A little thread on mods you have done on the car which worked (give reasons) and mods you have done which were shit (give reasons).
My E46 M3 convertible – in no order.
1) interior, I hated the plastic glaring at me when I got into my car, it looked like putting a supermodel in Asda clothing. Costs depend on what you are after, mine was £3600 which is a very good price.
2) suspension, the vert (I felt) was a bit too soft in the bends (yes I know it hasn’t got a roof so you expect it) but by adding coilovers and antiroll bars the car changes completely. I had KW’s and H&R fitted. Spend money on coilovers, best budget is BC. Cost for both £1400 one of the best mods to do. If on a budget you can just update the bushes to Poly bushes, this alone will bring back a factory setup to feeling tighter, people underestimate the gains this alone will do without the need to coilovers. Lowered spring are also another option, although from my experience they compromise the ride quality.
3) exhaust, looking back I wish I just changed the rear backbox. I’ve found out the hard way that the standard exhaust is epic and really doesn’t need changing. I paid £1100 and am awaiting to see if it actually does add HP. There are proven exhausts out there which DO give you more power, expect £1500
4) engine, for me it lacks power, it’s an amazing engine none the less. VANOS is a must £800ish, then rear sub frame £1700 to £2000, clutch and flywheel kit (mines smg) £1200 fitted, alloy rad £500, fully serviced £500ish. Before adding ANYTHING make sure your car is in tip top shape as any mod you do will be purely based on the engines condition.
5) brakes, I’ve not got these yet but they are (for me) the biggest weak spot on the E46, brake fad is not what you want when racing around on public roads 🙄🙄🙄, cost can by as much as you can afford !! K sport 8 pot F & R are the ones I’ll go for, £3900 fully set up with braided lines etc.
6) supercharger or turbo, although 340 is still good power, even by today’s standard. I need more !! ESS I feel is the best bolt on application, proven results on a standard engine (no mods at all), expect a £9000 bill, but you’ll get 550 to 575hp.
7) air filter, normally aspirated engines can only process a certain amount of air for combustion. Save the money here and pop a panel filter in with re-map, you should see 350 to 360hp (depending on No4 above). There are loads of variations for the E46, the price ranges from £60 to £2000 for air boxes/filters. They will make it sound nicer.
ENSURE you get the work done by a known specialist, yes it costs, but it is piece of mind in the long run. Do bits at a time, this doesn’t hurt the wallet as bad.
You can go as nuts as you like !!
Oh and these cars will suck your wallet dry better the an upclass hooker 8🙄🙄🤭>—
