Jake Stumph Racing 135i - Now Developing JSR-spec Big Oil Cooler Kit - See Post #40!

[katsooba]

awesome thread!
great progress and learning curve with the mods!

[Ginger_Extract]

A quick video from a recent track day at Autoclub Speedway, running the ROVAL:

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New article about a September track day at Buttonwillow:

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/septem...ill-1739907612

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New story about tracking at Auto Club Speedway:

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/i-wann...ack-1742724655

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I picked up a ton of time of Buttonwillow recently, and now have my sights set on being one of the fastest N54-powered cars to cover the track. Check out my Halloweeen track day adventure here:

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/hallow...nw-1744852231#

[Ginger_Extract]

Here are a few cool shots from my track day at Buttonwillow:

[rac]

What do you think your lap time improvement was going to 255 up front? All else being equal and trying to account for driver improvement etc., just a rough non scientific guess?

[Ginger_Extract]

Originally Posted by rac

What do you think your lap time improvement was going to 255 up front? All else being equal and trying to account for driver improvement etc., just a rough non scientific guess?

At Streets of Willow Springs, a 1.6 mile track, the difference was about 3 seconds. At Buttonwillow, a 2.7 mile track, the difference was about 4-5 seconds. Very substantial. FYI, the 255 works noticeably better on a 9"+ wheel versus the 8.5".

[Ginger_Extract]

As of late, the 1er had developed a front end suspension clunk, and it was driving me nuts. Fortunately, troubleshooting a front end clunk is easy, as it's usually the sway bar, or the shocks. Since the bar is easier to play with, that was my first inspection site. The OEM endlinks were shot. They lasted 43900 miles, half of which was with the 26mm solid Eibach bar, RIP. I unhooked the links and the front end was silent again.

[ShocknAwe]

Nice!

[Ginger_Extract]

My review of the CSF Racing Radiator for our cars:

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/my-tho...ato-1745809742

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A quick anecdote about doing spark plugs on the N54.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/simply...ugs-1750192766

[katsooba]

would you think that a 255 tyre could benefit something on being on a 10" rim? or should i stick to 9 or 9.5"?

[Ginger_Extract]

Originally Posted by katsooba

would you think that a 255 tyre could benefit something on being on a 10" rim? or should i stick to 9 or 9.5"?

S2000 people do it all the time 17x10 +60ish with 255/40 comp tires. If it could fit, on a 1-series I would love to run something like that.

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Working on closing in on the BMW street tire record at Autoclub Speedway, check it out:

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/grip-e...way-1751586415

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Resetting my personal hot lap record at Streets of Willow:

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/dont-c...-sp-1753949016

[swagon]

Haven't you said that you're retiring the 135i?

Good luck with your racing!

[Ginger_Extract]

Hey All, even with the CSF Racing Radiator, oil temperatures were still too high, resulting in inconsistent power output as the DME would scale back boost and timing as it saw fit. With this in mind, I began studying all of the prominent oil cooling solutions on the market today in regards to size, placement, mounting solutions, and most importantly, claims of efficacy. The latter has been largely appalling, with blind claims and no practical data. Evolution Racewerks was the only vendor who provided data from a track day, however, most of it was unusable or unrelatable, with thousands of measurements, and very little actual hard driving and high RPM usage.

I decided to build my own kit and test it for myself. With a bit of bravery, I opted for what I think is the largest single oil cooler that will fit behind the narrowbody 135i, a "medium" sized Setrab cooler.



"Medium" is relative, because this cooler has a core size that is more than 4x as large as the stock cooler (406% as large, to be specific ). The difference in core size alone will add approximately 1/3-1/2 liter of total oil capacity to the car, which is great, as the more oil there is, provided the oil pressure/flow is sufficient, the more the heat can spread out, and offer better effective cooling. All that is to say, nothing of course of the Setrab core's ability to effectively dissipate heat.

