My E90 M3 Dedicated Track build (with pix!)

[redpriest]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Let's file this one under: Front aero!

TLDR version: Zebulon chassis-mounted front splitter is on order!! Yay!

Guess I found my new aero set up! I didn't see how much this would run on their site.

[Kelse92]

Originally Posted by redpriest

Guess I found my new aero set up! I didn't see how much this would run on their site.

They are more of a 'consulting' company than a 'parts' company is what I heard the owner Ryan say on a podcast he was on recently. Probably best to call/email

[fsmtnbiker]

Originally Posted by redpriest

Guess I found my new aero set up! I didn't see how much this would run on their site.

Each piece is custom made right now to suit the car/aero/classing goals. My splitter was built to maximize the Gridlife SM rules (5” from bumper) while also incorporating some large tunnels to produce as much downforce as possible, as well as splitter endplates. My E92 splitter pictured above was right about $2k. As Gabe mentioned, I can jump up and down on it. It is extremely strong and stiff, and very light considering that.

[ThunderMoose]

Originally Posted by fsmtnbiker

Each piece is custom made right now to suit the car/aero/classing goals. My splitter was built to maximize the Gridlife SM rules (5” from bumper) while also incorporating some large tunnels to produce as much downforce as possible, as well as splitter endplates. My E92 splitter pictured above was right about $2k. As Gabe mentioned, I can jump up and down on it. It is extremely strong and stiff, and very light considering that.

Can you beat Jackie Ding?

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by b4hand

How much do they cost usually?

Talked to Ryan today. Said it was cool to post pricing. There are options that affect pricing.

-Basic splitter, no side fences (the wings on the sides) or diffuser tunnels: $1400. When ordering the splitter, you will need to tell Zebulon how far you want it to stick out from the bumper and how wide you want it to be.

-Adding side fences (which I highly recommend): Add $300. If you do time attack or a race series that restricts size, you need to know what the sizing limits are and Zebulon will make it fit. I recommend doing these at the time of original purchase because they add aluminum pieces inside the splitter that can be drilled to hold not only the side fences, but also skid plates on the bottom. Without the aluminum in there the skid plates are far more complicated to install---requiring riveting and epoxy. I think it's good idea to have the skid plates for when the splitter hits the ground. And skid plates are a wear item. You'll want to be able to easily use screws to replace them versus epoxy and rivets which I think would be a nightmare by comparison. Ryan says you want to avoid putting holes in the carbon splitter as much as possible.

-Adding diffuser tunnels: Add $500. (these can be added later) For the diffuser tunnels to be used correctly, the fenders should vented at the top and rear.

I'm doing everything above, so that's $2200. But without the diffuser tunnels, you could do it for $1700. I would recommend starting at least at the $1700 level.

There is one more option which can be added that I think most people will not do----more sophisticated side fences (the wings on the side). These would add another $600 in addition to the $300 for the basic side fences. (They have to have the aluminum in there, and these are $600 on top of that.) These would stick many inches out to the side and be more complex aero features. The point of them would be for even more dramatic front downforce. As long as you already added the aluminum pieces inside the splitter, these can be added later. Only an Unlimited time attack machine would want these because they would break all the rules for sizing in lower classes, and a w-2-w racer probably would not want them because they would probably not be legal and they would surely break off with any race contact. But it's cool to know that you can add some crazy stuff to go for maximum insanity on an Unlimited machine!

As far as the rear wing, I don't know much about it yet. I'm told it is a low drag, high downforce piece. I haven't delved into it much because I'm not ordering one just yet. As far as pricing, the kit for the rear wing---wing, fancy 3D side plates, mounts---is around $2500. If you went with basic side plates, it would be a few hundred dollars cheaper. I'm not ordering a wing at the moment, but I may later. Right now, rear wing production is about 2 months out. But in a couple months, they hope to get that down to about 2 weeks for a rear wing.

I know I sound like a sales guy here, but I'm not. To be clear, I'm just a regular customer paying the retail prices listed here. I just want you guys to have all the info on what I think is a cool new option for our platform.

[b4hand]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Talked to Ryan today. Said it was cool to post pricing. There are options that affect pricing.

-Basic splitter, no side fences (the wings on the sides) or diffuser tunnels: $1400. When ordering the splitter, you will need to tell Zebulon how far you want it to stick out from the bumper and how wide you want it to be.

