My E90 M3 Dedicated Track build (with pix!)

[Jive]

For what its worth, Team Schirmer uses Nitron on their E92 M3 and they have an exceptionally fast car. 7min Nurburgring lap I believe with advanced suspension, lots of weight reduction, and N/A motor.

Check out their site for the goods...

[Richbot]

So, fun story, back in the middle or end of 2011-ish I was hunting for a good A-Stock damper setup and called/emailed some people in the UK who purportedly had a stock-replacement Nitron for E9xM. It was coilover only so I ended up getting MCS because MCS had already machined a strut to meet a couple stock-spring-required class rules and spoke the weird SCCA rules optimization lingo

Anyway, Nitron's the real deal

[dogbone]

Quick update on my current plans: I'm signed up for the NASA TT at High Plains this weekend. Weather is looking FANTASTIC. Low in the 40s. Highs in the mid-60s. Forecast not calling for much wind.

I've slotted the car into TT1. At the moment, it looks like I'm the 5th driver to sign up for TT1, so the tire contingency should activate. I don't have new A7s but I have some pretty decent ones.

Now for the competition----recently I mentioned what I think is the ultimate vehicle for NASA TT1. In my opinion, the ultimate is a C5 or C6 Corvette that is gutted and weighs 2600lbs, has full aero, runs fat ass tires and is tuned for max hp/weight for the 6:1 class rules. There will be one of those at this upcoming event. Fatter tires and 500 less pounds than my car means it's hard for me to keep up in corners. I have more power in the straights, but the lap times I've seen coming from his car are......going to be difficult for me to keep up with. Regardless, I will put down the best laps I can and see what happens.

Looking at alternatives: the other plan I could go for is to move up to TTU. There are already 5 drivers in TTU so the tire contingency is already activated there. The problem is that would only leave 4 cars in TT1 and I know that the Corvette would move to TTU to chase the tire contingency---he has 3 maps that allow him to run in TTU, TT1 and TT2. But with 7 of us in TTU, then we could activate the tire contingency for 1st and 2nd places and maybe I'd still have a shot at tires. Or, if someone else signed up for TT1, I could move to TTU and maybe the Corvette would stay in TT1, and then we don't compete in the same class. But I doubt this last scenario will play out.

I've put a fair amount of effort into trying to win tires with NASA, but I still have not been able to win any. I've won events, but there weren't enough drivers to activate the tire contingency. Now this Corvette has arrived on the scene and I suspect it will be faster than me. NASA is keeping me on my toes!

Anyway, looking forward to an interesting TT weekend.

The future: In October, I will drive the rig to California where it will stay for the Winter. First event will be with PCA at Chuckwalla in mid-October. And then I've signed up for Global Time Attack Buttonwillow in November.

I'm eager to return to some familiar CA pavement in the coming months. I have not driven Buttonwillow with the carbon doors, MCS or the new aero. Really curious to see if my Buttonwillow lap times benefit from these changes. My Buttonwillow personal best was set in Feb 2018......it would be nice if I could improve on it. Unfortunately, I have not driven the track much in the last two years, so improving on my old time will definitely be a solid challenge.

[redpriest]

When do the mountain passes clear such that it would be safe to tow back to Colorado?

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by redpriest

When do the mountain passes clear such that it would be safe to tow back to Colorado?

There’s more than one way to get here! You don’t have to go through the mountains. In November, I took the southern route through Arizona and New Mexico and headed straight north into Colorado. Totally skipped the mountains. I did get home about 3 hours before 6” of snow hit though! hahaha

Next Feb, I’ll probably do COTA Super Lap. If I do, I’ll most likely tow the rig back here after the Texas trip for the summer.

[JScheier]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Now for the competition----

Jake & Isaac are both really, really fast in TT1. Jake, if the car survives, would be my pick for 1st (sequential shift C5 with a big V8 and G-Speed setup). Isaac just got his car back together (another HPR and GSpeed car), so he's been on the shelf all season. Still fast, but he'll be rusty.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by JScheier

Jake & Isaac are both really, really fast in TT1. Jake, if the car survives, would be my pick for 1st (sequential shift C5 with a big V8 and G-Speed setup). Isaac just got his car back together (another HPR and GSpeed car), so he's been on the shelf all season. Still fast, but he'll be rusty.

Yeah, the Corvette I was talking about was Jake's. And it should perform as expected now because he put a brand new crate LS3 motor in there. I don't know Isaac, but I'll take your word for it that he's fast.

Latest update----there are now 6 people in TT1. hmmmm Do I stay in TT1? Or take my chances in TTU?

Are you racing this weekend?

