kolosy build / track journal-ish

[kolosy]

A little backstory -- I've puttered around on track a few times over the course of the last 10 years or so (maybe 3 or so events) before getting my E92. Then I went to a Porsche 2 days school down at Barber, caught the bug and with the E92 in hand went to the track. Did 2 more track days, and realized that the things I paid for in that car (low mileage, great condition, clean carfax) didn't make sense if I was going to put it on track regularly. Off to BaT it went, and was replaced with the new kid.



2011 non-comp with too many owners and too many miles for a market price, but an excellent binder of service history, rod bearings, throttle actuators, water pump, vcg and oil filter gasket already done.

this week i installed the new bbk (370mm paragon kit with ferodo ds1.11s all around), flushed the brakes and took it to Blackhawk Farms with the WI BMWCCA chapter.



Ran in novice (because that's very much what I am still, despite getting quite a bit more comfortable) with an instructor who drove a sweet M4 CS on slicks and was a super nice guy.

I've done blackhawk before but in the E92. I remember worrying about the car too much, and not focusing enough on the line or being smooth. Also the instructor I had (was with PCA that time) was kind of a d**k and not particularly helpful.

Felt much more in control this time, remembered the line better and had a couple of "ah ha" moments around weight transfer (specifically how tapping the brakes coming into T4 loads the car for the long sweeper better than just maintenance throttle through).

Only issue I had is overheating at one point. I saw the oil go past 270 on the idiot gauge and the "temperature is high drive moderatly" warning popped up so I decided to pull off and cool down. Thankfully it was at the end of a session so I only lost a couple of laps.

This week car is going to the shop for a laundry list of stuff

- CSF oil cooler (timely!)
- 3DM Ohlin "Track Day" suspension setup. Arguably not needed right off the bat given my skill level, but car is sitting on original, 145K mile shocks, and a faulty EDC unit so I might as well
- MFactory CF 1-piece drive shaft. Again not really needed, but it's making the cowbell noise, and given the age of the CSB I'd probably need a new one anyway. Good deal popped up in FS at the right time so I snagged it
- VTT DCT aluminum pan. Current one is leaking pretty badly so in this goes.

... And then we'll see. The only other thing I plan on doing in the near future is swapping in new injectors myself and an output shaft seal on the diff, and then installing a Schroth Quick-Fit Pro 4 Point Harness. The instructor had them and I loved them. I thought the only way to get a 4 point was race seats and a cage/bar, so this was a nice surprise.

Going back to Blackhawk in a month, and then doing a weekend at road america for octoberfest. Can't wait!

[omgzirra_exe]

GRATS to starting your build and your journal!

[amg6975]

Do you have an upgraded radiator? The DO88 radiator helped manage temps better than a bigger oil cooler for me. If the whole engine is cooler then the oil will also be cooler.

Added benefit of no more plastic end tanks.

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by amg6975

Do you have an upgraded radiator? The DO88 radiator helped manage temps better than a bigger oil cooler for me. If the whole engine is cooler then the oil will also be cooler.

Added benefit of no more plastic end tanks.

no, i've been taking an opportunistic approach for now while the car is in shakedown mode. as relevant stuff pops up on FS I grab it. Once those things are in, and I do another day or two I think i'll have a better steer on specific next steps.

Upgraded radiator is def on the list though.

[1FastSicilian]

Originally Posted by kolosy

no, i've been taking an opportunistic approach for now while the car is in shakedown mode. as relevant stuff pops up on FS I grab it. Once those things are in, and I do another day or two I think i'll have a better steer on specific next steps.

Upgraded radiator is def on the list though.

I have a brand new CSF rad if you're interested.. it's sitting in the box, I was going to install but I'm going to wait a little longer before redoing the cooling system.

[kolosy]

Alright, car is back from the shop with some new jewelry.









Ride height looks a little weird to me (slammed in the rear, normal-ish in the front), but Barry from 3DM responded with "that's about right, but change it if it looks weird to you."

Was blown away by how well it rode on the street though. I guess it really is about matching springs to dampners, not just maxing one or the other out.

685lb springs in the front, 880 in the rear. We'll see.

Damage so far:

Car: $22K
BBK + matching rear disks + Ferodo pads: $4.5K
Coilovers: $3.6K
DCT Pan: $500
CF Driveshaft: $1.1K
Oil cooler: $300
Shop install cost: $2.9K (includes labor and consumables)

total at ~35K as it sits right now.

