[EvanP246]

Hello everyone,

I’m an airline pilot based and living in the DC area. I’ve recently acquired this beautiful 2018 LBB M2 and will use this thread to document my ownership.

I have previously owned several Japanese performance vehicles such as an Evolution 8 & 9, a few MR2’s and Celica GT Four to name a few.
My last vehicle, a 2012 E92 335i with a DCT (UK Market), was my first venture into German vehicles. Ownership was bittersweet as I spun a bearing within a month of ownership and had to rebuild the engine. Though this was an expensive endeavor I did learn a plethora about the N55 and the DCT platform.

I rebuilt it with OEM components sans ACL bearings as well as full bolt ons from CSF and VRSF. I ran MHD’s OTS E30 tune and the car was quick in a straight line but the 335i’s chassis left a lot to be desired in every other area.

On previous trips to the US, before I migrated, I rented an OG M2 and an M3 Comp through Turo. These cars checked every box in terms of what I wanted from a driving experience and were my goal from then on.

I plan to keep this car for a while and develop it further by making subtle improvements on what BMW has engineered from the factory. It’s primary use is for pleasure; weekend mountain drives, road trips and a few track days.

Cheers guys,

Evan

[IcewaterPete]

Welcome aboard! What is mod #1 going to be?

[EvanP246]

Thanks! I’m having fresh DWS 06 Plus tires installed on the rear this week and then have a paint correction with ceramic coat performed in January.
I’m thinking that a charge pipe and intercooler will be my first set of mods as they are the weakest points of the car. I had a CSF on my E92 and was pleased with it so I’ll probably go that route again. The larger intercoolers are more effective but I do not want to cut anything on the car.

[ShortSides]

Welcome to team OG. Highway drives just got a lot more fun.

[EvanP246]

I had fresh Continental DWS 06 Plus tires mounted just after new years in the oem sizes, the old tires had pretty significant camber wear on the inside.

New rubber feels fantastic, it’s incredible how much grip they have for an all season.

I also took the car to RRT in Dulles to have an overall inspection and an oil change performed. The operation is top notch and the staff there are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, I highly recommend them to anyone in the DMV area.

Next order of business is S55 coils and fresh plugs next week, RRT will also be carrying this out.

Here is a quick video of their lobby.

https://youtube.com/shorts/45SqqGtH5jo?feature=share

[detroitm2]

More right rudder applies to the M2 as well.

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by EvanP246

I had fresh Continental DWS 06 Plus tires mounted just after new years in the oem sizes, the old tires had pretty significant camber wear on the inside.

New rubber feels fantastic, it’s incredible how much grip they have for an all season.

I have the same rubber in the same size on the rears (still have older MPSS on the fronts). I have to agree with your assessment on grip levels.

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by EvanP246

Next order of business is S55 coils and fresh plugs next week.

Congrats on the car, looks fantastic. Really needs a set of AutoID mirrors, but I'm sure that's planned.

Why would you do S55 coils? And what's the mileage that it already needs plugs?

[EvanP246]

Originally Posted by ///MPhatic

Congrats on the car, looks fantastic. Really needs a set of AutoID mirrors, but I'm sure that's planned.

Why would you do S55 coils? And what's the mileage that it already needs plugs?

Thanks! The car has just over 75,000 miles on it and a misfire on cylinder 6 was recorded historically. I find that on a cold start it will have one or two hiccups within the first 10 seconds of idle so that points me to coils and plugs getting tired.

The S55 coils are what RRT recommended so I will go with what they have tried and proven.

[EvanP246]

I’ve been steadily cleaning up the car and over the past few weeks.
The passenger seat headrest had a strange circular mark from what looked like heat damage, I sourced a used oem replacement from eBay and swapped it out.


I also had the wheels refinished by Wheel Repair Pro here in Arlington VA as they all had curb damage from the previous owner. They came out a bit darker then OEM but I am very happy with the quality of the finish, I have attached some pictures of the before and after.

Lastly I also installed AutoTecknic dry carbon grille surrounds, the fit and finish is superb and I love how changes the character of the front end. I was skeptical whether it would look tasteful but am happy to report that it compliments the car beautifully.

I took the car out for a cruise/ spirited drive further out into Virgina and drove Lime Kiln Road and Snickersville Turnpike. The route is fantastic for enjoying the M2 and scenery was beautiful, I highly recommend it for anyone in the the DMV area as it’s only about 50 minutes drive from DC. Also took a detour to Dulles on the way back to do a little plane spotting.

Cheers!

[EvanP246]

Spring update:

I tuned the car on BM3 about a month ago and have been happy with the subtle increase in performance with the stage 1, 93 octane map.

As of today I’ve ordered every FBO part short of a turbo upgrade and HPFP… I knew this would happen and here we are lol.

I’ll be stepping up to a stage two map one install the parts and will give my reviews on installations of parts and the tune in due course.

Here are the parts I went with:

CSF Intercooler
ER Catted Downpipe
FTP Chargepipe
MST Turbo Inlet
Turbosmart VR11 BOV
BMC Panel Filter

The car is currently at D&V Autobody getting the front bumper repainted due to stone chips and some curb rash from the previous owner. I will post pics of the finished product.

Cheers!

Recent pics from a sunny day:

[EvanP246]

Summer update:

D&V Autobody did an absolutely phenomenal job repainting the front bumper, the fascia was so dull from the previous miles of road wear, I highly recommend them to anyone in the DMV area. I also had them paint the reflectors at the same time.

I installed all of the bolt on parts myself over the course of about 2 days in my apartment garage minus the turbo inlet and DV. I’m still gathering motivation to get those done as I know it’s a pretty long and arduous task.

Once the intercooler, chargepipe and downpipe and panel filter were fitted I flashed the car with BM3’s 93 Octane Stage 2 map, the gains from Stage 2 were impressive but I had a couple timing corrections in the higher rpm range. I remedied this with a gallon or so of E85 in each tank which solved the problem immediately.

Summer here has been manageable up until a week or two ago but now ambient temperatures during the day have been solidly in the 90’s and peaking at 100°. The degradation of power output has been noticeable and I’ve honestly felt bad to push the car under these conditions.

In an effort to keep things a little cooler and safer I flashed the the car with the Stage 2 E30 map last weekend. Power and torque output is stronger and smoother and seems to not drop off as much in the upper RPM range, the engine seems much happier with the extra octane and cooling E85 provides, the car will run on this map henceforth.

I logged it in 95° heat and all parameters were normal, then drove it again at night at about 79° and the car feels fantastic, it pulls strongly throughout the rpm range and finally makes the power I have been looking for. It’s going to be a bit of a monster once fall arrives.

The next steps are to install the turbo inlet and DV. Later on down the line I’ll purchase and install a Dorch HPFP to run higher ethanol blends safely.

Here are some pictures of the parts installation and some recent drives to the countryside, cheers!