[.Slug]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

I'm going to go this way too, I think-- especially as a Carbonio front license plate frame won't work with the ZunSport grills.

Now, I just have to figure out which mesh to get either the 11x25 or 6x12 hexagon-- they look like they might match better than the rhombic?

I think if you go with the 11x25 you'll still get some smaller rocks through. 6x12 seemed to block most road sized pebbles and rocks. I've not gotten a single ding since installing the 6x12... I'm thinking because the 11x25 is almost twice as big, and the 6x12 is "just" small enough, you might not be happy with 11x25 hole sizing and because it takes soo damn long to install (if you're taking your time cutting/templating etc) I'd go with the 6x12 just for peice of mind even if the 11x25 might have a slightly better shape look.

[ChrisK]

Originally Posted by Mizono

When you ordered your Zunsport grill set did you have to request that you didn't want the small logo on the center grill?

No, it comes separate in the box. It's not pre-installed.

[contented]

Originally Posted by ColoradoSpringsM2C

I just went through this....$40 in black aluminum called professional car grill mesh made by aggauto. Came out nice. The bumper was so easy to remove - most stressful part.

I did this same thing a while backand and agonized over size of the wire mesh. The closer the spacing and larger the diameter, the lower the percentage of air making it through to the radiators. Or said another way, the higher the percentage of air flow blocked. And that’s before any turbulence to airflow caused by added screen. I assumed that for my style of driving a 20% reduction of air flow was tolerable. Don’t track or drive overly hard. I saw one post were someone put mesh on the outlet side of the oil cooler underneath the car. A great job for protection. But it had to reduce air flow by 40%. That would scare me. Who knows how our various radiators are sized and how much spare cooling capacity there is.

[Moflow]

Originally Posted by contented

I assumed that for my style of driving a 20% reduction of air flow was tolerable. Don’t track or drive overly hard. I saw one post were someone put mesh on the outlet side of the oil cooler underneath the car. A great job for protection. But it had to reduce air flow by 40%. That would scare me. Who knows how our various radiators are sized and how much spare cooling capacity there is.

My understanding of the car is that BMW really overbuilt the cooling system. I obviously have no way of knowing specifics, but i'd be less worried about additional grilles on this car than on most other vehicles.

[Enabled]

Originally Posted by contented

I did this same thing a while backand and agonized over size of the wire mesh. The closer the spacing and larger the diameter, the lower the percentage of air making it through to the radiators. Or said another way, the higher the percentage of air flow blocked. And that’s before any turbulence to airflow caused by added screen. I assumed that for my style of driving a 20% reduction of air flow was tolerable. Don’t track or drive overly hard. I saw one post were someone put mesh on the outlet side of the oil cooler underneath the car. A great job for protection. But it had to reduce air flow by 40%. That would scare me. Who knows how our various radiators are sized and how much spare cooling capacity there is.

I don't think you reduced it even by 10%.
This looks good. Next time I have my bumper off (for M3/M4 intake snorkels), I'll probably do this.

Honestly these cars eat so many cigarettes (so MANY!!) and so many leaves in the fall that a mesh would be good to have just to stop fishing them out.

[vale007]

also my intercooler was damaged, very good idea to get the radiators well protected…

[blkonblk]

I'm surprised no one has yet offered their loyalty discount from Zunsport. I posted the below here https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...1826978&page=2 after I received my grills which came with a loyalty discount card.

I now offer again my Loyalty Membership Card #: 1005 023786 to anyone for use to avail of Zunsport 15% discount on any product. After your initial purchase you will also get a Loyalty Membership card for free then you can share with others. I wish someone had offered their loyalty card when I purchased mine several weeks ago.

[contented]

Originally Posted by Enabled

I don't think you reduced it even by 10%.

That's what I thought initially. But when one actually does the math considering diameter of the wire and spacing its surprising what the reduction actually is. I didn't put anything behind the kidneys for a number of reasons, mostly aesthetic. Now I wish I had. Next project.

[.Slug]

Originally Posted by Enabled

Honestly these cars eat so many cigarettes (so MANY!!) and so many leaves in the fall that a mesh would be good to have just to stop fishing them out.

