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BMW Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News
Published on 11-22-2011 06:07 PM
Congratulations to BimmerBoost member akh23456 and Active Autowerke. Akash's E90 M3 with DCT and the Active Autowerke Stage 2 kit with meth injection set the new quickest boost only 1/4 mile time with a run of 11.2@126. The quickest/fastest overall E9X M3 time was set with nitrous so this is now the quickest run with boost only. Even more incredible is that the record settings runs were done on street tires. 10 second car with drag radials? Certainly a possibility. ...Published on 11-21-2011 07:21 AM
JAWS Motorsport out of Sweden has developed an Alpha-N setup for S85 V10 vehicles like the E60 M5. This means they use the throttle position and RPM to calculated the amount of fuel to inject as opposed to speed density. This change has resulted in a very impressive 484 horsepower to the wheels paired with the JAWS Motorsport intake. The tune coasts $1250 and comes with a handheld flash device to allow basically anyone in the world to download/upload the tune. The intake is $450 and the carbon fiber version pictured is substantially more. Please contact JAWS Motorsport if interested. ...Published on 11-20-2011 06:10 PM
Say what you want about Chris Bangle, there is no denying his impact on the automotive industry. His designs have been controversial and he dragged BMW kicking and screaming into the future but he certainly has had a massive impact. This 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award is given by the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology where a group of automotive design peers chose Bangle as the recipient for 2012. Bangle was with BMW until 2009 and is known most for the E60 5 series and E65 7 series both of which feature the infamous "Bangle Butt." He currently operates his own design studio in Italy. Congratulations to Mr. Bangle for this prestigious design award. ...BMW increases its stake in SGL Carbon SE to 15.1%, intends to focus more on lighter weight materials
Published on 11-19-2011 03:51 PM
BMW has secured an increase of its stake in SGL Carbon SE to 15.16%. This move essentially shows BMW intends to feature more carbon fiber in future models as they seem to be aware of how hefty their vehicles are getting. This also means we can expect to see a lot more CFRP (carbon reinforced plastic) in BMW vehicles but unfortunately this move is mostly geared toward the 'i' brand. BMW and the SGL group already operated a join venture with a company called SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers of which BMW holds a 49% stake and SGL holds 51%. The two partners recently built a state of the art carbon fiber manufacturing facility in Michigan.
...Published on 11-17-2011 07:55 PM
BMW's showing at the 2011 LA Auto Show was frankly pretty disappointing. Right up front was the BMW ActiveE while the new F10 M5 was hidden in the back in a dark, poorly lit corner. What about the new F30 3 series? BMW did not even bother showing it. Instead the focus was all on the BMW 'i' brand with a whole room built around the i3 and i8. There was no X5 or X6 M and BMW was pushing their electric nonsense even over their bread and butter 3 series which was just refreshed. Very disappointing that enthusiast models took a back seat especially when the competition such as Porsche and Mercedes were putting those models at the forefront. ...Published on 11-16-2011 12:30 PM
The first tunes for the N20B20 are trickling out. Kelleners released their tune (no pricing provided) which ups the output from 245 horses to 289. A fairly mild tune as we expect to see much more out of the motor. What we truly wish we had was a dyno as in stock form the motor puts out 233 horsepower to the wheels making Kelleners' crank estimates basically useless. The nice part about the Kelleners' plug in module is that it can be easily installed or removed, no fuss.
...Published on 11-15-2011 07:14 PM
German racing component manufacturer Motorsport 24 is in the middle of reinventing the wheel with their newly developed headers for the S65. After a year of research, the M24 team is confident that they have improved upon the already stellar original BMW design. While these headers are still in the middle of optimization and development, initial testing has shown an increase in power as well as a substantial reduction in exhaust gas temperatures. ...Published on 11-15-2011 11:18 AM
Check out these awesome renderings of the F82 BMW M4. We still can not get used to the idea of an M4 coupe instead of an M3 coupe as it has always been. Especially considering the M3 started as a coupe and not as a sedan. We think the idea is idiotic and BMW is needlessly complicating things but that is BMW for you. The positives to take away are that if the vehicle looks anything like these renderings then sign us up.
...Published on 11-14-2011 06:40 AM
BMWUK has put out a great new video showing off the engine sounds of the new F10 M5. The motor sounds great which makes us wonder why BMW has to go the cheesy fake engine note route when the motor is more than capable of speaking for itself. The S63tu sounds a bit more aggressive than the standard S63 twin turbo V8 that is in the X5/X6 M likely due to its intake, exhaust, and rev limit changes. Check out the video below.
...Published on 11-13-2011 02:20 PM
Here is Vortseiner's quad exhaust for the F10 535i. The exhaust is available in either Stainless Steel construction or Titanium. Obviously Titanium will have different pricing from the Stainless. Dual walled lased etched tips are available in either Stainless or Titanium as well. The exhaust simply bolts in, no cutting or permanent modification required. The exhaust also pairs well with the Vorsteiner VMS rear diffuser which is pictured. The exhaust ships in December.
