BMW M2 (G87) Upgrades: Carbon Fiber, Exhaust and Intake

The BMW M2 G87 is the smallest car in the current M range and, for a lot of people, the one they would actually buy. Short wheelbase, rear-wheel drive only, and the same S58 twin-turbo straight-six that sits in the M3 and M4. A small car with a big engine is an old recipe, and it still works.

This post covers the upgrades we get asked about most for the G87: carbon fiber body parts, exhaust and intake. We have also written down the order we would fit them in, because the order matters more than most owners expect.

What makes the G87 different

Most performance cars get bigger and heavier with each generation. The M2 went the other way. It has a compact body, a short wheelbase and a low centre of gravity, and it is one of the few M cars you can still order with a manual gearbox. It is rear-wheel drive only, with direct steering and no all-wheel-drive safety net, and that is most of the appeal.

Under the bonnet is the same S58 as the M3 and M4: a 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six. BMW tunes it a little softer in the M2, but the character is identical. Torque across a wide band, and a hard, metallic six-cylinder note that tightens as the revs climb. The best M2 upgrades do not try to turn the engine into something else. They let more of what is already there through.

The bodywork helps too. The G87 has squared-off, flat surfaces and sharp creases, and carbon fiber weave reads clearly on that kind of panel without looking busy.

Carbon fiber: weight and stance

The M2 already looks aggressive from the factory. Carbon fiber parts push the stance further and take some weight off at the same time. The usual pieces are a front lip or splitter, mirror caps, a ducktail boot spoiler, a rear diffuser and side skirts. Good ones are made to the factory mounting points and go on in place of the original parts, without cutting or forcing anything.

Carbon is stiff for its weight, so a part can be light and still rigid, and a light splitter on the nose is the kind of change you notice on turn-in. The carbon parts we import are prepreg dry carbon fiber, which means the resin content is set when the fabric is made rather than applied by hand, so the finish and the fit are more consistent than on wet-lay parts.

Exhaust: letting the six-cylinder through

If you want to hear the S58 properly, the exhaust is where it happens. The factory system is built to keep both sound and flow in check. A catback replaces everything from the catalytic converter back and changes the tone and the volume. A downpipe replaces the section right after the turbos and lets exhaust gas leave the engine with less restriction. A downpipe does its best work with a matching software calibration, so plan for that before you order one.

Titanium systems are lighter than stainless steel and tend to have a brighter, more metallic tone. If you have neighbours to think about but still want the full voice on a track day, a valved exhaust gives you two settings: quiet on start-up and on the way to work, open when you want it, switched at the push of a button.

Intake: feeding two turbos

A twin-turbo engine works better on cool, clean air. A performance intake kit removes the restriction of the factory airbox for more flow, and a sealed carbon airbox keeps the filter away from engine bay heat so the intake temperature does not climb as much when you sit in traffic. That effect is called heat soak.

Where you feel it is throttle response and how the turbos come in. Many intakes also bring the induction noise and the blow-off sounds further forward, which plenty of owners like as much as the response itself.

The order we would fit them

You do not need to do it all in one go. Spreading the work out spreads the cost, and you get to feel each change on its own. This is the order we would go in:

• Catback first, valved if the budget allows. It is the biggest single change in how the car feels, and you hear it every time you start the engine.
• Intake second. A performance intake or sealed carbon airbox for throttle response and a bit more induction noise.
• Downpipe third, with a tune. This is the flow step, and it pays off most when the software is done at the same time.
• Carbon last. Front lip, mirror caps, ducktail, diffuser and side skirts, ideally all at once so the weave and finish match across the car.

When every carbon part on the car has the same weave and the same finish, the result looks factory rather than bolted on. Mixing parts from different sources is where a lot of builds go wrong.

Parts for the M2 G87 at BYC

BYC Performance stocks prepreg dry carbon fiber body parts, catback and downpipe exhaust systems and intake kits for the M2 G87. The parts come from specialist manufacturers around the world and carry a 24-month BYC warranty. Shipping is free within Türkiye and worldwide via partner couriers, delivered duty paid, so customs and duties are covered.

Browse the catalog, message us on WhatsApp for fitment and delivery questions, or have a look at customer cars on Instagram at @bycperformance.