The BMW E46 M3 is a timeless legend. First manufactured in 1997, the E46 still remains to be a cherished BMW model. The E46 takes BMW tuning to the max with its potential to be customized and in many exciting ways. We have some great ideas on how you can improve your BMW E46 by customizing it to your specific needs. The only thing you’ll be wondering after reading this, is which improvement to make first!
BMW Tuning for Your E46 M3 Engine
3er E46 3er E90+ 5er E60+ 6er E63+ 7er E65+ X5 E53 Z4 E85+ style 163. 3er E46 Z4 E85+ style 169. The options listed below are only applicable to the E46 M3 – they cannot be programmed into any other variant. Both or just one of these options can be activated on all E46 M3’s for a flat rate of £83.00 + VAT (this is a separate DME flashing fee and is not included with any of our other services/remaps). 6-Speed Manual Shift Lights.
- The part number for non-nav e46's is -501. The part number for e46's with nav is 82-11-0-149-391. It should run you around $40. It is very easy to do yourself and will take you about an hour and a half to two hours (you can find the DIY here courtesy of jumpingmatt on this forum). If you choose to have the dealer install it, they will.
- Make sure you watch these first: Installing INPA: Coding Vehicle Order: How to get NCSDummy: https.
Although these cars already boast a fair amount of power, a few tuning tweaks can improve their power to around 400bhp. This is done by remapping the engine, which involves tweaks such as adjusting the fuel and ignition valves. This will help to eliminate flat spots and speed limiters. Another option for your engine is to look at getting a supercharger kit installed. These always increase the thrill factor while driving your BMW. Make sure you use a specialist vehicle tuning center when getting your engine tuned, as this will ensure the best outcome for your BMW.
Custom Wheels
Customizing your M3 with some new wheels is a sure way to improve its appeal. You can look at installing wheels around the size of between 18-20 inches. These will definitely add to the wow factor. Another great option is to get low profile tires installed which will be sure to turn heads as you drive past. There are many different options when it comes to wheel modifications and so consult with a specialist installer as to which ones will be the best for you.
BMW E46 M3 Suspension
An adjustment to your suspension setup can drastically improve handling and performance on your E46 M3. Suspension is something that can easily be overlooked, but a small adjustment can really give your BMW the edge. By stiffening up the suspension, your BMW will be more responsive on the road. It will also help you to corner faster with more efficiency. It’s a really valuable modification to make as it guarantees a firmer ride for your custom BMW. We offer different suspension packages to suit your budget at Foreign Affairs Motorsport.
Brake Packages For Your BMW E46
Getting a brake package installed on your M3 will make a big difference. If want to improve the performance of your E46, then you may as well also look at improving the brakes as well. BMW tuning packages include options like: performance disks, performance pads, brake lines, and an optimized brake fluid replacement. Big brake packages are available and are a must for any serious track driver.
Exterior Improvements
Although your BMW already looks really good on the exterior, these are some great mods to make it look even better. Why not get a carbon roof fitted, or a tailgate or rear diffuser? You can also opt for a styled front bumper or even a carbon hood which will definitely add some street cred onto your M3. Aerodynamic mods will increase your cars performance and there are many exterior mods that have been aerodynamically designed. Why not take it up a notch and get an air intake duct fitted. This will also help to cool down your engine. As South Florida’s Premier German Auto Repair, Performance & Race Facility Since 1978, we offer all of these solutions in one place.
At the end of the day, the sky is the limit when it comes to tuning. You may not be able to make all of these improvements at once, but which one will you start with? Perhaps you’ll opt to tune your engines performance; or add some seriously mean wheels into the mix. Or will you take a new suspension or brake package? Maybe the exterior is what gets your attention. Be sure to find a trusted installer in the Southern Florida area. After all, you want to make sure your baby is in the best possible hands.
Why you’d want a BMW E46 M3
A decade after the Golf GTI had turned the sports car concept on its head and shown that a hot hatch could be as chuckable as a roadster, BMW brought out the M3 in 1986.
This homologation special was only meant to help the company win Touring Car races, but it started a whole new genre and added excitement to the BMW range that it couldn’t do without. The E36 M3 of ’93 was accused of being more of a marketing tool – a tad unwieldy and overweight – but the E46 was designed to address that.
Priced on a par with the Porsche Boxster S, the E46 M3 was streets ahead in performance, challenging the much pricier 911 and Audi RS4. Stiffened, wider-tracked with big wheelarches and a massive front spoiler, it packed a 3.2-litre straight-six substantially re-engineered by the M division to generate 343bhp at 7900rpm and 269lb ft at 4900rpm. A six-speed Getrag gearbox took power to the rear wheels via a variable-lock limited-slip diff, developed with GKN.
