Early thoughts on CSL ownership

[AlexC]

Hi guys,

I did a little blog post on my CSL yesterday. It's not really aimed at such a knowledgeable audience as on this forum but I thought one or two of you might appreciate it.

http://www.irresponsiblecitizen.com/1/post/2013/01/bmw-m3-csl.html

In other news, I'm doing a sessioned, half-day track day at Goodwood tomorrow afternoon. It will be my first time on track in the CSL and my first proper track day, even though I've done a couple of tourist laps at the 'Ring and done some Lotus Academy training at Hethel. I'm comfortable with track etiquette and plan to take easy but it will be nice to get a better feel for the car off the public highway.

I've checked tyres, oil is fine, and all other fluids should be ok as I've barely done any miles since it was last serviced. I've even lined-up insurance for peace of mind.

Any other advice on car prep or the circuit is very welcome.

Cheers,

Al.

[Mark CSL]

Very Good :beer:

[83SY]

Regarding car prep. What music have you got in the CD player?
+ would be an idea to check you have enough fuel to make it round :smokin:

Have a good day :-D

+ Enjoyed reading the blog

Hi guys,

I did a little blog post on my CSL yesterday. It's not really aimed at such a knowledgeable audience as on this forum but I thought one or two of you might appreciate it.

http://www.irresponsiblecitizen.com/1/post/2013/01/bmw-m3-csl.html

In other news, I'm doing a sessioned, half-day track day at Goodwood tomorrow afternoon. It will be my first time on track in the CSL and my first proper track day, even though I've done a couple of tourist laps at the 'Ring and done some Lotus Academy training at Hethel. I'm comfortable with track etiquette and plan to take easy but it will be nice to get a better feel for the car off the public highway.

I've checked tyres, oil is fine, and all other fluids should be ok as I've barely done any miles since it was last serviced. I've even lined-up insurance for peace of mind.

Any other advice on car prep or the circuit is very welcome.

Cheers,

Al.

[Barry C]

Nice article. That makes me really miss my CSL. I'm i New York with Work for a few months and the poor beast is at home crying out for a good dogging:hahaha:

[83SY]

Nice article. That makes me really miss my CSL. I'm i New York with Work for a few months and the poor beast is at home crying out for a good dogging:hahaha:

'the poor beast is at home crying out for a good dogging'

Thats no way to talk about your Mrs :bigcry:

[Alx]

I love these articles, thank you. :)

Interesting comparison with the F355 as it's a car that I have always loved and one that I sometimes have considered trading my CSL for.

Cheers,
Alex

[plumber vic]

If the sun shines tomorrow might have a run out to Goodwood:wink::wink:

[alexk]

Very nice article in your blog. :beer:

PS : από ότι είδα είσαι Έλληνας ?

[CSLScot]

:thumbs:

[Alx]

By the way, nice blog you have there Alex! :notworthy:

I just purchased an electronic version of your book "One Careful Owner".


Regards,

Alex

[s1csl]

Nice article wait until you do a trackday then i look forward to reading your next article enjoy :thumbs:

[AlexC]

Cheers for the positive feedback guys. Glad you enjoyed the blog.

Alx - Thanks for buying the ebook. Really hope that you enjoy it. Feel free to let me know how you get on with it. If you come to it, I would consider looking at a 360 as well as 355. Not quite as pretty but, though I haven't driven one, it is supposedly a much superior car.

alexk - I don't speak Greek sadly, though I assume that's what was being asked! That is the origin of my surname though.

If anyone finds themselves at Goodwood tomorrow afternoon, please come and say hello. And don't worry, I'll make sure my fuel tank is appropriately full!

[Neil M]

Good article very professionally written, low key on the tech, saves people getting bored, spot on with the numbers (were any of the SB supplied factory delimited?) an enjoyable read telling it straight as you found it.

As Swiss Tony said "Using the smg is like making love to a beautiful woman, etc, etc, you have to be gentle with her, until you find her sweat spot, then hang on for the ride of your life" :hahaha:

[Straightsix]

Hi mate

Good luck for ur track day
Is the whole blog on the whole website all written by u or just the M3 CSL part ?

PS Very well written article I enjoyed that

Have always wondered how CSL V CS V Exige V 355 compare ?
I imagine Exige would be the best and sharpest on the track and CS best on the road. CSL I think 2nd on the track then 355 then CS. Think in terms of noise be between CSL and 355 though not sure which is better which is better in ur opinion ?

[83SY]

Good article very professionally written, low key on the tech, saves people getting bored, spot on with the numbers (were any of the SB supplied factory delimited?) an enjoyable read telling it straight as you found it.

