nocab72 Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 About 7 years ago I took my RX-7 to Putnam raceway for a weekend event. It was awesome, but frankly scared the crap out of me. The combination of first track event, a very high HP, light weight car with not enough brakes (read into that a few brake fade scares) did make for a memorable event. However, I was able to get my "go fast" fix on the smooth, wide roads in Columbus during my time there. Now I live in VA, home of get caught going 20mph over and you are likely in for a "don't pass go, pay thousands of dollars and go directly to jail". The need for speed slowly crept up on me over the past couple of years and last year I reached my "braking" point (hahah, pun intended). Mid last summer I started shopping for a "track car", looked mostly at Porsche models (911 & Cayman) and BMWs (135i, E36 M3, E46 M3) and ultimately decided on the E46 M3. Not too fat (heavy), good hp/weight, well balanced (F to R) and forgiving, basically a very "happy" car on the track. Between July and November last year I participated in 32 HPDE track days. Yes that means I was at the track pretty much every weekend during that period. A junkie was born. For the 2010 my goals are: * 60 Track Days (for a total of 94. 32 last year, 2 in 2003) * 3 New Tracks (drove 5 during 2009 season, 1 in 2003) * At least 12 days at (VIR) (favorite track thus far) For those of you interested in building a track car I'm going to include in this thread the major pieces of my car build, as the concepts are valid regardless of car type. Most of the below build information is content that has been copied from my NocabRacing blog. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMeanGreen Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Excellent! I'm still partial to the point A to point B as fast as I can go thing, but would love to road race someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocab72 Posted February 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 During the 2009 season I forced myself to keep the M3 as stock as possible. The M3 is a great platform for the track, a very "happy" and balanced car which needs little modifications to make it ready for serious HPDE events. My goal was to do minimal upgrades and "learn how to drive the car as it is". 98% of going faster during your first season is DRIVER UPGRADES...those come in the form of class room instruction and seat time with an experienced instructor. During 2009 Build Upgrades included: Performance Friction 2Piece Rotors These 2rotors allow you to keep the hat and simply replace the rotor when it becomes worn. Initial cost is a bit higher and buying a 1 piece rotor&hat but over the longer haul by only having to replace the rotor component and reusing the hat rotor consumable cost is lowered. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/M3/Performance-Friction-2-Piece-Direct.jpghttp://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/M3/Performance-Friction-2-Piece-Dir-1.jpg Racing pads are a must once you start going quicker on the track. Stock rotors on any production car are setup to operate with high levels of "bite" even when they are cold, but used again and again to pull a car down from high speeds stock pads overheat causing brake fade and will eventually boil your stock brake fluid. Racing Pads operate efficiently at much higher temperatures ... the kinds of temperatures you find when you are really working the brakes hard. Image the energy it takes to slow a 3000lb car down from 140Mph to 40Mph. Brakes take that energy and turn it into heat... now that's HOT! http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/M3/pfcboxandpads.jpg I have tried both the PFC01 and PFC06 compound pads. The PFC01 is a very aggressive pad with a lot of bite. The PFC06 pad is nearly aggressive but is touted as an endurance pad ... The PFC06 seems to last QUITE a bit longer than the PFC01. Also with street tires I had some issues keeping enough temperature in the PFC01 to keep them in their optimal operational range, didn't have that problem with the PFC06. Racing Brake Fluid With higher brake pad and rotor temperatures in a track environment upgrading your brake fluid so it won't boil is a must. If you boil your brake fluid, air bubbles are left in your brake lines and will leave you with a soft brake pedal, or worst case a brake pedal that goes all the way to the floor w/out slowing the car at all! The reason for this, fluids don't compress much, air compresses A LOT! The force that squeezes the pads onto the rotors requires pressure in your brake system, w/out pressure or with air that compresses in your brake lines you don't get much squeeze on the rotors from the pads. Not a situation you want when you are headed into a low speed corner coming down the main straight on the racetrack! http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/M3/CastrolSRF.jpg I chose Castrol SRF. It's one of the best and has one of the highest boiling points of any brake fluid. At $80 liter it better be good! Stainless Steel Brake Lines As you can see, keeping pressure in your brake system is critical to the operation of your brakes. Most cars come with rubber brake lines, rubber when it gets hot will stretch or bulge. Replacing the rubber brake lines with Stainless Steel lines keeps this from happening and contributes to a good performing brake system. