ok Euro Delivery guys, who did some track time at the nurburgring?

[ssabripo]

be honest!

any mad effects on your car? I'm thinking doing a run to 'ring, as this M3 will likely be my last ED for a few years.

thoughts?

[Bimmer Nerd]

Originally Posted by ssabripo

be honest!

any mad effects on your car? I'm thinking doing a run to 'ring, as this M3 will likely be my last ED for a few years.

thoughts?

idk if its possible but, if your doing an ED and its a lease, i say go for it, its going to be under warranty here in the US and if it f'ks up, take it to the stealership !!

[rwchrist]

I took delivery of mine there and skipped the ring. I really wanted to go, but I knew I would not be able to control myself. When I lived in Germany I ran my E46 M3 on the ring numerous times and I knew there was no way I would be able to keep this new car with in it's breakin requirments.

[ssabripo]

Originally Posted by rwchrist

I took delivery of mine there and skipped the ring. I really wanted to go, but I knew I would not be able to control myself. When I lived in Germany I ran my E46 M3 on the ring numerous times and I knew there was no way I would be able to keep this new car with in it's breakin requirments.

but isn't the latest "paradigm" to run it hard during break-in?

[Slpnbyu]

My ED is rapidly approaching...

I am definitely headed to The Ring. My date with the Ring Taxi should provide all of the exhilaration that I need. Any laps in my M will be strictly to say I have driven around it, no problem sticking to the break-in instructions here...

[Bubbles]

I'm going to the Ring and renting a car, but I'll take the M for a few laps. How else can I sport the Ring sticker in good conscious.

[RichB]

The Ring is closed in November or I would have been there. I wanted to do the M5 Ring Taxi. Don't think I would have taken my M3 on it. I did hit high speeds on the autobahn for short distances which is different than balls to wall driving on ring. Maybe consider a slow lap. Dunno.

[aus]

I thought I read in Roundel that you can't take your car on the Ring because the tags are temporary tags?
And will BMW cover the 1,200 mile service in Europe?

[smmmurf]

I did 6 laps at the 'Ring with my E90 M3. I kept it within the breakin limits and actually did not end up pushing the car that hard. Any track is difficult the first time around, but the Nurburgring is especially difficult since it is so long!

I felt like I needed another 60 laps to truly be able to push the car on the course, and I have a ton of track experience. It's a great place to visit and say you've driven...

[FredVMI]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

Export/temp tags used to be an issue circa 2007 at The Ring. They seem to have changed their view after enough complaints.

Many BMW owners have in fact taken their ED vehicle to the Ring and driven it without issues. Technically if they don't want you on The Ring they don't have to allow you but in recent years no one has reported being turned away.

Rental cars are still an issue and many rental agencies will add thousands of dollars in "wear and tear" fees on your rental if you are spotted by the spies at the track and reported. There is also a real time camera scanning license plates so you may be on camera too as you pull to the gate to go on track.

If your BMW is broken in per the Owner's Manual you should be fine driving a spirited few laps on The Ring. There is no need however to actually beat your engine by driving near redline to enjoy The Ring. Short shifting won't diminish The Ring experience one bit in my experience.

See the link below for lots of good Ring info. before you go. There are also many Ring threads online in BMW forums so you can search if you really need more reading material.

To answer the OP's specific question: No there is no reason for concern if you drive your BMW within BMW's break-in requirements (if under the 600-1200 mile model specific requirement) and within your driving SKILL LEVEL.

http://www.nurburgring.org.uk/beginners.html

As far as the 1200 mile service, you have it done at a BMW dealer in Germany/Europe and BMW NA will reimburse you when you get back to the U.S. Keep the receipts.

All good info. Only one comment. While BMW may reimburse a U.S. buyer for having the 1,200-mile service performed in Germany, BMW may not be able to reimburse the the buyer for the 14% VAT. When I lived in Germany, VAT reimbursement request forms (with receipts) had to be mailed to a government agency in Germany. Much like in the U.S., the process took weeks. Merchants were not able to waive the VAT at the Point-of-Sale or to reimburse buyers for the VAT after it was paid. Perhaps there is an exclusion for this circumstance? Just something to consider. To avoid hassles and added cost, you would be better off waiting until you're back in the U.S. to have the 1,200-mile service performed. Either way, have fun on The Ring!

