First Track Day with my 135i

[jafo1701]

Well I did my first track day with my 135i.
first my set up, an 2011 135i DCT with PPK 1 and an ETS intercooler. BMW performance springs with Koni sport shocks and struts. Dinan camber plates and rear shock mounts. M3 front upper and lower control arms as well as M3 upper rear control arms. Also M3 subframe bushings installed. Stock calipers and rotors with Stop Tech performance street pads front and rear installed. As for tires I was running Michelin Pilot super sports 245/40/17 with light weight wheels. Temps never exceeded 75 degrees and engine temps never went above 250. I'm running 25% coolant with 75% distilled water with a bottle of water wetter.

I ran at Mid America Motorplex. It's my 3rd time there. My previous HPDE car was a well set-up E36 M3. Last year my best lap time with my E36 M3 was 1:56.25, that's only around 2 seconds slower then an instructors stripped out E36 M3 with R compounds. That was a solo lap time no instructor. I ran a 2:03.56 with the 135i. This was with a driving instructor as he didn't cut me solo till the last 2 sessions of the day which were a wash, because it rained all day after my first session of day 2. Lap times were unscientific. I just watched my previous video and timed it with a stop watch. Comparing the video for those of you familiar with Mid America my times were the same with the M3 going from turn 7 into 8, then it goes down hill. I lose 7 seconds from that section back to the tower. Basically the course tightens up and I couldn't carry as much speed through the corners. I attest it to two things. Of course the driver, I'm still not completely accustomed to how this thing handles and second it's just a bigger car. It just doesn't handles the corners as well. I only got 3 dry runs of 20 minutes each through 2 days, as it rained constantly especially on day 2.

Here's what I noticed, the thing is heavy and you can really feel the weight. Power delivery was smooth with no lag, DCT performed flawlessly. After the first session i was extremely disappointed. Even my instructor was expecting much more out of the car given what I had done to it. However after the final session he stated once I started to push the car and get use to how it handled that the car settled down the car felt much more stable and planted. I had the same observation. On a side note an E92 M3 caught up to me around turn 14 just before the front straight. I wanted to see if I could hold it off. We both punched it on the .6 mile front straight and it couldn't make any ground on me. Even the driver after the session asked if that was my 135i. She said she had her foot down and that was all her M3 had and I was walking away from her. I did eventually let her pass though as I couldn't corner as well as her. I'm sure I'll improve with more track time, along with some more mild upgrades, better tires, actual track pads and the M3 swaybar.

[blutattoo]

Originally Posted by jafo1701

Well I did my first track day with my 135i.
first my set up, an 2011 135i DCT with PPK 1 and an ETS intercooler. BMW performance springs with Koni sport shocks and struts. Dinan camber plates and rear shock mounts. M3 front upper and lower control arms as well as M3 upper rear control arms. Also M3 subframe bushings installed. Stock calipers and rotors with Stop Tech performance street pads front and rear installed. As for tires I was running Michelin Pilot super sports 245/40/17 with light weight wheels. Temps never exceeded 75 degrees and engine temps never went above 250. I'm running 25% coolant with 75% distilled water with a bottle of water wetter.

I ran at Mid America Motorplex. It's my 3rd time there. My previous HPDE car was a well set-up E36 M3. Last year my best lap time with my E36 M3 was 1:56.25, that's only around 2 seconds slower then an instructors stripped out E36 M3 with R compounds. That was a solo lap time no instructor. I ran a 2:03.56 with the 135i. This was with a driving instructor as he didn't cut me solo till the last 2 sessions of the day which were a wash, because it rained all day after my first session of day 2. Lap times were unscientific. I just watched my previous video and timed it with a stop watch. Comparing the video for those of you familiar with Mid America my times were the same with the M3 going from turn 7 into 8, then it goes down hill. I lose 7 seconds from that section back to the tower. Basically the course tightens up and I couldn't carry as much speed through the corners. I attest it to two things. Of course the driver, I'm still not completely accustomed to how this thing handles and second it's just a bigger car. It just doesn't handles the corners as well. I only got 3 dry runs of 20 minutes each through 2 days, as it rained constantly especially on day 2.

Here's what I noticed, the thing is heavy and you can really feel the weight. Power delivery was smooth with no lag, DCT performed flawlessly. After the first session i was extremely disappointed. Even my instructor was expecting much more out of the car given what I had done to it. However after the final session he stated once I started to push the car and get use to how it handled that the car settled down the car felt much more stable and planted. I had the same observation. On a side note an E92 M3 caught up to me around turn 14 just before the front straight. I wanted to see if I could hold it off. We both punched it on the .6 mile front straight and it couldn't make any ground on me. Even the driver after the session asked if that was my 135i. She said she had her foot down and that was all her M3 had and I was walking away from her. I did eventually let her pass though as I couldn't corner as well as her. I'm sure I'll improve with more track time, along with some more mild upgrades, better tires, actual track pads and the M3 swaybar.

