04-05-2015, 02:50 AM | #1 |
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1st Track Weekend Notes
Oh boy, where to start? First day, dark and cloudy sky, mostly rainy, unpleasant conditions, 2nd day sunny, dry and windy.
Let me get the excuses out of the way: 1st anniversary to the day of my crash totaling the GT3, one year off the track, rusty, not to mention new car, new platform; saying I was skittish is an understatement. A lot of positives, few negatives about the car, but I really had fun and getting back up to some speed was exhilarating. I only had few runs, my lap times were in the 1:32-1:34 range, which is sloooow and I was 10-11 secs of my GT3 pace (Summit Point Main), it is to be expected I guess. Anyway let's get to the car: First time out on semi-damp track, I left MDM on, but within 2-3 laps I had first-hand experience of others mentioning their frustrations with the electronics. As skittish as I was, I just had to turn it off completely. MDM not only does not help, but kills the driver confidence too I think, it intervenes so early that you think you will loose control even with slight aggressiveness of throttle or steering or combination, it is just silly. Once it was off, the car felt soooo much better, I had more confidence and we ran significantly better. I was slightly concerned about my front/rear tire stagger that I might get too much understeer, but thus far I think I really like the setup a lot. No understeer at all (although I wasn't going fast enough probably), easy to control the car and steer through the rear. Also, there was no rubbing. The tires also did not roll much at all, camber for the speeds I was at seemed fine, I am sure it will get worse as I increase my pace. Another concern was the seats; comfy leather. but I wasn't sliding much in corners and did not have an issue staying in them. The side bolster tightening does help, no complaints at all. I originally also started with Throttle in Sport, Shocks in Sport, Steering in Normal, DCT in S3. It wasn't bad and this track has some bumpy sections. However, one issue I had was once I'd reach 135 mph the car would start to float a little on all four directions. I really did not like the feeling and I eased off the throttle quite early. Otherwise, I think the car can reach 145-150 on the front straight (145 mph was most I had with the GT3). Up to 110 mph or so, I could keep on the tails of 991 GT3s, so straight line speed is really good, but I think aero lacks significantly. Later sessions, I switch everything to Sport+, the steering stability got significantly better, I liked the throttle much better too, and shocks can use another Sport++ IMO. During my first session I average 9.3 mpg, then my last session was 6.1 mpg. Given that I was significantly slower than my GT3 times in which I would avg 7 to 8 mpg, this engine is quite inefficient? I am not sure how to interpret, but I don't think I care much. The thrust that hits you with increasing throttle is not something I am used to, so initially I was barely ever on WOT, until last session, which is when the mpg went down significantly. DCT was flawless, I loved it. I tried all the gears, up/down, up/down, cannot ask for better. And the HUD was so useful, I don't think I ever looked down, excellent shift lights. And the kick in the boot shifting near or at the red line, LOLOL, just loved it. It is not unsettling at all, the car was stable even mid-corner shifts, no-lift booms ; just excellent. I have long ways to go before fully trusting the car and myself behind wheel, no doubt. But overall I did like the cornering feel, very stable, easy to throttle steer and moderate lean. 1.02-1.03 g cornering did not feel quite near the limit, there is more in there, I just need to learn to extract it. I was generally 10-15 mph slower in corners than in the GT3, particularly in high-speed corners, but during the last session that gap narrowed to about 7-12 mph. The car absorbs bumps very well, stays composed, but I now understand better why so many Bimmer trackers go with coilovers. I particularly felt the rebound on the shocks is lacking and compression can be improved at least slightly. The brakes did not disappoint. Pedal feel, although just a touch soft, remained constant through all sessions. They felt on par with the GT3, but I had PFC08s on that car, so for stock pads, I think it is excellent. After each session, the pads would fume for about 3-4 mins and they turned silver/white color on the front. Discs look as original still, I still need to check the temp paints when switching wheels to see if they are still there or washed out in the rain. The 400-500 lbs weight difference vs. the GT3 is felt everywhere, but particularly under braking. It takes a long while to get the weight onto the front axle after the first application of brakes; initially it caught me by surprise, but I got used to it quickly I think. Overall I really liked running with the M4, I have a lot to learn, but I can see it will be a fun car. The discovery phase is truly exciting, and every corner and straight is a joy, except for the weight and high-speed wobbling around, I absolutely love the car. Last edited by FTS; 04-13-2015 at 01:55 AM.. |
04-05-2015, 03:12 AM | #2 |
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Sorry if I missed this but are you on the CCB's or the steel brakes?
