IND M3 CRT Lip Installation Pictures

[aajami]

Thanks for all the comments, gents. This lip is of phenomenal quality, and despite the relatively high price, it's well worth it to me. It's also worth noting that there are more expensive lips out there -- far more expensive lips.

My modding philosophy with Heidi has always been to go OEM+. That is, keep the mods to tasteful upgrades that are developed by or in close conjunction with the factory. I don't mind spending a little more in order to have the piece of mind that comes with factory-developed parts, as I did with the ZCP retrofit and the M Performance exhaust.

To that end, I had always wanted a lip to complete the front end of the car since I bought her over three years ago, but there was never a product that I liked among the myriad of available lips. They were either too gaudy, too aggressive, or lacked the proper fitment that I desired. Among the lips that BMW offered, the GT4 lip was far too aggressive for street use. I was intrigued by the GTS lip when BMW revealed that car, but I felt that it too would have been too aggressive and sit too low for daily driving. When BMW unveiled the CRT last year, however, I instantly fell in love with its front end.

It took IND a while to get a hold of one in order to offer this product, but for me, the wait (and cost) were well worth it. The lip uses OEM equipment to attach to the car, and the fitment is spot on. Tom@EAS, tlp, and checkcaptain all saw (and fiddled with) the lip over the weekend and they can attest to its quality and precision. At the end of the day, nothing beats OEM.

Some thoughts on others' comments:

Originally Posted by Sean05

looks ok and for the price i would have taken the GT4 version

The GT4 version sits far too low for street driving, and looks way too aggressive for my tastes. As always, I want an OEM/factory/street look for Heidi.

Originally Posted by PIMP "E"

i think you should of went with the GTS rep, besides the fact that it cost less. I thought the CRT was a e90 M3.........?

The GTS lip costs about $1,000 more than what I paid for this lip, and like the GT4 lip I mention above, is a bit too aggressive (and sits too low) for my tastes.

Originally Posted by M3PO

Seems like people will spend exorbitant amounts of money on special edition parts regardless of how they look.

Says a fellow owner of a $70,000 car (who has spent a pretty penny on mods himself)

Originally Posted by Daft

I wonder if this will look good in combination with the OEM cf splitters, or if those will even fit with this on hmmmmmmm.....

Originally Posted by LateBraking

The OEM CRT front lip just comes like that, doesn't extend to the sides. I'm really curious if the Performance front splitters could fit in to the sides, that might be a neat look.

I met up with a forum member who has the Performance splitters installed. We eyeballed the splitters and this lip, and the consensus is that the splitters would have to be lightly modified along the backside (underneath the car) in order to clear the lip. The modification wouldn't be visible to observers, though I think having both the lip and the splitters would be overkill.

Originally Posted by ///M 4 Life

this is completley my opinion but i feel its the ugliest lip for an m3 and i dont't know why bmw would make it look like that? It's just how i feel! i guess i'm entitled lol!

Opinions are like buttholes, my friend. We all have one

Originally Posted by slicer

Did you see the picture of the underside of the bumper? This sits lower and protrudes outward. If he was rubbing the bumper without the lip, he is going to have problems. There are certainly lips that sit lower than this one but the car is already taking hits on the OEM bumper...

Originally Posted by Denk

I really like the subtle look of this lip. Pics 8 & 9 reveal the need for extra caution, same goes for most lips.

Denk and slicer are correct. I have not been kind to my bumper. In my defense, though, all those scrapes happened during the first year of ownership as I was still getting used to the car's proportions. They happened exclusively during parking, as I pulled up too close to the cement stoppers (I came from a much smaller car that was easier to park). In the year that I've been waiting for IND to get a hold of this lip, I've since perfected the art of parking I've had absolutely no problems on driveways, dips, and speed bumps with the new lip so far, and don't intend to.

[huyner328]

Just don't look right to me and I'm all about the OEM+... to a degree.

[KEYON]

I like it... It's not anything special to me though. But I think its cool and unique. Good pick up dude. Goes well with the overal theme. Maybe lower it a little? Then I'll like it

[Alen E90]

doesn't look that bad IMO and that first installed pic looks AWESEOME

[Stealth ///M]

I would have a very hard time swallowing the cost everytime I looked at it. It's too simple to cost that. Enjoy.

[jonasaurus]

I think its a case of less is more sometimes. In this particular case it is subtle, provides the least likely chance of scrapping (given its a DD) and is 'OEM'. Adding in Perf splitters would result in some sort of cluttered / busy front end IMO, I'd be one or the other.

Aajami / IND / Eas - great result love it!

[Sean05]

Originally Posted by aajami

Some thoughts on others' comments:

The GT4 version sits far too low for street driving, and looks way too aggressive for my tastes. As always, I want an OEM/factory/street look for Heidi.

