E46 M3 - daily-ish track-ish
Discussion
An E46 M3 has always been on my car "bucket list" but I'd sort of written it off to be honest, prices are on the rise and it just never seemed to be quite the right time.
I was selling my Clio 200 track car and had pretty much decided to bank the cash and just run around in the Mondeo daily for a year while I built up a decent fund to get something really special. Then a friend of mine sent me a link to a 2002 M3 which was local, had just had a VANOS rebuild and an inspection 2 and was really tempting - apart from the fact it had the wrong gearbox. Yup, the hateful SMG box that all proper drivers hate.
I arranged a viewing anyway and it was clearly an honestly described car, a few paintwork imperfections, nothing you wouldn't expect for a fifteen year old car with 78k on the clock. More importantly underneath the car was really clean and the service history stacked up. It drove really nicely on the test drive and the owner seemed like a genuine guy with a really solid reason for sale.
But what about that gearbox? I love it. Genuinely. I just can't comprehend the hate. Admittedly in full auto mode it's fairly rubbish, dimwitted and very old fashioned, but in manual mode it's involving and a lot of fun. Admittedly mine has had the CSL rev-matching software flashed onto it so it blips on downshifts which really helps. If I want to drive it smoothly I just give the slightest of lifts on upshifting and it's all fine, if I want maximum performance I just keep my foot in and while you can definitely feel a kick from the change it's not a problem.
Reliability? Well these days a motor repair kit is available for around £400 and that's what usually fails on SMG boxes. In the event that it truly borks I'll get a manual conversion done - that will cost less than getting a full SMG replacement and since manual M3s are worth a bit more than the SMG it may even be a good thing come resale time.
If that isn't the finest man maths ever, I don't know what is
I took it out for a proper drive yesterday and (without wanting to go all Autocar here) it was just brilliant, stringing a sequence of corners together while flicking up and down the gearbox and hearing that engine howl is something that I don't think will get old for a long, long time.
The plan is that this will share the daily driving duties with my Mondeo shed and will also get used for the occasional track day. To that end a big brake kit is already on order and I've got hold of a set of fairly scabby but straight wheels to use for track tyres.
I'm under no illusions with this car, it is going to be expensive to run, it's just a question of HOW expensive.
Let's see eh?
I was selling my Clio 200 track car and had pretty much decided to bank the cash and just run around in the Mondeo daily for a year while I built up a decent fund to get something really special. Then a friend of mine sent me a link to a 2002 M3 which was local, had just had a VANOS rebuild and an inspection 2 and was really tempting - apart from the fact it had the wrong gearbox. Yup, the hateful SMG box that all proper drivers hate.
I arranged a viewing anyway and it was clearly an honestly described car, a few paintwork imperfections, nothing you wouldn't expect for a fifteen year old car with 78k on the clock. More importantly underneath the car was really clean and the service history stacked up. It drove really nicely on the test drive and the owner seemed like a genuine guy with a really solid reason for sale.
But what about that gearbox? I love it. Genuinely. I just can't comprehend the hate. Admittedly in full auto mode it's fairly rubbish, dimwitted and very old fashioned, but in manual mode it's involving and a lot of fun. Admittedly mine has had the CSL rev-matching software flashed onto it so it blips on downshifts which really helps. If I want to drive it smoothly I just give the slightest of lifts on upshifting and it's all fine, if I want maximum performance I just keep my foot in and while you can definitely feel a kick from the change it's not a problem.
Reliability? Well these days a motor repair kit is available for around £400 and that's what usually fails on SMG boxes. In the event that it truly borks I'll get a manual conversion done - that will cost less than getting a full SMG replacement and since manual M3s are worth a bit more than the SMG it may even be a good thing come resale time.
If that isn't the finest man maths ever, I don't know what is
I took it out for a proper drive yesterday and (without wanting to go all Autocar here) it was just brilliant, stringing a sequence of corners together while flicking up and down the gearbox and hearing that engine howl is something that I don't think will get old for a long, long time.
The plan is that this will share the daily driving duties with my Mondeo shed and will also get used for the occasional track day. To that end a big brake kit is already on order and I've got hold of a set of fairly scabby but straight wheels to use for track tyres.
I'm under no illusions with this car, it is going to be expensive to run, it's just a question of HOW expensive.
Let's see eh?
Personally I prefer the 18" wheels so I was happy to find one with them.
People who've owned an SMG do generally seem to be a lot more positive than people who've just read about them on the internet
Of course there are exceptions and no everyone likes them but I'm happy.
Unfortunately BMW hiked the price of the SMG unit a couple of years back - it's now £1600 and then you've got to get it fitted. The good news is it's usually the motor that goes and there's a refurb kit for that now.