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04-05-2015, 05:04 AM | #3 |
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Loved your write-up!
What tires were you running?
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04-05-2015, 09:16 AM | #4 |
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Thanks for the review. I had a few pucker moments during high speed braking too, felt like the car was "skating" which is very unnerving at 100+mph. Springs are too soft, coilovers should resolve this I'm thinking.
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04-05-2015, 10:42 AM | #5 | |
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Edit: Found the thread: http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1107406 Thank you! R888s, 265/35 and 325/30s. Most of the wobbling I had was while on throttle above 130+ mph, under braking was manageable, but yes, it is there. Last edited by FTS; 04-05-2015 at 07:13 PM.. Reason: Inserted CCB link |
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04-05-2015, 03:29 PM | #7 | |
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I wonder if there is a difference between the passive and adaptive suspension in this regard? (I didn't feel this during 100+mph braking or while WOT at 130mph) Thanks for sharing your 1st track day experience OP. For me on my first time out last week (also in the wet and 38F ambient temps.. it was my first time at Spa and I was running in the 3:40 range) the thing I was trying to get used to the most was how patient I needed to be with the throttle on corner exit to avoid getting power oversteer. My previous cars have been much less powerful |
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04-05-2015, 06:36 PM | #8 |
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Great write up. Can you please share a photo of your wheel setup on the car? Didn't realize we could fit 325 in the rear.
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04-05-2015, 07:10 PM | #10 | ||
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Even though I was not WOT, the track report shows that on 2nd gear corner exits I could reach 0.40-0.45 Accel-g, which is pretty good I think, of course keep in mind that the tires I was carying Quote:
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04-06-2015, 04:29 PM | #11 | |
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Do you by chance have some data in corners where you tried 3rd instead of 2nd on exit? |
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04-06-2015, 11:01 PM | #12 | ||
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It is good not to place too much value in this data though, my driving was so inconsistent that it is not possible to draw conclusions. To give you an idea how inconsistent I was: my best lap time and TBL delta is 4.2 secs |
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04-07-2015, 12:02 AM | #13 |
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Great thread
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04-07-2015, 12:35 AM | #14 | |
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How do you like your data logging setup by the way? Would you buy it again or is there another one you'd recommend? |
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04-07-2015, 08:13 AM | #15 | |
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04-07-2015, 12:19 PM | #16 | |
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04-07-2015, 12:30 PM | #17 |
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Don't need ECU wiring, you can tap the CAN bus like the Awron gauge, or like me you can use the ODBII port, easiest. You get more channels through CAN bus though, the M-World guys are building a proper CAN Bus harness to do it cleanly, which I will get when ready.
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04-07-2015, 03:53 PM | #18 |
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Great write-up FTS, much appreciated! I especially liked the notes of comparison to your GT3. I used to have a 997.2 C2S which I loved at the track but couldn't handle as a DD. Good to hear your perspective coming from the GT3, and sorry to hear it is no longer around.
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04-07-2015, 03:58 PM | #19 | |
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04-07-2015, 11:56 PM | #20 |
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good stuff - thanks for posting!! sensitive topic about the GT3 perhaps, first of all I'm glad you're okay, but sorry about the car. if you had track insurance, who was it and how was the claims process? any lessons learned there?
at any rate, I'm glad you're back in the car and on the track! you're making me have tire size envy with those rears!!
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04-08-2015, 12:30 AM | #21 | |
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I did not have track insurance, my regular insurance covered at agreed value, so all was good; great company, ACE Private Risk Services They renewed my policy, minimal rate increase, but suggested to also get track insurance, which now I did for the M4. |
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04-08-2015, 06:27 AM | #22 | ||
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