My 1 week experience at Nürburg and my 125i

[Zombie_Head]

It was just awesome, plain and simple. Car performed flawlessly, met some really nice people and saw a ton of prototypes being tested and a shitload of cars (and a lot of spectators lol).

I will break it down into several parts, i apologise for the long post:

- The Fahrsicherheitszentrum (Safety Driving Center):
These guys are great, they have shown me things i never knew possible in the 125i. It is mainly down to emergency stopping/maneuvers in various conditions but they cover a very small section regarding track driving (they are based on the Nürburgring after all).

What impressed me the most is how one can seriously stop the car, i always thought i was using 80% of the brakes on the street, after 1 day with these guys, i can say i was using probably 40% of the braking potential. How you can make the ABS kick in constantly yet still be able to turn and do a slalom in the wet or on icy roads was really something i never thought possible. Anyone interested in doing a track day for the first time, i really recommend 1 driving school like this. I was the only one with a BMW there, front engine and RWD. He really liked how i quickly learned the potential of the car and starting to adapt to the situation and control everything.

-Nürburgring GP Circuit:
Dale from RSR Nürburg (i think) always said in his videos "Before you get on the Nordschleife, you should do a round in the GP track to test the car before you go out". The track is so much wider in real life than any SIM game i have played, period and no SIM games are not even remotely the same as real life. You may learn the track, but how you feel each tires gripping, turning, the weight being shoved to the front and then the sides, back to the rear and you balance it all, is nothing a SIM can even remotely replicate. I must agree with Dale there, lots of twists, long high speed sections and heavy braking everything. Infact a lot of people do not like the GP circuit because they fry their brakes. Either dragging their brakes or not using their full potential, regardless at the end of the day the GP circuit will really stress out your brakes, hence why a lot of people do not like it (but i do). I did 3 rounds (15 minutes each) on my first day and 3-4 rounds yesterday, total of 7 rounds 15 minutes each.

-Nordschleife:
I did 1 instructional lap with a rented BMW 218i manual from Apex after my GP experience. Took my second lap in the 125i at around 17:30 yesterday, it was the least busiest, if you can call 60+ cars on the track empty. 1st day there were 120 cars on track + 20+ waiting to get in, goodness is that place just busy. First lap in the 125i, getting a feel for the car, every legendary curve is just a whole different experience (when referring to sim games), so many small bumps that want to upset the car (instructor showed them to me), the compression zone at Fuchsrüre (Foxhole) or how seriously steep ex-mühe climb is with serious upsetting camber, it was a lot of fun learning all of these small tips here and there. Did a total of 4 laps, my last being a "sprinted" attempt (not fastest, i did not care about speed or lap times). I highly recommend at least 1 instruction lap from any company there (costs €50) to get a feel of the track.

Now, to break down how the 125i did in those situations:

-Tires: Michelin PS4 never gave up, tested various warm and hot pressures. These 225/40/18 all round absolutely hate running below 2.5 bar hot, i could feel the tires moving inside the wheels in and out in medium and high speed areas across both tracks. I did one lap on the GP circuit and the car felt right at home, after the lap i checked the pressure it was 2.6 bar all round, that pressure on that tire on my car felt just right, reacted well and handled the hard braking just fine.

-Brakes: This is the tricky bit, i was running OEM ATE discs and ATE OEM Ceramic pads all round with FRESH BMW brake fluid. If you want to learn any track, this is fine, more than fine and you will have fun. If you start to push, like i did, that setup will will be fine (i have F20 style back plats with scoops for added air cooling). I got an ABS warning and limp mode 1s GP day, next morning the pedal was spongy as hell and i had virtually "no brakes". I found a local shop and got some racing fluid and that "fresh fluid" was grey in colour, ATE Ceramics were glazed 3-4mm deep into the pad (lost cause) and some micro cracks. The discs, surprisingly, was just fine, no glazing no cracks nothing. So new fluid went in and EBC Greenstuff in the fronts, since i did not wish to run yellows only in the front (the bite is seriously aggressive which means you also need rears to "balance" it out). Why EBC? They are the only ones available at the shop with REC90, which means they are street legal in EU. Next day, another 3 laps of the GP track, brakes felt so much better than OEM, id say 20-30% better. I could break much later and much harder than before, they gave me the confidence to "push" the car even more. Sadly half way in, under braking the while car started shaking. I mean seriously shaking as if a disc or pad broke, went to the parking, checked everything, nothing all looks good. Long story short the brakes overheated and according to EBC when the car vibrates like this, it means you have passed the thermal threshold. Drove the car around to let the brakes cool, everything is fine, even today everything looks good. This is telling me that there is so much heat from the front, that i need to start looking into alternatives. I might get some zimmerman cross drilled discs to help aid cooling and gas buildup, but i need to see, no slotted rotors stock size (300x24mm) available.

