Here’s a one stop alignment specs adjustment guide you’ve been searching for. If you ever asked “What kind of alignment should I get for my E46 M3?”, you came to the right place. Here are some recommended tire sizes and alignments for your E46 M3 in a variety of scenarios.
These are meant to be used as a cheat sheet guide and may differ from different suspension setups or preferences. But generally these will get you in the ballpark so you can just fine tune by yourself.
Alignment Specs Basics:
- Rear Toe In gives you high speed stability at a cost of tire wear
- Camber does not affect tire wear, toe does
- Front toe out +.05 may help with the inherent lazy center feel and quicker turn in for E46 M3 at a cost of additional tire wear.
| Type of Driving | Front Camber (Degrees) | Rear Camber (Degrees) | Front Toe (Inches) | Rear Toe (Inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | -1.0 | -2.0 | .18 | .23 |
| Sporty | -2.0 | -1.8 | 0 | .15 |
| Autocross | -2.5 | -2.0 | -.05 | .08 |
| Track Day | -3.5 | -2.5 | 0 | .08 |
Tire and Height:
- Square setup (same size) allows you to rotate your wheels
- Square setup will experience tram lining (car follows the imperfections of road)
- Stagger setup will tend to understeer
| Type of Driving | Front Tires | Rear Tires | Front Height (in from Center Cap) | Rear Height (in from Center Cap) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economical | 235/35/18 | 265/35/18 | 14 | 14.5 |
| Sporty | 245/35/18 | 265/35/18 | 13.5 | 13.5 |
| Autocross | 265/35/18 | 265/35/18 | 13 | 13 |
| Track Day | 275/35/18 | 275/35/18 | 12.5 | 12.5 |
Rebound & Compression:
- Rebound – Available on Single Adjustable Coilovers
- Compression – Available on Double Adjustable Coilovers
| Type of Driving | Front Rebound | Rear Rebound | Front Compression | Rear Compression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economical | Stock | Stock | Stock | Stock |
| Sporty | 60% | 60% | Stock | Stock |
| Autocross | 50% | 80% | 70% | 80% |
| Track Day | 80% | 75% | 95% | 85% |
Spring Rates:
Type of Driving Front Spring Rates (in/lbs) Rear Spring Rate (In/Pounds)
Economical Stock Stock
Sporty 450 500
Autocross 500 550
Track Day 700 800
| Type of Driving | Front Spring Rates (in/lbs) | Rear Spring Rate (In/Pounds) |
|---|---|---|
| Economical | Stock | Stock |
| Sporty | 450 | 500 |
| Autocross | 500 | 550 |
| Track Day | 700 | 800 |
Additional Suspension Tuning:
If you are interested in further tuning your shocks, please take a look at our Fine Tune Suspension and Shocks Guide. Remember, keep your bushings in tip top shape!The E46 M3 has many bushings including Rear Trail Arm Bushings (RTAB) which I recommend to replace every 50,000 miles and the Front Control Arm Bushings (FCAB) and Rear Control Arm Bushings (RCAB) to replace every 100,000 miles. Shoutout to Obioban for the awesome maintenance schedule on M3Forums.
Have an alignment to suggest or have questions about fitment? Comment Below!