What have you done with or to your M3 today?

[CamasM3e93]

Installed and running!

[br2wdc]

Fully detailed and ceramic coated this past weekend

[cae93]

Originally Posted by PACarGuy

I just added the MPE (used V2) to my otherwise stock E92 M3 and to me it is perfect. Adds just enough growl to sound exotic and enhanced, but not too loud or droney, which would drive me crazy in the cabin if present. And when opened up, is heavenly.

Couldn't agree more, and I think this is particularly true for the E93 where any more noise out back would be intrusive.

[aznazasin]

Got some photos back from last weekend's San Diego Bimmerfest meet.

Got lucky with some sick rolling shots of my alpine white and frozen gray.

Enjoy

[JPWEraser]

@aznazasin

How did you manage to drive all of your M3s at the same time?

… I kid… some good looking M3s!

[aznazasin]

Originally Posted by JPWEraser

@aznazasin

How did you manage to drive all of your M3s at the same time?

… I kid… some good looking M3s!

Thanks bro.

A good buddy of mine who's also a photographer drove my frozen gray. Captured these shots for me

[tbuck]

Originally Posted by CamasM3e93

Attachment 2657781

Installed and running!

Awesome! So, any smoky burnouts yet, lol? How you liking it thus far? Worth the investment?

I should be dropping mine in tomorrow. I doing mine a bit out of order since I already had most of the front of the car disassembled. I did all the plumbing and intercooler stuff today and will drop the SC on it to finish.

[omgzirra_exe]

dropped it off at BMW South Bay lol

[DL335D]

Originally Posted by tbuck

Well, today I did a lot of prep work for the future. Replaced the motor mounts, though the ones in there must have been replaced in the last few years as they looked like nearly new Corteco's just like the ones I bought, if compressed 2-3mm.

Then I put in new idler and tensioner pulleys and new belts. Old pulleys were original (38k miles) but could tell they were already a bit dry inside compared to new. Could likely have gotten another 20k out of them, but since I already had to get in there....

Finally, dropped in a new set of plugs, though again they looked practically brand new. I went back through the PO's paperwork and nothing about the mounts or the plugs, but he was the type to do that kind of stuff prior to a sale.

Anyway, it's almost Harrop time!

I asked my local speed shop to change my original plugs since I had 50k on them. The owner of the shop said that they looked nearly new and that I could easily get another 25k out of them. Strange.

[Hoost]

Changed the spark plugs since I don't know when the previous owner had them done. Was expecting it to be more of a pain that it actually was, cylinders 4 and 8 weren't that bad at all. Not sure what to make of the threads looking "wet", it doesn't smell like oil. Anyone think anything is out of the ordinary here? 69k on the engine, no misfires/codes.

[romero1990]

Originally Posted by aznazasin

Thanks bro.

A good buddy of mine who's also a photographer drove my frozen gray. Captured these shots for me

hot! what are those hre wheels. the color is damn on spot

[tbuck]

Originally Posted by Hoost

Changed the spark plugs since I don't know when the previous owner had them done. Was expecting it to be more of a pain that it actually was, cylinders 4 and 8 weren't that bad at all. Not sure what to make of the threads looking "wet", it doesn't smell like oil. Anyone think anything is out of the ordinary here? 69k on the engine, no misfires/codes.

That is generally normal to some degree, so long as there is no oil/fluid in the spark plug holes. It is likely just a residue of fuel/oil/carbon that has come up from the cylinders. Plugs are wear items, and while they may look ok the gaps are likely wider than required. They will still work but not as well as new ones. I think I have read 40k miles is a good average to change them, but of course how the car is driven and various mods (SC for example) will have a large effect as well.

[Hoost]

Originally Posted by tbuck

That is generally normal to some degree, so long as there is no oil/fluid in the spark plug holes. It is likely just a residue of fuel/oil/carbon that has come up from the cylinders. Plugs are wear items, and while they may look ok the gaps are likely wider than required. They will still work but not as well as new ones. I think I have read 40k miles is a good average to change them, but of course how the car is driven and various mods (SC for example) will have a large effect as well.

