My E90 M3 Dedicated Track build (with pix!)

[Kelse92]

I've only been to COTA once before, last July, and my car handled so badly on mismatched shocks I don't really remember the bumps, only how difficult it was to keep the car on the track surface and not put it in a wall lol

dogbone my YT is kkaranges

[roastbeef]

what causes the voltphreaks to take a higher voltage at startup? weakening battery? also, why is the higher voltage at startup bad? is it bad for the car?

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by Kelse92

I've only been to COTA once before, last July, and my car handled so badly on mismatched shocks I don't really remember the bumps, only how difficult it was to keep the car on the track surface and not put it in a wall lol

dogbone my YT is kkaranges

The repaved sections look real nice in your vid!

hmmm the TT judges would have had to disqualify that lap with your T20 exit!

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

what causes the voltphreaks to take a higher voltage at startup? weakening battery? also, why is the higher voltage at startup bad? is it bad for the car?

I am not knowledgeable on this topic, but my understanding is that if the battery loses charge, it will pull more voltage from the alternator. Making the alternator work hard I guess is not ideal. I'll invite someone with more knowledge on this topic to enlighten us.

[admranger]

All this talk about COTA brings back fond memories. Took someone else's student for a ride (always risky) in mixed conditions. He dropped 2 seconds off his personal best next session.

Kinda wish I didn't have the paint protection goop on the car as this picture at the exit of turn 9 is money.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by dogbone

hmmm the TT judges would have had to disqualify that lap with your T20 exit!

Michael Masi has entered the chat.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by admranger

All this talk about COTA brings back fond memories. Took someone else's student for a ride (always risky) in mixed conditions. He dropped 2 seconds off his personal best next session.

Kinda wish I didn't have the paint protection goop on the car as this picture at the exit of turn 9 is money.

Goop? I don't see any goop. And I don't see any cracks in the bumper on the driver side either!

[admranger]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Goop? I don't see any goop. And I don't see any cracks in the bumper on the driver side either!

Those cracks were a monster buck rabbit playing frogger on I-10 between Palm Desert and the Chuckwalla exit. The rabbit and I both lost. He lost more.

[StripclubDJ]

.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by StripclubDJ

.

One more time!! At least the parts made this AM! See you guys later today!

[dogbone]

The journey to Texas is underway. First stop on Monday was EAS to get the car along with a bunch of wheels and tires that had been delivered there.

EAS had their hands full. We did the SSP clutches, a new battery, a new alternator (including voltage regulator), new wheel speed sensors, an O2 sensor, tires mountings and I'm sure there was other things that I'm forgetting. They got it all done. Really appreciate it.

Drove to Palm Springs on Monday night. Couldn't book a cabin at the track because they were all booked for military air exercises.....

Arrived at Chuckwalla this morning (Tuesday). Took some time to clean the car. Finally got ready, and then as I was about to head out, an ABS error appeared before I even moved the car....Tried to go on track, but the car would not drive correctly.

So, I came into the pits, read the codes, cleared them......and the car drove fine for the rest of the day. Will stay on top of it.

When the car works, it feels fantastic. I started the first session mellow. I had no intentions of going fast today. Wanted to give the clutches a bit of time to break in. My personal best from 2020 going Clockwise was a 1:50.8. Each lap, I would go faster. By the 4th lap, I had set a new personal best--1:50.5.....I was like...uhhhh okayyyyy. I'm not really trying here.... The car was getting hot, so I gave it two cool down laps, and gave it a real try. Did a 1:48.7. Was really blown away. The clutches were great.

Came back in. Gave the car a rest. Went back out. Session 2, I did a 1:48.3. And mind you, the tires are the same scrubs I've been running at Buttonwillow. These tires were not new in any way. I now had dropped quite a bit of time from my old PB.

I drove the car a 3rd time. It was 80°F. Didn't improve but was still close to the fast lap--1:48.6. Was satisfied that the car feels good and called it a day. Swapped in some new front brake pads and packed up.

I believe I will stop in El Paso tomorrow. It's almost exactly halfway to Austin.

Here's video of the fast lap:

[StripclubDJ]

Congrats dude

Hoping for the best at Austin

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by dogbone

When the car works, it feels fantastic. I started the first session mellow. I had no intentions of going fast today. Wanted to give the clutches a bit of time to break in. My personal best from 2020 going Clockwise was a 1:50.8. Each lap, I would go faster. By the 4th lap, I had set a new personal best--1:50.5.....I was like...uhhhh okayyyyy. I'm not really trying here.... The car was getting hot, so I gave it two cool down laps, and gave it a real try. Did a 1:48.7. Was really blown away. The clutches were great.

Came back in. Gave the car a rest. Went back out. Session 2, I did a 1:48.3. And mind you, the tires are the same scrubs I've been running at Buttonwillow. These tires were not new in any way. I now had dropped quite a bit of time from my old PB.

I drove the car a 3rd time. It was 80°F. Didn't improve but was still close to the fast lap--1:48.6. Was satisfied that the car feels good and called it a day. Swapped in some new front brake pads and packed up.

