E92 6MT Drag strip setup help.

[Mhikec]

Searched a bit on the forum and didn't find what I was looking for. I was hoping some of our experienced owners could help me with this question. I have an 08 E92, 6 speed with factory 19s all around. Car is completely stock. I took it to the local drag strip just to get a baseline.. I know every review says 12.7s or 12.8s but I was far from that. Im sure it was driver error. Anyways, this car has so many options as far as M mode goes and traction control and what not.

1. What electronic setup on a bone stock M3 yields the best 1/4 mi. Im gonna be modifying it but want to make sure I'm launching with the correct electronic setup.

2. What are some of the basic "strip" setups y'all do before attempting a run. i.e. reducing air pressure in tires or whatever.

3. Launch RPM, shift points etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have a local autocross track here and plan on taking it there as well.. just want to get a good baseline for both so i can track performance gains with every part added. Basically gives me something to do so I can explain to my wife why I'm away so much.. haha

Apologize if I sound noob, not ashamed to admit it. everyone starts somewhere. thanx again.

[DKX4///M]

There are so many variables; track, traction, temperature, driver, natural variations between cars. Your trap speed in your case would probably give you a better idea of what ET's your car should be doing in ideal conditions, with proper launching/shifting.

Of all your questions, the easiest to answer is "shift points"...As the S65 Engine makes peak HP the higher the RPM's, you want to get as close to redline as possible. Obviously the more time you spend in the strongest stock power band 7800-8400, the better. Shift as fast as you possibly can, duh. As you get used to the gearbox your shifts will become faster and more precise, the speed you shift can make a tremendous difference in ET's as well as traps...

Launching is more difficult. OEM Michelin PSS tires are grippy tires, heat them up as much as possible with a good dry burnout, and slightly lower tire pressure. Exact PSI is a trade off as the lower you go, the better launch but the more "rolling resistance". You can find a good middle ground with trial and error.

Launch technique is personal preference. Some of the best launches can obviously put the most stress on the drivetrain. I can't speak for all drivers, but I could say a common technique would be to hold the RPM's somewhere between 3500-4000, and release the clutch allowing for a little "slip" while slowly increasing throttle position. Once the car has some momentum and has ceased wheel spin, push the pedal through the floor haha.

iPhone apps like "pocket dyno" are useful tools for recording 60' times and 0-60 times, and thus improving them...

That's the best advice I can give. I am somewhat new to the M as well, but have a decent amount of drag strip experience, and have been building and tracking cars since 15-16 years old (29 now)...

I think I saw you had an O8, theres a chance if you have high mileage, you could be losing performance due to engine wear or "leak down/blow by", outdated software, bad plugs, wires, coils, air filter, etc etc...

What were you trap speed's and 60' times? By knowing these I could give you a more accurate range of where your car SHOULD be...

[pbonsalb]

If you had traction issues at your drag strip, you may need R compounds or drag radials. My local track is concrete with rubber and I get worse traction than on the street with street tires. Have to run DR.

Beware a few 6MT cars have broken diff support bushings and even the diff cover launching hard. Upgraded bushings may be needed. Back off fast if you get hop.

[Sirius Black]

The wheel hop is a B*tch. I agree, Do NOT try to pedal thru the wheel hop. Scrub the run and try again. On street tires, and AA STG 2 SC the best run I have on street tires was a run of 12.11@122mph. 60' was just over 2 secs.

I need to get a couple passes on the R888's to see how low I can ge the 60' and ET.

122mph shows the car is making power, but for me, getting that lauch right is B*tch!!!

[jphughan]

I really wouldn't recommend the E9x as a drag car. The forced delay on the 1>2 shift is a major handicap, but more importantly you're dealing with an expensive drivetrain that just wasn't designed with drag strip hard launches in mind. Of course modding the right components could help with that, but if drag performance is important to you, American muscle cars are a lot less expensive and are built for this.

[pbonsalb]

Drag racing is a great sport and there is no reason why you cannot enjoy an M3 at the strip. Very few cars are made for the track or dragstrip right out of the box. Does not mean you can't have fun with them on the track or dragstrip. And as you get better, if you want to go faster, you may need some driver improvement or mods. There are both for the strip just like there are both for the track.

It is true that a 6MT independent rear axle car is the hardest to launch consistently and without breakage. I would run stiffer diff bushings and/or stiffer subframe bushings. Drag radials help with traction, though R compound track tires are acceptable (the stiffer sidewalls are harder on the drivetrain and more likely to spin than drag radials). You can lessen the drivetrain shock by preloading using the handbrake at the line. Practice in a parking lot.