Well for the first time out that sounds pretty good. I had a prepped E36 before and my first time out in the 1 was considerably off my times in my m3. I also had the PSS's which offer good feel and feedback, but they aren't the best for track duty. Seat time will make the biggest difference. As it is you can probably have equal times once you get use to the car. I suppose the faster the track the more the 1 will separate itself. Better tires are probably going to be the best upgrade you can have for the money, but I'd wait until you explore the limits of those before you spend any more money.

Another thing you'll have to get use to is not shifting as much. Use the torque to your advantage. Every time you shift even with a dct you lose time, so try not to downshift as much when you go into a turn. Leaving it in gear saved me a bunch of time since I was in the right gear for a longer period of time. Without seeing the track it's hard to say where you could save time so post those videos and other folks might have other tricks for you too.

[Focusedintntions]

Biggest issue you have with your car setup is it's ability to rotate compared to the M3 with it's real lsd. You don't have enough camber up front to prevent a ton of understeer and you can't really adequately put power down to both wheels to make it rotate consistently and reliably. That being said with a bit more seat time in teh car in the dry, you should be able to beat your e36 as long as it's not too technical a track.

[jafo1701]

You hit the nail on the head. The car just didn't want to rotate around the tight corners. That's where I lost a lot of time. Of course around the more open portion of the track I should have gained some time from my M3 times, but they turned out to be about even. I attribute that to simple wheel time. I was in a comfort level with my M3, I knew what the car was going to do and was comfortable pushing it to it's limits. I knew where it's limits were. I'm not at that point yet with the 135i. A limited slip diff is on my to do list, just probably not for at least a year given the expense.

[Groundpilot]

Yeah. The biggest issue with this car is inability to rotate in tight corners. LSD should help a lot.

[int2str]

Originally Posted by jafo1701

Here's what I noticed, the thing is heavy and you can really feel the weight.

I think you should ditch the Dinan camber plates for Vorschlag, TC Kline, Ground Control or something.

At the last track event an instructor drove my car and he actually said my car felt really "light" to him . Made me chuckle. I think running a lot of camber on our car helps above anything else.

[blutattoo]

how much neg camber were you able to achieve with your current setup? If you can get to 2.5 deg of neg camber, a bit of toe out, and a square tire setup, understeer should be really, really minimal. Turn in should be very quick with those specs and still maintain some streetability. To much toe out and the car will track pretty hard if the surfaces aren't smooth.

[jafo1701]

I'm at -2.2 up front. Zero toe. I've been thinking of doing .O5 toe out on each side up front before my next track day. I just couldn't get the car to turn in on the tight corners. I have a square 245/40/17 tire setup for track and autocross days.

[blutattoo]

Originally Posted by jafo1701

I'm at -2.2 up front. Zero toe. I've been thinking of doing .O5 toe out on each side up front before my next track day. I just couldn't get the car to turn in on the tight corners. I have a square 245/40/17 tire setup for track and autocross days.

I have the same setup suspension wise and I was able to get 2.4 on one side and 2.6 on the other in the front and 2.2/2.1 in the rear. With the toe out .05 the turn in is really crisp. I tried more but the car wasn't very friendly on the street and I wanted to be able to do both without having to mess with the setup. The rotation is still slower than my e36, but that may be due to the extra weight the 1 has. Still it is damn close. The tires may have a little to do with it as well since the PSS's are so soft on the outer edges. Another tire with a more square shoulder might help, especially with autox.

[jafo1701]

I'm going to add the M3 front sway bar before my next track day. Also going to go with the Carbotech XP10s and dedicated track rotors up front. I did experience a little bit of brake fade in one session with my stoptech street performance and just want reliable braking throughout a session. It's a bad feeling going into a corner and hammering the brakes and realizing your brakes aren't stopping you like previously. Thankfully I was able to bleed off enough speed before taking the corner. Just had to miss the Apex for that corner. Have to stick with the Michelin PSS for now. When they wear out I'm going to go with the new Dunlop Direzza ZIIs.

