[roastbeef]

i didn't lose anything with the doors. it started to get noisey with all the trunk insulation gone. i also removed the sound deadening behind the rear quarter arm rests. there was some of that recycled blankets, and a layer of that wax covered sheet. what i learned is, things like doors and the actual trunk lid- there is no big impact. fixed body items that have sound insulation do increase some road noise.

the crash bars within the doors are two tubes that extend from the lower hinge of the front of the door, that spread towards the latch and lower hook you'll see in the door jamb below the sticker. that is pretty much it. the rest of the door is just there, but you don't want too much material gone, because it will start to rattle. eventually, i'll run carbon doors, but this was me having fun with a drill and a hole puncher toy.

another fun one for the front end is the burger tuning filters that replace the big plastic oem charcoal filters. no downside, and saves a few lb's.

also, i may have missed it, but a light weight battery saves a ton. i have a voltphreaks that weighs 7lbs. the oem battery is about 55lbs. happy hunting!

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

roastbeef

Btw, have you weighed your car? I’m curious to know where it started and where it’s at now.

no, not yet. i did a rough tally the other day of about 275lbs, but i haven't really gotten serious yet. i still have the oem hood/trunk, oem leather seats, front carpet, all speakers, and idrive. i'll have a proper weight figure when she gets corner balanced when my coilovers come back from a rebuild.

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

i didn't lose anything with the doors. it started to get noisey with all the trunk insulation gone. i also removed the sound deadening behind the rear quarter arm rests. there was some of that recycled blankets, and a layer of that wax covered sheet. what i learned is, things like doors and the actual trunk lid- there is no big impact. fixed body items that have sound insulation do increase some road noise.

the crash bars within the doors are two tubes that extend from the lower hinge of the front of the door, that spread towards the latch and lower hook you'll see in the door jamb below the sticker. that is pretty much it. the rest of the door is just there, but you don't want too much material gone, because it will start to rattle. eventually, i'll run carbon doors, but this was me having fun with a drill and a hole puncher toy.

another fun one for the front end is the burger tuning filters that replace the big plastic oem charcoal filters. no downside, and saves a few lb's.

also, i may have missed it, but a light weight battery saves a ton. i have a voltphreaks that weighs 7lbs. the oem battery is about 55lbs. happy hunting!

Up to now my weight loss strategy had been swapping to lighter parts, like Antigravity Battery, Carbon Roof, M4 hubs and spindles, etc. I haven’t actually tried to lighten the parts themselves with Shirmer mods, not that I’m against it where appropriate. So I love what you have done because it works and it’s free too.

My car is a daily driver and I refuse to compromise comfort too much. I want to stay in the OEM “CSL” type theme not make a track car, so removing sound deadening or the BMS cowl swap are off the table. The BMS cowl makes the A/C suck in hot engine air and greatly reduces comfort, the stock cowl seals the A/C intake from the engine bay. Also things like plastic windows are off the table just not livable for a daily.

My car started around 3250-3275lbs. I’ve gotten just over 300lbs off and that’s after adding substantial chassis bracing. Thinking about what you have done tells me there’s still a lot of meat on the bone, so I appreciate your comments a lot. It would be awesome to get this car under 2900lbs and with careful mods like you have done I think it could happen and that’s keeping all the interior panels like I have now, all sound deadening, factory oem audio, etc.

I have considered the carbon door skins but they are hella expensive. And I have considered making my own door skins too. Maybe someday!

[roastbeef]

gotcha, the types of things people are willing to compromise on varies greatly.

i can tell you that there are no downsides to the bms filters. i've been running them for years, and the hvac works just like oem. no weird smells or anything, either.

have you ever had your car on a scale? i think your weight figure is a bit optimistic, but i see you're in a single hump car and have done a lot of work. my car was born pretty heavy, and i have never had it on scales. sub 3k is really hard to do.

i probably only have about five about 6-7 lbs that nobody else has through the use of titanium and speed holes. i actually stumbled upon your thread while combing through parts diagrams on realoem and referencing part numbers. we also both have the cusco brace.

i've been getting [playfully] mocked in the m3 forum for years for tracking on oem suspension and seats, but hunting for ounces. i figure its free and i get to have fun in the garage. my most recent project has been lightening the wiper motor assembly and wiper arms. one of the holes in the wiper arms was crooked and i couldn't accept it, so i have another set in the mail.
next, i'm going to remove the front carpet, sound insulation behind the dash, drill up the dash tube, and check threads for future titanium opportunities.

