[nordlead]

Hi all, I am a new comer too. I got an AW 523i months ago and thought it was already a perfect car for my purpose, until I accidentally bumped into this forum recently. I knew nothing about mods (actually knew very little about cars except driving it decently) and I always thought I was immune. But the pictures in this forum are poisons. The words and advice in this forum are highly contagious and I couldn't help digging more and more to take my first bit of the apple.

Now the mod bug bites every now and then but the more I read, the more I learned that my car is somewhat marginal for some mods e.g.

- possible loss of torque if the 17" oem were ditched for the 20" aftermarket. Perhaps some forged rims with non-rft could mitigate but some heavier 20" oem that I like would probably be out of question
- possible loss of low end torque if go for quads. Perhaps just the cosmetic tips?

Really exciting and eye opening reading this forum and there's so much I need to learn from you!

Cheers

[RC3]

Welcome. The "mod" the better. AW is perfect for mods.

Can you share your car spec?

[mlai]

What mods? We don't mod cars

We only mod our beloved babies

[nordlead]

Hi RC3, well.... currently my "baby" is still an AW 523i in original factory setting. I was living in content until I saw jxnco's and Lacster's AW F10 weeks ago. Jaw-dropping AW they have. Since then I have been thinking about mods first thing in the morning :-)

After weeks of exploration the ferric grey 20" 356 OEM has become my cup of tea for the looks and budget-wise but I am afraid of the torque issue owing to its weight. So I guess silver F14 or Morr with non-rft would be it (not sure if I can stand the wait though), and I would probably have them accompanied with HR or ACS springs. Guess these can't go wrong particularly on AW as there are so many prior successful cases. Front M-bumper and trunk spoiler would be inevitable... only struggling whether or not to get the rear bumper for future mod on the diffuser. WK tried to convince me on Hamann quads but I am too worried about the loss of low end torque. BTW, I am also trying to stay away from any unnecessary droning given the so-so actual performance of my baby.... hence I will go for fake quad tips perhaps. After all, my currently planned mods are for aesthetic purpose rather than performance. haha. Does anybody know if adding fake tips (to become quad) would boost the drone volume please? And would people tell right away they are fake? Many thanks guys!

mlai, yes you are right. My passion for my once beloved baby was faded after seeing the pictures of your beloved babies. Now I've got a need to rectify the situation!

[RC3]

If you copy Lacster you better have an ultra deep pocket.

You may try Jxnco's stage 1 mod. Morr, black grill, black vinyl wrap window trims, H&R springs, M-tech front, rear spoiler, fake supersprint quad (no performance difference since the right 2 tips are only welded to a muffler looking plate). Should be good enough.

Then you may go for stage 2. M-tech rear bumper, Brembo, 3DDesign quad.

I would also suggest KWV3 coilovers which should be in Jxnco's next stage. Must have for excellent stance and performance.

In short, can't go wrong copying Jxnco for your AW. But you better pay him copyright.

[jxnco]

Originally Posted by RC3

If you copy Lacster you better have an ultra deep pocket.

You may try Jxnco's stage 1 mod. Morr, black grill, black vinyl wrap window trims, H&R springs, M-tech front, rear spoiler, fake supersprint quad (no performance difference since the right 2 tips are only welded to a muffler looking plate). Should be good enough.

Then you may go for stage 2. M-tech rear bumper, Brembo, 3DDesign quad.

I would also suggest KWV3 coilovers which should be in Jxnco's next stage. Must have for excellent stance and performance.

In short, can't go wrong copying Jxnco for your AW. But you better pay him copyright.

nordlead,

Welcome to the forum. RC3 is right. For must haves, I strongly suggest you to change wheels, and black out the chrome parts first. Go for Morr VS8.2. I think they have a gunmetal color. Lacster had the set up a while back. You can search the forum. Looks pretty cool. As for springs, quite happy with H&R moreso for the price. Performance wise, you can consider KWV3 if you have deep pockets.

After that, you can consider the m-sport kit. I went front bumper only but eventually decided to get the rear bumper to match. I would get the set if I were you. It would save you dough. Of course you do this together with the trunk spoiler.

As for the exhaust, if you go for fake quads, you won't have problems during summer but when it's winter, people will see you don't have smoke coming out of your fake tips. So I would suggest you to go for a quad set up. i suggest 3D. No droning and almost no loss in low end torque. Very pricey though. About 50% more than supersprint but I'm very happy with the performance.

