What you think of the M3 then from a passenger perspective?
Just dropped a deposit on some M Power - Trackday Project Car
- Thread starter Gibbo
- Start date
What you think of the M3 then from a passenger perspective?
Here is a solo video:
If you turn volume up you will hear my issue which became a major issue on drive home. Through craners and through old hairpin you will hear a solid clunk and you hear it again through the chicane coming onto the pit straight.
Car has had this for months but not as loud, no one can identify, but drivinh home this noise was happening like crazy really made me take it very easy as over uneven surface I was getting multiple clunks and if I steer left to right a real solid clunk and it can be felt in steering and through base of seat.
My guess is something crazy like the actually differential is lose, maybe top bolt come undone, but its why I took the car very easy through craner curves as lets just say its quite off putting when you know something mechanical is moving that should not and as now whatever has plagued me for months has now come very lose, hoping when I jack it up later I can spot it and properly fix it.
You will also notice compared to previous videos I can take a lot more curb and the car is more adjustable and playful, my driving is not quite as smooth as fast as I normally am as I was kind of just enjoying myself too much. But the car rides curbs so well you hardly feel them, so damper setup helps but no doubt the big balloon 255/40/18 softer side wall road tyres help too.
Obviously car will lap faster on a set of 265/35/18 sticky tyres, but I feel its actually more fun on the super sports. Plus in fairness the car not only felt quick it was really quick. Only things faster was a single seater, a 420R Caterham and I had fun with a new Exige, he let me pass, then he stayed with me so I let him pass and he did pull away. There was also what looked like Scirroco and maybe Golf race cars there, latest gen stuff, full race prep, slicks and they were bonkers quick, think they were quickest things on track by some distance and guessing they were testing as they were all livery up with race numbers.
If you turn volume up you will hear my issue which became a major issue on drive home. Through craners and through old hairpin you will hear a solid clunk and you hear it again through the chicane coming onto the pit straight.
Car has had this for months but not as loud, no one can identify, but drivinh home this noise was happening like crazy really made me take it very easy as over uneven surface I was getting multiple clunks and if I steer left to right a real solid clunk and it can be felt in steering and through base of seat.
My guess is something crazy like the actually differential is lose, maybe top bolt come undone, but its why I took the car very easy through craner curves as lets just say its quite off putting when you know something mechanical is moving that should not and as now whatever has plagued me for months has now come very lose, hoping when I jack it up later I can spot it and properly fix it.
You will also notice compared to previous videos I can take a lot more curb and the car is more adjustable and playful, my driving is not quite as smooth as fast as I normally am as I was kind of just enjoying myself too much. But the car rides curbs so well you hardly feel them, so damper setup helps but no doubt the big balloon 255/40/18 softer side wall road tyres help too.
Obviously car will lap faster on a set of 265/35/18 sticky tyres, but I feel its actually more fun on the super sports. Plus in fairness the car not only felt quick it was really quick. Only things faster was a single seater, a 420R Caterham and I had fun with a new Exige, he let me pass, then he stayed with me so I let him pass and he did pull away. There was also what looked like Scirroco and maybe Golf race cars there, latest gen stuff, full race prep, slicks and they were bonkers quick, think they were quickest things on track by some distance and guessing they were testing as they were all livery up with race numbers.
Yes but people under estimate how capable a well sorted E46 M3 is, remember I got this to do track work instead of a sorted 911. An average driver and a sorted E46 M3 can go quick, stick a good driver in and they go very quick.
Here is my mate Billy, he is no pro driver, in fact his second time at Donnington, far more busier day but you can see just how much quicker he is and you only need to be a few seconds per lap quicker than other cars to close on them very fast, typically a car lapping in 1:23's would catch a 1:25 lapping car quick and be held up, anything greater than two seconds and you begin to make other cars look slow as you close on them. Billy's car is like mine though he has full aero setup and runs full slicks but you can see from his video how quick a sorted M3 is:
Kindai will tell you how quick my M3 is he followed me on one session and I just drove away, admittedly he was lifting on pit straight due to noise limits but hey he has twice the horsepower I do.
I was there on Monday doing 1:21-1:22s in my M3, loads of time left in cornering speed too. I'm determined to get sub 1:20 this year as I've had a pro driver do a 1:18 in my car before a proper diff was fitted and decent tyres.
And we all know Kindai drives like a grandma on circuits with more corners than straights anyway
Yeah go under 1:20 takes some commitment, my best is a 1:21, that was on the cups but without the diff, cage and better setup etc.
