04.2003 Mystic Blue E46 M3... enhanced or ruined?
Discussion
those wheels look great.
I appreciated differences of opinion, and as I said before I was chasing the dimensions; not the style. How boring would it be though if all E46 M3s had M163 CSL wheels? I’m happy to be different for the time being.
I’d like to get a full set of 18x10+25 RC301s eventually but they are big money.
I’d like to get a full set of 18x10+25 RC301s eventually but they are big money.
Nunga said:
A lot of people really rave on about how good the E46 convertible is but I just can't think it anything but a floppy noodle. Try a coupe, it'll change your mind completely. I thought it was awesome before I started to play around with it, but now it is simply heroic; controllable, hooligan-like, pointy, drifty, responsive, fun, it is the works.
Ha, each to their own, but for me it wasn't because it was a convertible, in fact, being a convertible simply highlighted one of the things others rave about.......the engine/exhaust noise! It just sounds tinny and insubstantial. Edited by Nunga on Friday 1st February 17:22
Edited by Nunga on Friday 1st February 17:23
I also didn't think much of the gearchange, and whilst possibly in part due to the extra weight of the convertible, the performance was pretty lacklustre.
Maybe I just prefer a V8, at least they have torque and a great sound 😁.
This is from a drift day I took part in at Hockenheim with Drift-Schule; some people here might know Florian as the man behind limited-slip.de; he runs the Drift School as well. Afterwards I got the car realigned as I needed new track rod ends; here it was -2 degrees camber or so.
This is from the Brenner Pass, on the Italian side in Spring 2017. Epic drive; I got up at 6am and was on the road from Seefeld, just before Innsbruck, at 0630. The old road that flows along and under the new pass (with the Europa Bridge) is an amazing piece of road.
The Europa Bridge in the background. It’s a very, very busy thoroughfare, taking a lot of traffic through the Alps between Austria and Italy.
This is the route: take the B182 more or less and head to Italy. SS12 on the other side is equally amazing but I headed back north before seeing too much of it.
The M3 seats are very hit and miss; some people love them and find them comfortable, and others hate them. I was on the fence, because while I found them comfortable, they’re too big for me and I found I slid around on the leather a lot. Plus, it is very uncomfortable in summer and thus I must prefer cloth. I had been looking for some time at various trim options that were a straight swap until I was ready to commit to a more focused seat (Recaro PP, CS et al) and the M Paket in G7AT Laser Anthrazit was, in my mind, the go-to option. The seats are virtually identical aside from the shape around the shoulders, and I was able to find a set that came with manual adjustment, thus less weight and in my honest opinion they adjust a little bit lower than the electric seats.
Swap was a very simple process; disconnect battery first, then undo four nuts in each front seat frame. Tip seat back, unclip loom, carefully remove. Rear seat is easy once you know there is a torx screw that secures a fixing between the two rear seat backs. The wings on each side of the rear seats have clips that tend to break, and also some plastic hooks that on my new interior had broken off. Not really the end of the world, but it might upset the pedantic.
I like the dark tones, as it still ties in with the black leather door trims. Excuse the dog drool on the backrest.
Better seat photo. I ended up purchasing a RHD passenger seat from the UK as it had the airbag occupant sensor mat and was a cheap and easy plug ‘n’ play solution for avoiding an airbag fault light by installing a LHD driver’s seat. Spare seat is utilised for Gran Turismo.
A few years ago member Graham sold me a non-armrest centre console, and I took to reconditioning it a bit by sanding it back completely, cleaning it off, and using Plastidip to repaint it. It came up a treat, though some 18 months later it has scratched in a couple of places so I will need to redo it again (or not). I also fitted an alloy and alcantara handbrake cover and gaiter, and eventually an alloy and alcantara gear knob. It is probably the most I will do to beautify the interior, as I don’t get too many kicks from it.
I like the alcantara and alloy, and it should wear well.
Sanded off the old and then keyed it up.
Much better. Also fitted a dual-cup holder, to replace the stupid tray I had to deal with for two and a half years. That brings me up to the end of 2017 or there abouts.
Edited by Nunga on Sunday 9th June 19:39
Living in southern Germany grants me access to some pretty good roads, most notably the Black Forest. It’s no passing comment to say the roads are sensational, having driven some nice roads across the continent and Wales. To have access so readily is something I take for granted but, when out alone or with mates, it always has me grinning ear to ear. A good mate of mine has had an E46 M3 CS SMG, a B7 RS4 Avant, a 996 4S and now a 997 2S, so I’ve been lucky to drive some fast machinery around here. Near or far, it doesn’t really matter as anywhere between Freiburg and Karlsruhe the roads off the well-beaten track are anything but boring.