Have fun with your mods! We all enjoyed doing ours. And you don't have to do everything at once. There are new stuff coming every now and then and you might regret if something better comes along.

If we organize another meet, would be good if you can come and check out our cars in person.

[nordlead]

Originally Posted by RC3

If you copy Lacster you better have an ultra deep pocket.

You may try Jxnco's stage 1 mod. Morr, black grill, black vinyl wrap window trims, H&R springs, M-tech front, rear spoiler, fake supersprint quad (no performance difference since the right 2 tips are only welded to a muffler looking plate). Should be good enough.

Then you may go for stage 2. M-tech rear bumper, Brembo, 3DDesign quad.

I would also suggest KWV3 coilovers which should be in Jxnco's next stage. Must have for excellent stance and performance.

In short, can't go wrong copying Jxnco for your AW. But you better pay him copyright.

Well yes..... it's like heaven looking at Lacster's mods but I won't attempt to copy, particularly with my humble 523 plus shallow pocket. jxnco's is also my dream combo. I've been paying attention to his mod history and hopefully he'll waive me the license fee in case I copy. Initially I think your suggestion on my stage 1 mods is close to perfect for my case, except a full M kit would save me some bucks as now I think stage 2 would be inevitable for me anyway :-P. Would you know where I can get those fake supersprint quad please? I had been searching for a while but in vain.

Originally Posted by jxnco

nordlead,

Welcome to the forum. RC3 is right. For must haves, I strongly suggest you to change wheels, and black out the chrome parts first. Go for Morr VS8.2. I think they have a gunmetal color. Lacster had the set up a while back. You can search the forum. Looks pretty cool. As for springs, quite happy with H&R moreso for the price. Performance wise, you can consider KWV3 if you have deep pockets.

After that, you can consider the m-sport kit. I went front bumper only but eventually decided to get the rear bumper to match. I would get the set if I were you. It would save you dough. Of course you do this together with the trunk spoiler.

As for the exhaust, if you go for fake quads, you won't have problems during summer but when it's winter, people will see you don't have smoke coming out of your fake tips. So I would suggest you to go for a quad set up. i suggest 3D. No droning and almost no loss in low end torque. Very pricey though. About 50% more than supersprint but I'm very happy with the performance.

Have fun with your mods! We all enjoyed doing ours. And you don't have to do everything at once. There are new stuff coming every now and then and you might regret if something better comes along.

If we organize another meet, would be good if you can come and check out our cars in person.

oh my hero. VS8.2 is now at my top of the list. I wouldn't opt for gun metal though for this model as I think yours is a perfect blend between elegance and aggressiveness on AW. Not sure if the brushed and cleared worths an extra buck though. HR springs are my target too as I remember you've mentioned this combo is close to the default factory comfort level which I wanted (for now) and it would also render a decent drop. Btw, would there be a warranty issue if the springs are changed pls?

Haha... yeah! No smoke from the fake tips in cold days! Why didn't I figure it out? Perhaps I have to live with it though owing to my limited budget. Again would you know where to get those decent fake ones? Really good to know the 3D's not droning. Available at Z right? Appreciate much if you could PM me the price of both!

I guess the fun part to mod is to do it step by step in a calculated and planned manner, but like any other poison I think I would be tempted to do everything at once. A vendor just called and told me certain parts are readily available so I could save months of wait. OMG!

[AC_S5]

Originally Posted by nordlead

Hi all, I am a new comer too. I got an AW 523i months ago and thought it was already a perfect car for my purpose, until I accidentally bumped into this forum recently.

Originally Posted by RC3

Welcome. The "mod" the better. AW is perfect for mods.

Can you share your car spec?

Originally Posted by mlai

What mods? We don't mod cars

We only mod our beloved babies

I consider myself immune already as only mods I ever do is wheels and springs. Those are not mods IMO, they should be standard equipment.

[nordlead]

Originally Posted by AC_S5

I consider myself immune already as only mods I ever do is wheels and springs. Those are not mods IMO, they should be standard equipment.

I wish I could resist temptation too and just do wheels and springs. Too bad I've already rocked the boat and likely I can't just stop there.

The first action item of my mod project was done today, after reading the advices above from RC3 and jxnco. Deposit paid for the brushed and cleared 8.2 Can't wait!

Glad to be in the Morr family. Thanks guys!