A great all-rounder with a huge scope for improvement, the BMW E46 M3 is ripe for tuning. Here’s 5 quick-fire things to make your BMW E46 M3 even better…

BMW E46 M3 ENGINE TUNING
With 338bhp as standard these cars are no slouches, but even with N/A tuning and a standard bottom end, around 400bhp can be achieved, although costs are relatively high. The other popular options are the various supercharger kits which can give well over 500bhp, or if you are really power hungry, turbo kits have been developed that give the possibility of 1000bhp+ if your wallet can take it.

BMW E46 M3 WHEELS AND TYRES
The arches on the E46 M3 are much larger than the non-M models and therefore can swallow some healthy sized wheels and tyres. 10x18s can be fitted all round with some added front camber, but 9in fronts are more common. 245 wide front tyres and 265 rear tyres should go straight on and give the car ample grip. 19s and even 20 inch wheels can be fitted but the general consensus seems to be that 18s give the best handling.

BMW E46 M3 SUSPENSION
Although E46 M3s are famed for their handling, tuning can improve things hugely. Simply having the suspension geometry adjusted by experts to a “Fast Road” setup will noticeably improve things, and a set of coilovers from the likes of HSD, KW, or Bilstein will stiffen things up, and in conjunction with some camber adjustable top mounts can transform the car. Uprated anti-roll bars and poly bushes are available should you want to go further.

BMW E46 M3 BRAKES
E46 M3s, come with pretty uninspiring looking and performing single pot brakes as standard and are ripe for an upgrade, especially in tuned and hard driven models. A basic but worthwhile upgrade is uprated performance discs, pads, brake lines, and brake fluid, but a full performance upgrade is by far the best idea if you can afford it. Big brake kits are available from the likes of AP Racing, Tarox, Brembo, Stoptech, and many more, and are a must for any serious track-goer.

BMW E46 M3 EXTERIOR
E46 M3s are great looking cars as standard. If you don’t want to make any big changes try adding parts from the CSL model or even the M3 GT cars can add some aggression and even potentially lighten the car. CSL style carbon roof, tailgate, front bumper and rear diffuser are all available, and combined with the M3 GTR carbon bonnet can give you a much lighter and tougher looking car.