Some of the exotic metal my colleagues own, plus my shït box. The C63 makes the dirtiest sound, though I’d never call it a sports car. Certainly more of a muscle car, it’s a complete animal. The 996 4S has to be one of the most underrated Porkers out there, too. Terrific car.
The above was a great drive between Freiburg and Titisee, not so far from Feldberg which is the Schwarzwald’s highest mountain, as well as a nice little ski area. It gets a lot of snow in the winter, and I have driven the same roads in both above-freezing and below-freezing conditions.
Somewhat naively in the week between Christmas an New Year, I took a friend up to Bad Herrenalb along a loop I often do south-east of a Karlsruhe. It had been pissing down all day in Karlsruhe but hovering around 2 or 3 degrees. Of course, going up 400m in elevation meant the temperature dropped comfortably below 0 so these white conditions greeted us. Keeps you on your toes, but I have winter tyres on my M67 19s so they make a difference. As you can see, the old girl gets used, and I’d be lying if I said it was only driven to church on sunny Sundays. I do actually avoid driving during some periods of really wet or snowy weather, but oftentimes it is unavoidable so I try to wash it frequently and get a jet wash underneath as often as I can. That said, after just being underneath it to replace my exhaust, I can attest to the fact that bolts will still rust.
2018 was a big year for me, if not such a big year for the car. Fresh with a puppy and a baby on the way, there was a fair old bit going on indeed. Still, the old M3 still found plenty of my bank balance whilst being put into fairly regular service. Ordinarily I will drive it on and off over a period of a few weeks, sometimes pressing into daily duties, but then it might be off the road for weeks if not a month while I mess about with it (or have it in my lock-up and can't be arsed to walk and get it).
It must’ve been late 2017 when I replaced the rubber pedals for some M Performance items. Small touch, but it lifts the interior immensely and surprisingly they do grip better underfoot while being a bee’s willy lighter to boot. Well, the brake and clutch are at least, as the accelerator is simply screwed onto the standard plastic item.
Here you can still see the alcantara retrimming I did. That disappeared around this time for brushed aluminium.
Which you can see here, although this photo is a little out of sync as it shows already my re-trimmed wheel (which I will go into a little more detail later, along with photos that hopefully outline the installation process).
This was while I was parked up in Stuttgart for an AFL team meeting. I cannot get over how big cars have gotten these days. The M2 just isn’t small at all. Granted, my car is quite low, but the difference is staggering over some 20 years between generations.
Before taking the car over to the UK for Goodwood FoS and Snowdonia, I got an oil change and the E60 545i shifter installed, along with a new shifter locator cup. I have commented before in various threads about the swap and whether or not it is worth the hassle. Short answer yes, with an if, long answer no, with a but. The manual is a pretty sloppy old box to start with, and honestly people who say theirs is as tight as a nun’s hoohoo must have a remarkable Wednesday car, but it has made the shift incredibly notchy when the oil is cold. Sure, it maintains the car’s fairly uncompromising character which I do love, given you need to give it some respect and let it (the car) loosen up in the mornings, so while I like the shorter shift I think if you are going to bother going to the effort, find an extra €650 and go down the CAE path. I would like to do that eventually.
Some of the exotic metal my colleagues own, plus my shït box. The C63 makes the dirtiest sound, though I’d never call it a sports car. Certainly more of a muscle car, it’s a complete animal. The 996 4S has to be one of the most underrated Porkers out there, too. Terrific car.
The above was a great drive between Freiburg and Titisee, not so far from Feldberg which is the Schwarzwald’s highest mountain, as well as a nice little ski area. It gets a lot of snow in the winter, and I have driven the same roads in both above-freezing and below-freezing conditions.
Somewhat naively in the week between Christmas an New Year, I took a friend up to Bad Herrenalb along a loop I often do south-east of a Karlsruhe. It had been pissing down all day in Karlsruhe but hovering around 2 or 3 degrees. Of course, going up 400m in elevation meant the temperature dropped comfortably below 0 so these white conditions greeted us. Keeps you on your toes, but I have winter tyres on my M67 19s so they make a difference. As you can see, the old girl gets used, and I’d be lying if I said it was only driven to church on sunny Sundays. I do actually avoid driving during some periods of really wet or snowy weather, but oftentimes it is unavoidable so I try to wash it frequently and get a jet wash underneath as often as I can. That said, after just being underneath it to replace my exhaust, I can attest to the fact that bolts will still rust.
