Obioban's 2005 IR/IR Coupe

[Obioban]

Pics of the V1 remote display at night. It still uses the ambient light sensor in the V1, so at night it runs dimmer than during the day

(sorry about the crappy quality, I pulled them from a movie)

[Obioban]

New wheels! RAC RG-63s. 8000 ton forged, light, one piece, 18", perfect fitment, BBK clearing. Hopefully the last summer wheels I'll ever run on the car :roll:


Boxed:







Tires mounted:









And on the car:



























And a little teaser of a mod I just got.....

[Obioban]

Thought I should post my review of my new muffler here:

Since I'm enthused about this muffler enough that I feel like people could see this as an ad, I'm going to start out by pointing out that I'm not selling this muffler. If you want to buy this, you need to talk to a different forum sponsor: Sean at Oakville Motorwerks: http://www.oakvillemotorwerks.com/

Or, directly to the muffler: http://www.oakvillemotorwerks.com/sh...1066&parent=84

I believe they're is selling it cheaper ($1500?) to members of M3forum, so if you're interested in getting one I would PM them directly. Their usernames are sean@om and dipal@om.

I know this thread needs a video. I'll add one this weekend!

As many of you know, I have long been a strong proponent of the stock muffler. This was never because the stock muffler sounded particularly good, no was it particularly light-- it was always because every aftermarket had issues I couldn't deal with. Some deal breakers for me included:
-DRONE (far and away the top reason I wouldn't get a muffler previously-- ruins the car, imho)
-fart can sound
-exhaust tips that don't function
subcategory a: tips that don't function on an entire side of the car
subcategory b: only one tip that functions on each side of the car
-exhaust tips that sit too low (this is actually a bit of an issue with stock)
-exhaust tips that sit to high, and rattle against or melt the diffuser
-exhaust tips that look sunken when you add a CSL diffuser
-large exhaust tips that, when you look down them, lead to a small pipe
-DTM and oval exhaust tips
-exhausts that decrease hp (they are out there)
-exhausts with negligible weight savings

Yes, I have lots of tip issues. They one of the most noticeable parts of the car, so I want them perfect. :roll:

I had pretty much given up on finding an exhaust that actually met my requirements, and at 105,000 miles had finally settled on stock with larger/longer tips. It was far from perfect, but it didn't drone and wasn't losing me power.

Happily Sean talked me into changing my mind. Last Friday I installed the Scorza muffler on my car. It is EVERYTHING I wanted in an e46 muffler. First off:

1) THIS EXHAUST DOES NOT DRONE AT ALL. At any speed, any level of load, any RPM-- no drone. Drone was the reason I sold my last muffler, so this was HUGELY important to me. I have no cats, which often makes drone more likely to occur... but still, zero drone. I drove 600 miles yesterday, so it got throughly tested for this

2) It sounds freaking amazing. As in, best exhaust sound I've ever heard an e46 muffler make. Between the airbox when I'm coming, and the muffler as I'm going, I couldn't be more pleased with how my car sounds. I've been having family and friends drive back and forth past me since I put it on, just so I can hear it go by

3) At cruise, I don't think cabin volume has gone up by even a single db. It literally is as quiet as stock when you're not on it. Even when you do get on it, the exhaust does not overwhelm the engine sound.

4) 25 lbs lighter than stock. Sure, exhausts are the worst place in the car to lose weight (all the way down and all the way back), but lighter is still better

5) tips: You can get them in black or stainless (I got black, as I don't wash my car as often as I should, and these look better dirty :roll, and in two tip lengths: CSL diffuser or stock. Meaning, they don't stick out stupidly if you don't have a CSL diffuser, and then don't get sunken looking if you do have a CSL diffuser.

6) build quality/fitment: Both excellent. Welds are excellent, hangers line up, tips are nicely placed, bolts easily up to the stock section 2, stainless steel should last well in salty winters.

7) Power: idk yet. Sean thinks it should be good for a 6 rwhp gain. He's confident enough that he's volunteered to pay for me to dyno. I haven't done it yet, but I'll post up results when I get them. I have a nice baseline dyno, as seen in the CSL airbox thread. It certainly doesn't feel like it has lost anything.


