Just dropped a deposit on some M Power - Trackday Project Car

[Gibbo]

Hi there


As I've got some simple breathing modifications on the car and as its a track car I really wanted rev matching for the SMG, something CSL SMG only does when your on the throttle, so when braking it won't rev match, making it a bit jerky and more stressful on transmission.

Also removing secondary air pump and fitting high-flow cats means engine check lights, so disabled the sensors after the cats to stop triggering engine light.

So I spoke with the guys at Evolve and as my car is not hugely modified, like turbo's or superchargers, they said their Evolve-R tune would be perfect for my needs and I'd see no benefit to visit them at their dyno and they could simply sell me the cable/software and email me the tune. They also gave me a discount too, so I went with the tune along with SAP delete, Rev matching, top speed limiter removed, emissions light removed, raised rev limit of 8300rpm, sport button memory and mapped for Shell Vpower 99.


Here is what you get:-

So last night I used their very easy to install software, and read my stock ECU file off and emailed it to them, very very easy to do and took approx 2 minutes to complete.

Now fast forward to late this afternoon and Evolve have emailed me two tunes, one is a Stage 2 tune for my car, unsure why I am not stage 1, maybe my high-flow cats and exhaust take me too stage 2 level. They also sent me my stock tune but modified so I can run on a dyno without issue (the 6000rpm issue), so I can do a comparison.

Tonight I flashed the car to the stage 2, again extremely easy process and it took less than 5 minutes.

Started the car up and turned off to just check sport button memory was working to prove the car had taken the remap, it had.

Now let the fun commence!


So driving impressions:-

The car is a lot more perkier in the 2000-3500rpm range, feels like it has a lot more torque as it is far more urgent to pick up, this is very noticable. 3500-4500rpm it pulls a little harder, 4500-6000rpm feels about the same as before. But 6000 it is pulling noticably harder and where before it felt like power levelled off around 7400rpm, it now does not have this feeling at all, infact it pulls like crazy in the last 1000rpm right upto the 8300rpm limiter.

In short the butt-dyno is feeling a great change, I'd say if I was to take a guess on it, 10-20BHP / 10-20lb/ft more sub 2000-3500rpm range and around 15-20BHP more at the top-end, whatever it is, I can tell you now it is certainly noticable, more so than the high-flow cats were by quite a lot.

The rev matching works very well, in S6 its an aggressive blip that is loud and makes changing down gears so much smoother on the transmission, even 2nd down to 1st is completely smooth. Slow the change down, say S4 for instance and the blip is softer and not so loud, so works well on that side. Might have to attent a VMAX day at somepoint or try to find somewhere to do a top speed run, be interesting to see what speed it would top out around, am thinking 175-185mph maybe.

In short car is without a doubt faster, improved drivability and a lot smoother, it feels more like a 400BHP car with all the weight reduction. Based on the fact these cars tend to make 320-330BHP on dyno's it shall be interesting to see what the car makes on the OcUK Dyno day at Powerstation this Saturday, as plan is to run the car on the dyno when I get there, then load the stock map to the car with dyno ability, drive for a few miles for any adaptions to take place and then run again. Then compare to the two runs.

Car also feels quicker than my 911, but it always has a little due to have stripped out it is, but the 911 has both more power and torque, for comparison on vbox the stats were:-

M3 30-70mph - 3.9s
M3 CSL 30-70mph - 3.9s
911 C2S 30-70mph - 3.5s
Mustang 30-70mph - 2.75s
EVO X FQ-360 @ 400 - 3.6s

M3 60-100mph - 5.9s
M3 CSL 60-100mph - 5.9s
911 C2S 60-100mph - 5.5s
Mustang 60-100mph - 4.2s
EVO X FQ-360 @ 400 - 5.6s

Its as quick as my CSL was, I need to re-run now its got the high-flow milltek cats on and the remap, should be a little quicker in theory.


Irrelevent of results I won't be using the 10 day money back option, I am happy with the results and how its improved the car.

So now all that is left is CSL bootlid, corner weighting and maybe a braille lightweight battery, then car is done and ready for plenty of track days next year. Can't wait to get to Donnington to see what kind of laptime the car can do and Oulton Park.