2018 was a big year for me, if not such a big year for the car. Fresh with a puppy and a baby on the way, there was a fair old bit going on indeed. Still, the old M3 still found plenty of my bank balance whilst being put into fairly regular service. Ordinarily I will drive it on and off over a period of a few weeks, sometimes pressing into daily duties, but then it might be off the road for weeks if not a month while I mess about with it (or have it in my lock-up and can't be arsed to walk and get it).
It must’ve been late 2017 when I replaced the rubber pedals for some M Performance items. Small touch, but it lifts the interior immensely and surprisingly they do grip better underfoot while being a bee’s willy lighter to boot. Well, the brake and clutch are at least, as the accelerator is simply screwed onto the standard plastic item.
Here you can still see the alcantara retrimming I did. That disappeared around this time for brushed aluminium.
Which you can see here, although this photo is a little out of sync as it shows already my re-trimmed wheel (which I will go into a little more detail later, along with photos that hopefully outline the installation process).
This was while I was parked up in Stuttgart for an AFL team meeting. I cannot get over how big cars have gotten these days. The M2 just isn’t small at all. Granted, my car is quite low, but the difference is staggering over some 20 years between generations.
Before taking the car over to the UK for Goodwood FoS and Snowdonia, I got an oil change and the E60 545i shifter installed, along with a new shifter locator cup. I have commented before in various threads about the swap and whether or not it is worth the hassle. Short answer yes, with an if, long answer no, with a but. The manual is a pretty sloppy old box to start with, and honestly people who say theirs is as tight as a nun’s hoohoo must have a remarkable Wednesday car, but it has made the shift incredibly notchy when the oil is cold. Sure, it maintains the car’s fairly uncompromising character which I do love, given you need to give it some respect and let it (the car) loosen up in the mornings, so while I like the shorter shift I think if you are going to bother going to the effort, find an extra €650 and go down the CAE path. I would like to do that eventually.
Edited by Nunga on Monday 10th June 07:56
Edited by Nunga on Monday 10th June 07:58
The drive to Portsmouth, where we stayed while going to Goodwood, was easy and uneventful. The ferry crossing, when the weather is fine at least, is relaxing, comfortable and memorable. I’ve done it once in each direction, the first time when collecting my car. It was a great base, as jumping on the train to Chichester the. Shuttle bus to Goodwood was as easy as one could imagine. We did all four days of the FoS and I’d highly recommend it to petrolheads and non-petrolheads alike.
Waiting in port at Dunkirk. Some pretty interesting metal there, from a bunch of Civics coming back from the ‘Ring, to a few others on their way to FoS.
Like these beauties from Switzerland.
This view must make even the coldest Brit just a little patriotic.
And the old bus on display, it was sponsored by Cartier I think this entire exhibit. Impressive old stuff.
Waiting in port at Dunkirk. Some pretty interesting metal there, from a bunch of Civics coming back from the ‘Ring, to a few others on their way to FoS.
Like these beauties from Switzerland.
This view must make even the coldest Brit just a little patriotic.
And the old bus on display, it was sponsored by Cartier I think this entire exhibit. Impressive old stuff.
Re. the 645 shifter - I've just fitted that to my M3 along with all the other gearshift linkage bits and I would say that it does loosen up over time. Or maybe I've just got used to it.
Box is still grumpy getting into 2nd on a cold morning, but is much more direct when everything is warmed up!
Box is still grumpy getting into 2nd on a cold morning, but is much more direct when everything is warmed up!
July 2017
While I was in the UK for Goodwood and a Snowdonia trip, I had gotten in contact with Darragh Doyle, who works in his spare time on M3s (through his business Everything M3s). Quite a lot of members have had work done, mainly diffs. He works with another business who refinished the standard clutch packs in the E46 M3 diffs, the end result being a diff as good (or better?) than new. We talked about a plan involving a diff rebuild with a 4.1 CWP and while I was on the way back to Germany, he’d install it along with a new front diff bush. Easy peasy.
