[sparoz]

sparoz presents BBS Ri-Ds

Courtesy of American Express, dort.jp, and Nix transport my BBS Ri-D has arrived after a two and half weeks wait.

The BBS Ri-D was developed by BBS Japan. Rather than using the aluminium 6061 for light weight wheels, it is forged with Duralumin A7000, a super aluminium alloy that is reserved for aviation and military use. The result is a wheel that is stronger and lighter than the original BBS FI.

I was lucky to have made it in this production run as BBS Japan only produces the wheels when they have enough order for a manufacturing run. It also takes five times as long to produce due to its strength.

The fronts are 19x9 ET22, and rears are 19x10 ET25. They are 7.2kg and 7.5kg respectively, ie, a savings of 19.2kg of unsprung weight. This reduction was immediately felt as I put my foot down the accelerator. The car felt like it has lost a substantial amount of weight, and I felt the engine sings up the rev ranges much happier than it was. Braking of the car has also improved, where the car slows down much quicker even with less pressure applied.

One of the expected benefits is a much more comfortable ride. I don't know why but I was expecting a smooth ride where less of the road surface could be felt. However, the reduced weight did not do that. I could easily felt every bump on the road. What had changed was the magnitude of these bumps. I could feel them through the cabin, and through the steering, but the suspension now can much better handle this; the car is now much more settled, and you no longer feel the jars from the imperfection of the road.

I was expecting a loss of grip due to the brand new tyres (although they are PSS). May be it is a combination of the reduced weight and the wider stance, the cars feel much more planted with the used to be nervous 1M backend becoming more predictable. Turn-in is much sharper, and the car feel more stable through corners.

All the above had been sort of expected with a hugh reduction of unsprung weight. However, there was one last thing I definitely wasn't expecting. I have reset my fuel consumption driving back home. This is my usual route that I do everyday. The only difference is that now I have a FMIC which was installed last week, which should mean an increase in fuel consumption due to the denser air.

My average fuel consumption before my ESS tune was 10.3 l/100km. After the ESS tune, it has jumped to 11.7 l/100km. My spirited driving trip on my way back from work was an amazing 9.8 l/100km!

To me, this mod is a no brainer for all the 1Ms and M3s out there. There is no other single mod that can have some many facets of improvements on the performance, dynamics and economy of the car. It certainly doesn't come cheaply, but compare to say and Akrapovic Evolution System, this surely is much better value for your money.

For the people who are interested in obtaining the wheels, BBS Ri-Ds are available from dort.jp, studie, and Fuji Corporation from Japan, a-workx from Germany.

PS - This is my half ass attempt on independent journalism. I do not receive any benefits from any supplier or product mentioned in this and I paid for the product at normal commercial prices. Big thanks to Miki from American Express who organised and followed up with the purchase.