From their iconic kidney grilles, to their unmistakeable M-style alloy wheels, BMW is one of the most instantly recognisable auto marques ever manufactured. Their trademark styling isn’t reserved exclusively for their M Performance and BMW-M models, though.
BMW’s distinctive styling touches the entire roster, and is even visible in the wide range aftermarket aerodynamic parts that are manufactured for them. There’s a lot to consider, however, when it comes to sifting through the multitude of spoilers, splitters and other accessories that are on the market. BMW aficionados expect their styling parts to perform as well as they look, compelling aftermarket manufacturers to produce parts that are perfectly aligned with BMW’s reputation for slicing through the air with ease.
Performance Parts That Take BMW Aerodynamics To the Limit
Make no mistake: with a stable of performers ranging from the nimble 375kW G80 to the stump-pulling 500kW i70, BMW owners can ill-afford to invest in aftermarket parts that aren’t guaranteed to perform. Fortunately, the vast majority of aftermarket aero BMW parts available in Australia are designed from the bottom up with improved airflow in mind.
When it comes to choosing the highest quality wind-cheating aftermarket BMW parts, it’s important for owners to understand just how difficult it is to improve on the Bimmer’s factory aerodynamics. Serious BMW aftermarket car parts manufacturers are no strangers to reducing drag and increasing downforce though, that’s how they know to concentrate on areas where improved aerodynamics will yield the best results for:
- Increasing the BMW’s handling. As BMW’s electronically regulated suspension systems already offer millisecond-quick adjustments in ride firmness, premium BMW body parts like front spoilers, rear spoilers and spoiler extensions provide the added downforce needed to maximise suspension performance and handling.
- Increasing vehicle safety. Although BMWs are ranked among the safest and most predictable automobiles in the world, tunnel-tested BMW aftermarket parts and accessories like splitters and diffusers offer an added level of safety and stability by reducing the amount of turbulent air moving under and around the vehicle.
- Increasing the BMW’s fuel efficiency. With a lineup that boasts some of the most powerful production engines ever manufactured, BMWs aren’t particularly fuel efficient. Select BMW aftermarket parts like front lips, skirts and winglets help reduced a major portion of the unwanted drag that weighs heavily on fuel efficiency.
Make no mistake: while BMW can proudly lay claim to some of the most aerodynamic vehicles on the market, especially the low drag 3 and 5 Series sedans, there’s always room to push the envelope further when it comes to improving airflow. And with the right combination of high performance parts, BMW owners have everything they need to push their rides right to the aerodynamic limit.
Model-Specific Parts and Kits That Perform As Good As They Look
While it’s easy to talk about how well aftermarket BMW body parts are be expected to perform, it’s also easy to forget that not all aftermarket parts will improve performance. In fact, some parts are so prone to flexing and deflecting under acceleration that they can actually interfere with the Bimmer’s own factory aerodynamics, resulting in an all round performance drop-off.
Fortunately, aftermarket BMW aero manufacturers like Zero Offset, Sooqoo and ADRO know what it takes to produce parts that perform, and their parts rosters include a wide selection of aero accessories for each of the following models:
- 1 and 2 Series subcompact coupes, gran coupes and sedans;
- 3 and 4 Series compact coupes, gran coupes, sedans and convertibles;
- M2, M3 and M4 high performance coupes and sedans;
- X1, X3 and X5 Sport Activity Vehicles (SAVs); and,
- X2 and X6 Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) coupes.
And companies like Zaero Design and Flow Design do more than just offer individual BMW performance parts and accessories. They’ve designed complete BMW body kits comprised of perfectly matched parts that combine front lip splitter/side skirt configurations with the following components:
- Extended side splitters with extended rear spats;
- Rear bumper extensions with extended rear spats;
- Trimmed rear diffusers with custom exhaust outlets;
- Rear diffusers with rear outlets and rear lip spoiler; and,
- Full front grille/front lip spoilers with rear diffuser extensions.
At the heart of everything, modern BMW auto body parts manufacturers understand that performance isn’t just about looking fast; that factors like high pressure vs. low pressure, atmospheric resistance and Venturi vacuum all have to be weighed against each other. That’s why they invest heavily in wind tunnel testing to achieve the best airflow characteristics from all their parts and kits – which is then backed up by the most durable materials available, guaranteeing the essential strength to match their powerful performance.
Prime Materials Give Aerodynamic Parts the High Strength Advantage
It’s a fact: while high quality aftermarket BMW performance parts are capable of generating massive amounts of downforce, the vertical pressure and horizontal shear on them can be severe. Torsional stresses, engine and road vibration, and even impacts from road-borne debris can cause poorly manufactured parts to become unstable or shatter. This is where the strength of today’s high performance polymers come into play.
Premium performance BMW parts are manufactured from cutting edge polymers and composites. These materials are specially blended and reinforced to resist warping or deflecting under high speeds and extreme pressures, the most common of which are:
- Durable Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). Durable, lightweight ABS is one of the most commonly used polymers in the automotive industry, and is highly regarded for its ability to resist cracking and distorting, while also offering exceptional environmental stability at an acceptable price.
- High strength pre-impregnated carbon fibre. When pre-impregnated with epoxy or phenolic resin, carbon fibre composites are up to five times stronger than steel, and are almost completely free from the air pockets and internal curing defects that can lead to dangerous composite weakness or fatigue.
- UV resistant high density polyethylene (HDPE). HDPE may not have the tensile strength that ABS and carbon fibre composites do, but its resistance to sunlight and UV exposure makes it the perfect choice for the kinds of BMW accessories and parts Aussies know they can trust in some of the harshest environments.
By choosing to produce their BMW aftermarket aerodynamic parts and kits from high strength polymers, aero manufacturers are able to achieve all their drag reduction and increased downforce objectives at once. And as their flexibility and energy absorption levels are general higher than alloys, they also offer an advantage for safely disbursing any kinetic energy that could be transferred in an accident.
The Final Word
At the end of the day, BMWs are as widely recognised for their style as they are for their performance. That’s why when it comes to aftermarket body parts and aero kits, the manufacturers whose parts are most successful at combining both qualities are the ones that BMW owners are going to put at the top of their list.
Premium polymer and composite aftermarket aero BMW parts are the preference for Australian BMW tuners. They’re as distinguished as they are distinctive, making them the aerodynamic improvement that BMW owners don’t want to do without.