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/M3/Stainless_Steel_brake_lines.jpg Square Tire Setup The E46 M3 like most commercial cars comes from the factory setup to understeer. Manufactures do this because they believe understeer is "safer" and easier to control and correct when it occurs, it is also more predictable than overstreer. Understeer is when the front end of the car feels like it is getting pushed to the outside of the turn. Basically the car is not turning as sharp as you have the wheel turned due to lack of traction. Understeer is easy to correct by a) slowing down a bit, or b) opening the wheel so you are turning less. The stock setup of the E46 M3 causes the car to understeer both when entering a corner and when exiting. On the track that becomes a nuisance and a performance limiter unless something is changed. One of the easiest ways to compensate for the undesirable and excessive understeer setup of the E46 is to replace the front wheels and tires with the same size wheels and tires you are running on the rear of the car. Trackers call this a "square setup". Instead of 225/45/18 sized front and 255/40/18 sized rear tire (staggered setup), you end up with a 255/40/18 sized tire setup on all four wheels. The extra grip provided by the 255 tire compared to the stock 225 does a good job of eliminating a lot of the factory understeer and really makes the car feel good on "turn in" (when turning into a corner). -- Other than some minor cosmetic enhancements those upgrades above served me very well for my first season, I would recommend anyone new to HPDE with an M3 consider the same upgrades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl1647545492 Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 You go fast around corners? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocab72 Posted February 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 You go fast around corners? I do now! :thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocab72 Posted February 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 Having done what I felt were the minimal safety, braking and handling mods during the 2009 season, the 2009/2010 winter was going to be first year offseason major mods. Suspension Time to ditch the street capable but "too soft for the track" M3 suspension. I chose the fully upgradeable AST 5100's (upgradeable to double adjustable 5200's or triple adjustable 5300's) and Vorshlag camber-caster plates. These will keep the tires on the ground where they can GRIP! http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/AST5100s.jpg (For those of you who know your BMW's, you'll recognize these as 5100's for an E36 because I couldn't find a good picture of the E46 5100's) Wanted adjustable camber in the rear to complement the suspension, Turner Motorsports had race developed, highly recommended Adjustable Rear Camber Arm Kit. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/camberarms.jpg Light Weight Wheels Light weight but strong wheels were purchased from APEX Racing, their newly designed ARC-8 in Hyper Black. 18x9.5 all around to be wrapped in 275/35/18 r-compound stickiness. 18x9.5 +35et Hyper Black http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/ApexRacing_ARC-8_2.jpg Other color Choices for the ARC-8's (Mary chose Hyper Silver for her Silver M3) http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/ApexRacing_ARC-8_4ColorSamples.jpg Seats, Harnesses & HANS Pushing the car through highspeed corners with the stock 3point safety belts results in sore knees from bracing yourself against the side of the car and wasted energy, before you even consider the lack of safety a 3 point best provides during a high speed impact or rollover. Since we will frequently be going twice the speed typically done on the street, a proper harness belt setup was my desire. You can't just bolt in a 6point racing harness with stock seats though, nor can you get a 6 point harness w/out a harness bar or cage to attach it to. That means racing seats and ultimately a cage (See Feb Build Update for Cage Pics). I headed off the OGRacing's store front, remembering they have many racing seats on display so I could sit in various styles and pick one I liked but more importantly that fit me properly, width & height. I ended up choosing the RaceTech 4009 seats, Schroth Hybrid III for HANS Belts and a lightweight (Carbon Fiber) HANs device. RaceTech 4009 http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/RACETECH-4009-FIA-FIBERGLASS-RACING.jpg Schroth 6Pt Racing Harnesses http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Hybrid_IIIH.jpg Carbon Fiber HANS Device http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/HANS-DEVICE-PROFESSIONAL-SERIES.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 wow....i'm jealous! I cannot afford to make going to the track as much of a priority as I'd like to right now, but hopefully some time down the road I will be able to. Nice choice on the e46 M3. I still call my brother's "The Hero Maker" cause I've never felt more confident in a car on track. If you haven't already bought the HANS you might also consider looking at the DefNder neck brace as it provides side impact protection for your neck similar to a halo seat would. PLEASE POST VIDEOS...that's about the only way I'll ever get to experience that many track days a year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocab72 Posted February 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 The BMW chassis has been prone to cracking front and rear subframes (search BMW subframe class action). Knowing the chassis was going to be exposed to higher forces than a stock car on the street I made these a priority. Without reinforcement plates you could end up with cracks in your