People who've owned an SMG do generally seem to be a lot more positive than people who've just read about them on the internet
Of course there are exceptions and no everyone likes them but I'm happy.Unfortunately BMW hiked the price of the SMG unit a couple of years back - it's now £1600 and then you've got to get it fitted. The good news is it's usually the motor that goes and there's a refurb kit for that now.
I'm a month in to ownership and in terms of upgrades etc have done........ nothing
I have a set of track tyres, a spare set of wheels and a big brake kit ready to fit, just waiting for the final components to turn up (brackets and brake lines) before getting the work done.
The engine in these really is is something else, pulls cleanly from no revs at all right through to 8k and sounds fabulous. It feels like a genuinely exotic engine dropped into a much more normal car. When it gets a chance to stretch it's legs on a good road the chassis comes alive too. All in all I'm a bit smitten.
I'm commuting in it a couple of days a week and using it at the weekend (when there are no tip runs or furniture collections to do) and the Mondeo is covering all the other duties. It's a great combination, the contrast keeps me from getting too used to the M3 and gives me all the practicality I need.
No problems at all so far.
Hopefully will have something a bit more meaningful to report in the next update.
I have a set of track tyres, a spare set of wheels and a big brake kit ready to fit, just waiting for the final components to turn up (brackets and brake lines) before getting the work done.
The engine in these really is is something else, pulls cleanly from no revs at all right through to 8k and sounds fabulous. It feels like a genuinely exotic engine dropped into a much more normal car. When it gets a chance to stretch it's legs on a good road the chassis comes alive too. All in all I'm a bit smitten.
I'm commuting in it a couple of days a week and using it at the weekend (when there are no tip runs or furniture collections to do) and the Mondeo is covering all the other duties. It's a great combination, the contrast keeps me from getting too used to the M3 and gives me all the practicality I need.
No problems at all so far.
Hopefully will have something a bit more meaningful to report in the next update.
Exciting times! My first bit of work on the M3!
(Sorry, it really isn't that exciting)
A previous owner wrapped the gear surround as well as the door pulls in gloss black. It's not very nice, and also they made a total pig's ear of the gear surround. Removing the wrap showed that unfortunately they'd flattened off the plastic with some sort of abrasive before wrapping it. Gah. A new gear surround popped up on M3Cutters so I grabbed it and fitted it today. Slight improvement!
Nasty, nasty, nasty.
Much better.
The SMG badge is a truly classic piece of BMW design isn't it?
Just got to sort out the door pulls now, but no hurry.
(Sorry, it really isn't that exciting)
A previous owner wrapped the gear surround as well as the door pulls in gloss black. It's not very nice, and also they made a total pig's ear of the gear surround. Removing the wrap showed that unfortunately they'd flattened off the plastic with some sort of abrasive before wrapping it. Gah. A new gear surround popped up on M3Cutters so I grabbed it and fitted it today. Slight improvement!
Nasty, nasty, nasty.
Much better.
The SMG badge is a truly classic piece of BMW design isn't it?
Just got to sort out the door pulls now, but no hurry.
Dropped the car into my mechanic yesterday for oil and filter (probably not needed for a while yet, but as it's going to be tracked better safe than sorry) and for a BBK to be fitted. He's also going to give it a general pre-track check over.
I've gone for the BMW Performance brake upgrade, so the calipers are BMW branded Brembos matched with CSL discs and custom brackets and hoses.
DS2500 pads front and rear, which I know wouldn't be everyone's choice because of their tendency to leave pad deposits on the discs, but good on-road performance from cold was important to me too so it's a compromise I've gone for.
Some H&R spacers on the front so the wheels clear the calipers and a stud conversion kit completes the work.
I picked up a brand new set of 2016-compound Nankang AR-1 tyres cheap because they've been superseded with a new compound now. Those are going onto a scabby but straight set of OE alloys to be track tyres.
Oh, and I bought a cheap part-leather interior from a breaker because the standard M3 electric seats don't go low enough for me to be completely comfortable with a helmet on. Hopefully the less padded, manual seats from a lower spec coupe will fix that but at the moment they're still in the process of being cleaned so they're not in the car yet,
Other than that I've just been enjoying owning and driving the car, really looking forward to exploring it more thoroughly on track.
I do have a niggling suspicion that this is going to turn into another project car where the mods keep on coming, something that I swore I wasn't going to do because of the M-tax, but let's see......
I've gone for the BMW Performance brake upgrade, so the calipers are BMW branded Brembos matched with CSL discs and custom brackets and hoses.
DS2500 pads front and rear, which I know wouldn't be everyone's choice because of their tendency to leave pad deposits on the discs, but good on-road performance from cold was important to me too so it's a compromise I've gone for.
Some H&R spacers on the front so the wheels clear the calipers and a stud conversion kit completes the work.
