[danniexi]

Originally Posted by IcEWoLF

Any plans on adding the BMW M Performance Carbon Gas Cap Cover?

post #88. got that done back in April. lmao

[danniexi]

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…

[IcEWoLF]

I had the same feelings about the current front lips, none of them look all that great. Your front lip looks awesome!

[mccoj3]

danniexi have you considered wheels spacers in lieu of a full drop? aesthetically should give illusion of less tire gap with the tire sidewall more flush to the fender. build looks incredible great job!!!!

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by mccoj3

danniexi have you considered wheels spacers in lieu of a full drop? aesthetically should give illusion of less tire gap with the tire sidewall more flush to the fender. build looks incredible great job!!!!

thanks for the compliments!

and no. but I HAVE considered getting wheel spacers AS WELL AS lowering springs. i've already put an order in bumpstops but there is no real ETA on when they'll be coming in so I'm gonna have to put the suspension on hold until at lease those arrive.

there's a quite a few other things id like to do for the car but with winter approaching, probably will have to wait until next year.

[freesole]

The build looks amazing - really well done LCI so far. I'm looking for a front lip too and nothing is popping up. May I ask where you got this one?

[mistasleepi]

Front lips good compare to the ******** one has. Where’d you get that lip from?

[cknox14]

Love the Build! any link to the front lip? been searching for one! Love what you got

[Shaun170]

Front lip looks great

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by mistasleepi

Front lips good compare to the ******** one has. Where’d you get that lip from?

Originally Posted by cknox14

Love the Build! any link to the front lip? been searching for one! Love what you got

you can find it on Alibaba. again, it was from a manufacturer from china (guangzhou feishing or something like that) and not from a local source. I believe another brand (AE Design) has this same exact lip, though I can't say whether or not they rebranded this generic design and started shipping it or they designed it themselves and the manufacturer started selling it on the side.

either way, beware because installation fitment was horrible (in my experience at least).

[cliverman]

have you found a good tune for the '22 locked boxes?

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by cliverman

have you found a good tune for the '22 locked boxes?

as of this point, the only way to properly flash tune the vehicle is to do a bench unlock.

unless a company can tune through OBD only (is that even physically possible? I dunno), i'll be staying stock. tbh, i'm not even remotely interested in a tune atm.

[NLYFANSX3M]

ALLLLLLL the carbon fiber! Love it. Great build!!!

[danniexi]

Icedriver CSL Style Yellow LED DRLs

So this has been an adventure.

As the story goes, I attempted to install these back in November, but of course ran into problems. I’m assuming the manufacturer never got a hold of the US-spec LED boards so the lights caused issues/error codes. A few other people have ran into these issues as well. Over the next few months, revised versions were attempted but the problem was never resolved. At one point in February the manufacturer got a hold of the OEM boards and replicated them. I finally received my set back in March. I installed them but received a bad board (one of the amber LEDs were soldered incorrectly). Another two week wait and I finally get a new one and installed them. A few weeks back I’ve got them back on and am happy that they finally work without issue.

A few (bad) pictures here. Overall I’m happy the way they turned out.

[1nityrider]

Originally Posted by danniexi

Icedriver CSL Style Yellow LED DRLs

So this has been an adventure.

As the story goes, I attempted to install these back in November, but of course ran into problems. I’m assuming the manufacturer never got a hold of the US-spec LED boards so the lights caused issues/error codes. A few other people have ran into these issues as well. Over the next few months, revised versions were attempted but the problem was never resolved. At one point in February the manufacturer got a hold of the OEM boards and replicated them. I finally received my set back in March. I installed them but received a bad board (one of the amber LEDs were soldered incorrectly). Another two week wait and I finally get a new one and installed them. A few weeks back I’ve got them back on and am happy that they finally work without issue.

A few (bad) pictures here. Overall I’m happy the way they turned out.

Dang! Those yellow lights look really good on your!!
Did you removed the OEM M-Performance Carbon Fiber Side Air Ducts? If so why?

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by 1nityrider

Dang! Those yellow lights look really good on your!!
Did you removed the OEM M-Performance Carbon Fiber Side Air Ducts? If so why?

Thank you!

And no, I did not remove the cf side inlet ducts. they're visible in the first pic at night but hard to capture during the day time with my iPhone.

