2008 E92 AW/FR Intro and Journal

[crowtrobot]

Since I put the carbon deck spoiler on, I wanted something up front to balance it out visually (and maybe performance-wise too). I didn't want a carbon lip, or anything too long, as the Philly streets can be pretty rough.

360carbon's GTS rep lip fit the bill perfectly.

I ordered it from that group buy website that people don't like to talk about, the experience was pretty good. The order took a while, but eventually got to me, with good communication along the way.




Since the upper section of the GTS lip just sticks on, I didn't bother pulling the bumper.
I jacked the car up, and test fit the lip, then taped it in place with painters tape. Once in place, I screwed it in with some 8mm bellypan screws, and peeled the film off the 3M tape and stuck it in place.

I'd give the fitment an 8.5 I think. It needed some massaging to fit, and there are a few places where there are very slight gaps between the front bumper cover and the lip, but no serious cutting was necessary, and it looks good anyway. As far as performance goes, I installed the camber plates around the same time, so that was the predominant change felt at the track, so can't really say anything there.




Would recommend this lip to anyone looking for something easy to install, not too expensive, and not too flashy.

[crowtrobot]

Got the big two maintenance items done in the off-season. Car is at 65,000mi, for reference.

RB service was performed by Bavarian Specialties in KOP (an excellent, professional shop to work with), with BE Bearings and ARP bolts. Also replaced the engine mounts with the Bimmerworld Performance Mounts. Shifting could start to feel a little mushy under certain braking conditions at the track, so I wanted to start with the mounts before moving on to other things.

Short review of the engine mounts: The car was loud as hell and shaking like crazy when it was first fired up, I was pretty shocked. After ~100mi of driving though, the vibration and noise have been significantly reduced to what I remembered with the OE mounts, maybe a little extra on cold start. Shift feel is very nice, but I haven't been to the track yet to really know if it made a difference.

TA service I did myself. It was a pretty straight-forward job, I'd recommend the DIY to most people if they're even a little mechanically inclined and have the time to spare. I used the FCP Euro video:

as a guide, it was quite helpful. The worst bit was getting the air hose in the rear to detach, everything else was pretty easy. Replaced the OE TA's with Euro Power Motorsports rebuild units. The service was very friendly, and they carry a lifetime warranty, good to see they stand behind their work.

Happy to have these items off the to-do list. Here are some obligatory shots of the bearings and intakes, and a nice shot of the interior after some spring cleaning

[crowtrobot]

2023 recap: not many changes with the car, just enjoying some track days with the current setup. Had very enjoyable events at Lime Rock, NJMP, and Watkins Glen. First time at NJMP Lightning with this car - I was expecting that my 128i was better suited for it, but I was pleasantly surprised at how fun it was in the E92.

Got all the track gunk cleaned off by a local detailer to end the season.


LRP, photo credit @edgeofadhesion


NJMP, photo credit etechphoto


WGI, photo credit Clutchfoto