Great review and I agree the mods are perfect. The S65 is an amazing engine and once you delete the primary CATs and get a tune it’s a totally different drive. I think that is the key to the E9X M3s it’s the driving experience there are plenty of faster cars you can get but bang for your buck it’s the best especially now e46s seem to be getting swallowed up and prices are ridiculous and the same will happen to the E9X very soon. Your point on Rod Bearing and Throttle Actuators is also correct, my e90 M3 has very low Miles but given a lot of hype out there on Rod Ends I have spent a lot of time looking for the right garage to do mine and after talking to one who has probably done more that almost everyone else he told me they recently had a customer in who had done 70ks on the new bearing and was planning to do a track day so they decided to just make sure the bearing were all ok. When the pulled them out they were like new so just put them back and moved on. Hence it seems that once the standard factory bearing are replaced and there are some great newer styled bearing available now, the issue is not repeated. There are lots of stores on forums and RUclips now of people with really high mileage cars who have had no issues Evolve in the UK are doing a story on one that had 153000 miles and the bearing were Ok when they pulled them. Yes probably needed replacing but still Ok. Throttle Actuators are also a weak point mainly due to heat soak given their position in the engine. But these also mainly seem to be an age issue again probably related to heat. Evolve are selling modified ones now they are giving a lifetime warranty on. The thing with these is they don’t stop the car from running so best advice is buy a set (You need to do both at the same time) and just hang onto them. I have had lots of M cars but this one is my favourite and I have driven all of the current crop of cars. So if putting a very big smile on your face is what you are after then drive and E9X M3 as this review shows they are a hidden gem. Jp
Interesting to hear about the 70k rod bearings pulled out that looked new, I don't suppose that garage provided photos of them did they? And were they aftermarket bearings? Just one thing though, the bearings on Evolve's 153k M3 were not ok (despite what the guy said in his video), they were showing copper and so were shot. They had not picked up though, nor were they disintegrating, which is good! lol.
@@verdict1163 @ 8:29 I think he actually knew it was hydraulic, I know he did at some point in the past if nothing else, but he did say it, and to be fair the 997 does make the e92’s rack feel electric in comparison
Interesting video, one thing though, the e9x M3s don't have a an electric rack, they're hydraulic! 😉That's in part why they have such good feel, even if not as good as your Porsche. Btw, did the modded clutch pedal make the clutch feel much heavier?
A well sorted E46 with 125k miles sold for $36.8k (with fee) on BAT today. If you could get a clean well sorted E92 at similar price I would buy buy buy.
Everything u said about the understeering on the m3 is true haha and I know someone corrected u on the steering rack being hydraulic but spot on with everything else nice video man.
Great review. I too have the ultimate clutch pedal and the auto solutions ssk and it totally transformed the driving experience of the e92. Makes you ask why BMW didn’t package it this way out the gate 😩
I’ve been thinking about this…but you’d probably have a hit video on your hands if you could use a drone and A cockpit camera to actually show what you’re talking about as far as taking different driving lines and talking of those in and all that. Showing that on camera is hard but worth it.
E92m3 has awsome engine, only thing it needs - good coilovers - wheels/tires - and most importantly weight reduction (3000lbs is easy target) just by removing stuff.. + stock seat is horrible (driving position way to high) needs racing bucket on a fixed mounts. And finnally shorter final drive
Awesome video!! Hey can you try to answer a question or better yet make a video 😉...currently cross shopping a e92 m3 and 6th gen camaro ss 1le...can you do a comparison video please...track use and canyon carving only not a daily
You know whats better than a m3 comp? A ss 1le 😂. Dude get your hands on one already! They’re everywhere on the west coast I’m all by myself here in NY
+1 for the SS 1LE. Do brake fluid and track alignment and you’re gonna embarrass track builds. Then you’ll still drive home in the A/C with a comfy ride
The 1le is a much better track car than an e92 or basically anything else. But it's not as exciting of an experience as an e92 or some other slower more exotic car. I owned an 2ss 1le for 2 years eventually sold it for a 911.
I love the comparison to the 997. Is yours .1 or .2 997? I have an '08 E92 M3 with dinan exhaust and intake and it is an unreal sound and so much fun to rip in. But, I want a 997.2 C2S sooooo bad. Your video makes me think I should keep my M3, but I am still so curious about a 997.2 C2S. Anybody want to trade?