 

[Gibbo]

Hi there

Updates:-

1. Remap done with rev match and SAP/CEL delete, very noticable and a dyno proven 31BHP, now upto 367BHP from 336BHP it made with just breathing mods.
2. Rear boot carpeted, about 2-3kg re-added but car is now far quieter inside as it's stopped most exhaust noise/drone.
3. Bracket cut and neatened off under front bonnet.
4. IAT relocation kit fitted, ensures full power always as the air temp sensor is built into the maf and known to heatsoak, this cures that problem by relocating to airbox as on the CSL.
5. Near 10kg saved, battery swap to Brailles most powerful battery, the 3121, could have gone couple grades lower but went for the more powerful unit.

Some pictures:-

Saturday:-
1. Corner weighting and alignment - FINALLY
2. Fit CPV valve, engine has an oil weeping from this valve, common issue as is located at back of engine, cost £3 and I'm a perfectionist so want car spot on.
3. Hope my CSL boot at some point turns up, nearly six months now.

More will depend on the cars weight come Saturday, I know the CSL boot will save me an additional 15-20kg.

 

[Gibbo]

Howcome you didn't go for the glorious CSL intake given that you have had an Evolve remap anyway?

There's quite a lot of good replica's out there too if you don't want to fork out £3.5k for a genuine one...

No additional power increase!

Only replica worth bothering with is Geoff steel or Evolve, and still around 2.5k fitted and all I'd get for that money is an epic sound track, but 2-3k is too much for that.

 

[Gibbo]

Hi Gibbo, have you noticed any detrimental effects since removing the SAP?

I hate the loud "jerky" running first thing after starting.

If anything better, quieter and not jerky at all.


Corner weighting done today, 1373kg with half a tank of fuel, so with no fuel it's around 1350kg.

Andy aka Fuzz has showed me that it is ok to re-locate the harnesses onto the rear shell with some plating added, so were gonna sort that too so that the harnesses are level.

So in short I need to remove another 50kg from the car if I want to see 1300kg weight, still got rear boot to change, then that leaves options such as lighter wings, bonnet, headers, wheels etc. But none of these are a priority, more so now to get to warmer weather and get some track days done.

 

[Gibbo]

Did the guys at powerstation manage to get you the weight of your M3 today?

See my reply above, 1373kg with half tank fuel, so about 1350kg, CSL boot still not fitted so another 15-20kg to come off there, then maybe carbon bonntet and wings at some stage in the future to try and get too 1300kg.

272BHP per tonne.

 

[Gibbo]

So based on 1350kg thats 367bhp, thats good going!

Yes very happy with car, that's really it for now, the only changes are mounting harnesses to rear shelf so angle is correct and rear shelf with some plating/welding is safe and suitable, where other race cars run them from in E36 / E46. Once I've warn out the Federal 595 RSR's I'll change to a proper semi slick tyre for more dry grip.

Then in a years time, weight down to 1300kg, is possible and a Motec engine upgrade and cams as per the race cars maybe, circa 430BHP, but cost about 3-5k to do so very expensive.

Fact is now has more horsepower and torque than a CSL, plus it weighs less to, so gonna be plenty quick enough and I can focus on experimenting with the coil overs on getting the right damper settings and ride height to suit my driving style.

 

[Gibbo]

How on earth can an air intake be so expensive andy - 2.5k is crazy

Or am i missing a trick here ...

The original BMW one is 6-7k from a deal and tend to fetch 2-3k second hand in poor condition from crashed cars.

So the copies are still hugely expensive, it might only cost little to make after initial R&D but it has a high value and anything is worth what people are willing to pay irrelevant of how little it cost.

Hence the price, if my M3 was a newer car which I'd pay 15k for then I might consider 3k on an awesome sounding airbox. But my M3 cost me less than 7k, so spending nearly half its value on an airbox just seems completely stupid, especially as it won't make it any quicker on track.

The stock airbox is clearly not an issue on the M3 anyway, I made 367BHP, above CSL power.

I've re-located my air intake temperature sensor from the MAF down into the actual air box, as the E46 M3 is prone to the MAF heatsoaking, resulting in it reading temperatures far higher than they are, killing horsepower, so re-locating to airbox ensures you always have all your horses.

The CSL has the IAT re-location by default.

 

[Gibbo]

Have you changed anything at all on the intake of yours? I want to give mine more of a voice, it sounds too civilised

BMC panel filter, can't say it made much difference.