-Adding side fences (which I highly recommend): Add $300. If you do time attack or a race series that restricts size, you need to know what the sizing limits are and Zebulon will make it fit. I recommend doing these at the time of original purchase because they add aluminum pieces inside the splitter that can be drilled to hold not only the side fences, but also skid plates on the bottom. Without the aluminum in there the skid plates are far more complicated to install---requiring riveting and epoxy. I think it's good idea to have the skid plates for when the splitter hits the ground. And skid plates are a wear item. You'll want to be able to easily use screws to replace them versus epoxy and rivets which I think would be a nightmare by comparison. Ryan says you want to avoid putting holes in the carbon splitter as much as possible.

-Adding diffuser tunnels: Add $500. (these can be added later) For the diffuser tunnels to be used correctly, the fenders should vented at the top and rear.

I'm doing everything above, so that's $2200. But without the diffuser tunnels, you could do it for $1700. I would recommend starting at least at the $1700 level.

There is one more option which can be added that I think most people will not do----more sophisticated side fences (the wings on the side). These would add another $600 in addition to the $300 for the basic side fences. (They have to have the aluminum in there, and these are $600 on top of that.) These would stick many inches out to the side and be more complex aero features. The point of them would be for even more dramatic front downforce. As long as you already added the aluminum pieces inside the splitter, these can be added later. Only an Unlimited time attack machine would want these because they would break all the rules for sizing in lower classes, and a w-2-w racer probably would not want them because they would probably not be legal and they would surely break off with any race contact. But it's cool to know that you can add some crazy stuff to go for maximum insanity on an Unlimited machine!

As far as the rear wing, I don't know much about it yet. I'm told it is a low drag, high downforce piece. I haven't delved into it much because I'm not ordering one just yet. As far as pricing, the kit for the rear wing---wing, fancy 3D side plates, mounts---is around $2500. If you went with basic side plates, it would be a few hundred dollars cheaper. I'm not ordering a wing at the moment, but I may later. Right now, rear wing production is about 2 months out. But in a couple months, they hope to get that down to about 2 weeks for a rear wing.

I know I sound like a sales guy here, but I'm not. To be clear, I'm just a regular customer paying the retail prices listed here. I just want you guys to have all the info on what I think is a cool new option for our platform.

Gabe, I really appreciate you reaching out and providing this info. There doesn't seem to be a good chassis mounted splitter option for these cars but I am glad someone is providing a solution. Now to find all those pennies....

[tsk94]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Talked to Ryan today. Said it was cool to post pricing. There are options that affect pricing.

-Basic splitter, no side fences (the wings on the sides) or diffuser tunnels: $1400. When ordering the splitter, you will need to tell Zebulon how far you want it to stick out from the bumper and how wide you want it to be.

-Adding side fences (which I highly recommend): Add $300. If you do time attack or a race series that restricts size, you need to know what the sizing limits are and Zebulon will make it fit. I recommend doing these at the time of original purchase because they add aluminum pieces inside the splitter that can be drilled to hold not only the side fences, but also skid plates on the bottom. Without the aluminum in there the skid plates are far more complicated to install---requiring riveting and epoxy. I think it's good idea to have the skid plates for when the splitter hits the ground. And skid plates are a wear item. You'll want to be able to easily use screws to replace them versus epoxy and rivets which I think would be a nightmare by comparison. Ryan says you want to avoid putting holes in the carbon splitter as much as possible.

-Adding diffuser tunnels: Add $500. (these can be added later) For the diffuser tunnels to be used correctly, the fenders should vented at the top and rear.

I'm doing everything above, so that's $2200. But without the diffuser tunnels, you could do it for $1700. I would recommend starting at least at the $1700 level.

There is one more option which can be added that I think most people will not do----more sophisticated side fences (the wings on the side). These would add another $600 in addition to the $300 for the basic side fences. (They have to have the aluminum in there, and these are $600 on top of that.) These would stick many inches out to the side and be more complex aero features. The point of them would be for even more dramatic front downforce. As long as you already added the aluminum pieces inside the splitter, these can be added later. Only an Unlimited time attack machine would want these because they would break all the rules for sizing in lower classes, and a w-2-w racer probably would not want them because they would probably not be legal and they would surely break off with any race contact. But it's cool to know that you can add some crazy stuff to go for maximum insanity on an Unlimited machine!

