My BMW E46 330i Sport
Discussion
Right I've been out again, I think the difference now is where I used to spin an inside wheel only, it now spins both making the rear end slide, I've rarely been able to get it sideways out of junctions before, that has changed now! 
They also screech so loud, louder than any tyre I've used before. I tried to scub them in a little, and accidentally on purpose made a nice little 11. 
It's like having a new car again. Wahooooo!!!!
Elevenses by tlynchie, on Flickr
Oh and I did get time to take some photos of the wheels, think they look alright, far too much archgap though. Need some coilovers I think.
E46 330i on Style 68s by tlynchie, on Flickr
E46 330i on Style 68s by tlynchie, on Flickr
They also screech so loud, louder than any tyre I've used before. I tried to scub them in a little, and accidentally on purpose made a nice little 11. It's like having a new car again. Wahooooo!!!!
Elevenses by tlynchie, on Flickr
Oh and I did get time to take some photos of the wheels, think they look alright, far too much archgap though. Need some coilovers I think.
E46 330i on Style 68s by tlynchie, on Flickr
E46 330i on Style 68s by tlynchie, on Flickr
Edited by petrolveins on Monday 4th February 15:20
Few interesting comments here, regarding the coilovers, I've read some very good things about HSD coilovers, specifically regarding E46 use of them. Fully adjustable, and when properly setup are excellent on track, and with adjustable damping still comfortable on road.
With regards to changing to a square setup the forums all seem to think it is an excellent idea, taking away that built in understeer designed into all road cars. I was chatting to a few mates of mine, all racing drivers and as they put it, there is a reason all the manufacturers put the cars on a staggered setup, it's the same with all the cars, M5s, M3s, AMGs the lot. We aren't all driving Gods and that understeer right on the limit tells when you need to back off, otherwise you are just going to loose it backwards into wall. Of course if you drive the car properly you can still set quick laps and get around the understeer issue, heck you can still drift the car around all the corners if you please. Also a car with wider fronts will tramline even more and aquaplane even worse.
With regards to the wheel size comments, as one of my mates said, look at a F1 car tyre, it's all tyre wall, that's where they can generate the heat from. My BMW on 17s with higher tyre walls, will handle better than it did on lower profiles with 18s. Not to mention the 17s are much lighter wheels too. He then added if I really enjoy Donny then should buy cheap E36 as a track car, and I rather agree.
With regards to changing to a square setup the forums all seem to think it is an excellent idea, taking away that built in understeer designed into all road cars. I was chatting to a few mates of mine, all racing drivers and as they put it, there is a reason all the manufacturers put the cars on a staggered setup, it's the same with all the cars, M5s, M3s, AMGs the lot. We aren't all driving Gods and that understeer right on the limit tells when you need to back off, otherwise you are just going to loose it backwards into wall. Of course if you drive the car properly you can still set quick laps and get around the understeer issue, heck you can still drift the car around all the corners if you please. Also a car with wider fronts will tramline even more and aquaplane even worse.
With regards to the wheel size comments, as one of my mates said, look at a F1 car tyre, it's all tyre wall, that's where they can generate the heat from. My BMW on 17s with higher tyre walls, will handle better than it did on lower profiles with 18s. Not to mention the 17s are much lighter wheels too. He then added if I really enjoy Donny then should buy cheap E36 as a track car, and I rather agree.
Time for another update. The car has successfully completed it and my first ever track day at Donington.
Had an absolutely awesome time, and the car was excellent, only small issues to speak of which I will mention in a moment.
One of my mates who happens to be a racing driver came along with me, and also rather usefully acted as chauffeur to and from the track, it was a very early 4:30am start so I was grateful he was driving me. He immediately commented on how soggy the suspension felt compared to his own E39 Sport, I thought it was normal, but he pointed out the car would pitch and roll before the car would turn, nothing wrong with it, just 10 year old suspension that is a bit worn. I had also decided to bring the set of 18s I usually have on the car as spares, and ran the newly purchased 17s with more rubber on them, this rubber later turned out to be pretty hard stuff, and combined with the cold meant we didn't actually wear them that much, so didn't need the spares.
