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ILC's E92 M3


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On 2/22/2018 at 7:17 AM, jc43089 said:

Are you sure the coolant was mixed strong enough to prevent freezing? Could have frozen and that's what caused a leak just sitting? Doubtful because it's such a new car though, likely it hasn't been touched yet.

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The prior owner had coolant flushed on annual basis at the dealership (kinda weird?), and I had 0 problems storing it last winter but then again it wasn't nearly as cold last winter compared to the huge cold snap we had this year in Deember/January. 

I borrowed a coolant pressurizer from Dan Frodl and couldn't reproduce a leak anywhere. That said, the thermostats on these cars are a common failure at my mileage anyway so I picked up a new thermostat and a couple of orings for the elbows that go to the cylinder heads off the thermostat housing (which is where the coolant leaked from). I've put several hundred miles on the car over the past month without any issues so I'm almost 100% sure it was only due to the extreme cold we had and orings shrunk. Either way I'm not leaving it to chance. This stuff is going on when the supercharger goes on since the manifold will be off anyway. 

 

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Ok so everyone else is doing cool builds and as usual I don't have anything unique to add to the conversation - just basic beta bitch mods like bolt-on superchargers. 

I walked away from the deal for the used 625 kit that had the red painted manifold. It looked good in photos but I know it was also a $15 rattle can job. Not a professional paint job like you'd get from iND or something. The guy wanted $6250 for his kit and on top of that you need to drop $1000 to get a new tune from ESS because they are locked to a VIN. I just couldn't fully bring myself to spend that kind of money for a used supercharger kit compared to the price of a brand new one that comes with a 2 year warranty. 

So I called up EAS and they quoted me $7720 shipped for a brand new kit (which includes a tune). It's a no-brainer at that point to just buy it new. The extra $500 guarantees no missing parts and everything works. 

I also ordered a set of BE rod bearings and ARP bolts. They were back-ordered until March 31 (i placed my order on March 22nd or so) and I'm glad I did because as of now they are already backordered again until July 1. Lots of S65 owners are buying up these bearings because they have increased clearance, but not so much that there is any real impact to oil pressure at high rpms. 

The supercharger showed up earlier this week and I'm still waiting on the bearings. Install plans have been delayed because ....well I mean just look outside. It's cold in my garage too. 

I will be outsourcing the rod bearing install to Efab Motorsports in Lake Zurich. They are doing a labor special on rod bearing service for $700 during the month of April. I'll have them throw in new motor mounts while they are at it because for whatever reason the mounts on this car are a 50k mile maintenance item and the subframe will be down already. The shop owner has a VO 1M that I am excited to look at when I go down there.

I am scheduled to drop the car off for RB service on May 1 and pick it up May 3. 

blower_parts.jpg

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$700 for RB replacement!? That’s a steal! I did mine on my own but at that rate I’d almost consider paying someone, maybe....

Following to see how the SC turns out, would like to go that route someday, but that might be a ways away for me


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On 4/17/2018 at 11:32 AM, suspenceful said:

*Insert comment about how you must miss the power of a modded N54* :P

I'm excited for you to get the new setup installed!

I honestly wish I could say that because it would actually make me feel better about my purchase LOL - as it turns out, it's moreso that I am just completely incapable of leaving well enough alone. 

On 4/17/2018 at 11:53 AM, MPW3RLee said:

$700 for RB replacement!? That’s a steal! I did mine on my own but at that rate I’d almost consider paying someone, maybe....

Following to see how the SC turns out, would like to go that route someday, but that might be a ways away for me


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Yeah I have digital torque wrenches so doing this with proper accuracy shouldn't be hard, but at $700 it was a no-brainer. I figured I can justify the cost after all the thousands upon thousands I saved by DIYing my E46 manual swap :lol:  

My stance on the supercharger is that if you want the car to be a drag car, then just buy an N54 instead - but if you like everything else you get with an S65, then a supercharger makes the car "competitive and relevant" in the modern age to essentially give it a new lease on life. FIrst you say "someday" which is exactly what I did....then before you know it barely a year later you're installing a 625 kit LOL. To quote Family Guy - "it's like sex with Kobe - you can fight it all you want but, it's gonna happen" 

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See ?!  This is nothing more than pure validation of my prior statements that the longer you wait, the worse it is because no matter what, it's gonna happen and yer gonna get a supercharger hahaha. 

