10-04-2017, 02:01 PM | #1 |
Diligentia Vis Celeritas
561
Rep 1,476
Posts
Drives: 335i
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Northern NJ
|
335i at Lime Rock
I haven't seen much action here in the F30 track forum in a while, so I thought I'd share a few laps from a BMW CCA HPDE at Lime Rock on 9/23.
My best lap was 1:04.79, which I'm happy with - but of course there are a few areas to shave off some time now that I've got a feel for the track (this was my first time there). Getting the most out of the uphill (#5) and the downhill (#7) takes some serious commitment, so I certainly left some speed on the table on both... but overall, the 335 was quicker than most of the other cars in the advanced run group, including a Dinan M2, a couple M4s and a few 911s. (A wicked new Camaro ZL1 1LE ruled the day... my quickest laps were chasing him as he was turning times a second or two quicker than me.) [/URL]
__________________
Ahead of the curve for specF30
|
10-04-2017, 06:45 PM | #2 | |
Brigadier General
1627
Rep 3,990
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
1
zinner562.00 |
10-04-2017, 10:47 PM | #3 |
Diligentia Vis Celeritas
561
Rep 1,476
Posts
Drives: 335i
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Northern NJ
|
Thanks! I'm running mostly chassis mods.... Ohlins R&T coils, H&R sway bars, M front LCAs and tension struts, Megan Racing rear arms, and Vorshlag camber plates. Plus the M Performance LSD, solid subframe bushings, and Apex 18x9.5" wheels with 265/35 RE-71R tires. And the soundtrack was thanks to a CG Precision race cat down pipe and exhaust.
Honestly, the car feels really, really good on track at this point.
__________________
Ahead of the curve for specF30
|
10-05-2017, 07:15 AM | #4 | |
Brigadier General
1627
Rep 3,990
Posts |
Quote:
- M Performance Suspension Kit - F8X M3/M4 brake pads in my M Sport Brake Option - M Performance LSD - APEX ARC-8 18x8.5 255/40/18 square setup - Michelin PSS I suspected you had a bit more than me, especially with the RE-71R tires. What are your thoughts on powertrain mods? I'm skeptical about long term reliability on significant powertrain mods when we're dealing with the use case of HPDEs. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-06-2017, 09:19 AM | #5 | |
Diligentia Vis Celeritas
561
Rep 1,476
Posts
Drives: 335i
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Northern NJ
|
Quote:
Those are great mods - I think you're doing it right. The next thing you might consider is a down pipe, as they add some nice power and noise without any reliability concerns. Also a charge pipe is good for peace of mind... my OEM charge pipe failed at Summit Point this summer, which really put a damper on things. There are certainly cars that pull away from me on the straights, so adding a tune would be the next step... but I think I'm actually done modding the car (I actually never thought I'd say that!!) If I were to do a tune, I'd go with one of the reputable flash tuners in my area that use a dyno to dial things in. The goal for me would be a marginal increase in boost (nothing crazy), but with a focus on having instant throttle response, combined with linear throttle mapping and a HP/torque curve that doesn't fall off all the way up to redline... hopefully adding a little more headroom at the top end. I would also do a Wagner Competition FMIC to make sure the increased boost didn't get things too hot. But at this point I feel like the car already has plenty of power, and I'm more interested in enjoying the copious mechanical grip that I'm getting with all the chassis tuning I've done. (And by the way, for a car with no rubber anywhere in the suspension - all poly, heim joints, mono balls and spherical bearings - the ride is still very well composed on the street.)
__________________
Ahead of the curve for specF30
Last edited by DVC; 10-06-2017 at 09:29 AM.. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-06-2017, 09:29 AM | #6 |
Captain
519
Rep 891
Posts |
Nice laps man, 1:04 is very respectable. Bimmerworld qualified their N20 328's this year there in the mid 59's and that's on full race kit...
Next season I'll be looking to do some HDPE at LRP. What mods would you say improved your on track performance most? I'm contemplating some Ohlins R&T for my car along with, M3 LCA and TS, and 255 RE-71Rs.
