Joe’s M3: Proving His Potential

Photo credit: CaliPhoto

When building a track car, it’s almost always easier to take the paved path. Picking a platform that has been thoroughly developed, with available parts for every possible problem and associated forums filled with information help get the driver to the track without much wrenching.

Not that ease was the main reason Joe McGuigan decided to add an eighth car to his collection — he did that because his friends urged him to try the car he’d avoided for a while. They were tired of watching him struggle with his trailblazing passion projects. They said he’d be able to save himself time if he just joined the tribe and bought an E46 M3.

When Spencer Kimball decided to sell the E46 he’d built for his father, whose injuries prevented him from enjoying it, half of the greater NorCal track community flooded his inbox. Spencer had already proven he knew how to put a seriously quick M3 together, and this example checked just about every box a track car needs to. Plus, the price was impossible to argue with. It would make some track rat a very happy owner soon enough, but an iconoclast like Joe? Not likely.

He was well aware of the M3’s potential, but he never found it interesting enough to build one himself. He preferred the challenge of developing a less-loved car, and always found the E46 M3’s competence a bit boring. Too easy to drive quickly, too easy to build. Not enough of a challenge for a man trying to prove a point.

However, the long list of primo parts and the low, low price were too tough to ignore. Joe had to accept the “boring” car for the simple fact that he would no longer be able to handicap himself with a sub-par chassis. “I could show people how fast I really am,” he added. Rather than prove a point as a builder, he could prove himself as a driver.

He mulled it over for a few days before pulling the trigger. Picking it up on the way home was the easy part. Driving it back to his crowded driveway, it dawned on him how big a task he’d set for himself: “Now I’ve gotta put my money where my mouth is and build a really fast car,” he said.

Fortunately, the car was already well on its way towards perfection. Spencer had big plans for the build and sank a good amount of money into making it fast, reliable, and fun to drive. The short list includes:

• Shaftworks USA coilovers with 500/750-lb springs

• Custom Drexler-style 1.5-way differential

• 4.10 gears

• SPL arms

• Supersprint V1 header

• CSL intake

• HTE tune

• E90 GTS rear wing

• Bimmerworld diffuser

• Bimmerworld 3” exhaust

• PFC ZR45 BBK

• APEX Wheels 18x10" ET25 Forged VS-5RS

Those and a few minor mods were all Joe needed to set some competitive times. The first track day was a few days after pickup, so he only had time for an alignment and a fluid flush. Nevertheless, its first outing in his hands, a two-day event at Buttonwillow, was a success.

He found it fast and forgiving, with a linear power delivery and direct steering. Those qualities, plus a hint too much understeer, helped Joe get on top of the car in a session. By the end of the first day, he lapped Buttonwillow 13CW in 1:56.3 — on an old set of Toyo RRs, no less. The predictive timer showed an optimal lap a half-second faster which, funnily enough, is one tenth shy of his best-ever time at 13CW in his well-developed IS-F.

He’s already sussed out its shortcomings and drummed up a short list of solutions which he plans to implement soon. Being able to knock out problems quickly with the support of a vast market is one of the reasons going with a well-loved platform makes sense. “I plan to move pretty quickly with this build. Who knows? I might sell it next year,” he laughed.

The brakes are capable, but the pads might need to be changed as the initial bite wasn’t strong enough to give him much confidence. The spring rates are too low; the owner before Spencer had specced them for autocross. It’ll receive MCS two-ways, a TC Designs cage, reinforced swaybar brackets, and full Zebulon/Buildjournal aero in the next couple months.

But the bones are good, as they say, and it’s already fast enough to aim for some of the times set by friends and colleagues in the E46 scene. While he hasn’t given up on his IS-F, he’ll fixate on beating the established BMW benchmarks for the time being.

Andrew from Buildjournal has taken his E46 M3 just about as far as anyone on the West Coast has, and his car can turn a lap around 13CW in the 1:49s. “I’m sure its capable of something in the low 1:50s with weight reduction, a better setup, and full aero,” Joe declared. There’s no reason to doubt it.

