ESS VT2-650 Build

Azlondon · 09-12-2012, 07:13 AM

Heres my build thread of my 2008 M3 in April. It came with DCT, EDC and all the usual features.

As good as it was, I couldn’t help but miss the power from my charged E46 so got in contact with Roy over at CA to discuss which way to go about adding some more power. We decided to go with the ESS VT2-650 kit as I had an ESS kit on my previous M and were happy with reliability and the performance.
Whilst waiting for the kit to arrive, CA and I went on to look at the safety and handling side of things. Stoptech BBK front and back were decided upon as were Eibach springs.

With the extra power I felt I needed larger width wheels and ordered in some VMR 710’s, 9.5 up front and 11 in the rear.

ESS recommends using race cats with the 650 kit so the challenge street x pipe was ordered as well as an Eisenmann race back box to add some beefy notes.

The ESS kit arrived and CA took care with the installation of the parts and with giving a red look to the ESS plenum to match the Stoptech brakes. The work was carried out at Autoenhance and the guys did a great job.

With the main work now completed I then spoke again with CA about the cosmetic side of things. The budget would only stretch for me to get a front splitter, rear diffuser and carbon spoiler so the custom front bumper will have to wait until Xmas!

I was confident in ESS’s Kits reliability as I had already tested it on my previous car however this new kit provided me with supercar levels of horsepower and so what better way to test it than to take it on long trip around Europe so last week I took part in the Cannonball 2000 and it handled the task very well, surprising many supercar owners. It was a great trip.

Big thanks have to go to CA for spending so much time and effort in the build of the car and get it to the spec it’s at right now. Their advice has been indispensable and couldn’t be happier with the work that was carried out.

Thanks for looking

Team Plutonium · 09-12-2012, 07:15 AM

Very awesome!

Thanks for sharing!

m33 · 09-12-2012, 07:21 AM

Big baller STATUS !
You looked like a super star pulling up to all those flashing camera'....

img · 09-12-2012, 07:22 AM

Looks great and sounds mean,enjoy the power !

GOLFFRR · 09-12-2012, 08:08 AM

Beast!!! awesome

THE TECH · 09-12-2012, 08:16 AM

Nice mods!

spdy330 · 09-12-2012, 09:11 AM

Awesome!

Roman@ESS · 09-12-2012, 10:49 AM

Nice looking car

tom @ eas · 09-12-2012, 11:27 AM

Congrats on the new kit! Thanks for sharing.

flipm3 · 09-12-2012, 12:24 PM

Nice! Great to see more VT2-650s around the world.

I think you have the Challenge Sport, not Street

Keep up the great build!

Azlondon · 09-12-2012, 02:23 PM

Thanks for the kind comments guys, much appreciated. It's a great car, they should have them leaving the BMW factory with one of these strapped on!

You are correct, it is the sport and not street. Thanks for the heads up.

Azlondon · 01-19-2013, 05:03 PM

Here's a few recent pics

Groundpilot · 01-19-2013, 05:16 PM

Nice. Very nice looking front end.
I didnt know that bumper was available for our cars. Who makes them?

m33 · 01-19-2013, 05:19 PM

looking good

Azlondon · 01-19-2013, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groundpilot

Nice. Very nice looking front end.
I didnt know that bumper was available for our cars. Who makes them?

In the uk mstyle make them but in the US I think I read that auto couture are making the 1m style bumpers.

Azlondon · 01-19-2013, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m33

looking good

Thanks, you're car looks awesome.

daviomaron · 01-19-2013, 08:30 PM

Nice. Very nice looking front end.

brava09 · 01-20-2013, 01:30 AM

How is traction with all that power? What tires you use?

jonasaurus · 01-20-2013, 03:57 AM

Nice one mate, must be one of the only ones in Ldn with a 1M/M3 front bumper. LCI tail lights would be a great addition

Chriskm3 · 01-20-2013, 08:55 AM

Very good mods. Congrats and stay safe

Longboarder · 01-20-2013, 10:01 AM

Awesome job with your car. I want to hear more about the Cannonball parties

Azlondon · 01-21-2013, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daviomaron

Nice. Very nice looking front end.

Thanks, I'm currently wondering what to do with the back end as not loving the spoiler. Was eyeing up an Arkym trunk although been reading about some poor fitments coming out of them lately.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brava09

How is traction with all that power? What tires you use?

