Beautiful car, congratulations. I will say this, however: if you're going to roll around with a GTS doppelganger, you absolutely must upgrade the performance. That thing can't be left bone stock
I'm only kidding around. Truth be told, the capabilities of a bone stock M3 will generally eclipse the abilities of its driver 99% of the time. Track junkies will tell you that you if you're going to mod, start with brake pads, maybe ajdust the suspension, and that's it - anything else, in their estimation, will be beyond what is necessary / what you will be able to handle. Having tracked my car while still stock, I'd say that I generally agree with that sentiment. I was able to hit 135ish on a short straight before being dumped into a big hairpin - is more power really necessary? Maybe if you have tons of track time under your belt, but very few of us actually do. In my case, it probably would have pushed me into a wall
Of course, I threw common sense out the window and went ahead and modified the car all the same (haha). A brief description of the mods:
1. MS pulley / MS intake / ESS tune: I lump these together as its very difficult for me to tell which one has had the biggest impact (all 3 were done at the same time). If I had to guess, the tune is probably the largest contributor to performance enhancement. I will say this, with these 3 mods, the car certainly "feels" faster - seems to have more torque, esp. down low. Of course, take this for what it is. I never had it put up on dynos. It's purely my subjective assessment. There has been debate re: the effect of bolt-ons. The threads aren't hard to find.
If you're looking to drop buku bucks, a super charger can't be beat. With the right kit, you can turn your M3 into something that is GT-R / Z06 fast.
2. Akrapovic slip-on: no real HP enhancement here, maybe a 3-5 at most; this is about enhancing the sound w/o becoming obnoxious. If you want true gains, go for the full Akra Evolution (only $1500 more, at least in the U.S.). For me, the slip-on was sufficient. It amplified the sound, without pissing off the girlfriend too much (it's now about as loud as she is willing tolerate). Also, the car remains street legal, which is very important to me. Maybe someday I will upgrade it to the full Evo system, as this apparently creates an additional 20-25 HP, but for now, I'm happy with the slip on.
3. MS spacers: as far as I can tell, they are a purely comesmetic enhancement, but I love what they do for the look. The stance just looks mean. I'd say that spacers would be a must for that GTS wanna-be
.
Draw-back: tires will kick up road debris that will strike the side of the car - streaks of rubber along the side, etc. will become commonplace findings. Also, can't drive until tire dressing is dry (unless you want it all over the door panel, etc.).
4. Before modding: evaluate the effect that it will have on your
warranty. I personally waited for mine to expire before touching the car. There are a lot of shop homers here that seem to indicate that you can virtually re-build the car as you see fit w/o voiding the warranty. My interactions with BMW seem to indicate otherwise. To the extent that you are interested in maintaining your warranty, I'd speak to your dealer first to see what is permissible in terms of modification. I'd take what people tell you here with a grain of salt ...
