[Jasinedward]

Good Morning!

I've been a Mustang guy for the past few years and had a lot of fun building a 2019 GT premium with a Roush blower. Got it to run a 10.4 at 134. Recently had the opportunity to pick up a C8. I love it, but I don't love how slow it is. Modding is insanely expensive with little reward.

About 10 months ago I picked up a 2022 m850i Xdrive Gran Coupe for my wife. I love it. She finally has a car I don't mind driving...lol. Anyway, I was looking at going back to a Mustang (GT500), but I've recently noticed the M4 Competition Xdrive. Seems to be great performance stock and has the ability to mod. I've seen claims of 9 second quarter miles with a downpipe and tune.

Just looking for some input on the M4 route.... pros and cons..... I figured a BMW forum might be the best place to learn the ins and outs of this model. Any help/input is appreciated!

[M4ord]

Well if you look around the forum you will find plenty of posts that describe the tuning people have done and the results of it. I am not a modifier and currently own the convertible. Previous to that, my last fast car was a 96 C4 Corvette with an LT4 motor. With that narrow window of perspective, I will say that, in my opinion, the daily practicality of the M3 and M4 is what I find the most appealing. It's fast, agile, and with the convertible, the added bonus of sun on your face, wind in your hair, and no interference listening to the exhaust. All of that on top of, I can do almost anything in it minus a home depot run. But hey, I have seen other posts where people put the back seat down in the M3 and haul an amazing amount of stuff.

Wish I could add a perspective on the tuning aspect of it. Reading the same Forums for the last year, I know that a cheap upgrade is a piggyback chip. The second least expensive upgrade is a DME clone for about 1.5K with shipping. The chip adds about 75HP, and DME clones are shocking, with some pushing 800-900HP with downpipes. Crazy numbers, IMO. Lastly, the consensus on the S58 is it's a special motor. No issues with reliability that I have seen or heard.

Good luck with your decision, and maybe others will chime in on the mod side of the equation.

[Jasinedward]

Originally Posted by M4ord

Well if you look around the forum you will find plenty of posts that describe the tuning people have done and the results of it. I am not a modifier and currently own the convertible. Previous to that, my last fast car was a 96 C4 Corvette with an LT4 motor. With that narrow window of perspective, I will say that, in my opinion, the daily practicality of the M3 and M4 is what I find the most appealing. It's fast, agile, and with the convertible, the added bonus of sun on your face, wind in your hair, and no interference listening to the exhaust. All of that on top of, I can do almost anything in it minus a home depot run. But hey, I have seen other posts where people put the back seat down in the M3 and haul an amazing amount of stuff.

Wish I could add a perspective on the tuning aspect of it. Reading the same Forums for the last year, I know that a cheap upgrade is a piggyback chip. The second least expensive upgrade is a DME clone for about 1.5K with shipping. The chip adds about 75HP, and DME clones are shocking, with some pushing 800-900HP with downpipes. Crazy numbers, IMO. Lastly, the consensus on the S58 is it's a special motor. No issues with reliability that I have seen or heard.

Good luck with your decision, and maybe others will chime in on the mod side of the equation.

Awesome info.... really appreciate it. I think the tuning aspect is what I'll have to comprehend the most.... With the Mustang it was easy.... buy tuning device, load tune. I have no problem doing the mechanical work needed to swap an ECU.... I just don't want to have to ship it out and have the car down for an extended period of time.

['Cane]

There’s also a dedicated forum for tuning;
https://g80.bimmerpost.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=888

[M4ord]

Originally Posted by Jasinedward

Awesome info.... really appreciate it. I think the tuning aspect is what I'll have to comprehend the most.... With the Mustang it was easy.... buy tuning device, load tune. I have no problem doing the mechanical work needed to swap an ECU.... I just don't want to have to ship it out and have the car down for an extended period of time.

I understand not wanting downtime. There is a guy on youtube named slowspeed (think he is on these forums also), that documented his ECU swap. All in all, it took about 14 days from shipping it out to having it back in the car. I just say that you give you a perspective.

[Jasinedward]

I'm torn between a ton of power and being able to launch on the street... I think the M4 will be the way to go... Also, thanks for the tuning post link!