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The Locator posted:Make sure to put a full cooling-system refresh in your budget with an E36. Mine got really hot on track until I replaced the radiator, went to a cooler thermostat, and replaced the anti-freeze mix with pure water and water-wetter (which is actually just a really good idea anyway for a track car). Haven't had any trouble with the interior, but it has racing seats in the front anyway. On my very first track day an e36 popped off the upper radiator hose with bits of the neck still inside it. Definitely a required area if you plan on tracking any BMW, really. I've seen two BMWs pop coolant hoses this year alone, I definitely plan on refreshing my 330i before doing another track day.
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Jun 17, 2012 15:32
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Last time I tried a bike pump the whole valve assembly exploded into bits on the first pump. I haven't been able to find one that actually fits on properly.
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Jun 22, 2012 12:15
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I had V12s out on one track day in my 328is and I wasn't really a fan. They squealed like hell even though I wasn't near the limit, and the treadblocks made the steering feel quite vague. Starspecs are more expensive but they feel a hell of a lot better on my 330i. They'll certainly last a trackday though. I had probably 4 solid sessions of lapping on them. 5-6 laps per session of a 1.6km track that is very hard on tires.
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Jul 12, 2012 02:30
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nVortex posted:I can rev match fairly well when just coasting to a stoplight. Tried adding some braking to that today and I think the problem is I'm used to having my heel as an anchor point on the floor to smoothly control braking. Also I have big feet so I have to blip the throttle with whatever part of my shoe I can touch it with and its not accurate at all. Keep in mind heel+toe is just a term. If the pedals are set right, you basically use both sides of your foot near the toes. I use the same technique as that senna video - roll off the brake (while keeping pressure) and hit the throttle with the outside of your foot. The hardest part by far is keeping the pressure consisitent while blipping the throttle. I actually prefer to drive in chucks, but I like a little bit of a firm sole. I've tried doing it in thin-soled canvas shoes and I just didn't like how it felt. I once had a pair of Piloti (supposed "driving" shoes) and I loving hated those things.
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Aug 22, 2012 02:53
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kill me now posted:those $80 harbor freight racing jacks are actually not complete garbage and are perfect for track days. Which ones are those? A buddy is going to the states next weekend and I want him to do a harbor freight trip for a few cheap things I could use.
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Feb 10, 2013 01:34
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Hog Obituary posted:Thanks guys. I'll do some digging. Trust me, you don't want an E46. I did it for one summer with a ZHP as an autoX car and sold it to get my e36 m3. Main issues: -Expensive tires (unless you buy 17" track wheels) -Can't use the LSD from the M3 without a whole rear subframe swap. Aftermarket LSDs are quite expensive as well. -Subframe mounting prone to cracking and BMW NA no longer covers this. It doesn't happen to every car but is a possibility. -Quite heavy and you can feel it. I had a no sunroof, 4 door ZHP without folding seats. The stiffest e46 & lightest ZHP you can buy and my e36 just felt way more direct and tossable. A 9k ZHP is going to be beat. For 5k you can get a VERY good e30 (325is or possibly an M5x swap) or e36 (325is or 328is), then spend the rest on track parts and reliability upgrades. Keep in mind unless you buy something that is track prepped, you will be sinking in money to get it up to snuff.
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Feb 10, 2013 23:47
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ColdPie posted:While we're on the topic, any suggestions for a brake fluid pressure bleeder? I've done it by hand, but I remember reading a pressure bleeder goes a whole lot faster. Just get a motive and whatever adapter you need for your reservoir. It makes it so much easier. Pressuize, open bleeder until you see fluid, close bleeder. Can easily bleed everything in 20 minutes depending on how fast you can remove/install wheels.
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Mar 5, 2013 23:58
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Must be nice to be able to have insurance. If I use my local track I have ZERO coverage. The only way I could get covered is the BMW school and it's 500 bucks to track with a bunch of rich assholes.
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Mar 13, 2013 03:23
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Autocross is fun because it's cheap competition and you get to meet lots of different people, and shoot the poo poo while working the course. It's also the only motorsports my friends will commit to doing on a regular basis. But our region is a bit different - 20-30 competitors is the norm, 45+ is a record. So you get to know everyone and half the reason to go is to socialize.
