It’s interesting to read about the different philosophies that these tuners follow when setting up traction control algorithms. Where one controls engine power based on the engine rate of acceleration (which jumps when your rears are just spinning), others use the wheel speed sensors built into the factory system to monitor front and rear wheel speed differentials. While the latter seems to be a more accurate way to detect wheelspin, others have found in practice that systems based on engine acceleration actually work better on the street. In the end, it would be best to let your particular tuner work with what he knows, as it’s easy to upset these systems if you don’t know what you’re doing.

See traction control discussion here.

Clips like these are useful only in how they show how two cars would fare given a set of mods. The power disparity ensures that the M3 would have lost in any circumstance. But don’t you notice how there are a lot of clips like these on YouTube, pitting an M3 against whatever car wants to go up against the German hotrod? What this and most other videos you see online proves is that the BMW M3 is a car by which a lot of other cars are compared with.

An engine as complex as the S54 has a lot of parts, from the thermostat (which was the first item spoken for) to the throttle bodies. One can even get the short block assembly in case there’s a forced induction or race motor project out there. Only someone who’s using an S54 knows what part he needs, but this is an opportunity to cheaply purchase a spare component for your E46 M3’s engine.

Find the post here.

While a throwout bearing on its way out will make a sound, it’s more likely to be a squeaking sound, usually accompanied by a chatter. Experienced enthusiasts who read the initial post will immediately think “loose belt”, and that’s what the problem turned out to be. In the end, this M3 owner had the cost of labor refunded when he returned the car for a back job. Replacing the belt and tensioner did remove the squealing, while initially replacing the throwout bearing did not. So, the owner was left with a $3,000 part replacement that did not have to be done in the first place. What’s additionally grating is the fact that he didn’t get the replaced part (which most probably would have been in good, usable condition) back, partly because he didn’t know if it would fit in the trunk. Ooops.

Anyway, this owner has learned a few lessons from this experience but he should be a more hands-on owner for such an excellent car. A lot of other enthusiasts can only dream of owning an M3, and not knowing what makes it tick is an injustice.

See the discussion here.

On the linked page below, a shop details in pictures the cracks that appear and shows the progression if you don’t have them repaired asap or if you’re not aware of the problem until it has affected the car’s handling. Although the writeup is intended to be an ad, this shop has gone into enough detail that if you experience this kind of failure, you have enough of an idea on the proper way to repair a cracked flooring. Since a major sub-assembly is apart when you do this job, the shop is correct in suggesting that this is the best time to perform any upgrades you may have in mind. Click on the link below to see how to reinforce your E46M3’s flooring.

E46 M3 subframe attachment repair here.

But as we said, it’s nice to see the E46 M3 being endorsed in a non-enthusiast, non-automotive forum. You can see that the appeal of the E46 M3 is pretty universal. One of us should point this guy though to an E46 M3 buying guide so that he doesn’t end up with a thrashed car that will wreck his experience with M cars forever.

See the discussion here.

The seller from Texas leaves only an email address in case you want to make inquiries. Maybe a serious inquiry asking why the small crack wasn’t just welded and the transmission reinstalled will shed light on why this relatively rare part is being disposed of.

See the ad here.

The writeup and review is pretty good, and has been picked up by BMW CCA Roundel Magazine for its Dec 2011issue and the BMW Club Finnland Bemaristi Magazine for its March 2011 issue. While there is really no new information that you won’t get any where else, what is exemplary are the owner’s description of his experiences and the pictures. You would think that this guy is a Photoshop maven but he kindly reminds us that no post-processing was involved. You’ll just have to see the pictures because they are simply amazing. Similar to what some owners have experienced when they got their E46 M3s, this mint CSL has motivated its owner to sleep less and drive more, a fair trade for experiencing one of the world’s ultimate driving machines.

See the review and pictures here.

Post 3 on the discussion thread suggested an E46 M3 as a compromise. There are still very good examples out there and since this guy is a certified garage mechanic, then a major portion of repair and maintenance jobs can be done by him. Then there’s his old man who’s a certified BMW technician, so there should be no fears on not being able to tackle a repair. Plus, he’s driving an E34 right now, so there’s really no need to buy an E39 M5. Maybe his mechanical background is a hindrance to his buying an old M3. If so, the suggestion on getting an E46 M3 is pretty sound. This guy can obviously handle small and large repairs that may be needed, and, as we said, there are still a lot of E46 M3s out there in very good condition.

See the thread here.

As you will see, the owner of this E46 M3 is truly enjoying driving his car. It seems that an M3 is in its element when brought to a track, and it brings out the best a driver can do. It would be a shame and a waste if an M3 is treated like a showboat and never brought to a track. There, an owner can probe the car’s limits as well as their own, without fear of getting a ticket or worse, getting into a crash. Of course, crashes do occur on trackdays, but the risk at those venues is lower while the potential for a lot of fun is there.

See the videos here.