Fifth Gear review of the M3 GTS

[mrad01 0]

Vicki seems to like this car..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6J5vN80Qoc

[BM WORLD 1286]

nice .

liked this also

27L rover SD1

[Greg111 13]

Seriously cool car, saw one at the BMW training centre in Melbourne a couple of months ago, full stripped raw car! No i drive either.

[Apex 693]

Very cool cars but twice the price of a regular M3?? GT3-RS for me please.

For half the coin you could build a proper race M3 with a second hand car, manual gearbox, KW suspension, proper roll cage, race seats etc.

[M3_Power 636]

Very cool cars but twice the price of a regular M3?? GT3-RS for me please.

For half the coin you could build a proper race M3 with a second hand car, manual gearbox, KW suspension, proper roll cage, race seats etc.

I have to agree that for the price I'd rather have a GT3RS - less of an aftermarket parts bin special and more of a dedicated track racer.

The M3 GTS does have KW suspension (2 way competition shocks to be exact).

You can actually spec the GTS with a full cage. Seats are Recaro SPA

The only cool thing out of the GTS for me is the 4.4 stroker motor - must be quite a beast to drive. But I agree, you can build one for loads cheaper and it'd be quicker too (and still have money left over to buy an used E46 M3 just because you can).

Not sure of the advantage of the manual gearbox over the DCT - but agreed on all the other points! The DCT is a perfect racing transmission. (As long as it stays going - i've seen a few DCTs being thrashed around hampton downs all day - fine). Kinda boring around town though...

The only thing that gives grief with the new E9X M3 with heavy track use is the rear diff. The gearbox has a pretty decent cooler on it, but the diff has really poor cooling when used in racing conditions.

[Apex 693]

Yep, the KW package can be had for around 5k locally through Autoquip and together with the semi slicks would have a regular M3 going quite well.

After doing my car I would love to hook into a modern M3 for my next race car, would most likely start with a crashed car, ditch all the factory safety equipment and start from scratch, I know of a similar project going on now with a current shape M3 and they have lost over 200kg in interior parts alone.

[MLM 57]

Think i saw one in New market over the weekend ... Either that or it was a regular m3 painted like a carrot.

[Apex 693]

Non coming to NZ through BMWNZ AFAIK. Would be awesome though.

[M3_Power 636]

Yep, the KW package can be had for around 5k locally through Autoquip and together with the semi slicks would have a regular M3 going quite well.

After doing my car I would love to hook into a modern M3 for my next race car, would most likely start with a crashed car, ditch all the factory safety equipment and start from scratch, I know of a similar project going on now with a current shape M3 and they have lost over 200kg in interior parts alone.

Full race 2 way kit with all the mounts and springs is more like $6K with shipping and GST added - still cheap for what the kit is though. Compare this to KW's full 3 way monotube race setup and you won't see much change from $15,000 (I've priced up both with KW directly as I am on their race customer database). KW don't actually recommend the 2 way for the E9X M3, they said the 3 way kit is the only way to go for this car according to all their race data feedback.

The E9X M3 has a very heavy interior. The electric seats are like 40kg each and the doors also similar. Remove all the seats and there's 100kg taken out. Change the doors to carbon and lexan and you'd save another 80kg. There's loads of weight that can be taken out of that car, it's almost ridiculous how much unnecessary weight BMW have added to it.

If you can get one down to 1210 (same as the GTR weight) it'd kick some pretty serious butt!!

Think i saw one in New market over the weekend ... Either that or it was a regular m3 painted like a carrot.

That's a 4 door. Just painted Carrot from standard HP model with a Vorsteiner GTS3 front bumper.

[Apex 693]

Full race 2 way kit with all the mounts and springs is more like $6K with shipping and GST added - still cheap for what the kit is though. Compare this to KW's full 3 way monotube race setup and you won't see much change from $15,000 (I've priced up both with KW directly as I am on their race customer database). KW don't actually recommend the 2 way for the E9X M3, they said the 3 way kit is the only way to go for this car according to all their race data feedback.

The E9X M3 has a very heavy interior. The electric seats are like 40kg each and the doors also similar. Remove all the seats and there's 100kg taken out. Change the doors to carbon and lexan and you'd save another 80kg. There's loads of weight that can be taken out of that car, it's almost ridiculous how much unnecessary weight BMW have added to it.