Due to some factors out of his control, though, he wasn’t able to get a clutch pack to rebuild for me, and he was busy down in Goodwood with some of the cars there, so he thought of another decision which I man-maths into agreeing with. Result being, rebuilt E36 M3 Evo mechanical LSD with a 4.1 CWP.
Darragh is resourceful and professional, and he methodically went about dropping my old diff, which he kept as part of the work, pulling out the old bush, and installing the new diff. My driveshafts were still pretty good so they were left well alone.
Here’s the magician at work!
(Having some trouble uploading the next images so will post in a new... post).
While I was in the UK for Goodwood and a Snowdonia trip, I had gotten in contact with Darragh Doyle, who works in his spare time on M3s (through his business Everything M3s). Quite a lot of members have had work done, mainly diffs. He works with another business who refinished the standard clutch packs in the E46 M3 diffs, the end result being a diff as good (or better?) than new. We talked about a plan involving a diff rebuild with a 4.1 CWP and while I was on the way back to Germany, he’d install it along with a new front diff bush. Easy peasy.
Due to some factors out of his control, though, he wasn’t able to get a clutch pack to rebuild for me, and he was busy down in Goodwood with some of the cars there, so he thought of another decision which I man-maths into agreeing with. Result being, rebuilt E36 M3 Evo mechanical LSD with a 4.1 CWP.
Darragh is resourceful and professional, and he methodically went about dropping my old diff, which he kept as part of the work, pulling out the old bush, and installing the new diff. My driveshafts were still pretty good so they were left well alone.
Here’s the magician at work!
(Having some trouble uploading the next images so will post in a new... post).
Edited by Nunga on Monday 17th June 18:51
Pretty shagged bush, and more than likely causing most of the infamous M3 rear clunk.
So, what does a 4.1 final drive feel like to drive? In a word, awesome. In several words, close to how the M3 should’ve come from the factory. It seems obvious now the longer 3.62 final drive is to help with economy on a cruise and perhaps less so, for top speed on autobahn driving. That said, the 4.1 still runs into the limiter, it just hits it sooner and harder.
Economy is likely a fair bit worse, though this is also possibly due to the car simply being more fun to drive. It pulls in every gear and it pulls HARD. Sometimes I think the 3.91 might’ve been better since I live in Germany with unrestricted autobahns, but most of the time I think the 4.1 is optimal for every other situation. I wonder if on the Nordschleife it will hit limiter at the end of the lap? Will find out this summer.
Next update will be steering wheel installation and H&R ARB swap.
Edited by Nunga on Wednesday 19th June 09:05
Ok, so not steering wheel-related, but wheel-related! And a slight jump from the timeline but I am still writing the instructions for the steering wheel swap.
The very first aftermarket item I bought for my M3 was a summer set of wheels, back in 2015. It took two years to get them on as i wanted to use my 19” summer wheels until they were done.
Obviously they won’t be to everybody’s tastes, but at 18x9.5+25, the specs are ideal. That said, they were pretty rough; gutter rashes badly and chipped paint, plus a rather bad incident with some wheel cleaner left them looking like genuine 6-10ft wheels. Taking a close look would upset a lot of people!
Enter Spring 2019, and a wheel refurb. I had envisaged getting a pair redone in hyper silver and another pair in electric blue, in the same style a lot of Japanese drift cars had ten or so years ago. Of course, something was lost in translation, because the end result was a way off.
Since the wheels are actually BBS, made for BMW, I wanted to get BBS centre caps. This turned out better than expected, as after some investigation the centre caps are actually two parts, so the emblem isn’t a sticker; it’s a disc that is held by an outer ring clipped onto the base.
Pretty tired BMW propellers.
A small flathead screwdriver was enough to pry off the outer ring. I cleaned them all up in warm soapy water and let them dry before reassembling with the BBS emblems I bought. I searched for 65mm BBS stickers, and despite only ordering four red ones, I ended up getting in addition four black stickers too! Winner. So, I thought I’d change both sets of centre caps and utilise the black ones. They are quite a lot thicker than the BMW emblems, so it took some effort to get the rings on. I didn’t bother sticking them down on all of them, just two as a test. Id like to be able to take them off and clean them if need be.
End result. Yes, one of the black emblems is a slightly different colour but not to worry, I intended on using two black cents caps and two red centre caps so it wouldn’t matter.