I was -2.2 up front, but have noticed my Springs have settled a bit since install and are about .25 inches lower on all 4 corners, so maybe my camber is slightly more negative now. I'm running -2.0 in the rear. Would love to get it at -2.5 on each side up front. Hopefully the swaybar and toe settings will help me turn in better. Then with new tires with a stiffer side wall I'm thinking with the power and torque of the car my times will eventually be better then my M3 times once I get the wheel time. Limited Slip diff will be the final upgrade, probably not till the 2015 season though. My next track day is not till August at the Autobahn so I have plenty of time to get it sorted out. I'll run a few AutoXs till then.

[turbowolfe]

Hey Jafo,

When in August are you headed to Autobahn? I may be there.

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by jafo1701

I was -2.2 up front, but have noticed my Springs have settled a bit since install and are about .25 inches lower on all 4 corners, so maybe my camber is slightly more negative now. .

Lowering doesn't affect camber at the front, does at the rear though.

[jafo1701]

I'll be there August 12th. As for the camber guess I'll be stuck at -2.2 up front then.

[Pyrat 2]

What was the temp outside. Taking my 135is out for the first time next weekend to Grattan. A bit nervous about possible limp mode or slow dct shifts. Any issues with either of those? I too have Dinan plates but also have 235s up front as well as a quaife and eibach bars. Turn in on the car is right now and I didn't realize how dramatic it was vs stock until I drove someone else's stock 135is last weekend. He was equally shocked at the difference when he drove my car.

[Pyrat 2]

Originally Posted by HeelToe

What was the temp outside. Taking my 135is out for the first time next weekend to Grattan. A bit nervous about possible limp mode or slow dct shifts. Any issues with either of those? I too have Dinan plates but also have 235s up front as well as a quaife and eibach bars. Turn in on the car is right now and I didn't realize how dramatic it was vs stock until I drove someone else's stock 135is last weekend. He was equally shocked at the difference when he drove my car.

Never mind on the temp question. I need to read the post. Still curious about the shifts and limp mode. Any issues there?

[Pyrat 2]

Originally Posted by HeelToe

What was the temp outside. Taking my 135is out for the first time next weekend to Grattan. A bit nervous about possible limp mode or slow dct shifts. Any issues with either of those? I too have Dinan plates but also have 235s up front as well as a quaife and eibach bars. Turn in on the car is right now and I didn't realize how dramatic it was vs stock until I drove someone else's stock 135is last weekend. He was equally shocked at the difference when he drove my car.

Never mind on the temp question. I need to read the post. Still curious about the shifts and limp mode. Any issues there?

[turbowolfe]

Originally Posted by jafo1701

I'll be there August 12th. As for the camber guess I'll be stuck at -2.2 up front then.

Who is running the event on the 12th? I know laps is to be at autobahn on 8/5.

I'll see if i can make it out then.

[jafo1701]

MVP Track time is doing the event on the 12th. No problems with DCT shifts or limp mode. Engine oil temps never climbed above 250, for the most part they were at 245. There was a guy with a 1M in my run group. He was running similar temperatures as me. However you guys have that extra radiator and upgraded cooling fan.

[jafo1701]

Originally Posted by HeelToe

I too have Dinan plates but also have 235s up front as well as a quaife and eibach bars.

I would love to get that limited slip diff in this year, but it's $4500 for the DCT LSD. I had to prioritize and decided to do my complete suspension first as well as an intercooler and chargepipe. Hopefully next year I can get the LSD done.

[Pyrat 2]

Originally Posted by jafo1701

I would love to get that limited slip diff in this year, but it's $4500 for the DCT LSD. I had to prioritize and decided to do my complete suspension first as well as an intercooler and chargepipe. Hopefully next year I can get the LSD done.

Yikes! $4500! I paid $3300 installed for the quaife on my 2013 dct. Still a lot to be sure but not that much.

[jafo1701]

Originally Posted by HeelToe

Yikes! $4500! I paid $3300 installed for the quaife on my 2013 dct. Still a lot to be sure but not that much.

I was quoting the unit that was completely ready to bolt on with a new final drive. If you know of a better place online to buy a completely bolt on LSD for DCT you have to let me know. From what I can tell since everything is welded on in the DCT final drives there is no core refund.

[Pyrat 2]

Originally Posted by jafo1701

I was quoting the unit that was completely ready to bolt on with a new final drive. If you know of a better place online to buy a completely bolt on LSD for DCT you have to let me know. From what I can tell since everything is welded on in the DCT final drives there is no core refund.

I had mine built locally. They required a deposit for them to buy the quaife. When it came in they pulled my diff off and sent the whole thing off to a shop as the gears were welded in place. They then reinstalled the same pumpkin with the diff installed.