam in the gap between the door and the body work that cuts down on nvh. I’m pretty sure gearing is identical to the F80 but I could be wrong on that one. Hope that helps!

[smknjoe]

763 s are lighter (and were an option on the M2C when I got mine last year.) A little expensive IMO.

Yep, high rpm in 6th. ~2,500-3000 @ 70-80mph? Somewhere around there.

There is more road noise than you would expect for a beemer. Doesn't bother me, but I could see how it would bother someone coming from a more refined car.

Very stable at higher speeds.

[m2compred5]

I have a 6sp manual and did notice the rpms are high on the highway, if most of my use was highway cruising it would get old but around town the gearing is perfect for me.

[bri1042]

There are plenty of smaller brake options that you could consider. AP Racing has been used by some forum members. Heck, you could probably source the blue-caliper smaller brakes if you really wanted to put forth the effort.

[tjsabec]

80 mph in 6th gear on a 6MT is about 81mph... this seems normal for a "sports car" to me... same as my E90 M3.

[Yadadameans]

I switched to AP racing BBK and have 18s on the car. Drives perfectly fine.

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by Yadadameans

I switched to AP racing BBK and have 18s on the car. Drives perfectly fine.

excellent!

wheel and tire specs pls. do you have camber plates?

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by tjsabec

80 mph in 6th gear on a 6MT is about 81mph... this seems normal for a "sports car" to me... same as my E90 M3.

Eh?

[Yadadameans]

Originally Posted by Smooth 330i

excellent!

wheel and tire specs pls. do you have camber plates?

18x9.5 +20 Volks Racing ZE40
255/35/18 Federal RS-Pro
Square setup
Vorshlag camber plates. -2.8 front/-2.0 rear

Can run 265 since RS-Pro runs a bit wide.

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by Yadadameans

18x9.5 +20 Volks Racing ZE40
255/35/18 Federal RS-Pro
Square setup
Vorshlag camber plates. -2.8 front/-2.0 rear

Can run 265 since RS-Pro runs a bit wide.

this must have transformed the front end grip and turn in. I don't like stock set-up on M2c ... it lacks front end grip but I know bmw has done it to maintain hierarchy.

you have very similar set-up to my e90

jrz plates -2.6f -2.0r ... 18x9.5 arc8 255sq re-11 ... even tire wear so far


sorry for D op ... you have an option to replace front calipers w/ap and run 18" like m2c racing and ^.

the front calipers and stock rims are dumbells and need to be removed

[BigKutta]

Originally Posted by scoale

[*]Have a 30 minute freeway commute. How stable at speed? Does cabin noise wear on you after awhile?

Its louder inside at highway speed than any of your other cars because they stripped out a lot of sound insulation from the M2. Yeah, it will be harder to hear the radio at speed, etc. That's if you care to listen to the radio. But yes, it is noticeably louder than any BMW I have owned.

[Poochie]

The cabin noise is only an issue to me when I'm on the phone with someone in the car and they complain about the background noise.. 🙄

That really irks me..

[AndrewC1989]

Originally Posted by scoale

Brakes & wheels are heavy! Lot of unsprung weight. Any good options?

I'll gladly trade you my standard M2 brakes and wheels

[BlkSVT]

Maybe I'm showing my age (having had several cars that would cruise at over 4k...), but for all the concern about "high" RPM while on the freeway before delivery, I find the M2c w/MT surprisingly docile if you want it to be (windows up, Econo mode). As a bonus, cruising at 80-85 there's still a pretty good amount of punch if you need it, even if left in 6th.

Never owned another BMW so no comparison there. I wasn't looking for a luxury tomb though so maybe my scale is a bit off

[nearwater4me]

Originally Posted by m2compred5

I have a 6sp manual and did notice the rpms are high on the highway, if most of my use was highway cruising it would get old but around town the gearing is perfect for me.

RPM is at 3-3.5k on highway speeds, I also felt it was too high, but realized it’s best to be in the power band.
Easy to quickly pass cars on 6th.
I feel like either the 2nd is too long or the 1st is too short.
Gap between 1st & 2nd is my only gripe.

[keylime503]

Originally Posted by Moflow

I’m pretty sure gearing is identical to the F80 but I could be wrong on that one.

Is the 6MT identical between F30, F80, F22, and F87? I had a 6MT F22 and my 6MT F87 is on a ship coming to me right now. I presume it's the exact same manual transmission w.r.t. gearing and stuff like high rpms in 6th gear cruising.

[Zagnificent55]

Originally Posted by nearwater4me

RPM is at 3-3.5k on highway speeds, I also felt it was too high, but realized it’s best to be in the power band.
Easy to quickly pass cars on 6th.
I feel like either the 2nd is too long or the 1st is too short.
Gap between 1st & 2nd is my only gripe.

When I’m in highway gear, I’m looking for a quiet and efficient ride to cruise at. It’s a bit annoying that 6th at 80mph has the car at 3500rpm.

[smknjoe]

Yep. Just checked earlier and it's about 3,000 in 5th gear and 2,500 in 6th at 70mph.

[COChris]

I feel like the car is too quiet in 6th at highway speeds and commonly find myself cruising in 5th. I don't drive it daily though.

[scoale]

Really appreciate all of the responses.

AP brake kit looks like an interesting option. Just wish BMW had gone with lower un-sprung weight options but I understand price point considerations. At the end of the day, I just need to figure these changes into the equation

Like the 763 wheels but prefer 18" to gain just a bit more compliance. That said, I didn't think suspension was as harsh as sometimes advertised.

Thanks for confirmation on manual transmission gearing. Good news is that first thru third is pretty usable around town - not crazy tall like some Porsche cars. I bias towards manuals but I will say that the DCT I drove, when shifting manually, really allows you to keep the car on the boil - and, of course, it has 7 gears to work with.

Interested in noise because I have a freeway commute and am on work calls pretty much the entire time. Other than that, I'm not looking at buying one of these to listen to the radio!

I think this car will go down as a BMW classic. With a CF roof and a little less unsprung weight i think it would be an all-time great. I know a CS meets some of that criteria but tough to get.

[BigKutta]

Originally Posted by scoale

Really appreciate all of the responses.

AP brake kit looks like an interesting option. Just wish BMW had gone with lower un-sprung weight options but I understand price point considerations. At the end of the day, I just need to figure these changes into the equation

Like the 763 wheels but prefer 18" to gain just a bit more compliance. That said, I didn't think suspension was as harsh as sometimes advertised.

Thanks for confirmation on manual transmission gearing. Good news is that first thru third is pretty usable around town - not crazy tall like some Porsche cars. I bias towards manuals but I will say that the DCT I drove, when shifting manually, really allows you to keep the car on the boil - and, of course, it has 7 gears to work with.

Interested in noise because I have a freeway commute and am on work calls pretty much the entire time. Other than that, I'm not looking at buying one of these to listen to the radio!

I think this car will go down as a BMW classic. With a CF roof and a little less unsprung weight i think it would be an all-time great. I know a CS meets some of that criteria but tough to get.

If you are going to be on calls all the time, it is going to annoy you. the cabin has poor acoustics and noise insulation