In the days leading upto the track day I was pretty nervous, so had taken out track insurance on the car, and on the actually morning I was properly petrified when I first got on the track, everything flying past me, I was a mess. My mate though is an absolute legend and got me through the first little outing. The format of the day was open pitlane which suited us perfectly. He took me around a few times to show me the lines, braking points and everything. Then I got behind the wheel again, still quite nervous and tense, but steadily get the hang of it and started enjoying myself, we started with the DSC in it's half off mode, so it didn't grab the brakes in every corner, but didn't allow me to get the car out of shape and spin off. It was a very cold day, just about freezing, but it was dry, so I was nervous about spinning off, enough people did. Towards the end of the morning we found the car cutting out briefly every time we exited Coppice, and were pretty sure it wasn't mechanical so asked some of the M3 guys there what they thought it might be, heads were scratched, and someone asked how much fuel we had, half a tank, they suggested we fill up to the brim and see what happens, and sure enough back on track all was good, we were running the tank too low for that corner and sucking on air briefly. My mate commented how we were the only standard road car there, everything else from the Mini Cooper S to the 911 GT3 wasn't standard. For standard OEM brakes we were both impressed, they didn't fade on us once, we probably didn't pound them enough for that to happen, but I think we did boil the fluid, and my god did they stink. Even still, they got a little spongey towards the end, and we got some vibration through the steering wheel which sorted itself out. Other than that the car did not miss a beat, it was fantastic. I was also so chuffed with the progress I made, my mate was an excellent coach, and I found myself passing a lot of the other cars by the end of the day. The 330ci on coilovers and semi-slicks that was flying past us in the morning I was able to pass comfortably by the afternoon, most of the MX-5s were dealt with too.
Funnily enough I had another mate there testing a Ginetta which was good fun having him fly past us several times. But the E46 did very well considering the state of the suspension and the tyres. I only had one pant-wetting moment, entering craner on the kerb the back end stepped wide a little at 90mph+ but managed to catch it. It was great fun with my mate behind the wheel, had a 1M on our tail he somehow managed to shake loose. I got the GoPro out towards the end, and this morning watching the footage of me driving timed a 1:34.5 towards the end of the day, which doesn't sound too bad to me.
Overall, an absolutely fantastic day, really feel I came on leaps and bounds and really achieved something, I reckon with decent suspension and some proper tyres it would be even quicker than the cars I couldn't keep up with yesterday. I've totally caught the bug and wondering now what parts of the interior are really necessary and what coilovers I should get. I do however need to get saving up before I do anything else.
The star though aside from my mate, who I can't thank enough for teaching me so much, is really the car; managed 11.8 mpg on track, and then managed 39mpg on the M40 with the spare set of wheel and tyres in the back. It was really balanced on track, stopped well, turn in was good, it stood up well to a whole day on track, and didn't ever complain, except when we didn't give it enough fuel. I'm not really used to doing 11.8mpg, but more impressively it took both of us, 4 wheels and tyres and helmets and stuff up and down in comfort, without any squeaks or rattles and even did 39mpg on the M40 with the cruise control set to 80. Absolutely cracking car, can't think of a better all rounder I'd rather own.
There are a few photos floating about I'll try post up later.
Had an absolutely awesome time, and the car was excellent, only small issues to speak of which I will mention in a moment.
One of my mates who happens to be a racing driver came along with me, and also rather usefully acted as chauffeur to and from the track, it was a very early 4:30am start so I was grateful he was driving me. He immediately commented on how soggy the suspension felt compared to his own E39 Sport, I thought it was normal, but he pointed out the car would pitch and roll before the car would turn, nothing wrong with it, just 10 year old suspension that is a bit worn. I had also decided to bring the set of 18s I usually have on the car as spares, and ran the newly purchased 17s with more rubber on them, this rubber later turned out to be pretty hard stuff, and combined with the cold meant we didn't actually wear them that much, so didn't need the spares.
In the days leading upto the track day I was pretty nervous, so had taken out track insurance on the car, and on the actually morning I was properly petrified when I first got on the track, everything flying past me, I was a mess. My mate though is an absolute legend and got me through the first little outing. The format of the day was open pitlane which suited us perfectly. He took me around a few times to show me the lines, braking points and everything. Then I got behind the wheel again, still quite nervous and tense, but steadily get the hang of it and started enjoying myself, we started with the DSC in it's half off mode, so it didn't grab the brakes in every corner, but didn't allow me to get the car out of shape and spin off. It was a very cold day, just about freezing, but it was dry, so I was nervous about spinning off, enough people did. Towards the end of the morning we found the car cutting out briefly every time we exited Coppice, and were pretty sure it wasn't mechanical so asked some of the M3 guys there what they thought it might be, heads were scratched, and someone asked how much fuel we had, half a tank, they suggested we fill up to the brim and see what happens, and sure enough back on track all was good, we were running the tank too low for that corner and sucking on air briefly. My mate commented how we were the only standard road car there, everything else from the Mini Cooper S to the 911 GT3 wasn't standard. For standard OEM brakes we were both impressed, they didn't fade on us once, we probably didn't pound them enough for that to happen, but I think we did boil the fluid, and my god did they stink. Even still, they got a little spongey towards the end, and we got some vibration through the steering wheel which sorted itself out. Other than that the car did not miss a beat, it was fantastic. I was also so chuffed with the progress I made, my mate was an excellent coach, and I found myself passing a lot of the other cars by the end of the day. The 330ci on coilovers and semi-slicks that was flying past us in the morning I was able to pass comfortably by the afternoon, most of the MX-5s were dealt with too.
