Hey guys.
Recently my team and I took the 2400-mile round trip from London to the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Was an epic trip through 5 countries across Europe (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria). We have recorded the trip and will be making a video on it soon.
In the meantime, I wanted to share my experience of taking the G42 M240i on track at the Red Bull Ring.
Some context on the car for those of you not familiar with the build:
Standard Spec
BMW M240i G42 2 Series, Brooklyn Grey, M Adaptive Suspension, M Technology Pack, Cognac Leather Interior and Technology Pack.
Performance- JB4 Tuning Module
- Eventuri Carbon Fibre Intake
- DCE Catless Downpipe
- Milltek Catback (OPF Delete) Exhaust with Cerakote Black Quad Tips
- MSS Height Adjustable Suspension
- WestForged x AUTOID Lightweight Forged Alloy Wheels (10kg per axle)
- Endless ME22 Brake Pads
- ATE Typ 200 Fluid
Visual - TRE Carbon Fibre Interior Kit (Satin)
- TRE Carbon Fibre Seat Backs (Gloss, waiting for satin to be finished)
- Essentials Carbon Fibre Front Splitter
- Essentials Carbon Fibre Side Skirts (not shown)
- TRE Carbon Fibre CS Rear Spoiler
- M Performance Gloss Black M240i Badges
Before you watch the video, let me caveat it by explaining that I am by no means a track monkey. I have done limited track time, other than my time on Gran Turismo…
My brief thoughts on it:
In one word – surprise. I was genuinely surprised by the capabilities of the M240i on track. Yes, the car is not stock, but it’s not a build either. It’s got relatively accessible notable parts like lowering springs, downpipe, a tuning box, and brake pads. Intake, exhaust etc. aside, you could build a similar car for under $1500 in mods. And for that money, it’s a very good package.
The xDrive is a wonderful mix of playfulness and safely net. It pushes into understeer to let you know your near the limit (albeit, something that the steering wheel fails to do very well though with a lack of feel) whilst allowing oversteer on the tighter corners.
The standard PS4s are only good for 2-3 fast laps. I’d recommend changing these for more track-ready tyres if you’re more serious.
The suspension annoyingly was left in Comfort for this video. Something I’ve only realised since getting back. I didn’t mention this in the video but its key because it likely contributed to the additional roll I mentioned in the car. Having the adaptive suspension in Sport would have reduced the roll, I am confident of that.
The brakes, with the new pads and fluid, were MIGHTY. Seriously. I have the M Tecnology Pack on my car (this includes additional oil cooler, larger discs and calipers on the front). This may have contributed to the better performance but I am convinced that the pads and fluid are what made the difference here. The brakes actually got stronger as the laps went on – fade only become a factor around 5-6 laps in. And at the Red Bull Ring, where your slowing down from 140mph to around 50-60mph twice per lap, is very impressive.
The downpipe and exhaust combo has made the car a lot more urgent and rapid. Having had the Milltek Catback on for 2000 miles or so prior to installing the decat downpipe, I can say with a lot of confidence that this has made big difference to the performance. The Cats in these cars seem to be very restrictive as my AFRs have also dropped a little since the change. This may be a common factor with the B58s but I am not all too familiar with the tuning side (I make and sell Styling parts 😊
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With the new M2 just being released, you’d think that all attention would be towards that car, but for now I am very happy with the M240i and consider myself an advocate for the platform.
If you have any questions let me know, otherwise enjoy the video!
Ps. We do sell of the mods I’ve listed above on our store at AUTOID so if you need anything, just shout.
Also, enjoy some photos from the track below:
