E46 M3 Project

[Gibbo205]

Well I've got 4.10 gears going in next year and currently making 367BHP on dyno dynamics dyno and 380BHP on a Maha dyno with:
GSR CSL air box
IAT relocation kit
Milltek 100 cel cats
CSL mid pipe
CSL back box
Evolve Alpha-N tune.

Am considering:
MSS54HP ECU converted to CSL ECU and then mapped by Evolve, shall also add in a Bosch map sensor so then drives just like CSL low down too
280/272 cams
CSL headers

I know Supersprint stepped headers would net more power but unless you know anywhere or Nyone selling them at a fair price I'm not willing to drop £1200-£1500 on manifolds.

So shall stick with just stock followers changing the cams to 280/272 won't put any more stress on the oem parts to my knowledge.

You know best place to get cams from? ECU shall just get one of. 2003 being broken and Bosch map sensor is like £10 or less and just needs wiring into the loom which I've got instructions on how to do.

Be good if I could get to around 380ish true power which would probably read closer to 400 on a maha dyno but with a 4.10 ratio should absolutely fly, plus my M3 only weighs 1350kg.

[mwstewart]

Gibbo205 said:

Well I've got 4.10 gears going in next year and currently making 367BHP on dyno dynamics dyno and 380BHP on a Maha dyno with:
GSR CSL air box
IAT relocation kit
Milltek 100 cel cats
CSL mid pipe
CSL back box
Evolve Alpha-N tune.

Am considering:
MSS54HP ECU converted to CSL ECU and then mapped by Evolve, shall also add in a Bosch map sensor so then drives just like CSL low down too
280/272 cams
CSL headers

I know Supersprint stepped headers would net more power but unless you know anywhere or Nyone selling them at a fair price I'm not willing to drop £1200-£1500 on manifolds.

So shall stick with just stock followers changing the cams to 280/272 won't put any more stress on the oem parts to my knowledge.

You know best place to get cams from? ECU shall just get one of. 2003 being broken and Bosch map sensor is like £10 or less and just needs wiring into the loom which I've got instructions on how to do.

Be good if I could get to around 380ish true power which would probably read closer to 400 on a maha dyno but with a 4.10 ratio should absolutely fly, plus my M3 only weighs 1350kg.

The SS RHD headers aren't worth it - I agree, and I also think 380 is achievable. I got my cams from CA Performance; they gave me a decent price.

Yes, you should have a very responsive car when you're done!

[__CA__]

Hi

Fabulous project!

Would you mind sharing how you get the steering angle sensor recalibrated when fitting a quicker rack? I have an E46 M3 and was wondering about a normal linear 13.7 rack (part 6755067) which most 'cooking' versions of the E46 had, rather than the non-linear standard item.

I think my car has a MK60 DSC module being an October '02 build (the change point was September '02).

Thanks

[s m]

[quote=CA]Hi

Fabulous project!

Would you mind sharing how you get the steering angle sensor recalibrated when fitting a quicker rack? I have an E46 M3 and was wondering about a normal linear 13.7 rack (part 6755067) which most 'cooking' versions of the E46 had, rather than the non-linear standard item.

I think my car has a MK60 DSC module being an October '02 build (the change point was September '02).

Thanks
[/quote]

I see the mods have started Mr A

[mwstewart]

CA said:

Hi

Fabulous project!

Would you mind sharing how you get the steering angle sensor recalibrated when fitting a quicker rack? I have an E46 M3 and was wondering about a normal linear 13.7 rack (part 6755067) which most 'cooking' versions of the E46 had, rather than the non-linear standard item.

I think my car has a MK60 DSC module being an October '02 build (the change point was September '02).

Thanks

Hello there and thank you! To reset the steering angle sensor following a rack change see https://www.bmwland.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4...

Once the above is complete you will need to recode the MK60 to suit the CSL rack - which is the closest match to the 330i rack you have in mind - and the parameter to set in the MK60 is:

LENKWINKELKENNLINIE_2 = wert_04 (original is wert_05)

To perform this code update you need NCS Expert and its dedicated lead, both of which are available on eBay. There are various guides elsewhere online which explain how to get started with NCSE.

