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Thread: PZary's 01 330ci HPDE/TT build possibly turning into a SpecE46

  1. #1
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    PZary's 01 330ci HPDE/TT build possibly turning into a SpecE46

    Well after a long hiatus from the world of BMWs, one kid, building a house, countless cars, and dabble in 911's, Z cars, and muscle cars... I needed another BMW in my life.

    So I picked up this little 01 330Ci back in April. The plan, for now, is to sort it out and make it a decent HPDE get through NASA's HPDE and go play in TT for a while.

    A few quick shots:

    IMG_4307.JPG

    The stance boy wheels are already being replaced tomorrow when my tire rack order shows up... I CANNOT STAND this! btw this is a 215/45(?)/18 stretched on a 9.5" wide wheel!!

    IMG_4343.JPG

    The car is lowered on CXRacing coilovers in front with OEM shocks in the rear with lowering springs... I thought the car would be HORRIBLE but honestly, it isn't. For a stanceboy driving on the street car, this setup actually works for it's intended purpose. I was surprised. On the track it wasnt terrible. Certainly better than a stock suspenion e36M3. However, it will get the Spec e46 MCS treatment in a few months... But first, we have a lot of baseline stuff to take care of since the suspension is "ok" as it is. Remeber the first part of this is a reliable track car.

    Lots of little silly things to fix, like the blower motor, dash trim, door panels look like they need some love, etc.

    Got some wheels in today...
    K1's 17x8.5 et40 and 245/40/15 Bridgestone RE071R tires.
    IMG_4407.JPG

    IMG_4408.JPG

    Then prepped for my real first track day in 6 years...

    Went through the brakes and did the following:

    Hawk HP+ pads
    Centric Premium Rotors
    Bimmerworld Brake Lines
    Lubed up calipers and inspected for wear (they looked great really!)

    At the same time, I also installed Bimmerworld's wheel stud kit, man this makes life so much better! Also while swapping the wheels and tires I noticed that the previous owner took off the sway bar end links... Bimmerworld to the rescue I got their adjustable ones and now everything is as it should be.

    Made it out to Memphis International Raceway for an SCCA Track Night I talked my Father in Law into coming out in his Hellcat. A good time was had by all!

    IMG_4732.JPG

    From the track day, I learned a few things about the car... Brakes were AWESOME, Tires were AWESOME, the seats, on the other hand, are horrible. I knew going in they wouldn't be great, but it moves a rollbar, fixed back seats, harnesses up the list just behind a cooling system rehab. Big boy seat suggestions are appreciated. I am thinking OMP WRC XL, Sparco EVO II US, Racetech 4009XL, or something along those lines.

    Since my track day, I had forgotten how much fun these cars really are. I started looking at the spece46 car rules and realizing that these cars are really what I want out of my own car... So I think you'll see that this build follows closely to the rules of the class. If I decide to full cage the car and go spec e46 racing... I don't have to buy things twice!

    This week I also picked up a 3.46 ratio diff to swap in, I feel like I could spend less time shifting back to 2nd with a lower ratio diff, stay in 3rd and 4th more and have some more grunt out of the corners.

    Next event is September 11th since I am really bummed about missing the NASA Barber event on the 29th due to our family vacation, then a PCA DE Sept. 14th and 15th and NASA in November. Ideally, I'd like to get the cooling, roll bar, seats, and harnesses in before September, we will see!
    Last edited by Pzary3233; 07-19-2018 at 02:09 PM.

  2. #2
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    looks good, not sure if you know of Corvette Park in bowling green, KY? since your track day hiatus of 6 years, its 4 years old maybe now. believe its 3/4 hours from MIR. not alot of NASA presence though, thinking 2/3 events a year maybe..
    not sure what big boy defines, but im 6'1 ~240 36-38 waist and my OMP WRC-R is tight, hips and thighs is hella snug. ill be going XL on the OMP HTE i get once caged.
    Last edited by poweredbyg60; 07-20-2018 at 10:57 PM. Reason: seat

  3. #3
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    Thanks! Yes I have heard of the bowling green track! Our Mid South region goes there once a year, though there are quite a few HPDEs going on over there if you look at their schedule. i will be headed there the next time the Mid South region goes if not before.

