BMW E46 M3

[aspirated]

I can but dream of you and mwstewart embarking on a joint project to create the ultimate E46 M3

You certainly don't do things by halves, so where did you ship the lights off to be retrofitted, and forgive me for being so crass but how how much did it cost?

[Diablo85]

mwstewart said:

Nice upgrade. I had my eye on their quad setup but there's no decent way to retain the flash. I'll probably go for a set of their lights eventually.

Thanks - Yeah the quad setup looks amazing but has it's compromises such as the 'flash to pass' as you say. As I'm sure you know, you have to be careful what you read on US-M3 forums with regards to light setup, US-SPEC headlights (m3) are wired in a different configuration to Euro, it can be soo confusing otherwise.

On the plus side, going for a non-quad setup still retains the OEM factory look - you'd never know they are FX-Rs when the lights are off, unless of course you spot the clear lens.

gaz1234 said:

Your subframe. Do you recall where exactly the crack was?

Not exactly, they showed me a digital picture (which was sent off to BMW AG), pretty sure it was on the left side somewhere. They can develop in other areas around the boot floor though.

aspirated said:

I can but dream of you and mwstewart embarking on a joint project to create the ultimate E46 M3

You certainly don't do things by halves, so where did you ship the lights off to be retrofitted, and forgive me for being so crass but how how much did it cost?

Haha, maybe we should find an uncared for M3 and bring it back to life!

The lights were shipped to New Jersey - USA. Took around two weeks in total for the retrofit. At the time 'to my knowledge' there was no one in the UK that could do this. The cost excluding shipping was around £420 including parts and labour. For that I had the FX-Rs professionally installed, and ready to be plugged in.

A month or so later I shared those pictures with some M3 members, they started a group buy for the projector parts (same as those used by Lightwerkz). A member from totalmcars.com has been performing the retrofit for members himself. It's hardcore DIY and there are guides out there, but experience pays off here big time. I believe if you were to just buy the parts you are looking at around £200, so quite a saving.

[gaz1234]

sure, mine has a seam starting to go, but the floor itself is ok.

[aspirated]

Diablo85 said:

around £420 including parts and labour

Wow, much less than I expected for some reason, well worth the money

[StoatInACoat]

Great thread and interesting pictures and writeup on the Vanos and oily bits. Lovely car, very jealous!

[Diablo85]

StoatInACoat said:

Great thread and interesting pictures and writeup on the Vanos and oily bits. Lovely car, very jealous!

Thank you - honestly if you compare the cost of the VANOS bits to mods it seems silly not to get it all sorted and future proof.

---

So several months later after installing the B6 + H&Rs I wanted to go back to a coilover system, but this time on my terms, my choice. I'm fortunate with having superb country roads nearby in Derbyshire, it's such good fun on a blast. B6 + H&Rs were good, but I just missed that 'on-rails' handling I had with coilovers.

This time, I wanted to buy a decent kit, one that offers great road comfort handling and high performance when required - in the suspension game that means 'you get what you pay for'

I also decided to switch to the 18"s - now this will divide opinion I'm sure but I had an itch to put the classics 18"s on, plus I wanted to sample the difference in ride quality, if any?

Here's the kit:

The Original Gold - Ohlins Road & Track

Here is the kit in full (picture from modbargains):




The quality is immense - I felt guilty knowing they will accumulate road dirt. I've made sure they are thoroughly waxed to protect them as much as possible.

---

Ohlins Install

I've known about Center Gravity for a while, they mainly work on Porsches but work on other vehicles too, including the M3 (they have M3 CSL clients). They've worked on many high end coilover systems, so I was confident they could help me extract every bit of performance from my kit.

I won't go into detail here about the company as there is a lot of information on google. Their web site is also full of useful information: http://www.centregravity.co.uk/

Center Gravity is run by Chris Franklin, his wife Jane and Pete Leason. They are highly regarded by their clients as the best geo in the UK. Many of their clients travel from as far as Scotland, Northern Ireland and London to their base in Warwickshire (near M42/A5).

To think of 'Center Gravity' as just a geo would be missing the point... It's an experience! You'll learn soo much more about suspension geometry and you get to work with them side by side on your car

Just talk to Chris about 'what you want' from the car and he'll help you get there. Google them and read the testimonials and you'll get the point.

My aim was simple, to have a setup that could make daily drives a real pleasure on our ever increasing 'crappy' roads, whilst at the same time being flexible (adjustable) enough for me to enjoy a spirited drive on a b-road. To achieve this I really wanted to go down to 18"s - but I'd want to control the ride height without affecting the damping, thus coilovers, ideally Ohlins with their Dual Flow Valve (DFV) tech.



Ok enough reading, I'll get on with the pics...

There are lots of pics here, but who cares, right - lets roll!

DAY 1

At this point it was around 7pm and I had to leave. Chris carried on working for a few more hours...

---

Day 2

I arrived at 8:30 in the morning, all the cars were locked up overnight.

I fell in love with the GTO... wow








































































These pictures only represent a fraction of what happened over those two days. For example, the car wasn't always on the ramp, it went through quite a few test drives and then some more tweaking.

Also, with ECP, Eibach and Bilstein warehouses being soo close by, Chris was able to nip out and get any parts required within the hour ( provided they were open ).

All in all, it was a blast and I thank Chris, Jane and Pete for their excellent service.