[Vettethret]

Originally Posted by danniexi

you can find it on Alibaba. again, it was from a manufacturer from china (guangzhou feishing or something like that) and not from a local source. I believe another brand (AE Design) has this same exact lip, though I can't say whether or not they rebranded this generic design and started shipping it or they designed it themselves and the manufacturer started selling it on the side.

either way, beware because installation fitment was horrible (in my experience at least).

This lip looks similar.

https://performancespeedshop.com/pro...42557946888381

[danniexi]

H&R Sport Springs + Dinan Bumpstops

Got the H&R springs as a gift from my wife but I didn’t have the opportunity to install them until the last week of April. I wanted to wait and see if they would “settle” after a few days-weeks of driving, though I have not noticed any change in terms of ride height. All in all, it’s been a good two months since getting them on and so far I’ve been pleased with the results.

To keep it short, the handling has improved a little bit… nothing mind blowing when it comes to dynamics, but every bit of driving when it comes to turning/stopping feels better and a tiny bit sharper. This IS an SUV so you can’t outrun weight and physics but I’ll take it. I’m sure if you want the best in terms of handling, get KW V3s, but for my use case, these springs will fit me just fine.

If anything, what surprised me the most was how much the ride has improved. I felt the OEM suspension wasn’t uncomfortable, but can get unsettling at specific times. Something with the OEM adaptive shocks that don’t match that well with the OEM spring rate. In comfort mode, the chassis can get bouncy at times (especially in dips) and in Sport and Sport+, the car would crash over bumps more often than not. With the H&R springs, I can feel that the springs/suspension is firmer, yet the ride has become more controllable. Dips don’t toss my kids in the back and bumps are easily more managed with less of that crashing “the strut has exploded” type feeling. Definitely more livable and useable on the street than the OEM setup which is crazy to me, and I always found that the OEM springs were already comfortable enough.


Maybe the Dinan bump stops contributed to the ride as well? I dunno. The bump stops were basically insurance for me. I probably didn’t *need* to use them, but having that extra bit of travel in the strut and not having to ride the OEM bump stops on lowered springs was peace of mind for me and an absolute no brainer. On my older cars, I’ve driven on lowered springs without changing the bump stops and had less than favorable results. Lessen learned and I’m glad these are available for the F97/F98 platform.

I’ve done a poor job showing the differences in terms of ride height, but the changes can easily be seen in person. Both the wife in the passenger seat and my kid in the back say they both feel like they’re sitting lower in the car and noticed the change immediately.


BEFORE:





AFTER:

[Scottie2hottie]

Originally Posted by danniexi

Icedriver CSL Style Yellow LED DRLs

So this has been an adventure.

As the story goes, I attempted to install these back in November, but of course ran into problems. I’m assuming the manufacturer never got a hold of the US-spec LED boards so the lights caused issues/error codes. A few other people have ran into these issues as well. Over the next few months, revised versions were attempted but the problem was never resolved. At one point in February the manufacturer got a hold of the OEM boards and replicated them. I finally received my set back in March. I installed them but received a bad board (one of the amber LEDs were soldered incorrectly). Another two week wait and I finally get a new one and installed them. A few weeks back I’ve got them back on and am happy that they finally work without issue.

A few (bad) pictures here. Overall I’m happy the way they turned out.

Hey, was it hard to install?

[ilikebmws]

Originally Posted by Scottie2hottie

Hey, was it hard to install?

It’s a PITA, I wouldn’t say it’s hard, but it’s time consuming and very annoying.

[Scottie2hottie]

Originally Posted by ilikebmws

It’s a PITA, I wouldn’t say it’s hard, but it’s time consuming and very annoying.

Did you have to remove the front bumper and lights to install?
I’m thinking about doing it myself instead of paying someone.
I usually put all the car parts on my own, I hate paying ppl to make a mess lol

[ilikebmws]

Originally Posted by Scottie2hottie

Did you have to remove the front bumper and lights to install?
I’m thinking about doing it myself instead of paying someone.
I usually put all the car parts on my own, I hate paying ppl to make a mess lol

Nope, we followed this write up. Basically you make just enough room to slide the headlight forwards to access the outer DRLs