Quote:
Originally Posted by MN.BIMMER
So the air duct kit fits better, but the fog light kit doesn't fit as well but looks better?
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I suppose it’s a matter of personal taste. The short answer is “yes”.
The longer answer is that - aside from the height/fitment differences - if you take a look at the contours of the two types you’ll notice subtleties in how the bumper sweeps in from the fenders just beneath the bottom edge of the headlights. The traditional 1M bumper has a harder line, and somewhat forms a “shelf” (for lack of a better word) that carries all the way across. Versus the duct kit that I bought, which blends the smooth curvature from the fender gradually until you get that hard edge beneath the kidney grills. In order to support the more pronounced bottom half of the bumper (1M aero ducts), this means that the kit that I bought also has two points that jut out just a little which gives support to the proportions and aesthetics of those ducts. Basically, it seems that they took a 135 bumper, chopped the bottom off, pasted the bottom of a 1M bumper in its place, and then tweaked the proportions of the ducts until the fitment was the same.
It’s impossible to see this in the ECS product photos, but you can see what I mean in the after images of my car from my last post. Hopefully I explained it well enough. If not I can circle what I’m talking about after I get home from work.
You could split the decision into:
- Fitment/as close to 135 stock as possible is more important to you, you’ll be happy with the kit that I bought.
- True 1M styling is more important and the slight 1” gap between bottom of the bumper and belly pan/wheel well isn’t a big deal, you’re best served by the fog light kit. Dremel off the fog light brackets, and use stock 1M ducts (or leave the fogs).
Both give a similar appearance and “feel,” but the subtle differences are where you’ll likely decide. There’s an argument to be made either way, and there’s really no wrong answer.