There is only a single type of supercharger for the e92 that actually used a proper supercharger (not a bellt driven turbo …the latter completely destroys the power delivery and torque curve.) the manufacturer is Harrop, they make the only positive displacement supercharger for the m3. It’s stock + , so retains 100% of the throttle response
Also all the owners of those centrifugal super chargers (aka belt driven turbos) are insufferable and have convinced themselves the opposite is basically true. Most of them simultaneously acknowledge the superiority of positive displacement blowers though, so they’re cluelsss. Vortex/VF engineering…all those “popular” because they’re cheap supercharging kits for m3’s and other cars are junk. I’ve seen so many owners say “oh it’s great its just like stock but more” and I’m like how is that the case when the entire dyno chart has just flipped and looks completely different….they can’t answer because they’re ignorant. If you look at a Harrop dyno chart for the e9x, it’s literally the exact same power lines and curve shape as stock, just pushed upwards (bigger numbers). And that’s how supercharging is supposed to be done
@@Gh0stE92M3 who told you that? Even if that’s accurate I will get you one if you want one. You might have to pay more for shipping because it will be shipped by a friend in Australia but ….totally worth it. I just reached out to an engineer at Harrop because your message shocked me. If that’s accurate…I’m going to be importing a dozen or so I guess…because it’s now or never if that’s true
@@Gh0stE92M3 do you know what emissions regulations are involved here? I’m so lost. There’s no new regulations that should make something completely unable to be imported
What did the owner do to get all the weight out? For that car to weigh 34xx they’d need to remove around 100 lbs, which is usually done with seat removal, interior removal, etc, which the owner didn’t do. Was most of the weight in the stock exhaust? Did the owner remove any sound deadening?
trying to figure it out too. Compared to a fully stock car, he's saved weight on the driveshaft, exhaust, and a bit with the wheels and suspension. Maybe he did a light weight battery as well?
@@MrPTManning When you guys say 'driveshaft', do you mean the propshaft? (gearbox to diff, as opposed to the driveshafts between the diff and the hubs). I wonder how much a carbon prop would be!?
Man sorry I didn’t see this till now, a little late. So with all the suspension arms, wheels, driveshaft and lightweight battery I was able to shave the weight down. There’s more weight to be shaved once I replace the front seats, I had sparco qrt-c but sold those but might be picking up another set and also doing a rear seat delete. Stay tuned I’m gonna do an update vid on my channel soon.
@@DC5Brandon I know he drove them on the s2k, and preferred Ohlins. I've been a passenger in a supercharged e92 M3 on a track day once with kw clubsports, and the driver was chucking the car into corners which I could not believe. And I'm used to driving on semis and track suspension. So when Zygrene commented the KW clubsports feel better than the V3 that reminded me of my own (completely anecdotal) experience. I wouldn't get Kw for my s2000 I think, but for an M3 it makes sense. It's a German brand and you bet any M3 gets a lot more testing with their products than a japanese sports car.
@@TheChannel1978 Thanks for sharing. In your opinion, what would be a well tested quality 1-way adjustable coilover for a Japanese car like the RSX? I had Tein years ago and really liked them. Thought the dampers were going bad, so I got D2, but these bounce too much. My price range is -$1500
Interesting that you and Tedward came to opposite conclusions about the e92 vs 997. I wonder if it has to do with him owning an e92 and you owning the 997, grass is greener and all of that.
Interesting, which video are you referring to? Curious exactly what Tedward said. 997 feels much more focused but the M3's FR dynamics and engine make it stand out. Grass is definitely greener.
@@Zygrene they’re not THAT bad though. I mean the SMG gets them a lot of extra crap but the motors are very much the same design. The s65 is an s85 with two cylinders lopped off. So if you find a manual, you’re literally no worse for wear than the m3, from a mechanical perspective at least. The SMG in the m5 on the other hand, while an improvement over the e46’s, is still not the DCT and has its own baggage, but damn if those aren’t a STEAL for an enthusiast that knows what they’re doing. I mean it reminds me of the 996 fear people had for a while there, except it’s not getting any better …yet. Might be one of the few cars that you can still get right now for a steal and without a premium over its price a couple years ago
So what porsches (997’s or In general) would you take over this ? Because it sounds like if you drove them back to back the answer might actually be none.
@@Zygrene yea that’s probably where I cross over too. Imagine that motor in something that’ll like a bmw but still with all the Motorsports chassis and suspension tuning applied to the GT3 cars…that is theoretical car perfection
the guy has a nice combination of facts, figures and delivery. i appreciate the no-nonsense approach too.
