Just starting out with an E46 330ci budget track car build
Discussion
gchristofi said:
Excellent, looks like you're ready to go. I think my car also had the original water pump, thermostat and aux belt before the recent work... testament to how well they can last but certainly not something to take to circuit and risk losing out on track time! Look forward to your updates on the first track outing... really keen to hear how you fare with the GAZ coilovers... may need some more info on those.
I’ll let you know how I get on with the GAZ pal!Only a little thing to note initially but I’ve reversed off my ramp in a lot of cars with a lot of coilover’s on and one thing I’ve noticed with the GAZ over anything else is that when I reverse off the pad there is literally no bounce at all, the struts just seem to soak everything up!!
I came in to work this morning to get the last few bits and pieces sorted out and fixed up on the car ready for tomorrow!! Was greeted to a flat tyre so I sorted that, also realized on the last minute that I had a sticking brake caliper so I’ve swapped out both front calipers on a last minute thing but that’s all now done too!!
Gave her a bath and we’re ready to go, roll on Oulton now!!
Really excited to get out there tomorrow and see what the cars like, a little apprehensive to as it’s a totally new car and setup but I’ll build into the day slowly and see how it goes!
Gave her a bath and we’re ready to go, roll on Oulton now!!
Really excited to get out there tomorrow and see what the cars like, a little apprehensive to as it’s a totally new car and setup but I’ll build into the day slowly and see how it goes!
Oulton Park update: 9/11/19
The day started off at 5:30 AM when my alarm went off, looked out of the window and it was dry so I’m already thinking result as the weather forecast showed that it was going to snow at one point. Met up with a friend in his supercharged mini and my brother in his 335D and after the compulsory maccies breakfast we arrived at Oulton at about 7:30.
It was cold, very very cold but crucially it was still dry. We set up the gazebo and got the cars sorted out and ready to go and had the safety briefing and we were all ready to go.
The car felt absolutely spot on on the sighting laps, very planted and stable even at the higher speeds of the sighting lap it was feeling good already.
Managed to get in a lot of laps throughout the day with no hiccups at all really, the car got a misfire coming up to druids in the middle of the day but cycled the ignition in the paddock and it restarted without the misfire (cyl 3) so deleted the faults and carried on.
Thoughts on the car are that it’s absolutely brilliant, I’m so happy with how it’s turned out and that all the hard work I’ve put in has paid off. It feels to turn in to corners really really nicely and overall just feels very very stable during cornering at high speed. I can’t decide whether I could feeling it pushing out slightly on cascades but this could just be a characteristic of the corner itself and not the car. I was no where to finding the limits of what the car can do as my ability isn’t anywhere near good enough yet! I know it can go a lot quicker but confidence/cojones need to increase for this!! (first track day in this car and only second time at Oulton) but it’s going to be a great car to learn in and develop myself in. More seat time is definitely the focus now for me.
Things that I want to improve on in the car are lose more weight, it’s heavy and I think it feels heavy, especially under braking, I was also getting a brake judder after about 6 laps so I think I might have a sticking caliper. I still have a lot more things to remove from the car to lighten it up so that’s ok. Another thing I want to improve on is noise, with my helmet on you can hardly even hear it, even the noise tester was taking the p*** asking me if it was running during the noise test. Overall though absolutely chuffed with it, had a great day, as a final not too it’s definitely worth investing money in the right places were track cars are concerned, my GAZ monks were a stretch for me to afford but on track they’re something else, minimal body roll and the car handles unbelievably well (I’ve not even had a chance to take it out on semi slicks because the weather was so bad so it can only get better)
Also I think I counted 4 or 5 330’s on this track day so their popularity as a track car I would say seems to be increasing.
The day started off at 5:30 AM when my alarm went off, looked out of the window and it was dry so I’m already thinking result as the weather forecast showed that it was going to snow at one point. Met up with a friend in his supercharged mini and my brother in his 335D and after the compulsory maccies breakfast we arrived at Oulton at about 7:30.
It was cold, very very cold but crucially it was still dry. We set up the gazebo and got the cars sorted out and ready to go and had the safety briefing and we were all ready to go.
