Matt’s E36 M3: No More Tears
Back when Speed SF was known as CityTech, Matt Misencik was already running regularly in an exacting first track car. However, since he’d gotten his S2000 for peanuts in the mid-teens, perhaps its singular appeal wasn’t as easy to appreciate.
Blown Start
The lack of straightline speed left him looking for something with real grunt, and by then he’d grown accustomed to the agility of the S2000, so his standards in track machinery were already quite high for someone just a couple years into road racing. The only suitable successor to the S2000 would have to have a real power advantage, and a basic E46 M3 wouldn’t be enough.
So he bought a supercharged example.
Dinan’s S3-R package provided power-hungry M fans with an intercooled supercharger kit producing 462 horsepower. There were chassis and drivetrain mods to complement the power bump, too: bigger Brembo four-pistons, a 3.91 final drive, and JRZ two-ways. The supercharger kit alone cost nearly $18,000 back in 2006, which wasn’t much less than what Matt paid for the entire car, so it wasn’t hard to pull the trigger back when he bought the car in 2017.
On cold mornings, the S3-R was incredible. Boost-friendly weather yielded a butt dyno-verified 400ish at the wheels. On days over ninety degrees ambient, he couldn’t ignore how conservative the Dinan tune was, and how it left him paying for twice the fuel when his motor was making as much power as an atmospheric S54.
Though the car was relatively easy to get into, running it regularly was proving to be expensive. “I realized pretty quickly that this car wasn’t sustainable at the rate I was going,” he said.
Since seat time took priority at that point, he sought out a cheaper, simpler car that would provide similar thrills for about sixty percent the price. The solution was almost obvious: an E36 M3. Though it wasn’t near the supercharged E46 in terms of outright speed, the nimbler E36 and its uncomplicated S52 promised peace of mind, a crisper interface between car and driver, and a healthier bank balance.
Fast, Cheap - Pick Two
The best part of buying this car, besides the price, was the consolation which comes with buying a known quantity. “I knew it was a quality car before I bought it,” Matt said, having worked on it in its earlier days when it was owned by a friend. A triple-pass Z3M radiator had already been installed, as had Hotchkis swaybars and cheap coilovers, and all the weak points in the chassis had been addressed.
However, as it was pushing major mileage already, he did a little to prevent an avoidable mid-day retirement. “As some of the bushings and ball joints were starting to get tired, I replaced some of the arms. I know pretty much all of the bushings were replaced just before my ownership, so the major ones haven't needed to be touched,” he said.
Endless RF-650 fluid and Endless ME20 pads have worked well enough with the factory brakes.
In all but the most capable hands, it was already equipped for track work.
Being a skilled driver, Matt felt there were still a few areas which needed to be addressed. “All it needed then were the basics: pads, fluid, better shocks, and some cooling mods. As long as it stays cool and stops reliably, it’s as cheap a worthwhile DE car as you’re gonna get,” he explained.
To address the shortcomings in its handling, Matt picked up a set of three-way ST coilovers, wider 17x9.5” ARC-8 wheels. Aside from those simple footwork improvements, all that Matt needed was to be held - tightly. A Recaro SPG seat did that nicely and still came in under budget.
With all the essentials in place, Matt began putting his beliefs to the test; running track days every other weekend and attending monthly drift events. Seven years and sixty-plus events under his belt, the car has proven itself a trooper. Aside from the annual trans and diff flushes, the only real maintenance he’s done is an oil change every five track days.
Peace of Mind
Being a cheap, expendable machine, Matt feels emboldened in the driver’s seat. “More than with any of my other cars, I try to slide the car a little bit more. I’m not precious with it,” he added. “It’s not like I’m running the risk of wadding up my main transportation, so I’ll take more liberties with it than I would with a more exotic car,” he explained.
In his eight years of ownership, Matt’s only had to replace two wheel bearings.
Now pushing a quarter-million miles without anything resembling a major failure, it’s safe to say that he picked the right platform. “It fulfilled its intention,” he quipped.
The fact that he’s been able to regularly wring the car’s neck without any fear of a real setback has been “the most luxurious” part of E36 ownership. “I mean, I don’t want it to break, so I do the basic maintenance,” he began, “but if I did put it in the wall, it wouldn’t be the end of the world - I wouldn’t cry too much.
Because I love trying to evolve as a driver, owning a fun, expendable car that I can use to explore my own limits makes for a better experience. Without a doubt, this car has made me a better driver.”
