BMW E46 M3 - View Single Post

flipm3 · 06-02-2012, 03:52 PM

BACKGROUND: I have been craving to start bumping up the power of my M3 for many years now. My indecisiveness has led me towards so many different potential paths. Ultimately, I chose that in the long run, I want to build a strong reliable NA motor. Although it will be significantly more expensive than going forced induction, I feel that it suits my driving style and the personality of the car better. Despite the many and even more affordable options on the market, I chose to go with companies that I felt were very honest and offered proven power.

SETUP CHOSEN:

Supersprint V2 Stepped Headers
Custom Performance Euro200
Evolve Automotive evolve-r Tune

CONCISE REVIEWS:

Supersprint V2 Stepped Headers
Known to be the best headers offered on the market

100% spot on fitment

Beautiful welds and fabrication

Felt no loss in low/mid torque, but actually a gain

Felt a great amount of highend horsepower

After 3000RPM, the car felt all around stronger and quicker

Custom Performance Euro200 Section I
I wanted cats to keep some backpressure to maintain low/mid torque

I knew they would also help mellow out the rasp and volume of the headers

They also help filter emissions

Jack truly offers a great product for an amazing price

His product has very clean TIG and MIG welds

No fitment problems at all

Evolve Automotive Evolve-R Remote Flash
I chose to go with Sal@Evolve due to his amazing and endless experience with tuning almost every single type of E46 M3 out there. He has such vast experience with different setups, many Alpha-N conversions, and CSLs.

I got a complete custom live dyno tune. So this tune is truly designed for my specific car.

I have quite noticeable gains in horsepower from about 4000RPM and above.

I feel like there is a very tangible increase in torque throughout the whole power band.

He offered me the capability to flash my own DME with a provided computer software and OBDII cable called the evolve-R. This offers me the ability to change up my tune if I ever need tweaking as I add new mods.

Eventually the evolve-R computer software will allow read/clear fault codes, data logging, and reading live data.

I gained a very honest and substantial bump in power. It was quite a sight to see as he slowly tuned my car throughout the day and my dyno graphs just got better and better.

Power was so consistent on the dyno. We did a total of 26 dyno runs and car consistently made around the same power, if not more. This clearly shows that Evolve’s tune gives reliable and consistent power despite being driven hard. Truly a great asset.

Driving Impressions: Shift lights are SO COOL!! The car seriously pulls all the way through the powerband until the new redline at 8100RPM. I noticed some flat spots prior to the tune. These were completely rid of. The car not just continues to pull and pull. The new power is also very useable. There is much more power under pedal in the midrange. Third and fourth gears pull significantly stronger than before. I honestly was not expecting the tune to make this much of a difference. Everything is just so smooth, predictable and controllable. These were all features I need for track driving and street driving.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: The combination of headers, cats, and tune has truly transformed my car. Now I feel first hand what everyone talks about on the forums when they add similar modifications. I feel like I have a new vehicle. The car is much more enjoyable to drive on the street. Nothing is overbearing, I just feel like the original great characteristics of the M3 were augmented. If I could go back, I would not change a single thing. I truly do recommend the following setup to everyone who is looking to invest in a simple setup or for those who are questioning their current one. You will not regret a single thing.

By studying the dyno graphs on my WinPEP7, there are quite a few great things to notice. As I mentioned before, the one great thing is that power is consistent run after run. I did pull after pull within just a few minutes of one another; one would expect loss of power from heat soak and such. Not with this tune, thanks to the dyno location and Sal’s tune, power was very consistent pull after pull. I have many dyno graphs over 300whp!! In the graph provided, you’ll notice a constant increased in power above 4500RPM. This is very noticeable on the street, especially in 3rd and 4th gear! What should be appreciated is that this is in a very useable range, but also very honest and realistic. Looking at the torque curves as well, there is an increase pretty much throughout the whole powerband, even in the low end. I was concerned with losing bottom end torque, but clearly with the headers, cats, and tune, I gained torque.