Hoping that going forward I'll do most of the work myself, but I just didn't have the time to do all that work myself before track season ends.

Going back out to Blackhawk on 9/20 which is great since that was the last track I was on with it, will be a nice comparison

[spammysammich]

A lot of people misunderstand the wheel gap. Even with that stance your car will still have rake from front to back. Measure at the jack pads and you should see the rear slightly higher. You need bigger gap up front to accommodate turning of wheels. I’m at GTS ride height and have similar wheel gap, not a problem.

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by spammysammich

A lot of people misunderstand the wheel gap. Even with that stance your car will still have rake from front to back. Measure at the jack pads and you should see the rear slightly higher. You need bigger gap up front to accommodate turning of wheels. I’m at GTS ride height and have similar wheel gap, not a problem.

Interesting.. that makes sense of course, just hadn't thought about it in those terms.

[omgzirra_exe]

Originally Posted by kolosy

Interesting.. that makes sense of course, just hadn't thought about it in those terms.

you also need to remember the front fender arch is a lot larger than the rear as well. so it looks weird.

I once had too much rake down on the m3 and i was rubbing the top of my fender liner under braking.

[kolosy]

Just got back from my second track day in this car, first with the new suspension and upgraded oil cooler. It's also my 6th real track day, and 3rd time at this track. It's real hard to disentangle improvements of the car, vs me finally starting to get up to speed, but ... wow.

Reference points: Blackhawk Farms is a ~2mi circuit. Track record is 1:07, a solid time is 1:20, and they want you to hit 1:24 to run in the advanced group. Last time I was here I had a 1:36.

I ran in Novice again, and started the day around that 1:36 mark. Had a pretty good instructor but it's always hit or miss with these guys, and of course everyone has a slightly different perspective on the line, turn in points etc based on their own experience and rig, so you aren't getting consisten instruction. Also, my first session the instructor wanted to drive my car, which I don't have an issue with, but then he spent a solid 5 minutes fiddling with the quick fit harness. By the time all that was done, and he got his 2 laps in and we switched, I got something like 3 laps before the checker.

From then on, however, each session I was shaving 2-3 seconds off the previous session's best time. Ran 4 total with the instructor, with the last one clocking in at 1:31. Was very happy with how I did, but *really* wanted to break into the 20s (while also knowing not to focus on the numbers right now). Instructor thought I did well, and so signed me off for intermediate, and let me solo the last session, but didn't think I'd break into the 20s.

That last session was awesome. I think on some level, when I have an instructor in the car, I wait for input and keep expecting feedback vs just focusing on driving. I definitely had one oh sh*t moment overdriving a corner, but kept all 4 on. Ended up with a fastest time of 1:28.3, and most of the other laps in the 29s.

The car did really well also. No braking issues all day, and as a typical rookie I know I was overworking the brakes. I definitely need to upgrade the rest of the cooling system. I had upgraded the oil cooler, and it never threw a warning at me like it did last time, but the idiot gauge was past the second marker, and, I definitely felt the DCT start to lag toward the end of the faster sessions.

I've got road america in a week and a half, gotta sort out this DCT issue before then. Worst case I can drive the M5, but I really don't want to keep switching cars around.

[omgzirra_exe]

that's fanatics to hear! that the car ran well until the very end... at least.

please start with checking your battery health, for a lil under $300 at autozone you could get a battery. my friend had the same issue with the DCT not going into Drive and Reverse, it would just kick him into Neutral. while we were about to leave the track and drive home.

although since you were driving when it happened i would inspect the ground straps also.

i would sort the wiring on the wheel speed sensor first as you mentioned.

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by omgzirra_exe

that's fanatics to hear! that the car ran well until the very end... at least.

please start with checking your battery health, for a lil under $300 at autozone you could get a battery. my friend had the same issue with the DCT not going into Drive and Reverse, it would just kick him into Neutral. while we were about to leave the track and drive home.

although since you were driving when it happened i would inspect the ground straps also.

i would sort the wiring on the wheel speed sensor first as you mentioned.

Yeah ground straps are a good idea too. Problem is the car is an hour away from me. I need a bigger garage!

[bigjae1976]

Awesome! Are you running Road America with the Badger Bimmer chapter? That is a great event and a great group. I hope to be back next year or 2025. If you haven't yet, make sure you go into the town of Elkhart. Lots of cool motorsport stuff there.

