[casper83]

Took the car out to Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, IL a few weeks ago. I basically confirmed what everyone already knows, this car needs some camber. I was overdriving the car, overheating the tires and destroyed my RE-71R’s, but I had fun doing it.

Here are some notes from the day:

-Tires felt greasy with pressure higher, 45 psi. With lower pressure, 38 psi, the tires rolled onto the sidewall and screamed for mercy (see pic). Time to look into camber plates

-the car doesn’t care for trail braking for the most part. This is how I’m used to driving and it took me to the end up the day to try to unlearn that. I think I was better off getting my braking done and then turning in

-turn off all electrical nannies. I kept fighting the DSC coming out of corners. It was killing my exits. It may have also been heating up my brakes. The rotors were 570 degrees F when I got back to the pits. The other BMW guys around me said this was in part related to the DSC pulling on the brakes. After I turned it off they dropped to about 500. Still incredibly hot. The dust covers suffered the consequences.

-Still not a big fan of the brakes. They just feel soft to me. On the positive side they did survive some pretty good abuse without failure. The pads are used up so EBC reds will be going on.

-I think I’ll be investing in some sway bars to help reduce roll

-I really wish we could fit more tire under these cars. It’s definitely a limiting factor

- Had an issue again when I was under ¼ tank of gas. Car went into limp mode (happened Milwaukee Mile also)

-Schroth makes a 4 point harness that are easy to install and remove. One of the 1-series guys had one and said it makes a huge difference. I’ll definitely be getting these

-The car eats gas like crazy on the track

-Remember to close your sunroof (I did not)

-I started using Harry’s lap timer. I only got a few laps recorded as I was just learning, but it’s a really nice app and I would recommend it. I used my phone GPS, but think I’ll purchase an external GPS for better accuracy.

It was another fun day at the track. Although, not the perfect track car it continues to hold up decent and surprise folks. I think the best part was holding my own against a 1M that had full bolt-ons and suspension. There was a 4-door 3-series that was awful quick and fun to run with too. Met a couple guys with 1-series that were good guys. Sad to see the season end.

I've added a video with overlay. Warning: it's a phone video so quality isn't the best. I was learning how to use Harry's lap app and didn't get a lot of my laps (this was not my best but it's what I have). I didn't get it linked to the Gopro and overlay is limited because of the JB4.

[Liquidpaper]

Welcome to the club.

Yeah, those are the impressions I had the first 3 or 4 times I had the car on track, mostly stock. Some of the fixes are easy, some are not.

With regard to the tire wear, you nailed it -- car needs camber.

Some of the other issues depend on what you've done/are willing to do. With respect to the brakes, easy fix. Pads, lines, fluid. The rotor and calipers are very, very good -- they just need some better consumables. I am running ATE 200, stainless lines, and EBC Yellowstuff pads. I like them a lot, and it makes a big difference (and wasn't that expensive of an upgrade).

With respect to the trail breaking and handling, again, it depends. Do you have an LSD, or the stock open diff? I ran the car for probably 10 days or so on an open diff, and it was definitely a little squirrely at the limit. As soon as I put an LSD in, the car is predictable, tight, and stable in corners. Makes a huge difference. Also, you should really consider your priorities before going the sway-bar route. The bars aren't expensive, but the labor (or effort) to install them is insane. You need to drop the front and rear subframes to get at the bars. I had it done, and although I don't regret it, it is a major, major hassle to get it done.

You mentioned something about tires. I run 255/35x4 on the car. 255 is about the biggest section you can run in the front without serious body modification (fender pulling, etc.), but they do fit with some camber (about 2 degrees, at least). The rear can accommodate a much larger tire (I think 275+), but I'm staying away from staggered for now.

Also, go for the harness. I have a setup in my car, and it is very, very helpful. Just make sure that your shoulder straps are at an appropriate angle. I've seen a few pictures around, and although the ideal angle is 0, you can have a little angle on your straps and still stay reasonably safe. But, you'll hear many, many opinions on this issue.

[casper83]

Thanks Liquidpaper

Any recommendations on which camber plates to use? I’ve seen a few threads stating there are issues with bearing failures and such.