subframe http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/gallery_e46M3sf_010906.jpg or worse it could tear out completely like this poor souls did http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/gallery_e46sf_011306.jpg Here are the subframe re-enforcement kit components from Turner Motorsports Front http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/susp_e46_sf_reinf_lg-1.jpg Rear http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/reinf_e46_subframe_lg-1.jpg and here they are welded into place. http://www.rrtracing.com did the work, beautiful! http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/DSCF0005-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/DSCF0006-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/DSCF0013-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/DSCF0014-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/DSCF0015-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/DSCF0016-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/DSCF0017-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/DSCF0018-sm.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocab72 Posted February 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 If you haven't already bought the HANS you might also consider looking at the DefNder neck brace as it provides side impact protection for your neck similar to a halo seat would. I did buy a HANS for myself already, but I'll take a look at the DefNder neck brace, thanks for the pointer! PLEASE POST VIDEOS...that's about the only way I'll ever get to experience that many track days a year! Oh, you can count on it, picked up two HD GoPro's last fall, unfortunately they didn't ship until after my last 2009 event. We ran the cameras in the RRT Racing (http://www.rrtracing.com) Grand-Am car at Dayton last month, AWESOME quality! BTW: On the side I do ECU Tuning & Data Analysis (car & driver) as a member of the RRT Racing Team pit crew, they are based out of Sterling, VA just 30 minutes from my house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotarded1647545491 Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 My services are offered as a full time Pit Crew, Mechanic, Personal Chef, Bartender, and Wingman. Salary is negotiable based upon access to toys. I will PM you my Resume and Lodging requirements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocab72 Posted February 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 I had been wavering between doing a simple 4pt rear only cage or full blown 8pt. After several long discussions with Barry from RRTRacing, I decided to go with the 8pt cage, do it once and get it over with. Step 1 was to gut the interior and measure for the cage: http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage1-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage2-sm.jpg Then weld in mounting plates, you don't want your cage pipe punching through the chassis! http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage3-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage6-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage9-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage12-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage13-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage14-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage15-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage17-sm.jpg Test fit http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage19-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage21-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage20-sm.jpg finally weld in and paint http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage46-sm.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/E46%20M3%20Build%20-%20Black/Cage47-sm.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicksredline Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 looks amazing great work and i bet those pressur points will hold up quite nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boosted98gst Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 Ohhhhh my that cage is yummy!!!! Any action shots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31rx7 Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 I might suggest you duct the front brakes. Certainly the better pads, rotors, and springs will help, but you will be going that much faster and using the brakes that much harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
944s2 Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 Great idea on the HANS, the 6 point harness is not effective if your head is still moving forward 150 + mph as you hit the wall. This is why I cannot see why people put 5-6 point harnesses in there DD's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocab72 Posted February 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 I might suggest you duct the front brakes. Certainly the better pads, rotors, and springs will help, but you will be going that much faster and using the brakes that much harder. Already pop'd both front stock duct holes out, but real ducting and a BBK are in my future. Although, last year at some tracks I had a hard time keeping *enough* heat in the PFC01 compound pads to keep them in their effective range. Didn't have the problem with the PFC06 compound. My guess is the M3 stock calibers + PFC01 pads were almost too much brake for street tires (Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec). Won't have that problem this year on R-Comps. My favorite brake pad configuration was PFC06 in the front and