I have driven some tuned E46 M3’s in my past. One thing that I found in other cars somewhat troublesome was the choppy or hesitant transition between partial and full throttle. This was a huge reason why I strayed away from power modifications all these years. Sal at Evolve told me that I would not experience such things with his tune. With my car driven on the track and street, I didn’t want to have inconsistencies in my throttle. I did not want to have to deal with such interruptions and imbalance. On the street, I did quite a few pulls from partial throttle to full throttle back to partial, etc. The throttle is very smooth! It is really unlike anything else I’ve driven. As I mentioned, there are no flat spots in the powerband and no delays. It’s like the car and your mind are linked together. It goes when you tell it to go, no hesitation.

I am trying to drive the car as much as I can to continue learning the changes. Overall, I am very pleased with how everything turned out. I am not sure how the car’s adaptations work or if the car will continue getting stronger. All I know is that the more I drive it, the more I feel it gets stronger.

THANKS: Thank you Sal at Evolve Automotive. You have been a true mentor and tuning guru. Your knowledge and advice is what brought my car to where it is today. Thank you spending many hours over the phone and online to get my car running the way it is now. Thank you to Jack at Custom Performance. You offered some of the best pricing on the products. Your craftsmanship with your Section I is one to greatly recognized. Thank you to the guys at TFWorks and VS Motorsports for helping with the installation. Thank you to ASpec Tuning for letting me use the dyno and internet for tuning.

DynoJet Information

Location: A Spec Tuning
Model: DynoJet 224LC

Conditions:

Temperature: 64.75ºF
Atmospheric Pressure: 29.35 inHg
Humidity: 29%
SAE Correction: 0.99

Dyno Runs:

RunFile_009.drf: Supersprint V2 Stepped Headers + CPI Euro200
RunFile_026.drf: Evolve Automotive Tune + Supersprint V2 Stepped Headers + CPI Euro200

Evolve-R Flashing Process:

