Liam821's Phoenix Yellow

[Nima5858]

this is a amazing build really enjoyed watching it and looking forward to see the rest

[Tbonem3]

Sick! More camber up front needed, no?

[liam821]

Sick! More camber up front needed, no?

It doesn't seem to rub as it is...Although I've only driven it 7 miles since getting the new wheels on. I'm taking it to a local motorsports place here in Portland tomorrow to get a proper alignment done. I'm pretty good at doing my own alignments but I don't really have a proper string setup for the M3 like I do with my Civic.

I'm running a 7" front spring and the height adjustment ring on my suspension rubs right on the tire so I ended up having to use a 12mm front spacer to clear it. I might be able to go down to a 10mm but that's cutting it really close. If I want less poke in the front I'm going to have to either get a smaller front tire or a 6" front spring.

On the rear I'm also running a 12mm spacer but it's not enough and looks funny. I stacked two spacers together just to test fit and 20mm looks perfect with just enough space to squeeze a piece of paper through at full compression so a proper spacer.

That's the bummer part about running a square setup you generally have to run spacers to make it work okay. It would be better off if my wheels were 18x9.5 +28 to start with but this was the only size they made in 18s. I did reach out to see if I could get a custom rear wheel made in 18x10" +22 but no luck. Oh well.

Once I get the alignment all done and fix the rear I'll snap some more pictures.

[antknee]

that looks killar.....gonna look even better once you dial in the spacing in the rear!

[liam821]

that looks killar.....gonna look even better once you dial in the spacing in the rear!

Thanks! I ordered a new rear spacer and longer wheel studs last night so once I get them i'll post up a picture. I did get the car aligned today, AR Motorsports in Portland did a great job. Car drives and looks so much better now that all the camber is in line.

[LeopardM3]

Fantastic job, liam821

If you were on the original M3F, you may recall my first M3 was a 2001 PY, and it's still my favorite color by far. Current one is an 06 Mystic Blue, which I absolutely love, but still not as unique as the PY. Also much appreciate the info on the Aston brake calipers, I may do the same! I recently had SS brake lines installed, and HOLY CRAP does it make a world of difference.

[liam821]

Fantastic job, liam821

If you were on the original M3F, you may recall my first M3 was a 2001 PY, and it's still my favorite color by far. Current one is an 06 Mystic Blue, which I absolutely love, but still not as unique as the PY. Also much appreciate the info on the Aston brake calipers, I may do the same! I recently had SS brake lines installed, and HOLY CRAP does it make a world of difference.

Thanks! It's really a great color.

And yeah, just SS lines by itself is a huge upgrade - really improves the brake feel. I'm sure some of it is our cars are getting to be nearly 20 years old now and those rubber lines are rubber lines after all.. but still, for the cost, a great upgrade!

[LeopardM3]

Thanks! It's really a great color.

And yeah, just SS lines by itself is a huge upgrade - really improves the brake feel. I'm sure some of it is our cars are getting to be nearly 20 years old now and those rubber lines are rubber lines after all.. but still, for the cost, a great upgrade!

Couldn't resist, had to go searching for a pic. Here's my old 2001 PY, which I bought in 2004. Loved that car.

[r4dr]

Thanks! I ordered a new rear spacer and longer wheel studs last night so once I get them i'll post up a picture. I did get the car aligned today, AR Motorsports in Portland did a great job. Car drives and looks so much better now that all the camber is in line.

AR is fantastic. They fixed my E30 once when it broke at PIR... wish they were closer to me.

I actually know an E46 M3 guy who trailers his car to and from Portland just to have AR prep it for the track.

[liam821]

Couldn't resist, had to go searching for a pic. Here's my old 2001 PY, which I bought in 2004. Loved that car.

So pretty!

AR is fantastic. They fixed my E30 once when it broke at PIR... wish they were closer to me.

I actually know an E46 M3 guy who trailers his car to and from Portland just to have AR prep it for the track.

Good to know, thanks! Yeah, they're super close to me, 10 miles. I generally do my own alignments on my track car, but I think I'm going to drop it off there and have them track prep it this year. Especially since I found out that my garage floor isn't totally level...

[liam821]

Here are some updated pictures after the alignment and with a 20mm rear spacer. Pouring rain, typical Portland...

[Tbonem3]

Liam, I'm trying to diagnose some rubbing at the back of my fenders/tire (about where metal meets plastic bumper) when I run 10mm+ spacers. It's not a camber issue, as it only gets worse with more neg camber, I'm guessing from the wheel flarring out due to toe in.

Any rubbing in the rear? I can't believe you can get it so close. Looks amazing!

Can you give me your wheel offset & rear toe/camber?

[liam821]

Liam, I'm trying to diagnose some rubbing at the back of my fenders/tire (about where metal meets plastic bumper) when I run 10mm+ spacers. It's not a camber issue, as it only gets worse with more neg camber, I'm guessing from the wheel flarring out due to toe in.

Any rubbing in the rear? I can't believe you can get it so close. Looks amazing!

Can you give me your wheel offset & rear toe/camber?

Thanks! No rubbing at all. I just drove it 1000 miles down to San Diego for work and was flawless the whole way - zero rubbing what-so-ever, thankfully.

Wheels are 18x9.5 +38 with a 20mm rear spacer. 265/35R18 Contental ExtremeContactSport. The alignment in the rear is -2.5 camber, .017 toe. A bit more camber than I originally wanted but on the plus side it gives it a bit more clearance, unsure about tire wear since I haven't driven it far enough yet.

If I was able to get my wheels in custom sizes, I probably would have gotten them in a +28 or maybe a +26 and then used a smaller spacer in the rear and none in the front - but I didn't have much choice with those wheels.

[liam821]

Tbonem3 I was thinking about this more, and I realized that previously I had tried to put a larger spacer with my ZCP 19s and the tire hit the plastic/bumper part as well while it cleared everything else. Got me thinking, perhaps it's the actual tire diameter?

255/35/19, circumference: 81.8"
265/35/18, circumference: 79.5"

So they're a smaller tire, perhaps when we're talking about only a few millimeters the larger diameter and longer circumference is all it takes to clear that plastic bumper part? It's close on my car but does not hit with my current setup. What size tires do you have in the rear?

[Tbonem3]

265 ps4. So you have eff et of 15. I have et27 minus 5 clears but 10mm aka eff et of 17 rubs the tiniest bit only one side. Is your toe total or each side?