[JScheier]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Yeah, the Corvette I was talking about was Jake's. And it should perform as expected now because he put a brand new crate LS3 motor in there. I don't know Isaac, but I'll take your word for it that he's fast.

Jake is fast in anything he drives. He's just a really strong driver. Isaac has a REALLY fast car and is above average, but the rust factor will be high

Latest update----there are now 6 people in TT1. hmmmm Do I stay in TT1? Or take my chances in TTU?

Didn't say anything, but beware the other two corvettes with matching last names. Lets just say I didn't sign them off for TT.

Are you racing this weekend?

Well....I actually made a decision to leave racing for a while. I sold my car, trailer and the F250 is currently up for sale as well. Burned out after 10+ years. Will take a break and come back to it later in life. I still have the E90 M3 and am working on a 96 Bronco with my 15yo son. Most likely will pick something up in the spring once this crazy car market comes back in-line.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by JScheier

Didn't say anything, but beware the other two corvettes with matching last names. Lets just say I didn't sign them off for TT.

Well....I actually made a decision to leave racing for a while. I sold my car, trailer and the F250 is currently up for sale as well. Burned out after 10+ years. Will take a break and come back to it later in life. I still have the E90 M3 and am working on a 96 Bronco with my 15yo son. Most likely will pick something up in the spring once this crazy car market comes back in-line.

Thanks for the heads up.

Wow----so you really are done for the time being given that you're selling everything off. I mean, you sorta got out right in the middle of the season.....you really must have been over it. It's supposed to be fun. If it isn't fun, then what's the point I guess, right?

On my end, this year has been so frustrating with an unending list of technical problems. There are still some unresolved issues. But I'm hoping the major stuff has been dealt with. I gotta tell ya, I've muttered under my breath more than once that if something else major pops up with the car in the near-term, I might need a break......Endless technical problems that ruin day after day, weekend after weekend, month after month are just no fun. I was so glad that the car ran without issue in NY and VA. I'm hoping the return to CA is problem-free.

Looking back on the year, I guess I was sorta lucky that this stuff went down when I had the car with me in Colorado where I could deal with it locally. If every time I flew to CA the car broke down, it would have been quite a bit more challenging to deal with it.....and the frustration would probably have even been higher.....

Anyway, it sounds like it's time to kick back, relax and enjoy your E90 M3! The sounds that come from that engine still bring a smile to my face. There's very few cars these days that have such a rewarding sound. Most turbos sound like garbage to me.

[JScheier]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Wow----so you really are done for the time being given that you're selling everything off. I mean, you sorta got out right in the middle of the season.....you really must have been over it. It's supposed to be fun. If it isn't fun, then what's the point I guess, right?

Hammer. Nail. Nailed it.

I did one last hurrah instructing at the BMWCCA club racing school in my (already sold) car (...and I didn't get emotional). Even lapping it that weekend just seemed meh. Many in the NASA GTS group are at that point...so I had to get out earlier than them and sell the car at a good price before those yahoos saturated the market

It got to the point where I would walk into the garage, see the car on the lift and just not want to deal with it. Not that my car ever had 'big' problems, but even the little maintenance items started to become more than I wanted to deal with. New owner is thrilled with the purchase...and has already broken stuff. He's de-tuned it and is pulling more weight out of it (CF doors, hood, trunk) and making it 'his'. I'm happy for him

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by JScheier

Hammer. Nail. Nailed it.

I did one last hurrah instructing at the BMWCCA club racing school in my (already sold) car (...and I didn't get emotional). Even lapping it that weekend just seemed meh. Many in the NASA GTS group are at that point...so I had to get out earlier than them and sell the car at a good price before those yahoos saturated the market

It got to the point where I would walk into the garage, see the car on the lift and just not want to deal with it. Not that my car ever had 'big' problems, but even the little maintenance items started to become more than I wanted to deal with. New owner is thrilled with the purchase...and has already broken stuff. He's de-tuned it and is pulling more weight out of it (CF doors, hood, trunk) and making it 'his'. I'm happy for him

Glad to hear you're satisfied with your decision.

Just watch out-----that E90 is going to start looking like a blank canvas soon!

Allow me to save you some trouble.....Here's what it looks like before you have a problem:


Here's what it looks like after you have a problem.......


Don't let this happen to you!

[JScheier]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Don't let this happen to you!

I've left & returned, built and sold many times before. Next one will be faster with more cylinders and significantly harder to drive fast. I like the challenge, and honestly, it just wasn't there anymore.

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by JScheier

I've left & returned, built and sold many times before. Next one will be faster with more cylinders and significantly harder to drive fast. I like the challenge, and honestly, it just wasn't there anymore.

hehe yeah I know you’ve been around the block. Since you have an E90, I had to rib ya.

