7 Best Mods for F10 BMW 5-Series - BMW 528i 535i 550i & M5
Whether you have a bone stock F10 528i, a turbo-six powered 535i or the muscular 550i, there are a few basic modifications that will make your F10 BMW 5-series look better and perform at its best. At the core of it, what we all want is for our cars to look awesome, right? Even the mighty M5 can be improved upon and tailored to reflect your style and taste, whether that’s aggressive and in your face or subtle and refined, your 5-series is an expression of yourself, so make it your own. This post is for all you 5-series guys who aren’t sure what your options are for modding your F10 BMW 5-series - the 8Best Mods for the F10 BMW 5-Series. We’ve done our best to spell it out in terms that layman and veteran enthusiasts will understand.
#1 Wheels & Tires
Sportline 8S Gunmetal 19×8.5 ET35 / 19×910 ET35 on 245/40-19 / 275/35-19 Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 Tires
Easily the simplest thing you can do to make the biggest cosmetic change to your F10 5-Series is to ditch the OEM wheels for a set of stylish and lightweight aftermarket wheels, like the Forgestar F14 Flow-Form Wheels for F10 5-Series (shown here in Matte Black 19x8.5 / 19x10), consider matte black if you’ve got a silver 5er, or gold if you have a bluish or red 5-series.
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There are tons of great options out there for the 5-series, another great Flow Form wheel for the 5-series are HRE FF01 Wheels for F10 BMW 5-series, shown here in liquid silver finish.
Or if something different is more your taste, check out these options from Avant Garde wheels, like the M550 for BMW F10 5-series, shown here in 20x8.5 F/R on this F10 550i.
Considering a set of wheels but don’t have a ton of cash? Check out a set of Sportline 8S wheels for BMW F10, which offer an incredible value for the money, making it possible to get a set of lightweight and strong rotary forged wheels at an extremely affordable price - these lightweight beauties only cost as much as a set of inferior cast wheels.
Sportline 8S Gunmetal 19×8.5 ET35 / 19×910 ET35 on 245/40-19 / 275/35-19 Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 Tires
The CSL Style wheel has been an iconic piece of BMW styling since it first debuted on the E46 over a decade ago. Timeless and clean, this design looks great on most cars, but looks especially good on a BMW.
Sportline 8S Gunmetal 19×8.5 ET35 / 19×910 ET35 on 245/40-19 / 275/35-19 Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 Tires
The concave wheel look is all the rage these days, and the Sportline 8S marries that classic CSL style with modern concavity flawlessly. Check out this setup with a Semi-Deep concave profile up front paired with a deep concave rear profile to make the most of that 19×10 width.
Sportline 8S Gunmetal 19×8.5 ET35 / 19×910 ET35 on 245/40-19 / 275/35-19 Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 Tires
Not only does the styling of the Sportline 8S make the car look sportier and more aggressive, but also because the style of the wheel face compliments the car in a “natural” way, it looks CLASSIER than stock too.
Of course, your new wheels are only as good as the tires you wrap them in- we’re stocking distributors for Toyo Tires, Hankook, Michelin and can order any of the finer names in tires. Michelin Pilot Super Sports, Toyo Proxes and Hankook Ventus V12 are great tire options that’ll stick like glue and help the heftier 5 move with a little more authority.
#2 Exhaust
If you have a 550i or 535i, you already have dual exit exhaust - but what if say, you wanted quads like an M5? Besides the sound of the exhaust, your exhaust also plays a huge part in the aesthetics of your car’s rear profile - for instance, on the 528i, the single exit dual tip exhaust does seem a touch inadequate relative to the size of the 5. So dress up the rear end and hear your motor a bit more clearly with an aftermarket exhaust setup.
REMUS Exhaust is a popular option for every trim level of 5-series, offering 528i owners the ability to convert to a quad tip exhaust configuration and a great tone and stylish CF-trimmed quad tips for the 535i crowd - Eisenmann offers a similar setup that also yields a quad tip exhaust. 
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View 1”) Of course there are single exit options for the 528i like Magnaflow and Remus offers a single exit exhaust for the 528i as well. Have one of the big boy 550i’s? There’s exhaust options for that too, such as the Eisenmann Quad Tip Axle Back Exhaust for F10 BMW 550i.
#3 Suspension
Forgestar F14 20×9.5 / 20×10.5 SDC on BC Racing BR-Series Coilovers
When it comes to actually modifying the F10 suspension, many are apprehensive about dropping the 5er.
