[R44 Performance]

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Welcome to the R44 Performance x Tom Wrigley Performance BMW G87 M2 build - quite possibly the most modified G87 M2 in the world.

This is a project we’ve been working on throughout 2024 with the aim of building a competitive drag car capable of a 7-second quarter mile whilst still being usable for meets and events. The car acts as a catalog to show what can be built with parts from our online store.





As you’re reading this, the M2 is on a shipping container, heading to the East Coast to attend its first state-side event: the PRI show in December. It was a huge push to get it finished in time - especially amongst the Black Friday Sale craziness.

LATEST EPISODE:

WATCH THE FULL BUILD: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...2BfvTuCtbaZr00

HEADLINE FEATURES

• OEM BMW xDrive conversion
• Capable of well over 1400 wheel-horsepower
• 1:1 power-to-weight ratio goal
• Industry-leading products throughout
• Fully built engine
• Stage 3 built transmission
• Precision 8385 single turbo
• Nascar-inspired livery
• Various safety precautions such as full spec roll cage, parachute, fire suppression & more

Since posting the complete car on social media, everyone has been asking for dyno figures and quarter-mile times. Many of you are very invested in the build series & we really appreciate all the love. We will document this in 2025 as the truth is, all the mapping isn’t complete yet. Due to the very tight deadline, the G87 will be fully dialled in over in the US. We need plenty of time to do data logs and revise the tune before going full-send. Luckily for you, that process will be documented and you’ll get to see the tuning process in early 2025.

To give you a bit of an insight, the built engine by Tom Wrigley Performance is capable of up to 2,000 BHP, and the Precision 8385 Next Gen Sportsman single turbo gives us plenty of available boost. The upgraded Radium Engineering fuel system with Injector Dynamics 2,640cc injectors is capable of delivering the fuel needed to achieve our goal. All the foundations are there - the car is currently on a base tune of around 700 whp as the turbo wouldn’t do much less…

THE BUILD

Up to this point, we’re probably around $250,000 into this M2. Virtually everything has been thought about and specified to ensure longevity and performance - and just to look amazing! Apart from some suspension components and a couple of body panels, pretty much everything has been changed or upgraded.



ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN

xDrive Conversion

The first upgrade we made to the drivetrain was a full OEM xDrive conversion using G80 M3 running gear and brand-new xDrive-specific OEM front suspension components. This required a new gearbox (as the xDrive has a different drive flange design), a new wiring loom and many hours of coding to maintain the OEM switchable functionality. The G87 did retain its original mechatronics unit which is happily working with the new transmission.

You can watch our G87 M2 xDrive vs Rear Wheel Drive track test here:

Built Engine

With the xDrive working perfectly, we moved on to building the engine. Despite the S58 being very strong out of the factory, the stock internals wouldn’t have handled more than triple the horsepower.

Crucially, we will be keeping our motor at 3 litres of displacement and aiming for an 8,500+ rpm redline.



Tom Wrigley Performance has built quite a few big power S58s so we were confident in their expertise. As for hardware, we used a range of components from 5150 AutoSport, GSC Power Division and ARP for the studs. New pistons, rods, bearings, cylinder sleeves & O-rings, camshafts, valves, valve springs, valve stem seals, main & head studs, and gaskets.

Built Transmission

As we found with our single-turbo G81 M3 Touring, the ZF 8HP76 transmission becomes a weak point when you approach 1000 Nm torque. At over 1400 whp, a fully built gearbox was essential. We went to DEKA Clutches for their Stage 3 transmission upgrade which has a torque rating of 1800 Nm and features billet steel hubs. The software was taken care of by Tom Wrigley Performance and Mike Ball - the gearbox feels surprisingly smooth and seamless.

Single Turbo Conversion

The M2 is running a Precision 8385 Next Gen Sportsman turbo in combination with the R44 x TWP single turbo kit (compatible with BOTH left and right-hand drive vehicles) fabricated by Overkill Performance.



This turbo is… well… massive, to be honest. Lots of people have told us it’s a bit too big and we’ll struggle with turbo lag. However, Tom has really dialled in the tuning with this turbo setup on his G80 M3 development car and we know it delivers amazing results.

