So,

I've been driving my 08 535xi for 3 days now, and I truly love it... it's like a swiss army knife.. it does a lot of things pretty well. It's reasonably fast, it's very comfortable, the huge panorama roof makes it feel a bit like a convertible, it swallows enormous amounts of stuff, gets decent (20mpg) gas mileage... overall, I'm very happy.

But... I've got the mod itch, and I'm trying to allocate budget, and figure out the sequence in order of relevance. Here is my list... help me put it in order if you think I have it wrong, or let me know how you did it.



1. $500: brakes: the braking distance and feel is horrible, really really bad... I never expected this. When you couple how bad this is with the ridiculous amount of brake dust these pads produce, this seems like the first item to change. Should i go for some ceramic/kevlar compound pads?... don't want to get larger brake rotors = extra weight = cost + worse handling.. vicious cycle. suggestions?
2. $800: cobb accessport: the power is good, it's not fantastic... I just learned about the cobb accessport and it seems like a no-brainer, especially since you can sell it when you sell the car. BUT, can't use the power without fixing those ridiculously bad brakes.
3. $2000?: M-tech body kit: the front of the car has an M5 bumper (previous owner) but no side skirts or rear m-tech bumper. I have gotten completely conflicting information on changing the rear bumper... some make it seem easy, others make it out to be a $3k job... still don't have the answer, but would really love the change. If anyone has actually DONE this on an LCI car, hit me up with some info.
4. $300-$2000: suspension: I drive on lumpy n.cali highways, some mild twisty roads, but no aggressive driving. The xi is lifted and I'm tempted to just spend $300 on some H&R springs and the norwegian's $50 rear lowering link mod. However, I'm wondering if with bad roads I should spring (no pun intended) for some v3 coilovers... the price differential is staggering, can't imagine it's worth it for my needs.
5. $1600 wheels: Forgestar F14 19": with the bad n.cali roads I'm hesitant to go for 19" wheels, but with the m-tech kit and lowering these would just be perfect. Although most would mount these first before anything else, to me these go on when everything else is perfect. The structure of the car (with the Panorama roof) feels like a wet noodle... not sure if suspension and 19" wheels would make this more apparent, but my hunch is that it would.

TOTAL COST RANGE (not including install):
$500 brake pads?
$800 accessport
$2000-$2500 m-tech kit skirts and rear
$300-$2000 suspension
$1600 wheels:
_______________________
$5400 - $7400 approx. cost range

So, what order would you guys perform these mods in?

 

Hi Alexio

About the rear spoiler. If you want to change to M-tech, you need 5 extra items.

I have made this post about the parts you need

https://5series.net/forums/topic/110...1#entry1314534

Happy modding, very nice car you have!

 

I would go functional before cosmetic. So my order would be (1) brakes (2) Accessport (3) Wheels (improved handling) and then the remainder.

 

I would also go function before form. Brakes and suspension then engine performance and last cosmetic.
Steve

 

So, I'm not the only one who thinks the brakes are really bad then? what is the solution here, can better pads improve it or do I have to go the expensive rotor route?