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Jun 7, 2013 00:04
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Anyone have any thoughts on hawk HTC pads? Looking for a track only pad at a semi-reasonable price after discovering how bad an idea street pads were for a lapping day. Tirerack actually happens to carry them and it's nice to know the upfront cost getting them across the border. I've been told PFCs are fantastic, but I'm not looking to jump into something THAT expensive right away.Octopus Magic posted:to be fair pretty much any track where it freezes on a regular basis is rough. Tell me about it. Here's a vid from my local track. Try to count all the cracks. It gets pretty rough on the back straight when you get up above 140kph. And yes, my lines are absolute poo poo. For a bonus, watch an MR2 spin out in the slowest corner at 12 minutes in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT6rwc--QUo Crustashio fucked around with this message at 01:45 on Sep 4, 2013 |
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Sep 4, 2013 01:37
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http://www.essexparts.com/learning-center/cat/brake-pads/post/swapping_pads Anyone ever try this method of swapping pads without swapping rotors? I'm lazy enough that carrying the drat rotors around and removing the caliper brackets makes it too much of a hassle for me. But if I can just swap the track pads on a few days before, then remove them a few days after, it'd be perfect. And no, I don't care about brake dust on the wheels.
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Oct 4, 2013 00:17
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Thanks guys, I'll just keep my new track rotors on the car and keep the old ones as spares. Even have a nice long stretch of desolate road to bed the pads in on before a track day. Now to just wait until may for the first track day 
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Oct 5, 2013 13:47
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On the topic of seats, does anyone have any experience with recaro speeds (formerly srds)? I'm looking to replace my drivers seat in my e36 m3 because the stock vader just doesn't cut it for autoX, but I don't want to go fixed back/rollbar. I'm looking at them mainly for the high leg bolstering, and I have a pretty small frame (5'6 150lbs).
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Oct 16, 2013 22:37
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I've seen people use schroths for autoX, but not really for the track. They do keep you planted really well but obviously its just a 4pt harness.
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Feb 12, 2014 18:29
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Welp, after the tire discussion I just ordered a set of 245/40/17 RS3s for the M3. Must be closeout tires, they were only 25 more than tireracks price for Z2s and I don't have to pay duty or ridiculous shipping charges.
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Feb 19, 2014 01:40
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grover posted:Rumors are abounding of an RS3 compound change due to occur with the next shipment. They're supposed to give better cold & wet grip than the present compound, but will be otherwise identical, and identifiable only by looking at the date code on the sidewall. The problem is no one has any idea when the next shipment will come thanks to hankook. And I'm sure the new batch will be more than 199CAD/set. In other news someone asked tire rack about the ZII star specs, quote:Re: ZII "Star Spec"
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Feb 19, 2014 02:41
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I switched to Motul RBF600 after the announcement about superblue. It's expensive but really good stuff.
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Mar 2, 2014 16:20
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FatCow posted:Has anyone actually gotten this to work? In my experience the blue dyes the lines and you never really get yellow again. I used to use it all the time, it stains everything but it never came close to making it hard to tell between yellow/blue. Now I just bleed before/after track days and do a flush at the end of the year unless I'm having an issue.
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Mar 3, 2014 15:30
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Haha I love playing with the ebrake button on the highway. Click click click My RS3s showed up yesterday, 200tw which surprised me. Can't wait to test them out in may, it'll be the first time I'll have a square setup on the track. Crustashio fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Mar 7, 2014 |
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Mar 7, 2014 14:21
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eriddy posted:I can use them on the street as well as the few track days I do each year. lol HPS are junk. They're poo poo street pads for pedal feel, I can't imagine how awful they would be at the track with heat in them. If you're doing multiple trackdays, invest in a decent set of track specific pads. I did this for my e36 and I will never try to run a dual duty pad again, too much compromise.
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Apr 13, 2014 03:04
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Look at the chart. They are at getting close to full friction around 300F, and they come up to temp earlier then the blues or HT-10s. And despite what the chart shows, there is still braking when you're not at temp, just be prepared to bury the pedal. I swap mine on the night before to wear off the street transfer layer, and then drive home on them so they wear off their own transfer layer. My only issue with DTC60s is that they are TOO good. That kind of friction is really high for street tires and I am constantly into ABS. I wish I had gone with something slightly milder (PFC06 seem to be universally loved). I don't want to run rcomps on the track anytime soon, they are expensive enough for autoX.
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Apr 13, 2014 12:55
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RC1s seem to be the "new" hyped cheapish tire. I like my nt01s, and if you're in the states you can get them for pennies. Discount tire direct has them for cheap.
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May 4, 2014 13:38
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Make sure the shop knows about removing the alignment pins up front to get extra camber. Don't run 0 rear toe on a BMW. I suggest 1/8" total toe in on the rear, zero in the front. If you're OK with zero front toe on the street, run as much negative front camber as you can reasonably get. You'll probably hit -2 in the front if you're lucky. BMWs front suspension really favours lots of static negative camber to counteract camber loss during roll. For the rear I'd probably shoot for -1 to -1.5. I'm not super familar with Z4 alignments, I'm basing these of my knowledge of e36 suspension. Your best bet would be to google "Z4 track alignment" and do some reading.