Since installing the grils I've removed 2 butts from the outside of the bumper caught by the new mesh I put in. Also, not a single leaf or debris behind the mesh either. So totally worth it.

[Capt Canuck]

Zunsport delivery time is nuts: order Mon night, shipped Tues, arrived Thurs before lunch. From Staffordshire to Vancouver burbs in 2 days.

Anyhoo, did put them on. The side ones are an excellent fit and fasten really well. The main bottom grill one is a decent to good fit. The outline of it is spot on, but because it only has one hinge top and one hinge bottom, it will roll a wee bit out (while still completely secure). If it had two more it would be much better IMHO.



Thanks BMW DIY Guy for your Zunsport video
Yes it's simple, but it's still nice to see a good 'how to' before commencing. Much better than Zunsport's own videos IMHO.

Edit: And before anyone gets their knickers in a twist, while I got a letter informing me about the membership card, I did not actually get a card in my box.

[Uscray]

Originally Posted by blkonblk

I'm surprised no one has yet offered their loyalty discount from Zunsport. I posted the below here https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...978&page=2 after I received my grills which came with a loyalty discount card.

I now offer again my Loyalty Membership Card #: 1005 023786 to anyone for use to avail of [COLOR="Red"]Zunsport 15% discount on any product[/COLOR]. After your initial purchase you will also get a Loyalty Membership card for free then you can share with others. I wish someone had offered their loyalty card when I purchased mine several weeks ago.

I received my Zunsport grill but never received a membership card or number.

[blkonblk]

Originally Posted by Uscray

I received my Zunsport grill but never received a membership card or number.

At least you got the 15% discount. Contact them and ask for the loyalty card if you want one. I paid in full, I wasn't aware of the discount at the time - that may be why they gave me the loyalty card.

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by Capt Canuck

Zunsport delivery time is nuts: order Mon night, shipped Tues, arrived Thurs before lunch. From Staffordshire to Vancouver burbs in 2 days.

Anyhoo, did put them on. The side ones are an excellent fit and fasten really well. The main bottom grill one is a decent to good fit. The outline of it is spot on, but because it only has one hinge top and one hinge bottom, it will roll a wee bit out (while still completely secure). If it had two more it would be much better IMHO.

Attachment 2687842

Thanks BMW DIY Guy for your Zunsport video
Yes it's simple, but it's still nice to see a good 'how to' before commencing. Much better than Zunsport's own videos IMHO.

Edit: And before anyone gets their knickers in a twist, while I got a letter informing me about the membership card, I did not actually get a card in my box.

That looks swell, especially without the Zunsport Logo; when I ordered my Zunsport grilles, the logo came attached to the mesh. Don't bother me much, but I prefer the cleaner OEM-look alike. I too followed BMW DIY Guy video, he is a great addition to our forum!

Now, a couple of question for y'all: I want to complete the protection, and add the Aggauto black rhombic mesh to the kidneys

1. Did anyone compare (live, in person) the Zunsport pattern vs. the Aggauto one? I think either the 8x16 or 8x20 mm would match pretty closely to the Zunsport pattern. Even if they don't 100% match, I subscribe to 'form follows function', so protection is top priority here.

2. I presume I wouldn't need to remove the entire bumper just to add the Aggauto mesh to the kidneys, just pop out the kidney grilles themselves...which should be simple trick, taking 20 min tops

[.Slug]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

2. I presume I wouldn't need to remove the entire bumper just to add the Aggauto mesh to the kidneys, just pop out the kidney grilles themselves...which should be simple trick, taking 20 min tops

You presume correctly. But you'll possibly need to remove the top bolts of the bumper that hide under the hood rubber gasket so you can lift up and reach in from hood access as well to get one of the kidneys started then you can remove the 2nd kidney from the front access removing the first kidney provided. There are some videos on YouTube showing how to do it.

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by .Slug

You presume correctly. But you'll possibly need to remove the top bolts of the bumper that hide under the hood rubber gasket so you can lift up and reach in from hood access as well to get one of the kidneys started then you can remove the 2nd kidney from the front access removing the first kidney provided. There are some videos on YouTube showing how to do it.

