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      12-29-2019, 10:44 AM   #1
statik
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Statik's AW E92 M3 Build

I haven't done a proper build thread on a car since my 370z, but with all the plans I have for the M3 I thought it would be a good idea to document it.

This is a third car for me, and will mostly be a street/fun toy build. My daily driver is a 2017 audi RS3 with a hybrid turbo (550whp on 93, 640whp E85) and a stripped down turbo BRZ for a track toy.

When looking for another toy, I was originally considering a 987 Cayman S. If I had planned to track this new car, the Cayman definitely would have won out over the M3. However, since I already have the lightweight BRZ for track duty, the Cayman fell to second place simply due to the glorious S65 engine. There's just something about this screaming, small displacement V8 that you cant get anywhere else. I considered a GT500, but I still don't believe they sound as good personally.

So after a brief, impatient search, I found something close to what I was looking for on AutoTrader:

2010 E92 M3
Carbon Roof
Alpine White
6 Speed
EDC, Tech, Cold Weather
56,650 miles at time of purchase

I took a train from NYC down to Virgina to meet the buyer and drove the car back home 300+ miles. It was literally the worst drive of my life due to what I was told was a bent wheel (more on that later below).

Here she is when I finally made it back to NY, it's mostly stock. It came with a Dinan catback and some blacked out grills/vents.

The car was under a carmax warranty and fortunately had both throttle actuators replaced at a documented 47k miles in 2018.




Last edited by statik; 03-29-2020 at 10:13 AM..
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      12-29-2019, 10:45 AM   #2
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Mods

Current/upcoming mods:

Engine/Drivetrain
Dinan Catback (Came with vehicle)
Bimmerworld resonated X Pipe (Installed: 1/4/20 @ 57,020 miles)
Alpine MSS Stage 2 93 tune (Installed: 1/4/20 @ 57,020 miles)
Macht Schnell Stage 2 Intake (Installed: 1/11/20 @ 57,040 miles)
Macht Schnell Performance Underdrive Pulleys

4.10 Final drive w/ Wavetrac LSD
Ultimate Clutch Pedal
RTD mini shifter


Wheels/Suspension
Apex SM-10 Satin Black 18x10 +25, 5mm/12.5mm spacers (Installed: 12/28/19 @ 56,982 miles)
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, square setup, 275/35/18 (Installed: 12/28/19 @ 56,982 miles)
Bilstein B8 Shocks
Swift Spec-R springs

Interior
Coby Wheel tri-color alcantara shift/ebrake boots
Custom refinished flat bottom steering wheel (Installed: 1/12/20 @ 57,040 miles)
Red M+Start buttons (Installed: 1/12/20 @ 57,141 miles)

Exterior
GTS style carbon front lip
Shaved front bumper
Ceramic Pro
DEPO LCI Tail Lights

Service Items
BE rod bearing kit w/arp studs
Engine/Trans mounts
Water pump/thermostat
All pulleys/tensioners
1M Power steering reservoir conversion

Last edited by statik; 01-19-2020 at 09:40 AM..
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      12-29-2019, 10:52 AM   #3
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My other vehicles:

Daily: 2017 Audi RS3, hybrid turbo, 550whp on 93, 640whp on E85




Track Toy: 2013 Subaru BRZ, turbo, ~330whp (flex fuel)




Last edited by statik; 03-29-2020 at 10:15 AM..
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      12-29-2019, 11:10 AM   #4
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New shoes

As I mentioned, I drove the car home with what I was told was a bent front wheel. I took it to a local wheel repair shop and both front wheels came back straight, so I decided to toss my new 18" Apex SM-10 wheels on the car earlier than expected to see if that fixed the issue.

When we get the car on the lift, I went to put the front spacers and and noticed they wouldn't fit, which was odd. Upon closer inspection I found the previous shop that put the stock wheels back on the car before I purchased it left the aftermarket hubcentric rings on the front hubs. They just torqued the stock wheels down over them, I'm surprised they got them to fit at all




With the hubcentric rings removed we installed the ECS 5mm front/12.5mm rear spacers and the new wheels.



