Nobody ever said a stripper was good for the wallet...

[E90who]

Just wanted to share a little of what I've been up to since picking up this car ~4 weeks ago. Eventually, once I feel as though this car has reached an acceptable state, I'll do a full write up with better photos. For now, just sharing my enjoyment in tinkering with the smaller things. I welcome anyone and everyone to give their feedback and any advice is greatly appreciated.

Short story: I've been looking for a stripper (0 option) e90 for some time now. Having owned 4 M3s, 2 manual E46s and 2 DCT E92s, I knew I needed something different to keep me excited after the initial honeymoon phase. Most of my previous cars have been stock/oem+ and i knew if I was going to do a build, I'd regret using an ordinary spec example ESPECIALLY with DCT. Once I found this particular car and drove a friend's track-built stripper e90, I knew it was the only way to go.


The Objective-

I want to put together the perfect street and track sports sedan. The idea is to create a car that will hold up well on the track while still retaining a livable level of streetability. I don't plan on making it look like a parts catalogue sneezed on it either. Only the absolute essentials.

What's been done so far:

-Macht Schnell Catless, dual resonated x pipe
-Alpine MSS engine software (INCREDIBLE)
-Recaro Sportster (CS driver, Cross passenger)
-Schroth Quick harnesses
-OEM BMW performance wheel (yellow stripe)
-ZHP alcantara shift knob


What's on the way:

-Apex ARC8 hyper silver (waiting on tires to mount)
-Ultimate Clutch Pedal
-Auto Solutions SSK
-Ohlins R&T
-Brake refresh
-New side grills
-New floor mats

What's in the works:

-Brembo BBK
-KW 2-way Clubsports
-Rod bearings
-Solid rear subframe bushings
-Suspension bits
-Akrapovic muffler
-MRF mid pipe (anyone selling?)
-EDC delete because not true stripper
-Paint correction and ceramic coat
-MRF 4.2 engine build

Photos:
I was hoping for these to upload in the order that I submitted them in. Oh well, I'll work that out when I get the full size pics up.

Enjoy!

[B18c jdmgsr]

I want your seats!!

[donut_boi]

Dem strippers...didn't your parents teach you not to ever mess with one

Car is coming out beautifully Alec

[E90who]

Originally Posted by B18c jdmgsr

I want your seats!!

I would entertain the idea of selling/trading them for some pole positions or sparo spx.

PM me if you're interested.

[patsbimmer1]

Have you used the schroth quick fit before? Everyone I've tracked with has either used stock seat belts or had a cage/ seat/ harness setup.

[E90who]

Originally Posted by patsbimmer1

Have you used the schroth quick fit before? Everyone I've tracked with has either used stock seat belts or had a cage/ seat/ harness setup.

Yes, they worked great with the recaros too!

[Deebo]

I take it you’re a fan of the Alpine software? Can you give us your impressions of it plus the going catless vs. stock?

[roastbeef]

I like what you got. Best color, too.

[1MOREMOD]

Where are the strippers at?

[IND-Distribution]

Love it! That speed cloth

Would love to swap leather for that someday...

[E90who]

Originally Posted by Deebo

I take it you're a fan of the Alpine software? Can you give us your impressions of it plus the going catless vs. stock?

You're one step ahead of me. My next post was going to be about the tune.

With my previous E92s, I was satisfied with the stock engine software coupled with the DCT. The short ratios and quick shifts made it easy to stay in the sweet spot of the power band. I always thought about doing a tune, but it never felt like the car needed it.

Driving my first (stock) E9x in 6MT was a completely different experience. In my eyes, there are 3 issues with the stock car in 6MT form.

1.) The worst shift throw for a car that's otherwise razor sharp.

2.) The clutch pedal felt loose, not linear, and lacking in feel.

3.) Something was off in the coupling of the engine to the transmission. They didn't feel like they were designed to work together.

This third problem is really where the tune helps.

About a month after driving this 6MT, my friend brought it back with a catless x pipe and Alpine engine software. Game changer.

The car truly felt like it came alive after the software. The engine has a completely different character climbing up through the revs WOT or just cruising. The TORQUE is incredible. Not only do you get a massive bump in the low end, but the way the torque is held throughout the rest of the RPM range is unlike any other software I've used. The torque starts just above 2 and the car pulls ferociously hard all the way until 8400.

The reason this is so important, to me, in the 6MT e9xs is that it won't leave you hanging in a high gear. With the Alpine software that you can truly torque yourself out of a situation.