The potential is obvious, the build is nearly finished, his connections are eager to help him, and all he’s had to suffer is a little boredom. The E46 might not pull at the heartstrings like some passion projects, but he can’t deny the potential that the project holds — and the fun he’s already had with it — has caused him to change his tune.

Speed SF Challenge Laguna Seca: New Surface, New Records

Ideal weather and a massive turnout of thirty competitors at the last round of the Speed SF Challenge guaranteed some action. Sure enough, we saw new records in several categories. Though some of the newfound speed was due to the recent repave, our Challenge drivers were in stellar form that weekend, and their onboards prove that.

In S1, Steve Melson and his Audi R8 broke the S1 record that had been standing for five years, set back in 2018 by Andrie Hartanto in a C6 Z06. Steve took advantage of the stellar weather and logged a 1:34.081 — a new record that any driver should be proud of—in a car that looks nearly stock. Such is the performance of the second-generation R8.

In S2, Kai Anderson reset Peter Hsu’s Chevy Corvette record by seven tenths. Anderson ran a 1:34.8 to Hsu’s 1:35.7, but not before suffering through a few frustrating sessions. By the end of the day, he cooled his jets long enough to find a gap and avoid slower cars. “My main challenge was recovering from a poor qualifying. There was a good turnout for this event which was great, but it meant the morning sessions were a little crowded, so I ended up only qualifying 7th fastest overall. I recovered to 4th fastest overall in the Challenge session, so mission accomplished, but my fastest lap didn't come until lap 5 because I kept having to abort laps due to catching traffic.

I didn't really have any specific goals for the weekend; mostly just evaluating what is still a relatively new car to me on a newly resurfaced racetrack. Overall, I was impressed with both. I think the changes to Laguna really inspire confidence to push for that optimal lap without creating a different line that requires total abuse of track limits.

The Camaro is perfect for Laguna, with prodigious power, cooling, and brakes to match. There is definitely still some laptime to come from this pair. Crossing my fingers December is dry!”

In S3, Spencer Kimball put in a serious effort to try and beat Kevin Schweigert’s S3 record of 1:36.0.

“I went into this event with some reservations knowing that my M3, with limited torque, was not at its best on Laguna’s straights. Laguna is also the one local track that I drive the least, but I made sure to try and get some practice in before the Challenge weekend. I lucked out and a friend lent me his pass for an event the weekend before, where I ran a low 1:37 after a year-long Laguna hiatus. I looked over my data and saw that a mid-35.xx would be possible, but I went into the Challenge event with the goal of breaking into the 36s. 

I knew that I had my work cut out for me as my main competition, Legend Brandenburg in his A90 Supra, benefits from ~200 more ft/lbs more than my E92 has. Luckily I was able to run a mid 1:36 during sessions 1 and 2, which put giving me a good spot for the challenge session. I studied my data to figure out where I needed to commit, and it was clear that the faster corners were where I could push harder to find somet time. I ended up running a 1:36.5 in the Challenge by carrying more speed through T5, T6, and T8, which was enough to make me the fastest in S3.”

In the end, Kimball was just 1/2s off of Schweigert’s lap, which Schweigert set in a car weighing 500 pounds less with comparable power levels. Not too shabby.

Gary Wong still has a little bit of work to do in the Supra to find the second between him and Dave Colbert’s 1:31.5 Group X record. The infamous purple Supra had its engine tweaked slightly to reduce power cuts, but heat is still an issue which Wong has to deal with. Thankfully, the team has a solution—though they won’t be able to use it until the next weekend.

“It was a fun weekend. I mainly wanted to sample the new track surface and see where I could push more than before. Because of how bad the stupid bump at T1 is, I wasn’t able to hit our sub-30 target times, although that had something to do with to traffic and some electrical gremlins. Because of some overheating issues, we had to lower the power level to complete the full lap. Thankfully, we know the issues and the solutions and we’ll come back stronger.”

