should an m3 keep up??

[nick english]

After using an e30 318is (kind of like a baby M3) for a month I\'d absolutely love to have an e30 m3. I wouldn\'t give a damn that the power is a bit yesterday, they are so good to drive. With the risk of taking a flaming I\'d say they are a lot more usable on the limit than a high power Rx7. Not to say I\'d ever choose one over a Rex but for outright fun they are soooo good.

i did like my e36 alpina as it taught me how to handle a rwd even if i did end up facing the wrong way a couple of times lol.dont think the handling was quite up to the m3 -never driven one but wouldnt mind a go in one now:yes

[michaelb]

just had a tear up with a m3 convertible and couldnt shake him on the straight flooring it in 3rd until redline was just leaving him but not a lot!!
mine is 99spec twins standard no apexi etc..
should i be pulling away better than that??
need to change my alloys/tyres as grip not that good due to wrong sized wheels-18"" but only 8"" width allaround
do i change these first or do the apexi route first as im not having a bl***y bmr keeping up with me:reallymad .
dont want to do single conversion as only have 17000 miles on car.
or should i be getting my car checked???
:cheers

Hi

What are your specs?  Is it all standard?  

Incidentally, when you get an Apexi pfc you should be able to up the boost on both turbos a touch, say 5% but you will need a modified map not base map ( my boost is at 0.94 ) , you injector duty will go up a touch but to safe levels.. then you will leave M3s....I do, having said that my cat is removed and my air pump thus freeing around 50kilos, One less pulley for the engine to pull, I also have HKS super dragger and dragon performance mid pipe thus increasing the flow of the gases...

Mods above alone with a proper map will lift your bhp to well pass 300 atw

The other day a slated 3 year old Scooby, from standstill till 3rd I was around 5 cars ahead, I also had the mrs and a heavy computer tools bag with me
(All on private road)

Regards,
Michaelb

[trotter]

when I went to Wolverhampton to pick up Rexy, my mate took me down in his E36 M3, I was pulling away from that with an unmapped 260FWHP. But admittedly it has got almost 200k on the clock lol :Giggle

[nick english]

blitz induction,nur spec r back box only,blitz dump valve but that is it still have air con and cat and probably carrying about 60 kilos in the boot with all the fiberglass and wood in the boot with the ice install.def think apexi is next on the hitlist once i have sorted the wheels as the handling is not that great. dont know which to do first though

[probedb]

HKS super dragger

If you look at the back box on these they\'re not straight through unfortunately....tho they do sound nice I\'ve ended up with an SMB one on mine and I can definitely say that is straight through.

[carlos]

dont play with the m5\'s

[michaelb]

blitz induction,nur spec r back box only,blitz dump valve but that is it still have air con and cat and probably carrying about 60 kilos in the boot with all the fiberglass and wood in the boot with the ice install.def think apexi is next on the hitlist once i have sorted the wheels as the handling is not that great. dont know which to do first though

...if you remove the cat ( and the air pump ) you will need the Apexi ECU , so get the Apexi first, put a modified map allowing for the cat removal then remove the cat, air pump and change the pulleys to accommodate for shorter belt

The day I had the Apexi installed and a modified map put on by ant on here, the car drove sensational, it was so much more responsive especially in the higher revs, it really felt like I had more power after the 4k revs.  The big change was when I had the cat removed, it felt like I have been driving with a passenger all day and suddenly the passenger got off and the car was so much faster and lighter

You will love the drive immediately after the Apexi ECU gets installed with the right map...

Regards,
Michaelb

[michaelb]

If you look at the back box on these they\'re not straight through unfortunately....tho they do sound nice I\'ve ended up with an SMB one on mine and I can definitely say that is straight through.

I know what you mean but the HKS super dragger is miles better then the original mazda exhaust system which it is too restrictive and as you say the sound IMO is second to none.

My HKS box is massive hence the super sound, do you mean it has a slight bend in it?  I am not sure if it makes so much difference if you system is around 3" in width like mine, mind you I could be wrong, my box’s "exit" is massive, you could almost put you head in it, dragon performance mid pipe is 3", being a 96 model I have no pre cat in the down pipe any way...

regards,
Michaelb

[m4drx]

Super Dragger michael is talking about has 3" bore and 5 1/2" exit! better than stock (obviously) some models restrictive due to bends inside the rear back box itself.

many fans (and many haters :rollin)

[nick english]

...if you remove the cat ( and the air pump ) you will need the Apexi ECU , so get the Apexi first, put a modified map allowing for the cat removal then remove the cat, air pump and change the pulleys to accommodate for shorter belt

The day I had the Apexi installed and a modified map put on by ant on here, the car drove sensational, it was so much more responsive especially in the higher revs, it really felt like I had more power after the 4k revs.  The big change was when I had the cat removed, it felt like I have been driving with a passenger all day and suddenly the passenger got off and the car was so much faster and lighter

You will love the drive immediately after the Apexi ECU gets installed with the right map...

Regards,
Michaelb

looks like i will be getting the apexi before my new alloys then will see lum as he knows someone on here in the bristol area.
on the other point of my wheels should it make that much difference with the rear wheels being undersized as they are only 8"width with yoko avs sport rubber as handling seems to be a bit pants my r5gtt had soooo much more grip than my rex which squeals like a pig through roundabouts??

[memski]

I\'ve got 8" rims all round and never get wheel spin even with my ported/single setup. Have you had your geometry checked? Also worth getting your suspension setup/ bushes checked incase they\'re knackered.

[FD3SNuttah]

i had a play with an m3 convertable on an 02 plate. he wasnt keeping up with me, im running stock boost with just air filters and catback.

He did have two other guys with him tho and they were on the bigger side. But even so these cars are 300kgs more than a rex.

remember tho, this could end up turning into a vicious circle. cos theres always gonna be someone somewhere that you wont be able to keep up with.

[nick english]

i had a play with an m3 convertable on an 02 plate. he wasnt keeping up with me, im running stock boost with just air filters and catback.

He did have two other guys with him tho and they were on the bigger side. But even so these cars are 300kgs more than a rex.

remember tho, this could end up turning into a vicious circle. cos theres always gonna be someone somewhere that you wont be able to keep up with.

probably dosent help me with all that weight i have in the boot-cant lift it on my own (maybe rip it out/redo ice)-going to go the apexi route first and then get bushes checked and maybe lower it a bit to give it a lower stance/better handling.
if i dont change my alloys that will save me a grand or so then i can afford to do it now:yes

[Lum]

Hey nick!
Where you gonna get the apexi from mate? Gimmie a shout when you\'ve got it all sorted & i\'ll put you in touch with the wizard of the laptop for tuning!
He\'s done quite a few members cars around bristol!

[probedb]

Super Dragger michael is talking about has 3" bore and 5 1/2" exit! better than stock (obviously) some models restrictive due to bends inside the rear back box itself.

That\'s the one, it\'s that it has all the bends inside the backbox.