I'd like to get back down to around 1:21 on regular tyres, maybe 1:20, then maybe grab another set of wheels with a far stickier tyre as the great thing about the super sports is in the dry they are fun, but they are very capable for wet track days.
For me the most time will be found going down through craners, its possible to go pretty much flat in an M3 down there on stickier tyres hovering around 120mph, 80mph through old hairpin then flat right to the top of the hill, for me that is where time will be found, I am lifting through whole of craners and lifting off up the hill where I would normally be flat, but the whole clunk thing quite off putting and the car I feel felt a bit under damped on those high speed sweepers, think another 1/3 turn compression in front and 2/3rd in rear on compression as rear felt softer. could have course be those big sidewalls on the tyres though moving.
But yeah the fast boys in sorted M3's are doing 1:17 - 1:19 on semi slicks without power adders, so 1:18 is absolutely very possible.
For me fix the clunk, add a touch more compression on the dampers as Spires told me not to use rebound and then go enjoy Oulton Park in July all been well.
He has done a lot of track days, not so many at Donnington, he is very very quick around Bedford and the aero on his car seems to work to great benefit there as well.
Yes if I fix the issue, the car would not be safe now, whatever it is now is clunking and knocking all the time so something was definitely loosening up and is now very loose.
Yeah last time I was out like you flat all way up the hill after old hairpin and brakes for corner at top. Never gone flat through craners yet, that is my nemesis.
What tyres and suspension is on yours? My backend is not loose it just feels soft and a bit unnerving but as it was a trial setup the dampers were set full soft, rebound was then 3 clicks from full soft (16 clicks available) and compression was set full soft all round and then one full turn in all round (around 2.5 full turns available). So you can see its quite a soft setup and the big tyre walls make it softer, no wonder it can ride curves so ace now.
so on compression I am just passed halfway towards soft, but my rebound is set very soft. Spires said on KW's they work best with rebound slackened right off and then to fine tune on compression. Problem was last night I could not get to the compression adjuster in rear, so just settled for one click more on rebound in rear which in fairness did feel better.
Gonna jack the car up later, go hunting for my knock and I shall dial in a little more compression all round, don't want to go wild as my car has never been so much fun to drive before, it was so adjustable and such a pussy cat, front-end grip was great, a touch understeer but more steering and it just turned whereas before it would just go wide. Just need rear feel a bit firmer, gonna ask Spires for his advice though.
Can you share your KW V3 settings please?
Heard amazing things on the Direzzas, M3 guys who have tried cups, cup2s, NS-2R's, 595RS, slicks, trofeo r's and 888rs all said the Direzza was the best and within 1s of slick lap time so would love to try those at some point, they sound insane, would you recommend them like others do?
My cost:
Half tank including drive home
My annual insurance policy includes full track cover and European car cover.
M3 has carbotech XP10 front and XP8 rear, great balance, great power, relatively quiet but rather dusty. Fine as a road pad, work from cold fine.
Something more sinister on M3 unfortunately and I've had it jacked up today and can't find anything loose in rear, its very annoying but it sounds so bad I not so sure about driving it with how bad it got as I neared home.
OK after finding nothing in the rear, I took it for a slow drive this evening and I actually think the noise is actually in the front as it is felt in steering and is substantial enough to be felt through the floor.
As I am not particular fond of driving to a garage I am going to have a look around the front tomorrow as it really sounds like something is loose or something has actually failed or come undone.
Thoughts?
As I am not particular fond of driving to a garage I am going to have a look around the front tomorrow as it really sounds like something is loose or something has actually failed or come undone.
Thoughts?
I am thinking loose steering rack or a failed ball joint. Engine and gearbox are new mounts. Think its either rear rubber on front wishbone or actual balljoint, will have to jack front up tomorrow and go swinging of bits but after tonights short drive I think its 100% in the front and happens mostly on left turns and uneven/bumpy roads. Acceleration or braking does not make it happen, happens most and always with turning left.
Pinpointed it to front passenger side, only happens on vertical plane, no steering input needed, just need to go up a slope at an angle so the anti roll bar is loaded up as such I am thinking drop link, shall disconnect drop link tonight to see if it goes away.
Any luck with those KW settings buddy?
I am afraid not, last track day I just used a windscreen mount for GoPro, I was trying to find a suitable GoPro mount for cage but failed, hence just used windscreen mount which worked well, videos and sound come out well.
