+- Madison Motorsports (https://forum.mmsports.org)
+-- Forum: Technical (https://forum.mmsports.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Member's Projects (https://forum.mmsports.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=12)
+--- Thread: Das Race: My '97 M3/4/5 (/showthread.php?tid=10430)
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - D_Eclipse9916 - 10-20-2016
It's time to buy Zach Murpheys diff
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 10-20-2016
D_Eclipse9916 Wrote:It's time to buy Zach Murpheys diff
![[Image: f62181c8a51afdbbc2dd16d2be76e8e95da2c1f8...2822eb.jpg]](http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/f6/f62181c8a51afdbbc2dd16d2be76e8e95da2c1f8193057e48c3bafe83e2822eb.jpg)
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - SlimKlim - 10-20-2016
CUZ U BUY ALL THE BMWS
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 10-31-2016
October 2016 - "Zombie Sprints" - Dominion Raceway
Another great weekend in the books, even if my fastish driving was rewarded with a sinus infection as I got home.
I took the afternoon off on Friday so I could try to get down 95 before traffic sucked. Pro tip: it always sucks. Still took two hours to go 55 miles but yay, early entry list!
![[Image: Lr7hk4D.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/Lr7hk4D.jpg)
Staff got to paddock right up front which was helpful for the sake of sticking together and being near grid.
Saturday was great, I laid down a 1:36.0 which ended up cinching the win for TTD that day, and also setting a class record for Dominion! Was very pumped with the results. DJ also took home a few casual wins - MM was reppin' strong this weekend!
![[Image: 6BAhIUP.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/6BAhIUP.jpg)
![[Image: gU5B2UO.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/gU5B2UO.jpg)
Goodspeed came down and got a few sweet shots of some cars, mine included. I think I convinced him to join some of us for the Refrigerator Bowl(s) coming up... maybe.
![[Image: Q2BDOii.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/Q2BDOii.jpg)
Sunday was more frustrating. I ran faster than on Saturday (a 1:35.7) but after the first morning session, I couldn't find grip an-y-where. The track seems to be very good at beating up on front right tires and generally inducing drastic levels of understeer. It was bumpy everywhere (moreso than July) and that was disappointing. I am really hoping DR can step their game up and get the track smoothed out now that they have some down time.
![[Image: EjT5H7x.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/EjT5H7x.jpg)
Matthew (white RX8) found the teeniest bit more grip and managed to take the win on Sunday, only half a second faster. We've had some very close competition all season which has kept things fun! I know he and Packer and I will all be at Fall Finale in two weeks, so should be a good rematch of sorts.
Tian got a few shots proving it's definitely how you stand by your car:
![[Image: 0n2TCTG.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/0n2TCTG.jpg)
...although how you race your car is okay too:
![[Image: 9t8Vid8.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/9t8Vid8.jpg)
Fun anecdote from Saturday... I was out in my last session of the day and tried carrying a lot more speed through T1. Which went poorly. I took a nice ride in the gravel trap and pulled in, as is required of any 4-off in TT. A 4-off is also an automatic DQ of that session's times. Apparently the corner worker at T1 was blind, as they called this incident in as "right on the edge of the track" and I was not DQ'd. Hmm. Just glad it wasn't my fastest lap(s) of the day.
[youtube]nukRaG_wpyw[/youtube]
Actual hot lap video with data coming tonight...
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - D_Eclipse9916 - 10-31-2016
Congrats dude! Way to bring the speed. *cough cough* time for burning that visa.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 10-31-2016
D_Eclipse9916 Wrote:Congrats dude! Way to bring the speed. *cough cough* time for burning that visa.
Thanks!
Gotta figure out which credit card has the best introductory rewards, might as well earn some free hotels or flights if I'm going to drop some cashmoney.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 11-01-2016
Dominion Video
[youtube]EbnBvmldnxI[/youtube]
Fastest lap is lap #7, with a 1:35.7 - this video is from Sunday morning. I need to find other software to use for data overlay as the freeware DashWare isn't cutting it anymore. RaceRender looks good but is $40, so I'd like to know what others use before dropping that kind of cash on it.