__________________
328i RWD | MW on CRed Slick Top | 6MT | BM3 | MPE | GPlus FMIC | CSF Radiator | Millway Street Camber Plates & Monoballs | KW V2 6k/18k Swift Springs | F80 LCA/TS | SPL Bump Steer Kit | APEX SM-10 | R-S4 | DS2500 | RBF600 | SS Lines | Past: E36 328is & E38 740i |
Appreciate
0
|
10-06-2017, 09:52 AM | #7 | |
Diligentia Vis Celeritas
561
Rep 1,476
Posts
Drives: 335i
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Northern NJ
|
Quote:
Beyond that, if you want to consider some mods in advance, I'd start with a set of square wheels and tires (e.g. Apex ARC-8s in 18x9 ET42 with a good Max performance street tire in 255 or 245 width). From there, an LSD is probably where I'd go next. After that comes the slippery slope of camber plates, coil overs, sway bars upgraded front/rear control arms, and solid bushings... all of which are components of a closely related system, so best to upgrade with specific goals in mind (or even better, holistically) when you're ready to really take the plunge : )
__________________
Ahead of the curve for specF30
|
|
Appreciate
1
MacklinUSOB519.00 |
10-06-2017, 10:18 AM | #8 | |
Captain
519
Rep 891
Posts |
Quote:
I'm glad you suggest that, because I really am not a fan of staggered setups. I hate front end push which is why I'm also considering the LCA's to get some more negative camber up there without having to dive into coils and plates just yet. I have a bit of a peeve with clunks, how is your setup holding up to noise? And I kid you not I was looking at ordering a set of ARC-8's for summers and keeping my 397's winter/alts I'll want to look into LSD options, it is a shame there is no M Perf diff option for the n20's.
__________________
328i RWD | MW on CRed Slick Top | 6MT | BM3 | MPE | GPlus FMIC | CSF Radiator | Millway Street Camber Plates & Monoballs | KW V2 6k/18k Swift Springs | F80 LCA/TS | SPL Bump Steer Kit | APEX SM-10 | R-S4 | DS2500 | RBF600 | SS Lines | Past: E36 328is & E38 740i Last edited by MacklinUSOB; 10-06-2017 at 10:40 AM.. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-06-2017, 01:21 PM | #9 | |
Brigadier General
1627
Rep 3,990
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-06-2017, 02:54 PM | #10 | |
Diligentia Vis Celeritas
561
Rep 1,476
Posts
Drives: 335i
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Northern NJ
|
Quote:
When mine failed, I went into a sort of limp mode, where the car wouldn't make any boost. No idea how much I was down on power, but it felt like a good 40-50% reduction. I still ran some laps in a couple sessions, and I ended up learning a lot about efficiently carrying speed through corners, in what amounted to being a 3600 lb momentum car.
__________________
Ahead of the curve for specF30
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-06-2017, 03:03 PM | #11 | |
Diligentia Vis Celeritas
561
Rep 1,476
Posts
Drives: 335i
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Northern NJ
|
Quote:
If you're sensitive to clunks, then camber plates might drive you nuts. I have tried a couple different sets, and they are occasionally quiet, occasionally obnoxious, and most of the time somewhere in between. So if you want to skip camber plates, then F8x LCAs and TSes are definitely the way to go to add camber. (Have you seen the threads where guys determined the correct spacers to use to make the TSes fit properly?)