Overall, I'm just happy as a pig in shit with this muffler. It sounds better than I could have ever imagined an e46 M3 muffler sounding, and has none of the normal downsides that have caused me to avoid getting a muffler until now. One of my best friends (Surge709 on this forum) heard I was getting another muffler and tried really hard to stop me. On sunday I got a chance to give him a ride, and he changed his opinion in the first mile. It really is just... perfect

Side note on price: It seems like every time this muffler comes up, people say it's too expensive.... I don't see it. It's cheaper than the Dinan, SuperSprint, Eisenmann, etc. This is absolutely a top tier muffler, so it actually seems aggressively priced to me. Further, I've had some of the more expensive mufflers on my car, and ended up taking them off-- this one will be staying on.


Pics: Sadly I got too excited once it was mounted up and forgot to take on car pics on the lift. I'll add some to this thread next time I have the car up :roll:

Further disclaimers: You'll see in one of the pics that one of the tips got bent in shipping. Sean offered to send me a new one for free (the tips are replaceable), but I rerounded it myself once I had it on the car.

Also, car is dirty... been driving it a LOT the last week, haven't had a chance to wash it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD9SwJTg-5U

[Obioban]

Some shots from a recent photoshoot with friends in cape may (thread, including shots of other people's cars, here):

[Obioban]

[Obioban]

CB antenna:






Dent finally fixed :roll:


















He had a downpayment on a Boss 302, but in the end couldn't deal with actually having to drive a mustang on a daily basis. I'm with him... we went and sat in one, and it was crap.

Some pics from our pickup, trip, and the enthusiast auto lot (EA was VERY impressive-- all M cars, very knowledgable, clearly actually enjoyed what they do, made everything 100% perfect, no pressure at all. I'll be back there in the future!)

Junk food and caffeine stocking for our travels:




Couple hours in, when we decided to turn on the nav:




Some pics from EA:





























The actual delivery/car:

















We didn't tell anybody about what we were doing out there, but we posted hint-- trapster map and some misc pics as we drove home posted on facebook where the M5 is slightly in the background.









Creepy place where we pulled over to pee:




Full trip:




^went through Pittsburgh to get dinner with Mr. Wolfe.


Ordered a bunch of crap to keep her driving like new...
-new front control arms
-new seat cushion
-new precat 02s
-new EGT sensor
-new CPV... even though I did it when I installed JVTs at 98,000 miles, making this one <20,000 miles old. Still, the part is cheap, and it's super easy when the headers are off.
-new header gaskets, studs, and nuts of the SS stepped
-new gas door spring (mine has stopped holding the gas door closed... sometimes)
-cargo net for the trunk

[Obioban]

Semiboring update. Replaced the driver's side seat foam, as it was getting a bit flat feeling at 116,000 miles.









Small update: My fog lights have long been triggered to headlights for a long time (they're 3600k HIDs, don't want them burning out due to cycling with the highs/lows).

So, I recently got the euro LCM and can now use the front and rear fog buttons to trigger things with in cluster reminders that they're triggered









Plans for the next month:

Jethot coated SS stepped headers
fuel injector rebuild
new pre cat 02s
new EGT
full OEM CSL airbox ducting
evolve custom tune
secondary air pump delete
new window gaskets

[Obioban]

Some pics and videos from our filming day:

[Obioban]

Car is going on the lift this Friday and won't be coming off till all of the following is done:

SS stepped headers, jet hot coated
new gaskets, studs, nuts, etc
secondary air pump delete kit
evolve dyno tuning
rear upper ball joints
rear lower ball joints
rear lower control arms
front lower control arms
front control arm bushings
pre cat 02s
EGT
new RSM bushings
valve adjustment
fuel injector rebuild
OEM CSL intake ducting
OEM CSL air intake temp sensor
CPV
Pilot Super Sports in 255/40/18 and 275/35/18
ride height tweak
align/corner balance
new CSL air filter


got the injectors back yesterday. Result from the service:



1 & 3 had bad spray patterns. 4 was clogged to the point that it couldn't be repaired and they said it should have been throwing misfire codes. All 6 had reduced flow.

Used top tier gas whenever possibly, new fuel filter every inspection interval (20-25,000 miles), techron also run every inspection interval.