-Chassis/Suspension:
I have the M-Sport suspension, no M3/1M control arms, the car is mechanically 100% stock EU spec. The car loves to turn it, it responds very nicely, especially with quick changes in direction. But the suspension is.... sorry really bad. A ton of body roll, and i can actually feel the tires having more grip than what the M-Sport suspension is capable of. I have my eyes set on a B12-Pro kit, it should suit my needs, since i am looking for a fun daily and not a track focused car.

-Engine/Transmission:
The engine just wants to keep going, i was able to replace everything (in terms of service) except for the v-belt and coolant (trust me, i had no time and both were on my mind constantly). But the engine was just happily revving to redline in any gear. Personally i started shifting a bit early on 4th gear at 6K rpms, since my speed was really high (180+) and i did not have much faith in the brakes/suspension later on, but that engine...revs all day long and i never saw the oil temp touch 120c.

-Seats: Maybe it is the suspension, but i wanted more side support for my left leg, some corners i was "pushing" it so hard that my left leg started to hit the door panel, maybe it has to do with a slightly uncomfortable seating position when wearing a helmet? need to do some tweaks to the seat to get it "just right".

Overall it was a great experience to learn what a stock car can do, and as a base on tuning/modifying it to what my needs are. I can definitely say the first thing i need to adress is the brakes. Most likely cross drilled discs with EBC greenstuff all round, or slotted if i find them. Definitely solid discs will not work for very long when you wanted dedicated and reliable braking every single corner. Second item on the list is the suspension, B-12s pro kit look perfect for an every day car + a once a month track day.

I apologise for the long post, and sorry no photos i was too busy focusing on my technique (which i so still need a lot of practice to do) and feeling what the car was telling me. I would like to hear your opinions on the brakes without having to change the calipers or brake lines (if it is possible).

Here are a couple of pics at the GP circuit.

[Gangplank]

I'm jealous. Taking a week to tour Nuremberg, take a class and do track runs is the top of my bucket list. Someday, someday...

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

I'm jealous. Taking a week to tour Nuremberg, take a class and do track runs is the top of my bucket list. Someday, someday...

Just come already!

[chris_flies]

Wow, EU regulates what brake pads you can use on the road?! God Bless America!!! And Virginia.

Sounds like an awesome time, definitely a bucket list item.

I'd look into F30 335i front brakes on your car, you gain larger rotors with more performance options, and some gorgeous 4-pot Brembos (with steel pistons, FWIW). After a weekend at Summit Point (a brake-heavy track, IIRC), my pads (OE from F30s) were shot, but I didn't boil fluid, and my rotors were only slightly discolored (StopTech Slotted).

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

Wow, EU regulates what brake pads you can use on the road?! God Bless America!!! And Virginia.

Sounds like an awesome time, definitely a bucket list item.

I'd look into F30 335i front brakes on your car, you gain larger rotors with more performance options, and some gorgeous 4-pot Brembos (with steel pistons, FWIW). After a weekend at Summit Point (a brake-heavy track, IIRC), my pads (OE from F30s) were shot, but I didn't boil fluid, and my rotors were only slightly discolored (StopTech Slotted).

On public sessions (Touristenfahrten/Tourist Drives) ALL Stvo regulations on both Nürburgring and GP track apply. Meaning only street legal cars, if god forbid and anything happens, and you have something not registered in the car#s documents (modifications are allowed as long as they are legal and registered) you could be seriously fined.

That is why they have track days and sometimes allow non street legal cars to join, only rule is the noise level (which is increased from 100 db to 110db on some days).

So in terms of pads on public sessions, they must meet EU regulations, so no Hawk, Pagid, Endless etc pads. EBC and Mintec are the only ones supplying street legal pads, and yes this applies to discs as well.

What do you recommend for the rear brakes?

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by Zombie_Head

On public sessions (Touristenfahrten/Tourist Drives) ALL Stvo regulations on both Nürburgring and GP track apply. Meaning only street legal cars, if god forbid and anything happens, and you have something not registered in the car#s documents (modifications are allowed as long as they are legal and registered) you could be seriously fined.

That is why they have track days and sometimes allow non street legal cars to join, only rule is the noise level (which is increased from 100 db to 110db on some days).

So in terms of pads on public sessions, they must meet EU regulations, so no Hawk, Pagid, Endless etc pads. EBC and Mintec are the only ones supplying street legal pads, and yes this applies to discs as well.

What do you recommend for the rear brakes?

I'm running stock rear brakes with EBC Yellows (I have the Yellows all around). Brake bias seems fine to me, but I'm usually more focused on stopping than on how nicely I'm stopping...

[Zombie_Head]

And i found this online:

[duder13]

Originally Posted by Zombie_Head

This is a great shot of your 1er head on! So many pics we see are from up close, which distorts the proportions of the car, but this pic from further out shows what a nice looking car it is.