Gunning for the S4 record, Nate Hackman’s put in an incredible 1:39.7, less than one-tenth off of Sean Yepez’s record, in what appears to be a very mildly modified car without any aerodynamic goodies. The primo parts are under the skin, though: his Ohlins TTX coilovers help his S2000 handle better than most. A last-minute setup change reduced some of the oversteer in the car, so Hackman could commit to the faster corners easily.

“Up until that weekend, I had only mustered high 41s at Laguna. With the repave running faster and a few changes to the car I figured I'd run a second or two faster, but tried not to overthink it with goals and just go have fun. Luckily, I was able to cook off a number of 39s with some definite room for improvement. I was still a tenth off Sean's pre-repave lap record which was a little disappointing, but I knew he'd come back and crush any record I set, and was still very happy to crack into the 39s with no aero and take home a win with an underbuilt car.”

In S5, Tony Rodriguez’s 1:45.2 record seems untouchable. Maybe we need another all-out MR2 to chase Rodriguez’s old S2000 down. In the meantime, we’ll have to tip our hats to our talented drivers taking advantage of the new pavement and pushing themselves hard enough to keep all the Speed SF Challenge competitors on their toes. When times continue to tumble like they have been, none of the Challenge competitors can coast, boast, or rest on their laurels.

Elie's E46 M3: Not Too Much, Not Too Little

For Elie Mansour, the E46 M3 is one of the most driver-friendly machines he’s ever driven—and he’s driven just about every trackday staple.

In 2003, Elie started tracking in the States with a fourth-generation Camaro, but to him, a man who grew up watching smaller vehicles hillclimbing in his native Lebanon, the Camaro seemed somewhat cumbersome.

“Everybody was driving the Subarus and Evos, S2000s, and a handful of E36s then.” His natural affinity for the capable E36 led him to buying one of his own, but its lack of power and regular maintenance left him wanting a little more. “For about six months, I considered swapping an S54 into my car, then my friend let me drive his E46 M3, and it just felt so much sturdier. When I factored in all the associated costs of swapping the new motor into the old car, I realized that I’d be better off buying an E46.”

Photo credit: Brett Smrz

Wisely, he avoided building one from the ground up. The Imola Red ‘02 he procured already had been partially stripped and fitted with an Autopower cage, big Brembo GT 355 brakes with Cobalt bads, and a set of Ground Control coilovers. As a precaution, he removed some of the failure points. Simple and effective, this platform needed nothing more than a set of solid mounts and bushings before Elie logged fifty events his first year with it.

Building Upon a Brilliant Foundation

Despite the running costs and the growing appetite for better parts, this busy first year didn’t tax him too much. The reliability of the car was astounding; changing the pads every dozen days and the oil about half as often. Then there was the ease of operation. “The E46 is one of the most driver-friendly cars I’ve ever owned; it has great headroom, great visibility, ergonomics, and it’s easier to drive than any other car at this performance level.”

Relatively simple operation, a moderate amount of weight, more that adequate power, a reasonably comfortably size, and—assuming one buys a good example—a manageable price. In so many ways, the E46 M3 is the ultimate Goldilocks car: not too much, but not too little.

Perhaps all this versatility came with one setback: weight. Being reasonably large and somewhat plush, the weight became more and more of an obvious hindrance the harder he pushed. Removing the sound deadening and carpet, then replacing the standard Getrag six-speed with a ZF five-speed allowed him to bring the weight down to 2,825 pounds.

It only followed that he would sharpen the chassis with whatever means readily available. After adding Ground Control swaybars, he sought out a set of revalved shocks to suit the lightened chassis. A knowledgeable friend practically gave him a set of used Motons that’d been collecting dust in a shop, but further inspection revealed the fronts were damaged beyond repair. At that stage, his friend admitted that he used JRZ parts to rebuild the other Motons he’d been given.