If you can get one down to 1210 (same as the GTR weight) it'd kick some pretty serious butt!!

That's a 4 door. Just painted Carrot from standard HP model with a Vorsteiner GTS3 front bumper.

Honestly try Chris at Autoquip for KW gear Tom, he is doing some sharp deals on the stuff, he is the NZ agent and looks to be getting it for a better rate than direct retail. Im looking at the Veriant 3 kit for my car, its much cheaper for the Megane for some reason.

That 4-door sounds lush.

[M3_Power 636]

Honestly try Chris at Autoquip for KW gear Tom, he is doing some sharp deals on the stuff, he is the NZ agent and looks to be getting it for a better rate than direct retail. Im looking at the Veriant 3 kit for my car, its much cheaper for the Megane for some reason.

When I was needing some KW rebuild information on the Competition stuff I didn't get a reply when I emailed Chris at autoquip about it for some reason. Then eventually I got hold of the head of motorsport division in KW Germany through a guy in the UK who is part of KW itself and was told that no one in the Southern hemisphere deals with the Competition gear. This may have changed as I understand Chris is attempting to have KW supply for the local V8 race series (or something similar). But anything needing a rebuild has to go back to Germany (period).

The price I quoted for the E9X M3 isn't retail (trust me I know what retail is). The Competition stuff is built to order and spec'd depending on type of racing and vehicle setup. The top mounts and springs used also affect the final pricing. The only reason I know what the E9X M3 stuff cost is because I got a quote done for a local race car recently.

If you are looking at V3 I would personally recommend that you go straight to the clubsport stuff for a little bit more outlay.

Edited April 12, 2011 by M3_Power

[Apex 693]

Thanks Tom, you know your stuff! Chris is a retailer, not a suspension guy. For off the shelf KW he is worth a shot.

Are you looking at competition options for your cars? They are quite an uncompromising extreme kit from what I have been told.

Was looking at the V3 as a easily adjustable and affordable option for track days and what not but the advantages would be negligibly in the type of competition I do.

The competition stuff is hell overkill for what I am doing and would not give me an advantage on the road, I will be sticking with OEM for the foreseeable future, if it’s good enough for the fastest Targa cars its good enough for me

Edited April 12, 2011 by Apex

[M3_Power 636]

Thanks Tom, you know your stuff! Chris is a retailer, not a suspension guy. For off the shelf KW he is worth a shot.

Are you looking at competition options for your cars? They are quite an uncompromising extreme kit from what I have been told.

Was looking at the V3 as a easily adjustable and affordable option for track days and what not but the advantages would be negligibly in the type of competition I do.

The competition stuff is hell overkill for what I am doing and would not give me an advantage on the road, I will be sticking with OEM for the foreseeable future, if it’s good enough for the fastest Targa cars its good enough for me

I don't profess to know everything Graham, but I do know the KW range well enough (given what I have invested in it haha .. ##looks towards my rather depleted bank account##)

The Competition range is a strictly race only product, so yes you are right, they are not for the road (The 3 way is their top of the range as seen in LOADED CSL that broke the ring record - and often seen in race winning cars in Germany) It's obviously not the be all and end all of all suspensions, but for the $ it's not too bad.

The set up I have was part of hte original M3 CSL Cup regulation setup (22kg/mm spring rates) which will only work on slicks (far too stiff for semi). KW have come up with a solution for me without altering the shock characteristics and I've yet to try it out (have not had time to put them in the car yet).

The one great thing about KW (other than their 7 post suspension rig) is with the competition stuff, each shock is individually numbered and KW motorsport keeps documented file on each and you can request a copy of the shock dyno (one below is from one of my front shock)

They can also provide great setup data if you request it.

The reason I've recommended the Clubsport version over V3 is mostly due to better valving and the additional bonus of top mount plates that usually come with the kit - the price difference between the v3 and clubsport is usually not substantial. Nothing wrong with the v3 at all, it is still a very capable setup. The clubsport valving do handle about 1/3 more spring rate compared and works with linear rate springs better, much more versatile as a result.