Thanks! That’s the goal with my reviews.
Wait until you see his onlyFans!
Great review and I agree the mods are perfect. The S65 is an amazing engine and once you delete the primary CATs and get a tune it’s a totally different drive. I think that is the key to the E9X M3s it’s the driving experience there are plenty of faster cars you can get but bang for your buck it’s the best especially now e46s seem to be getting swallowed up and prices are ridiculous and the same will happen to the E9X very soon. Your point on Rod Bearing and Throttle Actuators is also correct, my e90 M3 has very low Miles but given a lot of hype out there on Rod Ends I have spent a lot of time looking for the right garage to do mine and after talking to one who has probably done more that almost everyone else he told me they recently had a customer in who had done 70ks on the new bearing and was planning to do a track day so they decided to just make sure the bearing were all ok. When the pulled them out they were like new so just put them back and moved on. Hence it seems that once the standard factory bearing are replaced and there are some great newer styled bearing available now, the issue is not repeated. There are lots of stores on forums and RUclips now of people with really high mileage cars who have had no issues Evolve in the UK are doing a story on one that had 153000 miles and the bearing were Ok when they pulled them. Yes probably needed replacing but still Ok. Throttle Actuators are also a weak point mainly due to heat soak given their position in the engine. But these also mainly seem to be an age issue again probably related to heat. Evolve are selling modified ones now they are giving a lifetime warranty on. The thing with these is they don’t stop the car from running so best advice is buy a set (You need to do both at the same time) and just hang onto them. I have had lots of M cars but this one is my favourite and I have driven all of the current crop of cars. So if putting a very big smile on your face is what you are after then drive and E9X M3 as this review shows they are a hidden gem.
Jp
Interesting to hear about the 70k rod bearings pulled out that looked new, I don't suppose that garage provided photos of them did they? And were they aftermarket bearings?
Just one thing though, the bearings on Evolve's 153k M3 were not ok (despite what the guy said in his video), they were showing copper and so were shot. They had not picked up though, nor were they disintegrating, which is good! lol.
It seems like you’re really considering one of these in the future….DO IT
Awesome review, very detailed 👌 Only thing I picked up, I believe the e92 m3 still uses a hydraulic rack. It shares the same hydraulic rack as the 1m.
Good catch!
Yea it’s ironic but the hydraulic rack is pretty trash on the m3, Porsche did it much better on that front. Not much feel.
To be fair, he never stated that the e92 m3 doesn't have a hydraulic rack
@@verdict1163 @ 8:29
I think he actually knew it was hydraulic, I know he did at some point in the past if nothing else, but he did say it, and to be fair the 997 does make the e92’s rack feel electric in comparison
@@Fee.1 missed that part, I stand corrected
no idea why this channel hasnt blown up, easily one of the best on here
Interesting video, one thing though, the e9x M3s don't have a an electric rack, they're hydraulic! 😉That's in part why they have such good feel, even if not as good as your Porsche.
Btw, did the modded clutch pedal make the clutch feel much heavier?
My fav M3 gen, and stick too 💪
A well sorted E46 with 125k miles sold for $36.8k (with fee) on BAT today. If you could get a clean well sorted E92 at similar price I would buy buy buy.
These are the builds I love to see most
Everything u said about the understeering on the m3 is true haha and I know someone corrected u on the steering rack being hydraulic but spot on with everything else nice video man.
DUDE i was just thinking a supercharged one and u said it the same time lol crazy!
Great review. I too have the ultimate clutch pedal and the auto solutions ssk and it totally transformed the driving experience of the e92. Makes you ask why BMW didn’t package it this way out the gate 😩
Does it make the clutch much heavier though?
@@Assimilator1it does in a good way. It’s adjustable too. I have it on the max and haven’t looked back.
I’ve been thinking about this…but you’d probably have a hit video on your hands if you could use a drone and A cockpit camera to actually show what you’re talking about as far as taking different driving lines and talking of those in and all that. Showing that on camera is hard but worth it.
Hell yeah great comparison . Need more like these
E92m3 has awsome engine, only thing it needs - good coilovers - wheels/tires - and most importantly weight reduction (3000lbs is easy target) just by removing stuff..
+ stock seat is horrible (driving position way to high) needs racing bucket on a fixed mounts.
And finnally shorter final drive
What gearing exactly ?
