[wassy4]

Originally Posted by sevenmarc

You make a strong point. I've never felt the need for more power in my car though (that's a first for me); I'm chasing that visceral feeling that you described having in your M2. I can definitely see how going to the N55 platform after having had a tuned B58 car would be tough though.

I've heard that the B58 sounds good; I didn't realize that it sounds even better than the N55 work M2 exhaust. Given the delta between a used M2 and a used 240 plus having to do all the same handling mods that I would need to do to my current car to get it where I want it to be, the M2 is feeling like the better choice for me.

Have you modded you M2?

The B58 doesn't sound *THAT* much better than the M2, but I prefer it.

If I'm being completely honest, go with the M2. If you're daydreaming about it, then that is the car that you want. You'll be kicking yourself if whether you mod current car or go to M240i.

Stock is a great package. I really don't feel the need to mod the car at all aside from my ego pushing me to make it as fast as the B58 was

The only performance mod I have done so far is a catless downpipe. Highly recommend doing it. $230 + install and it provides a surprisingly good sound bump compared to other N55s. I'm planning on going full bolt on in a couple months and have already done some cosmetic mods as well.

[sevenmarc]

Originally Posted by wassy4

The B58 doesn't sound *THAT* much better than the M2, but I prefer it.

If I'm being completely honest, go with the M2. If you're daydreaming about it, then that is the car that you want. You'll be kicking yourself if whether you mod current car or go to M240i.

Stock is a great package. I really don't feel the need to mod the car at all aside from my ego pushing me to make it as fast as the B58 was

The only performance mod I have done so far is a catless downpipe. Highly recommend doing it. $230 + install and it provides a surprisingly good sound bump compared to other N55s. I'm planning on going full bolt on in a couple months and have already done some cosmetic mods as well.

Sounds like a good plan. I'll probably go with the fabspeed sport cat though.. My wife doesn't like the smell of catless exhaust. One step at a time!

[wanofakind01]

Didn't bother reading through everything since I actually went through this myself with my m235 two years ago. I had already done all the cosmetic mods over winter as I was bored and was beginning to go into the suspension and LSD route as I autocrossed my m235 and an m2 back to back. All it takes is one corner to tell the difference. Right before placing orders for more parts, an opportunity presented itself and I ran all the numbers. Sold my m235 and put a down payment down on an m2 a week before production as the owner had pulled out of his allocation. Only waited two months back in 2017.

Just upgrade man, you will never be able to mod the m235 to be comparable to a stock m2 while being financially reasonable when you start hitting m2 pricing. I also used to buy cars every year or two, and have had the m2 for two years now and still loving it. Only upgrade I've done outside of cosmetics have been kw v3, camber plates, and wider tires. Stock m2 is so nice out of the box that small suspension mods will make a world of a difference compared to an m235.

[sevenmarc]

Originally Posted by wanofakind01

Didn't bother reading through everything since I actually went through this myself with my m235 two years ago. I had already done all the cosmetic mods over winter as I was bored and was beginning to go into the suspension and LSD route as I autocrossed my m235 and an m2 back to back. All it takes is one corner to tell the difference. Right before placing orders for more parts, an opportunity presented itself and I ran all the numbers. Sold my m235 and put a down payment down on an m2 a week before production as the owner had pulled out of his allocation. Only waited two months back in 2017.

Just upgrade man, you will never be able to mod the m235 to be comparable to a stock m2 while being financially reasonable when you start hitting m2 pricing. I also used to buy cars every year or two, and have had the m2 for two years now and still loving it. Only upgrade I've done outside of cosmetics have been kw v3, camber plates, and wider tires. Stock m2 is so nice out of the box that small suspension mods will make a world of a difference compared to an m235.

Thanks for your input man, that tells me a lot. It's especially encouraging to hear that you still love yours after 2 years... That's what I'm looking for.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by wanofakind01

Didn't bother reading through everything since I actually went through this myself with my m235 two years ago. I had already done all the cosmetic mods over winter as I was bored and was beginning to go into the suspension and LSD route as I autocrossed my m235 and an m2 back to back. All it takes is one corner to tell the difference. Right before placing orders for more parts, an opportunity presented itself and I ran all the numbers. Sold my m235 and put a down payment down on an m2 a week before production as the owner had pulled out of his allocation. Only waited two months back in 2017.