And the grand reveal. So, they got the colour wrong by some margin, and all four were painted said wrong colour. Good old s
tty German customer service. An hour of arguing and I ended up still paying full price and taking away the wheels as is, not as I asked for. The colour has grown on me, and they said in winter they’d take two back and repaint them as asked in silver, but I think I will skip that now because, quite frankly, after four weeks of waiting I cant be arsed. The quality is excellent though, and the repairs on the rims are fantastic. They look new. I bought a pair of 7mm spacers for the rear, the fact being that with my 75mm studs i didn’t want to go wider. 5mm on the front because they were already aggressive and now it is awesome. I love the stance, haters be damned.
So, if readers were hoping for wheels less offensive, I’m sorry as I have probably missed the mark.
The very first aftermarket item I bought for my M3 was a summer set of wheels, back in 2015. It took two years to get them on as i wanted to use my 19” summer wheels until they were done.
Obviously they won’t be to everybody’s tastes, but at 18x9.5+25, the specs are ideal. That said, they were pretty rough; gutter rashes badly and chipped paint, plus a rather bad incident with some wheel cleaner left them looking like genuine 6-10ft wheels. Taking a close look would upset a lot of people!
Enter Spring 2019, and a wheel refurb. I had envisaged getting a pair redone in hyper silver and another pair in electric blue, in the same style a lot of Japanese drift cars had ten or so years ago. Of course, something was lost in translation, because the end result was a way off.
Since the wheels are actually BBS, made for BMW, I wanted to get BBS centre caps. This turned out better than expected, as after some investigation the centre caps are actually two parts, so the emblem isn’t a sticker; it’s a disc that is held by an outer ring clipped onto the base.
Pretty tired BMW propellers.
A small flathead screwdriver was enough to pry off the outer ring. I cleaned them all up in warm soapy water and let them dry before reassembling with the BBS emblems I bought. I searched for 65mm BBS stickers, and despite only ordering four red ones, I ended up getting in addition four black stickers too! Winner. So, I thought I’d change both sets of centre caps and utilise the black ones. They are quite a lot thicker than the BMW emblems, so it took some effort to get the rings on. I didn’t bother sticking them down on all of them, just two as a test. Id like to be able to take them off and clean them if need be.
End result. Yes, one of the black emblems is a slightly different colour but not to worry, I intended on using two black cents caps and two red centre caps so it wouldn’t matter.
And the grand reveal. So, they got the colour wrong by some margin, and all four were painted said wrong colour. Good old s
tty German customer service. An hour of arguing and I ended up still paying full price and taking away the wheels as is, not as I asked for. The colour has grown on me, and they said in winter they’d take two back and repaint them as asked in silver, but I think I will skip that now because, quite frankly, after four weeks of waiting I cant be arsed. The quality is excellent though, and the repairs on the rims are fantastic. They look new. I bought a pair of 7mm spacers for the rear, the fact being that with my 75mm studs i didn’t want to go wider. 5mm on the front because they were already aggressive and now it is awesome. I love the stance, haters be damned.So, if readers were hoping for wheels less offensive, I’m sorry as I have probably missed the mark.
I love those wheels.
I think if they had been done in the same blue as the bodywork it would have looked a lot more together if that makes sense (I don't usually like colour coded wheels). I think the new blue almost clashes with the colour of the car. However, it'd be a boring place if we all had the same taste - awesome car.
I think if they had been done in the same blue as the bodywork it would have looked a lot more together if that makes sense (I don't usually like colour coded wheels). I think the new blue almost clashes with the colour of the car. However, it'd be a boring place if we all had the same taste - awesome car.
Stu08 said:
I love those wheels.
I think if they had been done in the same blue as the bodywork it would have looked a lot more together if that makes sense (I don't usually like colour coded wheels). I think the new blue almost clashes with the colour of the car. However, it'd be a boring place if we all had the same taste - awesome car.
Agreed, the blue wheels do clash - maybe body colour would work a bit better? I preferred the gold!I think if they had been done in the same blue as the bodywork it would have looked a lot more together if that makes sense (I don't usually like colour coded wheels). I think the new blue almost clashes with the colour of the car. However, it'd be a boring place if we all had the same taste - awesome car.
As mentioned, it is the wrong blue; it was meant to be a darker electric blue, closer to the car’s paint but not an exact match. That all said, I don’t mind the colour and it is different if nothing else. I guess I could’ve just whacked on a set of CSL reps and be done with it but they’ve been done to death. Plus 18s are a better size for other various reasons as well.