Modern technology meant that ABS, switchable Dynamic Stability Control, Cornering Brake Control and Traction Control systems were standard. It sounded brilliant, too. ‘The grunty rumble from the quad exhausts at idle gives way to a serrated wail as the straight-six climbs to its redline,’ enthused Autocar.
Aluminium was widely used to keep weight down, for the bonnet and brake calipers as well as suspension components, though the car still ended up heavier than its predecessor thanks to a high level of standard equipment inside the opulent leather-clad interior.
As a package, it was a triumph – the original M3 grown up. If you could criticise anything, it was that there wasn’t a lot of power below 2000rpm. But because it was then seamless up to 8000rpm and you had six gears to play with, it was hardly a big problem.
All cars were officially limited to 155mph, although Autocar’s test model happily topped 160mph and a limiter-delete was optional on the CSL version, allegedly allowing a 170mph top speed.
Coupés now command a price premium of c10% over Convertibles, but while manual gearboxes are preferred over SMG, condition and history are far more important.
There is a huge premium to pay if you want a CSL, however; the CS is currently a good option, with prices about 20% above the standard model. Crucial checkpoints are the rear axle carrier panel cracking, VANOS faults and head-gasket failure.
Images: Tony Baker
Subframe
Rear axle carrier panel is E46’s weak point: the structure cracks from stress loading and proper repair is complex. Check if it’s been done, and done well.
Engine
The engine is highly stressed and can suffer from a number of issues, especially if not scrupulously maintained. Rattling from the VANOS variable cam timing needs urgent overhaul. Head-gasket failure can manifest through misfire or pinking (budget c£1500 to have it done). Conrod bearing weakness should have been cured on an early recall.
Suspension
Forged-aluminium lower wisbones are unique to M3; ditto bearings and bushes. They lead a hard life so look for wear.
Wheels
18in alloys were standard; 19in optional (standard on CSL). Diamond-cut rims are costly to refurbish. Brakes are more than adequate for road; upgradable for track.
Gearbox
Six-speed manual gearbox is strong, but the optional SMG clutchless sequential shift can suffer slow changes and even apparent loss of fourth as pump wears.
Interior
Look for wear on driver’s outer bolster, which a good trimmer can refurbish or replace; Nappa leather can crack if it gets too dry. CSL interior is all different.
Electrics
Damp, especially on cars kept outside, can wreak havoc with electrics, as moist air condenses inside. Inspect the history, and confirm that everything works.
Hood
Folding top should fit well: check carpets for damp, hood for damage and test operation; most parts can be sourced on eBay. New Sonnenland hood is c£1000.
All versions are rapid, great-handling cars but time and neglect bring problems. The complex BMW/Siemens MSS54 engine-management system seems trouble-free, but the VANOS variable cam timing suffers with age. If it’s rattling, budget for a rapid service: it may be hardened seals but could be loose bolts or stripped splines that can wreck the motor.
A lack of power (relative to what it should be!) also indicates the need for an overhaul. A diagnostic test will confirm. A misfire, or pinking when accelerating gently uphill at 2000rpm, may be a symptom of head-gasket failure, fairly common at 80-100k miles.
The SMG gearchange can give trouble due to pump wear. A rebuilt pump is close to £1000 exchange, but a new BMW item is more than twice the price. Servicing is not cheap: even at independents, an Inspection 1 will cost £500-plus; and an Inspection 2 £650-plus.
Modifications are common, so check what’s been done and if the car has been abused on track. ECU upgrades, engine tuning, blueprinting, suspension and chassis upgrades, brake upgrades including AP Racing kits, different wheels and body mods are among the options.
The rear suspension incorporates M3-only links with steel balljoints: this stiff set-up plus the massive power put far greater stresses through the E46 shell than it had been designed to take and it cracks. Inspection and the involved repair is best carried out by an experienced specialist.
BMW E46 M3 price guide
M3
- Show: £20,000*
- Average: £10,000*
- Restoration: £5000*
CSL
- Show: £75,000*
- Average: £45,000*
- Restoration: £25,000*
*Prices correct at date of original publication
BMW E46 M3 history
E46 Color Options
2000 Mar E46 M3 launched
2002 Sep build starts
2001 Feb Right-hand-drive M3 on sale; Mar/Apr Convertible added, heavier so 0-60mph 5.1 secs; autumn, GTR racer announced for American Le Mans Series, with 460bhp 3997cc V8: it won!
