If you think that there’s no such thing as a car that’s close to perfection when it comes to driveability, style, performance, and being great at the track, then you clearly haven’t seen a BMW M4.
Released in 2014, the BMW 14 is arguably one of the most popular cars today, especially to the track-loving car enthusiasts. Although it’s base model is exceptional by itself, the BMW M4 has its doors open for modification.
This is among the primary reasons why car enthusiasts love the BMW M4. Even with its OEM components, this car is like a laid-back, party-loving college guy who aces every course without even visibly exerting any effort.
The BMW M4 is just too good. Although we have already stressed enough how outstanding this car is at its default state, its presence in the aftermarket scene is huge.
Here are some of the best modifications to get for your BMW M4. We’ve categorized them based on their capability to make the M4 more powerful and how good these mods can improve the M4’s handling.
The BMW M4 is compatible with a lot of aftermarket products, so stick around and check this list out!
Power Mods
We all know that the BMW M4 is already a powerful car. The recent model boasts a 3.0L inline-six twin-turbo engine that’s capable of producing 454hp and 442lb-ft of torque. By itself, the BMW M4 is incredibly potent.
However, as a car enthusiast, we crave to scratch an itch to replace most (if not all) stock components with aftermarket ones. The mods below will add some significant amount of horsepower to your BMW M4.
#1 Intake Systems
Aftermarket intake systems are one of the go-to performance mods for most car enthusiasts. Intake systems are considered to be among the best performance mods for BMW M4 simply because it can increase the car’s horsepower by up to 5hp to 15hp.
It’s not as big compared to the BMW M4’s horsepower capacity, but it’s copious enough to slightly upgrade the car’s performance, even by just a little.
Benefits of Having an Aftermarket Intake System:
- Increased horsepower and torque output
- Better fuel economy
- Sweet intake tone
Not only that, an aftermarket intake system produces a sweet intake tone under the hood. Once you put the pedal to the metal, you’ll hear that sweet audible whistling from the engine bay.
If you’re keen on knowing what intake systems would be perfect for the BMW M4, then check out the Track Series cold-air intake system from aFe Power.
#2 Exhaust Systems
The car component responsible for making the aggressive tone that most modified cars have is the exhaust system. The BMW M4 already has an awesome looking quad-tip exhaust, but if you’re in need for some replacement, there’s a lot of aftermarket intakes available in the market for you to check out.
Exhaust manufacturers have integrated some innovative features that once installed, can make your BMW M4 look and sound better.
Benefits of Having an Aftermarket Exhaust System:
- Increased horsepower and torque output
- Better fuel economy
- Deep, loud, and aggressive exhaust tone
Exhaust systems may be considered as one of the best mods for BMW M4, but they’re also deemed as very expensive, even for seasoned car enthusiasts.
If you seek raw and unadulterated power matched with an aggressive exhaust tone and money is not a big problem for you, then you need to see Capristo Exhausts cat-back exhaust system, made explicitly for the BMW M4.
#3 Single Turbo
What’s better than power? More power! The BMW M4 already has a twin-turbo engine, and it’s producing enough horsepower to make the car exceptional. However, there are some hardcore BMW enthusiasts out there that have tried and tested single turbos on their BMW M4.
And the result? Absolute insanity! With single turbos, you can almost double your current horsepower output, racking up to +800hp in just one aftermarket modification alone.
Benefits of Having a Big Turbo:
- Dramatic increase in horsepower and torque output
- Prestige (very few owns a super fast BMW M4)
- Unique single turbo sound
An SS5 Engine with a single turbo is a special mod that requires special work. And the labor cost is not for the faint of heart too, so if you’re planning to have one, be prepared to break the bank.
#4 Engine Tuning
The last finishing touch to make a BMW M4 more powerful is tuning. We’ve already stressed how powerful the BMW M4 is by itself. The mods above can significantly add surplus horsepower to the car, but tuning one is another story.
Tuning a car means that you’re changing the default system the car is currently using favor of a more performance-centered one. By tuning up your BMW M4’s engine, you’re bound to have a car that responds better across the power range.
