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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
My Alpine White E46 330i Sport
- Thread starter KPM3_30
- Start date
tyronejames
///Member
its all in the details. congrats. next update needed now though :clapper:
r-hart
Member
One has to really appreciate the fact that the way you have kept your car and modded it in a OEM + type of way... But if you make the effort of putting the car on jacks stands...tells alot about you and your car.
Thanks for your keeping your car in good condition and preserving it and being a fanatic.
Keep the updates coming!!!!
Thanks for your keeping your car in good condition and preserving it and being a fanatic.
Keep the updates coming!!!!
Thanks for all the responses gents, much appreciated!
The updates for 2017 will happen at a slower pace but, more frequently (I hope).
With me coming back from the UK in May, I couldn't wait to get back behind the wheel of my car.. My biggest concern was if the car would start after being parked off for over 6 months.
I didn't need to stress too much though as once the battery was connected, the car fired up on the first swing. Man did I miss that exhaust note on cold start :blowheart:
A mandatory pic after the car was 'unveiled' and lowered.. Thankfully the cover worked wonders to keep the car clean. Sadly however, the roundels didn't hold up too well, turning cream, gold and black :hammerhead: That meant I needed to find another set of roundels or revert to stock.
I love the style 44's on the Mtech I but I wanted to go for something a little different.. They will always be my favourite wheel for the Mtech I.
I will be spraying the existing set and also the full pieces I bought, will have a look at both on the car and decide which one works best.
Thanks so much bud! I have tried to mod in an OEM+ way, glad you noticed. Genuinely appreciate the kind words! :ty:
The updates for 2017 will happen at a slower pace but, more frequently (I hope).
With me coming back from the UK in May, I couldn't wait to get back behind the wheel of my car.. My biggest concern was if the car would start after being parked off for over 6 months.
I didn't need to stress too much though as once the battery was connected, the car fired up on the first swing. Man did I miss that exhaust note on cold start :blowheart:
A mandatory pic after the car was 'unveiled' and lowered.. Thankfully the cover worked wonders to keep the car clean. Sadly however, the roundels didn't hold up too well, turning cream, gold and black :hammerhead: That meant I needed to find another set of roundels or revert to stock.
AdiS said:
I love the style 44's on the Mtech I but I wanted to go for something a little different.. They will always be my favourite wheel for the Mtech I.
I will be spraying the existing set and also the full pieces I bought, will have a look at both on the car and decide which one works best.
r-hart said:
Thanks so much bud! I have tried to mod in an OEM+ way, glad you noticed. Genuinely appreciate the kind words! :ty:
AdiS said:Well, they are already quite unique. Not many E46s have them. If do you want individualise, just keep them so that you can always return to stock.
Or some CSL reps:
Both look excellent on a white E46.
Love the CSL style look. Still looking around for a set. You don't perhaps know where I can buy a set in Cape Town?
For my own car I need to repair the style 44s, 2 of the 5 are ever so slightly buckled.
AdiS said:KPM_330 said:
Well, they are already quite unique. Not many E46s have them. If do you want individualise, just keep them so that you can always return to stock.
If you can find some, maybe a set of style 135s:
Or some CSL reps:
Both look excellent on a white E46.
I do like the style 135's but, a) absolute hen's teeth to find and, b) not sure how they would look on an Mtech I pack.
The CSL's however, I love... :rollsmile:
Luigi_S said:
There are very few of these for sale and when they do come up, you have to be quick as the good ones don't last long.
Keep searching and I am sure something will come up, just need to play the waiting game... Which is easier said than done :tiptoe:
My favourite rim on the e46 has to be the CSL's. Naturally I decided that with the rim change I was considering, there would be no better choice and so I decided to look for a set.
I was set on an 18" wheel as my personal preference, I have seen cars that are 'over-rimmed' and appear somewhat cartoon-ish, I certainly wasn't wanting to go for that look.
It so happened that whilst in London, I came across a set that Firi had for sale as a square set-up (8.5j all round) but the only catch was the size.. It was one size larger than I wanted but I was having an issue finding a good quality rep in Durban that I was happy with. I considered buying this for quite some time and sent numerous questions to Firi, who answered them with complete honesty.
I decided to pull the trigger and had them delivered to my home.. I couldn't wait to get home and see how they looked on the car, I decided that if I didn't like the look, I would sell them on and move to 18". Had them fitted the same weekend I got back to Durban, in preparation for the annual BMWFanatics Breakfast Run.
This year saw us make a return to the Waffle House for brunch but we had a plan to stop over at SMG South Coast before heading to the restaurant. Turn-out on the day was dismal from the KZN gents, with 3 cars in total. We decided to push on to SMG as some of the SABeemer South Coast crew we meant to receive us.