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

gotcha, the types of things people are willing to compromise on varies greatly.

i can tell you that there are no downsides to the bms filters. i've been running them for years, and the hvac works just like oem. no weird smells or anything, either.

have you ever had your car on a scale? i think your weight figure is a bit optimistic, but i see you're in a single hump car and have done a lot of work. my car was born pretty heavy, and i have never had it on scales. sub 3k is really hard to do.

i probably only have about five about 6-7 lbs that nobody else has through the use of titanium and speed holes. i actually stumbled upon your thread while combing through parts diagrams on realoem and referencing part numbers. we also both have the cusco brace.

i've been getting [playfully] mocked in the m3 forum for years for tracking on oem suspension and seats, but hunting for ounces. i figure its free and i get to have fun in the garage. my most recent project has been lightening the wiper motor assembly and wiper arms. one of the holes in the wiper arms was crooked and i couldn't accept it, so i have another set in the mail.
next, i'm going to remove the front carpet, sound insulation behind the dash, drill up the dash tube, and check threads for future titanium opportunities.

I haven’t weighed my car yet I did grab this from an old YouTube video where a guy weighed his e92 328i exact same spec as my car and he showed his gas at 1/4 tank, but my car had a sunroof stock (now M3 carbon roof swapped) and his car was oem slicktop, so mine should have been like 45lbs heavier stock...



So just to be safe and give extra margin I’ve always figured my car at like 3275lbs stock. I don’t like blowing smoke online and want to be conservative, but I do feel confident in saying it’s under 3000lbs now. It could even be as low as 2950 or less, hard to say until I actually weigh it.

I will definitely be thinking about the drilling and weight loss strategies there. Offhand here’s most what I’ve done that affected the weight in my car:

-53lbs Apex Wheels and Non RunflatTires
-25lbs Exhaust Mods (Catless Headers, Secondary Cats Delete, AA Muffler)
-45lbs Carbon Roof with Sunroof Delete
-17lbs Carbon Hood
-13.5lbs Carbon Trunk
-8lbs Front Bumper Carrier
-12lbs Rear Bumper Carrier
-40lbs Anti Gravity Battery
-60lbs Recaro Pole Position Seats
-40lbs Rear Seat Delete
-4lbs M4 front spindles and hubs

-317.5lbs from stock

Then I added LSD, Oil Cooler, Chassis Bracing and a few other miscellaneous mods for about 35lbs gain.

+35lbs added to stock

So as it sits now Total Weight Loss is ~282.5lbs and the car should be a little under 3000lbs now at most using my conservative 3275lbs starting weight.

[roastbeef]

I'm impressed with how light it is from the factory! I'd say those numbers are accurate.

[Phil325i]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

My car is a road car and not caged so will need to make sure not to affect any crash/impact zones

Wise words...

[Noir]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

i can tell you that there are no downsides to the bms filters. i've been running them for years, and the hvac works just like oem. no weird smells or anything, either.

Ecstatic you mentioned this, as I just ordered a set the other day... My n52 is my occasional car, but it is so effing hot in Texas when summer hits. Also, I love the handle and the pic. d a n k

[JohnDaviz]

Hey there,

i just found this thread this weekend. Thanks to you I spend more money this weekend than on food for the whole month

Can´t wait to install all the parts.

But I have one question though. After you fitted the V Brace I was wondering what the black plastic undertray going to the front is?!



Everything worked out perfectly...



Did you remove the big black stock undertray that covers the whole thing as shown on page 13 and use a different solution now?

