BMW has long offered additional M Performance parts for a variety of new cars. It’s no uncommon to see a BMW M3 or M4, or even a standard 3 Series for that matter, have some added M touches that don’t exist on the standard cars. This is because BMW knows that it has a large enthusiast fan base that like to customize their cars ever so tastefully. And instead of having many of them buy parts that simply aren’t good enough from aftermarket companies that don’t know what they’re doing, BMW allows customers to buy things like aerodynamic parts, wheels and exhausts to improve their BMWs with genuine BMW parts.
There are many aftermarket companies that produce fantastic parts for BMWs, but not all customers know what to buy or where to buy it from, so it makes sense to buy them from BMW. Plus, there’s a lot of BMW fans out there that want to customize their Bimmer, but only a bit and want to keep it looking relatively stock while still being different from the standard car. This is where BMW M Performance parts come in.
For a long time, BMW M Performance parts were largely cosmetic. Sure, they’d have an exhaust upgrade for certain cars and some brake upgrades, but never anything very dramatic. There’d be aerodynamic upgrades, like subtle wings and rear splitters, and interior upgrades, like shift knobs, pedals and steering wheels. But now, BMW finally offers something that enthusiasts have been begging for and first displayed it at the 2015 SEMA auto show — a manually adjustable coilover suspension upgrade for the M2 and M4.
The adjustable M Performance coilover kit comprises of a KW spring kit with a manually adjustable perch that goes over the standard car’s shocks. The purpose for keeping the same shocks is to insure the quality and dependability of the suspension. Along with the springs, the BMW M Performance coilover kit comes with specifically tuned spring rates, bumpstops and other various hardware to maintain reliability. If bought through BMW and installed by a BMW technician, the car will retain is full manufacturer’s warranty. The coilover kit is able to lower the car from anywhere between 5mm and 25mm. The M2 at the SEMA auto show was shown with a 20mm drop.
For the M4, specifically, the coilover kit retains the EDC (Electronic Damper Control) shocks if they are equipped with the car. That was another reason for the coilover kit only including springs, as BMW wanted its customers who chose the EDC shocks to be able to adjust the damping from inside the car as per usual. So you get the stiffer, lower suspension, but the same range of damping as the standard car. With the kit, BMW will also provide recommendations for certain height adjustments for certain circumstances, such as track use or street use.
If you’re someone who’s looking to lower your M4 or M3, BMW’s M Performance adjustable coilover kit might just the best possible option. Most coilover kits cannot retain the same level of quality damping that BMW can provide, so you end up messing up the car’s handling when using them. But with BMW’s kit, the stock dampers remain, which is a good thing, and can still be adjusted for various uses. This seems like the best of both worlds for anyone who wants to upgrade their BMW, as it appeals to the more stock oriented crowd as well as the tuning crowd. With this coilover kit, you get the ability to lower your car as much as you want without compromising on BMW’s famous quality or losing the manufacturer’s warranty. For the tuning crowd, this sounds like a dream come true.
[Photos: Bimmerpost]
