the beefy build

[GasBurnlife(landapanda)]

Originally Posted by evilspiritM3

It's outrageous.

It's is heavy, and I decided to use it as a hammer to hammer in the caliper pins when I am done changing my brake pads

[roastbeef]

quick status update- i have my first track day scheduled for 09/24 with Driven by Apex. come out if you can, its going to be a good time with a lot of familiar faces.

i've done a few things to shed a few ounces over the past couple of months. i drilled and trimmed excess plastic off of the headlight brackets and the plastic rear bumper retainers. i also drilled the trunk latch and got a tac weld drill bit to start removing the unused tabs and brackets.

i'm still waiting on some backordered sparco harnesses. also on the list is to strip the sound deadening that is adhered to the body shell. i'm hoping to do this as well as flush in a fresh bottle of SRF before the next track day.

i still don't have my LSD unit installed, and its likely not going to happen before this track day. i wish i just bought a complete pumpkin so i could just swap it in myself. same with the p4p windows... they are going to have to wait.

[DrFerry]

It's coming along.. Truly Holy.

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

quick status update- i have my first track day scheduled for 09/24 with Driven by Apex. come out if you can, its going to be a good time with a lot of familiar faces.

i've done a few things to shed a few ounces over the past couple of months. i drilled and trimmed excess plastic off of the headlight brackets and the plastic rear bumper retainers. i also drilled the trunk latch and got a tac weld drill bit to start removing the unused tabs and brackets.

i'm still waiting on some backordered sparco harnesses. also on the list is to strip the sound deadening that is adhered to the body shell. i'm hoping to do this as well as flush in a fresh bottle of SRF before the next track day.

i still don't have my LSD unit installed, and its likely not going to happen before this track day. i wish i just bought a complete pumpkin so i could just swap it in myself. same with the p4p windows... they are going to have to wait.

Which LSD did you go with?

I'm in the same boat with a custom setup ZF LSD and 3.45 gear set arriving soon. I didn't go full pumpkin since I have an extra unit at home & case/shipping costs would have added $2k+ vs local install.

DIY really isn't that bad if you have an extra case and aren't in a rush, I've done one before and it's just a bit stressful measuring backlash and pinion engagement... Still don't plan on doing mine though

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by spxxx

Which LSD did you go with?

I'm in the same boat with a custom setup ZF LSD and 3.45 gear set arriving soon. I didn't go full pumpkin since I have an extra unit at home & case/shipping costs would have added $2k+ vs local install.

DIY really isn't that bad if you have an extra case and aren't in a rush, I've done one before and it's just a bit stressful measuring backlash and pinion engagement... Still don't plan on doing mine though

i got the standard recipe from limitedslip.de.
drexler gt4 lite. 70% power / 50% coast. 50 deg on power, 60 deg on coast. 8 drilled clutches, 86nm preload, molybdenum coated inner clutches.
I'm hoping to do a weight comparison with the oem unit as well.

i'm just not about to try and tackle a job like this with my limited garage space, hottest time of the year, and if i get it wrong, its a $4k diff blowing up.
i'm 35... working under the car with heavy stuff feels like i got beat up the next day.

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

i got the standard recipe from limitedslip.de.
drexler gt4 lite. 70% power / 50% coast. 50 deg on power, 60 deg on coast. 8 drilled clutches, 86nm preload, molybdenum coated inner clutches.

i'm just not about to try and tackle a job like this with my limited garage space, hottest time of the year, and if i get it wrong, its a $4k diff blowing up.
i'm 35... working under the car with heavy stuff feels like i got beat up the next day.

Haha yeah I feel ya, I'm having a local shop do mine... I'm only 31 and feel the same way after wrenching without a lift. MaxxJack coming soon!

That's awesome, I almost went Drexler but found an awesome deal on this ZF LSD (similar to DiffsOnline's highest level offering). Driftflo mentioned that the ZF with 6 clutches is on par with the Drexler Performance unit.

Hope we run into each other soon at the track! OEM diff is plenty sufficient for most of us so I'm not in a huge rush, just want those shorter gears!

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by spxxx

Haha yeah I feel ya, I'm having a local shop do mine... I'm only 31 and feel the same way after wrenching without a lift. MaxxJack coming soon!

That's awesome, I almost went Drexler but found an awesome deal on this ZF LSD (similar to DiffsOnline's highest level offering). Driftflo mentioned that the ZF with 6 clutches is on par with the Drexler Performance unit.

Hope we run into each other soon at the track! OEM diff is plenty sufficient for most of us so I'm not in a huge rush, just want those shorter gears!

i'm finally going to big willow on 09/24 with driven by apex.
maxjacks are cool and all, but its more crap to store, and its rare that i'm going to want to do anything that i need all four wheels off the car at once. last thing i did was my driveshaft install and i'm not doing that again.

i didn't have any particular brand loyalty. i read through his thread a couple times to have a better understanding of what i wanted and didn't want, then i described what i wanted and this is what he suggested. i thought about going with shorter gears, but i've been happy with the dct gear ratio, and i still like to drive my car and do road trips, so i didn't want it singing at 4k cruising on the highway. plus, i didn't want to deal with a tune.