I bought the warranty as a way to try and keep myself from modding the shit out of the car. That lasted for a bit and then I was like "Fuck it I can get 3k prorated refund on and use the money for performance parts!" 

And here we are :lol::lol:

EDIT: my friends clearly know me, otherwise Hallway never would have saved that photo from so long ago lolol. Everybody knows I have complete ADHD and cannot leave shit alone. 

 

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Started on the install process on Saturday and by Sunday I was ready to mount the supercharger, then I noticed that I had received the wrong belt from ESS. They shipped me a belt for a 650 kit with 7 ribs instead of 6. I sourced a comparable belt from Napa on Sunday at 2120mm which is just 5mm shorter than what the normal 625 kit includes. They are overnighting me the correct belt so whatever I'll swap it tomorrow. 

What's more troubling is that ESS also gave me the wrong tune file. It is fortunate that I am DIYing this install because I don't think even a reputable BMW shop would have recognized that the tune file name ended in "124" which is what ESS uses to identify tunes intended for their black fuel injectors, as 124 is the last 3 of the part number. They shipped my kit with white injectors which have different flow rates and has a different tune. DOn't ask me why ESS has changed injectors over the years - the power is the same regardless, the tune just needs to be calibrated for the right flow rate. I'm sure if I had a shop install this, I'd be driving around wondering why the fuck my car is running like dog shit and potentially leaning out. 

Turnaround was quick and I got my updated tune file from them today for the white injectors that I have in my kit. So now I think all is well. 

I'm 98% done. Should be driving the car tomorrow - the only things left to do is hook up the air filter, put the radiator fan shroud back in, top the coolant off, and start the car. 

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Car is up and running. 

TJ did stop by and confirm I did not fuck it up. I needed a witness. I'm not used to superchargers *at all* so I was freaking out about all the noises. Then I learned some things. 

200 mile break-in period for the supercharger gears/bearing/seals and to allow the ECU to adapt to the tune. Luckily I have a 93 mile one-way drive on Sunday to get my rod bearings replaced !

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

Catching up on people's build threads today after being absent for at least 6 months, and realized this hasn't been updated in well over a year. 

The car went on Ohlins R/T this spring with some GC camber plates and I got rid of the factory ZCP wheels in favor of BimmerWorld's replica - the TA-16 wheels. This was mainly to accommodate a 275/295 tire setup properly, while still retaining a very factory ZCP look. The drop on the car is modest as always since I don't slam my cars, and the Ohlins retain a quality ride on public roads. 

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I also installed a BimmerWorld oil pan which is just a factory pan modified to accept an oil dipstick. So I now have a dipstick in my E92 M3 which I think is pretty unique. 

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Last week I scooped OEM performance seats as many of you already know, and they are amazing. I've put more miles on the car in the last 4 days than I have in the last month. They look great, have incredible back support, and are modestly more comfortable than the stock seats. A few months ago I also swapped out the stock pedals for some BimmerWorld aluminum pedals, and I replaced the original wood grain trim with new OE aluminum interior trim. I had my detailer apply ceramic to it before install so nothing sticks to the trim and it shouldn't oxidize over time like you see on a lot of BMWs with factory aluminum. 

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These latest changes complete the car for me. I don't think there is much else worth doing to an E92 that is driven on the street. I very recently was considering moving on to the F80 platform since I found a super low mileage 2016 comp pack for like 55k in Sakhir orange 6MT, but then I found these performance seats and with the addition of those, combined with the supercharger and ability to have traction now, it's hard to see what an F80 can offer other than lower mileage. My weekend cars are usually on a 3 year average of when I sell them, and this October will mark 3 years with the E92. The V8 is still impossible to beat for me so I am still planning to just continue driving this thing and replace the engine when it inevitably grenades. 

 

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You've done very well! Seeing this car always gets me excited.

For those who have not experienced it: The supercharger on this car is so stealth. Aside from the stong pull, you would have a hard time noticing that it was supercharged while listening to the engine. It retains the awesome rip of the ITB V8 without sounding like an air raid siren like many blowers do.

 

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