The car felt absolutely spot on on the sighting laps, very planted and stable even at the higher speeds of the sighting lap it was feeling good already.
Managed to get in a lot of laps throughout the day with no hiccups at all really, the car got a misfire coming up to druids in the middle of the day but cycled the ignition in the paddock and it restarted without the misfire (cyl 3) so deleted the faults and carried on.
Thoughts on the car are that it’s absolutely brilliant, I’m so happy with how it’s turned out and that all the hard work I’ve put in has paid off. It feels to turn in to corners really really nicely and overall just feels very very stable during cornering at high speed. I can’t decide whether I could feeling it pushing out slightly on cascades but this could just be a characteristic of the corner itself and not the car. I was no where to finding the limits of what the car can do as my ability isn’t anywhere near good enough yet! I know it can go a lot quicker but confidence/cojones need to increase for this!! (first track day in this car and only second time at Oulton) but it’s going to be a great car to learn in and develop myself in. More seat time is definitely the focus now for me.
Things that I want to improve on in the car are lose more weight, it’s heavy and I think it feels heavy, especially under braking, I was also getting a brake judder after about 6 laps so I think I might have a sticking caliper. I still have a lot more things to remove from the car to lighten it up so that’s ok. Another thing I want to improve on is noise, with my helmet on you can hardly even hear it, even the noise tester was taking the p*** asking me if it was running during the noise test. Overall though absolutely chuffed with it, had a great day, as a final not too it’s definitely worth investing money in the right places were track cars are concerned, my GAZ monks were a stretch for me to afford but on track they’re something else, minimal body roll and the car handles unbelievably well (I’ve not even had a chance to take it out on semi slicks because the weather was so bad so it can only get better)
Also I think I counted 4 or 5 330’s on this track day so their popularity as a track car I would say seems to be increasing.
We were at Oulton on Friday with the BMW Car Club....we had the legacy of the wet conditions in the previous 24hrs though the track dried quickly. There were certainly a few 330s on our day as well as a couple more 325ti’s in addition to ours. In comparison our Compact runs Yoko ADO8Rs & even though it was no more than about 9C, we managed to get some reasonable heat into our tyres (they’ve done 6 days so far with mostly 2 drivers on each outing so they’ve lasted well).
I’ll be looking at firming up the rear coil overs to reduce the body roll on the rear.
Talking of weight loss/stripping out the interior, I’m reluctant to start removing carpets/trim bits unless it’s necessary as we’re not chasing small weight savings - removing rear seats/spare wheels/carriers excepted (& I’m the one that tends to drive to/from the track in it
)
I’ll be looking at firming up the rear coil overs to reduce the body roll on the rear.
Talking of weight loss/stripping out the interior, I’m reluctant to start removing carpets/trim bits unless it’s necessary as we’re not chasing small weight savings - removing rear seats/spare wheels/carriers excepted (& I’m the one that tends to drive to/from the track in it
)Sounds like you had a great time. The heaviness thing is something that's going to take a LOT of work to improve, as the car came out of the factory weighing over 1500kg.
As for improving the noise situation, I saw a few videos online of cars with the centre resonator chopped out and the rear exhaust flap removed. It seems like a cheap way (should be ~£100) to get a bit more bark.
My 330s both had Ramair foam filter intakes too, which sounded ace at high revs - no idea what they did for performance though.
As for improving the noise situation, I saw a few videos online of cars with the centre resonator chopped out and the rear exhaust flap removed. It seems like a cheap way (should be ~£100) to get a bit more bark.
My 330s both had Ramair foam filter intakes too, which sounded ace at high revs - no idea what they did for performance though.
duds100 said:
Cool build. With the MV1's, what rim width & tyre aspect ratio are you running front/rear. Are those pics above with the 12mm spacers installed?