Traction is not a huge problem, I was expecting more issues but its not been so bad. Worst moment so far was going sideways on a drag strip with no DSC whilst pushing 90mph! But other than that it's mostly been trouble free.
I'm running pzero 295's but they measure a lot wider, more like 307 and I'm getting some rubbing so I'm thinking of trying some 305 conti's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonasaurus

Nice one mate, must be one of the only ones in Ldn with a 1M/M3 front bumper. LCI tail lights would be a great addition

You would think, when I collected my car it was one of four with the 1m bumper so i'm already eyeing up new options!!
I do need to arrange the LCI tail lights, think it really freshens up the rear end.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Longboarder

Awesome job with your car. I want to hear more about the Cannonball parties

Thanks. The parties were pretty good. Monte Carlo and Barcelona were amazing, would highly recommend going.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chriskm3

Very good mods. Congrats and stay safe

Always safety first.

09-12-2012, 07:13 AM	#1
Azlondon Enlisted Member Drives: E92 M3 ESS 650 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: London Posts: 33 iTrader: (0)	ESS VT2-650 Build Heres my build thread of my 2008 M3 in April. It came with DCT, EDC and all the usual features. As good as it was, I couldn’t help but miss the power from my charged E46 so got in contact with Roy over at CA to discuss which way to go about adding some more power. We decided to go with the ESS VT2-650 kit as I had an ESS kit on my previous M and were happy with reliability and the performance. Whilst waiting for the kit to arrive, CA and I went on to look at the safety and handling side of things. Stoptech BBK front and back were decided upon as were Eibach springs. With the extra power I felt I needed larger width wheels and ordered in some VMR 710’s, 9.5 up front and 11 in the rear. ESS recommends using race cats with the 650 kit so the challenge street x pipe was ordered as well as an Eisenmann race back box to add some beefy notes. The ESS kit arrived and CA took care with the installation of the parts and with giving a red look to the ESS plenum to match the Stoptech brakes. The work was carried out at Autoenhance and the guys did a great job. With the main work now completed I then spoke again with CA about the cosmetic side of things. The budget would only stretch for me to get a front splitter, rear diffuser and carbon spoiler so the custom front bumper will have to wait until Xmas! I was confident in ESS’s Kits reliability as I had already tested it on my previous car however this new kit provided me with supercar levels of horsepower and so what better way to test it than to take it on long trip around Europe so last week I took part in the Cannonball 2000 and it handled the task very well, surprising many supercar owners. It was a great trip. Big thanks have to go to CA for spending so much time and effort in the build of the car and get it to the spec it’s at right now. Their advice has been indispensable and couldn’t be happier with the work that was carried out. Thanks for looking
	Tweet

09-12-2012, 07:15 AM	#2
Team Plutonium Major General Drives: 911 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate Posts: 8,803 iTrader: (1)	Very awesome! Thanks for sharing! __________________ Gone... ESS VT2-625 \| ESS Tune \| M24 Oil Cooler \| Brembo 380mm BBK \| Dinan 4.10 Diff \| KW Variant 3 Coilovers \| Dinan Camber Plates \| Dinan Strut Tower Braces \| Dinan X-Pipe \| Akrapovic Exhaust \| Vorsteiner GTS3 Bumper \| Varis System One Diffuser \| OEM Performance Spoiler \| Stack Gauges \| GTS Door Sills \| Volk TE37 \| Falken Azenis RT615K 275/315 \| Pulled Fenders \| Turner Stud Kit \| OMP ARS Racing Seats New: 991C2S

09-12-2012, 07:22 AM	#4
img VT3 Drives: E36 M3 Track car,Ess E90 M3 DD Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: The Couch Posts: 5,980 iTrader: (5)	Looks great and sounds mean,enjoy the power ! __________________ NO FEAR.NO LIMITS.NO EQUAL Ess VT3 LC built motor,Volk TE37SL,Challenge modefied Xpipe,Akra axle back CF tips. LOW BOOST 60-130 6.7 sec

09-12-2012, 08:08 AM	#5
GOLFFRR BimmerPost Supporting Vendor Drives: Golf Cart Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Solvang, CA/Camarillo, CA Posts: 11,081 iTrader: (4)	Beast!!! awesome __________________ BEFORE YOU BUY YOUR NEXT BMW, PM ME FIRST I CAN HOOK YOU UP! We are Performance Center\|Euro Delivery\|BMW Individual Specialist Need a quote?..Ryan /Checa Email link \| T.805.482.8878 ask for Francesca www.stevethomasbmw.com \| OUR PARTS STORE \| Facebook-STBMW \| Twitter-STBMW

09-12-2012, 08:16 AM	#6
THE TECH BimmerPost Supporting Vendor Drives: BPMsport 2012 E92 M3 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Kansas Posts: 12,067 iTrader: (39)	Nice mods! __________________ Check us out on Facebook at BPMsportlabs

09-12-2012, 07:21 AM	#3
m33 Banned Drives: E92 VT650 MCB Individual Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: CT Posts: 2,676 iTrader: (5)	Big baller STATUS ! You looked like a super star pulling up to all those flashing camera'....