As far as the rear wing, I don't know much about it yet. I'm told it is a low drag, high downforce piece. I haven't delved into it much because I'm not ordering one just yet. As far as pricing, the kit for the rear wing---wing, fancy 3D side plates, mounts---is around $2500. If you went with basic side plates, it would be a few hundred dollars cheaper. I'm not ordering a wing at the moment, but I may later. Right now, rear wing production is about 2 months out. But in a couple months, they hope to get that down to about 2 weeks for a rear wing.

I know I sound like a sales guy here, but I'm not. To be clear, I'm just a regular customer paying the retail prices listed here. I just want you guys to have all the info on what I think is a cool new option for our platform.

Do they have any published numbers for downforce amounts? I know they'd very depending on options and size, but a baseline would be nice to see/know.

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by ThunderMoose

Can you beat Jackie Ding?

This!!

[JScheier]

Originally Posted by dogbone

And skid plates are a wear item. You'll want to be able to easily use screws to replace them versus epoxy and rivets which I think would be a nightmare by comparison

My E36 Zebulon splitter has the side plates and the skid plates. I wore the skid plates down to the point that I had to drill the screws out to replace them. I now epoxy thick fender washers to the bottom of the splitter with two-part epoxy. I've only lost 3 so far this season

You can sort of see the washers I added on the leading edge of the splitter below. The Zebulon skid plates are on the outer edge, visible just below the Zebulon symbol decal. In this photo, the splitter is 2.75" off the ground at rest and angled 1.5* down.

[roastbeef]

thats a pretty nice setup.

[fsmtnbiker]

Originally Posted by ThunderMoose

Can you beat Jackie Ding?

I need ~200-250whp more than I have, and then I think I’d be right in the ballpark.

Hopefully we’ll find out in 2021

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by tsk94

Do they have any published numbers for downforce amounts? I know they'd very depending on options and size, but a baseline would be nice to see/know.

I have not been told any specific downforce numbers.

[dogbone]

The next few weeks are going to be a bit crazy with the E90. Here's what's going on.

The car is in San Diego at the moment being worked on. A number of small stuff (ie. the 14mm press-in hubs are finally going in!) and one big thing. The big thing: I have decided to take another shot at setting up the suspension with a different approach. As you may recall from earlier in the thread, a couple years ago, I tried to go with stiffer springs, and it didn't work out. I went with a simple approach on my own. People like Richbot encouraged me to look at changing far more than just springs, but I wasn't up to the task. So, I returned the car to its previous setup.

This year, the tech that transported my car to COTA was on the track at COTA driving behind me. He strongly felt that the car was under-sprung (among other things he didn't like). This tech is a pro driver, has raced in many series with many different types of cars, has tested race tires for manufacturers, has setup many many many race cars, and owns an E92 race car. After some conversations, I decided to put the car in his hands. I told him he can change anything about the suspension setup. The only limitation I placed on the process is that I don't want to re-valve the dampers. If I do that, it's much harder to go back if I don't like the changes.

At COTA in Feb, while talking to the tech, the car was supposed to be on a longer journey to the East Coast, so I was hesitant to change the suspension setup during the middle of the trip. I didn't want to be at unfamiliar tracks with an unfamiliar car. But then Covid kicked in and cancelled all the East coast stuff and the car ended up back in CA. Once the car was back in CA, I decided to give the car's setup another shot. I thought, if I can get a true professional to do the setup, and I can drive several days at a track I'm familiar with, then maybe I can get comfortable with the setup before maybe trying to go to the East Coast in 2021.

So, here's what I got. I fly to CA this week.
-Friday, Nov 6 - Speed District - Buttonwillow 13CW.
-Sat/Sun Nov 7/8 - PCA San Diego - Buttonwillow 13CW.
-Fri/Sat/Sun Nov 13/14/15 - GTA SuperLap Battle - Buttonwillow 13CW.