    I’m right around the same size as you 5’11” and 250-265 I wear a 38 waist but my inseam is only 30” so I have a long torso. XL seats seem to be the only way to go really I measured my shoulder height while sitting on the floor and I am right at 27” it seems to reading other people’s measurements that I am on the longer side. I feel this rules out Recaros in general, some sparcos, I think the Evo II Us may be too short? There really isn’t a place to “go sit in seats” unless I travel 6-7 hours somewhere to try a seat. Kirkey aluminum seats are popular in our region and I don’t want to go that route. The WRC-R XL is on my short list of seats and possibly the Sparco Ergo Large and Alpha.

  4. #4
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    yeah im on NCM's notification squad, haha. It it very busy and popular there, i do like it. the main host i go there is with chin track days. fun group, no racing alot of time on track. NCM hosts a couple of their own events not too bad either, same track time no racing format as most HPDE only clubs. no comp for me any time soon. poor.

    i really wish there were more shops that had seats to try also. i am no where near any good shops for any performance.

  5. #5
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    PZary's 01 330ci HPDE/TT build possibly turning into a SpecE46

    Quote Originally Posted by Pzary3233 View Post
    .....

    Went through the brakes and did the following:

    Hawk HP+ pads
    Centric Premium Rotors
    Bimmerworld Brake Lines
    Lubed up calipers and inspected for wear (they looked great really!)

    ....

    From the track day, I learned a few things about the car... Brakes were AWESOME, Tires were AWESOME, the seats, on the other hand, are horrible. I knew going in they wouldn't be great, but it moves a rollbar, fixed back seats, harnesses up the list just behind a cooling system rehab. Big boy seat suggestions are appreciated. I am thinking OMP WRC XL, Sparco EVO II US, Racetech 4009XL, or something along those lines.
    Car looks good and I couldn’t agree more on those stretches tires.....I never got that.

    It’s funny about those HP+ pads. I hear so many different opinions on those and it’s very binary. It’s either awesome or crap. But I’m running Pagid RSL29 as I never heard a bad thing about those and they cost the same over on my side of the Pond.

    As for a seat I’m 6’4” 207lbs (wear 36” pants ) and I have a Sparco EVO II and I fit snugly in there. It’s tight but comfy so I can do long rides too.

    Good luck with the build....

    Edit: remember your brake fluid...I wouldn’t count on Stanceboy being on top of that


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Last edited by KlausH79; 07-26-2018 at 06:09 AM.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by KlausH79 View Post
    Car looks good and I couldn’t agree more on those stretches tires.....I never got that.

    It’s funny about those HP+ pads. I hear so many different opinions on those and it’s very binary. It’s either awesome or crap. But I’m running Pagid RSL29 as I never heard a bad thing about those and they cost the same over on my side of the Pond.

    As for a seat I’m 6’4” 207lbs (wear 36” pants ) and I have a Sparco EVO II and I fit snugly in there. It’s tight but comfy so I can do long rides too.

    Good luck with the build....

    Edit: remember your brake fluid...I wouldn’t count on Stanceboy being on top of that


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    It's funny you mention that about the pads... I got the same impression but I knew they worked on previous cars so it was a good base to start with. I will be exploring more pad options as I need them. I notice that most reviews against the pads are street guys that track their cars, not track guys that drive their cars on the street...It's a decent pad and there are better ones out there.

    I changed the brake fluid, just something I do, and really no reason not to with new lines and everything going on the car. I used Motul RBF600 this time around. Usually, I use ATE but didn't for some reason.

