NASA TTA #92 M3 Build...

[rzm3]

Took the lip off and cleaned up the radiator and coolers. After months of tracking the lip didn't have a single track around the mounting points.




Car currently weighing 3,444 with quarter tank gas and no driver.

[Franklin Joseph]

u gonna be underweight? taking points or adding ballast?

[FrenchBoy]

Originally Posted by klammer

Subscribed, good luck

+1

[RickyBobby]

Originally Posted by rldzhao

Car currently weighing 3,444 with quarter tank gas and no driver.

Attachment 628484

Can you outline how you've lost 200lbs? I'm guessing the seats were a big part but where did the rest come from? The car must feel fantastic.
I'm the guy that is too lazy to take out the child seats.

[Richbot]

FYI RickyBobby, my E90 with 12.5 gallons of gas in it weighs 3,577 with all the interior still in it, on similar scales (longacre computerscales) as Richard's. My car has the BMW performance exhaust but is otherwise stock from a weight standpoint, low options car though. With 1/4 tank it'd weigh ~3530, with light wheels it'd be down around 3510, with aftermarket seats it'd be down closer to 3470, remove the rear seats and you're right there. Figure +- 25lbs for scale variation

Some notable differences between his car and mine, his car is DCT so it has some extra transmission weight in it which shouldn't matter much since it's all low and in the middle, his car has nav and I think EPS and extended leather? Adds a little weight too. And the CCW's while badass wheels aren't as light as they could be with that huge back pad and wide widths, though wheels are not the place to look to save every ounce of weight IMO. So that's probably eating into the difference we should see between an E90 and an E92, plus scale variation and what he calls 1/4 tank might really be 6 gallons instead of 4, etc.

In any case these cars don't start out much above 3600 from the factory regardless of what the literature says

[SchnellM3]

Looking forward to seeing this come together

[rzm3]

Originally Posted by Franklin Joseph

u gonna be underweight? taking points or adding ballast?

Nope it will be fine with the roll bar.

Originally Posted by RickyBobby

Can you outline how you've lost 200lbs? I'm guessing the seats were a big part but where did the rest come from? The car must feel fantastic.
I'm the guy that is too lazy to take out the child seats.

The weight I have above includes:
Akrapovic rear section
Rear seats removal
OMP racing seats and mounts
Trunk liner removal
CCW wheels (not that much as richbot said)
Minimum windshield washer fluid

[Franklin Joseph]

ah got it...wish i could go with a roll bar (but need the back seats)

haha windshield washer fluid mod...gotta use it.

[rzm3]

Bye bye Akrapovic Stock exhaust installed. Aftermarket mufflers are +2 points and I have nothing to spare.




Alignment screenshot. Will probably add more camber depending on tire wear.



Eccentric bolts marked so that I know whether they turned during driving and as a reference for the next alignment.



My street tires. Inner edge gone due to driving on highway.

[tinpot]

Can't believe you had to give up the Akrapovic rear

[dawgdog]

Nice thread Richard. Good luck!

[Team Plutonium]

Love this thread! But if you would've moved up into the next class (beyond TTA) you could've kept all your mods, and had an excuse to add more... You don't think you would've had a competitive car?

[Richbot]

Richard- just a thought, does the bmw performance exhaust count as aftermarket since it was available as a port installed option? Might be worth a look

[rzm3]

Originally Posted by SehrSchnell

Love this thread! But if you would've moved up into the next class (beyond TTA) you could've kept all your mods, and had an excuse to add more... You don't think you would've had a competitive car?

The most important reason is that my car would not be competitive... unless I spend tens of thousands of dollars on it. Also, TTA class is more popular in Texas, and at the nationals in general.

Originally Posted by Richbot

Richard- just a thought, does the bmw performance exhaust count as aftermarket since it was available as a port installed option? Might be worth a look

I've tried Here's how the rule classifies "stock", or BTM.

All factory optional parts, upgrades, and modifications to vehicle specifications must be assessed points, unless they legally fall under the update/backdate rule or are on the list of No-Points Modifications. Base classifications are for the standard base model (base trim package) of a vehicle, without factory options or upgrades, unless there is a specific TT base classification listing in 6.3.2 for a non-base trim model.