Originally Posted by kolosy

Ride height looks a little weird to me (slammed in the rear, normal-ish in the front), but Barry from 3DM responded with "that's about right, but change it if it looks weird to you."

BMWs with a MacPherson strut design (almost any non-SUV BMW has made in the last 40 years) have about 1/2" to 3/4" of ride height drop before the suspension geometry is compromised. Going any lower will result in more body roll.

9 out of 10 BMWs I see are lowered too much. Then the car rolls too much and then they put stiffer sway bars which causes more understeer. Then they dial in more compliance which results in more roll and then they increase the front spring rates which causes more understeer.

So kudo's to Barry at 3DM for knowing what he's talking about. Well setup BMWs with the stock suspension geometry are always setup with no rake or even slightly higher in the front.

Originally Posted by kolosy

I've got road america in a week and a half, gotta sort out this DCT issue before then. Worst case I can drive the M5, but I really don't want to keep switching cars around.

The DCT has a heat exchanger with the coolant system which regulates the transmission temps. I'd do two things.

First, inspect the DCT cooler in the pass side of the front bumper. If front side is in decent shape then blow out the cooler from the wheel well, make sure the front side is clear of anything. You'll probably get a bunch of stuff flying out of the cooler.

Second, the radiator is behind the AC condenser and is likely in perfect shape. But the condenser is plugged with stuff and is blocking airflow. Remove the radiator and blow out the condenser, might be worth it to replace the condenser. Then refill the coolant system with either 100% distilled water or 25% coolant/75% water since you're in a northern climate.

[amg6975]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

The DCT has a heat exchanger with the coolant system which regulates the transmission temps. I'd do two things.

First, inspect the DCT cooler in the pass side of the front bumper. If front side is in decent shape then blow out the cooler from the wheel well, make sure the front side is clear of anything. You'll probably get a bunch of stuff flying out of the cooler.

Second, the radiator is behind the AC condenser and is likely in perfect shape. But the condenser is plugged with stuff and is blocking airflow. Remove the radiator and blow out the condenser, might be worth it to replace the condenser. Then refill the coolant system with either 100% distilled water or 25% coolant/75% water since you're in a northern climate.

To be accurate, the water to oil exchanger on the DCT is only used to get the DCT up to temp using the cooling system as a heater. Once the DCT is warm the thermostat switches and pumps the oil to the cooler at the front as needed.

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Awesome! Are you running Road America with the Badger Bimmer chapter? That is a great event and a great group. I hope to be back next year or 2025. If you haven't yet, make sure you go into the town of Elkhart. Lots of cool motorsport stuff there.

yup -- that's the event! ran with them at a local track a few weeks ago and it was a great group for sure.

thanks for the DCT advice, not sure I'll have time to open the cooling system before this weekend, but definitely on the winter list.

[kolosy]

just got back from OctoberFast, a 2 day event with the WI chapter of BMWCCA at RoadAmerica. Car did great, having the Catalyst with me is magic and I got moved up to intermediate!



At the end of day two, once I got moved up and set loose on my own, I did 2 predictable things -- 1, I PR'd, and 2 I started chasing times and faster cars, and my line went to sh*t. Had to recombobulate myself and focus on the driving. The garmin is awesome, but I think at this point I need to run it turned away from me so I can review the data later, instead of seeing the red screen in my peripheral vision and try to "make it up" by doing something stupid later.

Some thoughts:
- I wish this wasn't the end of the season, I probably would have gotten into the 40s with another day. Looking at the lap times thread here, a stock (engine-wise) E90 should be able to turn 30s (though my corvette-racing instructor thought that a 45 would be a good time). Without traffic, I started the weekend at 2:59, and closed it out at 2:52, with a 2:49 optimal per the garmin. I think another day would've put me firmly into the 40s.
- I still need better cooling. It was warm for October, topping out at 84F, but that's not that hot by summer standard. I got a coolant warning halfway through the day and had to back off a little. This is with a CSF oil cooler, but stock everything else. DCT did better than at blackhawk though because it's a longer track so it didn't get as abused.
- I need to keep working on threshold braking. On one of my last runs of the weekend, I blew T12 by not braking enough. Thought there was something wrong with my brakes and reviewed the Garmin data later, comparing it to my PR. G force topped out at the same 1G or so as it did for that lap, but... waaay too late, though I started to brake at the same point.

Gonna try to sneak one more day in somewhere before the season really ends, and then it's off to Porsche school in December!

Stupid seasons.

