Ditching run-flats had the unintended consequence of highlighting the mushiness and float inherent in the stock suspension, and I was never really happy with the bouncy ride at highway speeds. I attempted to rectify that with a set of coilovers, Bilstein PSS9's. All in all, not a bad set - but they slammed the car a little more than I would've liked, and the ride was noticeably harsher than stock. The trade-off was better, more confidence-inspiring handling, and was certainly worth it.
Later in the year I fitted a BMW Performance intake and exhaust. The intake was probably a waste of money (but it looks nice!), but the exhaust was great, providing a visceral growl that, along with the firmer ride and lower stance, was really starting to give the car a brash character that I liked.
As long as I was in Europe, I figured I should have the dealer install the
Alpine Hi-Fi kit, which is a vast improvement over the basically unlistenable base stereo offered on 2010 and early 2011 cars.
That summer I received orders to San Antonio, TX to attend a graduate program, so we drove the car up to Madrid and dropped it off with a shipping company. After arriving in the US, I had to fly to Brunswick, GA to pick up the car from the port and drive it back to our new home in Texas.
I was finally able to have the windows tinted (illegal in Spain), and picked up a few other accessories. By the end of the year, my Dunlops were quite worn and I replaced them with the then-new Michelin Pilot Super Sports, which I found to be an excellent, well-mannered street tire - but ultimately over-hyped as a true performance tire.