Lap comparison E36 M3/ 135i

[jafo1701]

Here is a little video I made comparing my lap times. In the larger picture my former track car an E36 M3. This is at the Autobahn from 2012. In the smaller box on the left hand side my current track car my 135i. Lap was taken this past week October 14th, 2014. Starting point was synced as close as possible, sound was from my 135i lap.

specs
1998 E36 M3. 5 speed manual
AST coilovers, Vorshlag camber plates, eibach front sway bar, shark Injector, AFE CAI, borla exhaust, moiton motorsports undertray, LTW replica rear wing & Kosei K1s w/ Dunlop Star Specs
2011 135i DCT
BMW PPK, ETS intercooler, Berk Sport Exhaust, M3 front sway bar, M3 front control arm kit, M3 rear upper control arm kit, M3 subframe bushings, Swift spec r springs, Koni dampers, dinan camber plates & LTW5 wheels w/ Michelin Pilot Super Sports

[blutattoo]

Very cool.

It'd be helpful to know what mods both cars had/have

[jafo1701]

Originally Posted by blutattoo

Very cool.

It'd be helpful to know what mods both cars had/have

Specs added

[pixelblue]

nice. not surprising the 135 was faster even though your E36 have better better track mods. so the question is, does faster necessarily mean more fun when compared to the slightly slower M on the track?

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by pixelblue

nice. not surprising the 135 was faster even though your E36 have better better track mods. so the question is, does faster necessarily mean more fun when compared to the slightly slower M on the track?

I am a little surprised considering the difference in tires!

[jafo1701]

Originally Posted by pixelblue

nice. not surprising the 135 was faster even though your E36 have better better track mods. so the question is, does faster necessarily mean more fun when compared to the slightly slower M on the track?

I would say I'm just as having g as much fun with my 135i as I did with my M3. The DCT does make it a bit easier. I thought I would miss having a manual, but honestly I don't miss it at all. Plus no chance at a money shift.

[jafo1701]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

I am a little surprised considering the difference in tires!

I can't wait to dump those PSS for Rivals next year. First thing that I'm going to do in the Spring, that and get racing harnass.

[pixelblue]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

I am a little surprised considering the difference in tires!

me too! no comparison between star specs and pss plus his E36 had nice coilovers and camber plates. it's possible when he had his E36 he wasn't as experienced on this track as he is now. maybe?

Originally Posted by jafo1701

I would say I'm just as having g as much fun with my 135i as I did with my M3. The DCT does make it a bit easier. I thought I would miss having a manual, but honestly I don't miss it at all. Plus no chance at a money shift.

sorry I am a die hard stick guy no matter how quick the gear changes.

[jafo1701]

Originally Posted by pixelblue

me too! no comparison between star specs and pss plus his E36 had nice coilovers and camber plates. it's possible when he had his E36 he wasn't as experienced on this track as he is now. Maybe?

Its my first year on the track with this car. At Mid America which was my first track day ever with the car I was just over 9 seconds slower. The first time I was at the autobahn in August I was still 2 seconds slower. Now I'm 2 seconds faster. So as I learn the car I'm getting better with it. Also the more track time I get I'm sure my driving skill is improving. The PSSs I have on my 135i was actually the street set up I was using for my M3. Like I mentioned earlier I'm ditching em in the spring for G force Rivals.

[MightyMouseTech]

I think this is more a comparison of driver then vs now.

[Lubo]

I would research those Rivals a little bit more. Initial tests were excellent and I almost bought them myself, but had to go different route as they were back order in April and I needed tires badly.

From what I have gather attending events this year people praised from beginning but they do not last they cord very fast especially on heavy and camber challenged cars like 1er. I've seen chunks coming off on cars with as little as 3 track days on them.

Similar situation with the Star Spec ZII. They are faster and more responsive than the original star spec but they wear out nearly 1.5x as fast. On numerous occasion I've heard "if I could get the star spec I would get those over ZII" Z1 would heat cycle out before running out of tread vs. ZII being able to be run to cords but at much faster pace.