Yeah didn't see anything of concern in the spark plug holes or on the coil packs themselves, so that's reassuring.

[aznazasin]

Originally Posted by romero1990

hot! what are those hre wheels. the color is damn on spot

They're 20" HRE S101 with satin black faces, gloss black inner barrels and Monaco copper lips on my driver side...kept my passenger side gloss black still for 2 looks since no one ever looks at both sides at once.

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by Hoost

Yeah didn't see anything of concern in the spark plug holes or on the coil packs themselves, so that's reassuring.

IIRC the manual suggests a 37KMile change interval for the spark plugs. They are an integral part of the engine management system due to their being used for ionic knock detection.

Cheers,

[CamasM3e93]

Originally Posted by tbuck

Awesome! So, any smoky burnouts yet, lol? How you liking it thus far? Worth the investment?

I should be dropping mine in tomorrow. I doing mine a bit out of order since I already had most of the front of the car disassembled. I did all the plumbing and intercooler stuff today and will drop the SC on it to finish.

I did that as well. Stripped the car down - went on vacation - and got into it when I returned. I started with the fuel injectors and then moved onto the intercooler. Harrop didn't send the correct number/type of cobra clamps so I ended up sending a delegate to the store for more worm screw hose clamps. A buddy came as I was wrapping the intercooler up and we moved onto fitting the SC and the wiring. You have to be careful with the mounts - we nicked the threads on one of them and had to do some modifications.

I replaced the deflection pulley and both tensioner pulleys. New plugs. I wish I had another day to rebuild the throttle actuators. After start up I ran into a battery issue - still sorting that out but the battery probably just needs to be replaced. I also had ove-rtorqued the deflection pulley and that caused it to rub up against the water pump pulley. Torqued correctly, they should run about a cardstock width apart from each other. The rubbing caused the deflection pulley to slow down versus the belt, the pulley heated up and ate the accessory belt which promptly exploded. I limped home without power steering but had it all sorted out quickly. Thankfully I had 2 of each belt.

I've had the car out for a spirited afternoon yesterday. The whine of the SC is quite loud, especially in the convertible and around 4000 RPM. The car does pull a lot harder but I'm not getting everything out of it I was expecting. 2nd and 3rd gear are still quite functional, and even with traction control off the wheels stay fairly planted. I'm on stock 19" wheels with fresh Pilot AS4s. I don't think there are a lot of convertibles with this kit out there - and I suppose its possible with the few extra hundred pounds the car is able to hold the power down to the ground better - compared to those with coupes and sedans who have to go to wider tires. Or maybe there's a boost issue. This week I'll see about a boost gauge and take a 3rd look at those throttle boots to make sure I'm not leaking.

[Freiheit]

Originally Posted by SGM_E90

Door has always worked, I just noticed it when I detailed my car last week

Then I'd say someone wanted to steal your ride, and tried to get into your car with a slim-jim, especially if the rod looks bent. Depending on the generation of the car, many of them will kill the DME if someone gets in without using a key. This includes glass breakage or jim'ing a door. At least, thats what BMW Roadside told me when I locked the keys in one of my old M3s.

Im guessing it was a GTA attempt because a burglar would have just broken a window or jim'ed a front door. I'd say it was someone who wanted to take the car- they had a little info on what I mentioned and tried to go in a rear door, thinking they would be side-stepping the DME-killer.

Just a theory.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by DrFerry

Clocked 120,000 miles today. I bought her new in August 2008 having ordered her from the local Dealer. Watched her progress online from May 2008 to August 2008 - as she was being built in Germany and shipped to the U.S. Took delivery at the M-Performance Center in Greer, SC and have lived with her ever since. That was almost thirteen years ago. Still has the original TBs. Rod bearings and bolts have been replaced with BE & ARP. Harrop SC'd since November 2015. The journey continues..
.

Beautiful story, care and joy, congrats Doc!

