Quote:
Originally Posted by LarThaL
I have been a car enthusiast my whole life. No matter what car I have owned, I always look to the next car down the road. Now, however, I face a dilemma. Everything seems to be getting so big and bloated. I was certain I would move to an M5 or M6 but the reviews are very luke warm at best other than the acceleration.
The M3 is perfect for me in so many ways, just lacking the supercar power. Maybe SC is the answer for me after all. So, a few questions:
1. How are the engines holding up? Any reports of blown motors?
2. Do I need to modify my transmission at all? (6MT)
3. Any issues with heat management? Do I need a bigger oil pan, radiator, oil cooler, etc?
This is not a done deal for me at this point, but it is something I am considering more and more. Even economically, it is starting to make sense.
I figure my 2011 M3 is worth about $50k. It would take me another $70k to get me into a new M6 or Porsche 911. Or....it would take me about $30k for an SC, BBK, bigger wheels/tires. That's a difference of $40k and I get all the straight line performance of the M6 in a more dynamic package.
Hmmmmm.......
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I went through a similar thought process before I ordered my 2013 M3. I wanted a multi-disciplinary car that could be formidable at the track, roll-on events, and one that could be a comfortable daily driver and on occasion haul my surfboards, 3-yr old son, dog, etc.
In stock form, the M3 was nice, but in no way fast enough to do what I was going to ask. In fact, at the first Shift-S3tor Trona Airstrip event, the slowest cars there were the NA M3's.
Because it was going to be my daily driver, I needed something with rock solid reliability. So the ESS VT2 kit was the natural choice given its legacy reliability. And when I mean reliability, I don't even want ONE check engine light etc. And so far, so good (in a short amount of time) but I am very hard on this thing and it's seen a couple events so far where half the cars seem to experience some sort of issue. I was hard-set on also upgrading to a meth system, but I had a bunch of problems with it on my 335 and others do as well...so I've scrapped that idea...just one more thing that can go wrong. 100 octane works wonders. I've found that the manifold stays completely cool also - even after a 20 min track session you can put your hand right on top of the manifold as the air/air + air/water system is extremely efficient. I don't know if you saw the Coalinga Airstrip Vids but I have some great runs with the simple combo of the VT2 625 kit + MRF cat less exhaust + ~97 octane.
I will also be upgrading the brakes and suspension...but I'm still researching what I should get. Leaning toward a simple solution of H&R springs + camber plates for now (I have ZCP like you). Also planning on a BBK kit - likely Stoptech or Brembo.
Once suspension and brakes are dialed in, the car should work very well at the track as well. I'm going to Big Willow in a couple days with the car as-is to get a baseline to see how it does with the stock suspension/brakes.
Choice is yours and I do like the F10 M6 and the fact is the M6 will probably be as fast as a VT2 M3 once tunes are perfected for those cars. But it will never be as nimble or engaging as the lighter M3. It will be quieter and more comfortable and the torque will be insane no doubt. Also, your budget seems a bit high. You probably only need about $20K to do it right as you don't need to upgrade anything else since the platform of the car is literally 'perfect' for what you want to do with it.
Best of luck with your decision.