diff --git a/autotools-debug.opts b/autotools-debug.opts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7fc929977a8e87a8e5304bc87088c65a166c4092
--- /dev/null
+++ b/autotools-debug.opts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+GXX_WARNING_OPTS=" \
+    -Wall \
+    -Wunused \
+    -Wmissing-include-dirs \
+    -Wcast-align \
+    -Wno-sign-compare \
+    -Wno-unused-parameter"
+
+# additional -W flags for g++ which will lead to many warnings in
+# other dune modules
+#    -Wextra \
+#    -Wfloat-equal \
+#    -Wstrict-overflow \
+
+GXX_OPTS=" \
+    -fno-strict-aliasing \
+    -fstrict-overflow \
+    -g -O2"
+
+CONFIGURE_FLAGS="\
+  CXXFLAGS=\"$GXX_WARNING_OPTS $GXX_OPTS\" \
+  --disable-documentation \
+  --disable-parallel \
+  --disable-mpiruntest"
+
+# for CO2 and CO2ni tests
+# --enable-experimental-grid-extensions \
+# --with-alugrid=PATH_TO_ALUGrid \
+# need to be set in the configure flags
diff --git a/autotools-optim.opts b/autotools-optim.opts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b004ac9582dfe18dd13eebc68097550143f3b96b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/autotools-optim.opts
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+GXX_WARNING_OPTS=" \
+    -Wall \
+    -Wunused \
+    -Wmissing-include-dirs \
+    -Wcast-align \
+    -Wno-sign-compare \
+    -Wno-unused-parameter"
+
+# additional -W flags for g++ which will lead to many warnings in
+# other dune modules
+#    -Wextra \
+#    -Wfloat-equal \
+#    -Wstrict-overflow \
+
+GXX_OPTS=" \
+    -fno-strict-aliasing \
+    -fstrict-overflow \
+    -ffast-math \
+    -fno-finite-math-only \
+    -O3 \
+    -march=native \
+    -DNDEBUG=1"
+
+# configure flags 
+CONFIGURE_FLAGS=" \
+  CXXFLAGS=\"$GXX_WARNING_OPTS $GXX_OPTS\" \
+  --disable-documentation \
+  --disable-parallel \
+  --disable-mpiruntest"
+
+# for CO2 and CO2ni tests
+# --enable-experimental-grid-extensions \
+# --with-alugrid=PATH_TO_ALUGrid \
+# need to be set in the configure flags
diff --git a/debug.opts b/debug.opts
index 428a496c6989b2e60ed8042cd70cde2fca828ab9..6a9d2d0bc2b0c34216bd2f34e3605bb88ef2fee7 100644
--- a/debug.opts
+++ b/debug.opts
@@ -17,17 +17,11 @@ GXX_OPTS=" \
     -fstrict-overflow \
     -g"
 
-# do not write a file .dune.resume to the home directory
-RESUME_FILE=/dev/null
-
-CONFIGURE_FLAGS="\
-  CXXFLAGS=\"$GXX_WARNING_OPTS $GXX_OPTS\" \
-  --enable-fieldvector-size-is-method \
-  --disable-documentation \
-  --disable-parallel \
-  --disable-mpiruntest"
+CMAKE_FLAGS="\
+  -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=\"$GXX_WARNING_OPTS $GXX_OPTS\" \
+  "
 
 # for CO2 and CO2ni tests
-# --enable-experimental-grid-extensions \
-# --with-alugrid=PATH_TO_ALUGrid \
-# need to be set in the configure flags
\ No newline at end of file
+# -DDUNE_GRID_EXPERIMENTAL_GRID_EXTENSIONS=TRUE \
+# need to be set in the configure flags
+# and the module dune-alugrid must be present
diff --git a/optim.opts b/optim.opts
index c66227bac25aedc8ed42c90a595d33d192377e3e..755c8f3995e835f530b3fe60528bf8341dea0a5a 100644
--- a/optim.opts
+++ b/optim.opts
@@ -25,14 +25,11 @@ GXX_OPTS=" \
 RESUME_FILE=/dev/null
 
 # configure flags 
-CONFIGURE_FLAGS=" \
-  CXXFLAGS=\"$GXX_WARNING_OPTS $GXX_OPTS\" \
-  --enable-fieldvector-size-is-method \
-  --disable-documentation \
-  --disable-parallel \
-  --disable-mpiruntest"
+CMAKE_FLAGS=" \
+  -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=\"$GXX_WARNING_OPTS $GXX_OPTS\" \
+  "
 
 # for CO2 and CO2ni tests
-# --enable-experimental-grid-extensions \
-# --with-alugrid=PATH_TO_ALUGrid \
-# need to be set in the configure flags
\ No newline at end of file
+# -DDUNE_GRID_EXPERIMENTAL_GRID_EXTENSIONS=TRUE \
+# need to be set in the CMake flags
+# and the module dune-alugrid must be present