I've never had black wheels before and wasn't sure how they would look. It's a pretty "basic" look, but I'm really digging it.



Now it just needs a 1" drop all around

Last edited by statik; 03-29-2020 at 10:16 AM..
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      12-29-2019, 12:52 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by statik View Post
My other vehicles:

Daily: 2017 Audi RS3, hybrid turbo, 550whp on 93, 640whp on E85




Track Toy: 2013 Subaru BRZ, turbo, ~330whp (flex fuel)



Oh I love the rs3 in that color. Car is the right size for a 4 door car. Wish trim was shape m shadow line though.
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      12-29-2019, 01:27 PM   #6
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Looks good!

Thoughts on the 4.10 gears? It's one of the things I'd really like to do.
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      12-29-2019, 01:47 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by akkando View Post
Oh I love the rs3 in that color. Car is the right size for a 4 door car. Wish trim was shape m shadow line though.
I actually love the "Aluminum Optics" on the Ara blue crystal. it's such a nice contrast. And definitely agree, IMO the A/S/RS 3 are the perfect size, it's honestly the only thing I don't like about the e92. It's just a a bit too long when looking at it directly from the side. The RS3 is 4" shorter and it's all in the wheelbase.
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      12-29-2019, 01:50 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by //steve\\ View Post
Looks good!

Thoughts on the 4.10 gears? It's one of the things I'd really like to do.
None yet, haven't installed it. That likely won't go in until sometime later spring or summer. I would not run a 4.10 in a daily based on highway cruising speeds, RPM’s are already very high.

The 4.10’s will be faster accelerating in a particular gear with a raised rev limit, however over 2-3 gears it’s advantage is probably a wash due to the extra shifting. In any particular gear it should offer a modest performance bump.
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      12-30-2019, 04:28 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by statik View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by //steve\\ View Post
Looks good!

Thoughts on the 4.10 gears? It's one of the things I'd really like to do.
None yet, haven't installed it. That likely won't go in until sometime later spring or summer. I would not run a 4.10 in a daily based on highway cruising speeds, RPM's are already very high.

The 4.10's will be faster accelerating in a particular gear with a raised rev limit, however over 2-3 gears it's advantage is probably a wash due to the extra shifting. In any particular gear it should offer a modest performance bump.
I'll be watching then to see. It's a weekend toy so don't care about the things most people find as drawbacks. Came from a S2000 where stock you are at 4K rpm just doing 75mph in 6th. And at one point I had gears in it that made the same 6th gear cruising rpm 4500. Sometimes it seemed a little wild but the fun factor alone made up for it. I don't need a car that can do 180mph+.
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      12-30-2019, 06:53 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by //steve\\ View Post
I'll be watching then to see. It's a weekend toy so don't care about the things most people find as drawbacks. Came from a S2000 where stock you are at 4K rpm just doing 75mph in 6th. And at one point I had gears in it that made the same 6th gear cruising rpm 4500. Sometimes it seemed a little wild but the fun factor alone made up for it. I don't need a car that can do 180mph+.
same. i think as long as you don’t care about the gas mileage/rpm bump and aren’t looking for fastest 1/4, the 4.10 gears with 8600 limiter are a no brainer
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      12-30-2019, 06:44 PM   #11
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this car was seriously neglected, not a great before photo but took about 45 minutes to pressure was the car and engine bay.



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      12-31-2019, 10:12 AM   #12
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Nothing beats a clean engine bay. Gives that nice feeling even when you don't look at it.
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      01-13-2020, 04:37 PM   #13
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Post 1/4/20, 57,020 miles: Bimmerworld X Pipe, new oxygen sensors, Alpine MSS Stage 2 tune

Time to uncork that V8! I paired the existing Dinan catback with a Bimmerworld catless X pipe and an Alpine MSS Stage 2 tune.

Since the car is 10 years old and I have no history of the oxygen sensors being replaced, I purchased all 4 from FCP Euro and installed them at the same time.

I love the sound but fitment wasn't without some issues.