[rzm3]

Previously I've always used StopTech Street Performance with street tires. For TT using Hoosiers, I chose RS29 for medium-high friction coefficient with good wear and modulation. Consistent up to about 1,100 degrees. Will see how they work out this weekend.

[klammer]

Originally Posted by rldzhao

Previously I've always used StopTech Street Performance with street tires. For TT using Hoosiers, I chose RS29 for medium-high friction coefficient with good wear and modulation. Consistent up to about 1,100 degrees. Will see how they work out this weekend.

Like to hear your impressions of the rs29's. Keep up the good work.

[orion565]

who's wheel chair is that?

[rzm3]

Got back from Chicago Saturday night. Finished prepping car at 2am Sunday morning. Then woke up 6:30am to head to the track.

Sway Bar End Links...

The 2012 rule book specifically calls out aftermarket sway bars end links to be assessed +2 points even if you use stock sway bars. I have stock sway bars, but use KW sway bar end links because the tab on the KW strut is slightly different. The KW end links are otherwise exactly the same in design except 2" shorter.





Anyhow to be compliant, I took measurements on the KW front struts and designed an extension which would allow the use of the stock sway bar end links. They worked out very well on the track.





Race Day
Sunday was an excellent day to drive. Sunny and temperature reached a high of only low 60s. This is my first year doing NASA TT, so it was a great learning experience. The TT field consisted of Evos, Vettes, S2000, etc. And I was the only E92 M3.

I placed 3rd out of 8 in TTA, 0.255 seconds behind 2nd.

Lessons Learned
As an experiment I tried a set of 275/35 Continental scrubs (take offs from Grand Am M3s). They are very affordable and that's why I bought them But I soon realized that they are no match against new Hoosiers. But the tires still performed pretty consistently and are reasonably fast.

I think the Conti's are the perfect tires for practice which is how I intend to use them in the future. But I am placing an order for a new set of wheels and Hoosier R6 for the "balls out" sessions.

Another observation is that for TT, the top runners only run a handful of laps. Laps 1-2 warm up, 3-5 hot laps, and 6th cool down. When you drive all-out it is very easy to make a mistake and overheat the tires. Moreover your engine starts to heat up as well beyond its optimal operating temp.

My Goodie Box
Here are a few things I regularly bring to the track.



Intercomp contact pyrometer - Intercomp makes some of the best measurement products for race cars (i.e. scales, pyrometers, camber gauges). They are also very pricey. The contact pyrometer is used to measure the temperature across various positions on your tires so that you know whether you should inflate/deflate, add/reduce camber to maximize tire life and performance.

AiM Solo - Lap timer and data is a must for those who are serious about tracking/racing. Since I am an AiM dealer I bring a demo to the track so other drivers can try it out. Everyone gets surprised when I tell them all you need to do to use the Solo is to stick it on the windshield.

AiM SmartyCam - shoots videos with data overlay.

Longacre camber gauge - used to check/adjust camber and caster right on the track. Very useful for quick adjustments, and after you go off track

Sharpie paint pens - I use them to mark tires, bolts, nuts, etc.

Safety goggles - can't race without good eyes

Final Thoughts
I had a great time at NASA TT yesterday. Also learned a great deal from my fellow drivers. Having seen the performance of other cars, I now have a good understanding of what I need to do in terms of modifications and racing strategies. I have a few more mods planned (uprate springs, cat remove, engine tune...). Next race is March at MSR Cresson!

[Merked M3]

You are a real competitor and quite an engineer too!!!

A touch envious!!! Nice placing in you FIRST event!

[ThunderMoose]

Congrats!

[SM#80]

Nice work and congrats on the finish. I would encourage you to try a set of Hoosier A6's next time if the budget allows. They wear quicker than R's, but should be good for a substantial amount of lap time. For example, I run in the T2 class with SCCA in an E46, and Hoosier A's are good for almost 2 seconds per lap around Road America.

[Franklin Joseph]

Hoosier A6 will add 3 more points than the R6. Dont think he has the points to spare.