Background :>

Originally I wanted an 1998 Eclipse GSX Turbo Minden Silver/ Dark Gray interior 5 speed and install the lancer evo motor in it and tune the suspension myself but insurance companies warned me the bad quality issues with the Eclipses)

None of the Mitsubishi Dealers had them in stock so I was 'forced' into looking at other alternatives. I looked at the Impreza 2.5RS but it didn't quite provide me with the punch I wanted from a Subaru, then I looked at a BMW M3. The test drive convinced me that this was the car for me. Having driven the Legacy, I thought this would be a nice change for me....the Legacy never really overwhelmed me with torque and the M3 certainly grabbed my attention when I punched it on the freeway on-ramp. The entire shopping experience took more than 4 months and many trips to dealers all over Southern Cali and on Feb 2nd I brought my baby home. I did manage to sleep that night....quite surprising considering M3 was my dream car since I was 13.
 

The Real Juice:>

I don't think I can describe the experience in words. The feeling of driving this thing as fast as you can around the best racetracks in the United States was a real blast. By far probably the best car for the money.

Performance Figures:>

Big Track Willow Springs = 1:48
Streets of Willow Springs = 1:42
California Speedway Infield = 1:31
Buttonwillow Full track = 2:20

These track times are with different setups so I would expect them to go down as the car is fine tuned.
 
 

Modifications:>

Street setup:

AC Schntizer Type III 18 x 8.5"
AC Schnitzer Roof Spoiler
AC Schnitzer Shift-knob
AC Schnitzer E-brake
AC Schnitzer Pedals
AC Schnitzer Exhaust
Eibach Double-Adjustable Swaybars
Studie Full carbon fiber strut bar
ECIS Cold Air Intake
UUC motorwerk Tranny mounts
Jim Conforti ECU Shark Reflash
MOMO Driver Steering wheel
BMW Ellipsoid lights
BMW Motorsport Short Shifter
BMW Motorsport 2 Piece Aluminium Rotors
BMW Motorsport Chassis X brace
BMW Motorsport DTM front splitter
BMW Motorsport side moldings (useless...)
BMW Euro lights all round
Axxis Ultimate Street brake pads

Track Setup:

Ground Control Race Coilover with pillowball upper mount and camber plates
Suspension spring rate set at 8kg-mm / 11 kg-mm
Suspension rebound set at 75% max rebound / 80% max rebound
Camber is at -3.5 / -2.5 degrees
Toe is at 0 / -0.2mm
Caster is at max (8 degrees)
Kosei K1 racing 17 x 8.5" mounted with Kumho Ecsta V700 235/40 WR17
Turner Motorsport Stainless Steel brake lines
Turner motorsport Cool Willy race pads
Recaro Pole Position with Schroth Profi II 5 point harnesses for driver
Recaro SR-D with Schroth ASM 4 point harnesses for passenger
Autopower Race roll bar with removable harness and cross bars
ATE super blue racing brake fluid
 

What's next?

Power - The power gains from the intake/OBD-2 ECU reflash/exhaust really didn't add all that much horsepower. The    most noticeable change is the mid-range torque after the ecu reflash. The intake/exhaust helped out with high-end power a little bit however the power still sags after 5500rpm. Another 97 m3 with the same mods turned in 221 rwhp. 225 rwtq (259hp and 263ft-lb @ flywheel) on the dyno which isn't bad at all considering it was done around March spring weather. The 0-60 times definitely improved due to my higher rev limit. I no longer have to shift into 3rd to hit 60 and my short shifter gave me a few precious milli-seconds off my acceleration times.

Brakes - Stock brakes are phenomenal. The pads however don't really hold up to track-abuse therefore I replaced them with Axxis Ultimates. I ended up frying the Axxis ultimates in 2 laps at buttonwillow so I bought cool willy pads and they have not failed me yet. I also decided to get New line/rotors/fluids....hope this is enough.

Looks - Who needs looks? ok so my car isn't exactly all go no show....i say i'm in the middle...but i'm really focused on driving schools for now....like I always say...the 1400+bucks I spent at the track has made me much much faster...no coilover or 1400 mod will give me the kind of improvement...money well spent indeeeeeed!

Handling - Somehow after I installed the ACS sport kit, the car is behaving rather strange. I get a little understeer on entry and sometimes I get understeer mid corner which gets really annoying. The extra negative camber at the rear is probably one of the causes so I'd have to fix that by getting an adjustable rear lower arm and also losen up the front end a little by adjusting my swaybars. I have recently moved to 235/40 all round to remedy this situation. It seemed to have improved quite a bit with the wider meats at the front but I still get quite a bit of push around tight 2nd gear turns. My next goal is to fix this handling problem. I'll be dialing in some different camber/toe to fix this problem.

Update: Well the alignment is finally done! Custom -1.5 built into all 4 corners for a more neutral feel, the ride height at the back is slightly higher therefore putting more weight in the front (hopefully reducing understeer). 1/32 on each of the front corners to help with tyre wear. After a quick test drive, the significant front camber change (-0.5 => -1.5) made the car drive like a s2000...the turn in is VERY sharp...I can't imagine race cars with -3 degree camber but the car is MUCH better and much more agile to drive now

I'm now using BMW M forged wheels with Kumho V700 R compounds in 235/40...shaved off nearly 6 seconds off my best time =) YIPEEEEE

Update: The suspension has proven to be too soft for track so I'm in the lookout for Ground Control coilovers....still figuring out the spring rate I want....probably 450/550 with -2 degree camber front / zero toe, -1.5 camber rear with 1/32nds toe....the dilemma continues..

Update: The new GC suspension is in along with the new alignment specs. I tested the car at willow springs international raceway with my street tires and turned in a respectable 1:48. This is my first time at the track and there is definitely more speed to be found. I'm hoping to be in the 1:41 range or maybe even below 1:40 but that'll have to depend on the size of my balls >: ) The overall feeling of the car is very very neutral, with mild understeer if you cook the corner entry but otherwise very neutral with the street tires. I'll be looking forward to using the V700's and see how the balance is. The suffered braking problems as the front 225 street rubber just couldn't stop the 3200+lbs car. The 235 R compounds will definitely fix that. Buttonwillow is coming up in April and I can't wait to test the car out.
 

Stock specs:>

Home:>