[tbuck]

Originally Posted by CamasM3e93

I did that as well. Stripped the car down - went on vacation - and got into it when I returned. I started with the fuel injectors and then moved onto the intercooler. Harrop didn't send the correct number/type of cobra clamps so I ended up sending a delegate to the store for more worm screw hose clamps. A buddy came as I was wrapping the intercooler up and we moved onto fitting the SC and the wiring. You have to be careful with the mounts - we nicked the threads on one of them and had to do some modifications.

I replaced the deflection pulley and both tensioner pulleys. New plugs. I wish I had another day to rebuild the throttle actuators. After start up I ran into a battery issue - still sorting that out but the battery probably just needs to be replaced. I also had ove-rtorqued the deflection pulley and that caused it to rub up against the water pump pulley. Torqued correctly, they should run about a cardstock width apart from each other. The rubbing caused the deflection pulley to slow down versus the belt, the pulley heated up and ate the accessory belt which promptly exploded. I limped home without power steering but had it all sorted out quickly. Thankfully I had 2 of each belt.

I've had the car out for a spirited afternoon yesterday. The whine of the SC is quite loud, especially in the convertible and around 4000 RPM. The car does pull a lot harder but I'm not getting everything out of it I was expecting. 2nd and 3rd gear are still quite functional, and even with traction control off the wheels stay fairly planted. I'm on stock 19" wheels with fresh Pilot AS4s. I don't think there are a lot of convertibles with this kit out there - and I suppose its possible with the few extra hundred pounds the car is able to hold the power down to the ground better - compared to those with coupes and sedans who have to go to wider tires. Or maybe there's a boost issue. This week I'll see about a boost gauge and take a 3rd look at those throttle boots to make sure I'm not leaking.

Well, I knew going in this would be a solo adventure for me, so I wanted the bumper off for the whole install figuring one less thing to worry about and I could maybe get a little closer in so not as far to reach. That sucker is heavy. It worked out just fine that way for me.

So, my install was not without issue either, and though I will not go into all the details here I was a little unhappy about some of them. Not surprised however. I build engines for a living, so I know how it goes with manufacturing. No two engines going down a line will be exactly the same due to stack-up issues, part tolerances and the like. But when I first set the SC down the left side lined up pretty good on the mounts, but the right side was a joke, off by over a mm on both holes. The mounts have zero tolerance so I could not move them any, but the TB's do have a bit of slop in the holes so my guess is one or both side were as far to the center as they could be and I was not about to bust all 8 of them loose to see if I could get a little more out of them. In the end, after much cussing, I took out the trusty Dremel and made an oval out of the right two mounting holes. Everything went together fine after that, but no way was I going to be able to get those bolts started otherwise.

I will say the quality of parts in general was very, very good. My kit was complete, so that was a relief. I did have to make a few of the plumbing bits "fit" to avoid rubs here and there, but all in all everything went together quite well. I did go the extra mile and soldered all of the wire connections rather than using a crimp-on tap, as I have very little faith in those long term and the last thing I want is a "phantom" failure at some point in the future. Depinning is nothing new to me but is still time consuming. My DME box was also full so I had to do some creative arrangement of the parts to get everything to fit.

I would definitely go back in to see if you are loosing boost somewhere. You should be getting 100+ HP out of this kit, usually more, and if you can't get those all seasons cooking then something is wrong. Even with 400 extra pounds mostly in the back they should still roast. I know Mike will help you out if need be.

Anyway, below is her almost back together with the tune loaded and after I ran it for half an hour to check for any leaks. So far so good. I will finish putting her back together in the morning and go out and see if I can take a few thousand miles off my tires, lol! The sound is fantastic so far, I can only imagine at WOT it is going to be insane!!

[DL335D]

Originally Posted by aznazasin

They're 20" HRE S101 with satin black faces, gloss black inner barrels and Monaco copper lips on my driver side...kept my passenger side gloss black still for 2 looks since no one ever looks at both sides at once.

Looks good. You must live in an area with perfect roads. Here in boston those tires would last about 10 minutes.

[Vuu]

Originally Posted by tbuck

Well, I knew going in this would be a solo adventure for me, so I wanted the bumper off for the whole install figuring one less thing to worry about and I could maybe get a little closer in so not as far to reach. That sucker is heavy. It worked out just fine that way for me.