The stock intake is the best, just make sure you ram as much cold air into it as possible and re-locate your IAT, you can do all this for sub £100 and get quite a nice improvement.

The only better intake is the CSL version and copies, but all will set you back over £2000 fitted.

 

[Gibbo]

I bet it's amazing now! It was already impressive when you took me out. 272bhp/tonne - good work.

Yep, you went out without the map on.

So yeah another 30 horses, a bit more weight off, she goes well.

Still got a weep on the engine coming from the rear at the back, changed CPV valve, not the cure, gonna look at rocker cover gasket now as I like things to be perfect.

Got a new rear diff pinion seal and extra life oil to go in as well, as that is weeping too.

For how little gaskets / oil seals cost and are generally easy to fit, I'd rather have them done.

 

[Gibbo]

I wouldn't bother with long life oil, change it every second oil change at least on a hard driven car. Old oil really accelerates wear in metal plated LSDs.

True, got it now though, so it will do, getting the pinion seal replaced later this week, Fuzz said my diff donut was starting to crack so ordered one of those as makes sense to do at same time.

 

[Gibbo]

Hi there

Changed rocker cover gasket on M3 as it was source of rear engine oil leak, fingers crossed car is now completely leak free with fresh oil throughout.

Then treated the car to some more lowering treatment, turned each adjuster 8 full turns which in theory should keep the corner weighting close, but shall get the car back on scales once new lighter boot lid is fitted.

Pictures of new ride height:-

Very impressed with ride height and it's very close to Al's settings who built an M3 road / track car, think car looks pretty awesome, not slammed and not on stilts, just spot on, Clarkey will be proud.

More surprisingly at this lower ride height the car seems to have more lateral grip and rides even better, win win situation.

 

[Gibbo]

Had a go today at getting ride heights more accurate today, change from to:

Front driver was 630mm/325mm, it's now 640mm/335mm after some adjustment.
Front passenger was 637mm/330mm, it's now 640mm/334mm after no adjustment.

Rear driver was 632mm/319mm, it's now 638mm/328mm after some adjustment.
Rear passenger was 638mm/324mm, it's now 640mm/329mm after no adjustment.

That was with no driver and 1/4 tank of fuel.
Gonna give it couple days re-settle and then re-measure and try to get a little closer to 325mm on rear and 330mm on front measured from wheel centre but am within 5mm now.

Rear suspension arms still have plenty of droop so could go much lower, to low in fact. Front arms are parallel with ground or very close so going lower is not advisable in order to retain the suspension full range of movement. As go beyond parallel you create bump steer, understeer etc. Nearly there now and then to get re-corner weighted.

Also removed the audio wiring loom from car, wow so many wires and nearly 3kg in weight. Fingers crossed CSL boot lid be here in January too, should be closer to 1330kg then.

Can't wait for warmer weather to come back!

 

[Gibbo]

I doesn't

Worryingly, the M3cutters for sale sit has been creeping its way up my most visited sites over the past month...

I've also been looking at M3 Convertibles - and i have no idea why - i hate convertibles!

A guy I know sold an E46 M3 recently, FSH, Inspection 2 done, new brakes done, new SMG pump done, new suspension, CSL styled, everything replaced that can break.

Bad part 126,000 miles, but he sold it for like £5100 and is was spotless and no reason why it not do 50k trouble free as suspension, brakes etc. were all new.

Have the money ready, because out of every 10 cars sub 6k, 8-9 will be dogs and there will always be a real steal.

One of the best bargains by far now, if you buy right.

 

[Gibbo]

Oh for god sake Gibbo, i'm looking at M3s now, Just had a quick browse, and there are quite a few going, imo cheap, this one on sensible mileage, convert estoril blue and he wants £7,750 Link

Can you tell me why that, and other examples like that on PH are going for that price?

That's just their value now.

A 2006 sub 50k miles, CS model in absolute perfect condition are around 13-16k price wise.

So of course older cars with higher mileage of worth less. Yes some are bargains for sure, main thing to look out for is cars which have good service history and if they are high milers then check to see if the things prone to failing have being sorted, like SMG pumps, springs, dampers, brakes refreshed, inspection 2 service etc.

Its still an expensive car to run, 15-20mpg typically and a max of 30mpg on a long run on the motorway if your lucky.

The only good thing is now there is so many of them so if something does break the parts are now cheaper and re-conditioned or second hand parts can be picked up for very little.