PFC01 in the rear. Added a bit of rear brake bias, really helped while I was learning to trail brake and kept the rear end planted under heavy braking. With stock suspension car had a tendency to waggle the rear end under hard braking, especially down hill. Kyle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 Holy shit you've been busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallard Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 Looks good Kyle. Glad to see some other OG's still on the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 Wow. That BMW will definitely work well, given the amount of proven mods you're doing. Looking forward to following that thing on race days... I took the Corvette to BeaveRun last April...flogged the crap out of it (toasted a wheel bearing) and definitely wanted to do more when the budget/schedule allows! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Science Abuse Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 Is RRT doing th efull season? Will we see you at M-O in June? Great advice on racing pads. I've known people to put racing pads on their DDs because they do lapping days every once in a while. They never get the pads hot enough in normal driving, and really have piss-poor braking performance in the world of oblivious pedestrians and moron drivers, where you *need* the brakes to grab. I took the Corvette to BeaveRun last April...flogged the crap out of it (toasted a wheel bearing) Be sure you tourque the crap out of the nuts or whatever it is holds your bearing to the wheel.. Spec is high enough, but going a few pounds over is a bit of insurance in the face of heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocab72 Posted February 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 Is RRT doing the full season? Will we see you at M-O in June? Doing EVERY race is partially dependent on sponsors, but we definitely will be at Mid-Ohio in June! Kyle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotarded1647545491 Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 Dear nocab Sir, I forwarded my information to you several days ago and had yet to hear back from you. I don't mean to be pushy but I believe I am a good fit for your team. I do have professional references available from Zavier Neely @ the RX7Store, and personal from a Tony Kultu. You may also have seen my name in magazines such as Turbo and Import Magazine (spelled incorrectly). Please feel free to contact me at your convenience. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocab72 Posted May 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2010 9 track days completed this year toward my 60 day goal. Just returned from a 3 day PCA event @Mid-Ohio (late last night), wow, what a great track (it was my first time driving it). Wanted to post a few updated pics from a few weeks ago of the #72, and throw a few pics of the #67 sister car in as well, my girlfriend Mary drives the #67. Wheels on both cars are ApexRacing ARC-8's 18x9.5 +35 all around. BMW guys if you are looking for light, strong, low cost wheels, check then out. We've pounded on them pretty hard and they are holding up well after a combined 18 days. #72 (AST5100's, -3.4 degree neg camber front, -1.8 Rear, 275 R888's). http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/Summit%20Point%20Shen%20-%20FATT%20-%2003-Apr-10/SummitPointShenadoah-22-web.jpg #67 (Stock Suspension, Mad Russian Camber, Dunlop *Spec Sport 265's) Could use a 5-10mm spacer in the rear to widen track & for cosmetics. http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/Summit%20Point%20Shen%20-%20FATT%20-%2003-Apr-10/Mary-Shenandoah-15-web.jpg #72 from rear (I think I have a 5mm spacer in the rear in this shot, but not needed for clearance) http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/Summit%20Point%20Shen%20-%20FATT%20-%2003-Apr-10/SummitPointShenadoah-55-web.jpg Together http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/Summit%20Point%20Shen%20-%20FATT%20-%2003-Apr-10/Mary-Shenandoah-14-web.jpg #72 In Action http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/Summit%20Point%20Shen%20-%20FATT%20-%2003-Apr-10/SummitPointShenadoah-28-web.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/Summit%20Point%20Shen%20-%20FATT%20-%2003-Apr-10/SummitPointShenadoah-32-web.jpg #67 in Action http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/Summit%20Point%20Shen%20-%20FATT%20-%2003-Apr-10/Mary-Shenandoah-43-web.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/Summit%20Point%20Shen%20-%20FATT%20-%2003-Apr-10/Mary-Shenandoah-44-web.jpg #72 Interior Shots Still have dash so it looks pretty ;-) (they are both SMG cars) http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/Summit%20Point%20Shen%20-%20FATT%20-%2003-Apr-10/SummitPointShenadoah-50-web.jpg Seats and Harness http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/Summit%20Point%20Shen%20-%20FATT%20-%2003-Apr-10/SummitPointShenadoah-53-web.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocab72 Posted May 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2010 One more -- together in action! http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/nocab72/His_and_Hers_M3s_action_fullsize.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudiOn19s Posted May 10, 2010 Report Share Posted May 10, 2010 Nice...great update and thanks for the info on the wheels. It looks like with my 996 gone my M3 is going to be returning to the track this year so I need to get another track wheel / tire setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.