[mwstewart]

On Monday I dropped off the M3 to Will at Geoff Steel Racing to finally have the Schrick cams & followers fitted. Will showed me some of the cars in at the time:




Interesting that Will confirmed the rod bearing issue on the S65 engine; he's had 13 engines so far with some exhibiting bearings worn down to the copper at as low as 7k miles.

On my car I'm also deviating from the BMW geo settings and Will is setting up the car to his fast road spec. I collect the car at 5pm today.

[Shadow R1]

Keep us updated on how it goes with the cams in.

[mwstewart]

Shadow R1 said:

Keep us updated on how it goes with the cams in.

Sure thing.

I collected the car last Thursday afternoon from GSR in Lincolnshire, then back down to London and on to Dorset for a long weekend. GSR had a couple of E46 race cars in the showroom so I took a snap:


I wanted to wait before I'd run a few tanks of Super Unleaded through the car to ensure the DME had re-learnt its adaptions. My feedback is as follows...

The cams have made a noticeable difference. It's not great, but its noticeable. Some low-end torque has been lost - which is to be expected - but honestly its not enough to worry about even for the fairly relaxed road driving I do some of the time. The biggest surprise is the midrange which is noticeably stronger than with the standard cams, and beyond that the motor pulls harder to around 7k. At the moment and as with the standard car I don't feel the need to take it round to 8k - I find it quicker changing up at that point unless I really need the final 1k of range to round a bend without changing gear. The gains from 5.5k to 8k are not as noticeable as the 3k - 5.5k range and I feel the engine is now strangled by the stock exhaust manifolds and cats. It sure feels like it's now breathing heavily at the top end and there's definitely more to come. As expected the airbox noise has increased.

The car now tops out at an indicated 172 whereas I'd expect 180 with some better exhaust components i.e. the Supersprint V1 stepped manifolds which I have ready to go on.

If you really love your M3 I recommend the cams but don't expect massive gains for the ~£2.5k outlay.

I got up one morning over the break to go for a drive - much to my girlfriends dismay

[mwstewart]

I had managed to pick up a few marks on the recently replaced centre caps and stickers, so I've got some genuine ones to go on as replacements.


Next up replacement discs.


My original front discs at 30k miles. They aren't even close to the wear limit - I'm sure some M3 owners would be horrified at the easy life this car gets I'm replacing them because they had begun to get a little crusty around the braking surface vent holes.


Fitted.


I'm really pleased with how the car has turned out. A few tanks of petrol in and its performing stronger than ever; where with a standard M3 I'm often thinking I could do with more power, I now find myself impressed with the strength of response and the performance. It is now a fantastic bit of kit.

As an aside I'm finding the Z4MC rack has really made me hone my steering precision, as the car is now pin sharp and hence high speed driving takes a considerably higher level of concentration and accuracy than with the standard rack - there really is zero room for error at high speed. It is rewarding but is perhaps a bit too much for road driving, so I'm giving thought to buying a CSL rack from BMW to drop the ratio back a notch.

[ATM]

mwstewart said:

As an aside I'm finding the Z4MC rack has really made me hone my steering precision, as the car is now pin sharp and hence high speed driving takes a considerably higher level of concentration and accuracy than with the standard rack - there really is zero room for error at high speed. It is rewarding but is perhaps a bit too much for road driving, so I'm giving thought to buying a CSL rack from BMW to drop the ratio back a notch.

I've been thinking about a quicker rack for mine. I presume its just standard e46 now. Will the M3 / CSL and Z4m racks fit mine?

[mwstewart]

ATM said:

I've been thinking about a quicker rack for mine. I presume its just standard e46 now. Will the M3 / CSL and Z4m racks fit mine?

Yes, they sure will.

[ATM]

mwstewart said:

ATM said:

I've been thinking about a quicker rack for mine. I presume its just standard e46 now. Will the M3 / CSL and Z4m racks fit mine?

Yes, they sure will.

Where did you buy yours?

[mwstewart]

ATM said:

Where did you buy yours?

eBay. I found someone breaking a Z4M.

[mwstewart]

Since the last update in March the M3 has become my daily driver.



For those don’t frequent my Golf thread:

mwstewart said:

I am looking at the CLK63 Cabriolet but now wondering if it will be focussed enough for the little time I spend in a car these days, hence I'm giving serious consideration to running my M3. It's never going to be worth a fortune so the only person benefitting from it being stuck in my unit unused for months at a time is the eventual next owner.