Costs and other info can be found on their web site - it's mainly done by quotes as every 'project' is different. Of course this is not a 'low cost' service but do bear in mind a standard Road/Track alignment package will be very thorough, there is a reason why their web site tell's you to bring your own sandwiches As you've seen from my experience, there is no such thing as 'closing time' - Chris works all hours to make sure your car is ready without any compromise.

As for the car and how it handles - The drive back home was simply awesome, poised, controlled and comfortable. I drove the car over a well known rough road in my area, no jarring at all - almost felt like riding through syrup lol.

The OEM 18"s look stunning in person, quite a hard wheel to picture if I'm honest. We tried 15mm/12mm setup but the rears rubbed (due to tyre wall) so I opted for 12mm/10mm instead and this solved the rubbing issues. CSL lovers do not fear, there's always the possibility for them to return.

I'll post a my full review of the Ohlins soon.

If you've made it this far thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the pics

[Leins]

Excellent write-up, thanks for posting!

[BullyB]

Great read, thanks for sharing.

I went to see the CG guys last month with a day arranged by the Porsche club (TIPEC) - great day out.
I will be booking my M3 in soon

[vescaegg]

I need to stop being scared of big bills and just get an E46 M3 soon. It needs to be done.

That colour on csl's is just PERFECT.

[mwstewart]

Superb. I will pay this outfit a visit based on your write up.

P.S. replace your steering wheel. It look like it could get up and crawl out of the car

[Diablo85]

Cheers gents!

mwstewart said:

Superb. I will pay this outfit a visit based on your write up.

P.S. replace your steering wheel. It look like it could get up and crawl out of the car

Already on it Mr stewart - Will be visiting Jack from RSW tomorrow for a retrim.

I have loved the alcantara trim, there really is nothing quite like it. Sadly they don't last long, especially if you don't maintain them or in my case regular driving takes its toll.

Can't wait for the retrim!

[LanceRS]

Thank or sharing this, I am really enjoying following this one. Keep it up.

[dom9]

As per MWS's thread - loving the updates!

[Diablo85]

Cheers guys.

Here are some pics I took a few days after the install. It's low but the ride is surprisingly great thanks to the Ohlins

---

I also had my steering wheel retrimmed by Jack over the weekend, along with some SMG paddles:


Storm SMG Paddles:
These are popular with M3 owners - I took a different route though and decided purchase 'non-illuminated' version. It's personal opinion but I think they look a lot better, the deep recess +/- makes it look even sharper.




















I'll always love the feel of Alcantara, but from a practical standpoint of a daily driver it just requires too much maintenance. I went for soft nappa leather with extra padding and have no regrets, it looks great and feels very nice too.

The SMG paddles are a real surprise, the heavier weight makes SMG shifts so much more tactile, it feels like SMG shifts are quicker - let me explain...

Before, I had aftermarket elongated paddles made out of plastic. These would often flex when I pressed them, with the Storm paddles there is no flexing since they are made out of metal. I just wish I changed them earlier!

I've left some gaiters with Jack for a retrim, will hopefully have those soon.

Thats it for now.

Thanks for reading.

[mwstewart]

The paddles look great and actually go with the car. I've seen an SMG lever and handbrake lever made by Storm and they look absolutely foul, but what you've chosen there actually enhances the interior. Nice touch.

[martin mrt]

What an absolute stunner of a car, and a great thread.

[Diablo85]

martin mrt said:

What an absolute stunner of a car, and a great thread.

Many thanks

mwstewart said:

The paddles look great and actually go with the car. I've seen an SMG lever and handbrake lever made by Storm and they look absolutely foul, but what you've chosen there actually enhances the interior. Nice touch.

Funny you should say that. I've used the Storm SMG lever in person, from an ergonomics view it is wonderful but there is just something about it that feels out of place to me. Often I feel this is because of the lack of a gear diagram decal on the top. Yes there is one machined into it, but it isn't as good as a decal.

As for the handbrake lever it depends which one you are talking about imo. The only one I like is the brushed metal edition - I've used on in person, it's lovely. However I do not like the other styles at all, especially those which have half leather/alcantara in between the metal handle

I could of easily gone overboard with the wheel with a bit of alcantara, perforated leather, nappa leather all mixed into it, but I chose to keep it simple and clean and I think it works really well.

[mwstewart]

Diablo85 said:

Funny you should say that. I've used the Storm SMG lever in person, from an ergonomics view it is wonderful but there is just something about it that feels out of place to me. Often I feel this is because of the lack of a gear diagram decal on the top. Yes there is one machined into it, but it isn't as good as a decal.

As for the handbrake lever it depends which one you are talking about imo. The only one I like is the brushed metal edition - I've used on in person, it's lovely. However I do not like the other styles at all, especially those which have half leather/alcantara in between the metal handle

I could of easily gone overboard with the wheel with a bit of alcantara, perforated leather, nappa leather all mixed into it, but I chose to keep it simple and clean and I think it works really well.

Agree with you on all of that. Leather is certainly best for a DD

[melvster]

Gorgeous M3 and a great write up

Looks stunning in this pic, so purposeful

[Tom182]

If I had an M3, this is EXACTLY how I would want it. Awesome car and project!

I'm glad I came across this thread; I've been looking for somewhere to have the geometry setup on my Clio Trophy and it turns out Center Gravity are based 25 mins from where I live. Although, I'm not sure my little Clio is of the right calibre to take there