REVINORA r-CRT Front Bumper - 1x1 Carbon Weave
Those of you who have been following my build know that for over a year now I've been struggling with whether I should modify my front bumper/lip, and if so, what exactly I should do with it. In my mind I've rifled through a thousand possibilities, for more than a year, constantly waning back and forth through the myriad possibilities, all of which had me curious, but none of which I was really passionate about. Then recently I saw the
Revinora r-CRT lip, a re-envisioned and more aggressive take on BMW's CRT lip. As soon as I saw it, I instantly knew that my decision was made. I was that taken by it. It achieved each of my 3 goals - (1)it was entirely unique, (2) it was aggressive, but (3) because it didn't extend across the full length of the bumper, i could easily navigate speed bumps, and it could also be driven on the road without fear of it getting destroyed (something which I was very concerned about with other front lips I had considered such as the gt4 lip and the challenge front lip).
But i had another hesitation - Revinora in its earlier years had developed a reputation for questionable customer service. And I'm a big believer in customer service, reputation, and dependability. After reaching out to Revinora, and seeing what lengths they were willing to go to for me, and just how prompt they were in returning phone calls, as well as the quality of their weave and fitment, my doubts about them were resolved. Their work is stellar. They've surprised me with what kind of company they are. And in doing so, helped me take that final leap on modifying the front bumper I had struggled for so long with.
OSS Headlights with Full Blackout
Many of you also know that, for over a year now, I've also had a back and forth over whether I should modify my headlights. There were three issues in my mind. One - whether I should modify my headlights at all or leave them stock. Two - if I did modify them, whether I should go with highly regarded OSS which was far away and would require that I ship my headlights out to Florida, and be effectively without a car for a week, not to mention some pretty serious shipping fees, OR go with a more local company whose reputation I wasn't as sure of but whose proximity would have made my life easier. And Third - whether, above and beyond just modifying my halos, I should black out the corners.
After a lot of internal back and forth, I gave Luis from OSS a call to discuss my design philosophy with him, express my concerns, and to get his opinion. Namely, I was concerned that by by going with the full black-out I would be departing a little too much from the OEM+ design philosophy I've been trying to go with. Luis then offered me a great piece of insight that helped make my decision easy - he pointed out that my car's theme was two color (yellow and back). He said "sasan ,you've eliminated every other piece of chrome from your car, what's holding you back from removing this last bit?" He continued "you're taillights are LCI so they don't have the chrome anymore, your wheels are black, your side markers are black and so are your front grills... leaving the chrome in your headlights as the only remaining chrome on your entire car makes little sense from a design philosophy standpoint." That little bit of insight put all my doubts to rest. Full Blackout, it was.
What can I say about the OSS lights that everyone else hasn't already said. They are insanely bright and vivid, easily 2 or 3 times that of angel iBrights or similar plug-n-play applications. In fact, they were so bright, that it made taking pictures of them very difficulty because of the contrast they created. If you drove with only your OSS angel eyes on at night, and your low beams entirely off, you would have more than enough light - that's how bright they are. What's more is that they are equally bright from all angles, which is something you just don't get in the plug and play applications. Regarding the decision to go blackout, I have to say, I couldn't be more pleased with the decision. the car looks cohesive and clean, and its clear to me now that my fears of taking the car one step too far from OEM were entirely misplaced. Luis's work is very tasteful and detail-oriented. Working with him was a pleasure, and his product is amazing.
I struggled with these decisions, namely beacuse of their potential to change a car's entire character for better or for worse. I have to say though, after having put these pieces on, I'm more excited to drive this car now than I was the very first day I got the car - and that's saying a lot. Thank you both OSS and Revinora.
Now for the pics........
(All the after pics are iphone pics. Higher quality pics on their way come next weekend.)
FRONT BUMPER AND LIGHTS BEFORE:
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
A FEW OTHERS:
FINALLY....
I also just installed KW clubsports, M-stitched DCT boot and the M-sitched e-brake boot. I'll be posting up pics of those soon. (Along with more pics of the OSS headlights in both night time and daytime conditions and from different angles). Anyways, hope you guys like the new mods.
- esquire