Track forum general chit chat.

[Shmelgy]

Originally Posted by slicer

Yes. I am using a 140mm spring. You may recall that I suggested that you change your spring for tire fit.

My fitment has nothing to do with my springs. It's rim contact with the piggy back reservoir collar. The collar is unique to the new TTX kit and can't be relocated. I previously had a remote reservoir which didn't have this design. I'll post pics.

Lol I know your setup, I was referring to kpewpew

[roastbeef]

When removing the rear seatbelts (e92) do you have to take out the rear shelf first? Can't figure out what's jamming me up. There is an 8mm bolt in there, but other than that, it looks like it just slips out.

[slicer]

Originally Posted by Shmelgy

Lol I know your setup, I was referring to kpewpew

Ha! Thought you were talking to me.

[slicer]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

When removing the rear seatbelts (e92) do you have to take out the rear shelf first? Can't figure out what's jamming me up. There is an 8mm bolt in there, but other than that, it looks like it just slips out.

I don't think so. I think there is a tab there that needs to be positioned to remove. Trying to remember... might need to turn the assembly

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by slicer

I don't think so. I think there is a tab there that needs to be positioned to remove. Trying to remember... might need to turn the assembly

Yea the tab that connects to the rear upper felt looks like it turns towards the center of the car as it comes out. Looking at the part number, there might be a couple push fasteners hidden under the side panel or something.

[M43S7RO]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

When removing the rear seatbelts (e92) do you have to take out the rear shelf first? Can't figure out what's jamming me up. There is an 8mm bolt in there, but other than that, it looks like it just slips out.

Removed mine recently using this guide:


https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1221214

[kyippee]

RE: fitting 295/30/18 AR1 on 18x10.5 ET22 square wheels

Shmelgy

Really hard to take a picture as I only have one finger gap between tire and front fender but I think the spring perch is just above my 265/35/18 front tires. (18x9.5 ET22 wheels up front)

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by M43S7RO

Removed mine recently using this guide:


https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1221214

confirms what i was thinking. thank you sir, very useful!

[Jack14]

Figured id post this in here because these are a total track set up in terms of size. Have two sets of Titan 7 wheels I need to get rid of. Square TS-5s in 18x10.5 +25 and square T-R10s in the same size. Both in Satin Titanium. Pics below. Pm me if interested.

[IMG]IMG_1404 by Jack Orlan, on Flickr[/IMG]

IMG_0886 by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/166423875@N05/]

[roastbeef]

just snagged a gently used do88 dct cooler!

[fsmtnbiker]

Originally Posted by kpewpew

RE: fitting 295/30/18 AR1 on 18x10.5 ET22 square wheels

kpewpew I had a chance to throw the wheels on and do some quick test fitting. I have pics but don't have time to upload them now. Short story:

18x10.5 ET27 - The tire just touches the shock body, where the 'rim protector' portion sticks out. It barely touches, <1mm of deflection, but I still wouldn't run it this way.

18x10.5 ET24 - Fits perfect, ~2mm gap to strut body. This is the setup I normally run on track.

18x10.5 ET22 - Also fits, ~4mm of gap. I've run this on the rear at the track with no rubbing or issues as well, but I do run more rear camber than most at ~2.7 degrees.

TL;DR - ET25 to ET22 will fit front and rear, no issue, with the 295 AR1s, with my KW Clubsports (body is 50mm dia).

[tsk94]

Originally Posted by fsmtnbiker

kpewpew I had a chance to throw the wheels on and do some quick test fitting. I have pics but don't have time to upload them now. Short story:

18x10.5 ET27 - The tire just touches the shock body, where the 'rim protector' portion sticks out. It barely touches, <1mm of deflection, but I still wouldn't run it this way.

18x10.5 ET24 - Fits perfect, ~2mm gap to strut body. This is the setup I normally run on track.

18x10.5 ET22 - Also fits, ~4mm of gap. I've run this on the rear at the track with no rubbing or issues as well, but I do run more rear camber than most at ~2.7 degrees.

TL;DR - ET25 to ET22 will fit front and rear, no issue, with the 295 AR1s, with my KW Clubsports (body is 50mm dia).

What length spring are you running with the Clubsports?

[fsmtnbiker]

Originally Posted by tsk94

What length spring are you running with the Clubsports?

140mm. It is well above the tire, the bottom of the perch is about 15mm above the tire. Could definitely do a 6"/150mm spring and still have clearance at my current ride height/spring rate (515lbs).

