[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by MickAv8r

My 328ix at Lime Rock back in September. I did three track days this year, Thompson, Lime Rock and finished the season Saturday at NH Motor Speedway.

Car has the stock 330mm P337A brakes. Less than ideal but I upgraded to stainless brake lines, Hawk 5.0 pads and Motul RBF 600 fluid. I've also run the Hawk Street Race pads but the dust and noise were unbearable those stopping power was mind boggling. The Hawk 5.0 pads have been fantastic trading some stopping bite for little dust and little noise. Lime Rock and NHMS are relatively easy on the brakes with plenty of time to cool between braking zones but experience no fade at either with this setup.

I'm currently running 255/40/18 PSS square and have been quite happy but may look at going to a dedicated track tire and keep the PSS street only especially as I anticipate doing far more than three track days next year.

The car is lowered on DINAN springs but no other suspension mods have been made.

Now besides just craving more power the number one issue on the track I've been having is with bouncyness. The car overall is pretty planted but the rear end can get a bit squarely/bouncy on some bumps. There is no lip spoiler on the trunk and I do plan on adding one but wondering what else should I consider? Bilstein HD's maybe?

What's your setup?

18x8.5? Offset? Spacers?

[MickAv8r]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

What's your setup?

18x8.5? Offset? Spacers?

Yep the standard fitment. 18 x 8.5 ET35.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by MickAv8r

Yep the standard fitment. 18 x 8.5 ET35.

..and no spacers?

[MickAv8r]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

..and no spacers?

No. 8.5 ET 35 on the F30 is flush. Adding spacers would look ridiculous.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by MickAv8r

No. 8.5 ET 35 on the F30 is flush. Adding spacers would look ridiculous.

How much clearance would you say 255/40/18 on 18x8.5 in the fronts would have? When you were putting this setup together, what part concerned you?

For example... would the same tire on a 18x8.5 ET38 (instead of 35) not fit?

http://www.apexraceparts.com/apex-pr.../#.Vjk6eyuvaao ARC-8 vs EC-7.

[MickAv8r]

No idea. I've not had the chance to get the car on a lift and take measurements. I'm hoping to do so before I take the wheels off for the winter. If thats the standard fitment for the ARC8 (I thought they made an et35???) then you might be ok. Shoot an email to Apex they might be able to confirm.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

I find conventional racing gloves too thick with the M Sport wheel. Arguably worse is they take feedback away from an already isolated steering feel. I use these from Asher...

[ATLBlue]

I finally found the time and opportunity to take the F30 to Road Atlanta during a track event organized by Chin Motorsports last week end. Road Atlanta is a much faster track than the two others where I had been with this car before (Barber and AMP) and I was curious to find out how it would perform at a higher pace.

The good surprise is that the F30 was relatively quick, hitting 110+ mph before turn 1 and turn 6 and 140+mph on the back straight. It remained stable and composed all the time including under heavy breaking (140 mph down to 50 before turn 10a). Fastest lap times were around 1:46s which is nothing exceptional but OK for a daily driver and normally gets you among the fast cars in your group... but not this time. My 335i was by far the most pedestrian vehicle last Sunday with a crowd made of 911 GT3s, Mac Laren, AMG GTS, GTRs, Z06s etc. Very enjoyable company but definitely difficult to keep up with.

The only bit of bad news came at the end of the day when a very loud grinding noise appeared during a cool down lap. I thought a debris of some kind was trapped between a brake heat shield and a rotor but was surprised to discover the culprit in the rear undercarriage cover:



A large bolt attaching the guiding link of the rear suspension on the driver side had broken and the control arm was touching the axle. This made me miss the last session of the day and drive back home very carefully. With only the bolt, guiding link and a bushing to replace, the fix was straightforward and relatively inexpensive, but this incident takes some of my confidence in the car away. I guess this is why you buy an M-car if you plan to spend time at the track...