    I think that the EVO II is going to be a bit too snug, the last one I sat in was VERY tight. So I may try an EVO II US and see how that pans out.

  7. #7
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    Found a pic from the last track day... Holy Smokes! Look at that Body Roll!


  8. #8
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    Buttoning up the 3.46 diff swap, and a track weekend at MIR! Can't wait to see how the car does with the MUCH better gear ratio! No pictures because I think we all know what a diff swap looks like... No LSD this go around. Being cheap this year... LSD = 3-4 Track weekends!

  9. #9
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    Poor day at the track on Saturday... Diff decided to go BOOM starting on the second lap of the first session. Ordered another one and should have it in tomorrow. With street driving the diff was great no noise or any other signs. Then poof bearing decides it no longer wants to be in one piece. Luckily no oil was dropped on the track and we made it back on the trailer.

    The rest of the weekend was spent driving a supercharged BRZ. Great little car and a lot of fun to drive. Not the BMW but a great weekend at the track regardless! My instructor was amazing, one of the best that I have had, I look forward to more track time with him in the future.

  10. #10
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    Well, I had awesome intentions over the winter to get things done but as usual, I procrastinate. I have got all of my new safety gear ordered and will be installing all of it as a cohesive unit. Not piecemeal. A quick rundown is in order for the safety bits and why I chose what I did.

    Harnesses:
    Driver side: 6 point Schroth 3"-2" shoulder straps with 2" lap belts to only be used with a Hans.
    Passenger Side: GForce 6 point, 3" belts with 2" sub straps. This way anyone can use it with or without Hans.

    Seats:
    Driver: Sparco Ergo II - I'm a larger dude and this seat feels awesome to me. I tried a Cobra Suzuka GT and it was tight in the middle region.
    Passenger: Cobra Suzuka - most instructors will be fine in this seat, but I also don't plan on carrying someone around with me in my TT sessions...

    Seat Mounts: Defacto at this point seems to be the Brey Krase mounts. They just work. I am NOT using the seatbelt mounting points that come with them but bolting belts to the actual car instead.

    Roll Bar: originally I was going to get that fabbed locally but I really want to get the Bimmerworld/Miata Cage kit for the e46. So until that time I am going with a Kirk Rollbar. They are close enough to pick up and it's about a two week out kind of deal. I've used them before to it should work out well.

    As you notice I am going full in. I found that safety is not something that you can piece together. To maximize the benefit of any one piece of equipment you must have other pieces in place. ie you don't want a roll bar before a harness because you'll end up hitting your head on it. Fixed back seat with stock belts can be questionable as far as safety as well.

    On to the fun bits!

    The car is going on a major diet. I have stripped most all of the interior out of the car and am starting on removing sound deadening material and carpet in preparation for the roll bar. I have also removed the entire audio wiring harness out of the car. That was a chore. All in all, I swear that there is 200# in all of that crap that came out! I still have a long way to go on the sound deadening. I also removed all the airbags and properly coded them out. No airbag light on the dash! I HATE dash lights. Also removed the dash to get the last remaining bits of carpet out that I could without HVAC removal. I want to keep my heat and air as long as possible.... once it stops working... Out it comes. I will Attack more sound deadening this coming weekend and strip the doors down to just the window regulators and door panels. I want a clean look at this point.

    IMG_8761.JPG

    I started with the rear of the car and worked my way forward, still have a few things to remove and some tabs to grind down. I will then build a firewall to close off the trunk.

    IMG_8760.JPG

    That is only the rear portion of the Audio harness when your car has the HK speaker option.

    IMG_8858.JPG

    Dash out. When I get done working on the car I must be able to move it under its own power... Nope don't need a dash to get that done!

    IMG_8859.JPG

    Sound deadening removal. The process is so dead simple. Heat gun -> putty knife -> Laquer Thinner = clean paint. I'll post an after picture when I get all of it stripped.