I’ll probably post up a thread on my brakes, but I now have some EBC redstuffs on there. I do like the initial bite better, but won’t get to try them on the track until next season. I’ve had Motul fluid in there for all my track days and it’s working good.

I don’t have an LSD, but I do have Xdrive. The car is stable, predictable and digs out of the corners quite well. I hear ya on the sway bars. I’m not scared to turn a wrench, but I’ll have to research it and see what’s all involved. I may try camber first and see how it goes.

For tires I didn’t like the options at 245 and like yourself I wanted to stay square (I want to be able to rotate and I think staggered would just make it push with Xdrive). When I get camber I’ll go with 255’s.

Thanks for the heads up on the strap angle.

[Michall]

Have you thought about installing M3/M4 lower control arms?

[Liquidpaper]

Originally Posted by casper83

Thanks Liquidpaper

Any recommendations on which camber plates to use? I’ve seen a few threads stating there are issues with bearing failures and such.

I’ll probably post up a thread on my brakes, but I now have some EBC redstuffs on there. I do like the initial bite better, but won’t get to try them on the track until next season. I’ve had Motul fluid in there for all my track days and it’s working good.

I don’t have an LSD, but I do have Xdrive. The car is stable, predictable and digs out of the corners quite well. I hear ya on the sway bars. I’m not scared to turn a wrench, but I’ll have to research it and see what’s all involved. I may try camber first and see how it goes.

For tires I didn’t like the options at 245 and like yourself I wanted to stay square (I want to be able to rotate and I think staggered would just make it push with Xdrive). When I get camber I’ll go with 255’s.

Thanks for the heads up on the strap angle.

Camber plates are kind of a sore issue on this forum. A lot of us had a preliminary version of the Ground Control plates. There were bearing issues (mine included) where the urethane bearings snapped off the top nut of the strut. They redesigned the plate and just went with a spherical bushing (like in a race car), which has done just fine for me for the past five months or so. However, some people have had other issues with Ground Control -- Pparana had some problems with the axial bearing I think? I think he's using the Kmac plates now.

I think TCKline makes a plate too, but I don't know of anyone who uses it. Vorshlag hasn't made an F30/F22 plate yet, and I don't know when they will get around to it. My guess is that they will do the F80/82 chassis first.

Again, the sway bars require the lowering of both subframes. Unless you have a lift to keep the drivetrain in place in the front, take it to a mechanic.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by Michall

Have you thought about installing M3/M4 lower control arms?

You cant on the xdrive. They are different and won't fit

[Michall]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

You cant on the xdrive. They are different and won't fit

Ups. My fault.

[casper83]

Originally Posted by Liquidpaper

Camber plates are kind of a sore issue on this forum. A lot of us had a preliminary version of the Ground Control plates. There were bearing issues (mine included) where the urethane bearings snapped off the top nut of the strut. They redesigned the plate and just went with a spherical bushing (like in a race car), which has done just fine for me for the past five months or so. However, some people have had other issues with Ground Control -- Pparana had some problems with the axial bearing I think? I think he's using the Kmac plates now.

I think TCKline makes a plate too, but I don't know of anyone who uses it. Vorshlag hasn't made an F30/F22 plate yet, and I don't know when they will get around to it. My guess is that they will do the F80/82 chassis first.

Again, the sway bars require the lowering of both subframes. Unless you have a lift to keep the drivetrain in place in the front, take it to a mechanic.

Thanks again for the info. I do have a lift so I'll have to figure out how ambitious I want to get.

[Pparana]

That track looks rougher than Sebring

[casper83]

Originally Posted by Pparana

That track looks rougher than Sebring

It's not the smoothest track, but I'm sure some of it has to do with crappy cell phone camera and mount.

[NEUE02]

I drive Autobahn 2-3 times a year. I haven't been there since August and see they did a LOT of patching. Your line looks great and you are carrying impressive speed throughout the track. Nice work!

[casper83]

Originally Posted by NEUE02

I drive Autobahn 2-3 times a year. I haven't been there since August and see they did a LOT of patching. Your line looks great and you are carrying impressive speed throughout the track. Nice work!

Thanks for the compliments. I didn't really know the line, so I was taking my best guess at it. Definitely a work in progress. Hopefully we run into each other next year at an event.

I should have told Pparana it's one of the smoothest stretches of road we have out here in Wisconsin