[MAC'S M3]

So I bought a 2011 Alpine White 535xdrive. Before that I had a 2008 550 Msport that I totaled from a stupid mistake. My 550 was a beast of a car but living in New York the weather and the snow the 550 was no bueno. So after my stupid mistake and totaling the car, I decided to try the xdrive. Oh and due to career change I thought I'd better take it easy and get the 6 cylinder instead of another v8. I want to add that I am in no means one of those number crunching mod performance guys.(But im learning so bare with me) I'd be lucky if I could change my own oil without breaking something. I just like to mod my cars for the fun of it. So..

So my new toy and project became the 535x. It's got the black interior(Dakota I think it's called). I think it's a base model because it doesn't really have all the bells and whistles my 550 had. The car took some getting used to because it felt a little bigger then my 550. Of course the drive took some getting used to coming from a v8. I must say its a beast in the snow. This year NYC got hit real hard with alot of snow but with my new toy I had no problems at all.

Ok enough of that snow nonsense and onto the build.
So two days after i picked it up i took it to get rid of that fish bowl look and got some tints. With my experience in NYC the powers that be dont appreciate dark tint, and im sure over my years living in NYC ive probably paid half of one of those officers salary in tickets but.. i like my privacy and so i figured if im going to get a tint ticket for light tints i might aswell get a ticket for dark tint. Soo i went limo all around and 35% in my windshield. Oh it looked so sexy.

About a month after I wanted to do some changes. I get bored of things quick. So I wanted to start off with the exterior. I ordered Msport front and Msport side skirts. I ordered these parts from Trinity Autosports. Firment wasnt that great and im still working with my body shop to get the fitment perfect lucky he's a friend of mine so I just have to find the time to get to him, im still deciding on what to do with the rear. Like mostly everyone does they went with m5 rear bumper and quad exhaust. I'm still iffy on what I want to do because I actually like the stock bumper and my single outlet on each side. So still deciding.

After getting those installed 2months later mod bug started once again. I decided on some performance mods. So I decided lets have some fun. I orded JB4 Tune and BMS intake from Burgermotorsports. Then I figured why not and I ordered Evolution Racework Downpipe.

I did some research on the JB4 and tried to get people's opinions on it and to me seemed like everyone had different opinions. Some spoke good some spoke bad. Some crunched numbers and argued about this and that. Honestly for me I think the tune is awesome as stated earlier I'm no mod crunching performance guy but in my opinion this thing definitely changes the feel of the car. It's definitely sharper feeling to it and I feel like the turbo lag is minimized substantially. I dunno I'm no race car driver just a guy who likes to mod his toys so I'm not going to get all technical. All I know is the car definitely has a little more pep. Kinda even feels faster then my 550. Pretty sure it is.

Ok so the intake. Oh man gotta love the sound that intakes make. Wish it was more of a cold air intake but I guess it works. So I'm not sure if its the intake that's making my turbo whistle louder or the downpipe. All I know is that every time I have the opportunity to get on it, I lower my radio just to hear the sound of the turbo spool.

The downpipe. Not exactly sure what it does but it was a expensive mod and I knew it was available for my car. Again I'm no performance Guru. So if anyone wants to chime in and enlighten me that would be great. I did a little research to get an idea but....

So the car itself seems funner to drive. I'm looking forward to the summer to really enjoy it. Mods to come are to lowering it a little and of course new wheels.
And still trying to figure out which lowering setup to go with. I'd much rather go with coilovers and then again them airbag setups I've been seeing are looking good but a little to low for me. It's just so difficult find suspension setups for xdrive. Anyone have suggestions let me know. Front lip aswell in the near future to come.

I just wanted to do a little write up on my project for opinions and suggestions and just so people can see my little project. I really could do without the flames and all that childish nonsense so if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all.

I'm gonna work on gettting some real pics done. Anyone in NYC available? Sorry for the long write up just bored and shootin the shyt. I mean we look at forums to read so....

[sanyomats]

Congrats! I picked up something similar a few months back as well....waiting to install 3d front lip and saving up for DP & JB 4....

[Black5]

I feel you man. I just picked up 535xdrive this pass monday and I can't stop thinking of all the mods to do. I had my tint installed yesterday. I went 50% up front and 20% back&rear. Next will be the wheels. Not sure what yet but this mod thing you speak of is a sickness lol

[Super6]

Hey is anyone tired of this floating boat ride?? Or is it just me? I want to try the JB4, but the car can't handle the stock power it has now, the body roll is almost scary.

I ordered H&R lowering springs, and a M5 front sway bar, I will have it installed when I get back in town in a few weeks. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Bobby_Drake]

Nice grill accents. Are you on stock springs or drop?

[MAC'S M3]

On stock wheels 19's. bobby. Looking for coils or springs soon. May go the H&R route but not sure the drop is going to be significant. Was also considering KW adjustable springs but not sure if there's issues. Need to do some research.

And again super, yes, the body roll on this heavy car is bad. Let us know how that m5 Sway bar helps out with that, because I'd like to do this mod aswell. I'm hoping wit the drop it will help a little.

Good luck on your new purchase Black. Let the modding begin

Loving this JB4 Tune
And the sweet sound if my turbo spool. I'm finding that I'm not even playing my radio as loud, just so I can hear my car whistling at me.

[MAC'S M3]

Originally Posted by Super6

Hey is anyone tired of this floating boat ride?? Or is it just me? I want to try the JB4, but the car can't handle the stock power it has now, the body roll is almost scary.

I ordered H&R lowering springs, and a M5 front sway bar, I will have it installed when I get back in town in a few weeks. I'll let you know how it goes.

Have you done these suspension mods yet? The body roll on this car is driving me crazy. Just came home from a car meet, on the highway with 4 m3's having fun I was able to keep up but the body roll ugh. This week new wheels go on. I'm going to look into these mods. It's so hard to find the right coilovers for the xdrive. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Super6]

Not yet I am still out of town for a few more weeks. But I know how you feel, in a straight line its a decent ride, but as soon as the curve or high speed lane change comes up, you have some decisions to make lol.

[Super6]

Ok, I just got back in town yesterday. I dropped the car off this morning, to get the H&R lowering springs, and M5 front sway bar installed. Hopefully everything goes well, and I will have pictures and review this evening. I have had enough of the boat.

[Super6]

OK, so I just picked the car up. My initial drive is not quite wow, but a big difference. Less float, there is still a small amount of body roll in cornering but its just progressive to a point then just locks and sticks......to me thats whole lot better than praying it sticks lol. The only thing is its looks great far away, but up close I can't help but feel like the wheels can be pushed out more. I am thinking maybe some spacers. What do you guys think??

[martin mustang]

Super 6, Is your front bumper an M5 style one with fog lights?

[Super6]

Originally Posted by martin mustang

Super 6, Is your front bumper an M5 style one with fog lights?

Yes, it is.