[kyippee]

Originally Posted by fsmtnbiker

kpewpew I had a chance to throw the wheels on and do some quick test fitting. I have pics but don't have time to upload them now. Short story:

18x10.5 ET27 - The tire just touches the shock body, where the 'rim protector' portion sticks out. It barely touches, <1mm of deflection, but I still wouldn't run it this way.

18x10.5 ET24 - Fits perfect, ~2mm gap to strut body. This is the setup I normally run on track.

18x10.5 ET22 - Also fits, ~4mm of gap. I've run this on the rear at the track with no rubbing or issues as well, but I do run more rear camber than most at ~2.7 degrees.

TL;DR - ET25 to ET22 will fit front and rear, no issue, with the 295 AR1s, with my KW Clubsports (body is 50mm dia).

Thank you!!! Sounds like I've just got to pick between titan 7's ET25 or Apex's ET22 wheels. Coin toss for me between more or less outside clearance.

Wow on spring length. My 5" front springs are only 127mm. I guess APEX was very cautious when putting together my kit for me. Good for clearance, I bet still good with my helper springs too.

[b4hand]

Y'all see this? https://www.sdbmwcca.com/time-trial

Has anyone done the BMWCCA Drivers School? What does it take to become an A, or B Student?

[romero1990]

trying to get some advice and wanted to know what I should do from now towards tracking

Where I am now: Owner of E92M for a year, the car has about 120K miles on clock, the RB has been done and the car runs well mechanically. I inherited a set of KW V3 with valve nut stripped. So I bought a set of B12 to install for now. Considering either sell the V3 or get them revalved. I am going to run PS4S 265/283-35-18 from current set on EC7 18x9.5 ET22 and 10.5 ET27. The car is my DD so B12 Pro kit should be a good start while debating rebuilding V3 or something else.

What I want to do: I love driving, and over the years, driving became a means for me to vent out stress. I went to BMW AutoX session and confirmed I wanted to try out tracks. What I am not sure is what are the parts/mods to think about right now. I read from someone on the forum that it is better to plan ahead than redoing/rebuying bunch of parts. From what I can tell, my current setup should be a good start to noobie track days.

But down the road, if I am really into tracking more frequently, what should I be looking out for during the sessions and parts/pieces that I should be looking to buy towards a trackday machine?

Also, is driving/tracking simulation overrated?


thanks in advance

[evilspiritM3]

Originally Posted by b4hand

Y'all see this? https://www.sdbmwcca.com/time-trial

Has anyone done the BMWCCA Drivers School? What does it take to become an A, or B Student?

It typically takes time and running with a BMWCCA school a couple of times. They take their teaching process very seriously and want everyone to go through the steps to get to A or B.

[Jack14]

Originally Posted by romero1990

trying to get some advice and wanted to know what I should do from now towards tracking

Where I am now: Owner of E92M for a year, the car has about 120K miles on clock, the RB has been done and the car runs well mechanically. I inherited a set of KW V3 with valve nut stripped. So I bought a set of B12 to install for now. Considering either sell the V3 or get them revalved. I am going to run PS4S 265/283-35-18 from current set on EC7 18x9.5 ET22 and 10.5 ET27. The car is my DD so B12 Pro kit should be a good start while debating rebuilding V3 or something else.

What I want to do: I love driving, and over the years, driving became a means for me to vent out stress. I went to BMW AutoX session and confirmed I wanted to try out tracks. What I am not sure is what are the parts/mods to think about right now. I read from someone on the forum that it is better to plan ahead than redoing/rebuying bunch of parts. From what I can tell, my current setup should be a good start to noobie track days.

But down the road, if I am really into tracking more frequently, what should I be looking out for during the sessions and parts/pieces that I should be looking to buy towards a trackday machine?

Also, is driving/tracking simulation overrated?


thanks in advance

You asked a lot of good questions here. First thing to note is that our cars are great as-is to take to a track for the first time. That being said, with 120k on the clock, I would recommend doing some more maintenance before the track. Odds are you'll be fine, but they say 1 track mile is worth about 10 street miles. Head gaskets, valve cover gaskets, rod bearing (which you have done). Its not the end of the world if you have throttle actuator problems but you want to make sure your engine will stay healthy.

That aside, the set up you have now will do just fine for your first day. I would look into track focussed brake pads as that's always a good idea. Ive been running aftermarket brakes for a while now so I'll let someone on here recommend you a set.