They shared a laugh, then took the expedient solution: using a set of JRZ RS Pro two-ways to replace the faulty fronts. With a little tweaking, he found the two brands to complement each other. “The two work well together, and the JRZs are so much easier to service than the Motons. It’s an unusual mix, but it was a no-brainer for us.”

With the footwork seriously improved, the slapped on a set of Pirelli DH crubs and began impressing the bystanders. His aggressive, tail-out driving style honed through years of messing around on gravel roads had to be tamed somewhat to go faster, but at least he was never limited by a lack of car control.

With the car handling well, he turned his attention to the powerplant. The S54 is, with the right sort of maintenance, a fairly robust motor that might get a little too much negative press. That said, it needs some uncorking before its sonorous scream can be fully appreciated. Along with an AFe intake, an eBay header, a Bimmerworld exhaust, and a BSpec tune, the motor made a healthy 323 horsepower at the rear wheels.

While the motor is stout, tracking can elevate temperatures to a worrying level. The iron block’s chances of overheating diminished greatly after he added a Bimmerworld motorsports thermostat and oil diverter, a CSF radiator, and a custom built electric fan, he’s been able to keep the iron block cool, even on sweltering summer days. “Don’t forget: a high viscosity oil is a must. During the summer months, I change the oil—usually 10W60—every three or four track days.”

With the motor fortified and the suspension sorted, the car was as dependable as any thoroughly thrashed track tool, really, and Elie prioritized seat time over all. Nearing his hundredth track day, he’d pushed the M3 to about as far as anyone was capable, and the few shortcomings in the car started to make themselves apparent.

Ready for a new challenge and a little more stability at speed, he decided to call on Trackspec Motorsports, who were then sponsoring him, and ask for a contribution in the form of a modest aero package.

The takeaway here was that he hadn’t simply reached for the biggest wing prematurely. He and Trackspeck went through a series of different combinations before settling on the G-Stream wing and their tegrid-constructed splitter, which was chosen for its durability. The result was, well, just watch the footage below to see the car in action:

Even Monkeys Fall From Trees

And then, perhaps as some sort of divine/cosmic payback for 180,000 miles of faultless operation, the motor coughed its last breath. He tucked the car away to the back corner of his garage and helped a few friends build their E46s with his two decades of knowledge,

It still sits in the corner, but another S54—again built for reliability—is almost finished. When the motor is implanted in its new home, he’ll address the two remaining flaws he’s noticed. “The OEM LSD acts like an open differential now; trying to get any traction out of Buttonwillow’s Turn 2 is futile.”

Besides that, it needs a few more safety modifications to move into the next realm of competition: NASA ST4. Trackspec Motorsports will likely prototype the cage, and along with a fire system, full window nets, and a restrictor to meet class restrictions, he should be ready for wheel-to-wheel. He’s got the car control and the courage, so the transition shouldn’t be too difficult.

Dan Avon's E46 M3: A Study in Taking Things Slowly

One doesn’t need to have a big V8 or a turbo to go quickly at most of Northern California’s medium-speed tracks. They don’t necessarily need a featherweight, either. The E46 M3 sits somewhere between the two. Weighing in at 3,200 pounds and making a healthy 300-odd horsepower with moderate torque, it straddles the fence between momentum car and muscle car. With the right touch and a few chassis mods to help bring out this middlewight’s best attributes, namely its handling, it remains a hard car to beat. 

Dan Avon took a comprehensive approach to tuning his 2004 M3; engine power, grip, balance, and braking performance were all valued evenly throughout this build’s three or four stages. Most importantly, he’s learned how to gel with the car by fine-tuning its handling so that it complements his driving style. 

Its first iteration as a mildly modified road car was fun, though he felt the plush nature of the M3 was limiting its on-track performance. That didn’t concern him much as he was still driving it to work, to the grocery store, and through the canyons. The motor made ~285whp with a set of Status Group Tuning headers and a Dinan muffler, and with a full interior,  it weighed ~3,400 lbs with driver and a half-tank of gas. Despite those less than stellar figures, the broad powerband of the motor and the playfulness of the car were satisfying enough to overlook its shortcomings.