So, my install was not without issue either, and though I will not go into all the details here I was a little unhappy about some of them. Not surprised however. I build engines for a living, so I know how it goes with manufacturing. No two engines going down a line will be exactly the same due to stack-up issues, part tolerances and the like. But when I first set the SC down the left side lined up pretty good on the mounts, but the right side was a joke, off by over a mm on both holes. The mounts have zero tolerance so I could not move them any, but the TB's do have a bit of slop in the holes so my guess is one or both side were as far to the center as they could be and I was not about to bust all 8 of them loose to see if I could get a little more out of them. In the end, after much cussing, I took out the trusty Dremel and made an oval out of the right two mounting holes. Everything went together fine after that, but no way was I going to be able to get those bolts started otherwise.

I will say the quality of parts in general was very, very good. My kit was complete, so that was a relief. I did have to make a few of the plumbing bits "fit" to avoid rubs here and there, but all in all everything went together quite well. I did go the extra mile and soldered all of the wire connections rather than using a crimp-on tap, as I have very little faith in those long term and the last thing I want is a "phantom" failure at some point in the future. Depinning is nothing new to me but is still time consuming. My DME box was also full so I had to do some creative arrangement of the parts to get everything to fit.

I would definitely go back in to see if you are loosing boost somewhere. You should be getting 100+ HP out of this kit, usually more, and if you can't get those all seasons cooking then something is wrong. Even with 400 extra pounds mostly in the back they should still roast. I know Mike will help you out if need be.

Anyway, below is her almost back together with the tune loaded and after I ran it for half an hour to check for any leaks. So far so good. I will finish putting her back together in the morning and go out and see if I can take a few thousand miles off my tires, lol! The sound is fantastic so far, I can only imagine at WOT it is going to be insane!!

I feel the pain you went through. Granted, I've only done ESS installs/removals, but when things don't align, that's the most annoying part of the process. Good on you for making it workout in the end.

The pain and headaches are worth the thrill and enjoyment you'll get from your car.

Welcome to the boost life!

[DrFerry]

Originally Posted by CamasM3e93

I've had the car out for a spirited afternoon yesterday. The whine of the SC is quite loud, especially in the convertible and around 4000 RPM. The car does pull a lot harder but I'm not getting everything out of it I was expecting. 2nd and 3rd gear are still quite functional, and even with traction control off the wheels stay fairly planted. I'm on stock 19" wheels with fresh Pilot AS4s. I don't think there are a lot of convertibles with this kit out there - and I suppose its possible with the few extra hundred pounds the car is able to hold the power down to the ground better - compared to those with coupes and sedans who have to go to wider tires. Or maybe there's a boost issue. This week I'll see about a boost gauge and take a 3rd look at those throttle boots to make sure I'm not leaking.

1) Check how much boost is being made using a boost gauge "T'd" into the port at the back left hand corner of the plenum.
2) IF the catalytic converters are even slightly blocked or degraded they can cause excess exhaust back pressure in forced induction applications. To really "uncork" the Harrop I recommend using high flow secondary cats (<=200 cells per square inch [cpsi]) and removing the primaries.
3) Be sure you're using the correct octane gas Mike B' supplied the "Tune" for. There's a 91 tune and a 93 tune file if I recall correctly. The tune file also varies for with or without cats and high flow cats etc.
4) Ensure the rubber boots connecting the individual throttle bodies to the plenum are properly seated and clamped tightly.
5) Ensure the Bypass Valve Actuator has "learned home" and calibrated itself to the max opening position. It should have cycled as soon as the ignition was turned on for the first time after install to "learn" home.
6) If all the above is okay, and SC boost is (>6psi) then the next step is some Dyno runs to check the AFR is not so rich as to bog the motor down and determine some HP numbers.
7) Mike B' is your "go-to" guy and is hugely knowledgeable. He's been involved with potentially all of the installs within the Americas (and even the Caribbean)..
8) Altitude, humidity, Octane, exhaust back pressure, O2 sensor age, air filter quality etc. etc. all play a role in how much HP gains are to be made with any Supercharger.
9) Turn off the traction control while debugging.
.