OEM+ E92 (Interlagos Blue / Fox Red) Build Journal

[rockstar93]

Had my fair share of BMW M cars that I could never keep stock, but never tackled a build journal. Really regretting not documenting anything on my other cars, so before it's too late gonna start one on this.



Background
Since I was a child I've been passionate about cars (blame my dad, growing up around fast cars and tinkering with them), and since I was old enough to know better I've been obsessed with M cars. My first car was an E46 M3 coupe/6MT and since then I was hooked.

I've found my love in my E86 Z4M, which is my track car/garage queen. I also have a Harley for weekends. Living in Canada means I can only enjoy these cars 5 months a year, and I got REAL tired of driving a shitty 2007 Kia Rio the rest of the year so knew I needed to upgrade to something enjoyable.

Back in 2017 I traded in my E85 Z4M (yes I had an E85 + E86 at one point, both summer-only cars in addition to a motorcycle ) for an 2011.75 E90 M3 6MT - Jerez Black on Fox Red - to make my daily driver/winter beater. For this purpose, it was absolute perfection for me. It was fun as hell to drive, whether I was putt-putting around on my commute, or pushing it on a spirited drive - yet was also comfortable enough to live with as a daily.

I intended to keep this forever, but unfortunately it was T-Boned by an F-150 (who ended up running and never did get caught). Insurance decided to repair it. $18k of insurance-paid work later, I was so completely turned off by the car. The body shop it went to did a horrible job, damaging panels they shouldn't have touched, putting in used trim worse than what they took off, leaving shop rags in my suspension components, and missed painting the lower part of my bumper . I couldn't live with it.

Fast forward to 2018, I lost my shirt on the car trading it in on this gem...

2011 E92 M3
Interlagos Blue on Fox Red
Bought at ~110,000km, I've put 15k on it since.

6MT, sunroof, iDrive, EDC, power/heated seats, rear sunshade. With the exception of EDC, all options on my must-have list because of the daily driver duties.

But I'll be honest, what really sold me (and broke my wallet) was the colour combination. By far and away, Interlagos Blue is my favourite BMW colour as is quite obvious by my choice in cars. Pair this with Fox Red, which I fell in love with on my E90, made it suuuuch a unique car - and while the superman combo isn't for everybody, I think it works because of the brown/orange-ish tones in FR.






P.S., this last picture was before I did a Leatherique application. It really does stand up to the hype and really brought the driver's seat back.

Build Plan
Because this is daily driven all year round - clear, dry roads to 'feet' of snow and salt, -40° to +40°C, this cannot be inconvenient or useless to use regularly. Good thing I LOVE the car as-is. That said, I can't leave anything alone.

My plan for this is true 'OEM+'. Keep the usability, and daily-drivability of the car, but improve the parts that are lacking, or enhance the parts I enjoy most. No, I won't be slamming it on coils (for now) with a GT4 lip or supercharging it. I'll spend money on it, but it is my 'responsible' car afterall. At some point I may decide to take it off of daily-driving duties, but for now - OEM+.

Mod/Fix List
These are things I've already done to the car since I bought it, in the order I did them:

• JBSpeed High-Kick Spoiler
• IND colour match reflectors
• OEM Muffler Mod (somewhere between 2.5 and 4 pipe mod)
• F10 M5 Shift Knob + Boot
• Euro Light Switch Assembly with Rear Fog Light Switch
• Bimmerworld Performance Engine Mounts
• ACL Rod Bearings (mixed set) with ARP Bolts
• Bilstein B12 Kit (B8 shocks/struts w/ Eibach Pro-Kit springs)
• BPM Aluminum Undertray
• Magnetic-mount Removable Front License Plate
• AJM Motorsports GTS Lip

In addition to all this, I had a stage 1 polish + cheapo 'ceramic coating' applied. I try to keep up on the cleaning/detailing myself. Regularly wash/wax it, applied Leatherique. The basics to bring it back to life. But it definitely still has it's flaws.

To-Do List
These are things I will do, parts are already on-hand pending install

• Ultimate Clutch Pedal (UCP)
• Replace broken passenger door fibre-optic interior light strip
• Extended Fox Red Centre Console w/ Split Armrest

Wish List
These are on my wish list (on top of regular maintenance of-course), listed from short to long-term but subject to change as I'm pretty indecisive:

• AutoSolutions SSK
• MFactory CF Driveshaft
• Non-resonated Test Pipes (RE?)
• Alpine Tune
• EAS 80mm OEM Muffler Tips
• H-Style 2x2 CF Rear Diffuser
• Alloy Pedals (Dinan? Pedal Haus?)
• BBK Front + Rear (F80 or F87 2NH kit?)
• Euro Bumper with Reflector Delete
• Euro Convex Mirrors
• Extended Black Leather Dash
• Recaro Sportsters in Fox Red

Stay tuned...