Here is a video showing a morning lap. Observe the red 991 GT3 blowing by without breaking a sweat

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by ATLBlue

I finally found the time and opportunity to take the F30 to Road Atlanta during a track event organized by Chin Motorsports last week end. Road Atlanta is a much faster track than the two others where I had been with this car before (Barber and AMP) and I was curious to find out how it would perform at a higher pace.

The good surprise is that the F30 was relatively quick, hitting 110+ mph before turn 1 and turn 6 and 140+mph on the back straight. It remained stable and composed all the time including under heavy breaking (140 mph down to 50 before turn 10a). Fastest lap times were around 1:46s which is nothing exceptional but OK for a daily driver and normally gets you among the fast cars in your group... but not this time. My 335i was by far the most pedestrian vehicle last Sunday with a crowd made of 911 GT3s, Mac Laren, AMG GTS, GTRs, Z06s etc. Very enjoyable company but definitely difficult to keep up with.

The only bit of bad news came at the end of the day when a very loud grinding noise appeared during a cool down lap. I thought a debris of some kind was trapped between a brake heat shield and a rotor but was surprised to discover the culprit in the rear undercarriage cover:



A large bolt attaching the guiding link of the rear suspension on the driver side had broken and the control arm was touching the axle. This made me miss the last session of the day and drive back home very carefully. With only the bolt, guiding link and a bushing to replace, the fix was straightforward and relatively inexpensive, but this incident takes some of my confidence in the car away. I guess this is why you buy an M-car if you plan to spend time at the track...

Here is a video showing a morning lap. Observe the red 991 GT3 blowing by without breaking a sweat

Cool video. What app did you use to create that overlay?

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

Cool video. What app did you use to create that overlay?

Thanks. The map, position and speed come from a Quicktime recording of the iPhone screen running the M Laptimer app. The track video is shot with a GoPro installed on the front tow hook mount. The overlay and complete video have been created using iMovie.

[ATLBlue]

The 911 GT3 is my favorite track car, but with my F30 I do not stand a chance to keep up

Short video of these beautiful machines leaving me in the dust:

[MarkM5]

Atl great lines! Miss this track very much. Definitely my favorite track. Favorite part was coming into turn 16 at 110+mph trying not to soil myself. What is it like to run the track clockwise?

[BmwFlooner]

OP thanks for sharing your experiences. I have a 335i that I feel at some point I'll take to the track (because I feel like it would be wasted potential if I didn't.) I'm encouraged that you didn't have any heat issues, though you said it was in the 70's? And here in Texas it'll get 90+ when track season starts again. I *hope* the bolt breaking off was just bad luck.

Right now I'm running an old 2001 Porsche Boxster S, and I burned out the power steering pump during one of my last runs because the fluid got too hot and weakened the pump - which is a common problem for that series year. My first mod to it will be a power steering oil cooler before the next season.

I just haven't seen enough stories about F30 335i's at the track to get a sense for how well they hold up for monthly HPDEs. Much has been made of the lack of steering feel - how do you feel this impacts you?

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by BmwFlooner

OP thanks for sharing your experiences. I have a 335i that I feel at some point I'll take to the track (because I feel like it would be wasted potential if I didn't.) I'm encouraged that you didn't have any heat issues, though you said it was in the 70's? And here in Texas it'll get 90+ when track season starts again. I *hope* the bolt breaking off was just bad luck.

Right now I'm running an old 2001 Porsche Boxster S, and I burned out the power steering pump during one of my last runs because the fluid got too hot and weakened the pump - which is a common problem for that series year. My first mod to it will be a power steering oil cooler before the next season.

I just haven't seen enough stories about F30 335i's at the track to get a sense for how well they hold up for monthly HPDEs. Much has been made of the lack of steering feel - how do you feel this impacts you?

I have also run the car hard with temperature in the mid-80's too and have had no issues with any kind of overheating, so I am not worried the least bit. To tell the truth, I am a bit more concerned about the bolt and also hope it was just bad luck.