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

i'm finally going to big willow on 09/24 with driven by apex.
maxjacks are cool and all, but its more crap to store, and its rare that i'm going to want to do anything that i need all four wheels off the car at once. last thing i did was my driveshaft install and i'm not doing that again.

i didn't have any particular brand loyalty. i read through his thread a couple times to have a better understanding of what i wanted and didn't want, then i described what i wanted and this is what he suggested. i thought about going with shorter gears, but i've been happy with the dct gear ratio, and i still like to drive my car and do road trips, so i didn't want it singing at 4k cruising on the highway. plus, i didn't want to deal with a tune.

Yeah it all depends on your tire choice, running a 285/30/18 will actually get you ~4% shorter "gearing" vs 275/35/18 so I never felt the need for shorter gears until I started running taller tires. If you're running 30 profile rear tires you're actually experiencing acceleration similar to running a ~3.30 final drive.

I totally understand re: highway revs since I drive to the track fairly often... with a 3.45 final drive I'll be under 3500 RPM @ 75mph which is doable. Glad that I decided against 3.62 gears haha that'd be real close to 4k RPM at 80mph.

[roastbeef]

nice, thats good to hear. i usually run 275/35/18's but i have a set of 285/30/18 scrubs to try out.

[roastbeef]

mistakes were made, and lessons were learned.

had my first track day since the build yesterday. i had a lot of fun, but my day was cut short.
the days leading up to yesterday were sort of hectic. i was bleeding the brakes and had three studs back out of the hub with the nut attached. these are m12 msi studs that are about a year old. i googled some stuff and quickly learned how to install studs. got the stud reinstall and brake bleed done without further drama, but took longer than i anticipated.
i also tried using some tire softener on some pirelli dh scrubs i had... stuff smells terrible. probably made from panther piss, cancer, and unicorn tears. i won't be using it again.

fast forward to the track day. i place the tires with the thickest "tread" on the driver's side where they take the hardest beating (big willow has two high speed right hand sweepers). took two laps to warm up myself, the brakes, and the tires. another big mistake i did was when i swapped pads at the track. i swapped the passenger side first and pumped the brake pedal before i did the driver's side. i didn't want 12 pistons worth of fluid getting pushed into the reservoir and overflowing... and i forgot to pump before i went out on track. so i cruise out of the paddock in 1st gear and don't touch the brakes. i get the green flag as i approach the start/finish and i'm off. turn 1 doesn't need brakes, turn two i'm gradually building some speed and don't need brakes... approaching turn 3 i give it some brakes and nobody is home, so i give it more juice and the passenger side bites and there is still nobody home on the front driver's side and i start to spin. lol saved it and immediately knew what i screwed up. nothing is wrong with the car, just the driver.
i build up speed over three laps and the tires are less than good. just slippery crap you'd expect from scrubs on their third track day. starting my 4th lap, i'm starting to go faster. i exit turn two (fast right sweeper) and just as i'm almost dead straight with the wheel and at full throttle, i feel the driver's front tire go. it wasn't super dramatic and there wasn't much heroics in play. i feel like the car stayed stable despite being at about 90+ mph with a completely flat tire. i feel like i kinda knew what to do and didn't implement any drastic movements. brought it down to a very slow pace and limped to the paddock. i don't think the tire started to turn inside out until i had to make a sharper turn into the pits. the only damage was the rear fender liner, and i was able to fix it promptly once the car had cooled. i swapped my street tires back on and went out for another session.

a couple notes- the car was pretty squirmy under heavy braking. the car felt great in the sweepers and very stable with plenty of turn-in until the scrubs started to slip.

i also met a few really cool people from the forums and ig, nice to put a face to the cars.

when unloading, i saw a guy cruising by on an electric utility cart with a dog (i like dogs). i waved and said hi and we exchanged pleasantries. a few minutes later he comes cruising by again and stops by and looks around the car. gives me a nice compliment about the car and get to talking about brakes. we get to talking more and talking set-up. turns out, he is dwain dement, a legend porsche guy known for setting up cars. he owns a shop out at the track, a shop near my house, and a respected racing instructor. bmw recently called him to do some instruction at laguna seca for a racing school. really nice guy. turns out he started watching me when i was out on track and offered some setup tips as he noticed the car was becoming unsettled under heavy braking. he starts rattling off stuff like, "lower the rear four turns, add two clicks front bump, add one click rear compression, and add three clicks rear rebound..."
wowowow, hold on, let me get my phone out to take some notes!

anyways, we chat some more and now we're buds. i told him i'm going to come back on a test and tune day for help dialing in the car. just a fun day, and you never know who you're going to meet and run into.
the car ran great and dove home just fine. having dinner with mrs beef that night, she goes, "you know what you should do so this doesn't happen again? buy a second set of track wheels and tires." i looked at her and told her i loved her.

[MisterClutch888]

Great story and glad u made it out safely. What a lovely wifey u have👏🏽

Now come the easy parts, go buy some track wheels and tires🙌🏽

[roastbeef]

Oh yea, I hired a new pit crew chief.

[StripclubDJ]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

Oh yea, I hired a new pit crew chief.