I picked up a brand new set of 2016-compound Nankang AR-1 tyres cheap because they've been superseded with a new compound now. Those are going onto a scabby but straight set of OE alloys to be track tyres.
Oh, and I bought a cheap part-leather interior from a breaker because the standard M3 electric seats don't go low enough for me to be completely comfortable with a helmet on. Hopefully the less padded, manual seats from a lower spec coupe will fix that but at the moment they're still in the process of being cleaned so they're not in the car yet,
Other than that I've just been enjoying owning and driving the car, really looking forward to exploring it more thoroughly on track.
I do have a niggling suspicion that this is going to turn into another project car where the mods keep on coming, something that I swore I wasn't going to do because of the M-tax, but let's see......
That's a relief! My mechanic reports that this one's a good-un, obviously doesn't mean nothing's going to crop up in future but it's in good condition and currently needs nothing doing to it. Phew.
Some brake porn, feeble little single piston calipers have had a *slight* upgrade, the new CSL discs are only marginally larger than the originals:
A bit snug under the 18" wheels but a 13mm spacer gives decent clearance.
Some brake porn, feeble little single piston calipers have had a *slight* upgrade, the new CSL discs are only marginally larger than the originals:
A bit snug under the 18" wheels but a 13mm spacer gives decent clearance.
Done a bit of work on the M3 since my last update. First I bedded in the track pads - bit different to bedding in normal pads, none of this "drive gently for a few hundred miles" guff here.
25 four to five second firm applications of the brakes to bring the temperature progressively up, "Pads smoking during the cool-down is not a cause for concern."
Was actually quite good fun, if a bit smelly. Hopefully the pads are correctly cured now and they'll stand up to track abuse, will find out on Friday!
I'd been having my usual "tall guy, long body, short legs" issues with headroom when wearing a helmet and after searching around for a solution the cheapest way seemed to be to replace the electric adjust M3 seats with a manual set from a lower spec car. I found a complete E46 coupe interior for £100 from a local breaker and set about cleaning the fairly manky seats. After a wash followed by a couple of passes with a steam cleaner they were acceptable so having dried them out this happened yesterday:
After a good hoover, and the recovery of £3.54 in change from down the side of the seat, I put the "new" seats in. They don't look anywhere near as nice, but I actually prefer them to sit in. The M3 seats feel just a bit over-padded to me, and you certainly can't accuse these of that!
But, did they actually work? Well, yes, to a point. The change in headroom is marginal at best, no more than a couple of cm, but even little changes can make all the difference. I'm still not 100% happy with the track driving position but it's much better than it was and I feel like I'll be comfortable driving the car. I'd still like the steering wheel to come a bit closer to me but if it's an issue that's something that can be sorted out.
It'll be interesting to see how I feel after the first track day, will I be happy with the car or will I be wanting to take it further towards being a track day toy than a daily driver? There are options out there which work on track and keep a civilised road ride too, for example Ohlins Road and Track coilovers would match the brief but oooooof..... there's a price tag!
Whatever I do I'd want to be easily reversible. A lesson I learned from my previous track cars was it's much cheaper to buy a ready-done car, so when selling it's much better to return the base car to OEM spec and sell the upgrades separately.
Anyway, this is all getting very ahead of reality, got my first M3 track day at Combe on Friday. Hopefully fun times ahead
25 four to five second firm applications of the brakes to bring the temperature progressively up, "Pads smoking during the cool-down is not a cause for concern."
Was actually quite good fun, if a bit smelly. Hopefully the pads are correctly cured now and they'll stand up to track abuse, will find out on Friday!
I'd been having my usual "tall guy, long body, short legs" issues with headroom when wearing a helmet and after searching around for a solution the cheapest way seemed to be to replace the electric adjust M3 seats with a manual set from a lower spec car. I found a complete E46 coupe interior for £100 from a local breaker and set about cleaning the fairly manky seats. After a wash followed by a couple of passes with a steam cleaner they were acceptable so having dried them out this happened yesterday:
After a good hoover, and the recovery of £3.54 in change from down the side of the seat, I put the "new" seats in. They don't look anywhere near as nice, but I actually prefer them to sit in. The M3 seats feel just a bit over-padded to me, and you certainly can't accuse these of that!
But, did they actually work? Well, yes, to a point. The change in headroom is marginal at best, no more than a couple of cm, but even little changes can make all the difference. I'm still not 100% happy with the track driving position but it's much better than it was and I feel like I'll be comfortable driving the car. I'd still like the steering wheel to come a bit closer to me but if it's an issue that's something that can be sorted out.
