Project M4: Lockdown Lag

As with just about every aspect of life these days, the M4 project has slowed to the pace of a snail. That is okay, though. This is likely the first time in my life that I have had a project with the parts in-hand and ready to go. It is a different kind of anxious waiting. I am now waiting for shops to open and fit me in as opposed to waiting for parts to arrive with crazy delays from Japan.

That said, I was able to drop the M4 off at Sansossio Auto Couture in Natick, MA last weekend for some work. I am really stoked about the work that is being done to the car by Phil Sansossio and his crew. The car will likely not be done for another week, but I have received a few update/teaser shots of the progress being made.

There were three main jobs that I wanted Phil to address: the brake calipers, the front bumper, and the rear spoiler. If you have followed JDMphasis for any period of time or if you happen to be familiar with any of my previous projects, you know that I can be anal. Attention to detail matters.

The brake calipers. The M4 is fitted with the Brembo carbon ceramic brake option from BMW. I actually like the gold caliper finish... on just about every car color except Austin Yellow. To me, the colors are too similar, but not close enough to match. I have been irked by that since Day 1 of owning the car. Knowing that I wanted to run Mag Blue/Titanium Blue wheels on this car, I knew I would have a difficult time deciding what to do with the color of the calipers. The safe play would have been to color-match them to the body of the car with Austin Yellow. This was a scenario to which I gave some very serious thought. However, I am a fan of calipers that pop against the body color of the vehicle. If the color of the vehicle is on one side of the color wheel, I am likely to choose the color directly opposite it on that wheel.

I suppose I took a risk. I decided to go with 'Glasurit BMW 5002' - the light blue color in the BMW ///M logo. I chose this because I think it will look good against both the Titanium Blue of the Advan GT wheels as well as the Austin Yellow of the car itself. It is a much lighter blue than the blue of the wheels, so not as to look as though there was any sort of attempt to match the two. On top of that, I believe this particular light blue will contrast nicely with the unique shade of yellow that BMW calls Austin Yellow.

I am really looking forward to seeing them mounted.

Some teaser snaps:

The front bumper. Another aspect of this car that has bothered me since I saw my first M4 is something that I believe would go unnoticed to many non-car people. The reflectors on the front bumper. Eyesores as far as I am concerned.

BMW specialists IND Distribution feel the same way that I do about these unsightly reflectors. They sell body-colored inserts. One simply pops the reflector out and pops in the body-colored replacement. These inserts certainly look better than the reflectors, but, in my humble opinion, they are sort of a Band-Aid. I decided that I want to do it right and have the reflectors deleted permanently, leaving no sign that they were ever there to begin with. Phil informed me that most people would not opt to do this. Maybe he is right. And perhaps 95 out of 100 people will look at the front bumper and have no idea there was ever anything different about it. But I will know. I believe the final product will look much cleaner and not distract from the rest of the car. I am actually very excited about this modification.

The spoiler. The final area of the car that I asked Phil to address is the rear spoiler. It actually took me a long time to decide on a spoiler that I liked enough to put on the car. I contemplated a few different ideas and made a decision about which I am actually pretty stoked. I do not have any pictures of the spoiler, so you will have to leave that up to your imagination for now. I will say that it is carbon fiber. One thing that I dislike about carbon fiber parts is that sometimes it can look as if they were an afterthought - as if a box was opened one minute and the part was slapped on the car the next. There has not been one aspect of this project so far that I have not spent a significant amount of time debating before making a decision. The spoiler is no different. So, I asked Phil if he could do some paintwork to the spoiler to avoid it looking like "an afterthought," as I described it to him. We discussed a few options and I believe the end result will be worth the surprise...

Once I retrieve the car from Sansossio Auto Couture within the next week it will be going directly into the care and custody of my buddy Brian at Eastside Motoring to address the interior. 

Stay tuned...

JDMphasis... Innovation over Imitation

Project M4: Plans for Spring/Summer 2020

The M4 is currently in the same state that it was prior to winter. However, we have some plans for the coming weeks, as parts have been waiting in the wings for a few months now. I have gone back and forth with my vision for this car. That is not to suggest that my plans may not change down the metaphorical road, but, as of right now, I am actually quite happy with the appearance of the M4. A few small modifications and enhancements and the exterior of the car will be exactly where I want it. For now...

I have more plans for the interior of the M4 about which I am rather excited. It is safe to say that there will be a bit more carbon fiber adorning the cockpit courtesy of M Performance and IND Distribution.

And a teaser of some of the other parts I received from IND the other day...

I am in the process of figuring out when this work will be completed. Thank you for reading. Stay tuned. In the meantime, stay home. Stay safe.

JDMphasis... Innovation over Imitation

Project M4: Aero

First off, Happy New Year!

I seem to post every few months now when I used to post multiple times a week. I have no good excuses. I apologize for the lack of activity/content.