Got a link, £25 is fine if its a good quality mount?
Hi there
Trying to get some last minute jobs done, as next year I really want to get a lot more track days out of the car, the window trim has been looking faded, scratched and blotchy and the lower rubber window weather seal pieces are perished and breaking up, 16 years and over 100k miles for you shows its age and as the car is generally fresh I have decided to address these.
The uppers are not easy to remove and replacement parts new are a very high price, so today I got those wrapped in high gloss black, resembling the shadow trim option the E46 M3 had which very few cars were optioned with as was like a £1200 option, but standard on the CSL.
So before, the photo does it not such bad justice in flesh was not great, the other side had some deep scratches:
After:
Some other photos:
As I decided to go gloss black, meant I've had to order the shadow trim for the lower parts from BMW, trust me for pieces of trim the price is crazy, £350 for the two lower door trims and two lower rear window trims, but they are also deep gloss like how the uppers are now, just finishes off the car. Collect those this Thursday along with some other parts from BMW.
Though I think the car is complete I seem to be generating myself even more things to do, so far my wish list has:
- Another set of wheels with AR1 tyres, need to sort for next year or even this year if get any late season dry track days sorted - £1500
- Pair of Recaro bucket seats, I feel the Cobras let down the car a little considering how nice the car is, it needs a more premium seat - £1500
- Oil change
- Drivers mirror (just glass) the outer on mine seems nasty, checking with BMW for price and if just glass is available.
- Brake caliper refurb and fresh paint, they are just looking tatty - £300
- Wire a switch in to disable ABS, I can do this by cutting into off side rear sensor and putting on a switch, this will then disable ABS by flicking switch but stuff like speedo, fuel gauge will still function. If you do the nearside sensor, then everything stops working!
My car is still on original head gasket and vanos, I was going to get those done as precaution maintenance but have been advised to simply not to bother and to simply act if and when it fails, as it won't cause harm to anything, just be down on power or hear it. So may just leave, its about £2000 to get both done at same time.
I am really nit picking now to be honest, but I guess it is simply because the car is in such amazing condition, I just want it spot on oh and it passed its MOT with no advisories.
Trying to get some last minute jobs done, as next year I really want to get a lot more track days out of the car, the window trim has been looking faded, scratched and blotchy and the lower rubber window weather seal pieces are perished and breaking up, 16 years and over 100k miles for you shows its age and as the car is generally fresh I have decided to address these.
The uppers are not easy to remove and replacement parts new are a very high price, so today I got those wrapped in high gloss black, resembling the shadow trim option the E46 M3 had which very few cars were optioned with as was like a £1200 option, but standard on the CSL.
So before, the photo does it not such bad justice in flesh was not great, the other side had some deep scratches:
After:
Some other photos:
As I decided to go gloss black, meant I've had to order the shadow trim for the lower parts from BMW, trust me for pieces of trim the price is crazy, £350 for the two lower door trims and two lower rear window trims, but they are also deep gloss like how the uppers are now, just finishes off the car. Collect those this Thursday along with some other parts from BMW.
Though I think the car is complete I seem to be generating myself even more things to do, so far my wish list has:
- Another set of wheels with AR1 tyres, need to sort for next year or even this year if get any late season dry track days sorted - £1500
- Pair of Recaro bucket seats, I feel the Cobras let down the car a little considering how nice the car is, it needs a more premium seat - £1500
- Oil change
- Drivers mirror (just glass) the outer on mine seems nasty, checking with BMW for price and if just glass is available.
- Brake caliper refurb and fresh paint, they are just looking tatty - £300
- Wire a switch in to disable ABS, I can do this by cutting into off side rear sensor and putting on a switch, this will then disable ABS by flicking switch but stuff like speedo, fuel gauge will still function. If you do the nearside sensor, then everything stops working!
My car is still on original head gasket and vanos, I was going to get those done as precaution maintenance but have been advised to simply not to bother and to simply act if and when it fails, as it won't cause harm to anything, just be down on power or hear it. So may just leave, its about £2000 to get both done at same time.
I am really nit picking now to be honest, but I guess it is simply because the car is in such amazing condition, I just want it spot on oh and it passed its MOT with no advisories.
Do think your right, got lots on at the moment anyway, off abroad this weekend, then away the following weekend, so no time at weekend to go looking at stuff really.
Wrapstarz Pro mate, does all his business via social media:
https://www.facebook.com/wrapstarzprouk/