Modifying a standard BMW G87 M2 to beat the M2 CS!

It’s been a few months now since the BMW G87 M2 CS was unveiled. There were some criticisms online, but as always, you just know it will be fantastic to drive. The latest generation M2 is already a brilliant platform and BMW has graced it with more power, better suspension, uprated brakes and some aggressive styling cues.

If the previous F87 M2 CS is anything to go by, the M engineers will have done a fantastic job.

However, here’s the sticky bit: BMW wants £86,800 ($99,775).

As a new buy, we don’t actually think that’s too bad when you compare it to the G82 M4 CS that starts from £117,100 ($123,500). Remember, all these prices exclude optional extras.

BUT… then you remember that a used G87 M2 can be had for as little as £45,000 here in the UK or $55,000 in the USA… for a 2-year-old car! That depreciation dramatically widens the gap between a standard M2 and the new CS, which got us thinking: 
“Could you modify a standard used G87 to outperform the new CS and save yourself lots of money?”

Now, we’re aware that the CS will likely hold its money better than a modified used example. F87 M2 CSs are still hovering around their list prices four years later!

A major downside for some is that the M2 CS isn’t available with a manual transmission. So, if that’s a deal breaker for you, you’ll have to give the CS a miss by default.

Interestingly, the £40,000 price difference is enough to give your M2 over 1,000bhp with a built engine and transmission but we’re after something a little more track-focused and usable.

Exterior Styling

With the CS, you get a host of exterior styling upgrades. Most notably, the carbon fibre ducktail bootlid - we’re not sure it works quite as well here as it does on the M4 CSL - but it certainly differentiates it from the standard G87. Other differences include a gloss black CS-specific grille, rubber front splitter (really BMW?), carbon fibre rear diffuser and 827M forged alloy wheels. You also get the carbon roof as standard, which is an optional extra on the standard car.

Unfortunately, the CS doesn’t get yellow DRLs like the rest of the CS & CSL family, which is a bit odd.

In our opinion, all the G87 M2 really needs is a high-quality, well-thought-out carbon exterior package such as the Edition 1 kit by MHC LDN. This kit complements the factory bodylines and fixes some of the slightly odd proportions.

Here are a few different cars with this kit to give you a good idea:

Beyond that, you could opt for MHC’s CS/CSL style front grilles in pre-preg carbon composite instead of the genuine CS’ black plastic.

And, of course, a set of our R44 CSL-yellow daytime running light modules.

Interior

On the inside, the CS gets BMW’s awesome carbon fibre bucket seats with CS lettering. If you can find a used example with carbon buckets, you’re already one step ahead. If not, these seats can be picked up second-hand or there are alternatives available like Tillett’s B10 XLs with M-colour panels.

The CS also benefits from an M Performance flat-bottom alcantara steering wheel - something that can actually be retrofitted to pre-LCI interior models with this kit.

Whilst you’re there, ZF 8-speed models could gain from a set of JQ Werks magnetic paddle shifters to make pulling gears a bit more engaging.

Performance

Power has been bumped up to 523 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque for the CS, which is a sizable increase over the 460-ish bhp and 405 lb-ft of torque you’ll get in an early model. The later cars come with around 480bhp out of the box.

Thankfully, the 3.0-litre inline 6-cylinder S58 engine responds very well to tuning and surpassing the CS’ power output is very easily done. One option is the plug & play RaceChip tuning module if you’re looking to keep things budget-friendly.

Alternatively, we saw 670 bhp and 575 lb-ft of torque from a Stage 1 remap. Crazy power gains for just software.

You can see the results in this video:

Exhaust

BMW has given the CS and upgraded M Performance rear silencer, which may give you a bit of extra noise - but not much. It’s also a bit lighter than the standard system to aid handling.

For a standard model, upgrading to M Performance isn’t really the best bang-for-buck system. We recommend something like a Remus, Scorpion or Valvetronic Designs system. For the price of an M Performance axle-back, you could get yourself a full cat-back system from each of these aftermarket manufacturers.

Or, if you’re Chris Harris or a serious baller, an Akrapovic upgrade is also available.

Suspension

The revised springs and dampers on the CS stiffen things up a bit and, in combination with the 8mm drop in ride height, reduce body roll and ultimately make the CS more capable through the bends.

In the real world, a set of high-quality lowering springs will do the job but we’d also recommend picking up our adjustable geometry pack for the G87 M2 and handing your car over to a geo-specialist. After a lot of testing, we found this combination of components to be the best-value suspension upgrade, allowing you to introduce some negative camber, reduce flex with the solid bushes and better adjustability when it comes to aligning a lowered vehicle.

Of course, you could also go the coilover route - KW V3’s are a great option for fast road/track use - the main aim of a CS model.

Brakes

This is where things get expensive. The G87 M2 CS comes as standard with carbon ceramic brakes. Thank you, BMW, for finally giving the G87 ceramics…

As BMW has never featured carbon ceramic brakes as an optional extra on standard M2 models, you won’t be able to find one with this upgrade. You could retrofit these, which will cost you a lot of money. Or, you could install aftermarket ceramic brakes such as those offered by MMX, which will also cost you a lot of money.

For most people, some uprated steel discs like these ones from EBC + some Pagid RSL29 brake pads and MOTUL RBF 600 brake fluid are perfectly sufficient.

Conclusion

So, which would you do?

With the CS, you get some nice performance and styling upgrades, the collector car status, potentially less depreciation, and the ability to say you have a ‘CS’, if that’s something important to you.

With a modified used example, you get a lower initial cost, the ability to have a manual gearbox, superior performance through aftermarket modifications, and the enjoyment of the modifying process.

Either way you go, you’re bound to have a lot of fun. Which option would you choose or… even better… did you choose?