Did some small projects this weekend. Moved the jammer heads from the bumper mesh to inside the headlights, replaced the bumper mesh, and added OEM CSL intake ducting. Annoyingly the VAC airbox ducting holes are slightly (but too much) off the OE location, rendering them unusable. Going to contact them... hopefully they're replace it or rotate the ring....

On the bumper side, the OEM CSL intake duct comes out perfectly by the fog light!

Also (previously) removed the secondary air pump, had evolve turn off the sensor for it, and modded the bracket to not look like it wants to hold one.

Sorry about the pics, dark out and only had my phone camera to use.

[Obioban]

About 1.5 years ago I decided it was time to get headers for my car. I read lots of positive things on the forum about ebay headers and figured that headers were just bent pipe... so how far wrong could you go? So, for the first time on my car, I cheaped out. A decision I now regret, as lots of hassle could have been avoided.

Install was painful. It took about 4 hours to get the collectors mounted on the block. The pipes were misaligned and at varied depths. We eventually got them on with a combination of clamps, cardboard to hold things in place, and brute force. Oh, and the flanges were thicker than stock, so I was required to use longer studs. Not a great install, but I was okay with because I figured I only had to deal with install once and then they'd be fine.

Over the next 18 months I was continually in battles with various rattles in my exhaust track, ALL of them header based-- header to engine mount, header to FCAB, midpipe to exhaust tunnel (because the header misaligned the midpipe), and super low exhaust tips (also because of the headers).

Eventually I got fed up with trying to deal with these issues, one after another, so I ordered some properly made headers. Not wanting to repeat any of my issues I skipped all the "midgrade" options (which may be great for all I know) and went for the best-- SuperSprint.

Since I have the CSL airbox, which takes some of its air directly from the engine bay, I opted to get the JetHot ceramic coating-- also the best there is, from the research I've done (was really, REALLY trying to do everything right this go round with headers). I ended up with the Sterling Silver finish, as it was the cheapest (as the default), they're never seen, and it's just as effective as all of their other colors. So, if they look a little different (especially around where you should be seeing the welds), that's why.

Install:
There's only one way to describe the install process: easier and better than stock. First off, the header flanges just slid on. There was ZERO tweaking of the pipe necessary, only instant glide on. Secondly, the flanges are properly sized so that you can use e46 studs. Thirdly, the section one connectors are in the stock location, so everything downstream (midpipes and muffler) fits properly, doesn't cause rub, and doesn't wear out muffler hangers prematurely. Lastly, there's huge clearances for everything. There's no area when I can't fit my entire finger between the header and another part of the car.

Then there's what really matters to me: there is clearance EVERYWHERE. I can literally put a finger between any part of the header and any part of the car-- FCABs, engine mount, etc-- plenty of clearance everything. My car will be vibration free like stock :roll:.

Some other observations:
-all the welds are bang on perfect. Smooth, consistent, perfect.
-the stepped headers, at least, are remarkably different in design than the JVTs. I've attached some side by side pics below, and the way they route the pipe is markedly different.
-02 bung and EGT sensor placement is perfect. You don't need to remove the headers to replace either, should they go wrong (to replace the EGT with the JVTs, the headers had to come off).

Power: I really can't comment to any changes in power. From what I've read the SS stepped makes more power than any other header on the market. That said, I made too many changes at once to attribute changes in power to the stepped headers. The JVTs did make the car noticeably faster, I can't hold that against them. These should do more still.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with my purchase. It's what i should have done 18 months ago instead of cheaping out. First and last time I'll make that mistake.

Some pics:

The headers, Jethot coated in sterling silver:




Compared to the JVTs. I really just included this pics because I think it's interesting how different the pipe routing is on the stepped than on the JVTs:













Nice thin flanges, and perfectly straight line of them:





Bolted in the car, perfect mating with the section 2:




FCAB clearance:







:whistle:


Quote:

Originally Posted by deadlysyns Pics...

Pic that a friend (surge709) took this spring with his iPhone that I like (unwashed, unposed, just parked there):





Some pics from a recent road trip

Brief disclaimer: This was a 5000 mile trip and the car wasn't washed before I started, much less by the time I got back :roll:

Pics my Surge709 :thumbsup2:

Prep:












Texas:






























Joplin:






















Indy:
















St Louis:













Enthusiast Auto group

[Obioban]

New part ordered :shifty:

Hoping to increase civility and decrease weight with this one.





two mini updates:

1) VAC doesn't sell a kit for the fuel system emissions stuff, but they do eliminate it off their track cars. Going to talk to one of their techs on monday and replicate. Will post up the details, for those wanting to save the weight

2) Modded the GF's (now fiancé's) finger today.

