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+--- Thread: Das Race: My '97 M3/4/5 (/showthread.php?tid=10430)
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - V1GiLaNtE - 04-10-2015
Jake Wrote:I really don't want to run an autocross on a mixture of Kmart-brand oil and assembly lube.
YOLO because race kah.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 04-10-2015
V1GiLaNtE Wrote:Jake Wrote:I really don't want to run an autocross on a mixture of Kmart-brand oil and assembly lube.
YOLO because race kah.
I mean if you want to replace my rod bearings on Sunday night, then I'll YOLO it all weekend. :thumbup:
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Kaan - 04-10-2015
Jake Wrote:Somehow this sumbitch is going to make it to the MM car show. I was wondering how "down to the wire" it would end up, and as of last night, the only bolts left to turn are those that attach the hood to the car.
finish at the car show... turn key for the first time when the judges come by.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 04-14-2015
V1GiLaNtE Wrote:Jake Wrote:I really don't want to run an autocross on a mixture of Kmart-brand oil and assembly lube.
YOLO because race kah.
Took Cabell's advice to heart and YOLO'd the autocross with a mixture of "SuperS" K-mart oil, Lucas assembly lube and whatever coolant dripped down into the oil passages during head removal. :dunno:
I put 1.1 miles on the car on Friday night after starting it for the first time, and that distance was to and from Glory Days to celebrate Jess selling her townhouse and my allegedly successful HG repair. I drove it straight from Glory Days up onto the trailer. Good break-in, for sure.
Figured it would be wise to put a few more miles on the car before the autocross, so I ran it around Verona in between registration and tech inspection. Ran the trip odometer to something like 8.2 miles and figured that was good enough.
Autocrossed it, won my class (Tire) and all was (mostly) well over the weekend! :thumbup:
Gave her a fresh oil change last night for Summit Point with the usual go-to of Rotella 15W-40. I had a nasty vacuum leak that really didn't want the motor to idle much, if at all. Turns out the hose from the CCV to the oil pan had come off of the CCV. Popped that back in place.
Also had a moment on Sunday where I came in from a run, popped the hood and noticed my fan shroud was popped out of place and the fan was jammed all up in there and couldn't spin. Shit. Big thanks to Scott, Taylor, Matthew and James for running to grab some zip-ties and helping me tie the shroud out of the way to finish my runs. In looking at it more last night, one hose clamp for the radiator "overflow" hose (goes from top of radiator to expansion tank) was positioned just so and was pushing on the shroud... which meant it wouldn't align on the other side and thus, the top-most clip wouldn't stay seated to hold it in place.
Let's see how Summit treats 'er this weekend!
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 04-20-2015
Jake Wrote:Let's see how Summit treats 'er this weekend!
Back from Summit and it was A Good Weekend for sure :thumbup:
I started off by going to JMU on Friday for SMAD Day. Always fun to email a department head and ask where you can park your 20' trailer...
![[Image: 2BpNecg.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/2BpNecg.jpg)
But, they got me space in some gravel lot behind Anthony Seeger and I left the rig there all day. Hopped in around 4:30 and headed north to Summit.
Got there and enjoyed a Dam Beer:
![[Image: ex7RSG1.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/ex7RSG1.jpg)
Both days were full of great driving. I picked up some time over the course of the weekend and set a new personal best lap time at 1:31.7. My main competition in TTD is running a very similar set up car but is on Hoosiers, whereas I'm on street tires. He ran a 1:28.0. The race-vs-street tire comparison is typically claimed at 2-3 seconds per lap, so I feel pretty good with what I'm doing, although I'm sure there is indeed more left in the car as it sits... I just don't know if it's a full second or a few tenths.
Christina, Tian and I took a walk of the track on Saturday night (beer in hand, of course) and discussed each turn and braking zone as we walked, autocross style. It was very helpful and I really don't know why I didn't do it before. Holy cow. The track is narrower than I ever thought, runoff room is less than I ever noticed, and I was braking WAY early for a few spots.
![[Image: 6vWHKin.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/6vWHKin.jpg)
Although I didn't improve my lap time drastically Saturday-to-Sunday as a result of that walk, I did feel worlds more confident on Sunday, particularly at T3 (the sort of uphill left that ends next to a gravel trap) and T10 (going onto the front straight). I think there is time to be picked up in the carousel but not sure how much. Same for T5 (right hander going downhill toward carousel) - it can be bad if you screw up there, gotta keep your foot in it, but I tend to instinctively slow the car a bit first... dammit don't brake any more there!
Temperatures stayed in check all weekend (the car is running straight water, with Water Wetter added in). It seems to start a bit quicker and idle better after the HG repair.
Up next... conversion to electric fan, because the clutch fan suuuucks. Also need to source a new passenger side front fender liner and the under-belly plastics that help with cooling. Would really like to have all of that done before we get into the hotter months.