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May 7, 2014 22:41
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Is it worth it having a camber/caster gauge for the track? I'm completely unable to feel out tire pressures so I plan on going splits on a tire pyrometer with a friend. He was also thinking about getting a camber gauge to adjust setups at the track as we both run adjustable camber plates. The idea is appealing, but how fast can you actually setup and use them? He was looking at longacre and fastrax, given the prices he sent me I assume it was bubble style gauges. There is an open garage area at the track we can use as a flat surface.
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May 21, 2014 13:11
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Did my first time attack today. So much fun getting the track to yourself for a few laps. I was about 2s off a typical m3 with street tires time so I have lots of room to improve. Mainly hitting the apexes consistently leading onto the straights. Also need to come up with an in car mount, I don't like this one for track days. http://youtu.be/X17gmfHmpQg Also, dumbass story of the day. A guy was walking around asking for a spare lugnut...I never asked why. Then about an hour later I was talking to the tech inspector and he said the guy only had 4/5 lugnuts on each wheel. When told he needed all 5, he pointed at a miata and said "but that car only has 4!".
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Jun 22, 2014 13:48
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Unless you have a cage Snell M is legal is it not? Our time attack doesn't require SA and we use CASC-OR rules. Decent HJC Snell M helmets are only ~180CAD.
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Jul 9, 2014 03:10
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Used my NT01s and beat my previous lap record by almost 2 seconds. Not bad for tires with ~40 autoX runs by me and 4 trackdays on the POs 335i. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFMnK7bqlmI
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Aug 18, 2014 00:46
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rotard posted:What track is that? Looks very fun with the elevation changes Atlantic Motorsport park. The only road course east of Quebec. Luckily its a really fun course, although the surface condition leaves a lot to be desired.
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Aug 18, 2014 15:34
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Anyone here use recaro pole positions or sparco evos? I'm looking for a quick measurement on each seat and there aren't really any local cars to check.
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Aug 23, 2014 01:08
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I need the side harness hole length x width which isn't on any of the manufacturer dimension charts that I can find.
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Aug 23, 2014 14:28
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BraveUlysses posted:crush> you just want the size of the holes? or their relative location on the seat? Just the size of the holes.
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Aug 23, 2014 18:05
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SlapActionJackson posted:Pole positions are 3.25x1.35 (max dimensions) with semicircular ends that reduce the opening size at the corners. Awesome, thanks!
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Aug 24, 2014 02:41
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If you're not swapping rotors, put the pads on a little before the event and drive on them to get rid of the street pad transfer layer. And then run them on the way home to scrub off the track pad transfer layer. It works really well for me and saves on rotor changes which add a lot of extra time on my e36.
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Sep 26, 2014 19:17
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Phone posted:$20k for a race car in a spec race series is a bargain. Doubly so when you realize it's in Canadian fun bux. Is spec e46 even off the ground yet? I've seen rumblings about it but there was a lot of discussion about rules and the harmonics problems with the M54.
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Oct 17, 2014 00:01
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My local track is being partially repaved this year. Only ~75k in work, but it will eliminate a lot of the roughness on the track, especially bumps in the braking zones. I can't wait.
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Feb 12, 2015 02:40
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Honestly I don't bother. Track pads are basically brake lathes when cold. Swap them on the day before, by the time I get to the track the street transfer layer is gone. They bed in within a session. Then drive home and it wears off the track pad layer. I use OEM pads for the street which don't really need a bedding in. But I do that because my m3 requires removing the calipers to swap rotors. If you don't have to do that, absolutely buy a cheap set of centric blanks for the track.
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Apr 5, 2015 05:46
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jamal posted:I can't think of a way you wouldn't have to do that. Usually it's just two big bolts. Err, yeah I meant caliper mounts themselves which are annoying on my e36 and I had an incident with not retightening correctly (luckily not AT the track), so I stopped removing them. Never had any weird bedding issues since.
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Apr 6, 2015 03:39
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It is at all possible that not bedding in pads properly/not clearing off the rotors would cause brakes to stick? Recently did a time attack in my e36 only to have the fronts stick quite badly after a few laps when the brakes started getting up to temp. Pitted in and it took a lot of effort to spin the front with the car jacked up. I was in a rush and didn't street drive with the race pads for a few days like I normally do. I know it's likely the OEM pad compound did not mix well and led to pretty bad vibration, but I'm not sure that would cause the brakes to stick like that. I just hate having to replace calipers again. Left a shitton of deposits obviously. Crustashio fucked around with this message at 02:31 on Jul 20, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 02:22
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I've done HPDE schools on stock pads, but once I got up to speed they didn't last long. Last trackday I brought my e46 out after breaking my M3 and I had the stock pads smoking in about 15 minutes.
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Aug 8, 2015 21:09
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NitroSpazzz posted:That one seems to be a crowd favorite. I had been following him for a while and knew he was over driving so it was just a matter of time before he blew a corner, should have expected it to be 10b. Rallycross is an option.
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Sep 4, 2015 13:58
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