[Mhikec]

First of all, thanks to all that replied. Really appreciate your time and input. Yes those were fragment sentences. Anyways, the car has 35k miles, 1 owner. I am not making it a 1/4 mile car but like to take it out every once and a while.. I took the car to a local small auto x event and it performed great. Even with my shitty driving. I had a lot more fun with auto x, however i quickly felt the need for a brake pad upgrade. Wheels and tires is a must also. These 19s all around have to be slowing me down. But one project at a time. Trap speed at 1/4 mile was 104 i believe. I had MDM on and launched at 3500. Someone told me about shifting while keeping the gas pressed.. I was like yea I'm not to sure about that.. any feed back on this technique or anything i mentioned. Thanx again guys.

[CSBM5]

Mhikec,

Running with MDM on definitely took a lot of power away on your launch and upshifts and is the culprit of your low trap speed.

Run with DSC off so you can actually drive the real car. Note that if you don't have experience handling a powerful RWD care without traction control (i.e. you wouldn't naturally correct a big sideways movement on 1-2 upshift without even thinking about it), then you're going to need to be very careful as you climb the learning curve. Over on the E39 M5board, there have been numerous owners over the many years who have wrecked their M5 the first time they disable DSC which I've always found amazing, but many people these days grew up with nannies intervening and actually don't have the driving skills to handle a un-nannied car (note I'm old with decades of high hp rwd track/time trial/autocross/drag strip experience).

I made a post many years ago on the M5 board about launching the E39 M5. It is a beast to launch well since it has a ton of low end torque, so the E90 M3 is not as hard to manage wheelspin in one aspect while perhaps being harder on the 2nd part of the launch. Anyway, take a look at the post here in this link as it might contain some helpful thoughts. In the M3, you have to use higher rpms than the M5, but mostly they are similar. In the M5 you have to be very careful with the clutch (i.e. major slip and it's toast) which isn't a problem with the M3 generally. Just remember the key is weight transfer coupled with (throttle engagement + clutch engagement). If you don't get that initial weight transfer to the rear tires right (i.e. you just dump the clutch), you'll never get a good hole shot.

Regards,
Chuck

P.S. Whatever you do, DO NOT power through significant wheel hop...just forget that run and get out of the throttle.

[Sapper_M3]

Originally Posted by Mhikec

First of all, thanks to all that replied. Really appreciate your time and input. Yes those were fragment sentences. Anyways, the car has 35k miles, 1 owner. I am not making it a 1/4 mile car but like to take it out every once and a while.. I took the car to a local small auto x event and it performed great. Even with my shitty driving. I had a lot more fun with auto x, however i quickly felt the need for a brake pad upgrade. Wheels and tires is a must also. These 19s all around have to be slowing me down. But one project at a time. Trap speed at 1/4 mile was 104 i believe. I had MDM on and launched at 3500. Someone told me about shifting while keeping the gas pressed.. I was like yea I'm not to sure about that.. any feed back on this technique or anything i mentioned. Thanx again guys.

Your trap speed was 104?

Seems very, very low to me unless the DA was absurdly bad. A year ago I did 6 or so passes down the 1/4 mile (I can't recall DA, but I was about 1000 feet elevation at 70 degree temps) in my completely stock car (including ZCP 19" wheels with Contis), and I was trapping 110-111. I think my results are fairly typical for this car.

[Mhikec]

Yea apparently I had to many safety nets on.. going again this week.. gonna be a cooler night.. I think with everything off and a better launch RPM ill get get better times.. Again, im not trying to make this a 1/4mi car.. but I just want to know where I stand.. Ive already ordered brake lines and am looking for some track pads and performance brake fluid.. wheels n tires comes in dec/jan.

[pbonsalb]

Tires and track surface can play a large role. You won't run 110-111 mph at my local strip on street tires. You would on R compounds or drag radials, if you did not break anything. Not sure what the surfacing is at the OP's track. My track is a concrete surface with rubber over it. I get better traction on the street than I do at the track, when running street tires. Unfortunately my current drag radials won't fit my 08M3 (they are for my turbo 99M3) but I may get a different size that will work next year.

[Patrón]

Originally Posted by Sapper_M3

Your trap speed was 104?

Seems very, very low to me unless the DA was absurdly bad. A year ago I did 6 or so passes down the 1/4 mile (I can't recall DA, but I was about 1000 feet elevation at 70 degree temps) in my completely stock car (including ZCP 19" wheels with Contis), and I was trapping 110-111. I think my results are fairly typical for this car.

What was your time and 60ft time?

I have horrible traction issues and trouble launching (dct, not using launch mode).

four runs
four 110+ mph
four 2.6-2.7 60ft times
four 13.5s


after a dct tune and trying in launch mode (3,500 rpms) it will be the last time i take it to 1/4 track unless it's some time of roll racing.