As Swiss Tony said "Using the smg is like making love to a beautiful woman, etc, etc, you have to be gentle with her, until you find her sweat spot, then hang on for the ride of your life" :hahaha:

What kind of women have you been with Neil.... 'be rough with her, smash her in as hard & fast as possible for the smoother ride'

On a serious not I'm still confused why people slate the SMG??? When you become used to the box it's fantastic! Maybe the initial drive is abit lumpy and that's what reviews are based on

[shimmy]

not read it yet but will do and enjoy Goodwood. it is not a forgiving track so please stay straight and on the black stuff

[AlexC]

Straightsix - the whole blog is by me. I think both cars sound fantastic but the 355 sounds better more of the time, like when you're just sitting in traffic. That can be cool when you're in Italy but it isn't the most subtle car. I like the fact the CSL can be so many things.

Shimmy - Thanks. I will take it easy today.

[Trawler]

Lovely write up, not the only one though. Black cesil :smt055

I loved Goodwood but as Shimmy says take it easy at first.

Funny what first impressions are like but I found the 355 left me cold.

[83SY]

Lovely write up, not the only one though. Black cesil :smt055

I loved Goodwood but as Shimmy says take it easy at first.

Funny what first impressions are like but I found the 355 left me cold.

May have been a dodgy heater matrix :bigcry:

Goodwood is slippery first thing... have fun :supz:

[billyboysm3]

Looks a nice day for a blast. Have fun.

[CraigMillwardCroft]

Great article enjoyed reading it, have a good day at Goodwood good choice of colour :thumbs:

[CraigMillwardCroft]

May have been a dodgy heater matrix :bigcry:

Goodwood is slippery first thing... have fun :supz:
Every circuit is slippery first thing to you :whistle:

[Yanto]

Good article ! Enjoy today, weather looks good !

[outnumbered]

On a serious not I'm still confused why people slate the SMG??? When you become used to the box it's fantastic! Maybe the initial drive is abit lumpy and that's what reviews are based on

Some people seem to think its supposed to be used as an automatic, and the paddles are some sort of optional extra. Whereas it should be the other way round, as the automatic mode is hopeless unless driving like a granny.

I agree with you, spend a little time getting used to it and its great.

[Steve B]

I absolutly love the SMG and find it horrible when driving a normal manual car now....

[83SY]

Every circuit is slippery first thing to you :whistle:

How would you know Miss Daisy :blalalala:

[83SY]

I absolutly love the SMG and find it horrible when driving a normal manual car now....

+1 the manual in the ME E46 feels very sloppy :119:

[alexk]

I love the SMG as well.
Totally agree that needs a learning curve and then it's fantastic.

[gav]

Good work Al.....
Enjoy Goodwood.


.

[Straightsix]

Quick question on SMGII

When u upshift are u meant to keep ur foot planted on the throttle as u go up through the gears or release the throttle like u would in a manual :-) ?

[Steve B]

/\ planted.....

[alexk]

Quick question on SMGII

When u upshift are u meant to keep ur foot planted on the throttle as u go up through the gears or release the throttle like u would in a manual :-) ?

BMW says do not lift.

PS : where are these PHers now to tell us how shit they imagine SMG II with CSL software is...:birdman:

[83SY]

'If in doubt, FLAT OUT' :supz:

[Bounce]

Anyone who lifts is a gayer,it's as simple as that:-D

[shimmy]

Anyone who lifts is a gayer,it's as simple as that:-D

ONeill keeps telling me I lift on a change......whats he trying to say?

[Yanto]

Anyone who lifts is a gayer,it's as simple as that:-D

This is a throttle question, not shirt

[Bounce]

This is a throttle question, not shirt:hahaha:

[Bounce]

ONeill keeps telling me I lift on a change......whats he trying to say?I think you know the answer to that:whistle:

[CraigMillwardCroft]

I think you know the answer to that:whistle:
:hahaha::hahaha::hahaha:

[83SY]

Anyone who lifts is a gayer,it's as simple as that:-D

Thats rubbish! I don't lift and I love dirty dancing :gayfight:

[CraigMillwardCroft]

Thats rubbish! I don't lift and I love dirty dancing :gayfight:
:hahaha::hahaha::hahaha:

[83SY]

:hahaha::hahaha::hahaha:

:smt055 hope you lift

[CraigMillwardCroft]

:smt055 hope you lift
Wait and see :whistle:

[83SY]

Wait and see :whistle:

My money is on a big lift :hahaha:

[Straightsix]

That's funny because once I viewed a 54 Plate car from Nick Johnson in 2010 and had a test drive and I was keeping my foot planted in the upshifts but he kept telling me to lift. Then when we swapped seats so he could show me what it really could do (I was a little cautious) he was lifting off the throttle during the upshifts apparently takes some of the thump out and maybe (not sure on this) improves clutch life ????