@@Fee.1 4.1 final drive
Awesome video!! Hey can you try to answer a question or better yet make a video 😉...currently cross shopping a e92 m3 and 6th gen camaro ss 1le...can you do a comparison video please...track use and canyon carving only not a daily
All the info you need is out there if you’re only tracking
Great review but the ROD Bearing issue is scary.. Especially here on the EAST Coast that repair is VERY Expensive..Other than that good car though.
A rod bearings job is around 1.5k-2.5k here in California. It's pretty cheap compared to other places
You know whats better than a m3 comp? A ss 1le 😂. Dude get your hands on one already! They’re everywhere on the west coast I’m all by myself here in NY
+1 for the SS 1LE. Do brake fluid and track alignment and you’re gonna embarrass track builds. Then you’ll still drive home in the A/C with a comfy ride
I agree, the Camaro SS 1LE is the new E92 M3 you can buy now
No one has offered! Would love to review one.
@@Zygrene I need to set you up with one. Are you in socal or bay area?
The 1le is a much better track car than an e92 or basically anything else. But it's not as exciting of an experience as an e92 or some other slower more exotic car. I owned an 2ss 1le for 2 years eventually sold it for a 911.
I love the comparison to the 997. Is yours .1 or .2 997? I have an '08 E92 M3 with dinan exhaust and intake and it is an unreal sound and so much fun to rip in. But, I want a 997.2 C2S sooooo bad. Your video makes me think I should keep my M3, but I am still so curious about a 997.2 C2S. Anybody want to trade?
What brand diff bushings did the owner go with? I see AKG and turner make a delrin and have been debating on the two
E92 rack was hydrated too I believe
Always thought the e9x was a great do it all car
It really is, as long as you can stomache the horrible fuel economy and range
The question is guys do i buy dct or manual ?
Do a whole video explaining springrates
When you do your podcast you ever going to do a call in section ?
Would you trade a modded AP2 S2000 for a modded E92 M3?
E92 M3 has a hydraulic rack and steering not electric as you mentioned on video.
Came here to say this!
There is only a single type of supercharger for the e92 that actually used a proper supercharger (not a bellt driven turbo …the latter completely destroys the power delivery and torque curve.) the manufacturer is Harrop, they make the only positive displacement supercharger for the m3. It’s stock + , so retains 100% of the throttle response
Also all the owners of those centrifugal super chargers (aka belt driven turbos) are insufferable and have convinced themselves the opposite is basically true. Most of them simultaneously acknowledge the superiority of positive displacement blowers though, so they’re cluelsss. Vortex/VF engineering…all those “popular” because they’re cheap supercharging kits for m3’s and other cars are junk.
I’ve seen so many owners say “oh it’s great its just like stock but more” and I’m like how is that the case when the entire dyno chart has just flipped and looks completely different….they can’t answer because they’re ignorant. If you look at a Harrop dyno chart for the e9x, it’s literally the exact same power lines and curve shape as stock, just pushed upwards (bigger numbers). And that’s how supercharging is supposed to be done
The harrop was actually on my list, but with them no longer shipping to the USA due to emissions regulations unfortunately the car will remain NA.
@@Gh0stE92M3 WHAT
@@Gh0stE92M3 who told you that? Even if that’s accurate I will get you one if you want one. You might have to pay more for shipping because it will be shipped by a friend in Australia but ….totally worth it. I just reached out to an engineer at Harrop because your message shocked me. If that’s accurate…I’m going to be importing a dozen or so I guess…because it’s now or never if that’s true
@@Gh0stE92M3 do you know what emissions regulations are involved here? I’m so lost. There’s no new regulations that should make something completely unable to be imported
What did the owner do to get all the weight out? For that car to weigh 34xx they’d need to remove around 100 lbs, which is usually done with seat removal, interior removal, etc, which the owner didn’t do. Was most of the weight in the stock exhaust? Did the owner remove any sound deadening?
trying to figure it out too. Compared to a fully stock car, he's saved weight on the driveshaft, exhaust, and a bit with the wheels and suspension. Maybe he did a light weight battery as well?
Would like to know too!
@@MrPTManning When you guys say 'driveshaft', do you mean the propshaft? (gearbox to diff, as opposed to the driveshafts between the diff and the hubs).
I wonder how much a carbon prop would be!?
Man sorry I didn’t see this till now, a little late. So with all the suspension arms, wheels, driveshaft and lightweight battery I was able to shave the weight down. There’s more weight to be shaved once I replace the front seats, I had sparco qrt-c but sold those but might be picking up another set and also doing a rear seat delete. Stay tuned I’m gonna do an update vid on my channel soon.