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by JohnDaviz

Hey there,

i just found this thread this weekend. Thanks to you I spend more money this weekend than on food for the whole month

Food is not as important as car parts so I commend your decision

Originally Posted by JohnDaviz

But I have one question though. After you fitted the V Brace I was wondering what the black plastic undertray going to the front is?!

There is a smaller black plastic “under tray” piece that covers the bottom of the radiator area. That is shown with the rectangular cut out it comes with and directly in front of the bracket I installed for the brace in this pic below. I didn’t alter or change anything with it:

Originally Posted by JohnDaviz

Did you remove the big black stock undertray that covers the whole thing as shown on page 13 and use a different solution now?

This is a pic of everything back together when I was all done. The large stock plastic under tray is in place right over the top of everything. It does bulge a little over the new bracket but it all fits and this is how I’m running it:

[JohnDaviz]

Interesting. I don´t seem to have that smaller undertray part O_O

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by JohnDaviz

Interesting. I don´t seem to have that smaller undertray part O_O

It’s part number 9:

[Justinm_23]

Where did you get your front lip from I've just done the conversion and I desperately need a new lip

[neilvan]

Originally Posted by JohnDaviz

Interesting. I don´t seem to have that smaller undertray part O_O

Smaller undertray is only for N52 cars; N54 wont have it as the Intercooler is there

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by Justinm_23

Where did you get your front lip from I've just done the conversion and I desperately need a new lip

It’s the ECS tuning Pre LCI Msport carbon lip:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part...792ecs03a~ecs/

[The Nightman]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

Ok a few updates...

I just read the M2 adapted some of the chassis bracing from the F23 convertible along with F80/82 bracing. So using E93 bracing on the E92 seems validated!

“BMW M used a number of different parts specifically meant to increase rigidity. A number of individual components throughout the front of the car were adopted from the F23 as well as F80/F82 and F83:

Front-end struts
Strut brace
Front axle support with additional connection in the side sill area
Stiffening plate
Carrier support struts
Cross member, bottom
Front-end reinforcements of the engine supports by stiffening module made of aluminum in front of the cooling”



I find it interesting to note the M2 uses the chassis plate, the F23 bracing, and also has the chassis supports in front of the radiator. So BMW basically threw every brace they had on that car.

Good find! #3 and #5 are cool. Basically fender braces you'd see on Japanese cars. Too bad our washer fluid reservoir makes retrofitting something impossible

[The Nightman]

Originally Posted by ornicar

Convertible reinforcement bar is another solution. This + Phil bar can make a winner combo (triangulation) don't you think? But you are correct the crash bar seems to ever doing the job.

You, 3 series owners, are lucky to have the fiting point (Nº2) on the longeron. 1 series don't have it except convertibles of course.

Originally Posted by Biginboca

E93 Front Bracing Installed!



There’s positions for the 4 nutserts in the subframe already so the install is quite straightforward:





Everything worked out perfectly...



Im posting the Part Numbers in case anyone is interested. These are all the E93 Front Subframe/Chassis Brace Parts:

Center Subframe Bracket
51617135640

4 x Nutserts to Attach Bracket to Subframe
07147199279

2 x Short (outer) Subframe Bracket Screws
33326768354

2 x Long (inner) Subframe Bracket Screws
07149140997

Diagonal Rod Left
51617135647

Diagonal Rod Right
51617135648

1 x Screw for Affixing Rods to Subframe Bracket
07119905147

I haven’t driven the car yet I just finished up the install will update after some driving.

This is awesome. I looked into these before since the E90 doesn't have any front diagonal bracing but gave up once I realized the E90 is missing the upper and middle mounting brackets.

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by freedomfries

This is awesome. I looked into these before since the E90 doesn't have any front diagonal bracing but gave up once I realized the E90 is missing the upper and middle mounting brackets.

That’s a bummer! On my car it was a pretty straightforward bolt on.

[tetsuo111]

I found the TC Kline / Koni Sports as a very value-oriented setup, with a clear step forward in both ride and handling balance compared with OEM. For a performance / street balanced setup, TCK was remarkable.

