Your Guide to BMW 5 Series Upgrades: Power, Handling, and Style
Launched in 1972, the BMW 5 Series marked a turning point in executive sedans. No longer was luxury the sole focus. The 5 Series became a statement in balanced driving dynamics, mated with raw power from technologically advanced engines.
The first M5 came with an inline 6-cylinder mill just shy of 300hp, and propelled the car to a sub 6-second 0-60mph sprint. Lightweight, easy to throw into corners and a hoot to drive, it set the scene for subsequent 5 Series generations and rivals that followed suit.
Discover a Whole Range of BMW 5 Series Aftermarket Body Additions
With aerodynamics still in its infant stage, early 5 cars featured subtle body additions, including front spoilers to manage oncoming air paired with integrated air dams and a carefully crafted underbody. This helped high-speed stability and the effortless steering the brand is known for.
Fast forward several generations, and these efforts translated to M-Performance packages that the brand carried on to lower-grade trims as factory options. This inspired an entire aftermarket of 5 Series additions, aiming to get the most out of any trim and engine combo.
For owners of recent G30 cars, the subtle facelifted design cues blend well with aftermarket BMW 5 Series G30 LCI 2020 styling parts, which are offered as complete kits or exterior body separates in matching gloss or carbon black finishes. Besides getting awfully close in exterior appeal to factory M-packs, kitted aftermarket packages bring more than stand-out style to all 5 Series cars and trims.
Why Have an Aftermarket Body Kit for Your 5 Series?
Even the base B48 in the 520i delivering roughly 180hp isn't short of power. Uptuned engines are faster and livelier, not to mention versions of the bigger B58. All cars, however, benefit from exterior additions that make more of the available power.
In this context, carefully tailored body parts, such as front splitters, full-length side skirts, integrated boot spoilers and rear diffusers, impact driving dynamics and handling and deliver a rounded set of benefits:
Improved Aerodynamics
Packaged parts tame oncoming air, boosting downforce on both axles and ensuring the car remains stable in all driving scenarios. The aim is to maximise traction in all four wheels and deal with common handling issues such as over- and understeer for a car that's planted in corners, and a tank in a straight line.
The best results, of course, are from engineered and kitted parts that take into account the car's factory shape and size, and mutually manage airflow front, side and back.
Durability
Depending on trim and suspension, exterior body kits do a marvellous job of protecting the panels and paintwork in your 5. Versions that sit lower to the ground are protected by impact and rust-resistant bumpers and splitters, keeping potholes, kerbs and road debris away.
At the back, diffusers shield the underbody and exhaust tips (factory or otherwise) from scratches and dents that can spoil the overall look of the car. Much of this is down to the choice of materials - ranging from tough yet affordable ABS or polyurethane plastics to unbreakable carbon fibre.
Aesthetics
Varied finishes, ranging from carbon-look to gloss back body kit parts, mimic the design language in cars higher up the price bracket, including M and CS vehicles. Aftermarket kits are more attainable options compared to the exorbitantly priced factory M-Sport and M-Performance packs, while offering the cohesive and seamless fit of factory packs. Parts are contoured to exact dimensions with cutting-edge technology, such as 3D scanning, to ensure no component feels out of place.
Simple Installation
While a professional fit is always recommended, 5 Series owners can install splitters, spoilers, side skirts and BMW 5 Series G30 LCI 2020 styling parts as a quick DIY job. Kits are supplied with mounting hardware, with most parts forgoing drilling or additional work.
Materials Matter
Materials determine durability, overall weight, cost (including that incurred during installation) and fit and finish. They also impact performance and aerodynamic gains, especially in cars used on the track. Different options are priced differently and provide their own benefits:
Carbon Fibre Body Kits: The High-End Choice
Often the obvious no-compromise/performance choice, carbon fibre components are ultra-light, extremely strong and available in a classic checkered twill or less aggressive plain finish. There are different variants, ranging from more affordable wet carbon fibre (hand-mixed with epoxy resin) to costlier pre-pregged or dry carbon fibre for more stiffness and lower weight in parts like splitters and spoilers.
Complex geometries, such as canards or diffusers, are often made from vacuum-infused or forged material variants, which offer slightly less impact resistance and are somewhat heavier. As for pricing, full dry carbon kits engineered to racing standards can cost well into the mid five figures, or several times more than factory M-packs.
Polyurethane and ABS Plastics: The Middle Ground
These mid-tier options balance durability, cost and weight. Choose polyurethane parts for flexibility and impact resistance (won't scratch or crack) at the expense of higher weight and more work needed during installation. Or go with ABS plastics for more rigidity (required in track/high speed applications), easy painting and more flexibility with complex shapes and finishes. Both materials form the bulk of affordable/value-proposition BMW 5 Series body kit parts.
Fibreglass: The Budget Option
Fibreglass is lightweight, customisable into different shapes, and very affordable, but is prone to warping or cracking. Moreover, fibreglass body parts generally require more prep work, such as sanding, to match high-end finishes achieved with ABS or carbon fibre kits. If you're sticking to lower budgets, also consider body kits in fibreglass and composite blends for more impact resistance and improved part flexibility.
Pair Body Kits With Matching Extras
From an aesthetic standpoint, pair a body kit with interior and exterior parts in matching finishes. Common options include gloss black aftermarket alloys, carbon fibre steering wheels and stainless steel pedals.
Alloys work seamlessly with exterior body kits, either as a continuation of colour schemes against the car's factory paint, or to accentuate design details. They also pair well with mid and high-tier kits designed for more downforce and stability, especially when fitted with matching low-profile rubber. The combo offers superior acceleration, braking and cornering performance, even before touching pricier handling options like coilovers or air suspension.
If you're also considering any type of power tuning, look into aftermarket air intakes and exhausts. Often installed as a combo (and accompanied by an ECU tune), intakes and exhausts improve airflow in and out of the engine, resulting in more efficient combustion, improved torque at lower revs, and added power at higher engine loads.
Better-built components also go for durability, deploying stainless steel, nickel alloys or carbon fibre to address the higher heat and provide better impact and corrosion resistance. While subtle features like burnt steel or carbon fibre exhaust tips pair with the rest of the factory and aftermarket bodywork, including accommodating rear diffusers, for a cohesive and sporty look.