Just upgrade man, you will never be able to mod the m235 to be comparable to a stock m2 while being financially reasonable when you start hitting m2 pricing. I also used to buy cars every year or two, and have had the m2 for two years now and still loving it. Only upgrade I've done outside of cosmetics have been kw v3, camber plates, and wider tires. Stock m2 is so nice out of the box that small suspension mods will make a world of a difference compared to an m235.

Otherwise said: save time, energy and cash by leaving the modding up to BMW M and enjoy the fruit of their engineering.

[Project_F87]

Originally Posted by sevenmarc

What are the main improvements that the M2C made for you over your OG M2? Are / were you running manual, or DSG? Is there anything that you miss about your first M2?

I was 6 speed in the OG and I'm 6 speed in the comp now also. The main improvements I've noticed (other than the engine, my god what a beast) is that the M2C feels very refined compared to the OG M2. The interior is much nicer than my 2017 M2's interior and you can see the differences in design and materials used, which is great. Additionally in terms of driving experience, the car is much tighter and more composed in corners; the front end of the car feels like its not even there. The stock suspension is actually amazing and it blows my mind how good BMW has made this car. Very impressed by the changes, I must say.

[Anthony1s]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Otherwise said: save time, energy and cash by leaving the modding up to BMW M and enjoy the fruit of their engineering.

Or: Mod the F*** out of your car with parts the forum members have tested, discussed, and approved

[sevenmarc]

Originally Posted by Anthony1s

Or: Mod the F*** out of your car with parts the forum members have tested, discussed, and approved

Haha... or that.

[Anthony1s]

Originally Posted by sevenmarc

Haha... or that.

In my view, there are gonna be things you and your gf don't like about the M2 too. Things you might not realize until after you've owned and driven the car for a while. I'm sure you've experienced this with your previous cars. Only way I see to overcome this, if you want to keep a vehicle long term, it to mod away the things you don't like.

Now, the financial aspect of doing that... I'm not sure how that plays out or if it's better. But that's the approach I take with everything of mine that I need to use everyday. I just want things I can use everyday while being happy and not frustrated with it, so I can put my mental energy into doing other things.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by Anthony1s

Or: Mod the F*** out of your car with parts the forum members have tested, discussed, and approved

Look also here: "The 5 Ways People Ruin Their Cars" (Nov 2016).

For the TL;DR folks:

1. imbalanced modifications
2. turning a reliable car into an unreliable car
3. sacrificing the driving experience for style
4. not knowing when to stop
5. modifying the driver

[5.M0NSTER]

#1 should read
“Crashing the car”

[sevenmarc]

Originally Posted by Anthony1s

In my view, there are gonna be things you and your gf don't like about the M2 too. Things you might not realize until after you've owned and driven the car for a while. I'm sure you've experienced this with your previous cars. Only way I see to overcome this, if you want to keep a vehicle long term, it to mod away the things you don't like.

Now, the financial aspect of doing that... I'm not sure how that plays out or if it's better. But that's the approach I take with everything of mine that I need to use everyday. I just want things I can use everyday while being happy and not frustrated with it, so I can put my mental energy into doing other things.

I agree 100%. My thought process with an M2 is that in theory, that car is much closer to what I'm looking for in stock form, with only minor tweaking needed to get it where I really want it. With that said, I've never driven or been in one... it could turn out that I find the ride too harsh or cabin too loud once I finally get behind the wheel. Not likely, but definitely possible!

[epic]

I had one of the first M235i in the states when it released back in 2014. Wanted an M car but wasn't sure an M2 was ever going to release so jumped on it. Loved it for what it was but didn't know what to compare it to as I never had an M car.

Last year on a routine service visit, took an M2 out for a test drive and loved it but wanted a bigger horsepower upgrade if I was going to spend so much upgrading. Fast forward to January of this year and read up on the M2C and how it added more power from the S55 (and bigger gains from tuning), the seats, and the upgraded looks. Took a gamble on it without test driving, drove it home in the winter right after a Chicago blizzard early February. Absolutely fell in love with it. Night and day compared to the M235i and have no regrets despite how much it costed me. Only thing I might miss some days is the adaptive suspension, but honestly, love how the suspension is stock on the M2C (and now I have M coilovers which are great).

An upgrade to an og M2 was not worth it to me as there was not enough changes to warrant the cost for me - though it was clearly a better car. The upgrade to the M2C was definitely worth it, especially with the CS+ tune I put on it.

[sevenmarc]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Look also here: "The 5 Ways People Ruin Their Cars" (Nov 2016).

