Neal

Seem to run well when those engines get the full on formula holden treatment. 300 kw with close to stock enternals bar the heads. All alloy engine as well so not to bad wieght wise. Think 15 % more power than a stock 3.8 M5 with similar torque.

interesting sub. Power is ip onthe IB's. I like the idea of the boston as it almost mimics the shape of the ski port

BTW , here's a pic of a C110 as I mentioned in your other sub post. Great SQ and output for a small box sub. I've put it into the M3 so you can see size.

My 10 cents worth. I'm going to do a variation of this type of install in my M3 I've done this type of install this on three BMW's. (e21 + e30 + e36). All installs using the ski ports were using Subs designed to run infinite baffle (IB) so the bass ended up having a higher Q i.e. Bass sounded more like Night Club sound rather than tight hi end HiFi speaker sound. These installs all used 12 inch subs You need less power than running a sub box in the boot as the BMW boot sound installation will drop volume by 8 - 10 db at lower volumes. With Boxes at higher volumes you get bass transfer occurring which the sub will transmit the sound via the vehicle structure so it's not quite linear in terms of bass drop verse volume. In terms of cone excursion for the IB setups I mounted two 24mm MDF baffles back to back and shaped the second layer to the shape of the ski port on one side and rounded the corners on the inside. The forward excursion of the sub did not touch the baffle as a result. I didn't hear any untoward sounds such as huffing you sometimes get via ported boxes. The nice thing about running IB setups is that you lose very little of your boot space. JL Audio makes some nice sounding IB subs and while some people rubbish IB setups they can be made to sound quite good. I've also run sealed box subs in the boot (10 inch) and these have run lower Q's and produce fast tight bass notes with better timing. On this setup these I've run larger amps to make up for boot insulation but I’ve never been completely satisfied with running IB via ski port or sealed box in boot not firing through ski port. What I’m planning for the M3 is to run a hybrid sub enclosure utilizing the ski port with a forward facing sub with custom baffle shaped from the sub into the ski port area. It will run a 1 cubic foot sealed box with a passive radiator running facing the boot. The Sub will be a 13x9 inch Boston SPG555 which matching Passive Radiator. The Passive radiator allows weights to be added so the box can be adjusted to give the desired Q . (e.g. boomy to tight bass) I’ll post the build on here when I’ve got all the gear for the M3 build. I believe this will produce the best of both worlds in terms of direct cabin firing sub and running a smallish box but at the end of the day there are pros and cons to any setup.

Jochen forgot about Bluray , but it can be covered , as can DD/DTS 4.1 Audio with a few xtra bits & $$$. Will post details once it's built. VM Module 2 is the start

A gentleman from Porirua European seeing my M3 told me he'd recently supercharged an M3 and pointed out that a comon issue for the e46 m3 is that the airflow meter/sensor is know for causing surging on E46 M3 and the E46 330. He was taking about some way of bypassing it as per CSL setup which improves drivablitiy. I might have miss-understood as I'm an IT person rather than automotive expert but here could be your answer.

In my 2002 I only get surging in 1st & 2nd which its cold whilst travelling up the short hill where I live. Very smooth when warmed up. Only issue I have is running 96 oct after 98 oct where I get light pinking.

Very nice car and can understand the wifes worry. What ever you do don't check out www.horsepowerfreaks.com or www.dinancars.com

I guess for a lot of people these day an e39 with a six pack would mean a 5 series with a couple of beers

Thanks gents PM sent

Wife used to do this for a hobby / sport. Have done a number of jumps myself, but not really my thing. In terms of jumps there are three main types you can do as first timers. 9000 -12,000 ft jump strapped to a jump master (Typically they have done 1000's of jumps and have quals match) This is normally a quick turn up and jump process. 9000 - 12,000 ft Excelerated free fall. You go through training , get to jump out at 9-12,000 ft and you will have two jump masters follow you down to the point of chute deployment (this is normally the most expensive) 3,500 Static line jump. Typically a morning of training , you jump out of the plane by yourself , your rip cord is attached to the plan and the first chute will deploy within about 3 seconds. Should you have trouble with the first chute you are trained in how to cut away and deploy the second. btw , first time jumper and student rigs have a device that will deploy the emerengcy chute should the first chute fail or your unable to deploy the first one for some reason. The thing I like about sky diving is the saftey regs and the disipline that's used in the sport. It's not without risk but in my opinion is better regulated and safer that bungy jumping or bridge swinging and it's one of the biggest buzz's you have in your life. I wouldn't be too worried about who you choose as you'll enjoy it regardless and the regs in NZ mean that the jumpmasters are quality operators with a tonne of experence.

Yes but to be 100 % checkout your anntenna amplifier part no.

http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/lofive...php/t18977.html Above should give you the answer + how to set up the new key.

Rather than re-furbish one of my front rims does anyone have a M3 18x8 inch rim without curbing that they want to sell ? looks like this

Sorry about your car, I hate it when vanvictive pr!cks do stuff like that. Agree with huff3 as that is what I'd expect from full cover. Be firm with your insurance company and don't let them negotiate your claim down in price. (get a quote from a couple of pannel beaters to be sure)

How much have you dropped the car ? Love the colour / wheel combo.

A number of tuners had stroker engines before vanos and the 3.0 M3 had surfaced.

Welcome and IMBO the best colour for the e46. Let us know about your audio notes / plans.

The more I learn about the electronics around the e46 NAV/ICE systems the more I marvel about how much thought has gone into it. In contrast the speaker system using rare metric speaker sizes and narrow depth front door enclosuers and balanaced audio outputs on the BM53/4 which have variable loudness built in is a right pain in the backside for upgrades.

Should be able to get the loom adaptors and aerial adaptor off ebay (Or maybe super cheap) One thing to note is that the e46 mid basses are 2ohm which may not suit the headunit if you are pushing the volume . If you do push the volume and the circuit design is good then it will either take the load or shutdown rather than taking out the output stage IC's.

Whats the sound quality like via RCA's on these units ? (Given CD or lossess media)

Foot on brake grab the gear stick unlock button and pull lever away from Console. gently accelerate

Spent a similar amount with similar kms a few months back. These guys deal with lots of M3's both NZ and Imported and know the cars and market well. You can pay less , but upside of lower KM car is you'll get a few more years before changing car. ($10k doesn't seem much of a premium if you get another 3 years out of it) In terms of SMG , I wouldn't go back to manual now , Runs as an auto for the commute, In both auto and manual modes you can select settings between softer gear changes and very quick manual changes. I love the full throttle gear changes for swift and safe overtaking in manual mode and matched rev downshifts. The 18's will also give a greater range of tyre choices in NZ , Many people say that the car rides and handles better than the OEM 19" wheels(Bar lightweight CSL rim). I haven't tried 19" rimmed M3 so can't comment for sure.

great pics, photo shop or B&W on the first one ?

Seems to be a great year for Motorsport doco's. Hopefully will have the Bluray version of this sitting in the collection soon. Fav so far has been "Close to the Edge" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1698010/