No-Name F97 X3M LCI Carbon Fiber Front Splitter
So my pursuit for a decent looking carbon fiber front lip/splitter has come to an end… for now.
I patiently waited for a company to come out with an LCI compatible CF front lip, but it seems like no company is willing to invest in the platform. I guess it’s understandable, considering these cares aren’t popular at all and the time/money invested wouldn’t be worth it. I know RW Carbon came out with one of their own but I really wasn’t a fan of the look so I decided to wait even further. I scoured the depths of the internet and I finally found one that looks pretty decent, but there was one major caveat… China.
So this piece isn’t really on the market as they are some manufacturer that produces parts (replicas and otherwise) but clearly, no one, whether reseller or not, has attempted to put these on the public market. I saw the pictures, decided to take the plunge, and go at it completely blind of not knowing of the quality, fitment, etc. Welp, they arrived and decided to attempt the install.
Quality? Eh. Not bad. There are some very minor imperfections towards the mounting points so once installed they couldn’t be seen at all. There are also one or two spots where the clear coat could use a redo, but nothing catastrophic. In terms of the weave it is pretty decent, and the design flows well with the body lines of the car.
Fitment? Well that’s a big fail. None of the holes really lined up with the OEM mounting points (8MM or push pin otherwise). The ones that kinda did didn’t fit at all. My buddies and I had no choice but to go completely blind and install using a butt load of 3M VHB tape and self-tapping screws. Once a copious amount of adhesive was used the end result looked pretty decent. I wish there was another way of installed but this method was the only feasible way of getting it mounted, and going back to the manufacturer would’ve been an even bigger pain.
End result? I guess the ends justify the means. Lip looks pretty good all things considered and matches well with the rest of the entire front end with the OEM carbon fiber parts, particularly the grill and the brake/side ducts. There’s nothing else on the market anyway so what choice do I have?
Shots during the night…
Shots during the day…