[Obioban]

Finally got some pics of my new laser jammer location, to give people in the new jammer GB ideas of where to put them. So, here they are as well










































Best wedding gift I've ever given.

Can anyone guess what it is?






Shiny new parts that will hopefully be going in on wednesday.

Also doing diff mounts.

SS mids because I was so impressed with the headers that I had to get the mids, and TMS ALCA to replace my UUC ones. This are half the weight of the UUC ones and not made by UUC :lo:










Rough day for my car. I went to do the TMS control arms and diff mounts and found a whole pipe of issues:

1) The UUC RLCAs were bowed and the bushings were falling out of them once removed from the car. Not great! And not possible to see with them in the car. I was already replacing them, so not that big a deal now, but... ug.

2) While doing the front diff mount, I glanced at the subframe bushings (already replaced with new stock when my turner subframe kit was welded in) and noticed that they were seriously torn up. Complete circles around the center bolt. So... out came the rear subframe. Ordered some AKG 90A poly subframe mounts which should be fairly similar to stock in stiffness and hopefully will last considerable longer. Still on my original poly RTABs (now with 120,000 miles on them), so consider me a believer in poly longevity.

3) Once I had the subframe out, I noticed that the people that welded in my subframe kit didn't do a very good job sealing it up afterwards... with the result that there is now rust on the chassis. Ordered a serious rust repair kit-- when it comes I'm going to completely grind it down, clean it, treat it, and seal it.

Since the subframe is out, and has some minor surface rust on it, I'm going to get it sandblasted down and powder coated in a silly color for fun. Haven't decided on a color yet...

Annoying day!! At this point, every single part that attaches to the rear of the car is sitting in piles on the garage floor. :banghead:












In an attempt to get some fun out of this project, and since all the parts are out of the car anyway, and since it actually will protect them going forward, I'm going to get the following parts sand blasted and then powder coated glossy red:
-rear subframe
-rear v brace mount
-v brace
-the two chassis braces that go under the exhaust tunnel
-the thrust plate
-rear sway bar bushing holders
-trans support brace

Since the TMS RLCAs come blue, I'm going to get the factory rear upper control arms done in blue, as close to matching the TMS arms as possible.

None of this will be visible unless you're under the car, so it's really just for my own amusement :roll:

Parts before (subframe not pictured as bushings being pressed out):





One more before shot that I forgot to post. Subframe seems bigger once outside of the car!

[Obioban]

Up to 45 sig pics now. Thinking I should make some with the track car some time.

Here's what I have so far:

[Obioban]

Just realized i never put up pics of all my underbody items after I got them powder coated (and new bushings put in everywhere).

Clearly not installed at the moment, but still thought they'd be fun to post....







































And, totally invisible if you're not under the car!

















Subframe repair is complete!














Can't wait to get the rest of her put back together



Just realized i never put up pics of all my underbody items after I got them powder coated (and new bushings put in everywhere).

Clearly not installed at the moment, but still thought they'd be fun to post....







































And, totally invisible if you're not under the car!

[Obioban]

Installed the newest intravee firmware and am really enjoying the new features! Dynamic nav zoom based on speed, playlist selection by number keys, vehicle info on demand, auto mute and distances displayed when in reverse, etc etc

New intravee shiz - YouTube

Found this video of my car on YouTube that has more views than any video I've ever posted :roll:

Obioban´s red BMW M3 E46 - YouTube


Found an awesome new option in the tomtom app




Last night I used navcoder to enable the voice control portion of the bluetooth module. Super kickass, and reminds me very much of MKIV-- extremely limited in what it can do, but super good at what it does. Made ~10 test phone calls by name last night on the highway (ambient noise), and they all went through correctly.

"

Sometime I think coding/programming mods are my favorite mods. So free of downsides, just better!


Hit a raccoon on the way home tonight. Somehow it managed to take out a fog while leaving the fog trim :clueless:

Also toasted a splitter.