I am in the market for a 2011 or newer E90 or E92. I am transitioning from a 2010 Porsche GT3 RS that was streetable, but primarily a track car. Want to take a more balance approach with the M3.
For those of you that track you M3, what mods would you advise I consider and in what order? I do want to maintain the factory EDC system.
I am going to be running the COTA track in Austin in June and want to have a decent car for that experience.

 

I would do camber plates (vorschlag), a set of square wheels and tires (18x10et25 apex wheels with 275/35 tires), a dedicated set of track pads (plenty of options), stainless brake lines, upgraded brake fluid and call it a day really. Brake cooling ducts are a good idea too in texas. That will run you ~$3500 if you can do some of the install yourself. You will have a very capable car. Check out m3post for more info and a solid classifieds section.

There are a few options for spring kits that are compatible with the edc system. Kw makes a "sleeve-over" kit that allows for height adjustability while retaining the stock shocks. Not sure if there is any handling benefit from that kit. Also, swift has developed a set of linear springs with "optimal" spring rates that should be an upgrade. That said, upgrading springs will still have an effect on the ride and street ability. At the end of the day I say enjoy the stock suspension for a while until you feel the need to upgrade to a real coil over setup, of which there are a myriad of great choices.

Engine wise is really up to you, and what you want out of the car. The s65 wakes up a little with some exhaust work and tuning. My personal favorite setup is the akrapovic evolution exhaust + an evolve tune. The akra system is titanium and is one of the most impressive pieces of hardware I have ever seen, but it costs damn near $7000. I would start with stock power and go from there.

Good luck with the M3. While it is a step down from the gt3rs, you will be impressed with how amazing the m3 is as a dual purpose vehicle. Maybe I will see you out at some local events, there is a great BMW cca club in north Texas. We are doing an event in late April at msr-c. I will be at the cota event in June too!

 

In addition to what's listed above invest in a good set of sway bars. I ran RD Sport on my last M and it was the best $$ spent. Really keeps the car flat but doesn't hurt the overall ride quality.

Also look into an Evolve Tune. They make awesome tunes.

Good luck and have fun.

 

Thanks to you both. This is exactly what I was looking for. I had not heard of Evolve.

Doug

 

Evolve makes a great tune, I had it on my M6. Great customer service and easy plug and play.

 

I think a BBK is mandatory if this is a dedicated track car. Even if it isn't I'd still upgrade. StopTech's Trophy's have a removable bridge and make for very fast track side pad changes. I'd also try to buy a "stripped down" car and try to shed some weight.

 

Get a hold of James Clay at Bimmerworld. He can get you all set for track use!