Except some. The factory suspension was not up to snuff, so he added TC Kline D/A coilovers, rear camber arms, and polyurethane trailing arm bushings. Even with these modifications, it was very much a street car. His growing fascination with developing the car and improving his lap times meant he’d stuff track wheels in the car before driving it to the track, but it was still doing double-duty. 

He started stripping the car slowly and systematically to help give it a feeling of agility. Being a plush car, it wasn’t hard to remove a couple hundred from the total. It then became clear that the Brembo brake kit wasn’t really as inspiring as he thought they’d be, plus the consumable costs were high, so he eventually swapped those for a set of PFC binders. 

With an AFe Stage II intake and a Epic Motorsports tune, he now had 300 horsepower at the rear wheels. Again, he made sure to address every area of performance through the various stages of modification, so even if the improvements seemed insignificant on paper, it felt more alert, competent, and encouraging. The M3 was always meant to be more than just the sum of its parts.

Weight reduction became more and more important to him as he learned to push harder, so after five years of worsening this car’s civility, Dan decided that the M3’s days as a street car were over. He chucked most of the carpet, door panels, and roof liner to get it down to a respectable 3,100 pounds with driver and a half-tank. 

Increasing his cornering speeds and just generally working the car harder revealed some of the limitations of the factory differential. When he installed the renowned OS Giken 1.5-way differential with aluminum bushings, he could generate much more propulsion off the corner, even if the rear was moving around slightly.  At the same time other areas of the rear suspension were addressed with various mono-ball bushings in place of the previous poly bushings.

Not that it was ever tailhappy. His setup was neutral to oversteery; an extremely satisfying and manageable balance that helped yield some great lap times. Still, he wanted to experiment with a little aerodynamic grip—even if that risked the near-ideal balance he’d achieved..

With a Bimmerworld rear wing and a homemade front splitter, the car had even more stick in the braking zones and the few high-speed corners at Thunderhill and Sonoma. The upside was that the lap times immediately fell by a couple seconds.

Unfortunately, that aero grip came at a price. The once playful car was suddenly arrested at the front end; a persistent mild understeer kept him from enjoying the car like he once did.

In an attempt to take some weight off the car, particularly off the front, and restore some of that neutral handling he once enjoyed,  he added Supersprint V1 headers and Section 1 midpipe, a Bimmerworld cat back race exhaust, a Ground Control hollow front sway bar, a rear-mounted Antigravity battery, and Bimmerworld carbon headlight blanks. These measures saved nearly 200 pounds in total, but the push was still plaguing him.  At least the car was significantly quicker.

Frustrated with the balance but happy to see this car evolve into a no-compromise track toy, he continued to stiffen and harshen. Why not?  He’d already decided to start trailering this dedicated track car, so he had no reservations about adding a rear half cage from TC Design, Turner Motorsport solid aluminum engine and transmission mounts, a set of MCS three-ways, and a Racetech 4119 halo-style bucket. 

Life has gotten in the way in the last year, but he’s still fascinated by the car—and hopes to return to regular lapping days in the near future. “I’ve always enjoyed tinkering and seeing what improved the car and what didn’t. I’ve used my AIM system to determine exactly where the tweaks paid off. I guess that’s what motivated me most of the way.” 

He’s still frustrated by the current balance, so he’s pondered two possible paths to follow once he gets back into the swing of things. Either he removes the aero and tries to optimize the mechanical grip of a lightweight car, or he finds the biggest, meanest cattle plow of a splitter he can find to give the front some much-needed aero grip. Either way, he’ll be measuring incremental improvements and sticking to his basic philosophy of addressing every aspect of performance and taking baby steps. Seeing how quickly this middleweight, mid-powered M3 navigates Northern California’s best tracks, it’s certain this steady, methodical tuning approach works.