    IMG_8860.JPG

    This is how I left the car on Sunday evening. Dash is back in for now. I wanted to flock it and do some more wiring but I need to be putting the car back together. I have to focus on the incoming safety upgrades to get the car ready for the first event in February!

  11. #11
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    Good progress. I have the same silver 01 330Ci for my track project. It’s been in the works for over two years as time and budget allows. Of course there was the inevitable “project creep” that’s added to it. Hoping to move under its own power this summer.

    As as far as the wheel size, why not a 17x9 or 9.5 and a 265 width tire? I have 18s and 255 tires on now but it’s stock height. I’m going to a 17 and just wondering about the width.

  12. #12
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    Got my Sparc Ergo II seat in yesterday! IF FITS SO WELL!!!!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Matt330LS View Post
    Good progress. I have the same silver 01 330Ci for my track project. It’s been in the works for over two years as time and budget allows. Of course there was the inevitable “project creep” that’s added to it. Hoping to move under its own power this summer.

    As as far as the wheel size, why not a 17x9 or 9.5 and a 265 width tire? I have 18s and 255 tires on now but it’s stock height. I’m going to a 17 and just wondering about the width.
    17x9 is ideal and a 255 tire is proven to fit and perform very well. Sure you can add more rubber but that costs for those of us looking at TT. Besides If I am going to do Spece46 I will be limited to a 17x9 wheel anyway why buy a wider wheel? Have you looked at performance tire availability in a 265?

    I currently I have a 245 tire on the 17x8.5 wheel and I have an amazing amount of grip for what little suspension work has been done (read eBay cheap junk from the previous owner). The K1s are a super cheap and lightweight wheel and are a great budget choice when you're spending the rest of your cash on awesome tires! I can almost buy two sets of K1s for a set of Apex wheels...

    I am hoping to grab the spec suspension this season and work with it on street tires. Then next year move to the spec tire and see where that gets me. At some point, I will need to cage the car so we will see where that leads me.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pzary3233 View Post
    Got my Sparc Ergo II seat in yesterday! IF FITS SO WELL!!!!!!



    17x9 is ideal and a 255 tire is proven to fit and perform very well. Sure you can add more rubber but that costs for those of us looking at TT. Besides If I am going to do Spece46 I will be limited to a 17x9 wheel anyway why buy a wider wheel? Have you looked at performance tire availability in a 265?

    I currently I have a 245 tire on the 17x8.5 wheel and I have an amazing amount of grip for what little suspension work has been done (read eBay cheap junk from the previous owner). The K1s are a super cheap and lightweight wheel and are a great budget choice when you're spending the rest of your cash on awesome tires! I can almost buy two sets of K1s for a set of Apex wheels...

    I am hoping to grab the spec suspension this season and work with it on street tires. Then next year move to the spec tire and see where that gets me. At some point, I will need to cage the car so we will see where that leads me.
    The reasoning makes sense, I was just curious. I'm well beyond Spec at this point so I'm not constrained by the 17x9 and 255 tires. I'm shooting for TT and maybe eventually ST. Based on my engine power guesstimates and what I've done already I'll probably be in TT/ST 1. I won't be competitive but I'll have a great time anyway.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt330LS View Post
    The reasoning makes sense, I was just curious. I'm well beyond Spec at this point so I'm not constrained by the 17x9 and 255 tires. I'm shooting for TT and maybe eventually ST. Based on my engine power guesstimates and what I've done already I'll probably be in TT/ST 1. I won't be competitive but I'll have a great time anyway.
    In your case, M3 flares form Hard Motorsports and the entire M3 rear suspension might be in your best interest for LS power levels. Then you can fit a 275 all the way around from what I understand. TT1 is going to be a tough class but could be fun!

    Use this page to get an idea of what is possible: https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc...-Fitment-Guide

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pzary3233 View Post
    In your case, M3 flares form Hard Motorsports and the entire M3 rear suspension might be in your best interest for LS power levels. Then you can fit a 275 all the way around from what I understand. TT1 is going to be a tough class but could be fun!