Still, every time I drive the car it puts a bug smile on my face. I’d love to get into a stock M3 again just to feel how different it is compared to how mine is now. They’d be nothing alike. Not that my stock M3 was in some way bad; anything but. However, that’s not to say it couldn’t be improved on; less understeer for a start (rectified), better grip (rectified), stronger in-gear acceleration (rectified), nicer exhaust note (debatably rectified), less weight (work in progress), better brakes (TBA), better stereo (rectified) etc etc etc. From what I hear it seems only 911 GT3s are more or less perfect from the get-go, but now I have a car that is as close to perfect to drive as I can imagine. Still some more work to be done to it but I love how it has turned out, and it took years of researching to get to this stage.
Still, every time I drive the car it puts a bug smile on my face. I’d love to get into a stock M3 again just to feel how different it is compared to how mine is now. They’d be nothing alike. Not that my stock M3 was in some way bad; anything but. However, that’s not to say it couldn’t be improved on; less understeer for a start (rectified), better grip (rectified), stronger in-gear acceleration (rectified), nicer exhaust note (debatably rectified), less weight (work in progress), better brakes (TBA), better stereo (rectified) etc etc etc. From what I hear it seems only 911 GT3s are more or less perfect from the get-go, but now I have a car that is as close to perfect to drive as I can imagine. Still some more work to be done to it but I love how it has turned out, and it took years of researching to get to this stage.
Had been meaning to do some maintenance and wear-and-tear stuff on the M3 for some time, so with the good weather and a few spare hours, I got to it.
My windscreen cowl had cracked a little bit, not surprising after 15-odd years, so I bought a replacement for that, as well as some other rubber pieces on the sides that cover the inside of the wings, and the plastic trim pieces next to the ECU (left) and some cabling (right).
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vk-ODAt9xkKFSZTv...
You’ll need a 15mm socket for the windscreen wipers and a wiper puller; well, you don’t need the puller, wiggling will suffice but reinstallation is a bit of a pig. The cowl is held in with five clips, so after removing the cabin filter lid and the rubber strip, you can pull it off with a bit of force.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zUNdILmhN3V6MZ7z...
These rubber pieces had the tops snapped off them after i had removed my wings a couple of years ago, and under them as well as under the cowling was naturally a lot of dirt so I cleaned it all up, sprayed some WD-40 down there to drive out moisture, and put the new pieces in. The plastic trims that sit parallel to the wings infront of these were fine, but new ones were cheap so I bought them too. The four small pieces were only €35, the cowl was around €70-€90, cant find the receipt in my email so would need to dig it out of my files.
All told, I am pleased I finally got around to it; little jobs like this keep cars on the road. If anyone wants or needs part numbers I will post them up.
My windscreen cowl had cracked a little bit, not surprising after 15-odd years, so I bought a replacement for that, as well as some other rubber pieces on the sides that cover the inside of the wings, and the plastic trim pieces next to the ECU (left) and some cabling (right).
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vk-ODAt9xkKFSZTv...
You’ll need a 15mm socket for the windscreen wipers and a wiper puller; well, you don’t need the puller, wiggling will suffice but reinstallation is a bit of a pig. The cowl is held in with five clips, so after removing the cabin filter lid and the rubber strip, you can pull it off with a bit of force.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zUNdILmhN3V6MZ7z...
These rubber pieces had the tops snapped off them after i had removed my wings a couple of years ago, and under them as well as under the cowling was naturally a lot of dirt so I cleaned it all up, sprayed some WD-40 down there to drive out moisture, and put the new pieces in. The plastic trims that sit parallel to the wings infront of these were fine, but new ones were cheap so I bought them too. The four small pieces were only €35, the cowl was around €70-€90, cant find the receipt in my email so would need to dig it out of my files.
All told, I am pleased I finally got around to it; little jobs like this keep cars on the road. If anyone wants or needs part numbers I will post them up.
Winter is coming up, so will have to change to the winter wheels soon. Bought a second set of 19” M67s and will next summer run 19x9.5” square because I get too much negative police attention with the 18s...
Bought a Mishimoto intake elbow off a fellow Cutter. Was a bit hacked up, but it’s only aesthetics that aren’t perfect and after removing the strut brace and Eventuri, went on in just a few minutes.
Lost one of the strut brace nuts in the engine bay, but luckily it turned up...