06-02-2012, 03:52 PM	#18
flipm3 E46 + E90 + F80 192 Rep 2,894 Posts Drives: E46 + E90 + F80 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Illinois iTrader: (1) Garage List 2009 BMW M3 [0.00] 2002 BMW M3 [0.00]	BACKGROUND: I have been craving to start bumping up the power of my M3 for many years now. My indecisiveness has led me towards so many different potential paths. Ultimately, I chose that in the long run, I want to build a strong reliable NA motor. Although it will be significantly more expensive than going forced induction, I feel that it suits my driving style and the personality of the car better. Despite the many and even more affordable options on the market, I chose to go with companies that I felt were very honest and offered proven power. SETUP CHOSEN: Supersprint V2 Stepped Headers Custom Performance Euro200 Evolve Automotive evolve-r Tune CONCISE REVIEWS: Supersprint V2 Stepped Headers Known to be the best headers offered on the market 100% spot on fitment Beautiful welds and fabrication Felt no loss in low/mid torque, but actually a gain Felt a great amount of highend horsepower After 3000RPM, the car felt all around stronger and quicker Custom Performance Euro200 Section I I wanted cats to keep some backpressure to maintain low/mid torque I knew they would also help mellow out the rasp and volume of the headers They also help filter emissions Jack truly offers a great product for an amazing price His product has very clean TIG and MIG welds No fitment problems at all Evolve Automotive Evolve-R Remote Flash I chose to go with Sal@Evolve due to his amazing and endless experience with tuning almost every single type of E46 M3 out there. He has such vast experience with different setups, many Alpha-N conversions, and CSLs. I got a complete custom live dyno tune. So this tune is truly designed for my specific car. I have quite noticeable gains in horsepower from about 4000RPM and above. I feel like there is a very tangible increase in torque throughout the whole power band. He offered me the capability to flash my own DME with a provided computer software and OBDII cable called the evolve-R. This offers me the ability to change up my tune if I ever need tweaking as I add new mods. Eventually the evolve-R computer software will allow read/clear fault codes, data logging, and reading live data. I gained a very honest and substantial bump in power. It was quite a sight to see as he slowly tuned my car throughout the day and my dyno graphs just got better and better. Power was so consistent on the dyno. We did a total of 26 dyno runs and car consistently made around the same power, if not more. This clearly shows that Evolve’s tune gives reliable and consistent power despite being driven hard. Truly a great asset. Driving Impressions: Shift lights are SO COOL!! The car seriously pulls all the way through the powerband until the new redline at 8100RPM. I noticed some flat spots prior to the tune. These were completely rid of. The car not just continues to pull and pull. The new power is also very useable. There is much more power under pedal in the midrange. Third and fourth gears pull significantly stronger than before. I honestly was not expecting the tune to make this much of a difference. Everything is just so smooth, predictable and controllable. These were all features I need for track driving and street driving. OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: The combination of headers, cats, and tune has truly transformed my car. Now I feel first hand what everyone talks about on the forums when they add similar modifications. I feel like I have a new vehicle. The car is much more enjoyable to drive on the street. Nothing is overbearing, I just feel like the original great characteristics of the M3 were augmented. If I could go back, I would not change a single thing. I truly do recommend the following setup to everyone who is looking to invest in a simple setup or for those who are questioning their current one. You will not regret a single thing. By studying the dyno graphs on my WinPEP7, there are quite a few great things to notice. As I mentioned before, the one great thing is that power is consistent run after run. I did pull after pull within just a few minutes of one another; one would expect loss of power from heat soak and such. Not with this tune, thanks to the dyno location and Sal’s tune, power was very consistent pull after pull. I have many dyno graphs over 300whp!! In the graph provided, you’ll notice a constant increased in power above 4500RPM. This is very noticeable on the street, especially in 3rd and 4th gear! What should be appreciated is that this is in a very useable range, but also very honest and realistic. Looking at the torque curves as well, there is an increase pretty much throughout the whole powerband, even in the low end. I was concerned with losing bottom end torque, but clearly with the headers, cats, and tune, I gained torque. I have driven some tuned E46 M3’s in my past. One thing that I found in other cars somewhat troublesome was the choppy or hesitant transition between partial and full throttle. This was a huge reason why I strayed away from power modifications all these years. Sal at Evolve told me that I would not experience such things with his tune. With my car driven on the track and street, I didn’t want to have inconsistencies in my throttle. I did not want to have to deal with such interruptions and imbalance. On the street, I did quite a few pulls from partial throttle to full throttle back to partial, etc. The throttle is very smooth! It is really unlike anything else I’ve driven. As I mentioned, there are no flat spots in the powerband and no delays. It’s like the car and your mind are linked together. It goes when you tell it to go, no hesitation. I am trying to drive the car as much as I can to continue learning the changes. Overall, I am very pleased with how everything turned out. I am not sure how the car’s adaptations work or if the car will continue getting stronger. All I know is that the more I drive it, the more I feel it gets stronger. THANKS: Thank you Sal at Evolve Automotive. You have been a true mentor and tuning guru. Your knowledge and advice is what brought my car to where it is today. Thank you spending many hours over the phone and online to get my car running the way it is now. Thank you to Jack at Custom Performance. You offered some of the best pricing on the products. Your craftsmanship with your Section I is one to greatly recognized. Thank you to the guys at TFWorks and VS Motorsports for helping with the installation. Thank you to ASpec Tuning for letting me use the dyno and internet for tuning. DynoJet Information Location: A Spec Tuning Model: DynoJet 224LC Conditions: Temperature: 64.75ºF Atmospheric Pressure: 29.35 inHg Humidity: 29% SAE Correction: 0.99 Dyno Runs: RunFile_009.drf: Supersprint V2 Stepped Headers + CPI Euro200 RunFile_026.drf: Evolve Automotive Tune + Supersprint V2 Stepped Headers + CPI Euro200 Evolve-R Flashing Process: __________________ F80 M3 DCT\|Alpine White . Black Leather \| My Build Thread E90 M3 DCT\|Melbourne Red . Speed Cloth \| My Build Thread E46 M3 6MT\|Jet Black . Black Nappa Leather \| My Build Thread
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