The Nitrons are built to a much higher build quality compared with TCKs. Billet parts, low-friction finishes, bespoke fittings, etc. They are another significant step forward in damping performance from TCK on track.

In both cases, the after market dampers bring a more supple ride quality AND more precise damping.

IMO suggest selecting coilovers based upon application and proficiency adjusting the damper rebound and compression settings. Ultimately, ride and handling are massively affected by the adjustments. Higher-priced dampers generally have more adjustment than their less-expensive peers. More adjustments help trim precision, but require more accuracy, experience, and patience in setup. Single adjustable dampers like those available from TCK / Koni sport are a well-balanced performance setup for a street car with occasional track days. The high-priced options from Nitron and Ohlins (TTX not Road and Track) are cool toys but overkill by far on the street.

All in my humble experience....

Originally Posted by Biginboca

I agree and have only heard good things about ohlins. Actually in my mind there’s only 2 coilovers I would upgrade to. Sensibly the ohlins you have for like $2-2.5k because I feel the value and performance are there, and then as a pipe dream the Nitron ones shirmer uses that tetsuo111 has which are like $5k (more or less).

To me any coilovers under the ohlins in price are the “cheap” ones I’m referring to and not worth bothering with. I also am not anxious to do coilovers due to the maintenance requirements. Most of them want rebuilds every 30-50k miles I’d rather replace a strut and move on, and at a higher service interval also. Remember my car is a high miles daily driven so trying to keep the maintenance simple for loading on miles.

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by tetsuo111

I found the TC Kline / Koni Sports as a very value-oriented setup, with a clear step forward in both ride and handling balance compared with OEM. For a performance / street balanced setup, TCK was remarkable.

The Nitrons are built to a much higher build quality compared with TCKs. Billet parts, low-friction finishes, bespoke fittings, etc. They are another significant step forward in damping performance from TCK on track.

In both cases, the after market dampers bring a more supple ride quality AND more precise damping.

IMO suggest selecting coilovers based upon application and proficiency adjusting the damper rebound and compression settings. Ultimately, ride and handling are massively affected by the adjustments. Higher-priced dampers generally have more adjustment than their less-expensive peers. More adjustments help trim precision, but require more accuracy, experience, and patience in setup. Single adjustable dampers like those available from TCK / Koni sport are a well-balanced performance setup for a street car with occasional track days. The high-priced options from Nitron and Ohlins (TTX not Road and Track) are cool toys but overkill by far on the street.

All in my humble experience....

Great input, thanks!

Originally Posted by E91Swagger

Are you planning on upgrading to solid aluminum rear subframe bushings? If so, would love to get some pointers on the install. Nice suspension work btw!

So as fate would have it... decided to do a swaybar(s) swap. Have a set of e92m3 fr/rr swaybars inbound and since I’m dropping the rear subframe anyway for the rear swaybar I’m also doing the Condor Speed Shop UHMW subframe inserts. (This will leave everything in my suspension upgraded and ready for the final step which is coilovers someday, once my BMW Performance dampers give out.)

The condor speed shop inserts are 2 piece and look to be a fairly easy install. I bought a subframe bushing tool off eBay and will take a few pics and comments on the process.

[Noir]

Al,

When completing the roof, did you only need to add the roof bow in lieu of the removal of the sunroof unit? Just making sure the window supports for the front and rear were not necessary. Thanks in advance, friend.

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

What's up dude. I dig the build. There are a few things you can do to reduce weight without compromise. I use titanium hardware in my M3 build, as well as drill/punch holes in key areas.

Drillium!

Back in the day (60s-90s), racing cyclists used to drill out important structural pieces of their bike in an attempt to make their bike lighter. Of course, on a racing bicycle, just about everything is structural so it was super sketchy despite how cool it looked.



Could you imagine if this failed while riding? Cruising down a mountain at 40 mph? Woof. Eventually the organization that runs the Tour de France and other European bike races imposed a 6.8kg min bike weight limit, effectively ending the style. Glad you're bringing it back, @roastbeef! And on not-so critical stuff too.