One last thing. I put this tune on about 45 minutes after doing the catless x pipe, so I was somewhat able to get a feel of what it did to the car on top of the exhaust.

Stock engine software + x pipe felt noticeably faster than stock, but it didn't feel better. You can tell the engine can breathe better in certain spots, but the overall pull was not as smooth as the stock software with stock exhaust. Alex mentioned when he installed the tune that the car lost some torque down low, but that the tune would add that back in. The sound of the car also changed significantly. Not sure if the AFR is tweaked, but the car now has an aggression to it that I've only heard in other alpine tuned cars.

That's my $.02

[E90who]

Ohlins R&T with Vorshlag camber plates.

Either putting these on or selling to go KW 2-way club sports. Thoughts?

[M3ANMACHINE]

Originally Posted by AlecSinger

Ohlins R&T with Vorshlag camber plates.

Either putting these on or selling to go KW 2-way club sports. Thoughts?

For a more track oriented car, definitely club sports. I had them on my previous E90 M3 and have zero complaints! Great bang for your buck if you find a clean used set.

Let me know if you sell the Ohlins!

[415cpa]

Originally Posted by AlecSinger

Ohlins R&T with Vorshlag camber plates.

Either putting these on or selling to go KW 2-way club sports. Thoughts?

Nice car man! If you decide to sell the ohlins, I would definitely be interested in buying them from you. Let me know.

[derbo]

Originally Posted by AlecSinger

Ohlins R&T with Vorshlag camber plates.

Either putting these on or selling to go KW 2-way club sports. Thoughts?

Put on KW CS and sell them to someone like me who will drive it more on the street than HPDE.

[HELROTM3]

Originally Posted by AlecSinger

Ohlins R&T with Vorshlag camber plates.

Either putting these on or selling to go KW 2-way club sports. Thoughts?

100% go with the KW CS.

[Supes///M3]

interested in selling your OEM seats?

[E90who]

Originally Posted by Supes///M3

interested in selling your OEM seats?

Unlikely, but I'll entertain a good offer.

[E90who]

Update:

Just had the engine re-flashed by Alex @ Alpine. I went to him to have my airbag/seatbelt lights coded out from the Recaros, and he let me know that there was an update available for the engine software.

I can safely say that the service given by Alex is unparalleled in not only the M world, but in the entirety of the car community. He's always been a text away whenever I've had a question about or request for service. He always replies promptly and takes the time to walk you through anything you'd ever want to know about the coding/electronics of these vehicles. Work never takes more than 30 minutes either.

Anyways back to the tune-

I've only had a couple of miles on the updated software so far, so it has yet to fully adapt. With that said, I've already been able to notice some benefits.

The one thing Alex worked on the most with this update was the torque. Apparently, he was able to log ~20 hours on a dyno and really fine tune the low end. The first thing I noticed was how much smoother the very low rpm torque came on. I think all e9x owners are familiar with the sudden surge that comes on in the low 2k range. With the updated software, this surge has almost been completely eradicated. Rolling onto the throttle in low gears from below 2500 is now seamless.

My butt dyno has been known to be a heartbreaker, but with that said, I genuinely feel as though the update gave me 5-10 more WTQ over the previous version. This is felt mostly from below 2k to about 4. Top end isn't discernibly different as of now. I'll give another update in a couple hundred miles when the tune fully adapts.

Rest of the build:
-Ohlins sold, KW clubsports coming in. Thank you @martgsr

-Rod bearings being done next week by MRF

-AP racing Essex BBK on order

-Solid subframe bushings on order.

-Wheels: Arc8 staggered (owned, waiting on tires), BBS RIA (considering), BBS GT4 RE (considering), Square Arc8/EC7 (considering)

-Solid diff mounts???? Would like to hear reviews

-Take on stripping career to fund build.

[derbo]

I need to get a tune! Lol

[E90who]

Just got the extended warranty transferred into my name. Reading the fine print and boy am I glad I sent the $75 check in time. Covered until 84k Miles/2.5 years left.

Also just received the Auto Solutions SSK in the mail. I had Ronald make the kit with a ~25% reduction and 12mm taller shifter. Reasoning behind this was to make up for the shorter ZHP knob. I'm holding off on install until the exhaust is pulled for subframe bushings.

Does anyone have feedback regarding solid rear subframe bushings with/without a solid diff bushings?

Would love to know if it's worth it to do the diff while we have the rear subframe pulled.

Is the whine as loud on 6MTs as it is with DCT cars and is it bearable on street?

[Sales@wheelsdc.com]

Very nice build