I [/url]

Congratulations! Talk about crushing your personal best!! Wow!!

[///Mobbin]

<goes to order SSP clutches> kidding but amazing result!! Feel your COTA dreams may be on track this year. Congrats on a sorted car again!!

[Adrian g.]

Originally Posted by dogbone

I am not knowledgeable on this topic, but my understanding is that if the battery loses charge, it will pull more voltage from the alternator. Making the alternator work hard I guess is not ideal. I'll invite someone with more knowledge on this topic to enlighten us.

Had the same or similar issue with my Antigravity battery. Car would pull up to 15v after start up only, and set off lights/messages in the idrive.

Replaced the voltage regulator, no change. Replace the alternator with a new one which also included a voltage regulator, no change. Reinstalled the OEM battery, and it never happened again.

[admranger]

El Paso can be sketch so make sure not to get the budget hotel w/the dark parking lot or your trailer could be a lot lighter in the morning (if it's still there).

Congrats on the PB. Always a nice surprise when that happens.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by admranger

El Paso can be sketch so make sure not to get the budget hotel w/the dark parking lot or your trailer could be a lot lighter in the morning (if it's still there).

Congrats on the PB. Always a nice surprise when that happens.

Thanks for the heads up. Plans have actually changed and I went 250 miles further to Fort Stockton for a total of 920 miles on the day. Just got in. Hopefully everything stays safe overnight.

I’ll write more later.

[dogbone]

Let's file this one under......After a year of struggling, I got a result today at COTA that I'm proud of---2:17.8. But there were still issues to overcome. Why do I get the feeling this is going to be a really long post?

On Thursday, I arrived at Harris Hill Raceway at noon. OG Shark invited me see the place, and his tech said he was willing to check out my car. I was nervous that I had still seen an ABS code at Chuckwalla. When it was time to get the car out of the trailer, I pressed the Start button and.....all I got is a single click. Pressed it again......single click. Pressed it a 3rd time and the engine just baaaaarely started. It had been 46 hours since it last ran. The 20AmpHour AntiGravity battery was clearly not up to the task. (I had called them and asked what I should buy.) I pulled the car out and started it and drove it around the paddock at least 10 times. I wasn't interested in putting it on the track because I had seen the last ABS code sitting motionless in the Chuckwalla paddock. No errors. Nothing. Ok.

Friday morning at COTA---Edge Addicts HPDE Day 1. I pull the car out of the trailer and start it and stop it 4 times. No errors. Ok. Maybe we are past it. (I didn't have a garage at this event.)

Session 1: I go out on track and on Turn 2 on the warm up lap----ABS errors, DSC errors.....Argh!! I bring it back in, trying not to flatspot my tires. I thought, ok I know what to do---clear the codes and get back out there. I go back out and in T2, again the ABS error returned. I was like, uh oh....bring it back in, clear the codes again. Go back out and----ABS errors in T2! And this time there are more of them. Not just the Voltage Too High error, but now it's telling me Steering Sensor Plausibility and some other stuff. The car is totally undriveable. I'm convinced that there's nothing wrong with those systems.....that somehow it HAS to be the battery. I called OG Shark's tech (Will) and ask him if I can get my hands on an OEM M3 battery. He put one on hold at the nearest dealership to the track. I run to the dealership, get the battery, bring it back to the track and the race was on to swap batteries.......mind you, I've never swapped a battery.

Steve from EAS was on the phone with me, talking me through the particulars. The removal of the AntiGravity was not straight forward. The battery was held down by a Summit Racing tray. The tray was bolted into the car in such a way that it was not easy to remove. Finally, I get it out and I put the stock battery in. There were a couple issues getting the stock battery in. I won't bore you.

Once the stock battery is in, I turn the car on and-----it is FREAKING out. Codes flashing everywhere, buttons don't work, I tried clearing codes.....the car was totally on the fritz nothing was working. I sat there for a moment despondent.....bummed that it didn't seem to work. Then, all of a sudden, all the freaking out stopped. The car returned to a totally normal state. My session was already on track with less than 10 minutes left. I ran out on track and-----the car worked!! No errors! The 56lbs stock battery fixed everything!! I'll just fast forward here and say that I have not seen an error code since the stock battery went in---8 driving sessions across 2 days, no errors. In the long term, I don't want a 56lbs battery in my car. But for now, I will use it through the SuperLap event. I'd rather have a 56lbs battery than a car that is undriveable.

The Edge Addicts event is nice. This particular run group has around 12 cars. There's an old F1 car, a few Radicals, an LMP3 car, a few 911's, various McLarens, and little ole me.

In the last session on Day 1, I was going into T8 and a Radical was catching me. I kept it tight as I went up the hill to allow him to pass on the outside if he wanted to. All of a sudden, I hear a bunch of tire squealing and see a Radical spinning in my side view mirror. I'm like, there's no way I caused that. I was way on the inside. I found the driver later and he said the Radical was acting funny and the spin had nothing to do with me. Phew.

The lap times from the last two sessions of Day 1 were not that interesting. I was finally just starting to drive the track and learn and get it in my head.