    Use this page to get an idea of what is possible: https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc...-Fitment-Guide
    I’ve been eyeballing the HM flares and I’ve already installed a complete rear-end dropout from a 2004 M3 so that’s taken care of. Seeing your track photos gets me motivated to get out to the garage. I’ve got a build thread going on here trying to chronical at least some of the progress.
    Last edited by Matt330LS; 02-04-2019 at 08:49 PM.

  16. #16
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    While I was waiting on my Kirk Rollbar to come in I needed to delete the sunroof in the car, both for weight and that precious headroom!

    After noticing that EVERYONE was out of sunroof panels from S2R Tuning and no response from the company, I searched facebook. Come to find out someone posted on the SpecE46 facebook page that they had some damaged ones. Moorhead Speedworks to the rescue, awesome service and very helpful too!

    Here is the panel as received, you cannot even see the damage on the panel. Seriously took a few minutes with a grinder a small amount of bondo and 5 minutes with a DA afterward and it was ready for paint.






    Who doesn't like stickers?? Thanks Guys!!

    Mixed up some paint and sprayed it... Apparently, my mixing was a bit off... Who cares it's a race car!





    Fitment from the top side is really good. Much better than I had expected. WAY better than what I hear about competing products that do the same thing.

    My only gripe about the panel, and it is VERY small. The mounting holes that are predrilled were anywhere from 1/8" out to a 1/4" off from where they needed to be.

    Quick tip, you can use the factory bolts in the factory locations, however, the two rearmost holes towards the center, you need a MUCH shorter fastener otherwise you will go through the roof skin. Since you're removing your stock seatbelts anyway use the two little 8mm screws that hold the retaining bar on the b pillar that retains the belt. They work GREAT!







    Overall great piece and good quality to boot. I now have lost maybe 40# up high and gained 2" of headroom!

    Stay tuned Rollbar is scheduled to be in tomorrow, Seats and mounts are loosely installed and I will be installing harnesses and anchors tomorrow. We have a Dyno, Weight, and Tech day this Saturday at Dynospeed Racing for the Nasa Mid South region. I'm hoping I will make it as I want to see how the car actually stacks up in TT5 which I hope to run when I advance to HPDE 3/4 for a couple weekends. The car Dyno'ed at 200hp with an average HP of 195.6
    Attached Images Attached Images

  17. #17
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    LOTS of work done on the car since the last post.


    I grabbed a Ground Control front swaybar and threw that on the car and played with settings all weekend. I THINK I may remove the rear bar all together but not sure yet. that is still TBD.


    Then over the winter, the real goal was to get some safety items installed in the car so that I could #1 be safer, and #2 feel the car and be a better driver. I feel with fresh tires I would have improved upon my lap times even more than I did.


    First things first. With a fixed back seat my big butt needs a quick release wheel to get in and out easily. So I had to go support my local steering wheel company Grip Royal and got a great deal on a nicely built wheel, NRG Short Hub, and Quick Release.











    Super easy install, remove clock ring, bolt on, and go! I originally ordered a Momo 2012 adapter hub but when it came in I was VERY glad I went with the NRG unit. The momo hub is a really hefty junk casting that was not really very nice at all. Luckily I was able to return it!


    Next came the Rollbar from Kirk Racing. Ordered directly from them and the wait was only a week and a half, super fast shipping the short distance from Birmingham to North MS. Got it in and installed it right away. Again easy install and the fit was spot on. My floor was caved in a few places from poor jack placement but all is good now.








    Once the bar was installed I bolted the seats in. I used Brey-Krase mounts, these things are BEEFY and the actually FIT! LOTS of adjustability in them. I'd like to think they are the best option for a fixed back seat. Way better than a bracket adapter and universal side mounts. I had some good help too!