[carri0n m3]

I did the ring, it was awesome and one of the coolest experiences of my life. The people were really nice (fellow racers and track workers), cars were awesome and the track speaks for itself. I could not recommend it enough. I drove my car roughly within the break-in procedures (ok ok, I had to do the big throttle blip around one of the turns with all the people watching -- its an m3!!).

Also, had one racer tell me they probably wouldn't let me on with the temp plates but was nice enough to walk me through some turns he thought were a little more interesting. Then when I drove up to the start line, the guy gave my plates a double take, then gave me big smile and was like, have fun!

so yes, please do it and take a lot of pictures...!

[ssabripo]

Originally Posted by ShErM m3

I did the ring, it was awesome and one of the coolest experiences of my life. The people were really nice (fellow racers and track workers), cars were awesome and the track speaks for itself. I could not recommend it enough. I drove my car roughly within the break-in procedures (ok ok, I had to do the big throttle blip around one of the turns with all the people watching -- its an m3!!).

Also, had one racer tell me they probably wouldn't let me on with the temp plates but was nice enough to walk me through some turns he thought were a little more interesting. Then when I drove up to the start line, the guy gave my plates a double take, then gave me big smile and was like, have fun!

so yes, please do it and take a lot of pictures...!

outstanding!

[ssabripo]

so quick question, if I'm coming from Frankfurt, is it possible to do a 1/2 day track (few laps), and then go onto brussels, or do I have to stay around Nurburgring overnite?

[quality_sound]

Of note, the sticker on the windshield says not to break the speed limit for "extended periods". They do say absolutely not to go over 105MPH but having not been to the Ring yet I can't say if that will or won't happen.

I know if my delivery had been outside of snow season I'd have hit the Ring on the way home.

[ssabripo]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

Of note, the sticker on the windshield says not to break the speed limit for "extended periods". They do say absolutely not to go over 105MPH but having not been to the Ring yet I can't say if that will or won't happen.

I know if my delivery had been outside of snow season I'd have hit the Ring on the way home.

whether or not I can let her rip, remains to be seen, but I definitely want to take her around the track a couple of times while there...sow her royal oats!

[immiketoo]

Originally Posted by aus

I thought I read in Roundel that you can't take your car on the Ring because the tags are temporary tags?
And will BMW cover the 1,200 mile service in Europe?

Not true. I did it. I had the service done while I was there at my expense just so I could do the ring without worry.

[immiketoo]

Originally Posted by ssabripo

so quick question, if I'm coming from Frankfurt, is it possible to do a 1/2 day track (few laps), and then go onto brussels, or do I have to stay around Nurburgring overnite?

I did exactly that! Make sure you have a waffle while you're there!

[immiketoo]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

Of note, the sticker on the windshield says not to break the speed limit for "extended periods". They do say absolutely not to go over 105MPH but having not been to the Ring yet I can't say if that will or won't happen.
I know if my delivery had been outside of snow season I'd have hit the Ring on the way home.

It will...

[ssabripo]

Originally Posted by immiketoo

Not true. I did it. I had the service done while I was there at my expense just so I could do the ring without worry.

my trip will be around 1400km when all said and done, so I think once the car is shipped, I'm gonna ask the PCD to do the oil change for me.

[adc]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

Export/temp tags used to be an issue circa 2007 at The Ring. They seem to have changed their view after enough complaints.

Many BMW owners have in fact taken their ED vehicle to the Ring and driven it without issues. Technically if they don't want you on The Ring they don't have to allow you but in recent years no one has reported being turned away.

Rental cars are still an issue and many rental agencies will add thousands of dollars in "wear and tear" fees on your rental if you are spotted by the spies at the track and reported. There is also a real time camera scanning license plates so you may be on camera too as you pull to the gate to go on track.