__________________
Ahead of the curve for specF30
Last edited by DVC; 10-10-2017 at 05:39 PM.. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-06-2017, 03:57 PM | #12 | |
Brigadier General
1627
Rep 3,990
Posts |
Quote:
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1407066 There's my sob story. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-06-2017, 04:00 PM | #13 | |
Brigadier General
1627
Rep 3,990
Posts |
Quote:
Front - 235/45/18 Michelin X-Ice Xi 3 Rear - 245/45/18 Michelin X-Ice Xi 3 I'm not there yet to have a 3rd set of wheels/tires strictly for the track. The problem with F8x LCAs and TS is that you need to be able to do an alignment almost immediately after install. Otherwise, you'll probably tear up your tires just getting to the alignment shop. I remembered reading you might get some rub up front with a 255/40/18 tire. I might end up opting for the OE camber correction when I'm past 100k miles which is sort of pricey since it involves replacing the hubs |
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-07-2017, 12:02 PM | #14 | |
Diligentia Vis Celeritas
561
Rep 1,476
Posts
Drives: 335i
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Northern NJ
|
Quote:
As for wheel clearance the F8x LCAs do push the wheels outward a bit (and forward in the wheel wells if you skip the TSes!), but the overall clearance from the strut to the fender doesn't change, so as long as you're a bit flexible with offsets via spacers, you should still be able to make your wheels/tires fit. I have a set of OEM camber correction hubs (the ones that add -0.5°) that I'm no longer using since installing camber plates - let me know if you're interested in them.
__________________
Ahead of the curve for specF30
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-07-2017, 12:02 PM | #15 |
Boost Addict
357
Rep 360
Posts |
Which rear arms did you get DVC? And how much of a difference did it make on track?
I feel like I need subframe bushings, maybe arms...my back end is a bit floaty on higher load turns.
__________________
S55 M2C | Three Pedal Club | E30TU
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-07-2017, 02:11 PM | #16 | |
Diligentia Vis Celeritas
561
Rep 1,476
Posts
Drives: 335i
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Northern NJ
|
Quote:
I went with all 4 Megan Racing arms... Rear lower arms: - Rear Trailing Arms – MRS-BM-0380 - Rear Toe Control Arms – MRS-BM-0370 Rear upper arms: - Rear Camber Rear Upper Arms – MRS-BM-0311 - Rear Camber Front Upper Arms – MRS-BM-0320 One end of the rear trailing arms reuse OEM rubber bushings, so I swapped out for SuperPro poly there...and also swapped out the rubber bushing in the subframe-end of the OEM roll over strut (the spindle-end has a nice OEM spherical bearing). So now everything in the rear suspension is heim joints, poly, or spherical bearings. The back end of the car is rock solid now, and feels amazing, with tons of mechanical grip.
__________________
Ahead of the curve for specF30
|
|
10-09-2017, 12:03 AM | #17 |
Boost Addict
357
Rep 360
Posts |
With the new freedom, did you find any special rear aliment specs which were beneficial out on the track?
__________________
S55 M2C | Three Pedal Club | E30TU
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-09-2017, 01:57 AM | #18 | |
Private First Class
68
Rep 149
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-09-2017, 04:14 AM | #19 | |
Brigadier General
1627
Rep 3,990
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-09-2017, 11:44 AM | #20 | |
Diligentia Vis Celeritas
561
Rep 1,476
Posts
Drives: 335i
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Northern NJ
|
Quote:
Not sure if F32 front fenders have the same clearance as the F30, but if they do, then I think you'd need extra camber for those wheels.
__________________
Ahead of the curve for specF30
|
|
Appreciate
1
MacklinUSOB519.00 |
10-09-2017, 11:45 AM | #21 |
Diligentia Vis Celeritas
561
Rep 1,476
Posts
Drives: 335i
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Northern NJ
|
Sure, will do...
__________________
Ahead of the curve for specF30
|
Appreciate
0
|
10-09-2017, 11:57 AM | #22 | |
Diligentia Vis Celeritas
561
Rep 1,476
Posts
Drives: 335i
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Northern NJ
|
Quote:
Nowadays I'm paying pretty close attention to wear characteristics after each track session, and also taking tire tread temp readings with a probe pyrometer in the outside, center and inside of each tire, so at this point I'm getting much more into the weeds on alignment settings and tire pressures.
__________________
Ahead of the curve for specF30
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
Post Reply |
Bookmarks |
|
|