Yea i guess your right if you are looking for a mod your taste you couldnt have done it any better. BTW what other mods have you done... cant really see it on the photos. not sure if you have it already but i would get the rear trunk CF lip.... and CF side mirror cap...

I happen to like an aggressive look which is probably why i mentioned the GT4...

[armyav8tor]

The quality of the lip looks top notch but I agree with what the others said. Is there any functionality to this lip at all? At least with the other lips, it looks like it might be adding some down force.

[BMWJ]

check back in a week.... curious how holds up to your driving style

[PIMP "E"]

from my understanding, this is a replica of the real CRT lip. i know you cant get one unless you have a vin(owner) number for a CRT or GTS. am i getting it all wrong?
the CF replica of the GTS lip is $1200 shipped. i mean all of these replicated parts are out of control with these prices.

[ROB_S2K]

Originally Posted by slicer

Did you see the picture of the underside of the bumper? This sits lower and protrudes outward. If he was rubbing the bumper without the lip, he is going to have problems. There are certainly lips that sit lower than this one but the car is already taking hits on the OEM bumper...

Ya I see it and my RCRT Street lip is the same way. The lowest point of my lip is the lowest point of my OEM bumper. The only time you can hit this lip anywhere is if you take driveways head on. Otherwise it will be ok, well at least mine is lol.

[aajami]

Originally Posted by PIMP "E"

from my understanding, this is a replica of the real CRT lip. i know you cant get one unless you have a vin(owner) number for a CRT or GTS. am i getting it all wrong?
the CF replica of the GTS lip is $1200 shipped. i mean all of these replicated parts are out of control with these prices.

The only GTS replica I would have considered is the IND one, because it's made from the mold of an actual OEM piece and uses OEM hardware to attach to the subframe of the car. The other replicas out there are just eye-balled from pictures of the GTS lip, and attach only to the bumper cover.

And again, that replica is about $1,000 more than what I paid for this lip.

Originally Posted by BMWJ

check back in a week.... curious how holds up to your driving style

I'm sufficiently anal that I'm not too worried about the prospects of this lip Like I said, lesson learned during the first year of ownership.

Originally Posted by armyav8tor

The quality of the lip looks top notch but I agree with what the others said. Is there any functionality to this lip at all? At least with the other lips, it looks like it might be adding some down force.

From the CRT announcement press release: "CFRP is also used to make both the rear spoiler of the BMW M3 CRT and an air-channelling element integrated into its front apron."

So, hopefully it's "channelling" that air upwards

Originally Posted by Sean05

Yea i guess your right if you are looking for a mod your taste you couldnt have done it any better. BTW what other mods have you done... cant really see it on the photos. not sure if you have it already but i would get the rear trunk CF lip.... and CF side mirror cap...

I happen to like an aggressive look which is probably why i mentioned the GT4...

Yeah, I have the BMW Performance CF lip and mirror caps. Check my signature for a full list and link to pics.

Originally Posted by ROB_S2K

Ya I see it and my RCRT Street lip is the same way. The lowest point of my lip is the lowest point of my OEM bumper. The only time you can hit this lip anywhere is if you take driveways head on. Otherwise it will be ok, well at least mine is lol.

This lip sits higher than the lowest point on my bumper, but it also sits the furthest out. As I've alluded to earlier, I'll need to be careful parking but dips and driveways won't be a problem.

[MA///M3]

Originally Posted by Z K

It looks like a nice subtle touch and a lot of ground clearance. The price is just way too much though. OEM or not, its just too much.

agreed...........

[socalbreeze]

I'm all about OEM simply because the fitment and finish are impeccable perhaps even better than powerhouses such as 3D or Vorsteiner. I have the carbon fiber mirror cover as well as the performance spoiler but didn't get the splitter because I didnt like the look of it. I'm still on the fence on this CRT lip, to me, it just doesn't flow with the rest of the car...but thats my opinion. OP, enjoy the lip!

[the///Mthree]

Originally Posted by LateBraking

The OEM CRT front lip just comes like that, doesn't extend to the sides. I'm really curious if the Performance front splitters could fit in to the sides, that might be a neat look.

Im wondering what that would look like...Might be really B@dA$$ or just ricey

[NuclearSymphony]

Looks great man! I personally share your taste for OEM+ and can appreciate such a rare item being purchased. Looks very lightweight and compact. Enjoy!

[MrLeo]

the most boring lip I've ever seen.

[M-HA286]

incredible work , and nice lip, but price is to high

[chris s]

Sorry, not a fan at all. Looks out of place and unsubstantial and not even remotely worth the price tag.

[Artem@ONEighty]

Love the quality of the product

[Aquariu///M]

Quality looks excellent....but that's a lot of $$$$ and effort to look worse than stock

[Carlos@MORR]

I think this looks perfect. Congrats.