[rockstar93]

So here I'm going to 'catch up' and document all of the bigger things I've done to the car since I bought it.

JBSpeed High-Kick Spoiler 2x2 CF
This, along with the colour-matched reflectors were the first thing I did to the car. Wanted to get them installed before sending the car for polish/coating. I like it, but part of me wishes I kept the factory lip. Especially in the year I had this without the GTS front lip, car looked really out of balance. It's better with the lip, but I'm debating going back to factory lip spoiler and no splitter. It also is starting to yellow unfortunately, but given it's a cheap replica I expected that. The car is parked outside.

OEM Muffler Mod
I carried this over from my E90 M3 before trading that in (bought a spare exhaust to cut open thankfully). Just needed to swap the tips.

It's between a 2 and 4 pipe mod, with the 2 'fully-perforated' pipes completely covered, and 1.5 of the 'half-perforated' pipes covered. As-is, the volume is close-to-perfect for my needs. Loud, but I can still keep it under the radar by controlling my right foot. Unfortunately it does drone slightly cruising on the highway, but livable compared to my basically straight-piped Z4M. It does also give it more of a deep, American muscle tone than I would like. Hopefully non-resonated test pipes fix this. I do half-regret not doing the 2-pipe mod, just because when I go for test pipes it might push the volume/drone over the edge for me.

Overall the best money spent though. Exhausts are the first thing I do to every vehicle I own, and for the money this setup can't be beat IMO. I also prefer the 'ball-sack' look of the muffler

IND Colour-Matched Reflectors
10/10, perfect colour match (obviously) perfect fitment. I have seen some colours with less-than-ideal colour matches (Alpine/Mineral White seems to be the worst) but I don't regret doing this. It's fairly hidden on the darker colour and will hold me over until a full Euro bumper.

AJM Motorsports 2x2 CF GTS Lip
Wasn't sold on the look, so bought a cheap lip to try out. Surprisingly the quality was decent, and fitment was 7.5/10 with bolts in just the factory locations + one strip of tape along the front edge. Arrived with some flaws in the clear coat but AJM was a PLEASURE to deal with. Happy to run this lip - though if I didn't daily/winter the car I might be inclined to spend more on a better fitting/quality lip if I was comfortable it wouldn't get destroyed.

Magnetic Mount Removable Front License Plate
Living in a province that requires front plates sucks. But I bought the car without one, so no holes. Told myself I'd drive until I got a ticket, then mount one up. Well 4 weeks ago I got pulled over (but let off with a warning).

Remove the bumper, affix 4 rare-earth magnets to the inside. Tape 4 more on the back of my license plate (with foam tape to protect the bumper from scratches) - perfecto! I did the same thing on my Z4M and it works perfectly beyond any street-speeds (if I plan to go faster, it's quick to remove). Trying it out for the first time on this car through winter, but I'm confident.

Tow hook mounts aren't for me. The asymmetry doesn't work, they're more tedious to remove, and in the case of a front-impact you risk frame damage. This is the perfect solution in my opinion.



F10 M5 Shift Boot + Knob
After three years of the stock broomstick, I got quite used to the feel - so this didn't improve things quite as much as I hoped. My shifter is quite sloppy though, so hoping this pairs well with the AutoSolutions SSK and brings it to where I think it will.

The quality is a big improvement though. You can feel the weight, the leather quality on the boot is a big step up from the E9x, and as you'll see, I was WAY beyond due for a shifter replacement.



Euro Light Switch w/ Rear Fog Light
Not much to say here, it serves it's purpose by satisfying my OCD. I had the rear fog light DIY on both my E90 and E92, but it didn't feel right without the button.



Bimmerworld Performance Engine Mounts
Perhaps my only real regret to-date. I did the rod bearings not because I felt they needed to be done yet (spoiler alert: they were in good shape), but because I KNEW I needed motor mounts and it didn't make sense to do them separately. At only 125k I felt the idle vibration in the steering wheel, and knew the mounts were shot. Not wanting to deal with soft OEM mounts that will prematurely fail again, I figured I'd try something stiffer that hopefully lasts longer.

Well these are DEFINITELY stiffer. At idle it 100% increases NVH inside the cabin to levels I'm not sure I will tolerate for long in a daily driver that sees stop-and-go traffic. It's only evident at idle, but oh boy can I feel it. Interestingly, it only bothers me. When I bring my dad, or girlfriend along, they just assume it's normal #becauseracecar. Hard to comment on performance though, given that my stock mounts were so far gone it's not a level playing field.