...Published on 11-12-2011 10:45 AM
The Nurburgring is one of the most famous race circuits in the world due to its history, length, and just how challenging it is. 24 hour races push teams to the very limit. The filmakers for this documentary accompanied the BMW Motorsport team from the first tests to the drive across the finish line detailing all the challenges along the way. As driver Andy Piraulx stated, "If you can conquer the Nürburgring, you can conquer anything." More info and how to order on the facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/24hours.film
...Published on 11-11-2011 10:21 AM
Another congratulations to Renntech who keeps raising the bar! To our knowledge, this is the first 11 second X5 or X6 M in the world. The 114 MPH trap speed is also the fastest we have seen from the platform. What is surprising about that? This was all done with just a Renntech tune. The 5300 pound vehicle hit an astonishing 1.6 60 foot on runflat tires. Renntech will now be taking the X5 M to the next level with an exhaust, intake, downpipes, and modified turbos.
...Published on 11-09-2011 11:49 AM
A lot of times we tend to focus more on acceleration and big power rather than ultimately what M cars are about which is a complete all around package that can also dominate in the twisties. This is a very nice track build by the Automotive Conoisseur Group. Nothing is more beautiful than a car with functional aerodynamics to increase downforce at the track rather than for looks. The vehicle is on Hankook Ventus RS3 which is just the next step from a full blown R compound. Overall, this is just a great build with function and performance in mind. Check out the details and pictures below.
...Published on 11-08-2011 10:16 PM
Insideline captured the next generation M3 sedan testing and suggested that the model may not come to the United States. Why? Due to slow sales of the E90 M3 sedan. The thought of an M3 not coming to the USA though is simply something we can not fathom. Also, getting used to the idea of an M3 that is sedan only is going to take some time. The video clearly shows the motor is a 6 cylinder with a bit of rasp to it. Expect the motor to be turbocharged as well possibly with a tri-turbo setup putting out at least 450 horsepower.
...Published on 11-07-2011 07:01 PM
BMW launched their own performance parts division not too long ago. Why? To make money, why else. But, these are supposed to be performance parts first and foremost. The performance part seems to be lacking as the BMW Performance Exhaust on this E92 M3 did not even gain two horsepower at the wheels. That is not a typo. Neither is the price at $4374 plus tax and installation. The worst horsepower per dollar performance modification in M3 history? Probably.
...Published on 11-07-2011 06:43 AM
We all know M3 turbo kits do not come cheap. Fortunately, Horsepower Freaks has financing solutions that can make turbo dreams a reality. Their financing only applies to installations done in house (at their facility). Their financing will cover up to 50% of the cost including the install and labor, pretty nice. Payments are spread over 12 months and interest is set at 5%. On stages 2.5 and up 18 month financing options are available. Payments start the next month after the car leaves the facility. What are you waiting for? Go get your turbo!
...Published on 11-06-2011 09:01 AM
BMW is honoring 40 years of BMW M with this "special" E92 M3. The car has matte paint which apparently constitutes a special car at BMW these days. M3 GTS wheels BMW had sitting around are included as well as black grills. The interior gets Alcantara touches and an embroidered M logo. You get all of this for $81,060. Yes, $81,060 for some matte silver paint, GTS wheels, embroidered logo, black body pieces, and some Alcantara. That price might sound good if they threw the M3 GTS 4.4 liter engine in there. You can just keep this for yourselves until you give us a real special edition BMW but we are certain you will find 40 people who don't know any better to buy the 40 you intend to make.
...Published on 11-06-2011 06:20 AM
This comes hot on the heels of a manual rear wheel drive 550i running 12.9@112.9. It should shock nobody that the 550xi automatic was able to get a much better 60 foot than the manual rear wheel drive 550i that ran high 12's. This 550xi managed 60 foots in the 1.7X range which is very impressive. The best trap speed was 112.48 so slightly less than MPH than the RWD version which makes sense. The owner estimated the weight of the car with him in it in the 4800 pound range which is not exactly light. Running mid 12's is pretty nice in a luxury sedan on street tires with pump gas.
...Published on 11-05-2011 04:17 PM
This was the best BMW of SEMA as chosen by BimmerBoost. We do not know why this car was not in a booth to get the attention it deserved. It was simply outside the North Hall with nobody really paying any attention to it. Obviously we noticed and just like the Mercedes we picked as best of show this car was chosen due to its looks as well as having the performance to back it up. The bodywork was molded for the most part which just looked great, especially the trunk. The car actually pulled off its yellow paint quite well. We wish we had more details on it and perhaps we will get them at a later date.
...Published on 11-04-2011 07:29 AM
BimmerBoost stopped by the CP-E (Custom Performance Engineering) booth at SEMA 2011. What immediately caught our attention was the N54 twin turbo upgrade prototype they had on display. We asked a lot of questions but did not really get any concrete answers. Basically, this is going to go on their shop car. There will be two different turbo options the smaller of which should bolt in and the larger turbos requiring permanent modification to the engine bay / chassis to make them fit. Do not expect these until Summer next year although they were talking maybe even Spring.
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