In addition to the manifold and turbo. We are running Turbo smart waste gates and funk motorsport heat management.

CSF Cooling Package

As we just mentioned, wiith lots of power comes lots of heat. Managing heat is not only essential for performance but also reliability. CSF uses aluminium which is far superior to the OEM plastic radiators + CSF supplies rock guards where appropriate. The front bumper of the G87 M2 is very open leaving the cooling system exposed to debris and only one rock away from disaster.




The G87’s cooling setup consists of the CSF front mount heat exchanger, engine oil cooler, transmission cooler and charge cooler inlet manifold. Ravi, the owner of CSF, even got the manifold coated in Miami Blue along with the Precision turbo to match the livery.

Radium Engineering Fuel System

With the Precision turbo supplying all the air, we now needed the fuel delivery to match. The OEM fuel pumps are only capable of around 800-1,000 horsepower. You can push them a bit further by upgrading the motors within them - something we do on customer 1,000 horsepower builds.



With the power we’re looking at, an upgrade was essential as we didn’t want any limitations from the fuel supply. Lots of drag cars, such as Tom Wrigley’s G80 M3, will delete the fuel tank to save weight and just use a small external tank & swirl pot. As we want this car to still be useable on the road, we’re retaining the OEM tank which feeds the Radium Engineering swirl pot using the OEM fuel pump.



From the swirl pot, we’re running 3 additional fuel pumps. 1 will be run off the ignition and the other 2 will be run off the Motiv for extra fuel pressure when needed (typically over 50% throttle). The fuel then runs out through a filter to the Radium Engineering regulator where we’ll also run an ethanol sensor to determine our current mix. Radium also supplied us with some larger diameter fuel lines to optimize flow.

As for the fuel injection, we’re using the port injection with uprated Injector Dynamics 2,640cc injectors.

EXTERIOR

With R44 Performance being an industry leader in BMW styling, you won’t be surprised to find some carbon fibre upgrades to the exterior. The M2 is running the MHC LDN Edition 1 carbon kit including the front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser. This was the first G87 M2 carbon kit to the market and it has inspired many copies throughout its life cycle. Something special about this car’s specific kit is the herringbone join in the centre which allows the weaves on each side to have matching directions, meeting in the middle. It’s subtle, but it makes a difference to us.



The car also features the MHC LDN carbon fibre front bumper insert which replaces the gloss black centre section. To tie the front together, we're also running MHC's carbon fibre front ducts and mirror covers.



You may also notice the aggressive, but functional, Project Gamma carbon fibre headlight intake. This gives the Precision turbo sitting behind an infinite supply of cool air as the M2 launches down the strip.




Beyond that, we installed an aggressive Alpha N carbon fibre hood in combination with Alpha N’s carbon fibre louvred front fenders which make this M2 look far more aggressive than most you’ll see on the road.

WHEELS



For the initial release, the G87 is sitting on a set of Vossen LC3-02 forged alloy wheels in Dark Smoke. Whilst these wheels look stunning, they’re not entirely suited to the drag strip. We have purchased a set of smaller 18” Vossen GEN-05 3-piece wheels to allow for a higher-profile drag tire.

WRAP & LIVERY

Since we first took delivery, the G87 has been wrapped in Inozetek Papaya Orange and we still love the look. However, we had to change things up with a unique livery that displayed various brand sponsors and made the car instantly recognizable.



The other colors featured:

Miami Blue

A beautiful Porsche color - Miami Blue matches the car’s Precision 8385 turbocharger and painted CSF charge cooler inlet manifold.

Laguna Seca Blue

Laguna Seca is a colour seen on iconic BMWs such as the E46 M3. We thought it was the perfect option to separate the Miami Blue section and the Satin Black Rear.

Satin Black

G87 M2s look incredible in full satin black. When choosing a color for the rear, there was nothing else we’d rather have had.