There are two schools of thought here for lowering a car, it’s either springs or coilovers (and airbags, but that’s another story).
The easiest way to lower your F10 5-series is a set of springs. Lowering springs offer the benefit of improved handling response with better spring rates, and the drop in ride height brings down the center of gravity for better handling.
Eibach Lowering Springs for F10 BMW 5-Series drop the car by an inch front and .6 in at the rear and offer a milder ride than some of the other lowering springs on the market (if you’re looking for a drop with the most comfortable ride, Vogtland lowering springs for BMW F10 are just what you want)
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For those looking for a more aggressive drop, H&R Springs for F10 BMW 5-series drop the car approximately 1.4in and 1.3in across the entire 5-series range, giving the car sharper handling but at the expense of a slightly firmer ride.
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The tradeoff with springs is that the lower ride height is harder on your OEM shocks and will wear them out more quickly than the OEM springs, which is why coilovers are such a popular choice. Since you’re going to have to tear the suspension apart again if/when the OEM shocks go bad, why bother keeping the OEM shocks at all? Which brings us to coilovers.
There are quite a few quality coilover options for the F10 available - if you have a M5 with the electronically adjustable suspension and wish to retain the functionality of your electronic shocks, something like KW Suspension’s Height Adjustable Spring kit for F10 M5 yields the adjustable ride height of a coilover while leaving the electronic OEM shock undisturbed.
CKS Suspension Coilovers for F10 are a great option and feature adjustable ride height and damping, while BC Racing BR-Series coilovers for F10 are ideal for the F10 enthusiast on a budget - and of course, KW Suspension Coilovers for F10 are an outstanding choice and ideal for anyone that lives in a state with more inclement weather or lives extremely close to the ocean thanks to their stainless steel finish. Any of these coilover options will give you the ability to set your F10 BMW 5-Series Suspension to exactly the ride height you want, and adjustable shocks to tailor the comfort of your 5-series’ ride quality. Contrary to the popular myth, coilovers will not ruin your ride quality at all - in fact, many people who buy coilovers report that the coils are more comfortable than stock. Coilovers and lowering springs take about the same amount of effort to install, so since you’re already paying for the labor, why not step up to the better option?
#4 Exterior Accessories
The ugly truth is, most people do indeed judge a book by its cover - the way your car looks says a lot about you, your style, taste and personality - so tweaking the F10 5-Series Exterior to your satisfaction is more important than you’d think. A couple smaller mods that will enhance any 5-series are surprisingly easy to do and really clean up the look of the car.
(E9X shown for illustration purposes)
For those of us who hate the center mount front license plate but can’t drive around with no front plate, the No-Holes Front License Plate holder for F10 5-Series uses the cutout you already have in the bumper for your tow hook mount. Did the dealer drill holes in your front bumper for the license plate bracket? A set of OEM-body color painted bumper plugs for F10 will make the holes disappear.
The next easy small exterior mods you can do OMIT things that otherwise stand out like a sore thumb. A set of Painted Front Reflectors for F10, Painted Fender Light Trim for F10 and Painted Rear Reflectors for F10 cleans up the front and rear of the car by eliminating the nasty amber corner reflectors and leaves them body color.
Then you have your Kidney Grilles. You have quite a few options - you can get your grilles painted to match or have ///M stripes painted onto the F10 Kidney Grilles, or get a set of Matte Black Kidney Grilles for F10 or even get your F10 Kidney Grilles in Carbon Fiber. Replacing the bright trimmed OEM kidney grilles creates a cleaner look and that classic “BMW” look.
#5 Get A Facelift: Change Your Front & Rear Bumpers
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If you didn’t buy an M5 or drop the extra scratch for the full M-Sport kit, this is the face your 5er greets you with. It’s not exactly the most attractive, so change that by replacing the front bumper with a different one to switch up the exterior.
The M-Sport Style front bumper for F10 is a very popular choice, in addition to looking better on its own, most of the aftermarket lips and splitters are designed to fit an M-Sport style front bumper.
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The same can be said of the F10 M-Sport style rear bumper for F10 5-series, in addition to offering the aesthetic upgrade, also feature a center diffuser section that can be replaced with other versions that can accomodate a single exit, dual exit or quad tip exhaust - all with the same bumper.
If the M5 is more your speed, we’ve got options for that as well - the M5 style front bumper for F10 BMW 5-Series (non M), which gives you that M look without the twin turbo V8 pricetag.