ACL Rod Bearings (mixed set) + ARP Bolts
Bought from M Power Motorsports and would HIGHLY recommend. Abdul is great, no issues at all.

Installed at a local shop, 11Tenths Racecraft. As mentioned above, I did them only because I needed to do motor mounts, and combining these services made sense. To-date it's the only thing I've had to outsource (other than the safety cert). At 125k and daily/winter driven, I'd say the bearings are in good shape. Definitely worn, but still had life. Can't speak to previous owners' behaviour, but I'm religious about letting it fully warm up before revving her, and oil changes every 7,500km with either Castrol or Shell/BMW 10W60 + LiquiMoly Ceratec.




Bilstein B12 Kit (B8 shocks/struts + Eibach Pro-Kit)
Since buying the car, my suspension needed doing. I had a clunk from the rear, driver's side shock that started getting pretty bad. Didn't quite want to go coilovers, because the I already struggled with factory ground clearance in the winter and was worried about corrosion on the coilovers.

Sucked to have to "lose" EDC, although I never actually used it much. Maybe because my shocks were bad, but I never noticed a massive difference. EDC-replacement shocks were just out of my budget this year.

Overall I am happy with this kit though. Performance feels like stock on the street. Comfortable enough over bumps and rough roads, but handling isn't an issue either. Can't fully comment though, because it's only seen normal street driving so far.

I do wish it was either slightly lower in the front, or higher in the rear. I loved the factory raked look of the car, and while it still remains, the kit somewhat leveled the car out. Oh well, it'll help in the winter I guess.




BPM Aluminum Undertray
Again, not much to say. It does the job, and does it well. Surprised me at just how light it was (apparently ~3.5lbs), and yet everything is still solid. Looks the part too - shame the gloss black has to be hidden under the car. Winston was also amazing to deal with. Highly recommend.



Current
Here are the most up-to-date pictures I have of the car. Congrats, now we're caught up. Stay tuned for future updates!

[Space Fox]

OEM+ is the way! Congratulations, great find. Big fan of Fox Red as well. Enjoy it!

[calypsoe36]

Nice work, looks great! I don't think I've seen another IB/FR aka Superman combo

[94jedi]

Looks amazing!!! Loving the garage setup as well; swiss trax, quick lifts, etc...someone has been on the OG kick for a while now haha

[rockstar93]

Originally Posted by calypsoe36

Nice work, looks great! I don't think I've seen another IB/FR aka Superman combo

Funny enough - Enthusiast Auto just picked up/listed a LeMans Blue/Fox Red. But they definitely aren't common.

I'm not sure how this was made because according to the MY2011 Ordering Guide, IB/FR wasn't an available combination. But this isn't an individual order and the VIN confirms the colour combo

Originally Posted by 94jedi

Looks amazing!!! Loving the garage setup as well; swiss trax, quick lifts, etc...someone has been on the OG kick for a while now haha

Haha thank you! Would you believe that I didn't 'discover' OG until after I had put together 80% of the garage? It wasn't until after I decided on SwissTrax and went searching the internet for inspirations on designs that I stumbled upon Matt. But I'll admit now I am hooked. I'd love a scissor lift like him to replace my QuickJacks lol.

A couple shameless pictures of my garage, pretty happy with it - just finished it this summer over the COVID lockdown. For the last 20 years it's been an unfinished garage with no walls or lighting.

Feat. my Z4M, Harley, and my dad's Ducati.

[W///]

Thought your name looked familiar! Very nice find, I love the color combo.

My E92 M3 and Z4MR are the cars I absolutely refuse to sell at any price. They're the best of BMW M in my opinion.

[inTgr8r]

rockstar93
looking good!!

...i just may find my way back from the darkside to one of these again

[Rochen_00]

How good this OEM+ project looks

Eager to see how your car evolves

[rockstar93]

Originally Posted by W///

Thought your name looked familiar! Very nice find, I love the color combo.

My E92 M3 and Z4MR are the cars I absolutely refuse to sell at any price. They're the best of BMW M in my opinion.

Most definitely! I don't have the need for utility/hauling (but when I do I'll take a car from work) so these are the best pair of cars for me. I do miss the E90 M3 though...

Long term, I would love to add an Interlagos E60 and really round out the garage. That would be the holy trinity for me.

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

rockstar93
looking good!!

...i just may find my way back from the darkside to one of these again

I would 100% support that decision haha. Question would be, what spec would you buy that could top your Santorini and would you go 6MT this time?

Also I think it's the right decision to keep the E86 lol

Originally Posted by Rochen_00

How good this OEM+ project looks

Eager to see how your car evolves

Thank you sir!

