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the best mods for e46 m3

103K views 62 replies 31 participants last post by  Chrisredb20 
#1 ·
im looking to buy an m3 and wondering what are some mods that i could do to my m3 to dress it up a lil bit and still have it look classy i just wanted some ideas on diffrent looks i guess thanks guys :thumbsup:
and anyone that has any info on an stick e46 m3 for around 14.5k plz let me know :excited:
 
#5 ·
I'm sure if you get an e46 M that it won't need any maintenance. The guys seem to be liking the 'painting tires body color' mod, so make sure you don't get black, otherwise that mod is sort of useless.

The non-Ms need a lot of maintenance, but the M, being the pinnacle of the e46 fleet, really can go for tens of thousands of miles without doing anything. Also, the oil is so thick, that you hardly need to change it as the car can't tell the difference between it and sludge.

Drop, stagger, hellaflush, lose sap, lose ccv, chip, exhaust, headers, argon in the tires and you should be all good.
 
#7 ·
Search search search. I just personally just purchased a m3 last week and I have been on this fourm for almost a year. Find pictures. Search. Read members journals if they have made any. Dressing up your m3 comes down to personal preferences. Modifying it to what suites you n your style is what makes the automotive industry so vast n diverse. You could throw some 22 inch spinners if you wanted. All on how you want your car to look.

That being said. I would worry on buying the m3 first then do all prevenative maitenence first before you do a list of mods.

Sent from my HTC-X710a using Bimmer App
 
#11 ·
Yea? Really? Ya think so? Show me a dyno run to prove that number. You will NOT get 50Hp from those 3 simple mods.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Bro, the only MODs you need to do this car is this.. Koni Shocks, AP headers (or the like), catted section 1, Evolve Tune, and Michelin Pilot Super Sports. The section 1 is debatable now with Evolve's tune that can leave your post O2's on, but no CEL, and the post O2's will be in a "ready" state for inspection. No cats, you will have more rasp, and smell.

As far as looks go, good set of 19's and clay/polish/wax.

This is ALL assuming maintenance work has been done, including the RTAB's, and FCAB's.
 
#19 ·
I've done about everything possibly performance wise (minus BBK) and I would say that gears (3.91 or 4.10), headers, and tune are the best go fast mods you can do. Other than those, coilovers are a great mod and a good brake pad and good fluid can make a big difference.

As for buying an m3 for 14.5k, if I were in the market today I wouldn't pay anything less than 20k for a well maintained and documented car. You get what you pay for and the maintenence on these cars isn't cheap especailly if you have a vanos or smg failure.
 
#26 ·
As for buying an m3 for 14.5k, if I were in the market today I wouldn't pay anything less than 20k for a well maintained and documented car. You get what you pay for and the maintenence on these cars isn't cheap especailly if you have a vanos or smg failure.
Yup, shopping for an el cheapo M3 and asking about mods before you've even bought said el cheapo M3 is a recipe for disaster.
 
#27 ·
It's hard to find a good one, after looking at 5 shit ones, I found a gem that had been looked after, changed all lights to depo smoke, now ready for performance mods, you all have came up with some good ones, I made a mistake with the k&n intake, wish I looked on here first seems a good panel filter is best way to go.
 
#42 ·
MadRussian's post may have been written in 2004, but what he says remains essentially correct. There is still no cheap or easy way to get more power out of our M3's, and software upgrades, intake manifolds, and exhaust mods won't get you much, if any, additional grunt. At its essence, an engine is simply an air pump. It produces power by bringing in a 17.1 to 1 mixture of air and petrol and combusting it. Power is limited by 3 things. First, how much mixture you can get into the combustion chamber and combust in the shortest period of time, second, how quickly you can evacuate spent gasses from the system so that you can start the process all over again, and third, how efficiently you can turn the petrol and gas mixture into usable power. The M3 engine is ultimately limited by its overall capacity of 3.2 litres. Absent forced induction there is a limit to how much fuel and air mixture can be taken into each combustion chamber (which is why the old racer's adage has always been, "there is no replacement for displacement."). While the current redline might conceivable be raised, it would be quite costly to make certain that the engine wouldn't self-destruct, and maximum power comes at 7,900 rpm anyway. There are no major restrictions in either intake or exhaust that impact power production. What does this leave you? Either forced induction (which WILL give you a substantial boost, albeit at a substantial price) or finding some other way to increase circulation. This would mean a completely new fuel injection system (it would need to be direct injection), different intake, and completely different computer programming. By the time all of this is done, you will have spent at least as much as a good forced induction system would cost, but without as much gain. While technologies change, the laws of physics don't.
 
