I have a friend who's started hitting the track pipe, and was looking for some of the simple mods for his E46 M3. I've been instructing him at the track and am lucky enough to get to drive it occasionally, so we're already working on 'upgrading the driver'. But since I'll be behind the wheel too, I don't want to get caught out with poor brakes, and the factory understeer isn't much fun either. He's also decided to go ahead and get some R compound tires, so I want to make sure everything else is up to the task. Anyone with track experience in the E46 have any suggestions?

It's an SMGII - if that matters.

We've already removed the brake duct covers, and changing the brake fluid out is also on the to-do list. (any recommendations on which brand?)

I thought I saw a way to add a little more negative camber up front, but can't find any specifics on how to do it. ???

Are the stock brake pads any good, or should they be changed out asap since he's going to be on R tires? Which pad is recommended?

Anything thing else, maintenance wise. Any specific bolt-on parts that should be seriously considered?

Thanks!

As far as the camber goes, remove the cover plate from the strut towers...just pop it off.

Then look at the three nuts holding the strut bearing hat on...MARK their positions by scribing or marking otherwise the strut towers to the centerline of each bolt that the nuts attach to.

Jack up a wheel....

Loosen those three nuts on that side and press top of wheel in toward car.

Hold tire there and tighten nuts. That is the cheap camber trick.

On one E46 I saw, the drivers side was already "maxed out" and the studs could not move anymore toward the motor. On the pass. side, the bolt was 1/2 way in, so we got a bit more for him on that side...

When done, reverse proceedure and put centerline of studs back to the locations you previously marked and you should be back as the camber set at the factory or alignment shop...

There is not much play, but anough for maybe a max of a degree if the stud is all the way "outboard". Tim

Actually there is a little pin that you unscrew first. Unscrewed from above, and is right between the mounting bolts. You cannot see it until you take the strut brace off. It is a 10 minute Job, MAX, to do this. i would also run about a half quart extra oil, and more air in the tires is better than not enough. 40 psi all around is a good start.
jay
Brake fluid, I am a diehard fan of Ford racing fluid.

Also... if the strut setup is like an E36 M3(which I suspect it is) - take off the wheel. The look at how the steering knuckle is attached to the strut. There are two bolts parallel with the ground, and one perpendicular at the top(it'll make sense when you see it). They form a triangle. Have some loctite handy(blue was fine for me), and break these bolts loose. They have threadlocker from the factory, so you'll need a lil' bit of muscle.

Get some washers from Home Depot. 7/16" fit fine I think. You want them to be about 0.075" thick(~1mm give or take) at least. Put them between the strut bracket and the steering knuckle to "push" the bottom part of the wheel outwards, giving you more negative camber. Loctite on all the bolts and reinstall and torque to spec(81ft-lbs I think).

0.075" will give you about 1* neg. camber if the strut assembly is the same as an E36 M3. Definitely helps your front tires survive on the track!

A few simple tunning tips will make great for the track in full OEM trim:
Use real track pads (not Street+ or equivalents). Fast and FAT means brakes need all the help you can give them
Change the alignment:
Max camber in front as described above
Use 0.3 less camber in rear than front
0 (zero) toe in front (comes with some toe-in that causes the slight understeer)
Slight toe-in in the rear (<1/4"), but is all relative to driver (skill and preference) on how loose can you handle the rear end.

Driving technique (avoid understeer)
Also, overemphasize "slow-in, fast-out" as this is the way stock E46 M3 prefers to be driven (relative to other cars).
Don't be afraid to use the M differential, it's great!! get used to slight sideways action coming out of tight aslow corners. It's amazing how much control the M-diff gives you; it just keeps the car pushing forward accelerating.