e46 325i DE/TT/WRL Build

[.jordan]

I've been running at DEs and open lapping days for the last two years with this car. I've been feeling the itch to get a bit more competitive/serious with the car. The first step in my plan is make it a dedicated track car... Mainly addressing safety items and stiffening up all the components I didn't have the heart to when it was DD. From there I'm hoping to run TTE and eventually go W2W (WRL GP2 most likely).

I've been running the car more or less with the following mods:
- eBay headers
- aFe Stage 1 intake
- 225/45/17 Z2 Star Specs
- 17x8 IFG light weight forged wheels
- Koni FSD dampers
- Eibach Pro Kit springs
- Hawk DTC 70/60 pads
- Poly FCABs/RTABs
- Z4 front sway bar (24 mm)
- e46 convertible rear sway bar (20 mm)

[.jordan]

I was able to get the car tucked away for the winter, and I started getting slowly getting to work.




I sold the AFE intake and swapped to a drop in filter to save the points.



Out came the washer tank and SAP.



Rear deck mostly stripped, along with the rear seats.




Here's where I'm at with weight mods so far.



- - - Updated - - -
Suspension mods are up next. I'm going with GC conversion kits on Koni yellows on the front and Rob43 adjustable shocks on the rear. This has been a super cost effective suspension setup, and will definitely be a step up from the FSDs/Pro-kit. Thanks to Rob43 for the consult.

[.jordan]

Things have been a little slow lately. I was able to work on the car and get some maintenance items knocked off the list. Good thing I did; those pulleys were toast!




Next up on the list to install....

[.jordan]

Running out of time before track time!!


I decided to just tackle the subframe bushings, CSB, and shifter rebuild.





Seats showed up as well... add them to the list of stuff to install in the next two weeks!

[.jordan]

While I had everything out for the subframe rebuild, I decided to throw a few parts at a shifter rebuild since mine had a huge amount of slop. It's maybe 50% better, but still not great. This is probably my least favorite thing about these cars.



Got the front sway bar in, and set it to medium as a baseline. Hotchkis makes a great looking piece; I love the grease zeros on the brackets.





Also installed a set of wheel studs to make my life a little easier.





Got everything back together and set the ride height and track alignment. I think I'm actually a little too low (front especially), but it's a starting point.





I was able to get one seat in to test at the track. I'm about .5-1" lower than stock at this point. Still some room to be gained by using different side mounts and deleting the sunroof. Overall, the seat is great for the money. It's a huge improvement over the base model seats I had before. Getting a roll bar and harnesses in round it out nicely.

[.jordan]

I was able to get the car out to the track this last Friday to compare to last year's baseline. With the combination of weight reduction and new Rob43 suspension, I was able to knock 4 seconds off my lap time and get into the 1:51s at Raceway Park of the Midlands. Based on last year's results would put me in the middle of the TTE pack. At this point, I'm feeling good about that since I've still got points to spare for R-comps and slight power mods.


I apologize in advance for the poor video quality... I put the GoPro in the wrong spot and somehow smudged the lens. Whoops!




- - - Updated - - -

I had some seat mount adapters made up similar to some other designs on the market. I just got the other side back from the shop, and I'm ready to get both seats mounted up.