#44 · (Edited)
I am going to name some very popular mods. But the ORDER of importance is VERY subjective.

For ME it was extremely cut and dried. i did ALL items 1-8 in the first 6 weeks after I bought the car. I had a lot of time on my hands. It could take 3 months. The car was RARELY overnight in the shop. Once, I think, for the headers.

1) Get rid of stock exhaust and stock mid pipe. Get NICE sounding exhaust, Like
Agency Power, El Diablo.NICE, melodious exhaust..NOT harsh.

NOT racey harsh. DONT get Gruppe M, Any of the Super Sprint(too tinny).
Eissman doesnt flow well.

2)Get GREAT anti rasp mid pipe like the Borla V2. The above #1 and #2 are THE most important to ME for driving pleasure. Its GOTTA sound great!

3) You can DO the de catted headrrs but I really do NOT recommend it with out a custom DYNO tune to lean the car out a bit. other wise you will run rich and STINK..bad sometimes! Sorry. I had Ebay headders for over 3 years with ZERO problems...picked about 25 HP, JUST from that mod(de catting plus super tune) End HP was 301 RWHP.

4) Performace panel filter(air filter) NO NEED for Cold air intake. WE HAVE cold air intakes OEM!!!

5) 90 dollar radiused intake elbow.

6) Forget springs and Koni yellows. The car will LOOK 1000 times better and HANDLE 100 times better with a set of KW V2 coil overs. Buy them used if you have to. but buy them!!!

7) Clay exterior paint and FIND a detailer who REALLY can get rid of ALL your swirls and scratches in your paint. Sometimes a VERY careful wet and dry sand paper sanding is necessary first. SEE the guy's work IN PERSON(no photos). DONT look at paint surface shine. Look at something REFLECTED in the paint. There should be NO WAVES, orange peel etc. The differnece between an ordinary buff job and a TOTAL scratch and swirl removal is extraordinary. Often you will pay the SAME amount for either. make sure you get the good one.300 to 600 bux every 9 months to a year. The first one is the worst. If you ONLY had wash the follow ups can be only a coupe hunderd bux every 6 to 9 months. You CAN go a whole year if the car is garaged.

8) Never ever use WAX unless its on TOP of a polymer protection. Wax is useless and the BEST jobs last ONE MONTH. Polymers last SIX to NINE months. Wolfgang products from Germany. Just put WAX out of your vocabulary. The SHINE comes from your POLISH stage. The polymer or wax only adds protection and yes, a certain amount of DEPTH. Its ALL about the POLISH as far as shine goes. It is an ART not to BURN thru the clear coat!!!

Thats it. To get started. i had ALL these things completed six weeks after I bought the car. SLOWLY I did other mods like wheels, 245/275mm tires, carbon fiber pieces, chrome trim elimination, sound system, built in radar detector and laser jammers, LED Angel EYES from EAS, 6K fog lights. BBK or just new Hawk Hi perf pads and slotted rotors, Castrol SRF brake fluid if you EVER track the car. Bigger oil cooler.

If you can afford items one thru eight, you will be ROCKING your M SO HARD that it will seem like a different car. it WILL be a different car....SO much better than stock....there is hardly any comparison.

Warning. Approach a differential change VERY carefully. You may HATE the increased cruising RPMs. and much worse fuel mileage. New diff is NOT for everyone!
 
#45 ·
What is everyones opinion about a Under Drive Pulley kit? The sellers say it can free up horsepower up to 10hp? Is this true?:rolleyes:
 
#47 ·
The 10 bhp claim is likely optimistic, however you can see some gain from going to an underdrive pulley. Just don't forget the tradeoff. With an underdrive pulley your ancillaries will be turning more slowly. This means your alternator, your water pump, your A/C compressor, and your power steering and brake booster. Slower rotational speeds mean less assist.
 
#48 ·
Ohhhhh your right! I never thought of it like that. But hey i might do it anyways.
 
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