[nikhil1423]

Hey guys I've finally decided to pull the trigger on a front lip for my M sport 335xi. The car is lowered on Dinan Springs, and I drive rather spiritedly most of the time. That being said, I don't want to smash the damn thing off within the first week of having it. The car is my daily, and the roads aren't the best around the SF Bay Area.

All that being said, which lips have you all tried? How was the fit? How was the ground clearance? And how much did it cost?

I'm thinking to get a lower cost lip at first to see if I can deal with it and then perhaps upgrading to a nicer one if everything works out.

Feed back is appreciated!

[Dippydo]

The difference between the lower ebay one and the BMW one is near impossible to tell. Save your coins on the lip and go ebay for that. That way when you scrape it, which you will, won't feel as painful. LOL.

[nikhil1423]

Originally Posted by Dippydo

The difference between the lower ebay one and the BMW one is near impossible to tell. Save your coins on the lip and go ebay for that. That way when you scrape it, which you will, won't feel as painful. LOL.

Link?

[twincam23]

here's one from California.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151368121430...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[nikhil1423]

Originally Posted by twincam23

here's one from California.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151368121430...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Thanks!

[martsro]

Originally Posted by nikhil1423

Link?

I just ordered this one from Selma based on how many others ordered from them and said the fitment was great. Here's the link.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181625783335...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Fronzdan]

If anyone has either of those, I'd be interested in a review and pics of the fitment! Thanks.

[nikhil1423]

Originally Posted by martsro

I just ordered this one from Selma based on how many others ordered from them and said the fitment was great. Here's the link.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181625783335...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Pictures?

[martsro]

Originally Posted by nikhil1423

Pictures?

Don't have it yet. Supposed to be delivered by the end of the week.

[martsro]

Here is the main thread with tons of pics and details.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1089224

[Dippydo]

I have the Selma one. It fits perfectly like OEM all the way to the edges and matches the curve. You can seen a picture here.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...dippydo&page=3

[squidlyboy]

well.. i don't know much $$$ is a consideration, but being that you drive so hard/spirited, maybe you should go for as inexpensive as a lip as you can find right now ($99), and let go of the perfect fitment - if the chances are high that you might really tear it up.

Just so you can see how it might get affected. If you end up destroying it, then it won't be as bad as if you paid 2x-3x as much, and at least you'll know.

[nikhil1423]

Originally Posted by squidlyboy

well.. i don't know much $$$ is a consideration, but being that you drive so hard/spirited, maybe you should go for as inexpensive as a lip as you can find right now ($99), and let go of the perfect fitment - if the chances are high that you might really tear it up.

Just so you can see how it might get affected. If you end up destroying it, then it won't be as bad as if you paid 2x-3x as much, and at least you'll know.

I mean, maybe I said too much. I drive hard, but not like a maniac, and I know how to read the road for obvious bumps/potholes/cracks/etc. Regardless though, I'd love to save a few pennies on the lip. Where's this $99 lip?! Cheapest I've seen thus far is the $159 Selma lip.

[squidlyboy]

Originally Posted by nikhil1423

I mean, maybe I said too much. I drive hard, but not like a maniac, and I know how to read the road for obvious bumps/potholes/cracks/etc. Regardless though, I'd love to save a few pennies on the lip. Where's this $99 lip?! Cheapest I've seen thus far is the $159 Selma lip.

Haha.. sorry - i assumed too much you did spell hard in all caps though I tell my wife i drive 'spirited' all the time, and she says, that's a euphemism for wreckless. I tell her no, there's a fine line between 'spirited' driving and 'wreckless' driving. I'm on my 2nd lip BTW - and i can assure you it won't be the last. Not because the way i drive though but because i'm lowered so much

Look at the thread $100 ebay front lip

Just as long as you know that pretty much all these lips don't have perfect fitment. The biggest thing we've noticed is the gaps at the end of the lip, on the cover that goes over the apron. There are pics in that thread. Most people here on these boards are OCD (its a requirement for membership), so they notice. Most everyone else will not notice.