    Now that the car had proper seats, Roll Bar, and Harnesses I decided I needed to go ahead and get setup for an FHR because it seems pointless to NOT do so if you have gone this far. I love my kiddo and a family and plan to be around. I opted for the Schroth Flex III FHR. It had really great reviews and seems to be more comfortable than a Hans Sport III for me. The ONLY thing I don't like are the clips... They suck to get connected and disconnected from the helmet. Otherwise I don't even know it is there till I am really trying to turn my head.





    So that brings me up to this weekend... Give me a few and I will post about the NASA weekend at MIR.

  18. #18
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    This past weekend was the NASA Mid-South's first event of the 2019 season! I love NASA Mid South events, it's all of my old SCCA Solo II buddies from years ago running the show and having fun.


    Get to the track Friday night in the pouring rain, breeze through tech and leave the car at the track.
    The next morning it was covered in ICE! We built an awesome shelter out of an EZUp, tarps, and propane heaters. It worked VERY well all weekend.





    Did I mention it was WET? My third HPDE 2 session (I was supposed to have a check ride but didn't due to HPDE 1 and 2 Combining) I had a nice little off when I got one wheel off coming out of the carousel and ended up going mudding... Busted a fuel tank strap and got high centered on some mud. Finally was able to work my way out once the session ended and came back to the pits Jacked the car up and fixed it. Good to go again once we looked over the car and pulled all the wheels to check for debris where it didn't belong.





    Ended the day doing well and keeping my clear laps around 1:20 - 1:21. I could feel my tires starting to fall off after the first few sessions and was never able to get a 1:19 lap in the books. I was bummed about that but that's ok!


    The RE-71R Tires were awesome for about 16 20 minute sessions, but Sunday after things dried out I could tell the tires were starting to die. However, Sunday was still a great day of driving! We did a check ride in the second session and FINALLY made it to HPDE 3 to work the afternoon sessions with passing drills and such. I LOVE driving in the wet. The last session of the day, however, was an eye-opener. I came in a little too hot into the carousel and did a nice little 180, kept it on the pavement did a little brake check and kept moving. Came into the "Ms" and lost ALL brake pressure. so I went straight and cut the M's out so that makes TWO offs for the weekend. Once back on track I try the brakes again and have a good pedal again, with no issues at all. Slowly make my way off track and back into the pits... Pull the wheels off and see NOTHING. I decided to call it a day and not do the final 40-minute session. I will go through the brake system component by component before the National Corvette Museum at the end of March.


    The only other issue is the shifter bushings and transmission are starting to show age. Every few laps the trans will pop out of 3rd on the long straight and twice I almost money shifted the thing into 2nd instead of 4th. I think a REAL shifter is in order as well as a trans to keep things smooth sailing. I don't want to travel 4.5 hours next month to trailer the thing home after two sessions.


    Overall I was VERY pleased with the whole weekend. Got moved up to HPDE3/4 and the car did great. I am VERY happy with my safety/driver comfort enhancements. The Sparo Ergo II seat is FANTASTIC for a bigger dude. I think I am going to rewrap my harness on the driver side to give some more "pull" on the shoulder straps because Ive got a big chest so the straps are kind of short. The Cockpit is very comfortable and perfect for me.


    I also felt very hurried before each session, I need a checklist/flow before the session so I don't forget anything...


    So to recap what needs to be done before NCM in March:


    Tires (Going to get another set of RE-71Rs I MAY step up to a 255/40/17)
    Brakes - Go through EVERYTHING and rebuild calipers and install solid bushings.
    Transmission Replacement
    New Shifter
    Solid engine and trans mounts
    Re-adjust harness
    Checklist/Flow

  19. #19
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    ***Major update to the car****


    I bit the bullet and bought the SpecE46 MCS suspension!





