 

[Gibbo]

Most do, yes. But the good ones have all the preventative stuff detailed too and are few and far between.

Just makes it even easier to find the diamonds in the rough i guess

If I was to sell mine, it would go along lines off:-
CPV valve changed, Inspection II done - Absolutely zero oil leaks.
Rear diff pinion seal replaced - Absolutely zero oil leaks.
New brake disc & pads all round.
Inspection II service done along with oil changes every 5000 miles in between.
New coil over suspension all round.
Evolve Remap, resulting in 367BHP.
BMC Panel filter
Complete performance exhaust system with Milltek cats
All vanos bolts, hub, exhaust updated with newer bolts as preventative.

Etc. etc. etc.

People who know them, care for them would have carried out preventative maintenance etc. making them a very good buy, of course it could still blow up the next day but unlikely.

I paid £6995 for mine with a lot of track focused items on the car, seats, full exhaust system, two-piece PF disc along with oil changes every 3k miles documentated along with all fluids changed throughout car within last 10000 miles. It was a track car and was maintained to a very high level, so driven with care and used as intended.

Ask for the VIN, check for recalls, ensure rod-bearing recall was done amongst any others.

Mine has not put a foot wrong, the work I've done is purely preventative work ensuring it is in tip top condition and hopefully ready for a year of trouble free track driving, barr tyres, brakes and oil.

They are great cars and there is some real bargains to be had, but there is some absolute dogs out there which will be a disaster if you buy wrong.

 

[Gibbo]

Its nuts how cheap these cars have gotten, i'm thinking of these now instead of a Z4.

I'll have an everyday car anyway for work, this is something i'd take out now and then, or if I fancied showing off, it can accompany me to work one day.

The M3 is an everyday car, unless your gonna do what I've done.

The Z4 / Z4M is more special and more of an occasion but I always felt the M3 seemed faster and seemed to handle a lot better on the road. Made no sense as the Z4 is lighter and smaller.....

 

[Gibbo]

I would have thought a 3.0 Z4 would have been a better everyday car, not a 3.2 340bhp gas guzzler

Depends on your needs I suppose, the M3 has more mod-cons I think, more roomy interior, room for people in back and a bigger boot, which is where I am coming from on more practical front.

Plus convertible can be a tad annoying in the colder months when you have to have the roof up, simply not the same as a coupe.

 

[Gibbo]

Hi there

Just double checked ride heights:-

Front Driver: 332mm (330mm target)
Front Passenger: 331mm (330mm target)

Rear Driver: 325mm (325mm target)
Rear Passenger: 324mm (325mm target)

Within 1mm of optimal ride heights for handling and function. Good enough for me. When it is re-corner weighted I shall tell them to make the adjustments if required to aim for the targets.

A couple of images from side profile as requested:-

The handling with these ride heights is literally night and day, impressive considering current slippy road conditions, the rear has so much more traction now with far greater corner speeds, to the point, the car pushes at first which is actually nice understeer as turning it to oversteer is controlled via throttle input.

Very happy!

 

[Gibbo]

Looking good Gibbo, wouldn't mind a run in this at some point, see how it compares to the normal car.

Its a more hardcore and rawer experience than a CSL, but more comfortable if that makes sense due to the more accommodating seats and better quality suspension.

The only thing I might change after another track day or two, is to swap out the M3 anti-roll bars for the CSL versions if I feel it needs it, but the car is pretty flat to be honest, so seem to work quite well.

But in short over the moon with it, such an insanely quick car in the dry at everything, I think now 30-100mph is as quick or marginally quicker than 911, though of course beyond 130mph I think 911 would be ahead.

Still the S54 revving out to 8300rpm is S6 CSL gear shifts is a thing of joy, it is just the closest thing ever to a full blown sequential box, which has the option of being all slushy and lazy should you wish it.

 

[Gibbo]

Just being informed by another guy doing a similar project the before June 2002 cars with the older DSC system like mine actually have three modes, one is hidden.

1. DSC on
2. DSC off (traction / stability)
3. DSC / ABS off (Everything OFF - Only switchable back on with ignition cycled).

Now those with track cars or track driving will no ABS cut/trigger is nothing but a pain in the backside, especially in the wet on track, so finding out I can completely disable ABS at the press of a button (long press - 15s) is a great bonus.