So, that's 6 days at Buttonwillow 13CW. The first day, the tech will be at the track with extra springs, a mobile alignment rack and I have nitrogen. So we can change lots of stuff on the car at the track---height, rake, camber, caster, alignment, spring rates, nitrogen pressure, sway bar settings, rebound/compression settings. He will also be driving my car. Hopefully, we get the car sorted out on Day 1. If not, then perhaps we will continue to tweak at the PCA event. If I hate it, then we will have to return the car back to the original setup before I attend SuperLap Battle.

Originally, this was the extent of the trip. But then, I started getting contact from my friends about going to Chuckwalla with Speed Ventures on Nov 21/22. I haven't seen my CA track friends all year. Would love to hang out with them. Plus, Chuckwalla has been repaved recently and I was eager to get on new the pavement while it was fresh. We're hearing that everyone is crushing their old times. Speed Ventures is running CW on Sat and CCW on Sun. And there's a Bimmer Challenge on the CCW Sunday event. I would love to do both directions all in one weekend. So-----I decided to stay in CA for that too.

In the world of Covid, the traveling logistics are not my favorite. I'm hesitant to get on a plane. I was considering just driving to CA. I can do the 16-hour/1000 mile drive. I've done it before. But it's just so damn much easier to fly.......Talked to a bunch of people that have been traveling via plane. I think I'm gonna fly. I've rented an RV for the Buttonwillow weekends, so I'll be sleeping at the track. And in between, while I stay in LA, I've rented AirBNBs that are guest houses and condos----trying to avoid regular hotels/elevators/etc.

Anyway, the next few weeks are going to be chock full of interesting challenges. But, I gotta tell ya---I'm looking forward to getting back into the E90. I haven't seen the car since February. And I haven't been to Buttonwillow with the carbon doors. Honestly, I feel like I've lost a step driving on track being away from it for so long. It's gonna take some time to try to get back to full pace. The new suspension setup is definitely going to add to the challenges. Should be interesting!

(Adding to the craziness, I'm arriving in LA the day after the election. We're getting texts from LA friends saying that LA is bracing for rioting after the election......businesses are boarded up.....wow. Crazy times.)

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by dogbone

The AP Essex hat fit over the 14mm studs without issue.

Sorry if already answered;
What about wheels?
Did you have them machined for 14mm?

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

Sorry if already answered;
What about wheels?
Did you have them machined for 14mm?

The Titan-7 wheels fit over 14mm studs without issue. The lug nuts fit also without issue.

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by dogbone

The Titan-7 wheels fit over 14mm studs without issue. The lug nuts fit also without issue.

I have yet to hear of a set not fitting. The oem wheels fit as well.

[evilspiritM3]

What shop has your car in SD?

[OG Shark]

dogbone glad you are finally able to get back in the car & really look forward to reading your post trip summary. Going to be interesting to see how you like the setup changes and also the soft yokos. Good luck with the time attack!

Pro flying tip - wear your helmet on the plane. Not only does it provide superior protection than a mask (visor down obviously) but also a secondary buffer of increased social distancing since no one wants to talk to the guy wearing a helmet on a plane (except maybe security). You will thank me later...

[slicer]

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

Sorry if already answered;
What about wheels?
Did you have them machined for 14mm?

There's not a wheel in production that I am aware of that can't accommodate a M14 stud.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by evilspiritM3

What shop has your car in SD?

The tech is Tony Rivera. Really nice guy. Super knowledgeable. He can rebuild engines, transmissions, diffs for multiple platforms. Pretty crazy. His business is largely word of mouth from what I can tell. Always seems to be busy. His shop doesn’t really have a name. If anyone is curious to reach out to him, you can PM me.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by OG Shark

dogbone glad you are finally able to get back in the car & really look forward to reading your post trip summary. Going to be interesting to see how you like the setup changes and also the soft yokos. Good luck with the time attack!

Pro flying tip - wear your helmet on the plane. Not only does it provide superior protection than a mask (visor down obviously) but also a secondary buffer of increased social distancing since no one wants to talk to the guy wearing a helmet on a plane (except maybe security). You will thank me later...

Thanks! I hear some heavy hitter cars will be at Buttonwillow. Like last year, I’m showing up with no expectations to SuperLap. Just want to put down some good laps. If some 1000hp 4-wheel drive monster is flying around, I’m good with that.

hehe my helmet is in CA!

[derbo]

That sounds cool you will be adjusting a bunch! Is there anything specific on a base starting point on the suspension changes?