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      11-14-2013, 02:43 PM   #1
Judah
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Most of us here are car guys and girls so naturally, there is an inherent need to modify our vehicles in hopes of adding to it's overall performance. BMW has already stated there are no plans to bring a M version of the i8 to market, so that got me thinking. What would I like to see from the aftermarket performance gurus that might bring the i8 to near M status ?

Here we go :

Fender flares front and rear (to accommodate wider wheels for wider rubber)
Wider wheels (for wider rubber)
Along with the usual aftermarket suspension refinements

Electric motor remapping/management (to bring the 131hp rating up to at least the 168hp rating of the i3). It's the same motor only with a reduced hp rating due to the smaller size battery in the i8. Sure it will drain the i8 battery quicker so safeguards will need to be put in place. Maybe full hp can only be achieved at full throttle acceleration or something.

Remapping/Management of the 3cyl turbo(I know it has a pretty high output as it is but rest assured its not peaked out as thats not the way BMW does things and this has already been stated by BMW).


This is my initial list, feel free to add to it......
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      11-14-2013, 07:05 PM   #2
Carac
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Modifying an i8 for performance kind of defeats the whole point behind buying a i8. So bone-stock for me...unless someone comes up with a tune that improves gas mileage.

Fender flares = more wind resistance

Wider tires = more roll resistance

Performance tune = more fuel usage than necessary

All of which reduce gas mileage. I think it's a pretty good balance of performance and economy from the factory...which is why I'm buying it.

I'm going for the turbine wheels unless the carbon-fiber wheels they haven't't shown yet end up looking better. Options list is supposed to come out along the US reveal at the LA auto show next week. My sales guy has been checking daily for a dealer order guide so I can finalize the spec. Said to expect it around March/April.

I'm sure there are some people that will modify theirs. But it seems kind of wrong with the i8. The body shape, tire size, etc have been wind tested to hell and back to be as slippery as possible through the air. But to each his own. I can't see the aftermarket being that big for it when it appears the first year might see less than 300 cars coming to the US. Of the six closest dealers I talked to, only two had been told to expect a single car, the others had been told not to expect any. It will be a rare sight in either case, regardless of how they're customized.
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      11-15-2013, 01:34 AM   #3
Judah
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Congrats on your potential future purchase. I personally can't wait to see those carbon wheels. Will this vehicle be your daily driver ?


All BMWs are tested out the wazu the same as the i8 but that never stops a car guy/girl from doing their do. I guess it's like you said, "to each his own".

Even if the car lost 20mpg with the mods listed, (which i think would be is excessive) it would still be well ahead of the game given its current performance never mind the additional performance gained from the mods.

People modify there cars and in turn change the rolling resistance, gas mileage, aerodynamics and more all the time, just look around Bimmerpost. There's already a i8 custom wheel thread, another thread with an M grill and a front lip,(photoshopped of course). I've even seen custom wheels on a number of Prius' and they look pretty nice actually. So I wouldn't say to modify an i8 would be wrong. Just reading around Bimmerpost and elsewhere on the internet at a number of people looking to BMW to make an M version is a clue.

The first year may be a rarity due to the number of cars available and aftermarket R&D but after that....
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      11-15-2013, 03:08 AM   #4
ddk632
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I'm with Carac on this one.

I wouldn't change a single thing about the exterior, wheels included. I like the wheels shown on the Protonic Blue i8, and also am looking forward to seeing the CFRP wheels offered by BMW.

I also like the idea of going electric only for errands around town, and increasing the electric motor output without a corresponding increase in battery capacity would effectively render the electric only range useless.

Further, it's important to note that the complexity of this car with a 2 gear electric motor and computer control of both engines and gear shifts will probably require a rocket scientist to tune it. I'm not sure that many tuners will mess with it.

Now, if BMW will release a more powerful battery that weighs the same and is the same size, I would consider something like what you suggested, as that thought has crossed my mind.

The only thing I want to customize is the interior, and the only way I would do that is through BMW Individual. If that won't be possible, I'll leave the car stock save for maybe a tint and IND painted reflectors (both of which my X6M is also overdue for!).
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      11-15-2013, 06:31 AM   #5
Judah
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Interesting....

You most likely wouldn't use full throttle sport mode acceleration for around town errands so you wouldn't notice a difference in range at all.

As far as the complexities of the system, BMW already did the hard work.

The parameters for the 2 speed gearing are pretty much set and are based more on speed than hp. I don't think there will be much of an issue with that. However, I have to give credit to BMW for the initial programming and design. Making it the two work seamlessly together, (as reported by EVO) must have been tough.

Thanx for your input
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      11-15-2013, 10:43 AM   #6
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Not talking about full throttle.

Just saying a more highly tuned electric motor, given the same throttle input and driving the same exact way around town, will likely have less range, unless the tune only adds more power at the top of the rev range and not throughout.

Perhaps you're right and I'm overthinking the complexity, or perhaps the relationship between the engine and electric motor is transparent to the ECU mapping, in which case it won't be a factor in providing an aftermarket tune.

Who knows, maybe we will see some crazy modified i8 at the SEMA show in 2015 or even 2014...

Last edited by ddk632; 11-15-2013 at 11:25 AM..
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