![[Image: FhzeHWz.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/FhzeHWz.jpg)
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 04-27-2015
Did a quick wash and tire rotation on the M3 yesterday, and took a minute to look at brake pads while I had the wheels off. The front pads are nearing the end of their life, and while I feel like I just replaced them, it's been a full year. So, a year of heavy track use (emphasis on the "heavy" as I know I was braking excessively last year, have been trying to hit the pedal harder for shorter duration this year) is not all bad IMO.
I've got Performance Friction PFC.06 on the front axle and will likely replace with .08's instead. I have .08's on the rear and they seem to last a bit longer and provide slightly better performance.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-04-2015
Post-VIR/Hyperfest 2015 Update
Towed down on Thursday afternoon with Rob, Kristin and Simon:
![[Image: xu8tzFv.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/xu8tzFv.jpg)
Was an easy drive aside from some infuriating traffic in spots. Several idiotic Toyota drivers who couldn't comprehend "slower traffic move right" and held us up for ~10 miles at a time. My driver's side weight distribution bar fell out halfway into the drive - thankfully as we were leaving a gas station, so I could stop and grab it - so I need to get the hitch fixed, as the little "pin" that holds the bar in place is not holding enough tension and letting the bar fall out.
Hyperfest was a good time per usual, was unsure how it'd be given the change in venue to VIR but it worked out (I think) for the better. Larger venue, an ever-so-slightly classier crowd, and a calmer vibe in general. I worked Hyperfest setup on Friday and as a "green shirt" all day Saturday (running the Hyperfest side of things) so didn't get to drive the M3 until Sunday morning.
Highlights of my Hyperfest Saturday included watching the Thunder race with Justin at T4 - I never get to just sit and enjoy the races like that. Was super fun cheering on some friends. Also got to go out in the bed of a pickup with Sean and shoot Exedy t-shirts at the crowd during the drift show intermission. We shot shirts and handed out champagne to the NASA 1st-place winners. The whole process was pretty goofy and a lot of fun:
![[Image: 5ZHqmkc.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/5ZHqmkc.jpg)
![[Image: Ol6fKhi.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/Ol6fKhi.jpg)
Got to see random groups of friends (MM and otherwise) who came down for the day which was great. Several did Hyperdrives and/or rally/helicopter/drift rides which I can't wait to hear more about.
As for SundaySundaySunday... I didn't really get to drive much back in March as I blew the head gasket. So, this event was really about shaking the cobwebs of winter off - hadn't driven at VIR since mid-October of last year. I ended up hanging right around the same times as October, which are not "bad" per se, but still offer a lot of room for improvement. Managed a 2:24.0 versus my October time of a 2:23.7.
My buddy Zack also TT's an E36 M3 and is quick(er) so he offered up a lead/follow drill for a session, where he followed me for a lap, then I followed him, back and forth, in the hopes of him seeing my mistakes and me seeing his "suggestions" as I followed. It was definitely helpful but we have not had time to actually discuss what he observed yet. Hoping to do that in the next day or two while it's all fresh in our heads. He seems to think that I can pick up a lot of time if I just use the whole track.
I did seem to pick up some speed in T3, which has been a bit of a struggle for a while now. I got better at tracking all the way right on exit and using the "extra" curbing beyond the FIA stuff. It seemed faster, anyway. Watching the race with Justin at T4 offered some insight as well - I think I was braking too early and accelerating too late there, which I attempted to rectify. Need to watch my video to see how I truly did, though. Still working away and I'm looking forward to the July event to try and drop times yet again. Hoping I can get out with Zack/Jim/Cobetto in the passenger seat (they have all offered) for some instruction. It's been a while since I've had anyone share their perspective and I'm in need of it.
Ordered the Motion Motorsports underpanel and radiator baffle today - I'm missing all of the BMW underpanels that help with aero and cooling, and I'm in dire need of them. The MM panel replaces all of the BMW plastics and helps duct air where it should go for the radiator. The plan is to install that and convert to a Spal e-fan before June Summit Point.
Overall a great weekend, let down slightly by a lack of improvement in times - but with some work I know I can chunk 'em down more.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-21-2015
Spal electric fan is wired up and works!
Big thanks to DJ for telling me (several times) which wires go where on the relay that I used. I'm generally confident in my wiring abilities, but this was my first time working with a relay from scratch.
For my own later reference...
Relay:
- 30: +12V from car
- 85: Ground
- 86: To in-car switch
- 87: Positive wire from fan
- 87a: Ignore
I grounded the relay and the fan both to a common point that is used near the battery jump point, and ran the +12V for the relay and fan off of the battery jump point "distribution box" thing.
My soldering skills are somewhere along the lines of "functional, but not art" but everything ought to work. I gave it a test run last night and hooray, great success. Just need to tidy up the wiring and zip-tie the fan to the radiator.