Much obliged sir...this mod (Aggauto mesh for the kidneys to complement the Zunsport mesh for lower vents) + Turner skidplate are on my very next ToDoList.

then, Titan 7 rims + MPS4S, SSK, M performance shift knob, BimmerTech audio upgrades (speakers + amp). HEEELP...I'm out of control...

[No_curebimmer]

Thanks to @.Slug, I just ordered from Amazon the AggAuto Universal (Rhombic 6x12mm) and some black industrial UV resistant ties (brand = TR Industrial, 8" length by 0.19" wide). Will be installing this on the kidney grilles in the upcoming days.

Product links:
AggAuto: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Zipties: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Like me, I noticed that a few members already have the Zunsport grilles on the lower vents, but the kidneys are still open and vulnerable to radiator punctures.
Plan on using this video made by IND to remove the kidney grills.

...so one wouldn't need to remove the entire bumper to affix the AggAuto mesh to the kidneys. I ain't too concerned about how the Zunsport pattern will match the AggAuto mesh, they should be close enough for government work. I'll take & post up pics of the final result. At least I'll have MUCH IMPROVED protection against possible debris flying into the oil cooler or radiator areas.

[.Slug]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

Thanks to @.Slug, I just ordered from Amazon the AggAuto Universal (Rhombic 6x12mm)

I think you will be very happy with the outcome. A bit of a tip with this mesh, you can actually cut a little wider than the kidney size, then bend the mesh around the shape of the kidney grills. It creates a more seamless and "stock" matching look due to the mesh being bent in the same curve as the kidney grills. I went slow and manipulated the mesh for the bends in an even manner. Any excess you can bend over the edge of the inside of the grills which makes them more stable and hides the edges better. Also bending the mesh with the inside of the kidney grills seems to have made them easier to clean as well.

Edit: i just realized that you may not be able to bend the excess over the edge of the grills if you remove them from the bumper. Snapping them back in also might be impossible. I also zip tied the mesh to the inside of the bumper clips, which might also be impossible for you given you arent' removing the whole bumper. Honestly, I'd recommend removing the bumper for this to get a more seamless and clean installation.

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by .Slug

I think you will be very happy with the outcome. A bit of a tip with this mesh, you can actually cut a little wider than the kidney size, then bend the mesh around the shape of the kidney grills. It creates a more seamless and "stock" matching look due to the mesh being bent in the same curve as the kidney grills. I went slow and manipulated the mesh for the bends in an even manner. Any excess you can bend over the edge of the inside of the grills which makes them more stable and hides the edges better. Also bending the mesh with the inside of the kidney grills seems to have made them easier to clean as well.

Right on - thanks for the tip!!!

I'll drink a cold one while doing this in your honour

[flybigjet]

Query: If I'm NOT doing the kidneys (My Mishimoto heat exchanger already has a mesh guard installed on it), and I'm JUST doing the lower grill and two outboard side grills (i.e. the area the Zunsport ones cover)-- Do I need one or two boxes of mesh?

TIA.

R.

[.Slug]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

Query: If I'm NOT doing the kidneys (My Mishimoto heat exchanger already has a mesh guard installed on it), and I'm JUST doing the lower grill and two outboard side grills (i.e. the area the Zunsport ones cover)-- Do I need one or two boxes of mesh?

TIA.

R.

You might have already got this answered by now, but I started on the second box after the lower center and one of the left/right side lower grills due to the size/length of the center. You'll barely use much of the 2nd box though. You might be able to squeeze a single box, but you'd really need to get a efficient layout and I can't remember if one was even possible (I didn't want to take the time when I did it because I knew i had more than enough). You can always return the 2nd box if you don't cut into it.

[Killed by Death]

Been there too

[HazChem]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

I'm going to go this way too, I think-- especially as a Carbonio front license plate frame won't work with the ZunSport grills.

Now, I just have to figure out which mesh to get either the 11x25 or 6x12 hexagon-- they look like they might match better than the rhombic?

What did you end up getting? I’m vacillating between those as well.