Educating Yourself About (Fast) Cars

[jakeburton]

Hey everybody, I'm new here. One of the upshots to Iraq being so calm these days is the chance to spend lots of free time learning about cars, which I only recently developed an interest in (I'm considering the BMW MSP for an E92 6MT after this deployment). The threads in this forum are oftentimes fascinating and highly informative, but the accumulated decades of experience you all have often result in things going over my head (e.g. Dyno's, trap times). Can anyone recommend reading material that is suitable for beginners just getting their feet wet? As an example, trying to read Smith's "Drive to Win" is way past my level; I had no idea physics could be fun, should have paid more attention in school! I did search for a similar thread and didn't find it, let me know if it escaped me.

P.S. Is there any substantive difference between this forum and m3forum, or are they just similar communities of enthusiasts?

Edit: A little further research on my part shows "Going Faster" and "Speed Secrets" come highly recommended.

[fpblue]

Those were the two I was going to recommend. Good luck! Thank you for your service!

[URBAN LEGEND]

M3post is way better than M3forum. Most questions in the m3forum are answered with M3post links.

[AMOCHOSTO]

Read car mags too, some of them have nice technical sections, short, but interesting reads.

[fpblue]

Make sure you join BMW CCA. You get great discounts on BMWs and a great magazine in Roundel. Roundel has a lot of info in it.

[aus]

There's actually some VERY knowledgable people on M3Forum. Guys who are in the business and race their cars. There are a lot more owners here, but this place is more about the bling as a generalization, thought it's gotten better.

I agree with the magazines. They have a lot of small articles that most people don't read, but are really informative. I like Road and Track, then Car and Driver.

Then just read the posts here and ask questions. Most are willing to help and explain things. There's a lot of good info on the Engine, wheel and Track sections. The forums for E36 and E46's have a lot of track info since those cars are going to the track more and more as they get cheaper and have a lot of track mods readily available.

Stay safe and hope you guys get to come home soon.

[M3twins]

It's great that you are doing what you can to inform yourself about driving and owning an M3, something that probably more owners need to do. However, the M3 is a great driver's car and is, in general, very forgiving to someone not yet familiar with its handling and driving characteristics. To get the full ownership experience and the most out of your new ride, get enrolled in BMW's performance or other driving school. You'll really get the feel of the car, its limitations and be more confident in your own driving skills. Until then, best of luck deciding on the specifics of your M3.

And thank you for serving!!

[10M3MAN]

Same here Im in Baghdad and Im learning and reading all kinds of stuff...

[valeram]

To all the soldiers that made/make this country free, I salute all of you.

[Brosef]

Originally Posted by valeram

To all the soldiers that made/make this country free, I salute all of you.

+1

[hlmiii]

"The Physics of NASCAR: How to Make Steel + Gas + Rubber = Speed"
A fascinating, educational and absolutely wonderful read.

The author is a physicist and had an interest much like yours (OP - jakeburton). She started investigating the science involved, which led her to the people involved and she ended up not only participating in the the pits of a few races, but also driving the vehicle.

I ended up giving copies to my two boys. It's a great read.

Thanks for your service.
Check your message box.

[icemang17]

you bring up some good points...... its VERY easy to spend $$ and buy a "fast" car....being able to safely drive a "fast" car at the limit of the CARS ability is an entirely different matter...& takes serious SKILL to achieve......

Both of the books you mentioned are excellent reads, I really like the Speed Secret series.....but the best advice it to get out there on track.....a dedicated race school is a great starting point, but pricey......I started doing track days in my personal cars a few years ago, ending up with a dedicated track-race car (not the M3)....but am seriously considering attending a 3 day "race" school to improve my skills.....

some other great advice I got from fellow racers is the answer to "I want to learn to be a fast racer"......learn to race in a SLOW CAR....as it teaches you fundamentals faster than having a powerful car to cover your mistakes.....for example one mistake in a spec miata will cost the entire lap....vs an M3 that can use its ample HP to make up for a mistake in the corner..... it all goes back to the old motto "smooth is fast"