[Jive]

Originally Posted by JScheier

It got to the point where I would walk into the garage, see the car on the lift and just not want to deal with it. Not that my car ever had 'big' problems, but even the little maintenance items started to become more than I wanted to deal with.

I have to wonder, aside from the fact that the track places a lot of strain on every mechanical and non-mechanical part of the car, could some of the blame on these maintenance gremlins be because of the frankenstein track rockets? These track cars are taken apart and built back together several times in their lifetimes with the "excess" removed and parts being replaced and added for speed. I would imagine something can, does, or will go wrong during this process, making it very easy for the car to be out of commission. Repeat several times over the years of adding parts and tinkering, in addition to the strain a track event places on a vehicle and the added strain from more speed as you add go-fast parts and gain more experience... its likely going to be on a lift more than its not.

So with that in mind - does something like a GT3 go through a similar cycle and ends up being more trouble than its worth? I imagine there are less frankenstein GT3s out there however even if you have a Porsche, the mod bug still exists and the need for additional speed does not go away.

[rhyary]

Big sticky tires add huge strain on everything.

A max performance type tire allows some give and slip and cushion the drive

Speed cost money someone told me once

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by Jive

I have to wonder, aside from the fact that the track places a lot of strain on every mechanical and non-mechanical part of the car, could some of the blame on these maintenance gremlins be because of the frankenstein track rockets? These track cars are taken apart and built back together several times in their lifetimes with the "excess" removed and parts being replaced and added for speed. I would imagine something can, does, or will go wrong during this process, making it very easy for the car to be out of commission. Repeat several times over the years of adding parts and tinkering, in addition to the strain a track event places on a vehicle and the added strain from more speed as you add go-fast parts and gain more experience... its likely going to be on a lift more than its not.

So with that in mind - does something like a GT3 go through a similar cycle and ends up being more trouble than its worth? I imagine there are less frankenstein GT3s out there however even if you have a Porsche, the mod bug still exists and the need for additional speed does not go away.

I have found my car to be quite reliable on track from when it started in Jan 2012 to March 2021. That's over 9 years. I think that's pretty darn good. The stuff that's been going wrong this year really does feel like age related problems in a lot of cases. From what I've observed over the years, most people don't track the same car for that long. They either move on to other cars, or simply don't do it that long. And I think it's fair that any car would suffer age related problems---especially due to the high stress.

Overall, I'm happy with my car. But that does not mean I didn't have massive frustration this year. Frustration is frustration.....it doesn't matter if things were problem-free for years. Once you have to start dealing with a myriad of problems and you lose track time, it's frustrating. It's like a dating/marriage relationship---it could have been good for a long time, but if someone cheats, then you may have enough issues that could end it.

I've tried to be responsible and proactive and try to stay in front of issues by replacing things before they fail. But I just could not see the value in tearing the engine out of the car before it was necessary. It's just so darn expensive. I'm not a race team with huge resources that fully tears a car down between each event. And I don't know how to pull an engine by myself. And look how long my supercharged engine went---250+ track days. And even when the engine had an issue, we were able to save it. It was a gasket failing---not even an engine issue.

So, I guess it comes down to: how many years is the right number of years to expect reliable performance? And what do you do when problems start to creep up? Because it's gonna happen to every car at some point. My friend has a 996 GT3 and a 996 Cup Car. Both engines were out of both cars at the same time recently with different problems. Yeah......frustrating.

[JScheier]

Originally Posted by Jive

I have to wonder, aside from the fact that the track places a lot of strain on every mechanical and non-mechanical part of the car, could some of the blame on these maintenance gremlins be because of the frankenstein track rockets?

For my earlier builds, I would say yes. This last build, while still a "frankenstein rocket", was simplified to reduce maintenance and chance of failure. The interior had maybe 10 wires total. Dash was reduced to an AIM MXP. 8 switches to control various accys. Keeping it low maintenance, low complexity yields higher reliability. Engine compartment was also similarly simplified with just the required wiring to allow the engine to run and ABS to function. I want to say there were ~ 10 fuses left in the engine bay and 8 in the cabin.

But... as an example. Built the car, nut-n-bolted the entire thing. Strapped on a fresh set of R7s for the initial shake-down at Pueblo Motorsports Park. 8th lap in, front left balljoint fails and I get to visit the outside tire wall. Brand new control arm... gone... along with an R7, an apex wheel, fender and hood.

Some of the cars that are more 'street' than 'race' have a lot of maintenance issues, usually around bushings, bearings and electrical. The goal is to simplify the car so there are less failure points. Still, you are racing in a hostile environment. Stuff is going to break.