Funnily enough I had another mate there testing a Ginetta which was good fun having him fly past us several times. But the E46 did very well considering the state of the suspension and the tyres. I only had one pant-wetting moment, entering craner on the kerb the back end stepped wide a little at 90mph+ but managed to catch it. It was great fun with my mate behind the wheel, had a 1M on our tail he somehow managed to shake loose. I got the GoPro out towards the end, and this morning watching the footage of me driving timed a 1:34.5 towards the end of the day, which doesn't sound too bad to me.
Overall, an absolutely fantastic day, really feel I came on leaps and bounds and really achieved something, I reckon with decent suspension and some proper tyres it would be even quicker than the cars I couldn't keep up with yesterday. I've totally caught the bug and wondering now what parts of the interior are really necessary and what coilovers I should get. I do however need to get saving up before I do anything else.
The star though aside from my mate, who I can't thank enough for teaching me so much, is really the car; managed 11.8 mpg on track, and then managed 39mpg on the M40 with the spare set of wheel and tyres in the back. It was really balanced on track, stopped well, turn in was good, it stood up well to a whole day on track, and didn't ever complain, except when we didn't give it enough fuel. I'm not really used to doing 11.8mpg, but more impressively it took both of us, 4 wheels and tyres and helmets and stuff up and down in comfort, without any squeaks or rattles and even did 39mpg on the M40 with the cruise control set to 80. Absolutely cracking car, can't think of a better all rounder I'd rather own.
There are a few photos floating about I'll try post up later.
james_gt3rs said:
Wait for the 'My trackday modified BMW E46 330i Sport' post next month...
Don't even tempt me! The soggy suspension is a great excuse for coilovers and a decent performance exhaust is needed too, and I'm not sure how much of that heavy interior I really need. Just need to stop being broke first before anything gets done. Photo time, big thanks to Nick Barrett at Xtreme Sports Photography for all the photos.
XSP_55-4 by tlynchie, on Flickr
XSP_0224-5 by tlynchie, on Flickr
XSP_0289-18 by tlynchie, on Flickr
That's my mate Tom in the yellow Ginetta.
XSP_0547-9 by tlynchie, on Flickr
XSP_0568-10 by tlynchie, on Flickr
XSP_0624-14 by tlynchie, on Flickr
XSP_0845-15 by tlynchie, on Flickr
XSP_55-4 by tlynchie, on Flickr
XSP_0224-5 by tlynchie, on Flickr
XSP_0289-18 by tlynchie, on Flickr
That's my mate Tom in the yellow Ginetta.
XSP_0547-9 by tlynchie, on Flickr
XSP_0568-10 by tlynchie, on Flickr
XSP_0624-14 by tlynchie, on Flickr
XSP_0845-15 by tlynchie, on Flickr
First time I have personally washed it in months, usually goes through the machine at work without me even knowing every once in a while. I leave it with the keys in it in the work yard intending to wash it at myself, but usually one of the valet guys spots it and has it done for me before I even know it. Love those guys. Utter legends.
That reminds me, must get those photos onto Flickr and here.
In other news I haven't spent any money at all on the car recently except fuel, tyres and brakes are still fine, but the big service is due next month or so, so I'll probably spend some more money on the car at the same time. Still love it though, and don't really want to get rid.
That reminds me, must get those photos onto Flickr and here.
In other news I haven't spent any money at all on the car recently except fuel, tyres and brakes are still fine, but the big service is due next month or so, so I'll probably spend some more money on the car at the same time. Still love it though, and don't really want to get rid.
Thanks for that cava. I'm sure my standard suspension ride has got worse, really crashy at low speed, and quite wallowy at high speed. Can't wait to get it all sorted out and riding a bit lower and flatter. Haven't looked much into anti-roll bars, I'll just ask my BMW mechanic to have a look over it all, my mate from Donington was under the impression the front anti-roll bar needs replacing.
As promised here is a video from Donington. My first ever track day, probably the BMWs first ever track day too, and it was stunning. Suspension felt worn, tyres were crap and very hard, but it did a stunning job. Sadly I don't have it on video but at the hands of my mate it even held off a 1M until the Dunlop Straight. My mate who came along to coach me for the day is a rather good Racing Driver, so massive credit to him, compared to my first few laps of the day I progressed so much and learnt so much over the day. Still a fair way to go though, planning a return visit after the summer. I will try find a video of my mate driving the car to compare.
