I always yearned for ‘more car’, and after establishing myself I finally decided to add a new car to the stable. I’ve been in love with E46 M3s since they originally came out, and I was set on picking one up. I had test driven several and was just holding out for ‘the right one’.
Then, I was given an opportunity to test drive a 2005 S4 Cabriolet one late summer afternoon in 2012. I was driving home in it the next afternoon. Something about it just captured my heart… maybe it was the simple elegance, maybe it was the V8….all I know is that I fell in love with the car. Here is she is the week I got her:
And that was enough… for a while.
I decided the soul-patch had to go… but the front filler plate was riddled with holes. It was either spend a bunch of money fixing that, or find another option. Here is what I came up with:
I ordered the Euro plate from germanplates.com, and got rid of the unsightly black front plate holder since Indiana only requires a rear plate.
Next up was the music department. I hate keeping CDs in the car, and prefer using my iPod for tunes. The stock Symphony unit with a tape adapter just wasn’t doing it for me. I needed something a bit more clean. After researching the options, I ended up buying a Dension Gateway unit along with a Speck Dock for my iPod. Install was fairly straightforward thanks to some install videos provided by EnfigCarStereo.com.
This was well worth the price, as it provides a great mounting point for my phone and keeps the cabin free of cords. Highly recommended.
While we are looking at those pictures… see that wood trim? That had to go. I knew I wanted carbon fiber, but with the Cabriolet trim pieces being different than sedan/avant trim it can be hard to find, and I wasn’t ready to drop ~$500 on oCarbon. I’d read a bit about vinyl wrapping the trim, so I decided to give it a shot. I read good reviews about the 3M wrap, but because I wasn’t confident in my ability to do the project myself, I opted for a cheaper supplier. I found a company called SimCarbon.com that offered many types of carbon fiber wrap for a fraction of the price of the 3M. I ordered their normal Black Carbon Fiber Vinyl Wrap and embarked on the project.
As The Dude would say, “It really ties the room together.” I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the vinyl wrap from SimCarbon. I also really like the matte/dry carbon fiber look as opposed to the gloss you see everywhere. To date, I haven’t had any issues with the wrap separating.
At this point I was itching for some performance mods. At the time I only had a few hundred bucks to spend, so I had to be smart with my decision. I didn’t want to do piggies, because I knew I would be getting HFC downpipes somewhere down the line… and I didn’t want to get springs because I knew I wanted coilovers eventually. Eventually I decided on the JHM 4:1 Center Differential Mod.
What a great first performance mod! It truly changed the handling characteristics of the car and minimized the inherent understeer in the car.
Next came the urge for some noise. The stock exhaust was great, indeed. However I think we can all agree it leaves a bit to be desired. I wanted something aggressive, but not too intrusive. After doing my due diligence, I eventually landed on the Billy Boat (B&B) downpipes with High Flow HJS Cats mated to their resonated cat-back. While I had heard wonderful things about the Fast Intentions set up, I was not prepared to deal with the drone I read about. Not to mention, USPMotorsports.com had a screaming deal on the B7B Set Up.
The B&B system is the perfect mix of aggressive yet understated growl. There is almost zero drone, which makes the wife happy.
One thing I knew I always wanted was a good suspension setup. For me, KW V3s were the best option. Yes, there are better setups out there, but as far as bang for buck I think V3s can’t be beat. I contacted JHMotorsports and got an awesome deal on a set. I also picked up an 034 Adjustable Rear Sway Bar at the same time.
Before
After
Boy, what an improvement!! Shortly after the install, I took the car out to Putnam Park Road Course. It was great to feel all the mods come together, and the RSB/suspension/diff combo really shined. What became painfully apparent was the true weak point in the car… the brakes. It’s a heavy car, and while the stock setup is great for the street, it falls far short on the track… something had to be done. But first….
I had a bit of an impulse buy. I had an opportunity to pick up a Dynavin D99 head unit from a local dealer. On a whim, I picked it up and did the install. The updated head unit did a lot to update the interior, while retaining an OEM+ look. I’ll add some pics shortly.
Where were we? Oh yes! The brakes. I knew something had to be done, so I started researching my options. Eventually I decided on the StopTech ST-60 355mm kit. I got in touch with ExceleratePerformance.com and they hooked me up with a Silver kit with slotted rotors. At the same time I picked up Stoptech Stainless Steel Brakelines for the rear to match the front.
I haven’t had a chance to get any good photos with the brakes installed, but let me tell you, they look sweet! Stopping power is excellent, as is pedal feel. I’ve yet to test the fade resistance on the track, but hopes are high. I did need a spacer to fit them under my stock Avus wheels, so I picked up four 10mm spacers from ECSTuning.com.
It had been a while since I got any horsepower mods, so it was finally time to get a tune. Anyone who is anyone knows there is only one real option here… And so I purchased the JHM Tune and Cheetah Cable. The whole process was super easy and the results were out of this world. Much improved throttle response, an obvious bump in power throughout the rev range. A+ stuff!
One of the last 'big money' mods to do at this point aside from a blower was wheels. I always had my heart set on BBS CH, since my main love, HRE P101, would forever be out of my price range. Then Avant Garde announce their new M580 wheel in their bespoke program. It brought the looks of the HRE, but the affordableness of a cast wheel. I reached out to GetYourWheels.com and pre-ordered my set a few weeks before their release. I decided on the Brushed Stainless finish, 19"x8.5" et35. Wrapped them in 245/35/19 Michelin Pilot SuperSports. After a long wait, I received the wheels and promptly mounted them.
And that brings us to today!
I’ll update this as mods are added.
~ JHM 93 Tune ~ JHM 4:1 Center Diff ~ B&B Stealth Cat-back ~ B&B HFC DPs ~ Stoptech ST-60 BBK ~ KW V3 ~ 034 RSB ~ Dynavin D99+ Android ~ 19" AG M580 ~
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