Buy once and done. Get a set of MCS/Moton singles. Close to your price and never have to upgrade. I have had mine dynoed multiple times and they come out great after a ton of abuse (have been runnin them 2 or 3 years?).
When are you coming GTS2? :P We have Mark Stemp and Scott Blair throwing cages in as we speak for comp school in March.
I am building my own E36 track car and going through the same decision for coilovers. My friend (level8drummer on here) is a huge fan of TRMs coilovers. They have been on back order for a while but they said they will have new ones in at the end of February. I am going to probably go with their system and will let you know how I like them if you haven't upgraded by then
I have had great experience with TCK D/A, JRZ, KW Clubsport, and Motons/Ohlins. I think each has its pros and cons, and it's hard for me to pick an absolute favorite, but for pure track use it'd be the JRZ or one of the last two.
If you haven't already, when you do the coils is a great time to stiffen up the chassis. The Mason Engineering steel front and rear strut braces w the rear strut to subframe x-brace make a world of difference in the E36 chassis (I wouldsay it makes it feel nearly as ggood as the E46). I never thought I would say that strut braces are a good mod for the money, but these are in a league of their own. Paired with the BMW front x-brace, and the car will feel better than new.
2006 M3 ZCP/6MT AW/IR - Vorsteiner Dual-Side Dry CF GTR Hood + CSL Trunk + Diffuser + Roof + Mirrors + Sideskirts, VAC CF CSL airbox + bored ITB's + Valvetrain Stg3, SS Ver1 Stepped Headers + Akrapovic Ti exhaust, KW Clubsports + Hotchkis sways + UUC/AKG/RE/TMS PowerFlex bushings and mounts, Mason F+R steel strut braces + rear brace, Zionsville rad + Stewart pump + Samco hoses, TMS Pulleys + VAC Dampener, Beisan full VANOS, Recaro Sportster CS CF seats, UUC EVO3 SSK+DSSR w ZHP knob, OE CSL CF Interior, UUC Stg1 DM Clutch+FW 23lb total w SS line, Performance Friction Monoblock BBK (4p 358x34mm 2pc front + 4p 355x32mm 2pc rear, slotted) w SS lines, Volk TE37SL 19x9f 10.5r, ARC-8 18x10f 10.5r, BBS LM 19x9.5f 10.5r, and more...
2000 328Ci 6MT/ZSP/ZPP/ZCW/HK Topaz Fully-Built motor w 11.5psi ESS Lysholm blower @ 10.5:1 CR, OS Giken 3.15:1 LSD w 6MT... 419rwhp/392rwtq 93oct and 2972lbs... Nothing is stock.
1999 M3/2/6 Alpine White w Euro S50B32 + 6MT,
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Great read, cheers!
I agree which is why I always end up looking at MCS. It looks like the GTS crowd keeps growing! Scott should be a great addition to the mix and keep you on your toes! GTS is definitely a goal but who knows if/when that will actually happen.
A couple of updates since it's been a while. I keep looking into suspension upgrades (half-heartedly) but I think Dad and I are in agreement that 2014 is dedicated to branching out with our track activities and trying to hit some bucket list tracks. While I would like to race eventually, who knows how long dad and I will be able to travel together like this so we want to take advantage of it while we can. Because of that, upgrades to the car will take a back burner and here's our tentative 2014 schedule:
NJMP - April 4-6
VIR - May 21-23 (NASA instructor clinic)
Lime Rock - July 3-5
Watkins Glen - Sept 26-28
Daytona - Nov 1-2
I'm aiming to get my instructors license this year and give that a shot. I feel like I can do well with it and I think I can continue to learn while sharing what I have learned over the years. This is a pretty ambitious schedule and I really hope we can hit all these events.
I also have a LeMons team that I hope to start driving with this year. Due to that and wanting to be safer in general, I got this for Christmas:
No real updates on the car as of late. We'll just be prepping the car for the 2014 season here shortly but for now it remaining in hibernation under a cover in the driveway.
Looks like a nice variety of tracks. After weighing all my options, I ended up going with MCS. I'll post a review of those shortly. Also, I have that same nomex suit, nice pick
Eric! Glad to see you are going to be doing instructor's school and such, I think you will do well with students. If you get to a track before you swap suspensions try meeting with Mark Stemp, he has a black M3 (#88) that he has done a bunch of work to and is prepping for GTS2. He has the GC coilover set up right now but when I saw him over Christmas break he is thinking of switching things up (I believe he mentioned the Moton's) and may be able to give you some perspective on the change if/when he does swap. He put in a TON of track time last year and would be a good source to ask questions and get some opinions.
Nice! Enjoy the car as is, there is plenty of time to go racing. Once you get in a lemons car though you will have a blast. We operate a chump car, though I have to admit the time in car is awesome, the experience isn't nearly as fun as a NASA race weekend. I will be doing one more chump car race and then re-evaluate, although it kind of sucks since it pulls the ability to race as easily away from my teammates. (I currently operate my trailer/truck for the operations). Hopefully it'll change.
I've been on here just not very active in the forums. Still in process of fixing my damage, thinking of pulling out the bolt-in cage and doing a back half after that one :/
Great build mate!
Wish my dad would build a track car with me.
How did you actually remove the carpet? Did you remove the hole dash or just the bottom part of it?
I want to fit my racing seats but with the carpet in im off center. Maybe there is more room without the carpet.
Thanks in advance!
I've been keeping track of this build on Racer Connect so I'll try to post up some updates on here also as we continue to develop and build the car. Currently we have plans to finish the cage and upgrade suspension this winter and I want to compete in a full season of TT next year in NASA Mid-Atlantic.
Check out the most recent updates!
http://social.racerconnect.com/index...n-e36-m3-build
It's been a long time since I've updated this but I have been keeping a fairly detailed log of the build on Racer Connect. Here's a brief rundown of the past very busy 6 months with the car.
See full details and a lot more pictures here: http://social.racerconnect.com/group...n-e36-m3-build
November 2014: We drove Daytona with NASA SE/FL. An unforgettable experience that I hope we can repeat some day.
Thanksgiving 2014: Stripped the dash and doors for cage prep
December/January 2014: Heater core removed and drop off for the front half of the cage
(in progress picture)
January 2015: Pick up from the cage builder, install lots of things
Last edited by hoki06; 02-18-2015 at 09:50 PM.
Looking good.
Yeah, the plan is to make as many of the MA events as possible with the focus on VIR in preparation for nationals. Gotta get seat time there so I can give Josh and Jon a run this year.
Cleaned up the interior and pulled back unnecessary wiring harnesses. It felt great to remove a lot of the clutter inside, that's been bugging me for a while.
After cleaning and prepping, I masked/taped the entire interior for painting the front half of the cage. It's not a pro job but it works and looks pretty good.
Cage painted, dash/cluster, drivers seat and harness all reinstalled
How she sits now. This week is suspension set up, alignment, full driveline fluids, and some other small things to prep for the season. Our first day on track is next Monday!
Last edited by hoki06; 02-23-2015 at 09:23 AM.
wow, very nicely done.
It's not really a race car until there's some carbon, right? A nice piece from AJ Hartman racing where I'll mount the Traqmate head unit and some gauges soon.
14" Longacre mirror and a steering wheel hook. Is it bad I'm really excited about the steering wheel hook?
Yesterday we took advantage of a private track day at VIR South to shake down the car after all the changes this offseason. The car feels incredible with the new MCS suspension! I have a lot to learn but I'm really excited to see how my times compare to last year. The first NASA weekend is less than 3 weeks away so I'll find out soon!
The only picture I took of the car yesterday
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