Build Thread: 2015 BMW M3 (Lots of Photos & Videos!)
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After lusting over the F80 M3 and F82 M4 for years, I finally found myself in the position to purchase one. I didn’t want to settle on just any F8X, I needed the perfect one.
Since I already have a BMW 135i for the track and a BMW 335i for daily duties, I wanted a modern weekend warrior. I found myself leaning towards the M3 because of its wide rear hips and the practicality of a 4-door sedan.
After searching nationwide for about a month with no luck, an M3 that matched my criteria popped up in Madison! Meet my 14th BMW, but my first ///M...
2015 BMW M3 with 46K miles
- Mineral Grey Metallic
- Black Extended Merino Leather
- Manual Transmission (6MT)
- Driver Assistance Plus
- Executive Package
- Lighting Package
- Adaptive suspension
- Carbon Fiber Roof
- Harman Kardon Surround Sound System
It's stock right now but I have a boatload of modifications on the way. I'll be working with Kies Motorsports and a few other companies for this M3 build. My vision is a functional, good-looking weekend car. But knowing me, I'll probably blow right past that
Some of you might already watch my BMW YouTube videos (just hit 26K subscribers!), but I'll be documenting this build on my channel as well. I'll also be posting exclusive high quality photos on my Instagram. I'd encourage anyone who is interested to subscribe/follow on those platforms as well. I usually post on YouTube/IG first, then follow up on the forums as I have time to type up written content.
YouTube: https://youtube.com/jakespence135
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jakespence
Website: https://bmwf80.com
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Looks good! I just started posting car content on my car instagram. Feel free to shoot me a follow. @Rekpoint
But glad you went with the 6 speed. Although the ZF 8 speed is pretty damn good.
I'll take a look!
And I had to have 3 pedals. I drove the DCT trans and it's great, but there is just something about a true manual to me.
PS: The ZF 8 speed wasn't offered in the F8X chassis. You had to get either the M dual clutch transmission (more common) or the 6-speed manual (less common).
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Beautiful car. Congratulations!
Thank you sir!
I personally like the stock wheels when the car is lowered and they are spaced out a little.
Auto rev matching feature is neat. Trans/shifter/pedal still have good feel despite from what I've read. Same goes for the steering.
Agreed, lowering springs are going on next weekend! The front gap is horrendous on these cars. I'll probably do 15mm spacers all the way around as well.
I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking the whole feel of the car is better than people make it out to be. I'm actually really impressed with the handling and power delivery of the car now that I've driven it for over a month. It does need some stickier rear tires though.
I never told you this, but when you drove the car the day I brought it over, you drove it harder than I ever did
that has since changed... -
Good for you. I really like the looks of the F80. I agree with above, spacers and springs will really set this car off for now. I'm jealous of your stock seats! I feel the f8x got the first M seats that actually compete with the Audi S/RS cars.
Do you plan on addressing the crank hub before you throw power at it?
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Congrats on this milestone! Can't wait to see where you take this one!
https://www.instagram.com/_jdesigner_/ http://nevertoolow.tumblr.com/
🥳SOLD BMW E24 633CSI - BMW M30B32 🧪SOLD HCH ES9 - 1.3 LDA
👽BMW E30 325IC - Toyota 1JZ-GTE ⏰ HONDA EF9 CIVIC SI - JDM B18C5
☠️BMW E36 318i - Ford 5.0 FE302 🚴♂️ GT-Labomba - 26x2.75 Freeride
🤹♀️SOLD BMW E36/7 Z3 - BMW M54B25 🧓SOLD BMW E10 2002 - BMW M10M05 -
Congrats on the purchase and the subscriber count! 14 cars already ehh? It’s been fun watching you turn up the notch each time since your E36.
Thanks! I can't believe that $1,000 rusted out E36 sparked this crazy addiction. I loved that car.
Great color! I have a hard enough time keeping 1 BMW 1 Toyota and 1 Honda maintained and here you are with 3 turbo BMWs! Hope it treats you well!
P.S. we know you sold off your collection of 1:24 RC E92s to buy this
I'm torn on the color. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I think it's too "grandpa grey". But I hope it treats me well too
I still have all of the RC E92s if anyone wants one...
Good for you. I really like the looks of the F80. I agree with above, spacers and springs will really set this car off for now. I'm jealous of your stock seats! I feel the f8x got the first M seats that actually compete with the Audi S/RS cars.
Do you plan on addressing the crank hub before you throw power at it?
I really like the Competition package seats, so I'll always wish I had those instead, but the standard M3 seats are nice. I really like the top half of the seat, but butt cushion is fairly plain with no thigh adjustability.
I will probably address the crank hub at some point, but don't plan on making it a requirement before modding/tuning it. I think it's overblown as far as how often it happens.
Congrats on this milestone! Can't wait to see where you take this one!
Thanks! I can't wait to see what comes of it either.
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Thanks! I can't believe that $1,000 rusted out E36 sparked this crazy addiction.
heh
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Ohhhh does this have the carbon driveshaft!?!?
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Ohhhh does this have the carbon driveshaft!?!?
Yes, I believe they all do!
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Yes, I believe they all do!
I know at some point they removed the carbon driveshaft to fit it with steel or aluminum in order to fit new emissions filters on the exhaust. I wasn't sure if that was a U.S. thing or not.
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I know at some point they removed the carbon driveshaft to fit it with steel or aluminum in order to avoid covid-19. I wasn't sure if that was a U.S. thing or not.
Fixed that for you.
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The M3 got it's first modification! I couldn't stand the wheel gap these cars have from the factory, especially in the front. So I combed through forums and Facebook groups to find what my best option was for lowering the car.
My goal: eliminate wheel gap and retain comfortable ride quality without spending thousands of dollars.
I narrowed it down to Emmanuele Design lowering springs. I could go on and on about why I bought these lowering springs instead of others, or even coilovers. But I don't want to clutter up my build thread, so I wrote a dedicated blog post about them. The Best Lowering Springs for BMW F8X: EMD Auto Review.
Brief summary:
- Ride quality remains the same or better than stock.
- Compatible with both standard and adaptive suspension.
- Engineered specifically for stock shocks to avoid premature failure.
- Perfect stance, lowering the front 1.3″ and the rear 0.3 – 0.9″.
- Linear spring rate, similar to stock springs.
- Made in the USA.
- Affordable at $300-350!
I got around to installing them a few days ago. The process was way easier than I thought... so easy that most of you could do it at home! I took photos and video of the whole process and created a comprehensive installation guide. The guide is too long to post here, but I shared it on my F80 blog. If you want to lower your F8X and save money by doing this job yourself, check it out: How To Install Lowering Springs in Your BMW F80 M3 or F82 M4.
Wrapped it up with a proper 4-wheel alignment.
Before - front:
After - front:
Before - rear:
After - rear:
Let me know what you think
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Looks good! Did you do spacers to?
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