Let's be honest: your F30 335i will probably go around the track as quickly as a 2001 Boxster S (at least it has been my experience), but you will need to get close to the limit of the bimmer while the Porsche will handle it like a walk in the park.
The "lack of steering feel" claim is exaggerated and I do not find it difficult to keep the F30 on the trajectory I want to follow -being mindful of what the car can achieve- and to evaluate how close I am to lose grip or control. Still, you will definitely feel that you are tracking a daily driver with more weight, too much body roll, no bucket seats etc., but there is a charm to it too. Fix your Boxster, keep using it as your track toy and take your F30 to the track occasionally for the fun of a different experience (just swap your brake pads and upgrade your brake fluid). The only downside is that you would probably need to pay for track insurance for the BMW (~$300) while I would not do it for a track dedicated 2001 Boxster.
In brief, go for it and give it a try!

[BmwFlooner]

Originally Posted by ATLBlue

I have also run the car hard with temperature in the mid-80's too and have had no issues with any kind of overheating, so I am not worried the least bit. To tell the truth, I am a bit more concerned about the bolt and also hope it was just bad luck.

Let's be honest: your F30 335i will probably go around the track as quickly as a 2001 Boxster S (at least it has been my experience), but you will need to get close to the limit of the bimmer while the Porsche will handle it like a walk in the park.
The "lack of steering feel" claim is exaggerated and I do not find it difficult to keep the F30 on the trajectory I want to follow -being mindful of what the car can achieve- and to evaluate how close I am to lose grip or control. Still, you will definitely feel that you are tracking a daily driver with more weight, too much body roll, no bucket seats etc., but there is a charm to it too. Fix your Boxster, keep using it as your track toy and take your F30 to the track occasionally for the fun of a different experience (just swap your brake pads and upgrade your brake fluid). The only downside is that you would probably need to pay for track insurance for the BMW (~$300) while I would not do it for a track dedicated 2001 Boxster.
In brief, go for it and give it a try!

I'll definitely be keeping the Boxster for awhile and continuing its transition to as street legal a track car as I can (No possibility of a trailer). But like you said, I'd like to try out the 335 just for something different every once in awhile. Not looking to compete with the Boxster or push it in the same way - my DD would need to be able to drive away from the track - just to get some more spirited driving than I can on the street.

But discovering that my Boxster of all cars had heat issues, made me wonder what mods I'd need to make to my 335 to take a street car onto the track.

Also since we're posting videos, here's my last run of the season:

It was 50 degress out that day. I was sliding around in pit lane heading out to the track. Took forever to warm up the tires.

[ATLBlue]

Attended the Peachtree BMW CCA HPDE at Road Atlanta today and there was a new M2 with M Performance accessories driven by a pro. Very impressive little car

[ATLBlue]

Video from the BMW CCA Peachtree HPDE at Road Atlanta.
Not to be taken too seriously... especially the soundtrack (needed to find something free to use on Youtube to cover the wind noise)

[ATLBlue]

More track footage. This time the last session of the week end (first 15 minutes) without editing and without cheesy music, just the inline 6 soundtrack.
Just in case one of you is looking for a way to kill time...

[ATLBlue]

More pictures from last weekend at Road Atlanta with BMW CCA.
3 conclusions:

• too much body roll even with coilovers on firmest setting... need swaybars

• Estoril Blue looks unusually dark on these pictures

• the new M2 really kicked my ass

[sly1types]

Nice

[erko1905]

Yeah, really cool.

I need to reinstate my BMWCCA membership and start going to some of these

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by erko1905

Yeah, really cool.

I need to reinstate my BMWCCA membership and start going to some of these

I have done BMW CCA events at Road Atlanta and Barber Motorsports Park for a few years and they were always very well organized. Very nice crowd and no snobbery at all. BMW CCA call their trackdays "Driving Schools" and this is really what they are. You will not have as much seat time as with other groups, but for those who start to take their car to the track, they are the best bang for the buck. For those with more experience, there is always something to learn and you can get signed off solo and have a very fun week end.