[omgzirra_exe]

that sounded like you had a blast! glad the catalyst helped. at some point you'll evolve out of it, but personally i think it's a great companion for the first 2 seasons (maybe forever). i wonder if they'll improve on it.

also... it still blows my mind there are tracks that let you just park up on grass, is that an east coast thing?

my car would be in flames already

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by omgzirra_exe

that sounded like you had a blast! glad the catalyst helped. at some point you'll evolve out of it, but personally i think it's a great companion for the first 2 seasons (maybe forever). i wonder if they'll improve on it.

also... it still blows my mind there are tracks that let you just park up on grass, is that an east coast thing?

my car would be in flames already

ha. generous of you to call wisconsin "east coast," but yeah i think it's just a climate thing. all the tracks i've been to here have limited concrete/asphalt and most parking is on grass.

[kolosy]

well that's a wrap for the season, folks. at least for this ride -- I'm going down to the P-car school at Barber in December, but the M3 is going into winter cleanup + hibernation.

Good last day at blackhawk. Last time I was here I was stoked to crack 1:28 and get moved up to intermediate. Today, I was running 1:25s, with a 1:24.9 PR. Consistent 1:24s is what they want to move you into the advanced group. I'm no hurry for that, but it's nice to know I'm on pace.





The yokos are beat to sh*t, so I think I'm going to go to something else for next season. I like the idea of Cup 2s, but also want to learn to drive with less traction first, then add it later. Maybe I'll get some PS4s or something equivalent, not sure. Also have some work to do on the brake system. The stopping power is there, but I've got more pedal travel than I'd like and I'm going to look into an ISTA reset procedure Ximian pointed me to, and possibly get a used master cylinder to swap out the 150k one that's there now. We'll see.

All in all, super happy with how the season's gone and how this 150K mile, 10 owner beater has held up.

[Ximian]

The adjustment takes less than a minute to run and requires no work on your part so worth doing right away to see if it solves the soft pedal issue.

I purchased a used master cylinder and brake booster from eBay to practice changing them out before the new ones I purchased arrived. I'm 99% sure the used master cylinder was fine so if you want to try it out, I'll be happy to send it.

Get a few liters of cheap brake fluid for the ISTA bleed procedure as the DSC until will get air in it when changing out the master cylinder. Not a bad idea to install a brand new fluid reservoir as well as years of brake fluid changes certainly got some debris in there.

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by Ximian

The adjustment takes less than a minute to run and requires no work on your part so worth doing right away to see if it solves the soft pedal issue.

I purchased a used master cylinder and brake booster from eBay to practice changing them out before the new ones I purchased arrived. I'm 99% sure the used master cylinder was fine so if you want to try it out, I'll be happy to send it.

Get a few liters of cheap brake fluid for the ISTA bleed procedure as the DSC until will get air in it when changing out the master cylinder. Not a bad idea to install a brand new fluid reservoir as well as years of brake fluid changes certainly got some debris in there.

I may take you up on that, thanks. Let me try the calibration first and then see. I almost did it at the track, but decided to leave it be on the off chance it does something unexpected.

[kolosy]

it's track season in Chicago! off to a stornger start this year, got 2 days in in April (one at blackhawk, and one yesterday at Road America). over the winter I got the car tightened up a bit -- refreshed the entire rear end (solid / spherical everywhere except the diff, powerflex black there) and added brake cooling in the front. this is also my first season running intermediate.

Blackhawk -- first day of the season, older pads (kept from prior season), older tires (same). Did relatively well as a warm up, but ended up about 1.5s short of my PB.

RA -- felt *really* good. the only people staying ahead of me on the track was 1 G80, and a Maclaren so I don't feel too bad there. Was outpacing vettes and G80s, on a 4 mile track that strongly favors high horsepower cars with 3 straights that I can hit 140+ on, and those guys approach 160. Same tires (trying to kill the Advans the car came with before I put the Kumhos on), but new pads. Ran a different track layout than last seasons so I can't compare times, but I _am_ coming off the front straight carrying an extra 5mph now vs last season, so I'm pretty happy about that step up.

I've got another session for may (an open track day that I'm psyched for), and then gotta plan the rest of my days out.

Definitely starting to notice more of what the car is doing, but I'm still running around in MDM vs no nannies. I'm still thinking through what to do there. On the one hand, I don't wanna fly off the track. On the other hand, I don't want to end up leaning into the MDM and developing bad habits. How'd you guys wean yourselves off of TC?