There are a lot of great modifications you can do to your BMW E46. In this blog post, we will outline the top 5 best modifications for the E46. These mods will not only improve the performance and styling of your car but will also make it more reliable and enjoyable to drive. So, if you are looking for some inspiration for modding your E46, read on!
1. Wheels/Tires
The best modification you can do to your car is a set of wheels and tires. There are so many options for wheels available for the E46, but the safest option would be to stick with a 17″ or 18″ wheel from an OEM manufacturer such as BMW, HRE, BBS, etc. This way you know that your wheels will fit perfectly on your car without any modifications.
You can go bigger than stock (19″, 20″) but keep in mind you might need to make some slight changes or even make custom parts if they rub or interfere with other components. Another option would be to get your car professionally rolled fenders which means getting them stretched outward by about 3-5 inches on each side. This is a more expensive option, but it will allow you to run significantly bigger wheels and tires.
Keep in mind that you should try to keep your E46 as close to stock specs as possible when choosing new wheels. Some OEM manufacturers like HRE offer certain bolt patterns in custom offsets for the BMW-specific E46 M3/MZ4 platforms (HRE C90 line). This way you make sure that when you upgrade the wheels on your car, they’ll fit perfectly.
The big advantage of getting custom wheels is that often these companies offer two different versions which sometimes look completely different from each other; one version for looks and another much more aggressive version with either multiple-step lip or even just an ultra-aggressive profile that is meant to perform better on track.
Wheels are available in different finishes including chrome, gunmetal, matte black, or even polished finish if you are looking for a more luxurious look. They also come in different widths with most E46 specific wheels ranging anywhere from 8″ wide up to 12″.
Be careful though because depending on how wide your wheels are, they can have negative effects on your suspension setup. For example, wider rear wheels will not allow rear toe arms to move as far left/right as a stock which means you might experience some understeer.
2. Suspension
Suspension is a great aspect to modify on the E46. There are a lot of options available which can help you improve both the looks and performance of your car. For you to keep things safe when it comes to suspension, we recommend going with either OEM or OEM replacement parts from well-known brands such as Bilstein, Koni, or H&R.
Springs and Coilovers
Springs and coilovers are the most popular suspension setup. As far as coilovers are concerned, you have a lot of options but keep in mind that just because they are adjustable, don’t expect them to perfectly match your daily-driven needs or even look perfect on your car.
You will have to choose between either height adjustable only coilovers which means you cannot change spring rates and simply adjust ride height to get it at the desired level or non-height adjustable coilovers which give you the ability to fully tune both compression and rebound settings for your biggest track day experience or simply a comfortable street setting for cruising around town.
Coilover manufacturers also offer different sizes so make sure you take some measurements first before any suspension parts. If you want to see your car sit lower, then it is important to choose the one that lowers your car by at least 1.5-2.0″ (40-50mm).
Springs are also an excellent option, especially if you want to keep things factory or you don’t plan on adjusting/lowering suspension height frequently. Keep in mind; this will not make as big of an impact as coilovers but they can improve handling and stability at high speeds.
There are only two kinds of springs available for the E46 – progressive vs linear rate springs with the linear rate being similar to the stock spring rates which means they provide more grip than comfort while progressive rate provides more comfort than grip.
3. Intake
Intake is probably one of the easiest modifications to make to your car. Most intake kits come pre-oiled and ready to be installed.
There are two types of intakes: cold air intakes (CAI) which usually sit inside the fender by the inner fender well, allowing it to draw in cooler outside air while hot air intakes allow you to drive faster because they remove air filter restrictions by using a different piping layout that can improve airflow into your engine.
One thing that is often misunderstood about hot air intake systems is that they don’t pull in more air, instead what happens is that due to the free-flow design, proper tuning with ECU software allows for higher RPM ranges so you can easily reach higher speeds.
4. Exhaust
An aftermarket exhaust system will give you more power and at the same time, it will also provide a sportier sound when you are cruising around. If you want to use your car for both daily driving and occasional track days, then an aftermarket exhaust system with a center-mounted muffler is usually the best choice since not only does it reduce weight but it provides better ground clearance when compared to other setups.
Typical E46 exhaust systems don’t have catalytic converters so keep in mind that if you’re planning on keeping your car stock emissions then you will have to check local laws before making any modifications that can affect this aspect of the car.
As far as brand recommendations go, Remus and Eisenmann are two of the most popular manufacturers available for the E46 market; they boast great quality and know how to turn heads.
5. Lighting
Since the car was introduced back in 1998, there have been a lot of aftermarket exterior lighting manufacturers jumping on the bandwagon and creating custom lights for our beloved Bavarian metal.
Headlights and tail lights can be easily replaced with brighter bulbs which will improve visibility at night without having to spend thousands on expensive aftermarket parts.
For the headlight setup, Sylvania Silverstar Bulbs are a good choice because they won’t blind other drivers on the road while providing better visibility at night.
If you’re looking for an upgrade to your taillights then infrared-reflective films are something that deserves your attention. This film transforms ordinary lenses into infrared ray reflecting units which means that they will provide brighter and more visible light within a larger range than standard units which makes them perfect for track days.