Imitation M3 GTS

[buddalun]

Love it. The OE GTS parts are incredible.

[slicer]

Originally Posted by blast1st

ive seen this car and it is maculate!

Originally Posted by JEllis

Love it!!!

Originally Posted by yonlamar

I'll keep an eye out for you, im local!

Originally Posted by sterile%20stork

This is such a gentlemen-ly build. Nice work!

Originally Posted by buddalun

Love it. The OE GTS parts are incredible.

Thank you

[InspireSiR]

Car looks great! I noticed your tire sidewall heights are for 19's, but you are running 18's. Any issues with the smaller overall diameter?

[slicer]

Originally Posted by InspireSiR

Car looks great! I noticed your tire sidewall heights are for 19's, but you are running 18's. Any issues with the smaller overall diameter?

Technically it's only the rear tire that is a typical "19" size". A 265/35/19 is too tall for the front. Historically I was always preaching that it made the most sense to run a taller rear tire vs the front since that is how the car is set up from the factory. Unfortunately there aren't many R-comp tire options that meet that criteria. Nitto NT01 comes to mind as an option as they have 275/35/18 and 305/35/18 available. A 305/35/18 can work but it requires a more conservative offset than I'm running. Hankook TD's, Michelin cup2, and Pirelli Trofeo R are all only available in the sizes I chose. Long story short - I have not experienced any ill effects with the tire sizes I'm running and my tire size choice was largely driven by available R-comp options.

[Dr Jekyll]

How are the Hankook TDs on the street?

[slicer]

Originally Posted by Dr Jekyll

How are the Hankook TDs on the street?

Not bad at all. A little noisy but bearable. The car is only used on the weekends and for track days; it's not a daily. The TD's are available in three compounds (hard, medium, and soft). I have the hard compound in the hopes that it will last a little longer. I'm sure that they will wear out fast but I don't plan to put many miles on the car. I like the idea of running the same tires on the street and track in order to have spares. That way if I damage a wheel or tire, there is a backup available. That being said, I will likely give the Trofeo's or Cup2's a try next go around because they are non-directional. The TD's are a lot cheaper but they are directional. Having a directional tire limits my ability to rotate them (I have to dismount the tires to switch the corner they are used).

[MShift]

Beautiful car and build, but why go OE with the wing and lip when everything else is pretty hardcore aftermarket stuff?

[slicer]

Originally Posted by MShift

Beautiful car and build, but why go OE with the wing and lip when everything else is pretty hardcore aftermarket stuff?

I should ask you - Why not? What would you choose instead? I'm not sure I understand the point of your question but here are my thoughts -

My goal was to capture all of the good things about the M3 GTS and improve upon the things that I could. Aesthetically and functionally I like the GTS wing and lip paired together. Aerodynamically they were designed to work together. I'm not sure how much you know about it, but the GTS Lip in particular is a fantastic piece. The splitter is chassis mounted and easily adjustable. Really nice when you want the best of both worlds - extend splitter on the track and retract when you are trying to get around on the street. I ran replica GT4 lips in the past and destroyed them 3x's due to low clearance.

I would argue that my brakes, exhaust, wheels and suspension are all superior to what was offered on the GTS. Going to the interior, I went with Cobra seats because they fit my body properly (which is the most important aspect when choosing seats) while the Recaro's that came in the GTS do not (I had them on my last e92). I long debated the GTS cage and Rear Seat Delete but after getting them I know I made the right choice. Everything just fits right, looks clean, and is functional.

[MShift]

First off, I hope I didnt offend you, this is an amazing build and I was just curious more than anything. I would say most if not all of things you have are superior to what is offered on the GTS so why limit yourself to GTS aero I guess is where I was going with it. There are more effective, far less expensive options for the aero than the OE pieces. You answered it above though, sounds like you goal was to have a streetable setup that works together well without any guessing games even if its not the most extreme.