    The install was pretty darn smooth, the MCS dampers are a thing of automotive ART! The Vorshlag parts are what one expects from them; no-nonsense, good looking race car parts, that work very well, and fit every time (I'm a big Vorshlag fan if you can't tell).


    The scariest part for me was cutting the shock towers... I was not expecting to have to do that but Here goes nothing!





    I ended up trimming the ring as well so make it all jive.


    Once the MCS stuff was on I changed modes to brakes.


    I finally got the Raybestos ST-43 pads installed and also installed the Bimmerworld solid bushings.








    The install was super easy, I had one bushing that didn't want to go in so a little Scotch Brite pad later and everything was just right. Be sure that you lube these things up with high temp grease.


    Check out the original caliper bushings! They were COOKED! The rubber had started melting they had gotten so hot. If you have a track car the bushing upgrade is a MUST after seeing these rubber ones...





    So what good suspension and brake install thread is complete without new wheels and rubber?!?!?!





    Apex 17x9 wheels with 255/40/17 Nitto NT-01 rubber.


    I am a big fan of the Bridgestone RE71R but I found that it was not a tire that communicated well at the edge. I also found that after a fast session that they were beginning to get greasy on the last few laps. So I wanted to try the NT-01. These tires sound like freakin mud tires on track (I thought it was funny) but they are a GREAT tire! They don't have as much lateral grip as the Re71R but they sure do tell you when you're getting to the limits. It's nice to have that audible reminder you're about to overcook it. I need to try the RE71Rs again on the MCS suspension to get a good comparison.


    So I got it buttoned up and ready to roll, got an alignment that I think is spot on and rolled up to Bowling Green with the rest of the NASA Mid South Crew and some freakin' miatas for a weekend of fun at NCM.


    THIS TRACK IS AMAZING!!!!! IF you have not been to NCM you MUST go!





    The only casualty of the weekend was my EZup... It was VERY windy and we had some bad storms roll through on Sunday night. LOTS of EZups ended up in the scrap bin.








    Seriously those are the only photos I took all weekend, other than this really wild Midget!




    - - - Updated - - -

    So NCM... What can I say? It was an AMAZING weekend! The NASA Great Lakes Region is awesome! Those guys know how to put on an event. Their HPDE 3 class was great, with amazing instructors. I feel that we all learned more in that one weekend about ourselves and cars than in our track careers thus far.


    If you have not been to an event at NCM. Make it happen!


    Apparently, someone happened to grab a few on track pictures. Thanks to Downforce Media!









  20. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Memphis, TN
    Posts
    2,473
    My Cars
    95 M3, 01 330ci
    Well, it's been a quick minute... Our April event at MIR was canceled due to storms over the weekend. IT was a GOOD call by the NASA Mid South guys. Safety should always be #1.


    At NCM one thing that I didn't notice at the time (Since I was learning a new track) was that the car was understeering terribly with the new suspension and alignment. I went to the Track Night in April along with the Miata boys and Pat in his GTi. We were trying to shake down some issues on my car as well as Pat's new setup. I found right off the bat that my car handled like total poo but still ran a personal best around MIR in the heat. 2:19.xx That was an easy lap and held those consistently throughout the evening.





    Pat following me in his GTi check out the old 6 series behind us!





    However, I found the car to be really tight and pushing a lot in places where turn in should have been super crisp. I changed the shock settings and that helped get me back where I needed to be. The car was better. Not great, but better. I was able to keep up with a stock-ish e46 M3 on good tires around MIR and had a good time doing it. I could get a really good run through grants tomb and stick with him on the straight and then was on his tail from the carousel though to the 90's. He would put some distance from the 90's to Grants Tomb where I am down 100hp. If I had his HP he would have been in my mirror. The passing rules for the SCCA TNiA events make it so I couldn't ever get around him. Basically, HPDE2 passing rules passing in straights with a point by...





    Oh yeah, this came in the mail!!!

    I'm legit!