I have completed a few updates to the M4 since my last post here. I have really enjoyed driving/learning this car and it certainly attracts more attention than the SRT did. I am not quite sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. 

I spent a considerable amount of time researching aero for the M4. Of course, I was leaning towards the Japanese companies because, well, I love Japanese parts. The attention to detail is the biggest draw for me. However, I went a different route when I chose APR Performance for the front and sides. I do not regret that decision. At all. These carbon fiber aero parts are legitimate. Fit and finish is second to none. On top of that, I love the aggressive yet classy look these parts provide. As for the rear diffuser, I went with Kohlenstoff, which, as far as I know, is actually a Japanese aerodynamics company, though it does not sound it. 

Mixing and matching aero parts can be risky. I did not want the front and sides to clash with the rear. I wanted them to complement one and other. In my opinion, the level of aggression is perfect. Not too much, not too little. The ideal amount. On top of that, I confirmed that the carbon fiber weave on these parts matched. I do have a few other plans for the exterior of the M, but the pictures below are of the vehicle in its current form. More changes coming later in 2020...

• APR Performance Carbon Fiber Front Lip
• APR Performance Carbon Fiber Side Rocker Extensions
• Kohlenstoff Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser

Thank you for continuing to follow JDMphasis, though my posts have been few and far between.

The following shots are from a quick photoshoot by Eastside Motoring who installed all of these parts. Big thanks, as always, to my trusted friend Brian. 

JDMphasis... Innovation over Imitation

Project M4: Highs and Lows

A couple weeks ago I loaded my fresh Mag Blue Volk Racing ZE40's in the M and began my trip to Eastside Motoring in Waltham, MA. As the loyal followers of JDMphasis may know, my buddy Brian has worked on all of my cars for the past 10+ years. I trust Brian with the care of the cars, but I also trust his knowledge and I respect his opinions. On top of that, I know he will never take advantage of me when it comes to pricing. He will give me the best price he possibly can and when he cannot match a price, he is upfront and honest about it. I have followed Brian around from shop to shop over the years. He started working at Eastside about 6 months ago. Thus, I made my first trip over there with the M.

I arrived and received the grand tour. I saw everything from BMW's and Mercedes to Porsches, Lotuses, a Rolls, a McLaren, etc. They work on everything. 

My exhaust system had arrived that day, so opening up those boxes was, of course, on the top of my list of things to do.

Remus cat-back with 102MM tips. I was stoked to get this system installed. It works with the OEM valve control and I opted for the 102MM tips (carbon fiber) because I believe the OEM tips are just a bit too small. I feel like these tips fill up the rear bumper cut-outs perfectly.

Tips are fire. (Yes, that is the plate from the SRT. It will be gone soon.)

Brian and I then went over everything that we had planned for the car. The car was set to get the new springs installed. I opted for Swift Sport Spec-R springs because of their stellar reputation, as well as my positive experience with them. I have used them on one of my Z's as well as on the SRT. I have had no complaints. Of course, the wheels and tires were on the list, too, as well as an alignment. Installing the IND painted rear reflector set and tinting the rear taillights were two smaller yet quite noticeable modifications on our list, as well.

I think the taillights came out nice. If they were any darker, I would not like them. I think the completely blacked-out look is a little tacky and makes the project look cheap. I might have preferred them just a bit lighter, but I cannot complain. They look good. You can see the exhaust tips in this shot, as well. I love them.

The stance. The stance is perfect. The car is not slammed, but it is clearly lower than stock. Aggressive, but not ridiculous and undriveable. (The photo below was taken the day the springs were installed. I believe they have settled just a bit more than shown here.)

Of course, the wheels were the biggest part of this phase of modification. I was really excited to see these wheels mounted on this car. Ultimately I decided on this set of 19" Volk Racing ZE40's, in part, because they actually had them in stock in my preferred fitment specifications.

Unfortunately, upon test-fitting the wheels, it was discovered that these wheels would not clear the monstrous carbon ceramic brakes. Apparently there was a misunderstanding when I inquired about these wheels and it was confirmed that I would not have any clearance issues. Needless to say, I was not happy. I reached back out to Vivid and explained the situation. They were able to track down a set of 20" Advan GT rollers for me in the Titanium Blue finish that I had initially inquired about. They are in Japan, but I was told I could get them within 2 weeks (as opposed to the standard 6-8 weeks).

The GT is actually the wheel I had inquired about initially, but, when I was told it would take a few months to get them from Japan, I decided to go with the Volk Racing ZE40's.Perhaps the fitment mishap is a blessing in disguise? The GT's should be arriving this week. I cannot wait...

When the new rollers arrive, I will make a decision on tires and get the M back over to Eastside to get them mounted. Pictures will follow. Stay tuned...

JDMphasis... Innovation over Imitation