Fitting this big core in the tight confines of the 135i required some careful measurements and a custom bracket. With the bumper, fender liners and cooler out of the way, I fit the core roughly in place and took some measurements and sketched some ideas for brackets.
The first bracket mounted using the existing bumper beam studs and fasteners, but that idea was nixed after realizing that the core was too tall to make that viable.
Bracket number two ended up being a winner. It mounts in the same location as the stock cooler, and it seemed to all fit up.



Initial test fit seemed positive. Note that this was the initial assembly of the bracket, before the bottom portion was assembled:



Here is where the cooler will be sitting behind the bumper. I will be designing a ducting solution to optimize air flow and cooling efficiency. Minor trimming of the plastic core support is required, which can be done easily with a small dremel. We cut a lot of mine out when test fitting the cooler a few different ways. Realistically, it will require about a 1"x1" cut, which is easy, stealthy, and no different than trimming to fit a larger intercooler.

Here is what the finalized bracket design looks like. Again, this is our development piece, so it's been drilled and re-drilled a few times to figure out fitment. It's not pretty, but it is functional.



When talking to the local vendor that I sourced the Setrab core from, he was adamant that if we were to make a custom bracket, that we NEEDED to address anti-vibration and rattling that comes with metal on metal and being mounted to the chassis. He said that vibration reduces cooling efficiency and can actually cause internal damage to the cooler. So I found another local vendor that sells custom made rubber sheeting. I ordered up some very thin 60A durometer anti-vibration rubber sheeting that will line the bracket to insulate the cooler.

That is where I am up to thus far. I will need to grab a picture of the cooler situated in the final bracket. The rubber sheet should be ready to go in a few days, then it's a matter of confirming -10AN line lenghts in and out, assembling fittings, and then street testing. If street testing goes well, it's track time, where we can see the true peak oil temp differential. If I can lower temperatures by 20*F or so, I will be a happy camper.

Please stay tuned for updates and progress on this setup. If testing goes well, I'd like to sell this cooling setup as a kit. Would anyone be interested in a cleaned up version of this?

[Ginger_Extract]

Originally Posted by swagon

Haven't you said that you're retiring the 135i?

Good luck with your racing!

It's been retired from Autocross. For 2016 I'm campaigning my Honda Civic in H-Street. Coned away a 1st place finish in the first event of the year, and got 2nd place. Hoping to nab a podium finish with the car.

The 1'er will be further developed for use on the big track. Looking to do "sub-2" at Buttonwillow 13CW, sub-1:25 at Streets of Willow Springs, sub-1:52 at ACS Roval, and generally set the hottest laps that I can at other tracks when possible.

[dtla1]

Interested, however, if you want to share a bit more info via PM I can fab one up with my buddy to test also. He and I have a little history of custom making parts including a few for his VW Turbo Diesel into an 80s Toyota Pickup body.

[Ginger_Extract]

My roommate and I picked up a new project car, so the BMW has been largely left alone for the past month or so, left on stands. For those of you who care to see some non-BMW content, check out our new project:

That said, I took some time away from the Project 240 and made great strides on the oil cooler.






Finalized the mounting location, installed the adapter for the oil filter housing and had high-quality Earls line cut to size and fitted to the cooler.

Started the car up while on stands and it let it run for about 30 minutes, trouble-free. No leaking, doom and gloom, blown engine, etc.

This morning, made the final push, confirmed fender liner and bumper fitment one last time, and buttoned the car back up together. It started up without a hitch and I proceeded to drive it to work. The engine ran hiccup-free through my 20 miles commute through West L.A.
Indeed, the only issue I ran into was an errant on/off "TPMS Inactive" error code that would come and go as it pleased. The TPMS receiver is mounted on the fender liner, near the oil cooler. I'm guessing the harness either came unclipped, or I damaged it during tearing down and reassembling the front end of the car.




From here, the goal is to drive the car around for a few days, ensure no leaks, rubbing, etc., and then line up track testing. A shroud/ducting to optimize flow is still on the to do list, but I'm curious how the car will perform as is.

[houtan]

Any updates on the oil cooler? I just finished a track day at Buttonwillow and my oil temps were creeping into the 280 range. Looking into oil coolers as my next modification.