Got to SMG and was pleased to find a few cars ready to join us. Was great to be welcomed by the Dealer Principle and we spent our time with refreshments and perusing the showroom. I even managed to make a few purchases at really marked down prices, win!
We set off in a convoy and made our way to the Waffle House for brunch, which was generously covered by the SMG Dealer Principle and we parked off for some pics before we made our way back to Durban. On to the pictures:
If I had one niggle, it would be the offset on the front rim, as I would've preferred it to sit a few more mm's in. That being said however, I have to say that I am very happy with the wheels and rather pleasantly surprised that the ride hasn't deteriorated much at all. Actually rather glad I went for 19" wheels as I feel it shows off the details in the rim a bit more.. :blowheart:
I was set on an 18" wheel as my personal preference, I have seen cars that are 'over-rimmed' and appear somewhat cartoon-ish, I certainly wasn't wanting to go for that look.
It so happened that whilst in London, I came across a set that Firi had for sale as a square set-up (8.5j all round) but the only catch was the size.. It was one size larger than I wanted but I was having an issue finding a good quality rep in Durban that I was happy with. I considered buying this for quite some time and sent numerous questions to Firi, who answered them with complete honesty.
I decided to pull the trigger and had them delivered to my home.. I couldn't wait to get home and see how they looked on the car, I decided that if I didn't like the look, I would sell them on and move to 18". Had them fitted the same weekend I got back to Durban, in preparation for the annual BMWFanatics Breakfast Run.
This year saw us make a return to the Waffle House for brunch but we had a plan to stop over at SMG South Coast before heading to the restaurant. Turn-out on the day was dismal from the KZN gents, with 3 cars in total. We decided to push on to SMG as some of the SABeemer South Coast crew we meant to receive us.
Got to SMG and was pleased to find a few cars ready to join us. Was great to be welcomed by the Dealer Principle and we spent our time with refreshments and perusing the showroom. I even managed to make a few purchases at really marked down prices, win!
We set off in a convoy and made our way to the Waffle House for brunch, which was generously covered by the SMG Dealer Principle and we parked off for some pics before we made our way back to Durban. On to the pictures:
If I had one niggle, it would be the offset on the front rim, as I would've preferred it to sit a few more mm's in. That being said however, I have to say that I am very happy with the wheels and rather pleasantly surprised that the ride hasn't deteriorated much at all. Actually rather glad I went for 19" wheels as I feel it shows off the details in the rim a bit more.. :blowheart:
Boss Wit NOS
Member
looks flippen nice
I love this CSL wheel man, very nice choice.. really compliments the car
I love this CSL wheel man, very nice choice.. really compliments the car
AdiS said:
I actually hadn't thought of that for some reason. I was considering having a few mm's shaved off the front rims, if it was advisable by the mag shop. Last thing I would want to do is affect the structural integrity of the rim.
Definitely going to consider your suggestion.. To 98% of people, the wheels fit the car perfectly but to the other 2%, we can see the front offset is a little off..:hammerhead:
michael.joseph
Active member
raise:
Thanks for all the positive responses and constructive feedback gents.
I have always felt the standard sound in the e46 lacks both depth and bass.. Something I always missed was the lack of bass moving from the Audi, which had an 8" sub, to the BMW. The ski pass mod was something I always considered when I eventually installed a sub, mind the pic below as I had pulled out the carpet to work on it.
All sealed up:
I was in two minds as to whether I would go ahead with the free air setup or if I would use a box. The sub itself came in a box so I decided to keep it as is for ease of the installation. I bought all of the necessary items and had my brother do the install, with some assistance from myself.
I tried the sub facing inward through the ski pass and facing toward the boot. I find that the latter offers even more bass and decided to keep it this way until I have a custom box built for the sub.
Over all very impressed with the improvement in sound, also having received rave reviews from friends and family... Especially considering just one 12" sub in a car as well insulated as the BMW. At some stage I would like to upgrade the rest of the speakers and the head unit, although I am not really keen to lose the originality the current HU provides.
I have always felt the standard sound in the e46 lacks both depth and bass.. Something I always missed was the lack of bass moving from the Audi, which had an 8" sub, to the BMW. The ski pass mod was something I always considered when I eventually installed a sub, mind the pic below as I had pulled out the carpet to work on it.
All sealed up:
I was in two minds as to whether I would go ahead with the free air setup or if I would use a box. The sub itself came in a box so I decided to keep it as is for ease of the installation. I bought all of the necessary items and had my brother do the install, with some assistance from myself.
I tried the sub facing inward through the ski pass and facing toward the boot. I find that the latter offers even more bass and decided to keep it this way until I have a custom box built for the sub.
Over all very impressed with the improvement in sound, also having received rave reviews from friends and family... Especially considering just one 12" sub in a car as well insulated as the BMW. At some stage I would like to upgrade the rest of the speakers and the head unit, although I am not really keen to lose the originality the current HU provides.