[slicer]

Originally Posted by MShift

First off, I hope I didnt offend you, this is an amazing build and I was just curious more than anything. I would say most if not all of things you have are superior to what is offered on the GTS so why limit yourself to GTS aero I guess is where I was going with it. There are more effective, far less expensive options for the aero than the OE pieces. You answered it above though, sounds like you goal was to have a streetable setup that works together well without any guessing games even if its not the most extreme.

I wasn't offended; no worries there! I would definitely consider more extreme aero if this were a pure track car. Instead this is built in the spirit of the GTS which is a street and track car. In addition, I was fortunate enough to get the car with the OE GTS wing and steering wheel already installed. I added the front lip, cage and seat delete.

[Jay-K]

sick attention to detail!,
cleannnn!

need more pics of the interior!

[F1FL]

I love my AW e92 m3, but when I see yours I start to think what it could be! I'm looking into getting the Mode Carbon GTS wing and splitter since they are easily available. Now I just need those E88's! Awesome build. My favorite by far.

[vincE92M3]

Great looking car! The photos don't do it justice though, with it being half in the shadows.

Why is this your 3rd e9x M3? What made you leave and return a few times? Would love to hear your experience.

[slicer]

Originally Posted by vincE92M3

Great looking car! The photos don't do it justice though, with it being half in the shadows.

Why is this your 3rd e9x M3? What made you leave and return a few times? Would love to hear your experience.

Agreed on the shadows. I'll put a little more effort into the photos next time.

I got my E90 M3 in early '09 off the lot and ran it for four years. I was still enjoying the E90 but decided to order a 2013 E92 to my spec. After a couple of years with that car I sold it and went to an E46. I wasn't really looking to sell the E92 at that time but some life changes dictated the sale. My e46 was an 18k mile cream puff. I modified it for two years trying to chase the feel of the E92. Suspension, exhaust, bushings, sub frame reinforced, recaro seats, bbs e88, BBK, etc. It was a great car but I simply prefer the E92 and no amount of improvements were going to get me there; short of an S65 motor transplant. I wasn't actually decided on selling the E46 when I saw my current E92 listed for sale. It's a stripper with only one option - DCT. I took it for a spin and had to have it. Bought the e92, sold the e46 and here I am.

Originally Posted by Jay-K

sick attention to detail!,
cleannnn!

need more pics of the interior!

Thank you - I will snap some pics and post them soon.

Originally Posted by F1FL

I love my AW e92 m3, but when I see yours I start to think what it could be! I'm looking into getting the Mode Carbon GTS wing and splitter since they are easily available. Now I just need those E88's! Awesome build. My favorite by far.

Thank you! The mode carbon stuff is great. That's what I ran in the past.

[vincE92M3]

Thanks for the narrative! 3td times a charm. Hope you'll be able to keep this e92 indefinitely.

I plan to keep my e92 for as long as I can. I too have a stripper where the only option was the 220m wheels and Silverstone paint.

Looking forward to seeing more photos!

[C-M2]

Looks great!

[S65_Darren .]

Simple And Nice !

[slicer]

Originally Posted by vincE92M3

Thanks for the narrative! 3td times a charm. Hope you'll be able to keep this e92 indefinitely.

I plan to keep my e92 for as long as I can. I too have a stripper where the only option was the 220m wheels and Silverstone paint.

Looking forward to seeing more photos!

Thank you and it sounds like you have a good one! I miss my Silverstone M3.

Originally Posted by C-M2

Looks great!

Originally Posted by S65_Darren .

Simple And Nice !

Thanks guys!

[jeff@autocouture]

Looks great Slicer! always love your builds

[slicer]

Originally Posted by Alex@AUTOcouture

Looks great Slicer! always love your builds

Thank you sir

[X5-User]

Originally Posted by slicer

Thank you sir

How is the 997.1 turbo compared to e92 for daily driving?

Beautiful stable you have!!!

[Hujan]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-M3

How is the 997.1 turbo compared to e92 for daily driving?

Beautiful stable you have!!!

Sadly, the 997 is not his (but he wishes it was, as do I).