It'll be interesting to see how I feel after the first track day, will I be happy with the car or will I be wanting to take it further towards being a track day toy than a daily driver? There are options out there which work on track and keep a civilised road ride too, for example Ohlins Road and Track coilovers would match the brief but oooooof..... there's a price tag!
Whatever I do I'd want to be easily reversible. A lesson I learned from my previous track cars was it's much cheaper to buy a ready-done car, so when selling it's much better to return the base car to OEM spec and sell the upgrades separately.
Anyway, this is all getting very ahead of reality, got my first M3 track day at Combe on Friday. Hopefully fun times ahead
First M3 trackday done, and I've got to say I finally "get" the M3 thing. Always liked them, always wanted to try one, was very much enjoying owning one, but still couldn't quite put my finger on why they got so much adulation.
Yesterday I drove to the track in a very comfortable, refined, quick and relatively unobtrusive road car. Then I drove round the track all day in a really fun car that despite it's weight was more than at home on a circuit. Then I drove home, in that same comfortable, refined package that I'd had on the way to the track.
It really can do it all. Long trip you want to do in comfort? M3. Going out for a fun drive on the road? M3. Hooning round a track? M3. If it was an estate it would genuinely be the only car I'd ever need.
I was expecting to come away from the first trackday with a list of changes I want to do, but to be honest it felt great. I'd like to make some geo changes to give the front end a bit more bite but generally the stock suspension held up really well. I was expecting it to be a bit overwhelmed given I was running AR-1 track tyres but although there was obviously some body roll it was fine.
The SMG 'box worked incredibly well on track too, with the CSL downshift rev-matching software on it even a clot like me struggled to unsettle the car during braking.
All in all, I'm happy
Yesterday I drove to the track in a very comfortable, refined, quick and relatively unobtrusive road car. Then I drove round the track all day in a really fun car that despite it's weight was more than at home on a circuit. Then I drove home, in that same comfortable, refined package that I'd had on the way to the track.
It really can do it all. Long trip you want to do in comfort? M3. Going out for a fun drive on the road? M3. Hooning round a track? M3. If it was an estate it would genuinely be the only car I'd ever need.
I was expecting to come away from the first trackday with a list of changes I want to do, but to be honest it felt great. I'd like to make some geo changes to give the front end a bit more bite but generally the stock suspension held up really well. I was expecting it to be a bit overwhelmed given I was running AR-1 track tyres but although there was obviously some body roll it was fine.
The SMG 'box worked incredibly well on track too, with the CSL downshift rev-matching software on it even a clot like me struggled to unsettle the car during braking.
All in all, I'm happy
Certainly are! The weight makes the biggest difference in corner entry, having to manage the understeer there as much as I do in the M3 is new to me, but apart from that it's got a really nice balance to it.
Just booked Rockingham for the 11th, never been there before so should be fun.
Just booked Rockingham for the 11th, never been there before so should be fun.
Haven’t updated for ages, very little has changed.
Did the Rockingham track day and was once again really surprised by the amount of understeer - in the tighter, more technical part of the track I just couldn’t get the nose turned in as I wanted. A bit of tuition showed the problem was actually the driver - I was way too used to driving small, relatively light FWD hatches that you grab by the scruff of the neck and chuck into the corner.
Once I started to use the weight transfer to my advantage instead of fighting it the feel of the car was completely transformed and I had a great day.
Since then the M3 has been used to commute one day a week and for a few weekend blasts. The BBK was definitely a great investment, the brakes are so positive and easy to modulate too that they’re a pleasure to use and the stopping power is huge.
I’ve got what will probably be the final TD of the year booked at Bedford in a few weeks time so it will be interesting to see how that works out now that I’ve got a handle on the car and am going to a track I know well.
There are no plans for any further mods. I’m happy with the car as it currently is so the next work will be an oil service and the MoT early in 2018 and then probably put the car on the market and move on to something else - variety is the spice of life
Did the Rockingham track day and was once again really surprised by the amount of understeer - in the tighter, more technical part of the track I just couldn’t get the nose turned in as I wanted. A bit of tuition showed the problem was actually the driver - I was way too used to driving small, relatively light FWD hatches that you grab by the scruff of the neck and chuck into the corner.
Once I started to use the weight transfer to my advantage instead of fighting it the feel of the car was completely transformed and I had a great day.
Since then the M3 has been used to commute one day a week and for a few weekend blasts. The BBK was definitely a great investment, the brakes are so positive and easy to modulate too that they’re a pleasure to use and the stopping power is huge.
I’ve got what will probably be the final TD of the year booked at Bedford in a few weeks time so it will be interesting to see how that works out now that I’ve got a handle on the car and am going to a track I know well.
There are no plans for any further mods. I’m happy with the car as it currently is so the next work will be an oil service and the MoT early in 2018 and then probably put the car on the market and move on to something else - variety is the spice of life
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