Sorry I’ve only just replied to this mate!The spec is as follows:
Front 8J MV1 Michelin Pilot Super Sport 225/40/18 12MM Spacer
Rear 8.5J MV1 Michelin Pilot Super Sport
245/35/18 12MM Spacer
The car sits really nice with these specs, I think the correct tyre size for the rear is 255/35/18 but I’ve not noticed any difference running the slightly thinner tyre.
helix402 said:
You can fit an E46 Conv 20mm rear arb if you want a cheap rear upgrade. M3 Conv 27mm one fits the front. It has a slightly different angle for fixing the arb links but still fits and works.
Thanks Helix!Am I also right in assuming that an e46 M3 front anti roll bar will fit a non M car?
Andrew-b90y3 said:
Thanks Helix!
Am I also right in assuming that an e46 M3 front anti roll bar will fit a non M car?
Sorry, yes I meant an M3 Conv 27mm front bar, it fits but the arb link mounting is slightly different. Works fine and fits. I have that bar on my 330d and a 19 on the rear from a 328Ci as I had a spare one. The 20 rears are a little harder to find though I think even new ones aren’t too expensive.Am I also right in assuming that an e46 M3 front anti roll bar will fit a non M car?
Sounds like a great first outing for this car... did you ever figure out the misfire? Strange that it reset itself on restarting, Did you ever pull a code?
I found the change to anti roll bars had a massive effect on tuning under steer out of the chassis, more so than adding coil overs. Mine are adjustable and with 27mm front and 21mm rears. I found the best setting to be softest at front and hardest at rear. Shedding weight also helped alot. Latest tally is 110kg stripped out, and expecting another 10-15kg saving when pulling the seats for Corbeau club sports.
Exhaust note has been transformed with a stainless system. To date, my car has always been a point of amusement at noise testing.... think the most I ever managed was a heady 83 db!!!
Hopefully the new system, which is a little loud for long road trips, will still pass testing at my local circuits.... Was a bargain and also helped shed best part of 20kg by removing the v heavy oem system; let me know if you want more details.
When is your next outing?
I found the change to anti roll bars had a massive effect on tuning under steer out of the chassis, more so than adding coil overs. Mine are adjustable and with 27mm front and 21mm rears. I found the best setting to be softest at front and hardest at rear. Shedding weight also helped alot. Latest tally is 110kg stripped out, and expecting another 10-15kg saving when pulling the seats for Corbeau club sports.
Exhaust note has been transformed with a stainless system. To date, my car has always been a point of amusement at noise testing.... think the most I ever managed was a heady 83 db!!!
Hopefully the new system, which is a little loud for long road trips, will still pass testing at my local circuits.... Was a bargain and also helped shed best part of 20kg by removing the v heavy oem system; let me know if you want more details.When is your next outing?
gchristofi said:
Sounds like a great first outing for this car... did you ever figure out the misfire? Strange that it reset itself on restarting, Did you ever pull a code?
I found the change to anti roll bars had a massive effect on tuning under steer out of the chassis, more so than adding coil overs. Mine are adjustable and with 27mm front and 21mm rears. I found the best setting to be softest at front and hardest at rear. Shedding weight also helped alot. Latest tally is 110kg stripped out, and expecting another 10-15kg saving when pulling the seats for Corbeau club sports.
Exhaust note has been transformed with a stainless system. To date, my car has always been a point of amusement at noise testing.... think the most I ever managed was a heady 83 db!!! Hopefully the new system, which is a little loud for long road trips, will still pass testing at my local circuits.... Was a bargain and also helped shed best part of 20kg by removing the v heavy oem system; let me know if you want more details.
When is your next outing?
I never did figure out the misfire! My guess would be that it’s an ignition coil that’s overheated and been switched off by the DME as this can really be the only explanation for the fault going when I cycled the ignition. I had a basic scanner with me so I scanned the car and misfire cyl 3 was stored but to be honest I didn’t look into it any deeper than that! I need to change all the spark plugs as a matter of course anyway as I don’t think they’ve ever been changed and I’m going to carry an ignition coil in my track day spares box.I found the change to anti roll bars had a massive effect on tuning under steer out of the chassis, more so than adding coil overs. Mine are adjustable and with 27mm front and 21mm rears. I found the best setting to be softest at front and hardest at rear. Shedding weight also helped alot. Latest tally is 110kg stripped out, and expecting another 10-15kg saving when pulling the seats for Corbeau club sports.