Though I quite enjoy the full bore no lift upshifts to be honest and if BMW says that is how it is meant to be then so be it

[alexk]

Rumors say Nick J. is an expert in breaking apart CSLs.

If you start lifting the SMG ECU starts to adapt and then will slip like crazy and then destroy your clutch.
That's why the manual says 'don't lift unless you're gay' (no offense to the gay, the cslregister is not supporting any racism or discrimination :blalalala:).

[Straightsix]

Rumors say Nick J. is an expert in breaking apart CSLs.

If you start lifting the SMG ECU starts to adapt and then will slip like crazy and then destroy your clutch.
That's why the manual says 'don't lift unless you're gay' (no offense to the gay, the cslregister is not supporting any racism or discrimination :blalalala:).

The SMGII seems pretty simple to drive and the brutal full bore upshifts just adds to the excitement whether in a regular M3 or M3 CSL so I don't really know what the fuss seems to be about .... Except when u can't give it the beans I do find myself missing a manual

[CSLScot]

That's funny because once I viewed a 54 Plate car from Nick Johnson in 2010 and had a test drive and I was keeping my foot planted in the upshifts but he kept telling me to lift. Then when we swapped seats so he could show me what it really could do (I was a little cautious) he was lifting off the throttle during the upshifts apparently takes some of the thump out and maybe (not sure on this) improves clutch life ????

Though I quite enjoy the full bore no lift upshifts to be honest and if BMW says that is how it is meant to be then so be it

That's pretty much what he told me too, but I wasn't aware of the "no need to lift" statement in the manual nor the strength of "no lifting" policy on here. The CSL's been laid up for the winter since I've learned the error of my ways & I can't wait for some good weather to get out & see what's like full on.

[alexk]

I would like to add something here.

When you drive a manual around town shifting at 2000 or 2500, you normally do nice and slow shifts.
You don't shift very fast right ?
The same is with the SMG.
If you drive slowly, it's good to change the shift speed to a lower level.
If you drive fast, you need to have higher shift speed. Like you would do on a manual... you would shift fast.

I think that's quite basic stuff. After all, it's a manual with servos.

[83SY]

I would like to add something here.

When you drive a manual around town shifting at 2000 or 2500, you normally do nice and slow shifts.
You don't shift very fast right ?
The same is with the SMG.
If you drive slowly, it's good to change the shift speed to a lower level.
If you drive fast, you need to have higher shift speed. Like you would do on a manual... you would shift fast.

I think that's quite basic stuff. After all, it's a manual with servos.

When driving through town or slow to work etc I run the box on just two bars & like you suggested change smoothly as poss.

Do most use the paddles or the stick? i cant remeber the last time I used the stick or the auto mode

[Straightsix]

I would like to add something here.

When you drive a manual around town shifting at 2000 or 2500, you normally do nice and slow shifts.
You don't shift very fast right ?
The same is with the SMG.
If you drive slowly, it's good to change the shift speed to a lower level.
If you drive fast, you need to have higher shift speed. Like you would do on a manual... you would shift fast.

I think that's quite basic stuff. After all, it's a manual with servos.

Also I think even if u are in S5 if u are driving slowly the shifts tend to be slower than if u are accelerating hard does this tally with ur experience ?

Never bothered with auto. Usually I am in S3 - S5. Prefer using paddles though I like the lever too makes u feel a bit like in a rally car.

[alexk]

Also I think even if u are in S5 if u are driving slowly the shifts tend to be slower than if u are accelerating hard does this tally with ur experience ?

Never bothered with auto. Usually I am in S3 - S5. Prefer using paddles though I like the lever too makes u feel a bit like in a rally car.

The CSL brochure has graphs of shift times in different modes.
I haven't seen there a parameter for engine rpm.
I am not sure if the engine rpm is being taken into account to be honest.
It feels slower in lower rpm but I can't be sure.

As a side note I have checked in the telemetry the shift times between S4 and S6.
There is a significant difference.
In S6 you see the acceleration to continue in < 100ms.
So the shift time of 80ms in S6 is real.

PS : many people have told me that they shift faster with a clutch and a stick than the SMG II does in S6.
I say bollocks... unless you have a sequential racing gearbox.

[Straightsix]

The CSL brochure has graphs of shift times in different modes.
I haven't seen there a parameter for engine rpm.
I am not sure if the engine rpm is being taken into account to be honest.
It feels slower in lower rpm but I can't be sure.