    After the TNiA the next event for me was not until the weekend of May 26th - 28th down at Nola Motorsports Park. 6 hour drive down there without issue. the Miata boys and I decided that we should get at least a half day of the testing day in on Friday so that we could learn the course. That was THE BEST $150 I have ever spent! We got three sessions and were able to learn the track. I only ran a 2:06 and knew that was about 7 seconds off the pace for TT5. I had a LOT of time to make up!














    Friday evening I made some ride height changes and made some more shock adjustments. NOLA is a super nice facility, but the major braking zones are BUMPY! I guess that's what you get for building a racetrack on a swamp. After spending enough time at the track we headed to the GoKart track and had a blast.


    Saturday brought about cooler weather, we talked the Miata boys into running TT5 so we had 6 entries. Brandon from our region in his S2000 was the one to beat, he has some good aero and a lot of time in his car. It flat out works. The warm-up session was good the car felt WAY better. Brandon ran a 2:00.922 to my 2:3.942. I was happy with that improvement. That put me solidly in 2nd place and right where I needed to be for the next session. The Next Session was about the same, Brandon ran a 2:00.847 to my 2:3.271, ok gaining confidence! He then DNF'ed the next session... But the tires were falling off for the day with the track heating up. I made some tire pressure changes and found that the car was even better on the last session of the day. The temp was up but I was pretty sure I found 3 seconds. We finished the day out with some dinner and I got my first TT award for 2nd place for my first TT event!





    Sunday I took a gamble and didn't get any fuel before the first session. We went out Brandon was grided just in front of me. So we got to play for two laps. I ran a 2:01.467 which was JUST not good enough to beat Brandon's 1:59.280. I started running out of fuel on my 2:01 lap and knew I could do better... Alas, I had to get fuel. I've got some in car video of that lap here:


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPQOtr4yqng


    Check out the photos Shawn got of our buddy Werner's S54 swapped 330ci! He built the widebody out of Carbon Fiber in his own garage!












    The rest of the day the tires and track just got warmer so we decided to skip the last session and head home. We were starting to over drive the cars and we still had a 6 hour ride back to Memphis. only one small mishap on the way back tire decided it didn't want to hold on any longer... 15 minutes later back on the road northbound and down.





    Overall the NOLA weekend was AMAZING! The track is very technical and can make you much faster if you know where to look for speed. It is also really bumpy where one wouldn't want it to be bumpy. However, you start to sack up and not even notice it. There is talk of another NASA Nola and NASA MidSouth event in October, I hope it happens I want to go!

    The goal for our July event: Less weight and MORE POWER!

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    WI
    Posts
    154
    My Cars
    01 330Ci
    Looks like everything is coming along nicely. Well done.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Memphis, TN
    Posts
    2,473
    My Cars
    95 M3, 01 330ci
    It is starting to come together, I have a few more seconds in the car.

    I started to strip the doors last night, the door panels are HEAVY!!! I'll have a weight on the guts this evening.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Mobile, AL
    Posts
    90
    My Cars
    2017 Raptor 97 M3 02 M3
    I was at NOLA the same weekend you were there. I remember seeing your car. I was running tt3 in my e36m3. Ended me day due to power steering failure pretty quick.


  24. #24
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Memphis, TN
    Posts
    2,473
    My Cars
    95 M3, 01 330ci
    I saw the car and was wondering why you loaded up early. What times were you running in TT3? What kind of power and weight are you at to even be in TT3?

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Memphis, TN
    Posts
    2,473
    My Cars
    95 M3, 01 330ci
    In the quest to lower the weight of the car, I stripped the passenger side door last night to see what it would save. The results are STAGGERING! I still have sound deadening material, wiring harness, and crash bar, as well as the full door sheet metal. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!








    Combined with the rear quarter windows and motors this is a weight savings of 70lbs! I may add a little weight with some hard motorsports door panels but we will see... The glass alone came in at 12lbs!

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