You mentioned the brakes are doing a good job on the winding road but just curious are the brake line stainless steel braided?
That would only affect brake feel, not performance.
Are the the aftermarket diff bushing causing the whine? It's kind of cool, also sounding a bit like supercharger whine.
Could just be the tires.
Yes the delrin diff bushing have a whine to it.
@@Gh0stE92M3 what brand delrin did you go with? Turner?
@@kmannc it’s the turner delrin diff bushings
I think your description of the KW Clubsports could also be applied to my Cayman S KW V3s as well, also using the shelf compression setting.
Would be curious to try that setup. Wasn’t very impressed with V3 on the few other platforms I’ve tried
@@Zygrene You've mentioned that before. Curious, which car did you drive with V3s installed?
@@DC5Brandon I know he drove them on the s2k, and preferred Ohlins. I've been a passenger in a supercharged e92 M3 on a track day once with kw clubsports, and the driver was chucking the car into corners which I could not believe. And I'm used to driving on semis and track suspension. So when Zygrene commented the KW clubsports feel better than the V3 that reminded me of my own (completely anecdotal) experience. I wouldn't get Kw for my s2000 I think, but for an M3 it makes sense. It's a German brand and you bet any M3 gets a lot more testing with their products than a japanese sports car.
@@TheChannel1978 Thanks for sharing. In your opinion, what would be a well tested quality 1-way adjustable coilover for a Japanese car like the RSX? I had Tein years ago and really liked them. Thought the dampers were going bad, so I got D2, but these bounce too much. My price range is -$1500
@@TheChannel1978 I don’t think that’s how they do things
Cool car, but if he's going for weight reduction, surely the first thing to do would be to ditch those super heavy seats??
I believe he has bucket seats coming!
Interesting that you and Tedward came to opposite conclusions about the e92 vs 997. I wonder if it has to do with him owning an e92 and you owning the 997, grass is greener and all of that.
Interesting, which video are you referring to? Curious exactly what Tedward said. 997 feels much more focused but the M3's FR dynamics and engine make it stand out. Grass is definitely greener.
@@Zygrene it was his video on the base 997 ill see if I can find it later
@@Zygrene ruclips.net/video/QAw12fmQkk4/видео.html
Next I need you to drive the m5/m6 and tell us how much that v10 is or isn’t worth it
If I can find one, it might be the first car I've driven that breaks down on camera ;)
@@Zygrene that alone would make it worth it
@@Zygrene they’re not THAT bad though. I mean the SMG gets them a lot of extra crap but the motors are very much the same design. The s65 is an s85 with two cylinders lopped off. So if you find a manual, you’re literally no worse for wear than the m3, from a mechanical perspective at least.
The SMG in the m5 on the other hand, while an improvement over the e46’s, is still not the DCT and has its own baggage, but damn if those aren’t a STEAL for an enthusiast that knows what they’re doing. I mean it reminds me of the 996 fear people had for a while there, except it’s not getting any better …yet.
Might be one of the few cars that you can still get right now for a steal and without a premium over its price a couple years ago
E92 M3 does not have an electric steering rack, it's hydraulic
The exhaust sounds like the GT4 variant of the Akra exhaust though.
Meaning?
@@Fee.1 Meaning it is not the Evo version as stated in the mod list.
Yeah, the gt4 version sounds awfully raspy.
So what porsches (997’s or In general) would you take over this ? Because it sounds like if you drove them back to back the answer might actually be none.
I'd take any generation GT3 over an E92. Might have less "throttle steerability" but still more fun to drive overall.
@@Zygrene yea that’s probably where I cross over too. Imagine that motor in something that’ll like a bmw but still with all the Motorsports chassis and suspension tuning applied to the GT3 cars…that is theoretical car perfection
E92 M3 has hydraulic steering.
E92 steering is hydraulic, not electric
Owner needs a single bubble conversion
Something is wrong with the mic. It's crackling.
Thanks for pointing this out
You should honestly review a Mustang GT350 or Mustang Performance Pack 2. Much better than an M3 imo.
Haven't been able to find one! GT350 and SS 1LE are high on my list.
@@Zygrene I hope you find both. GREAT cars. I'd love to see your take on them. Mustang PP2 even rarer imo. Basically a GT350 but with the 5.0 v8.
Ayeee first view! :D