Exhaust note has been transformed with a stainless system. To date, my car has always been a point of amusement at noise testing.... think the most I ever managed was a heady 83 db!!!
Hopefully the new system, which is a little loud for long road trips, will still pass testing at my local circuits.... Was a bargain and also helped shed best part of 20kg by removing the v heavy oem system; let me know if you want more details.When is your next outing?
You’ll be really happy with the weight of the club sports, my seats were electric memory and must have been nearly 30kg each at least and the club sports weigh literally nothing!
Som more info about the exhaust you’ve gone for would be good please? I’m a bit gutted because I wanted to run a 330 challenge exhaust so I spoke to Tegiwa and directly to Klarius themselves and unfortunately the systems are no longer in production so unless I can find a used one I’m going to have to look at other alternatives!!
Next outing now is going to be Cadwell in March I think, I’ve got plenty to do before then already, I’ve found some play in an upper rear ball joint, the car has developed a loud knock from the NSR and on investigation it’s the solid top mount bearing that has about 1mm play in it. I’ve spoke to GAZ and they were extremely helpful and are sending me a new bearing out to press into the housing. Then that leaves exhaust, induction, anti roll bar and rebuild front brake calipers!! Busy busy!!
Andrew-b90y3 said:
I never did figure out the misfire! My guess would be that it’s an ignition coil that’s overheated and been switched off by the DME as this can really be the only explanation for the fault going when I cycled the ignition. I had a basic scanner with me so I scanned the car and misfire cyl 3 was stored but to be honest I didn’t look into it any deeper than that! I need to change all the spark plugs as a matter of course anyway as I don’t think they’ve ever been changed and I’m going to carry an ignition coil in my track day spares box.
You’ll be really happy with the weight of the club sports, my seats were electric memory and must have been nearly 30kg each at least and the club sports weigh literally nothing!
Som more info about the exhaust you’ve gone for would be good please? I’m a bit gutted because I wanted to run a 330 challenge exhaust so I spoke to Tegiwa and directly to Klarius themselves and unfortunately the systems are no longer in production so unless I can find a used one I’m going to have to look at other alternatives!!
Next outing now is going to be Cadwell in March I think, I’ve got plenty to do before then already, I’ve found some play in an upper rear ball joint, the car has developed a loud knock from the NSR and on investigation it’s the solid top mount bearing that has about 1mm play in it. I’ve spoke to GAZ and they were extremely helpful and are sending me a new bearing out to press into the housing. Then that leaves exhaust, induction, anti roll bar and rebuild front brake calipers!! Busy busy!!
Sounds promising on the seats.... mine only manual cloth ones but still expect them to be 15-20kg each.You’ll be really happy with the weight of the club sports, my seats were electric memory and must have been nearly 30kg each at least and the club sports weigh literally nothing!
Som more info about the exhaust you’ve gone for would be good please? I’m a bit gutted because I wanted to run a 330 challenge exhaust so I spoke to Tegiwa and directly to Klarius themselves and unfortunately the systems are no longer in production so unless I can find a used one I’m going to have to look at other alternatives!!
Next outing now is going to be Cadwell in March I think, I’ve got plenty to do before then already, I’ve found some play in an upper rear ball joint, the car has developed a loud knock from the NSR and on investigation it’s the solid top mount bearing that has about 1mm play in it. I’ve spoke to GAZ and they were extremely helpful and are sending me a new bearing out to press into the housing. Then that leaves exhaust, induction, anti roll bar and rebuild front brake calipers!! Busy busy!!
Emailed you some more info on the exhaust and updated my thread with some pics. Love Cadwell but think I'll try get some time at Bedford and Snetteron 1st to get used to the supercharger... there's a youtube of a s/c e46 losing it on the mountain at Cadwell.... apparently happens from nowhere, sobering stuff!
Good to hear that GAZ are sending out a bearing without quibble...(never had such issue with the cheepo JOM NJT extremes
)Great seeing so many 330i's being saved.
