RE: BMW M3 CSL: PH Carpool
Discussion
Incredible car would love to own one if I had a garage!
Really find the gearbox complaints difficult to understand.
In town its absolutely fine it just doesn't do it all for you! But once you get used to it your its no problem at all very smooth. I really loved the SMGII and I felt it really suited the engine and the car in general. The only slight downside for me was the downshifts. Might be different on the CSL but on the CS it only blips the throttle with a slight bit of throttle so you have to left foot brake. Without the blip it does unsettle the car a tiny bit if pushing on.
Just my opinion
Oh and its not an auto box its a manual box operated by hydraulic pump.
Really find the gearbox complaints difficult to understand.
In town its absolutely fine it just doesn't do it all for you! But once you get used to it your its no problem at all very smooth. I really loved the SMGII and I felt it really suited the engine and the car in general. The only slight downside for me was the downshifts. Might be different on the CSL but on the CS it only blips the throttle with a slight bit of throttle so you have to left foot brake. Without the blip it does unsettle the car a tiny bit if pushing on.
Just my opinion
Oh and its not an auto box its a manual box operated by hydraulic pump.
0836whimper said:
richard300 said:
Can i ask..... do the CSL's have the same exhaust system as the regular E46 M3's?? Only i never liked the 'rasp' the regular M3's made, and i wondered if the CSL made the same noise?
It's different. All the info you need here http://www.cslregister.com/forum/showthread.php?t=...Anyway, on a standard car you won't hear the exhaust, because all noise is coming from the engine
If you want to hear the exhaust as well, you'll need a supersprint or similar.
Here are some exhaust examples https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td-FJ-jkvkE&li...
ETA RE the SMG box, I don't know what everyone moans about. I find mine fine. It just takes a whi;e to learn how to drive around the clunkiness. When you're going for it though the thump in the back with every upshift is brilliant. I've changed my paddles and SMG knob for the Stormworks units and they make such a huge difference to how the shifts feel. BMW for some reason saw fit to fit horribly cheap plastic baubles for the OEM paddles and knob.
Edited by Captainawesome on Monday 24th November 16:24
I used to like the truculant nature of the SMG at low speed (i only found it an issue when cold), it made it feel like more of a race car!
I think the hardest thing to get across with the CSL is how different to drive it is from the standard M3. Yet, unlike a 911 GT3, it doesn't have the compromises; ride is tolerable and you can still take three passengers.
I really regret selling mine so it was nice to reminisce thanks to this write up. My only negative is that, for me, a 'proper' CSL is grey. I'm pretty sure Sapphire Black is a flat colour as well... just doesn't do it for me.
To answer the person's question; yes, the exhaust has a thinner wall than the standard car. I found out the consequence of this when i had a little shunt at Snetterton - it cost an arm and a leg (bent the exhaust up to the manifold) to replace and took forever to get re-ordered!
Oh, and just to ramble on, one my favourite memories was when some 'rude bois' sauntered in front of traffic expecting everyone to wait and let them cross the road. A couple of downchanges in the CSL saw them go from a slow swagger to sprinting to the other side of the road - brilliant! So yeah, it's bloody loud...
I think the hardest thing to get across with the CSL is how different to drive it is from the standard M3. Yet, unlike a 911 GT3, it doesn't have the compromises; ride is tolerable and you can still take three passengers.
I really regret selling mine so it was nice to reminisce thanks to this write up. My only negative is that, for me, a 'proper' CSL is grey. I'm pretty sure Sapphire Black is a flat colour as well... just doesn't do it for me.
To answer the person's question; yes, the exhaust has a thinner wall than the standard car. I found out the consequence of this when i had a little shunt at Snetterton - it cost an arm and a leg (bent the exhaust up to the manifold) to replace and took forever to get re-ordered!
Oh, and just to ramble on, one my favourite memories was when some 'rude bois' sauntered in front of traffic expecting everyone to wait and let them cross the road. A couple of downchanges in the CSL saw them go from a slow swagger to sprinting to the other side of the road - brilliant! So yeah, it's bloody loud...
Love these cars, first one I ever saw was black, and it looked brilliant!!! I also got a passenger drift ride in one at Santa Pod a couple of years ago, and just from that you could feel how special it was! Possibly the best M3 ever? I have a massive soft spot for the E36 too, had mine for thirteen years now!
Great write up - welcome to the club - love mine too and will never sell...
Just one comment - you say "As well as this, hill starts are a very delicate balance of brake and throttle" - just use left foot on the brake until you feel the clutch bite. Works for me anyhow. I've noticed that other cars - even manual ones now (AML Vantage) have a 3 second brake to stop you rolling back but as I say, the left foot can stop that.
Just one comment - you say "As well as this, hill starts are a very delicate balance of brake and throttle" - just use left foot on the brake until you feel the clutch bite. Works for me anyhow. I've noticed that other cars - even manual ones now (AML Vantage) have a 3 second brake to stop you rolling back but as I say, the left foot can stop that.
Mermaid said:
hondansx said:
. My only negative is that, for me, a 'proper' CSL is grey. I'm pretty sure Sapphire Black is a flat colour as well... just doesn't do it for me.
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Flat black would have been awesome, but I believe it is metallic.
Love the colour but the grey would be my second choice...
Shaoxter said:
cuda said:
Just one comment - you say "As well as this, hill starts are a very delicate balance of brake and throttle" - just use left foot on the brake until you feel the clutch bite.
Can't you use the handbrake, like you would in a normal manual car?I know i said in an earlier post - that "standard is best". And i know at £1000 its an expensive way of telling you pretty much what all the factory dials already tell you BUT..... I really love the Airvent display gauge that Manhart sell for these cars....
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachment.php?attach...
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/attachment.php?attach...
161BMW said:
.... So how good is the noise ? Does it really scare passers by :-) ?
Yes, I'd say so owing to the few people who have flipped the v's at me when it just happened to come on cam at the point I was doing the fly by.Took it through some tunnels near Conway recently and it was intoxicating ;0)
as per the article, I have a Basic E92 M3, loved the V8, what an engine, and had a manual and smg E46 M3 previously, but this CSL ticks all the boxes. The CSL feels more agile than the standard car, and much lighter than the V8, but the sounds are very similar in grin factor, the CSL airbox vs the V8 growl, both addictive.
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