As a side note I have checked in the telemetry the shift times between S4 and S6.
There is a significant difference.
In S6 you see the acceleration to continue in < 100ms.
So the shift time of 80ms in S6 is real.

PS : many people have told me that they shift faster with a clutch and a stick than the SMG II does in S6.
I say bollocks... unless you have a sequential racing gearbox.

I was going to say this is all from memory when my old man had a 2004 E46 M3 Coupe SMGII Drive Logic from 2004-2007 because I don't currently own a M3 CSL. But the shifts in S5 felt faster when under hard acceleration than slow acceleration so I would imagine would be the same for the CSL though someone will have to confirm or deny this :-) ?

[AlexC]

Sorry to break-up the SMG chat but thought I had better let you guys know I survived Goodwood!

Had a really good afternoon down there, helped by the fact there were only eight other cars running. I took on board all the warnings about it being an unforgiving circuit and just built-up slowly. All the signage around the track helped a lot in terms of knowing what to do where. I wasn't going for any peak speeds but I certainly went faster by the end of the session. It was pretty intense though. I'm not sure I would have wanted to do a whole day.

The only grumble was the brakes! I think better pads might be necessary, even for Alpine road driving I would have thought.

It wasn't the most exciting circuit but probably a good, quiet session to get a feel for open-pit lane events. I can't say that the experience has left me hooked and eager to get back on track immediately (unlike when I drove the Nurburgring and wished I had planned to stay longer), but it has left me with an appetite for a road trip in the CSL. I reckon next time I do a track day I will aim go to a more technical circuit and take my Renaultsport Clio 182 for a good thrash and see how that goes, just for the sake of diversity.

Anyway, cheers for the advice. And thanks to Plumber Vic for coming to say "hello" and chat about CSLs.

[LeinsCSL]

When driving through town or slow to work etc I run the box on just two bars & like you suggested change smoothly as poss.

Do most use the paddles or the stick? i cant remeber the last time I used the stick or the auto mode

Only ever use the stick when turning left or right from stand-still to change from 1st to 2nd gear. Paddles all the way other than that :thumbs:

I always use S3 from cold start-up, and work my way up to S5/S6 as the gear-box warms up. I have no mechanical knowledge that dictates this is the correct thing to do though, just seems more "sympathetic", so would be interested in hearing others' opinions

[Jon8710]

im s atront beliver in leaving the gear setting at max !!!

when i used to mess about with the setting when driving slower i found it would induce clutch slur when wanting to push the car to the limit and there is nothing more annoying than that !!!!

:bigcry:

[Jon8710]

im s atront beliver in leaving the gear setting at max !!!

when i used to mess about with the setting when driving slower i found it would induce clutch slur when wanting to push the car to the limit and there is nothing more annoying than that !!!!

:bigcry:

that word is strong beliver by the way !!!!

[83SY]

Good to hear you made it home safe! brakes wise... do you run standard set up? if so what pads? i ran standard with DS2500 pads and was advised to go AP's with RS29's.. superb.

If you dont want to go the AP route just changing the pads to RS29's will make a big difference :beer:

Sorry to break-up the SMG chat but thought I had better let you guys know I survived Goodwood!

Had a really good afternoon down there, helped by the fact there were only eight other cars running. I took on board all the warnings about it being an unforgiving circuit and just built-up slowly. All the signage around the track helped a lot in terms of knowing what to do where. I wasn't going for any peak speeds but I certainly went faster by the end of the session. It was pretty intense though. I'm not sure I would have wanted to do a whole day.

The only grumble was the brakes! I think better pads might be necessary, even for Alpine road driving I would have thought.

It wasn't the most exciting circuit but probably a good, quiet session to get a feel for open-pit lane events. I can't say that the experience has left me hooked and eager to get back on track immediately (unlike when I drove the Nurburgring and wished I had planned to stay longer), but it has left me with an appetite for a road trip in the CSL. I reckon next time I do a track day I will aim go to a more technical circuit and take my Renaultsport Clio 182 for a good thrash and see how that goes, just for the sake of diversity.

Anyway, cheers for the advice. And thanks to Plumber Vic for coming to say "hello" and chat about CSLs.

[alexk]

If you dont want to go the AP route just changing the pads to RS29's will make a big difference :beer:

In stock brakes I would only put RS14.
The RS29 are extremely noisy !

[CraigMillwardCroft]

In stock brakes I would only put RS14.
The RS29 are extremely noisy !
Is that not all part of the beast you drive :whistle:

[alexk]

Is that not all part of the beast you drive :whistle:

Well... I found it extremely annoying as well as embarrassing