It's a decision I haven't looked back on. I did initially feel a uneasy using the car daily given all the work that’s gone into it, but ultimately I felt it really is pointless leaving such a car locked away; I didn’t feel the M3 was special enough to drive occasionally but rather it’s a car that makes daily use a bit special - and it has certainly done just that. I’ll re-iterate what I’ve said before about the E46 M3 – it’s a car that continues to impresses with more seat time. They can feel underwhelming at first but really get under your skin with more use.

I mentioned the Z4MC rack in my previous update and I thought I’d try a geo change before I went to the trouble of having the rack replaced, and thankfully the changes have done the trick. Front toe is now parallel and at the rear I’ve gone for an additional one degree of toe in. The result is a car that still requires more concentration than its standard counterpart, but not by an unreasonable amount given the considerable improvement in steering response. Also, the Super Sports are awesome tyres which I recommend after my experience on the M3. I will order a set for the F430 before summer is here.

Performance-wise it is considerably quicker than a standard M3 which I always feel needed more power. Incidentally I don’t really bother about MPG but I thought I’d see what effect the 3.91 rear diff had made. I reset the trip following an Autobahn fill-up and did 63 miles at between 80 and 95:


Seriously impressive!

That is ultimately all I have to add - I am just enjoying the car

[ATM]

ATM said:

mwstewart said:

Madril said:

I agree with ATM. I couldn't stand the prospect of having a car just for having it in storage. That's why I really don't understand why you removed all the protection from under the car in a country where it rains more than it doesn't.


All that said, I love your projects! Keep posting them here for our viewing pleasure! :P

Haha - I only really use my Golf in all weathers; the others are kept for ‘best’. Of course this isn't really viable if its an only car

You see. Why drive around in a Golf? You should think about getting something which you can use all the time instead of the golf.

Finally.

A man who has cars and enjoys them is a happy man.

[mwstewart]

ATM said:

Finally.

A man who has cars and enjoys them is a happy man.

Roger that. I did enjoy my time with the Golf - especially after the transformation - but it was time to move on.

[ATM]

mwstewart said:

ATM said:

Finally.

A man who has cars and enjoys them is a happy man.

Roger that. I did enjoy my time with the Golf - especially after the transformation - but it was time to move on.

OMG - Have you been tinkering with your cheap run about?

I've bought myself a cheap run about too. I quite like it. I am trying hard to resist the temptation to tinker with it. I probably will tinker with it but nothing major.

Now get that Fiesta sorted out.

[mwstewart]

ATM said:

OMG - Have you been tinkering with your cheap run about?

I've bought myself a cheap run about too. I quite like it. I am trying hard to resist the temptation to tinker with it. I probably will tinker with it but nothing major.

Now get that Fiesta sorted out.

Yes - oops! http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Fiesta will be sorted. Need to get the Golf out of the way first

[mwstewart]

My rear view mirror had started to develop strange scratches behind the outer layer of glass:


Over time the auto dim function started to fail around the periphery of the mirror, which could only mean one thing: impending failure. The issue and potential effects are well documented on the internet, so I started to leave a towel underneath the mirror whilst a replacement glass was delivered from http://www.mirrorjohn.com/

Glass replacement was dead easy and took 15 minutes from start to finish. The only aspect I was slightly worried about was prying apart the mirror casing - it really bugs me if I mark any trim on the car - but thankfully the two halves come across fairly easily and without marring.


Electronics and backing plate transferred from the old mirror glass to new.


The new glass is filled with gel and unlike the liquid filled original glass is proven to be reliable.

[robbiekhan]

Interesting you thought the stock M3 felt like it needed more power! I've got a 2005 manual myself which recently dynod at 338BHP and I feel this is ample power and perfectly suited to the nature of the car. The power lives in the +4100rpm range of course but that's why it's so much fun.

I've not driven the CSL so have no comparison to the standard steering rack although I do really appreciate the weighty feel of the stock M3 rack around town which then loosens up just a tad on the motorway.

I am due to replace my disks soon all round as just like yours, they are a bit crusty around the edges yet the wear on them is still fine. I did propose the BMW BBK upgrade path with custom Goodridge carriers for the bigger callipers - if I went that route I'd be waiting quite a bit longer, though a calliper refurb and new stock disks would be fine too i guess. Let's see after a few more months, let the existing brakes wear a bit more.