Benefits of Tuning Your Hyundai Veloster:
- Better engine response
- Smoother power delivery
- Up to 35% increase in horsepower output
- Up to 15% improvement in fuel economy
- Increased torque output
The essence of tuning up a car’s engine is to make it respond to the specific settings adjusted to your preferences. And also, you can also tune up the other parts of the car like the suspension system, body, exterior, etc.
Handling
A lot of BMW M4 owners have said that this car has great handling. BMW clearly knew what car enthusiasts and racers want in a car, and they’ve mastercrafted the BMW M4 beautifully.
The vehicle’s handling is impeccable; the suspension may have been track-tuned, but it’s not that bad when driven on the road. To accomplish the BMW M4’s full handling capacity, here are some mods you can get.
#1 Coilovers
Suspension systems exist to support the car’s road handling and ride quality simultaneously. These two work against each other, so the two parameters must work well together.
Now, in the case of demanding actions like cornering on a sharp turn, your suspension system might need a little help. Fortunately, coilovers can do that. Coilovers are suspension devices with adjustable compression/rebound settings that can be configured according to your preferences.
Benefits of Having Coilovers:
- Improved handling, especially on sharp turns
- Adjustable systems (damping and height)
- Prestige (a lowered car can earn you respect amongst peers)
Coilovers can be a great tool to have control over your car’s ride height too. It’s considered as BMW M4’s best mods, so if you’re eager to find some quality coilovers for your car, we suggest getting your hands on some Megan Racing Street Series coilover kit.
#2 Lowering Springs
Lowering springs are just like coilovers: it can also lower your car’s ride height, but only under a preset ride height. And also, with lowering springs, you can’t adjust the damping settings since it’s literally just springs attached to your suspension system.
However, lowering springs are a cheaper alternative to coilover kits especially if you’re just eyeing for a BMW M4 that has a lowered stance and a more capable handling.
Benefits of Having Lowering Springs:
- Stiffer ride quality
- Better suspension responsiveness
- Lowered center of gravity (better handling, reduced risk of body roll, etc.)
Since lowering springs are pretty cheap, you might as well spend on some decent amount of money on the highest quality springs available. Megan Racing’s Adjustable lowering springs is a great choice, since most lowerings springs out there can’t be adjusted.
#3 Wheels
Wheels are like shoes: it’s one of the first things people notice when they look at you. One of the best BMW M4 mods, aftermarket wheels add a little bit of spice to your car’s aesthetic appeal and ride quality.
Benefits of Upgrading Your Wheelset:
- Better ride quality
- Enhanced aesthetic appeal
- Impacts other parameters like cornering, acceleration, maneuverability, and etc. (depending on the size)
The size of the stock wheels is 18×9” on the front, and 18×10” on the rear. So if you’re gearing for larger wheels, then we suggest these HRE 20×9.5/20×11 wheels. These wheels look great on a BMW M4, and aside from the style, these larger wheels are great for high-speed performance too.
#4 Brakes
It’s clear that the BMW M4 is meant to be driven fast. It’s decently fast when the car is in ECO mode, but you’ll feel the seats swallow you whole when you put the car on Sport mode.
Something as fast as the BMW M4 will need brakes powerful enough to stop it, especially in high-speed; hence the big brake kits. This aftermarket mod is regarded as one of the best BMW M4 mods simply because it beats the stopping power of the OEM brakes.
Aftermarket big brakes oftentimes have larger discs and grippier brake pads that provide satisfying results once installed on a fast car such as the BMW M4.
Benefits of Big Brake Kits:
- Better stopping power
- Brake longevity
- Aesthetic appeal
When shopping for big brakes, you’ll need to find something that can firmly stop the car, is durable, and is affordable, just like StopTech’s big brake kit.
Cars like the BMW M4 are one of those unicorn cars that are very satisfying to drive and to modify. Since BMW’s are known to be high-maintenance, aftermarket parts tend to be a bit pricier compared to other car’s mods.
However, modding a BMW M4 even if it’s pretty expensive, can actually be very satisfying.