The 2017 Updates
Going to use this space to figure out what all needs to be done for the car to prep it for Comp School and the ensuing W2W racing.
Must-Do
- Buy window net
- Buy kill switch
- Buy fire system
- Take car to Blockstar, have Gorka weld in mounts for above stuff
- Install above stuff
- Replace oil pressure switch
- Buy quick-disconnect steering wheel hub
- Replace steering wheel with non-dished wheel, sell blue Momo wheel
- Get BFG "backup tires" mounted on K1s
- Dismount RS3's from DSIIs, sell to Maeng
- Choose a good summer tire for rain use, install on DSIIs
- Buy Hoosier R7's and mount on Apex wheels
- Apply for Hoosier contingency program, add stickerz
- Get car dyno'd
Want To Do
- Rear subframe bushings
- Diff bushings
- Motor + trans mounts
- Address P/S leak - may need new rack
- Aero - Team HD Racing splitter + used wing
- Diff?!? Spending crazy money on a differential will be a very hard pill to swallow given all the other costs I've just outlined. But eventually. Maybe.
- M50 intake manifold? I have the manifold and most of the conversion bits, but I would just have to choke the motor down with a restrictor plate to make proper HP-to-weight ratio. The benefit is allegedly powerband being shifted higher in the revs which could prove nice. I dunno. The car drives well as it is.
The 2017 Plan
So I'm doing Comp School with NASA Mid-Atlantic and will know the exact date once they release the 2017 schedule. Very excited for that. There is much CCR studying to do and car evacuation practicing to do. If anyone has an afternoon to spare once I get the car finished, to sit and time me a bunch, that'd be super helpful.
The car slots into GTS2 and the competition has returned in that class with a vengeance, so that's where I plan to race.
I'll have to see about continuing to TT at least one session a day. It would be a great way to still keep the competition high in TTD (I think the car could stay there, I think... though D may turn into TT4 or something which is another discussion for another time) and if I keep placing high-ish, then yay more free brakes and free Hoohoos assuming I start running them.
I also have to talk to the Cobettos about my future working with NASA. I really don't want to give it up, but I think the days of pace car driving may come to a slow end, given I am mainly helping with race starts/support, and being unavailable for one of the two race groups will make that challenging. Hopefully there is something else I can do to help out with the weekends.
Thankfully, I've got four months to figure all of this out. But, need to jump on it all sooner vs. later so nothing comes down to the wire. Already spoke to my fabricator at Blockstar and he's good with me dropping the car off whenever for the remainder of that work.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - D_Eclipse9916 - 11-01-2016
Also check to make sure your Hans tethers/seat/harnesses are within date.
Save the money from rains, its only one or two days a season. Get these once you have some extra Hoosier Contingency. Missing one race won't kill you. Buy someone's A7 or R7s with 4-5 heatcylces at an extreme discount. As long as you are running Hoosiers and the stickers you are fine.
Hint: BFG R1 or R1S is the better, longer lasting tire (My ST3 record at VIR was on 20+ heatcycle BFGs). I run BFG for everything not Time Trial. They have better contingency than Hoosier too.
Saving all that money gets you close to buying a good diff. Buy a good diff....
Might want to invest in a bigger rear view mirror.
What spring rate/sway bar setup are you running? Also an alignment before the season to rebaseline your car once you figure out hp/weight. GTS will not be having any rule changes this year.
A good dyno to get you close is MachV's dyno. Bring your GTS paperwork as the sheet has to be signed by the dyno operator. You can hand me all your GTS paperwork before the event and I can make sure you are all good to go.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 11-01-2016
D_Eclipse9916 Wrote:Also check to make sure your Hans tethers/seat/harnesses are within date.
Save the money from rains, its only one or two days a season. Get these once you have some extra Hoosier Contingency. Missing one race won't kill you. Buy someone's A7 or R7s with 4-5 heatcylces at an extreme discount. As long as you are running Hoosiers and the stickers you are fine.
Hint: BFG R1 or R1S is the better, longer lasting tire (My ST3 record at VIR was on 20+ heatcycle BFGs). I run BFG for everything not Time Trial. They have better contingency than Hoosier too.
