OEM M3 GTS Aero?? + Sweet Sounds of the Akrapovic Evo at the Track

[radiantm3]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

When I removed my supercharger, I decided that I would use that money to buy BMW Performance seats (still for sale, btw). When I called Aleks over at Alekshop about putting in an order, he mentioned that he acquired GTS parts for his build. He also mentioned that he had 2 sets of OEM GTS Aero parts coming in. I quickly had a change of heart. I called dibs on the 2nd set of aero parts and decided to get Recaro Sportsters instead (sometime in the future).

When the parts came in, I had less than a week before my next track day. I really wanted to get these on quickly. So we removed my trunk and prepped it as much as we could. It was a matter of removing all the plastic parts and sticking on the template where the holes needed to be drilled.



I brought my trunk over to B-Line auto body in San Jose and they were able to drill, weld, seal, and paint my trunk in 3 days. It came out flawlessly.

On the same day I picked up the trunk, Aleks installed the front splitter. I've had aftermarket splitters in the past and OEM is on a whole other level. I lost my last splitter because it fell off at the track. That won't happen with this one.







The results were nothing short of breathtaking.











I know a big wing on a street car isn't for everyone, but this one is OEM and it gets used at the track. Besides, I was never one to really care what others think about what I do to my car.

If you are interested in seeing more beautiful photos of the aero parts, you can see them here (if you scroll down the page).

But I didn't purchase these parts just to look cool on the street (though it certainly does!). I bought them because I always wanted more downforce, but not at the expense of driving around town with a ridiculously huge wing and 2 foot deep splitter. I think the GTS parts play both roles perfectly.

You might have noticed that the bottom part of the splitter is missing in the photo above. That's because it is a bit low (though not nearly as low as my previous Challenge GT3 splitter) with the lower splitter in place. So I just put it on at the track with the 6 bolts supplied. Here are some photos from Laguna Seca yesterday:

Track photos by Gotbluemilk Photography













Track photos by Gotbluemilk Photography


So do I feel a difference? Hard to say. The only place I really feel a difference is flying through turn 1. Usually the rear feels really light through there and this time it was much more planted and balanced. So I think the effects of the aero parts are more for speeds above 80mph or so. One thing I haven't done yet is adjust the wing for a bit more downforce. I might try that on Monday's event.

And as promised, some video from the event with the car properly mic'd (instead of the gopro's famous sounds of wind). I also have 2 camera angles in these videos which really seems to give a better sense of "being there".

Thanks for reading!

[Ivan@PYSpeed.com]

sick!! thanks for sharing!!

[KEYON]

Looks and sounds amazing

[IMG]

So sick !

[And1M3]

Sweet vid. Thanks for sharing.

[Alekshop]

Thanks for sharing Mark!

I think we might need to push the front lip 1/2 inch back or to see if that would change things.

[avsbmw]

perfect taste in mods! Great job!

I had the same mic set up when I went to the track and makes a world of difference

[Autobahn335i]

Very nice. And indeed the effects of aero are barely noticable at speeds below 100mph.

[JEllis]

Looking good!

Jason

[THE TECH]

Don't care for those wings but clean nonetheless.

[Powerbeast]

Looks great

[Curt2000]

Dream setup

[Nate@IND]

Very nice! Ralf is the man

[slicer]

Looks fantastic! I appreciate that you have modified the car to improve it's performance - not to just look "unique" like many forum members.

Nice driving too!

[chuxdelux]

Your m3 is all business Just a question. Do you plan on swapping your KW v3s to something more track dedicated or adjustable ie: JRZ, MCS, or Ohlins?

[tha_good_life]

Dude, your car is perfectly executed! Tastefully mods and everything. I've always been a fan of your car since day one!

[signes]

Car looks amazing. Never been a fan of wings on street cars either, but seems to work for yours (maybe seeing the track driving swayed my opinion.)

[Sam@ModeCarbon]

Looking better than ever.

[radiantm3]

Thanks guys.

Originally Posted by Autobahn335i

Very nice. And indeed the effects of aero are barely noticable at speeds below 100mph.

Yea. I'm curious if adjusting the wing for a bit more downforce will have much affect at lower speeds? I guess only one way to find out.

Originally Posted by Nate@IND

Very nice! Ralf is the man

Originally Posted by slicer

Looks fantastic! I appreciate that you have modified the car to improve it's performance - not to just look "unique" like many forum members.

Nice driving too!

Thanks! I told myself that every mod I do needs to have a functional purpose as well. One of the reasons I removed my arkym rear diffuser.

Originally Posted by chuxdelux

Your m3 is all business Just a question. Do you plan on swapping your KW v3s to something more track dedicated or adjustable ie: JRZ, MCS, or Ohlins?

Yea I plan to get a setup with linear springs, but I think seats will take priority. I'm hanging on to the wheel and my knee is pinned against the door or center console on every corner because the stock seats do a terrible job holding me in place.

[DRAY_M3]

Looks good Mark . Did you have the front spliter extended out at the track? Any scrape at full compression or coming down the cork screw?

[radiantm3]

Originally Posted by DRAY_M3

Looks good Mark . Did you have the front spliter extended out at the track? Any scrape at full compression or coming down the cork screw?

Thanks Ray. Yes it was fully extended and no scraping. Apparently I need to go through the corkscrew faster. :P

[tbone28]

Originally Posted by radiantm3

LOVE this shot!