Up next - installing new fender liners and Motion Motorsports underpanel. Should probably get new front brakes.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-26-2015
Got the underpanel installed yesterday. My friend Aaron is the sales manager for the Lotus dealership in Bethesda, and they share a service department with Mercedes across the street. So... we got to sneak my car up on the lift and make quick work of the installation.
The instructions provided were easy to follow. I purchased the optional radiator baffle, and it gets bolted to the underpanel before installation. The panel comes off with the bumper if I need to work under the motor - unbolt 4 bolts that hold it to frame rail brackets, and the 4 bolts holding the bumper on, and the entire thing comes out.
![[Image: TpYppc8.png]](http://i.imgur.com/TpYppc8.png)
Also took advantage of the nice weather (and our perpetually shady driveway) to open up the bucket of Eagle 1 products I got at Hyperfest. Gave the ol' girl a wash and my roommate and I waxed the whole car while a friend of ours was doing brakes on his C43 in our garage.
In the shade from 6' away, it looks pretty good:
![[Image: Z0B7eq8.png]](http://i.imgur.com/Z0B7eq8.png)
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - V1GiLaNtE - 05-26-2015
Jake, based on your reflection in the drivers side door I'd say you're totally ready for summer.. :mrgreen:
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - JPolen01 - 05-26-2015
V1GiLaNtE Wrote:Jake, based on your reflection in the drivers side door I'd say you're totally ready for summer.. :mrgreen::lol:
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - ScottyB - 05-26-2015
niiiiiiice.
:lol:
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 05-26-2015
I heard shorter inseams were "a thing" this year?
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Kaan - 05-26-2015
Jake Wrote:I heard shorter inseams were "a thing" this year?
I know I get the looks when I sport them!
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - V1GiLaNtE - 05-27-2015
Kaan Wrote:Jake Wrote:I heard shorter inseams were "a thing" this year?
I know I get the looks when I sport them!
Oh I bet you do sweetcheeks...
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 06-08-2015
Summit Point - June 2015
Good weekend at Summit! The underpanel and radiator baffle finally have me feeling 100% confident in the car's ability to hold a reasonable temperature throughout the weekend. I feel like I can finally stop worrying about re-blowing the head gasket now. I have an 88* thermostat (in Celsius) which works out to something like 190*F. Temps held at 180-185*F at idle and touched about 194*F after extended hot laps.
Saturday saw me first wonder why the car was so slow and behaving like it was out of gas - solution, turn off the ****ing ASC before going out. Long term solution is to delete the stupid secondary throttle body. Then the glovebox kept falling open - solution, remove it. Then I tried braking later for T10, which worked until it didn't and I re-manicured the gravel trap and part of the grass. Oops.
On Sunday morning, my friend Chris took me out in his (Mike D's old) M3 that he runs (quickly) in TTB. The goal was to show me a better line to take in various places. Was a really good 20ish minutes and then we had time afterward to discuss turn-by-turn. In all, very helpful and definitely added some confidence in spots. I experimented with short-shifting at the end of the carousel to get me into 4th gear before I got to T9 - seems like that allows a bit greater focus on car placement, and given I'm not at the peakiest point of power delivery (but still in the power/torque band), the car is not as sensitive to throttle modulation... which means you can kinda put your foot down and go with less to worry about. Ran a 1:32.2 as my weekend best. Not great but not bad.
It's looking like I'll have a new set of rimzz (courtesy of Mister DJ) by the July VIR event, with stickier tires mounted on 'em. That means I need to get the car dyno reclassed before then. Hopefully I can take an afternoon off and run over to Mach V in Sterling for that.
Thanks Garrett for the sweet photo - got some GoPro action coming whenever I get a moment to edit/upload:
![[Image: D0k1ry2.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/D0k1ry2.jpg)
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - SlimKlim - 06-09-2015
IAP is $50/pull I think, not sure what Mach V costs.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 06-09-2015
SlimKlim Wrote:IAP is $50/pull I think, not sure what Mach V costs.
I'll have to give them both a call. Gotta make sure I use a NASA-approved shop and dyno for the reclass.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - D_Eclipse9916 - 06-09-2015
Jake Wrote:SlimKlim Wrote:IAP is $50/pull I think, not sure what Mach V costs.
I'll have to give them both a call. Gotta make sure I use a NASA-approved shop and dyno for the reclass.
MachV was within the noise compared to NASA Nationals Dyno last year. They are also a certified NASA dyno and will let you do more than just dyno (if you choose to maybe throw a restrictor or put on an intake between dyno runs for comparison sake)
I think it was $75 with A/F for a ton of pulls where I got my 3 "compliance pulls" and then started swapping restrictor plates and even pulled them completely out for one pull. MachV also helps sponsor November NASA events....
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - ScottyB - 06-10-2015
car looks awesome, nice work Jake. good call on the cooling "mods" too, if you can make it work happily in June you should hopefully have a bombproof car all season.