As to the GT3, the factory built cars have scheduled maintenance routines, and while that should help reduce failures, it doesn't prevent them. And that maintenance routine costs $$$.

I have (had) maintenance routines for the car. Every event weekend was brake fluid, oil, filter, nut-n-bolt all suspension components, check bearing play, etc. Annual was control arms, spark plugs, valve adjustment, PS fluid, etc. Every other year was wheel bearings (F&R) and damper rebuild. Not cheap, but I can count on one hand the number of races I DNF'd or DNS'd in 8 years of GTS racing.

[dogbone]

Very few surprises this weekend at the NASA TT. Got second both days to the Corvette.

I didn’t drive particularly well. But I also didn’t have great tires. Was fighting SO hard to find grip. The front tires corded during the 4th session.

Social aspect of the weekend was really the highlight. DRLane was out there on Saturday with a bunch of family. Was fun to hang with them. And fsmtnbiker came by on Sunday. Always fun to shoot the breeze with him.

There was another Corvette that just made the weekend more…..uh….interesting. He’s an old school TT guy who stacks people up behind him on the out lap, etc. and then he impeded me on the first hot lap of one of the sessions because he went super slow on the out lap and then didn’t go hot for the first hot lap. Then he spun on another out lap and caused chaos……hehe always interesting out there.

Anyway, the car ran fine and now I’m excited to take it back to CA in two weeks.

[Kelse92]

NASA events are always my favorite for that reason. The social aspect. One big happy weekend track family. Can't beat it.

[JScheier]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Very few surprises this weekend at the NASA TT. Got second both days to the Corvette.

Vette's fastest lap

There was another Corvette that just made the weekend more…..uh….interesting. He’s an old school TT guy who stacks people up behind him on the out lap, etc. and then he impeded me on the first hot lap of one of the sessions because he went super slow on the out lap and then didn’t go hot for the first hot lap. Then he spun on another out lap and caused chaos……hehe always interesting out there.

Yep. Not surprised.

[DRLane]

Originally Posted by dogbone

Very few surprises this weekend at the NASA TT. Got second both days to the Corvette.

I didn't drive particularly well. But I also didn't have great tires. Was fighting SO hard to find grip. The front tires corded during the 4th session.

Social aspect of the weekend was really the highlight. DRLane was out there on Saturday with a bunch of family. Was fun to hang with them. And fsmtnbiker came by on Sunday. Always fun to shoot the breeze with him.

There was another Corvette that just made the weekend more…..uh….interesting. He's an old school TT guy who stacks people up behind him on the out lap, etc. and then he impeded me on the first hot lap of one of the sessions because he went super slow on the out lap and then didn't go hot for the first hot lap. Then he spun on another out lap and caused chaos……hehe always interesting out there.

Anyway, the car ran fine and now I'm excited to take it back to CA in two weeks.

Always great time at the track with you Gabe. This was the first time I've had family or non track related friends join me for the day and it was lovely. For those that know Gabe, he can fit right to any family dynamic and complement the scene.

Only out for Saturday but settled into 3rd in TT3. Didn't end up breaking into :55s which was a bummer but :56 felt very drama free. Also managed to break 2 mins in the last session of the day with a 200lb passenger which was a surprise. Probably a bigger achievement than my :56.

Looking at the data, I was playing with braking earlier but lighter to carry more speed through fast corners. Which was a great, for example picked up mph through T4 (coming down from upper 130s) 85mph at apex vs low 80s when I focus on late threshold braking. Tendency is to over brake and cheat the corner entry in the mad survival rush. Now I just need to carry those same speeds braking later.

There's easily a 1.5 seconds with firming up some corner speeds. Also looks like on some of the slowing corners T6,T8, brining the min corner speed earlier into the corner vs trying to carry speed has huge benefits to exit speeds. Like I said. Lots of low hanging fruit. This car is capable of :50 as demonstrated by Mayfield so I have a long ways to go… But I'm happy with my progression over the past 2 years.

Congrats Gabe, bummed you weren't able to sneak into the :40s. Jake's corvette is formidable.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by Jive

So with that in mind - does something like a GT3 go through a similar cycle and ends up being more trouble than its worth? I imagine there are less frankenstein GT3s out there however even if you have a Porsche, the mod bug still exists and the need for additional speed does not go away.

I'm around some fast Porsches and many not so fast, the mod bug is if anything worse with them than BMWs.

The fantasy of buying a 'track ready car' when you pay 300k for a 991 3RS is just that, a fantasy. Anyone that is mildly fast mods and mods and mods.