I'm going to have to get myself sorted in the new year and get out to a few track days. Would be good to get all these cars together in one spot and see how each perform against each other, and see how each tuning method works, I got the feeling the supercharged one is by far the quickest straightline.. but it'd be fun to see how each car handles the twisties.
Suggestionn on the exhaust system, look around for a 2nd hand Alpina system, they don't come up often but are a direct fit. They remove the manicats and are larger bore, flow about 25% more than stock .
Will need to make some lambda sensor lead extensions though to fit and blank off a port but they bolt up pretty much.
I'm going to have to get myself sorted in the new year and get out to a few track days. Would be good to get all these cars together in one spot and see how each perform against each other, and see how each tuning method works, I got the feeling the supercharged one is by far the quickest straightline.. but it'd be fun to see how each car handles the twisties.
Suggestionn on the exhaust system, look around for a 2nd hand Alpina system, they don't come up often but are a direct fit. They remove the manicats and are larger bore, flow about 25% more than stock .
Will need to make some lambda sensor lead extensions though to fit and blank off a port but they bolt up pretty much.
Edited by Sf_Manta on Sunday 24th November 11:56
If you're looking for more power, you might gain a couple of bhp by spending £600+ on a catback exhaust.
In your shoes, I'd be spending that cash elsewhere (like lighter rims or fibreglass bonnet) and whipping out the middle box (Yanks call it a "resonator" if you wanted to check out YT) to generate a bit of noise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmbFwKryCwI
You should still be absolutely fine for most track noise limits.
In your shoes, I'd be spending that cash elsewhere (like lighter rims or fibreglass bonnet) and whipping out the middle box (Yanks call it a "resonator" if you wanted to check out YT) to generate a bit of noise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmbFwKryCwI
You should still be absolutely fine for most track noise limits.
I haven’t updated this for a while as she’s been tucked away in the garage out of this awful weather that we seem to be having at the minute!
Onwards though and I’ve got Cadwell booked with a few friends for the 14th March so I’ve got a few little jobs done and still have some more to do to have the car track ready.
First little job was to remove the cd changer etc and save a bit more weight, my exhaust has also arrived which I’m hoping to get fitted in time before Cadwell.
Second job I’ve got on with is when the brakes are warm I keep getting a sticking caliper and brake wobble after a few heavy laps so I’ve rebuilt the brake calipers with new seals etc to hopefully remedy this,
So that little lot should keep me busy plus I’ve got some more weight saving to do, a rear ball joint to change and a solid top mount bearing to replace!!
Onwards though and I’ve got Cadwell booked with a few friends for the 14th March so I’ve got a few little jobs done and still have some more to do to have the car track ready.
First little job was to remove the cd changer etc and save a bit more weight, my exhaust has also arrived which I’m hoping to get fitted in time before Cadwell.
Second job I’ve got on with is when the brakes are warm I keep getting a sticking caliper and brake wobble after a few heavy laps so I’ve rebuilt the brake calipers with new seals etc to hopefully remedy this,
So that little lot should keep me busy plus I’ve got some more weight saving to do, a rear ball joint to change and a solid top mount bearing to replace!!
Ok so I got a few little bits and pieces done today, not as much as I would have hoped but enough to have the car ready to go for Cadwell next weekend.
Fitted the stripped and rebuilt calipers,
I replaced the worn top mount bearing from Gaz, didn’t get any images of this though and then lastly made a homemade puller out of some threaded bar and some old and new sockets,
It doesn’t look pretty but it got the job done no problem, new ball joint waiting to go in!!
And that pretty much brings the thread up to date, gutted I didn’t get chance to fit this but that’s do for another day now!!
Cadwell updates to follow! Here’s hoping for good weather!!
Fitted the stripped and rebuilt calipers,
I replaced the worn top mount bearing from Gaz, didn’t get any images of this though and then lastly made a homemade puller out of some threaded bar and some old and new sockets,
It doesn’t look pretty but it got the job done no problem, new ball joint waiting to go in!!
And that pretty much brings the thread up to date, gutted I didn’t get chance to fit this but that’s do for another day now!!
Cadwell updates to follow! Here’s hoping for good weather!!
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