Did she do the wiring ?

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by StripclubDJ

Did she do the wiring ?

no, she said you still owe me for the slicktop headliner and oem exhuast borrowing. she works for milk, but she's a hardass.

[roastbeef]

oh yea- another lesson learned. when i was talking to dwain about tires i told him they were well used take-offs. his logical response was this; don't do that. reason being, race cars wear tires in different ways. take-offs are used for qualifying or time trials and pushed hard, and race cars all have different alignments and wear tires in different ways. in his experience, sometimes a car might be exhibiting an undesired behavior on track and then he gets it on the alignment rack to find its not the car, its the wear on the tires causing issues. this was an interesting perspective.

[berns]

Glad you and the car are OK. I do find it nuts that after such a long hiatus and so much time and money into this thing, you showed up with ancient take offs and some tire goop, but I'm sure you won't do it again.

As someone that never tows to the track -- give yourself less shit to do there so you can spend less time worrying / wrenching and more time hanging out and driving.

Get some nice 200tw tires -- there are tons of good options -- and drive to the track on them. Get your second set of wheels and a fresh set of tires if you have room for them but I only go up with the set I drive on and maybe a spare wheel/tire just in case.

Put your track pads in before you go to the track. You're not going to ruin your rotors driving 3 hours on the freeway or hitting a bit of traffic on the way home.

Excited to see you put some real laps down once you're comfy with good rubber! Do we have a final weight on this thing yet?

[rhyary]

Good to see you driving in circles again.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by berns

Glad you and the car are OK. I do find it nuts that after such a long hiatus and so much time and money into this thing, you showed up with ancient take offs and some tire goop, but I'm sure you won't do it again.

As someone that never tows to the track -- give yourself less shit to do there so you can spend less time worrying / wrenching and more time hanging out and driving.

Get some nice 200tw tires -- there are tons of good options -- and drive to the track on them. Get your second set of wheels and a fresh set of tires if you have room for them but I only go up with the set I drive on and maybe a spare wheel/tire just in case.

Put your track pads in before you go to the track. You're not going to ruin your rotors driving 3 hours on the freeway or hitting a bit of traffic on the way home.

Excited to see you put some real laps down once you're comfy with good rubber! Do we have a final weight on this thing yet?

you're spot on with all points.

i swapped the rear pads when did the bleed because they take a little more time. the rear pads on this kit have a 1mm lip to grip and can be a pain in the ass to swap. the fronts have about a 4mm overhang on the corner and are very easy to spread with the spreader. plus cold race pads are kinda touchy, but its not the end of the world.

as for tires, it was a mistake. i was trying to be thrifty and stretch the use and it ended up being a waste (in a sense of less seat time, the day was great). i should have gone on fresh tires. my favorite i've used so far are nt01's and i just need to pony up and pay. i do plan on getting two matching sets of track wheels/tires. i have the means to transport two sets, and i have a trailer that i'll be using soon.

no final weight yet. i have a few small things to do before i go back to mrf for a checkup and to implement some changes. i'll ask to weigh her with wheels on. she *should* be close to 3k, but thats my garage math.

my next track day likely won't be until jan/feb. i have some financial goals to meet before allocating m3 money, and i'll need some new pads and tires, as well as tires for the trailer.

[Kelse92]

Glad you are ok! All things considered, I'm glad the damage from the issues is minor. Bummer on the scrubs not working out for longer, but they're always for sure a gamble.
Always nice to get feedback a learning lesson and to make new friends though! My other half worked for Dwain for a few years before moving to TX. Dwain is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to car builds and setup.

[b4hand]

Sucks about the tires but I agree with berns. 1st year back I'd get some cheap 200tw and kill them with seat time (I know its hard with the little one). That tire letting go could've been much much worse but I know you know that. Glad you're back on track though!

[nicksm3]

So, finally after 8.5 years of ownership and tracking…drilled out the curtain airbags.
Wanted to ask you because any day now receiving in the mail a Single Hump Dash to replace my double.

Did you go with a oil dip stick? If so which company? Going to go with that and a baffling system.
For the single hump, anything I should be aware of, settings and what not on that Idrive Screen once removed…any coding?

Thank you sir

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by nicksm3

So, finally after 8.5 years of ownership and tracking…drilled out the curtain airbags.
Wanted to ask you because any day now receiving in the mail a Single Hump Dash to replace my double.

Did you go with a oil dip stick? If so which company? Going to go with that and a baffling system.
For the single hump, anything I should be aware of, settings and what not on that Idrive Screen once removed…any coding?

Thank you sir

hey nick,
i didn't do anything for a dip stick. if you cycle through the digital dash options by pressing the button on the tip of the left stalk, you can see the digital dipstick on the little orange screen between the tach/speedo. i haven't done any coding yet. i have to do more research on this, but i believe you can configure mdm via the stalks and speedo menu.
i have a few dash warnings; airbags, edc, reverse sensors, and washer fluid.

i've been short on time recently, but the side airbags will be coming out soon. i had a few minutes to spray and scrub the roof residue... its a huge pain in the ass.

and just ditch the center console... that thing weighs 9lbs.