If this is something you want to pursue in the future, again engine maintenance will be important. I would look into a second set of wheels and a track focussed tire compound. The PS4Ss will do just fine, but you will eventually over drive them as you get faster and they aren't too cheap. Ohlins R&T or KW clubsports will be a good option going forward. I ran R&Ts when my car was still street legal. BBK if you start to sense the brakes aren't holding up to the task. Past that, you have a track addiction and you're going to have a race car before you know it lol.

Simulators are legitimate. I use them before I race to re-familiarize myself with the track I'm going to. They will not teach you how to be a good driver. You need to learn in a car for that. They can be useful in practicing what you have learned though. Be sure to take on as much instruction as possible and you'll be running in the advanced groups before you know it.

Good luck!

Edit- Essentially the more you upgrade, the harder you can drive the car. The harder you drive the car, the more stress you put on other components which leads to the need for more upgrades. Vicious circle.

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by romero1990

trying to get some advice and wanted to know what I should do from now towards tracking

Where I am now: Owner of E92M for a year, the car has about 120K miles on clock, the RB has been done and the car runs well mechanically. I inherited a set of KW V3 with valve nut stripped. So I bought a set of B12 to install for now. Considering either sell the V3 or get them revalved. I am going to run PS4S 265/283-35-18 from current set on EC7 18x9.5 ET22 and 10.5 ET27. The car is my DD so B12 Pro kit should be a good start while debating rebuilding V3 or something else.

What I want to do: I love driving, and over the years, driving became a means for me to vent out stress. I went to BMW AutoX session and confirmed I wanted to try out tracks. What I am not sure is what are the parts/mods to think about right now. I read from someone on the forum that it is better to plan ahead than redoing/rebuying bunch of parts. From what I can tell, my current setup should be a good start to noobie track days.

But down the road, if I am really into tracking more frequently, what should I be looking out for during the sessions and parts/pieces that I should be looking to buy towards a trackday machine?

Also, is driving/tracking simulation overrated?


thanks in advance

Just know that with tracking you will always want to continue raising the car's potential as you advance. So, rather than upgrading everything right away, you'll probably have a longer lasting satisfaction with the performance of the car if you do it in stages between track seasons. Also, it will allow you to feel whether you are reaching your own potential with the car's then-current setup after many track days before moving on.

Pads and fluid are a necessity after the first day or two though. Also, no harm in upgrading safety equipment sooner.

[romero1990]

Jack14

Thank you, that's some really good info.

120K is definitely the most concerning part of the car. I was also debating if I should get something lower in millage, like 135i or 235/240. I bought my M3 with intention to keep it as long as I can and will fix it up as much as possible. What I will probably do is get it started with M3 and move forward as it goes.

Both gaskets are still holding ok/not seeing any leak yet. They probably will as the engine stress goes up. TA are both addressed which should be fine.

On braking system side, my brake rotors are due to be replaced, there are lips since I got the car. Was thinking about replacing them altogether once pads are worn. I definitely should do it before track day with track pads. BBK will probably come much later unless some discounts happen. The best price I see so far is ~4.5K for ST60+40 set, or Slon's 380mm disk retrofit sets for around 4K. It seems ST's 380mm disks are way more expensive than F8x 380mm. From cost effectiveness, F8x retrofit is almost win.

Suspension side. Cost of getting V3 rebuilt+ set of camber plate totals about 1.2K. It cost a lot less than KW clubsport. It looks like R&T + camber plate will run about the same as clubsport.

Bartledoo
Very true. I will most likely do the brakes first for the safety and see how the car holds up as it goes. The main concern is definitely the high millage my M3 has now.


All in all, the most important part is me really register for a few sessions and get a feeling of the tracks.

[Jack14]

Romero, no problem. Sounds like you’ve got the right idea here. Bartledoo is correct, just be sure not to over modify based on skill level. You learn by pushing the car to its limits and learning how to drive quickly within those limits, but again, seems like you’ve got the right idea.

If you’re interested in a bbk, I have a custom Alcon 4 piston kit i put together. Never installed the rears which were the same size as fronts so they’re in great shape. You would just need rotors which it sounds like you need anyway. PM if interested. Not looking for much as they’re sitting around.

[Ximian]

Originally Posted by Jack14

If you’re interested in a bbk, I have a custom Alcon 4 piston kit i put together. Never installed the rears which were the same size as fronts so they’re in great shape. You would just need rotors which it sounds like you need anyway. PM if interested. Not looking for much as they’re sitting around.

Alcon is a pretty rare kit for the E9x M3. Which one do you have?