These lips really are good for testing/experimenting on, since its so inexpensive, especially for what you are going to do.. hahah (just kidding)

[nikhil1423]

Originally Posted by squidlyboy

Haha.. sorry - i assumed too much you did spell hard in all caps though I tell my wife i drive 'spirited' all the time, and she says, that's a euphemism for wreckless. I tell her no, there's a fine line between 'spirited' driving and 'wreckless' driving. I'm on my 2nd lip BTW - and i can assure you it won't be the last. Not because the way i drive though but because i'm lowered so much

Look at the thread $100 ebay front lip

Just as long as you know that pretty much all these lips don't have perfect fitment. The biggest thing we've noticed is the gaps at the end of the lip, on the cover that goes over the apron. There are pics in that thread. Most people here on these boards are OCD (its a requirement for membership), so they notice. Most everyone else will not notice.

These lips really are good for testing/experimenting on, since its so inexpensive, especially for what you are going to do.. hahah (just kidding)

Hahaha well put. I'll do the occasional high way and city runs every now and then, and like I said the roads here aren't the best. I'm not lowered all that much, and my buddy has a wide body e46 with a lip about an inch and a half off the ground and hasn't scraped much yet. Then again, he's all show no go and I'm almost the opposite. Hmm.

It seems that the eBay link has been removed, and the next cheapest I can find is the Selma lip for $160.

[Fronzdan]

Thanks for that link...sounds like you guys with the Selma are happy with it. I wish Selma made the rear diffuser too.

[squidlyboy]

Odd... all the $99 lips have all but disappeared, and the best fitted lip closest to OEM is now also the least expensive.

OP, this is a good opportunity for you i think. When i purchased it, it was $175 and made an offer of $150 and he took it. I would offer $100-$125 and see if they bite. You may score a great quality lip and an even better deal

Heck, at that price, i may get a spare today for a couple of years down the road when I anticipate having to do my next replacement ...

[Fronzdan]

From what I have read...the really cheap ones had fitment problems.

Does the Selma come with the mounting hardware?

[squidlyboy]

Yeah, they did have fitment problems, but now, apparently they are not available any longer, or jacked their prices.. because i don't see $99 lips anymore. And now the low-ball price tag ($159.99) belongs to the Taiwan-made Selma lip, which was the best (fitment) of the bunch. Go figure.

Yes, the Selma lip comes with all the mounting hardware. Install is a piece of cake once you get the car up.

EDIT: check that... if you are putting on a lip for the first time, you will also need expanding rivets to attach the lip to the bumper. I already had a previous lip that i was REPLACING, so i just re-used those. But they are cheap, and you can buy a dozen of these for about $10 from any BMW dealership or online.

[Fronzdan]

Did you use ramps? And which ones? I'll rarely use them so don't want to blow a lot of cash on them. But I don't want get it up in them and find out I can't back off without tearing out the lip 😱

[squidlyboy]

I couldn't use any of the commercially available ramps because my car is lowered and the ramp angles on all of them were too steep. Plus, making a simple one out of 2x12's was much cheaper. Cost me like $20 for one long piece of lumber that i cut into smaller pieces.

A 2x12 works well as the 12 is wide enough plank for the entire wheel to fit comfortably on it, and the 2 (actually 1.5 inches high) is low enough for my lip to clear (barely), which is 2.5 inches off the ground. So when the wheel hits each 1.5 inch step, there needs to be enough clearance between the tire and front of the lip (distance from tire to lip is around 14"-17") to clear it.

To be conservative, each step should be 18" apart to insure the front of the lip will clear the next step. HOWEVER... I got cheap and I made each step ~14" apart so that i could make the ramp out of two 2x12x12 (had only tiny slivers of wood left over after cutting out the steps). So...

top-step: 14"
2nd step : 28"
3rd step : 42"
bottom step : 56"

Had I gone with each step being 18" apart, the base step would have been 72" long (6 feet!!) and i would have had to gone to using two pieces of 2x12x16, which is a little more. Plus it would have been a lot heavier to lug around.



Anyways, my procedure is this:

1) Drive up the 4-step ramp till car is high enough to slip the floor jack under the front of the car
2) Center the floor jack so that the contact spot is just before the oil drain pan flap.
3) The 4-step ramp gives me just enough clearance so that i can jack the car up high enough so that i can slip jack stands under both sides of the front of the car, and rest the front of the car on the two jack stands.

$20 of lumber, a saw, a hammer, and some nails

[Fronzdan]

Ok I get the ramp...that'll be easy to make. Since I'd only be doing the lip at this time that's all I'd need, right? Only need to put it on stands if the wheels are coming off (which I Prob will do at some point to put on spacers).