09-12-2012, 09:11 AM	#7
spdy330 Major General Drives: 05 Tundra, 11 M3, 08 Odyssey Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: SoCal Posts: 5,550 iTrader: (137) Garage List 2011.75 BMW M3 [4.40] 2006 BMW 330i - SOLD [5.00]	Awesome! __________________ - 2006 E90 330i TiAG retired. - 2011.75 E90 M3 - BMW Performance Exhaust, BMW Performance Grills, Lux H8 V3, Reflector delete Euro style, Ceramic Tint 58%, Brembo 380mm BBK, V1 with custom multi-color display by www.Radar-Mirror.com - custom radar mount by www.performancepackage.com.

09-12-2012, 10:49 AM	#8
Roman@ESS BimmerPost Supporting Vendor Drives: ESS Supercharged E92 M3 Join Date: May 2007 Location: AZ Posts: 2,212 iTrader: (5)	Nice looking car __________________ Email: Roman@esstuning.com Phone: (480) 525-9160 ext 101 Facebook: ESS Tuning

09-12-2012, 11:27 AM	#9
tom @ eas BimmerPost Supporting Vendor Drives: BMW Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 8,881 iTrader: (12) Garage List 2008 ESS VT2-525 Z4MC [0.00] 2011 ESS VT2-625 M3 [0.00]	Congrats on the new kit! Thanks for sharing. __________________ Tom G. \| european auto source (eas) email: tom@europeanautosource.com web: www.europeanautosource.com tel 866.669.0705 \| ca: 714.369.8524 x22 \| fax: 714.908.1796 Blog \| Facebook \| YouTube \| Flickr \| Twitter

09-12-2012, 12:24 PM	#10
flipm3 E46 + E90 Drives: E46 M3 + E90 M3 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Illinois Posts: 2,516 iTrader: (1) Garage List 2009 BMW M3 [0.00] 2002 BMW M3 [0.00]	Nice! Great to see more VT2-650s around the world. I think you have the Challenge Sport, not Street Keep up the great build! __________________ 2002 E46 M3 6MT \| Jet Black . Black Nappa \| My Build Thread 2009 E90 M3 DCT \| Melbourne Red . Speed Cloth

09-12-2012, 02:23 PM	#11
Azlondon Enlisted Member Drives: E92 M3 ESS 650 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: London Posts: 33 iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the kind comments guys, much appreciated. It's a great car, they should have them leaving the BMW factory with one of these strapped on! You are correct, it is the sport and not street. Thanks for the heads up.

01-19-2013, 05:03 PM	#12
Azlondon Enlisted Member Drives: E92 M3 ESS 650 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: London Posts: 33 iTrader: (0)	Here's a few recent pics

01-19-2013, 05:16 PM	#13
Groundpilot Captain Drives: 135I DCT , e92 M3 DCT,535 I Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: long island,ny Posts: 602 iTrader: (0)	Nice. Very nice looking front end. I didnt know that bumper was available for our cars. Who makes them? __________________ David

01-19-2013, 05:19 PM	#14
m33 Banned Drives: E92 VT650 MCB Individual Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: CT Posts: 2,676 iTrader: (5)	looking good

01-19-2013, 08:30 PM	#17
daviomaron New Member Drives: bmw Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: lopo Posts: 7 iTrader: (0)	Nice. Very nice looking front end. __________________

01-20-2013, 01:30 AM	#18
brava09 Captain Drives: E92 M3 JB Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: europe Posts: 630 iTrader: (0)	How is traction with all that power? What tires you use? __________________ 08 E92 M3 Jerez Black 6MT 08 E92 335i 6MT traded in for M3

01-20-2013, 03:57 AM	#19
jonasaurus Colonel Drives: 11.5 E90 M3 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: London Posts: 2,822 iTrader: (0)	Nice one mate, must be one of the only ones in Ldn with a 1M/M3 front bumper. LCI tail lights would be a great addition __________________ ///M3 \| E90 \| Space Grey \| Fox Red with CF Structure \| 6MT \| 260M \| My build

01-20-2013, 08:55 AM	#20
Chriskm3 Lieutenant Colonel Drives: M3 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,986 iTrader: (3)	Very good mods. Congrats and stay safe

01-20-2013, 10:01 AM	#21
Longboarder Colonel Drives: 2013 e92 M3 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Kailua/Monarch Beach Posts: 2,049 iTrader: (1) Garage List 2013 e92 M3 [5.00] 2010 335i [2.17] 1998 M Roadster [0.00]	Awesome job with your car. I want to hear more about the Cannonball parties __________________ Track/Airstrip: 2013 e92 M3 MW FR DCT ZCP / ESS VT2 S/C, MRF mid/Akra slip, StopTech BBK (583 RWHP STD @ 8,600 RPM) Beater: 2013 STi Sedan / Cobb Stg 2 / WRX wing lol

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search