Slavik's 2002 Carbon Schwarz M3 6 Speed Build

[Sharocks]

REM polishing the diff won't do anything. My Dinan diff is REM polished and it whines like crazy on accel and decel. I have different clutch packs tho.

Thought you already had SSV1s installed tho?

[slavik1988]

Last of my quarantine purchases have came in😁.

Though shortly after opening them, my excitement died down. I was a little disappointed to see that all of the O2 sensor plugs were missing and one flange was a 3/16ths of an inch off. Technically, it should be snug ones it is bolted down to the cylinder head. Contacted ECS Tuning to see what they say.





Can't wait to get them installed though once the issues are resolved.

[slavik1988]

Went for a short drive on Sunday to test the 3.91 differential. I have to say, the car feels alot more alive. The purpose was never to get better acceleration, but it was welcomed improvement. My main reason for getting the differential was to see if it the car would be geared more appropriately for our mountain roads. The differential did deliver. I am up couple hundred revs and it puts the engine in its sweet spot through the corners. One drawback is diff whine on highway speeds. I will have to see if I can do something about that.

Doing some reading on M5Board, it seems that polishing the gear may do the trick.

[slavik1988]

Scored a few Dinan goodies from a local parting out a Dinan S2 M3 with 80k miles. I managed to pick up the 3.91 differential and a 27mm adjustable front sway. I was on the hunt for one of those differentials for a while now!

Didn't wait too long to get them installed...



The 3.91 is on the cart:



All buttoned up except V-brace:


I will be coming back to the differential to repaint the case and clean up the rust. The subframe will need to be reinforced from the top and stitched on the bottom this winter.


Dinan front sway bar going in to replace the 27mm convertible bar that I had:

[slavik1988]

Been lazy with the updates. I finally received my CSL mid-pipe a few weeks ago. Was really curious to see how much weight it will save me. Turns out the thin wall stainless steel pipes will save you 4lbs.

CSL Mid-Pipe Weight:



OEM Mid-Pipe Weight:




Both of the mid-pipes side by side before I had the new one installed.






... and just out of curiosity, I weighed the OEM muffler versus the weight of my Dinan unit (9 lbs savings):

[slavik1988]

Took some picture of the new wheels today. Quarantine Photoshoot:

[slavik1988]

Threw the M3 on the scales today after work. 3389lbs with me in it and a little less than half a tank of fuel.




Wet weight of the car by itself:



For reference: In May 2019, the car weighed in at 3374 without the driver and 2/3 tank.

[slavik1988]

I had the tires mounted on the new wheels today. Put the new wheels on the scales and got this...

Front:



Rear:



Twenty pounds less across all four corners.



A few quick pictures of them installed. Car is dusty from sitting in the garage.




While the car was on jack stands, I had a closer look at my RCAP. Found this on the driver side are near the strut...


Starting to collect parts for a topside reinforcement and stitch welding the underside areas. I knew this was coming.

[slavik1988]

Put on some Nanolex sealer on the wheels this Friday. It should make for an easier clean once they are mounted. The tires are coming being installed this Wednesday.



Weighed my old wheel/tire combo 47.3 lbs for the front and 50.9 lbs for the rear each. Curious as to what the SM-10 will weigh in at.

Front:



Rear:

[slavik1988]

Picked up a set of Apex SM-10 from the last GB. $300 off and free shipping FTW!😁

F: 18x9" et30
R: 18x9.5" et22

[slavik1988]

Got a good deal on a pair of Recaro Pole Position black leather seats,sliders and floor mounts. I never realized how much of a improvement these are over stock. A short run through the mountains and I was hooked. You feel like you are part of the car and do not need grip the steering wheel hard.



Deleting all of the audio from the car. Didn't weight the parts but it is quite a chunk of weight. I am not much of an audiophile and haven't used the stereo in the longest time. Removed the head unit, speakers, amplifier, and the wiring associated with all of it.

[slavik1988]

01/25/2020 Update:


My brother and I started to discuss how we can loose weight off of the E46 M3. Some research later, I stumbled up on Obioban's post regarding the secondary water pump on the CSL is smaller (used by all other E46s) compared to the one we had. It was a savings of a over 1.25lbs. Also, since I was running a CSL box, I no longer needed the air cleaner mounting point. Another 0.31lbs shaved.





While there, I removed the Evolve box to give it a clean, wax and seal. Both air filters were cleaned.

[slavik1988]

07/21/2019 Update:

A few pictures from a track day with Just Track It LLC. This was at Road Atlanta on July 20-21. Biggest issue I ran into was overheating on the back straight. Will definitely end up upgrading the radiator and an electric fan.

[slavik1988]

06/16/2019 Update:


A long overdue update. A new set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and an alignment were done in April:



I took the M3 on a couple of road trips. The first one is what we do with my brother and some friends annually. On the second week of April we headed to the mountains of Georga, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Always good fun to run Blood Mountain and Tail of the Dragon on the same weekend. I put in a little over 800 miles over the course of Friday and Saturday. Here are some pictures from the weekend.






I was flying out to Florida 2 hours after that picture and didn’t want the car sitting dirty for a week. The rain helped with the wash.😂





My second road trip was a "little longer":
I left on Thursday, June 7th. I drove to New Hampshire in one day. My morning started at 4AM and my first stop was at the Deleware Water Gap. I spent a couple of hours hiking up the mountain for some good views and to relax from the drive.




Then I went up to New York and via the Taconic State Parkway drove into Vermont. Cut through via VT 9 and into New Hampshire. I called in earlier into Keyser Campground if I could come in late to get some shut eye. Thankfully, they were understandable and waited for me to arrive at 10:15PM.


Next morning:



The next day included a drive at Kancamagus Hwy, and Mt. Washington. To my surprise, the roads were empty and I had a good run through the White Mountains and into Maine. Quick stop in Bangor, ME for a beer and went up to Baxter State Park. Unfortunately, the hiking trail to Mt. Katahdin was closed and all I was able to do is take a picture of it from the base.







My plans changed and on Saturday I drove down to Acadia National Park for some hiking. After a couple of hikes, I drove down to Portland, ME.



I spent a good day in Portland, ME before heading down to NC.

[slavik1988]

02/11/2019 Update:


Another upgrade to the suspension of the M3. Last weekend I installed a monoball FCAB's and RTAB's. Also picked up some Turner Motorsports adjustable front sway bar links and Vorshlag camber plates.

A short test drive later I was very impressed how the monoball bushings improved turn in. It now feels very direct. Now waiting on a set of Michelin PS4S tires and alignment. Prior to alignment, I will have the M3 corner balanced.