I don't want to go over the top with this project, but I have this vision in my head of how the car should/could have come from BMW. The overall ethos remains, but certain parts improved or enhanced.

[MJBO]

Mate, really hate that you've posted this, makes me question buying Jerez Black.

Your car looks perfect, and what a fantastic combo with the Fox Red interior.

[W///]

Originally Posted by rockstar93

Most definitely! I don't have the need for utility/hauling (but when I do I'll take a car from work) so these are the best pair of cars for me. I do miss the E90 M3 though...

Long term, I would love to add an Interlagos E60 and really round out the garage. That would be the holy trinity for me.



I would 100% support that decision haha. Question would be, what spec would you buy that could top your Santorini and would you go 6MT this time?

Also I think it's the right decision to keep the E86 lol



Thank you sir!

I don't want to go over the top with this project, but I have this vision in my head of how the car should/could have come from BMW. The overall ethos remains, but certain parts improved or enhanced.

Ha! We very much think alike. There's only 2 cars I'm considering adding/potentially replacing my E36 M3 with, and that's the E60 M5 with 6MT, or next gen M2 with 6MT.

I've been so lucky to drive a V10 with 6MT (my colleague had an Alpine White/Black) and it essentially feels like an E9x M3 cranked up. I've never had an FI car so the M2 intrigues me as well. Guess we'll see!

[Drifter2090]

Congrats man! I got my first M3 from Apex too!

My first M3 I had the 4 pipe and rest stock, this had drone. My 2nd one I had catless test pipes and the 4 pipe, it was much louder but no drone.

[rockstar93]

Been a while since I posted an update - went

Haimus Racing Carbon Plenum
Yeah, it's not the best value for money mod - but I'm a sucker for N/A and induction noise. I'm also a big supporter of Streamline/Haimus, and have been since the early days (this was my 3rd carbon box from them). Looks good, quality product, and about as easy an install as it gets when everything fits like factory. I really do think I need a full intake (elbow + filter) to appreciate this because I'd be lying if I said it met my expectations as is - I just don't hear an appreciable sound change. Perhaps the bottleneck is the factory intake, and if I had a Dinan or something the plenum would be audibly different. I guess I'll have to spend more money and find out lol. Stay tuned.




Square 9.5" 220M + Yoko AD08R
Had a second set of 220s a while, was lazy getting a new set of tires and mounting them. Finally got around to it. I know I'm in the minority but I love the 220Ms. I find they complement the IB and stock look so well, that balance of sporty and classy. They also happen to be great wheels - strong, forged, and relatively light. Fitment is great in the front, rear needed a 15mm spacer which I would have preferred not done but it is what it is. Went with AD08Rs because I get a good deal through work on Yokohamas and wanted the more street friendly nature (wet traction) vs. the A052s.

[swagon]

Looks good but scrub the underside and get some undercoating applied, you don't wanna deal with rust down the road!

[Drifter2090]

Hows the winter driving been?

[rockstar93]

Originally Posted by Drifter2090

Hows the winter driving been?

Haven't winter driven it in the past couple years as work-from-home has really limited my need, plus I had cars available to me through work so it was a last-resort type thing. So it's been in storage since ~October.

But for the years I did drive in through the winter I found it was quite enjoyable. Very well balanced, linear torque curve (and not a ton of it anyway), and a decent set of winter tires made this really easy and fun to drive in snow. Only 'issue' was ground clearance in deep snow, but until you go SUV there really isn't getting around that and I managed - never got stuck.

I will say I felt my previous E90 M3 felt more stable (mostly with rear-end traction) in the snow. That might be the aging winter tires more than the chassis though, as I used the same set of wheels/tires for both cars.

[Drifter2090]

Originally Posted by rockstar93

Haven't winter driven it in the past couple years as work-from-home has really limited my need, plus I had cars available to me through work so it was a last-resort type thing. So it's been in storage since ~October.

But for the years I did drive in through the winter I found it was quite enjoyable. Very well balanced, linear torque curve (and not a ton of it anyway), and a decent set of winter tires made this really easy and fun to drive in snow. Only 'issue' was ground clearance in deep snow, but until you go SUV there really isn't getting around that and I managed - never got stuck.

I will say I felt my previous E90 M3 felt more stable (mostly with rear-end traction) in the snow. That might be the aging winter tires more than the chassis though, as I used the same set of wheels/tires for both cars.

Okay nice that's good to hear. Yeah I've been stuck at home as well but occasionally go into the office some days but I also have other cars to take.

I might just leave mine parked and take it out on good days then. Thanks for the input!

[waski]

My dream specs , Nice