If your BMW is broken in per the Owner's Manual you should be fine driving a spirited few laps on The Ring. There is no need however to actually beat your engine by driving near redline to enjoy The Ring. Short shifting won't diminish The Ring experience one bit in my experience.

See the link below for lots of good Ring info. before you go. There are also many Ring threads online in BMW forums so you can search if you really need more reading material.

To answer the OP's specific question: No there is no reason for concern if you drive your BMW within BMW's break-in requirements (if under the 600-1200 mile model specific requirement) and within your driving SKILL LEVEL.

http://www.nurburgring.org.uk/beginners.html

As far as the 1200 mile service, you have it done at a BMW dealer in Germany/Europe and BMW NA will reimburse you when you get back to the U.S. Keep the receipts.

+1, everything he says. Check out my sig .

I took delivery and then drove my E90 in a big circle, getting the required break-in miles under the wheels. After that, I did the service in Munich and hit the road towards Nurburgring, via the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.

But even if you don't go to the trouble and shift at 5.5k RPM as per the instructions, you can get to insane speeds on the Ring. I had lots of practice laps on GT4 which definitely helped a bit but you can have fun anyway. Try to be there for the whole day, as the track frequently closes for accident cleanup.

If you want to be really aggressive on track, I would suggest renting a car for a few hours from an outfit like this:
http://rent-racecar.de/
They are local, can offer instruction at extra cost and renting a track prepped and insured car from them offers complete peace of mind. I might use them in my next ED, but I'd still do a few laps in my own car, to bond with it.

ssabripo, I would suggest a modification to your route - at Freiburg, exit the Autobahn and take the B500 Black Forest High Road (Schwarzwalder Hochstrasse I believe it's called). It's a road very well suited to the M3 - smooth, fast, flowing, you'll have a ball.

Here is a link to my ED:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=383648

I would also contact one of the Ring photography outfits to buy a pic of your car afterwards, such as:
http://www.frozenspeed.com/
http://www.racepicture.de/
http://ringbunny.fotopic.net/
There may be others as well, do a search on bimmerfest and/or ask for suggestions...

The only other thing I'd do differently is to buy the Motorsport Hero HD camera and quickly suction-cup it to the windshield after passing the track gates (filming is apparently verboten, but only if they catch you).

If you have specific questions, ask away or PM me and I'll try to answer.


Oops, forgot - For a clean, cheap hotel with an amazing breakfast buffet and located just the right distance away to warm up your engine, I recommend this place: http://www.hotel-wilhelmshoehe.de/en...e/welcome.html
The lady owner is British and mostly caters to the Ring crowd, you'll feel at home.

[Trier Germany]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

Of note, the sticker on the windshield says not to break the speed limit for "extended periods". They do say absolutely not to go over 105MPH but having not been to the Ring yet I can't say if that will or won't happen.

I know if my delivery had been outside of snow season I'd have hit the Ring on the way home.

First break-in period says not to exceed 170Km, don't exceed 5500 Rpm during the first 1200 miles. After 1200 you can sustain speeds up to 137 Mph and due short stints at top speed, until you reach 3000 miles then your car is fully broken in.

Don't you think the Ring, would be a major detour on your way home, 2 hrs from K-town one way?

[ssabripo]

Originally Posted by adc

ssabripo, I would suggest a modification to your route - at Freiburg, exit the Autobahn and take the B500 Black Forest High Road (Schwarzwalder Hochstrasse I believe it's called). It's a road very well suited to the M3 - smooth, fast, flowing, you'll have a ball.

Here is a link to my ED:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=383648

HELL yes!!! thanks man!

can you send me a google maps link to the route? for the life of me, I can't freaking get it on googlemaps or google earth!

Originally Posted by adc

I would also contact one of the Ring photography outfits to buy a pic of your car afterwards, such as:
http://www.frozenspeed.com/
http://www.racepicture.de/
http://ringbunny.fotopic.net/
There may be others as well, do a search on bimmerfest and/or ask for suggestions...

beautiful! I was gonna ask what is the best method of asking for pictures... i was afraid I may have to get my dad to ride just a couple of laps, and then give him the Canon 7D to shoot from the outside while I do more laps! LOL