The best choice when it comes to trackable street tires still seems to be RS-3. Their sidewall is on the softer side compared to other dual purpose tires but they have been proven reliable, fast and they do last.

[jafo1701]

I'll look into it. I could go R compounds as I only mount my LTW5s when I have a track weekend. I just don't care for hauling tires in the car and changing before and after at the track. Much more convient to go with an extreme performance street tire. I do have -2.5 camber on the front and -2.4 in the rear. I would prefer something with a stiff sidewall and anyone of these tires have to be better then the PSS I'm currently running on track days. Anyone try the RE 11As?

[RimasRS]

Thats nice to see the result...
P.S. wtf with this freakin music

[jafo1701]

Originally Posted by RimasRS

Thats nice to see the result...
P.S. wtf with this freakin music

Kind of a little quirk of mine. Syncing music to my track videos. Some are better then others. Anyways gives me some practice with my audio/video editing skills.

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by Lubo

I would research those Rivals a little bit more. Initial tests were excellent and I almost bought them myself, but had to go different route as they were back order in April and I needed tires badly.

From what I have gather attending events this year people praised from beginning but they do not last they cord very fast especially on heavy and camber challenged cars like 1er. I've seen chunks coming off on cars with as little as 3 track days on them.

Similar situation with the Star Spec ZII. They are faster and more responsive than the original star spec but they wear out nearly 1.5x as fast. On numerous occasion I've heard "if I could get the star spec I would get those over ZII" Z1 would heat cycle out before running out of tread vs. ZII being able to be run to cords but at much faster pace.

The best choice when it comes to trackable street tires still seems to be RS-3. Their sidewall is on the softer side compared to other dual purpose tires but they have been proven reliable, fast and they do last.

It is really indeed a toss-up right about now with tires.

I've ran Hankook RS3s this past 2 years, and while they were awesome, I think I'm going to go ZIIs.

Reasons: The RS3s have a really soft sidewall. On a camber challenged car, this is probably the least desirable characteristic. A softer sidewall will reduce the feel of the car. Now you can downsize the tires, and "stretch" the tire on the wheel to stiffen the sidewall, but then you're giving up actual tread.

The ZIIs are a much stiffer sidewall, almost too stiff IMO. You actually need to oversize the tire on the wheel in order to soften the sidewall and get the tire to roll over. They are however excellent in the wet, more so than the RS3s. Sure, they do wear out...but that is the name of the game with any of these tires.

Here are my RS3s from my Z4M. The tires were flipped at the begging of this year. As you can see, not much outer tread left...and no left on the inner tire.

[blutattoo]

Originally Posted by Lubo

I would research those Rivals a little bit more. Initial tests were excellent and I almost bought them myself, but had to go different route as they were back order in April and I needed tires badly.

From what I have gather attending events this year people praised from beginning but they do not last they cord very fast especially on heavy and camber challenged cars like 1er. I've seen chunks coming off on cars with as little as 3 track days on them.

Similar situation with the Star Spec ZII. They are faster and more responsive than the original star spec but they wear out nearly 1.5x as fast. On numerous occasion I've heard "if I could get the star spec I would get those over ZII" Z1 would heat cycle out before running out of tread vs. ZII being able to be run to cords but at much faster pace.

The best choice when it comes to trackable street tires still seems to be RS-3. Their sidewall is on the softer side compared to other dual purpose tires but they have been proven reliable, fast and they do last.

+1 agree with the R-S3's had the RE-11's and PSS's before, but they are by far the best on the track. On the street they are noisier, but for grip they are outstanding. So good I have to change my braking zones because the car stops so fast. I run the same amount of neg camber as you and I haven't had any issues with the sidewalls being to soft.

My only complaint is they don't make a lot of noise at the limit so if you are use to listening to the tires before they give up you'll have to adjust to the R-S3's. Not much squeal at the limit which can catch you by surprise if you're not ready for it to step out.