Saving all that money gets you close to buying a good diff. Buy a good diff....
Might want to invest in a bigger rear view mirror.
What spring rate/sway bar setup are you running? Also an alignment before the season to rebaseline your car once you figure out hp/weight. GTS will not be having any rule changes this year.
A good dyno to get you close is MachV's dyno. Bring your GTS paperwork as the sheet has to be signed by the dyno operator. You can hand me all your GTS paperwork before the event and I can make sure you are all good to go.
Good stuff.
All safety gear is up to date but good call. I need new gloves as the one is tearing and won't pass inspection.
Sounds like tire setup will be as follows:
- Apex ARC8 = Hankook C51, then new BFG R1S
- Kosei K1 = Used BFG R1S (already have) to use for Comp School and other dicking around, replace with used Hoosiers for TT use/contingency wins
- DSII = Conti DW or similar for rain and trailering
Definitely want a bigger rear-view.
Sway bars are stock. Spring rate is honestly unknown, I am running the same Ground Control setup that I bought from Stemp a few years ago. Not sure where he got it from but maybe he will know more, or I can read numbers on the springs. Will have to do some looking.
Definitely will re-align, good to do that once a season at least.
I had used Mach V for the TT dyno reclass and figured I'd go back to them after January 1 to get a 2017 sheet for both TT and GTS. Good guys and they are local.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - D_Eclipse9916 - 11-01-2016
Jake Wrote:I had used Mach V for the TT dyno reclass and figured I'd go back to them after January 1 to get a 2017 sheet for both TT and GTS. Good guys and they are local.
Remember, dyno sheets are good for 12 months (not calendar months) if you are trying to save money.
Get sway bars if you are on a ground control setup. Can't really go higher rate with those konis so you have to fix the roll.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 11-03-2016
I'm going to add a Vanos rebuild to my winter list of fun. A bunch of us got on a GTS2 group chat on Facebook today and everyone thinks that my dyno graph is weird in the midrange - though peak HP/torque are both fine. These numbers (maybe because of my odd midrange) have my competition weight fairly low. Not bad but a bit head-scratching to me.
![[Image: wAlunLy.png]](http://i.imgur.com/wAlunLy.png)
![[Image: 8Qn3EwU.png]](http://i.imgur.com/8Qn3EwU.png)
I may do the Dr. Vanos "stage one" kit that is just a remove-and-replace with a rebuilt unit of theirs... or maybe I'll do the Besian Systems rebuild seals. Not sure which is the better idea.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - SlimKlim - 11-03-2016
Do the besian rebuild. It's the same end result as the Dr. VANOS with a marginal amount of added fuss. I still have the vise grip liners and modified socket kicking around somewhere so that'll save you another few bucks. The only complication with going that direction is you need to have a bench mounted vise grip. You could cough $40 at HF to have one in your garage permanently, or just pop the unit out of the car and go rebuild it at DJs.
It's definitely a bit more fuss but I think the price difference is $250 vs. $60, definitely worth taking a little more time IMO.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - D_Eclipse9916 - 11-03-2016
Jake Wrote:I'm going to add a Vanos rebuild to my winter list of fun. A bunch of us got on a GTS2 group chat on Facebook today and everyone thinks that my dyno graph is weird in the midrange - though peak HP/torque are both fine. These numbers (maybe because of my odd midrange) have my competition weight fairly low. Not bad but a bit head-scratching to me..
hock: That graph. Uh yeah I would say you need to get that fixed.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - RawrImAMonster - 11-03-2016
That's quite the dip. I'm sure fixing vanos will help a lot.
I notice how both of you all spelled it Besian. I have been reading and spelling it that way for years now and I just realized last week it's actually spelled Beisan. I guess it's one of those things like the kid's books. Everyone remembers it as Berenstein Bears when it's actually Berenstain Bears. :lol:
But yeah, I should probably look into doing the rebuild on my vanos at some point as well. It's on the list somewhere after rod bearings and before fixing the lock actuator on my passenger door.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - *insertusernamehere* - 11-04-2016
That winter list gives me a headache. Oy, good luck!