For reference the best time from the video I can work out is a 1min 34s, no idea if that's any good.
Anyway here is the video, 2 flying laps of Donny, and exiting into the pits at the end, and no I wasn't really trying to catch that Clio 182 Cup at all
https://vimeo.com/68280972
For reference the best time from the video I can work out is a 1min 34s, no idea if that's any good.
Anyway here is the video, 2 flying laps of Donny, and exiting into the pits at the end, and no I wasn't really trying to catch that Clio 182 Cup at all
https://vimeo.com/68280972
Been out in the sun today, just for a drive, out for hours just driving. Then I found this field and took this.
My E46 in a field in the sunshine. by tlynchie, on Flickr
I'm pretty chuffed with it.
That video from Donny some of you asked for is still here, not that any of you have looked at it. :P
My E46 in a field in the sunshine. by tlynchie, on Flickr
I'm pretty chuffed with it.
That video from Donny some of you asked for is still here, not that any of you have looked at it. :P
Hadn't realised how long it's been since I updated.
Quick recap in order then....
Amber lights fitted all round, car now looks ZHP or US Spec which I love.
One of the Xenons broke again, so Halogens back on, haven't had time to look into the source of the problem but they reflectors were crap anyway, so gonna refurb the internals before winter.
Coilovers fitted, crack in subframe found.
Crack in subframe fixed, now highly recommended that I get the Turner Motorsport reinforcement kit.
Drop link fell off a week later, bracket then rubbed the tyre down badly on the inside wall.
Replaced drop link and thread locked bracket.
Car now eats corners for breakfast.
Trying to stop spending money on car, spent an eye watering amount on car lately.
Refuse to ever sell car, but gonna save to buy a stable mate.
Need to track it now, also thinking about a drift day at Oulton.
Next projects: new wheels, subframe work, louder exhaust, fix xenons and some cosmetic bits and bobs, LSD????
But before all that I would like to get a second car, was a nightmare when mine was in out of the garage with the coilovers and following issues. A new car would hopefully distract me from the things I want to do to the E46.
And.... Breath.
Quick recap in order then....
Amber lights fitted all round, car now looks ZHP or US Spec which I love.
One of the Xenons broke again, so Halogens back on, haven't had time to look into the source of the problem but they reflectors were crap anyway, so gonna refurb the internals before winter.
Coilovers fitted, crack in subframe found.
Crack in subframe fixed, now highly recommended that I get the Turner Motorsport reinforcement kit.
Drop link fell off a week later, bracket then rubbed the tyre down badly on the inside wall.
Replaced drop link and thread locked bracket.
Car now eats corners for breakfast.
Trying to stop spending money on car, spent an eye watering amount on car lately.
Refuse to ever sell car, but gonna save to buy a stable mate.
Need to track it now, also thinking about a drift day at Oulton.
Next projects: new wheels, subframe work, louder exhaust, fix xenons and some cosmetic bits and bobs, LSD????
But before all that I would like to get a second car, was a nightmare when mine was in out of the garage with the coilovers and following issues. A new car would hopefully distract me from the things I want to do to the E46.
And.... Breath.
philmots said:
I was just going to say if you're after tracking it a lot more then an LSD has to be pretty close to the top of the list.
Not cheap though.
Now that the suspension has been done, I think tyres are the next best thing to do, with more grip not sure how much use the LSD will be, I didn't really miss not having one on track. On wet roads tho I do Not cheap though.
Clivey said:
Bloody hell...you've been busy! I almost wish I hadn't bought a house!
I'm interested in the subframe issue. - I didn't think it affected the LCI cars. - I'd like to be certain that my 320i is OK. Is it something I can check myself?
I used to keep a log of what I've spent on the car, then when the fuel alone added to the value of the car I stopped. I should really get myself a full time Job so I can fund things other than the car.I'm interested in the subframe issue. - I didn't think it affected the LCI cars. - I'd like to be certain that my 320i is OK. Is it something I can check myself?
Yeah the subframe story was a funny one. I've used a new mechanic for this as he's more motorsport focused than my old BMW indy chap, turns out they use each other for stuff too actually.
When I dropped it off for coilovers to be fitted I asked if he could just inspect the car for cracks in the subframe, just something I was paranoid about. He said not to worry it only affected pre-facelift and M3s. Then about an hour later I got a phone call starting.. "Tom, you know I said that only the M3 suffered it, well yours does too."
I can't find the photo he sent me, but it was a hairline crack about an inch long near the back of the boot, he's sorted it all now. But recommended the Turner kit, which I had considered anyway. He's gonna try keep the labour to a minimum but it is gonna be a few hundred quid. Reckons it will still be fine on track, just not to do any launches with it.
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