2002 Feb M3 GTR on sale: 380bhp dry-sump alloy V8, carbonfibre roof, spoilers, rear wing; 10 made, three ‘sold’ for €250,000 but later returned to BMW. SMG II: 11 modes and ‘launch control’
2003 May M3 CSL added: 110kg lighter (carbonfibre/GRP and thinner glass used), 360bhp, faster semi-auto gearchange, bigger brakes, sharper steering and suspension; c1395 made, code BL95 LHD, BL96 RHD
2004 M3 Silverstone (cosmetic special) offered in the UK market only; 50 built
2005 M3 Coupé Sport (CS/ZCP) pack offered for base model: CSL wheels, steering and suspension
2006 May Coupé production ends
2006 Aug Soft-top production ends
“I’ve always had petrol in my DNA,” comments Peter Brewin, having sold his TR6 and M635CSi to buy this M3 eleven years ago. “I’d had them both for 10-12 years and wanted one car that combined the best of both. Porsches were too small and I like BMW detailing. I wanted one that was spot-on and spent 15 months looking.
“This car had one owner, full BMW history and has averaged 2500 miles a year. It was pampered by a wealthy collector and had all the options. I’ve taken it to the Revival, Le Mans Classic and touring in France.
“I drive it only when I really want to, and the conditions are perfect. Even the wiper blades are original: they never get used! The only repair it’s needed was a diff seal. I’ve fallen in love with it to such an extent that to prise me away from it would be a real challenge!”
AUDI RS4
With a 2.7-litre turbo V6 producing 376bhp, the 4WD 5-door estate RS4 flew. It’s scarce and still reassuringly pricey. Quicker in a straight line than M3, if not as much fun on the twisties.
Sold 2000-’01 • No. built 6030 • Mpg 16-25 • 0-60mph 4.7 secs • Top speed 155mph (limited) • Price new £46,500 (2001) • Price now £18-25,000*
MERCEDES-BENZ CLK55
AMG decided the only way to build a Merc to match the M3 was to sling a 5.5-litre V8 under the bonnet, with a five-speed paddle-shift auto and firmer set-up. Now, it’s quite a bargain.
Sold 2001-’07 • No. built c15,000 • Mpg 16-33 • 0-60mph 5 secs • Top speed 155mph (limited) • Price new £57,000 (Coupé, 2002) • Price now £7-15,000*
*Prices correct at date of original publication
E46 Option Cd Changer
The E46 M3 is thoroughly worthy of the name, and enthusiasts have wasted little time in pushing prices into the collector zone – especially for the rare CSL (and the half-way-house CS is beginning to follow).
Bmw E46 Forum
If you possibly can, buy a car with good, full service history and evidence of having been garaged and cherished. Neglect is extremely costly to rectify.
FOR
- Great handling and glorious noise
- Fabulous performance
- Usable every day
- Values for best are appreciating
AGAINST
- Rear end cracking: costly to fix
- Some engine issues as they get older
- Many have been modified and/or abused on track, so inspect uprated ones carefully
Bmw M3 E46 Options
BMW E46 M3 specifications
- Sold/number built 2000-’06/55,506 Coupé, 29,633 Convertible
- Construction steel monocoque
- Engine iron-block, alloy-head, dohc 24-valve 3245cc ‘six’, with sequential multi-point injection; 343bhp @ 7900rpm-360bhp @ 7900rpm; 269lb ft @ 4900rpm-273lb ft @ 4300rpm
- Transmission Getrag six-speed manual, driving rear wheels; about 50% (including all CSLs) have optional SMG sequential semi-automatic
- Suspension: front MacPherson struts rear multi-link, coil springs; anti-roll bar f/r
- Steering power-assisted rack and pinion, 3.2 turns lock-lock (3 on CSL/CS)
- Brakes ventilated discs, 325mm front, 326mm rear, with servo; CSL/CS 348mm front
- Length 14ft 9in (4492mm)
- Width 6ft 41/2in (1947mm)
- Height 4ft 6in (1372mm)
- Wheelbase 8ft 11in (2725mm)
- Weight 3047-3649 (1385-1655kg)
- 0-60mph 4.5-5.1 secs
- Top speed 155-170mph
- Mpg 15-30
- Price new £37,850/41,400 (Coupé/Convertible, 2001)
READ MORE
E46 Options
Malcolm McKay is a regular contributor to Classic & Sports Car