And the F10 M5 Style Rear bumper is a damn fine looking way to rock a quad exhaust setup. All of these bumper options come complete with everything needed to install them, fog lights, supports, fillers and all the little minutiae that comprises the average modern BMW bumper.
#6 A Front Lip or Splitter
As we just mentioned above, rocking an M-Sport Front Bumper or M5 Style Front Bumper will give you quite a few options to really tailor the look of your F10.
While there are options for the non M-Sport front bumper like this HM Style Front Splitter for Non M-Sport F10 5-Series or 3d Style Front Splitter for Non M-Sport F10 5-series, nearly everything else available is either for an M5 front bumper or an M-Sport front bumper - so as we said the OEM bumper really limits your options. Check out the gallery below and scope out the differences for yourself.
A Style Carbon Fiber Front Lip for M-Sport F10 BMW 5-Series
E Style Carbon Fiber Front Lip for M-Sport F10 BMW 5-Series
V Style Carbon Fiber Front Lip for M-Sport F10 BMW 5-Series
.JPG “Carbon Fiber Front Splitter for 2010+ BMW 5-Series w/M-Sport
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HM Style Carbon Fiber Front Splitter for M-Sport F10 BMW 5-Series
Vollkommen Design Urethane Front Lip for M-Sport F10 BMW 5-SeriesIf you have an M5 or M5 style front bumper however, the options are a bit different - take a look at what we mean.
V1 Carbon Fiber Front Lip for F10 BMW M5
V2 Carbon Fiber Front Lip for F10 BMW M5
Vollkommen Design Urethane Front Lip for F10 BMW M5
RKP Carbon Fiber Front Lip for F10 BMW M5
RKP Carbon Fiber Front Splitters for F10 BMW M5
Carbon Fiber Aero Front Splitters for F10 BMW M5 Your options are only as limited as your imagination, so express yourself!
#7. A Diffuser
As we noted earlier, an M-Sport Style rear bumper will allow you to replace the center section with a more stylish rear diffuser. Diffusers started out in racing where they are still used to clean up airflow exiting from underneath your car- and while a handful of functional diffusers are on the market, most of what’s out there is primarily cosmetic, but offers the benefit of being flexible with what kind of exhaust configuration you wish to run. The diffuser has a huge impact on the rear end aesthetics of the car- it’s a BIG chunk of that M-Sport rear bumper, and the person behind you has to stare at it in traffic, so why not make your back end a bit prettier to look at? The best fitting rear diffuser is the BMW Performance Rear Diffuser for MSport F10 BMW 5-Series - it’s the most conservative and a bit on the pricey side, as to be expected of any OEM BMW part. We only mention fitment because literally every aftermarket rear diffuser we’ve ever installed has needed some finesse to look perfect - so if you’re planning to install yourself, opt for the OEM BMW part or seek professional installation for your new parts to look their best. Feeling bold? Check out the options available - from Carbon versions of the OEM diffuser panel to wild and aggressive aerodynamic accents.
HM Style Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser for F10 BMW 5-Series
Carbon Fiber M-Sport Style Rear Diffuser for F10 BMW 5-Series
Carbon Fiber Performance Style Rear Diffuser for M-Sport F10 BMW 5-Series
ARKYM Aerosport Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser for M-Sport F10 BMW 5-Series
HM Style Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser for M-Sport F10 BMW 5-SeriesHave an M5 or M5 style rear bumper? There are options for you as well.
DTM Style Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser for F10 BMW M5
3D Style Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser for F10 BMW M5
RKP OEM Style Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser for F10 M5There are so many combinations of front/rear bumpers and lips/splitters and diffusers that you can put together a look that’s unlike anyone else.With the mods above, you’ll create a 5-series that drives better than it did stock and has killer aesthetics that tell the world who you are and what you’re about.
Interested in BMW Mods? Not sure where to start with the list above? We invite you to chat with our Mod Experts about your goals for your car, and we’ll tell you how you can make those a reality. Talk to our experts at 714-582-3330, use our website’s Live Chat feature, email us at sales@modbargains.com or just stop by the Mod Auto showroom in La Habra, CA any day during regular business hours and let us share our Experience, Expertise and Enthusiasm with you to help you enjoy your car to the fullest.
Thanks for sticking with us on this longer read and we hope you found this information helpful. See you next time!
Photos Nick Gregson, Charles Pages, Bryan Munoz