Edge Addicts Day 2 (today): The car had no errors at all today. This allowed me to settle in and just think about driving.

[I'll pause here and say, I have not made it a secret that I have wanted to go sub-2:20 at COTA. It was a goal that started in 2020 at SuperLap. I got close---2:20.13, but that was as close as I would get. Last year, I never even had a chance......had to eat a bunch of crow with my steering issues. So, I have been very eager to return to COTA to get another chance. I came with two sets of new Pirelli DH, and I booked two weekends---Edge Addicts and SuperLap. When the ABS errors were in full force, I thought that this year was over too. My original plan was---if the weather is good, the car is working and I seem to be learning the track well enough, I would put a new set of DH on the car at Edge Addicts and go for a lap with the new tires. I didn't really care what event I went sub-2:20, I just wanted to do it.]

Session 1: Cool day, very windy---55°F at the start, and the day was getting cooler as it went. Go out on scrubs. First lap of the day was a 2:20.06. A new PB by a few hundredths, but oh man.....just missed a sub-2:20. Had to wait a couple laps due to being hung up, but then went for another hot lap and got a 2:19.5. Finally! And on scrubs! I came back to the trailer so happy.

I decided I would put on the new DH for session 2. The conditions seemed right. I wish I had waited until session 3.....

Session 2: This may have been the most frustrating session I have ever driven. And all the blame falls on me. Nothing went right this session. Not enough gas in the car.....screwed up the first hot lap on the new tires in Turn 1...was in 2:18 territory twice and gave both of them up due to traffic and running out of gas. Came back in, so angry, didn't realize I would have had time to put more gas and go back out. When I did try that, I got a warm up and they checker flagged me halfway through the hot lap. I was so angry at myself. I had wasted the cherry first new DH lap. Let's just say a few people looked over to my trailer at the flowery language that was eminating from it......I had a new personal best---2:19.08, but even that lap lost a second due to having to pass someone. I did walk away knowing that a 2:18 was DEFINITELY possible. Would I run the new tires again? Uh, yeah. (Poor b4hand came over to say hi, and all he heard was a bunch of complaining. Sorry about that man!) EDIT: Oh yeah, I forgot.....the icing on the cake after the session was b4hand finding a dead bird stuck to my lower front grill. I never saw it on track....don't know where I hit it....man that session was just the worst.

Session 3: So, I decided to try again with the new tires. My goal was to get a 2:18. Went out and first hot lap was a 2:17.89. Ran three hot laps in a row and the other laps were 2:18.7 and 2:18.4. I did barely exceed track limits in T19 on the exit on the 2:17, but hey, there's no rules! Anyway, that was an unexpected result. On the 2:18.4, I was duking it out on the back straight with the LMP3 car. He caught me at T11 going onto the back straight. I was like, if you can take it, take it and I'll back off. He took it and I didn't even need to back off, just had to brake a tad early---lost .01-.02sec. Amazing cars. I'll post video of the three laps in another post.

Session 4: I went back to scrubs for Session 4, and I gotta say, I was pretty amazed with the result I got on scrubs. I rolled a 2:18.3 while staying entirely within track limits. If you ask me, this was better driving. And I can't say I'm surprised. I'm learning with every session. I'll post the video of the 2:18.3 in a later post. After T12, it was actually faster than the 2:17, but the scrubs couldn't hold the same at the end of the lap.

Session 5: drove 2:18.6 on the same scrubs.

b4hand mentioned that he believed this may be the first time an E9x M3 went under 2:20. I don't know about these things, but if it's true, that's cool. My virtual best today based on 6 sectors is a 2:16.75.

I called AntiGravity and complained that I got bad advice from them about what battery to buy. The tech agreed. They will let me either simply return it, or pay the difference to a bigger battery. Not sure what I will do. Might go back to VoltPhreaks. We'll see.

I have one more day out there. I will probably only run 2 or 3 sessions on scrubs, and then I gotta catch a plane home in the afternoon.

Here's the 2:17 lap. It ain't the prettiest driving, but it is what it is. I'm hoping I can continue to learn and improve next weekend at SLB. It is interesting to note that there aren't many orange sausage curbs on the track at the moment, so if the track is full of orange curbing next week, it may negatively affect lap times. We'll see.

[SYT_Shadow]

Like a boss Mr Bone!! So exciting to see how you're taking the E9X to the next level!

[clubsport.m3]

Man, what a story with the battery. That's super frustrating. Happy for you that the laptime on COTA was good. I like how you edit your video's btw!

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by clubsport.m3

Man, what a story with the battery. That's super frustrating. Happy for you that the laptime on COTA was good. I like how you edit your video's btw!

Yeah.....frustrating. Thought that was it.....I forgot to thank Adrian g. for his story about his battery. It was definitely in the back of my head while the problems were going on.

Glad you like the vids!

[b4hand]

There's a 2:16 for sure, with less headwind, I say a 2:15. One thing I note is your entry to 11 seems tight and it looks like it takes a while to get back on power. Can't wait to see this thing again next weekend!