Still managing to get away for some Black Forest drives, and the last one was with a couple of colleagues who have a pair of Porsches. The 997 2S I’ve driven a fair bit but it was my first time driving the 987 2.7 5sp Cayman in anger. Seriously, it’s all the car you need. The M3 as it is now is a total animal but I think next time around I’d plump for a base model Cayman and that’d be it, job done.
Bought a Mishimoto intake elbow off a fellow Cutter. Was a bit hacked up, but it’s only aesthetics that aren’t perfect and after removing the strut brace and Eventuri, went on in just a few minutes.
Lost one of the strut brace nuts in the engine bay, but luckily it turned up...
Still managing to get away for some Black Forest drives, and the last one was with a couple of colleagues who have a pair of Porsches. The 997 2S I’ve driven a fair bit but it was my first time driving the 987 2.7 5sp Cayman in anger. Seriously, it’s all the car you need. The M3 as it is now is a total animal but I think next time around I’d plump for a base model Cayman and that’d be it, job done.
Winter is coming up, so will have to change to the winter wheels soon. Bought a second set of 19” M67s and will next summer run 19x9.5” square because I get too much negative police attention with the 18s...
Bought a Mishimoto intake elbow off a fellow Cutter. Was a bit hacked up, but it’s only aesthetics that aren’t perfect and after removing the strut brace and Eventuri, went on in just a few minutes.
Lost one of the strut brace nuts in the engine bay, but luckily it turned up...
Still managing to get away for some Black Forest drives, and the last one was with a couple of colleagues who have a pair of Porsches. The 997 2S I’ve driven a fair bit but it was my first time driving the 987 2.7 5sp Cayman in anger. Seriously, it’s all the car you need. The M3 as it is now is a total animal but I think next time around I’d plump for a base model Cayman and that’d be it, job done.
Bought a Mishimoto intake elbow off a fellow Cutter. Was a bit hacked up, but it’s only aesthetics that aren’t perfect and after removing the strut brace and Eventuri, went on in just a few minutes.
Lost one of the strut brace nuts in the engine bay, but luckily it turned up...
Still managing to get away for some Black Forest drives, and the last one was with a couple of colleagues who have a pair of Porsches. The 997 2S I’ve driven a fair bit but it was my first time driving the 987 2.7 5sp Cayman in anger. Seriously, it’s all the car you need. The M3 as it is now is a total animal but I think next time around I’d plump for a base model Cayman and that’d be it, job done.
Forgot that back after the Pentecost holiday this year I fitted up my Supersprint non-resonated middle pipe and modified backbox. I couldn’t get the bolts loose between the cats and middle pipe so had a local garage install the middle pipe for me. Happy with the sound, though it tends to drone under 3k so I have to hunt around the gearbox on a cruise. It howls when you’re up it for the rent, and is a great balance with the Eventuri. Very pleased overall despite the drone. Got Euro tips; was a bit annoyed they need modifying to fit well, and even more annoyed that two arrived damaged and despite contacting the Cutter who sold them and negotiated a partial refund, nothing got done. It’s the only negative feedback I have of a Cutters member. The modified backbox is 6.2kg lighter than the original, too.
Removed my rear side reins too and replaced with carbon. Saves a lot unreasonable wedge of weight, too, 4-5kg per trim piece.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JO4pnFQYNWTwXiwL...
Spent a good few hours removing sound deadening in the boot and from under the rear seat. Saved another 2.5kg.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RYB9o53iAd-zRfWN...
Also installed the CSL version of the lower part of the pollen filter; 720g saved. The peeling sticker on the left identifies it as a “low density part”.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ru7dXxfNd56GUJBg...
I made up a rear seat delete panel as well, dressed it up in grey suede and it looks super! But have since put the rear seat back in asI find it handier to be able to have the baby seat in there for the odd time or two I need to take my toddler out and about.
Removed my rear side reins too and replaced with carbon. Saves a lot unreasonable wedge of weight, too, 4-5kg per trim piece.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/JO4pnFQYNWTwXiwL...
Spent a good few hours removing sound deadening in the boot and from under the rear seat. Saved another 2.5kg.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RYB9o53iAd-zRfWN...
Also installed the CSL version of the lower part of the pollen filter; 720g saved. The peeling sticker on the left identifies it as a “low density part”.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ru7dXxfNd56GUJBg...
I made up a rear seat delete panel as well, dressed it up in grey suede and it looks super! But have since put the rear seat back in asI find it handier to be able to have the baby seat in there for the odd time or two I need to take my toddler out and about.
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