For the TL;DR folks:

1. imbalanced modifications
2. turning a reliable car into an unreliable car
3. sacrificing the driving experience for style
4. not knowing when to stop
5. modifying the driver

Good read, thanks for sharing. That's something that I'm wary of... As much as I trust tried and tested mods for the 235, I can't deny the appeal of a turnkey solution developed by BMW M division. I know that there is an element of branding to an M car, but the upgrades from the 235 to the M2 are significant to the point that I would never be able to achieve them fully without spending a lot of money and destroying the resale value of my car by going widebody to fit M3 / M4 wheels and suspension.

[Anthony1s]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Look also here: "The 5 Ways People Ruin Their Cars" (Nov 2016).

For the TL;DR folks:

1. imbalanced modifications
2. turning a reliable car into an unreliable car
3. sacrificing the driving experience for style
4. not knowing when to stop
5. modifying the driver

Well that's mostly all subjective and only relevant to some people. One man's ideal car is another man's (or many men's) hunk of junk.

1. Depends on the goal. A drift car isn't going to be the best track car or luxury car. A luxury car isn't gonna be the best at drifting or the track, etc. The balance comes from personal preference and tailoring the car to what you want.

2. I agree you can turn a reliable car into an unreliable car. But if the goal is to push the boundaries past what's been done before (make the fastest m2, make the most techy m2, etc) there are going to be hiccups and unreliability when exploring unexplored territory. If that's the path the owner wants to take though, it doesn't ruin the car for him, but make it better. So it's subjective.

3. Style is part of the driving experience and is subjective personal preference.

4 and 5 I don't really understand to counter argue. But I assume #4 ties into the first three. #5 I feel a car is going to feel really unbalanced to a inexperienced driver. Pro race car drivers spend a lot of time getting used to their specific car and how it reacts.

[sevenmarc]

Originally Posted by epic

I had one of the first M235i in the states when it released back in 2014. Wanted an M car but wasn't sure an M2 was ever going to release so jumped on it. Loved it for what it was but didn't know what to compare it to as I never had an M car.

Last year on a routine service visit, took an M2 out for a test drive and loved it but wanted a bigger horsepower upgrade if I was going to spend so much upgrading. Fast forward to January of this year and read up on the M2C and how it added more power from the S55 (and bigger gains from tuning), the seats, and the upgraded looks. Took a gamble on it without test driving, drove it home in the winter right after a Chicago blizzard early February. Absolutely fell in love with it. Night and day compared to the M235i and have no regrets despite how much it costed me. Only thing I might miss some days is the adaptive suspension, but honestly, love how the suspension is stock on the M2C (and now I have M coilovers which are great).

An upgrade to an og M2 was not worth it to me as there was not enough changes to warrant the cost for me - though it was clearly a better car. The upgrade to the M2C was definitely worth it, especially with the CS+ tune I put on it.

Fair points, and I'm glad that you're enjoying your M2C! Was your 235 modded? Are the M coilovers for the M2C the same units sold for the OG M2?

[AlpsRider]

Originally Posted by sevenmarc

I agree 100%. My thought process with an M2 is that in theory, that car is much closer to what I'm looking for in stock form, with only minor tweaking needed to get it where I really want it. With that said, I've never driven or been in one... it could turn out that I find the ride too harsh or cabin too loud once I finally get behind the wheel. Not likely, but definitely possible!

It is easy to add sound proofing to make the M2C cabin just as quiet as an M235i. Probably just the hood liner and door jam seals would just about do it. The exhaust is not that loud in the cabin and the ASD (fake sound) can be silenced by switching to Efficient mode.

[epic]

Originally Posted by sevenmarc

Fair points, and I'm glad that you're enjoying your M2C! Was your 235 modded? Are the M coilovers for the M2C the same units sold for the OG M2?

235 was not modded but was trying to ignore the mods on my M2C when comparing the three in my post. M coilovers are the same for og/m2c! Good luck with your decision!

[sevenmarc]

Originally Posted by epic

235 was not modded but was trying to ignore the mods on my M2C when comparing the three in my post. M coilovers are the same for og/m2c! Good luck with your decision!

Got it, thanks! This forum is awesome, I can't get over how helpful and open-minded you all are. I really appreciate it!

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by sevenmarc

Got it, thanks! This forum is awesome, I can't get over how helpful and open-minded you all are. I really appreciate it!

sevenmarc, you're close to the defining moment of beating the future yearning.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by Anthony1s

Or: Mod the F*** out of your car with parts the forum members have tested, discussed, and approved

[quikM2]

imo there is nothing you can do to a 235 to make it an M2. swap all the parts you want. the soul is different