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - JustinG - 11-04-2016
Common tech fail points:
-Check your kill switch numerous times, rev to 3-4k and flip the switch. Car should sputter for a couple of seconds then die. Surprised how often we get a guy in with a new build that fails kill switch.
-Belts, 2yrs unless you have the SFI tag that states otherwise.
-5yrs for window net, I am assuming you are buying new, but just incase you pick up a used one.
-Roll par padding, If I remember you are fine here, but I don't remember.
-Brake Lights
Random stuff I can think of:
-NASA Stickers, 4 corners
-NASA patch on race suit
-Orange Hash marks for NOOB status, we don't always have Orange tape in the tech shed, so..... get your own just in case.
I know you aren't this stupid.....but do not mount the bottom of the window net to the door.....that was an interesting conversation.... :roll:
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - JPolen01 - 11-04-2016
JustinG Wrote:I know you aren't this stupid.....but do not mount the bottom of the window net to the door.....that was an interesting conversation.... :roll:I can see how this would an issue but how do you get the net to not flap uncontrollably in the wind?
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 11-04-2016
JPolen01 Wrote:JustinG Wrote:I know you aren't this stupid.....but do not mount the bottom of the window net to the door.....that was an interesting conversation.... :roll:I can see how this would an issue but how do you get the net to not flap uncontrollably in the wind?
Bottom mounts to roll cage tube, top has the typical "slide in and clip" attachment point.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 11-15-2016
November 2016 - Fall Finale at Summit Point
Fall Finale is always a great weekend as there's no W2W racing, just HPDE and Time Trial, so things are quite a bit more laid back.
I was able to "coerce" my friend Matt into leaving his E46 328Ci at my place and driving my E46 M3 down to Summit instead. Given I was Chief of Pace for the weekend and just bought the car, dangit I wanted to have it out there in some capacity. So, he drove it down and I towed the E36 per usual.
My weekend in TT was equal parts uneventful and successful. I left the SD card for my GoPro at home, so I didn't get any video... oops. At least I have data from my AIM.
The Hankook C51 tires I was running were badly heat-cycled (probably have 30 HC on them now) and I figured it out halfway through Saturday. The first session each morning was all about getting heat into the tires and brakes, so nobody had grip. The second session saw me still fighting (read: drifting) for grip in many places and I was barely getting into the 1:29's, which is a solid street tire time, but not very good for sticky R-compounds.
So, I threw the RS3 street tires on the car and went back out. It was an immediate improvement. They are two years old and not at peak grip anymore either, but I made it work. Got down into the low 1:28's (I think a 1:28.4 at one point) which was nearly good enough for 1st place both days. Unfortunately, my competitor Matthew had tires that were also dying but hung in there long enough for him to earn high 1:27's both days.
I did have a theoretical 1:27 lap according to the AIM, which made me feel good. And the 1:28's are a personal best at Summit, so I have nothing to complain about there, either. Based on points standings for the season, I should be the 2016 Mid-Atlantic TTD champion :thumbup:
![[Image: 9J8vOBx.jpg?1]](http://i.imgur.com/9J8vOBx.jpg?1)
The E46 did well as a pace car, too. Even with its donkalicious 19" wheels and 500+ treadwear all-season tires, it held its own and I had a lot of fun with it. The convertibles weigh nearly 400 lbs more than the coupes but they are still plenty fast.
![[Image: A4Na1JG.jpg?1]](http://i.imgur.com/A4Na1JG.jpg?1)
One of our big sponsors (Mach V) brought their new shop car out... a shiny new Focus RS. Got to hoon that for a lap, too. Big thanks to Dan at Mach V for that opportunity. It drove about as I figured it would - very stiff, plenty fast, good steering and brakes, and lots of opportunity for oversteer if you're too ham-fisted.
![[Image: 1Fw8646.jpg?2]](http://i.imgur.com/1Fw8646.jpg?2)
Overall, great way to end the season! Now time to make a list and get the car ready for Competition School and GTS2 next year!
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - rherold9 - 11-15-2016
Nice driving, being able to grab a 1:28 on old street tires is awesome :thumbup: