E36 vs E46

And I like the Porsche 1973 RSR IROC. I want one of those.

Tom

Huzza, who doesn't?? You know how many E36 M3 cabs you can buy for ONE of those?

(Hint, 73 RSR IROC pricing is expressed in "points", like "1 point 1 million", or "point nine", LOL

One thing to consider on the cab issue is body flex. My 2003 M# with 26K miles has what I consider minor, but noticeable flex. I imagine that as miles go up, or the car is driven over less than smooth roads, or tires or suspension components are changed, that flex will increase. I'd be sure to test drive a few, before committing dollars. (which makes it hard to buy over ebay)
 
Wow,

And, even though its not the best way to think, you can't turn the M3 into an IT car later. :D

Tom

LOL, that's the first thing I asked my buddy after we got finished test driving mine, "These aren't IT legal, are they??" Cause I KNOW what I would be doing with it after a year on the street!! :)
 
I've been looking at Turner motorsports' and Korman's sites. Lots of interesting informantion. Did y'all check the rear subframe before buying your street cars? And is the fix that Turner offers IT legal? It looks like a "repair" but maybe more so. Welding up the control arms is probably not legal either.

Not much out there as far as hopping up an E-46 except for WC. Korman's IT suspension kit looks pretty complete. Are there IT cars running motons? Just curious, I can't help it! I look at stuff in terms of "how much is this in tire money?" and "would this make a decent race car?". I haven't even been looking at 2-doors or convertables 'cause a four door is stiffer. All that in deciding on a 3 mile commute.

I like the older 5 series too, they had some really classy lines.
 
I've been looking at Turner motorsports' and Korman's sites. Lots of interesting informantion. Did y'all check the rear subframe before buying your street cars? And is the fix that Turner offers IT legal? It looks like a "repair" but maybe more so. Welding up the control arms is probably not legal either.

Not much out there as far as hopping up an E-46 except for WC. Korman's IT suspension kit looks pretty complete. Are there IT cars running motons? Just curious, I can't help it! I look at stuff in terms of "how much is this in tire money?" and "would this make a decent race car?". I haven't even been looking at 2-doors or convertables 'cause a four door is stiffer. All that in deciding on a 3 mile commute.

I like the older 5 series too, they had some really classy lines.

The sub frames failed when people flogged the hell out of their cars (e36) with soft suspension settings for a long time. If the car has been tracked at all have someone knowledgeable check the subframe out. If you rapair the control arms & subframe then it's legal. ;~)

The best way to hop up a E46 is to get a set of lightweight wheels! My M3 wheels must weight 30#'s each, I can get 18" wheels reasonable for around 300 and I'll bet I will notice a big difference if I'm able to save 10#'s per wheel. Not only that but removing the stagger, now I'm able to rotate the tires. Trust me, you won't notice any difference between the 2 door and 4 door. Don't let that hinder your decision.
 
I've been looking at Turner motorsports' and Korman's sites. Lots of interesting informantion. Did y'all check the rear subframe before buying your street cars? And is the fix that Turner offers IT legal? It looks like a "repair" but maybe more so. Welding up the control arms is probably not legal either.

Not much out there as far as hopping up an E-46 except for WC. Korman's IT suspension kit looks pretty complete. Are there IT cars running motons? Just curious, I can't help it! I look at stuff in terms of "how much is this in tire money?" and "would this make a decent race car?". I haven't even been looking at 2-doors or convertables 'cause a four door is stiffer. All that in deciding on a 3 mile commute.

I like the older 5 series too, they had some really classy lines.

I have JRZs in my ITS car - the chassis is unbelievable and the car is very competitive. I wish it was a little lighter but otherwise the E-46 makes an excellent race car.
 
I have JRZs in my ITS car - the chassis is unbelievable and the car is very competitive. I wish it was a little lighter but otherwise the E-46 makes an excellent race car.

Hmmmmm JRZ's, they make good candy over there.:D I just got word that my suspension will be in from AG shortly. They do make good beer too.:birra:
 
Dan,

Looking for a street car. I end up daydreaming about turning just about anything into a race car.
And I still think an E36 / E46 makes for a good race car. So I got a little sidetracked. Who knows,
maybe I'll run a BMW someday. I saw you were in PA and when I came across that car, it looked
like a good backup / donor.

Tom
 
Very anal BMWCCA guys are fairly easy to find!

hey! i resemble that remark!

97 m3/4 - owned since new. 62k miles, never seen snow, rain, dirt, etc..:cool:

of course, then there is the other car..

93 325is ITR race car. 180k miles, seen it all and has the bruises to prove it!:D

marshall
 
Dan,

Looking for a street car. I end up daydreaming about turning just about anything into a race car.
And I still think an E36 / E46 makes for a good race car. So I got a little sidetracked. Who knows,
maybe I'll run a BMW someday. I saw you were in PA and when I came across that car, it looked
like a good backup / donor.

Tom

If your looking for a street car that's one thing but if your going to plan to race it, I would buy a race ready ironed out E36 or E46. Trust me it's costs way to much money to build one from the ground up. BTW you can get an engine from 600 - 900 and a transmission around 600. That car in Pgh might be a deal if you have the time and money to put it back together.
 
Good donor car in Pittsburgh...

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267693

Rob,
Are you running an E46? What did you do with the throttle body? Still by wire? Using motec to turn it into an on/off switch?

Keith,
Thanks, e46fanatics is a great site. Haven't been to bimmerforums yet.


Tom

I have a 99 323i E-46. I built the cars (2) in 2005. The throttle is cable operated just like the E-36. The ASC portion of the throttle is electronic and unused by the Motec.
 
I'm not sure about the e-46 M3's, but of the regular sedans and coupes only the M54b30 (3.0l) has the electronic throttle. It's actually in the specs for either Koni or World Challenge Street Tuner class that the electronic throttle must be replaced with the cable unit from the 325. If I were to build anything with the M-54b30 motor I'd ask for a spec line allowance for preciesly this mod, because this is defacto traction control and as we all know traction control isn't allowed in IT. Both would be solid daily drivers, but if you're going to slowly turn it into a racer, the e-36 328 would save enough to purchase the cage and most if not all of the suspension.

My Wife has an '02 330i sedan, which has been solid so far. The only problem we've had was the flasher bulb can't be the cheap brass based ones as the manufacturing tolerance isn't tight enough to hold the bulb in contact and will stop working.

James
 
E46 M3s have the fully electronic throttle too.

(I sold my '99 M Coupe in '02 for a new E46 M3 that I still have.)
 
E46 M3s have the fully electronic throttle too.

(I sold my '99 M Coupe in '02 for a new E46 M3 that I still have.)

In the M3 it's easy to tell, if you cruise along, then press the "sport" button on the dash. The car will leap ahead, as the "sport" button alters the gas pedal to throttle relationship. (Among other things, presumably...I haven't gotten an owners manual yet, LOL)
 
That's all it does. The Sport button does more things in other BMWs, like alter the steering effort or (automatic) transmission behavior. But in the E46 M3, it's just the pedal-to-throttle map. I personally never use Sport mode, it's too jumpy for me around town, but nice on the freeway. Supposedly the Conforti software makes it "just right."
 
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