INTERIOR

Roll Cage



To reduce weight, we completely stripped the interior. All the seats, door cards, roof lining, carpets and more were removed which also made room for the SW Motorsports bespoke full roll cage. Essential for legality, the cage meets regulations with its FIA-specified mountings. The cage uses flush connectors which are as close to a weld as possible without actually welding the cage to the car. This meant it could be painted outside the car as well as removed and reinstalled at any time.



Towards the rear of the cage, SW added a set-back halo bar to be the attachment point for the required racing harnesses.

Bucket Seats




To further reduce the weight, we also installed the Tillett B10 with BMW M-inspired seat panels. Not only do they look incredible with their gloss carbon finish and M tri-colour details but, they also offer much more support.

Digital Gauge



To ensure we always have access to vital engine data, we fitted the new CANchecked MD32 GEN2 multifunction air vent display. This is connected via the CAN BUS system and will be vital in the development process.

Racing Steering Wheel




The final addition to the G87’s interior was the JQ Werks G Series racing steering wheel system paired with a MOMO Montecarlo steering wheel. This wheel is plug-and-play and has two blank buttons that can be custom-mapped to any functions of your choice.

OTHER MODIFICATIONS

Safety

Keeping both the driver and car safe is absolutely essential. Motorsport is no joke and things can go wrong at any point - especially when traveling at such high rates of speed. In addition to the roll cage, Jay from German Autowerks set up an OMP fire suppression system with five nozzles around the vehicle covering both the engine bay, passenger and driver. This can be triggered from both within the vehicle and from the outside to ensure the safety of the occupants.

Parachute



With a car that’s capable of far beyond 200 mph, stopping it can become quite a challenge. Whilst the uprated MMX brakes will do most of the work, having an effective air brake in the form of a parachute is also beneficial.

Convenience

With us needing to constantly change wheels and tires, we made the leap to install AST air jacks. This system allows the car to seamlessly raise itself off the ground, negating the need to carry around heavy and cumbersome jacks and jack stands.



The air jacks are operated through a Krontec lance, valve and regulator connected by hardlines. As for the air tank, we’re actually running a dive tank that can be topped up at any good dive shop wherever we are in the world.

Windows

In our quest to reduce weight, we installed ACW Motorsport Plastics hard-coated thermoformed polycarbonate rear and rear-side windows, dropping weight by around 90%. Additionally, this material allowed us to use the rear driver’s side window to install the air jack valve.

Engine Bay



Above all the engine upgrades, the engine bay is finished off with some lovely aftermarket touches. Goldenwrench supplied us with a custom order anodized orange billet engine cap set which looks beautiful next to the CarbonBay matte engine and ECU covers.

There are a few other modifications not mentioned however, we don't want to take up too much of your time. If you want to learn more about the build, see the full build thread here: https://g87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=2104190

Remember, if you're looking to upgrade your BMW, R44 Performance is an aftermarket supermarket with a huge range of BMW styling kits, performance parts & accessories. We're actually now one of the UK's largest online retailers of OEM parts too with more Genuine parts being added daily.

Modify your BMW: https://r44performance.com/

[hufington]

Crazy build Can't wait to see how it runs.

[spuntyb]

Insane. Look forward to the results!

[phorbes]

Beautifully executed. Has to be an absolute animal to drive, wow!

[97supratt]

Beautiful!!!

[tom @ eas]

Congrats on the build, looks solid.

[Ludz]

Unreal this is

[imc43]

hate to say it but at 250k in I’d just go with a TT R8 for more power at a similar price. granted I understand you’re just showing what your parts catalogue can do.

still an amazing build.

You upgrade those diffs?

[UtahBimmerBoy]

Originally Posted by imc43

hate to say it but at 250k in I’d just go with a TT R8 for more power at a similar price. granted I understand you’re just showing what your parts catalogue can do.

still an amazing build.

You upgrade those diffs?

You’d be well over 250k even into 300k for an Audi R8 that has built internals and turbo kit.

One of my family members was quoted +35k for a turbo kit install and tune in his MK2 R8, which he already spent 250k on at purchase.

[LAGWAGN]

What a car! It’s a great example of a build with no constraints (assumed based on the price tag). It’s the kind of car any car person dreams about building.

Looking forward to seeing it here in DFW next year!