The passenger side required some really long hardware at the header flange that was not provided. The stock hardware could not be used due to the distance between the 2 flanges. I called bimmerworld and they had little to say on the matter other than "that's weird". Note: I know the gasket looks out of position, trust me it was not interfering with the fitment at all.



Additionally, the secondary oxygen sensor bung on the driver side was angled so high that it was touching the frame. Fortunately we had a spare J pipe lying around so that solved that problem without much effort. Still, not what I expected for $1k.




Quick sound clip here, personally I love how it sounds. Tone is high, rasp is minimal, light throttle is quiet, under WOT its loud enough but very conservative for a catless setup.


Last edited by statik; 01-13-2020 at 04:43 PM..
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      01-13-2020, 05:51 PM   #14
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Let me get your tow hook cover with the cutout. I'll trade you my OEM one without it lol
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      01-14-2020, 09:53 AM   #15
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I have the same exhaust set up and it sounds perfect
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      01-14-2020, 04:15 PM   #16
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Quote:
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I have the same exhaust set up and it sounds perfect
Any drone issues?
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      01-15-2020, 10:12 AM   #17
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Quote:
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Any drone issues?
absolutely no drone
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      01-15-2020, 12:39 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by statik View Post
absolutely no drone
Thanks, great looking car. Am trying to bring some life into my dinan exhaust.
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      01-15-2020, 04:03 PM   #19
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Any drone issues?

No drone. Only thing I would complain about is the smell
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      01-15-2020, 05:18 PM   #20
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Post 1/11/19 (57,040 miles): Spark plugs, intake and cabin filters

More maintenance and upgrades thanks to FCP Euro and EAS! Since I wasn't sure when the spark plugs were done last it felt like a smart preventative measure since I just went stage 2.

I wasn't able to find a coilpack puller tool, so I used a small prybar with painters tape wrapped around it to protect the valve cover. Worked surprisingly well, overall the job wasn't too bad.






"While you're in there", took the opportunity to install a Stage 2 Macht Schnell intake system and replace the cabin filters:





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      01-19-2020, 09:24 AM   #21
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Post 1/12/20 (57,141 miles): Steering Wheel + UCP

As I've mentioned, the previous owner didn't take especially great care of the car and the steering wheel was no different. Years of oil and dirt build up had left it looking (and feeling) not so great. In addition the trim panel was suffering from the peeling coating notorious on these vehicles.



I considered cleaning it and replacing the trim, however if I'm honest I wasn't really happy with how soft/squishy the stock wheel was, so I took a chance on an ebay seller, ledermanZ. You can find him on instagram here.

He has a few different styles for sale, I chose something that looked "OEM+" with an all leather wheel. I'm incredibly happy with the quality of the wheel, especially considering this cost less than $400 shipped. Really top not stitching and leather work, can't say enough good things about it.



Replacing the wheel is straightforward, pop out the airbag from behind the wheel with your flathead and there's a 16mm bolt holding it to the rack.




While you're in there: Not pictured: Installed a new ignition switch (old one was suffering from the same coating peel issue) with a red button. Also came with a red "M" button for the wheel. Picked up the set on ebay for $10, quality is perfect!







Now, to address one of the major drivability aspects of the M3, the clutch pedal.

There's no debating the factory pedal leaves much to be desired, most of this is due to the "assistance" springs which can be removed without upgrading the pedal. This is a really common problem for most newer cars, I used to sell replacement springs for the 370z community back in the day. After doing some research, everyone seemed to agree the UCP was a must.




Here you can see the adjustability of the pedal via the positioning on the assistance spring. Also note the self-lubricating bronze pivot bushing that removes the "slop" in the pedal:



At first, I tried using both factory springs (inner and outer) with the middle position. I wasn't really happy with this, the assistance was still too much, I couldn't "feel" the clutch properly. In the end, I decided to remove the larger outer spring and use the middle position:



I'm really happy with this setup, very good pedal feel, no slop, not too heavy to be annoying in traffic but plenty of feedback. Highly recommend!

With the steering wheel and clutch pedal done, the last major drivability issue to address is... this terrible shifter
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      01-19-2020, 05:13 PM   #22
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Congrats on the purchase, nice upgrades.
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