BRracing 135i - not your avg dd

[brracing]

Answers to questions -
(1) tracks the car has seen so far - Thunderhill, Laguna, Infineon...these are all our home tracks, and the ones we both instruct at regularly, and compete on
(2) Set up - does it rub? The answer actually depends on the tires mounted. If we had Toyo's (street) or Yoko's (street), then slight rubbing unless severe negative camber is dialed in. Some other tires will not rub...even w the same size tire (like a 255/30/19), there can be up to 1" difference in the total width of the tire...so, even though many think the same size dimension tires should be the same, they are not. Take a look at the Tire Rack's "specs" category on the tires of the same size, and you will see that this is not the same for various tires.
(3) Rear fenders have been lightly rolled...we wanted as much clearance as possible

[brracing]

Just posting a update for you guys.
We will have brakes coming in about two weeks...
Also we are making some changes to the harness bar to accommodate seat adjustment. Look for some new added images to come out soon.
Thanks

[Heinzftw]

So nice that you guys are down the street from me. I live in Willow Glen.

[catch]

very nice! i love the stripe!

[brracing]

Update
Did testing yesterday again at Laguna Seca. The new harness bar and shock tower brace really did add some stiffening to the car...made the suspension much more tuneable.
With Toyo R888's very used, turned a 1:40 lap time as is...not bad, but we aim to be in the 1:3x range soon.
The weather was outstanding, one of the best days at Laguna, clear all day, temps in the 70's all day long. Nice result was that our oil temp never got over 250F, and never had any issue w power loss or limp mode in the most aggressive tune situation....had great power all day.
This car is SUCH FUN....the only car that beat us yesterday was a full developed Viper ACR on race slicks, but all the GTRs went down, all the Lotus went down, Porsche's (there was a Carrera Cup car in another run group, wouldn't stand a chance against it, as our Carrera Cup car turned a 1:29 in qualifying 2 weeks ago in the Speed WC GT race).
But, more to come.....

[datbimmerdoe]

^ Awesome! Can't wait for more pics...

[135ARG]

I love that hood!!!

[brracing]

Had gotten some messages about the harness bar and mounting...and we were installing another one in another 135i (you'll notice from the interior pics it's not our interior), so shot some quick pics of the rear shock tower mount, and how we did two things...one, made it completely bolt in w existing BMW factory mounting points, and two, made the bolt in flange such that if any twisting or force from the downbars was input, the bottom edge of the flange would bind against the buldhead base so that the bolts are not taking the torsional energy.
As stated, we had now tested on the street and the track, and indeed are getting the torsional twist benefit to allow the whole suspension to be tuned better for specific conditions...look for this bar in some other 135i soon, as we are installing them and shipping them.

[Justin(OKC)]

So have you made changes to the harness bar for more seat adjustment? Roughly what would the shipping cost to Oklahoma?

[brracing]

You can PM me, or send a msg to BRracing@gmail.com....we will take care of the shipping (for either just the rear shock tower brace, or the full set, sold at list).
We changed the rear horizontal harness bar so that the front seats had complete travel thru the full range, and even w the front seats all the way back, that we still had a gap to the back of the seat to attach the harness set without interference.

[brracing]

Couple more pics of the testing we did at Laguna, and some rides we did for students and customers in the car.
IF you wonder if you can get a good tire setup and tuck them up tight under hard cornering, these two turns at Laguna are two of the more infamous ones, and they certainly compress the suspension hard, but we did not bottom out, nor did we rub. Great job by the AST suspension as always (AST 5300 triples on all four corners).
The shots are taken w a different set of track wheels...these are OZ's...we have another new set of track wheels coming in December, so will be back for more testing then.
But, before that, we have TWO more major upgrades that we just installed, as the car is going to the track this weekend at Thunderhill w Hooked On Driving...we will be testing both our BMW 135i project car, along w our new project car that has just completed its' first phase of development (a Porsche 2010 GT3....I know, I know, no Porsche stuff here).
Will post pics of the new brake package that we are the FIRST to try...and we will have a package deal for this major brake supplier right after we get back from testing this weekend. We are running the new brake package w PFC track pads.
The car is such great fun.....and so much can be done and tweaked...with such great results...this car just rewards enhancement after enhancement


We'll also have video from Thunderhill....have lots of new video and data acquisition tools to play with.
As always...shoot us a question if you wonder why we did what we did, or if you think we need to do something else (we're waiting for some new CF body parts as well)
Cheers....

[Taymaishu]

Great, beautiful car - great stuff!

Funny, i saw the 2nd picture above ^^ and knew it was Laguna

[wu2x]

That looks great can't wait to see the vid!

[brracing]

Still more to do....always more to do....so much that you can do.
As everyone knows, and as we have chronicled in our own exploits, that one of the soft spots on this car is the OEM brakes. While they look massive, and they certainly should have been a massive step up in terms of performance from what BMW has normally installed from the factory, they just don't live up to the appearance.
As many others have tried as well, we have tried all the different fluids (even the more insane new stuff from Castrol, syn racing brake fluid at $115 a bottle), we have tried all the different pad compounds and suppliers (Pagid, PFC, Hawk), but while some of those steps definitely improve the bite....when pressed hard in service, they just can't last.
You have seen some creative steps recently to add cooling to the brakes...as heat is the enemy here, and cooling DOES have a huge impact, but we still need them to be impervious to the abuse we will dish out on the track, and also work for daily driving.
You can see the kind of results you get when you over heat the brakes (and yes, we have even heated them to such an extent that the inner pistons crack, which required the complete replacement of the whole caliper, and if you think they're cheap....you're wrong).


There are many, many other posts in this forum about the brakes and the issues there, but we want a solution.
So, again, in our close working relationship w the brake suppliers, and our recent testing w Stoptech has demonstrated to us, we have worked w them to come up w the FIRST set of front ST60 system for the BMW 135i. Here is a picture of the kit. This is the ST set, not the STR (ST race) system, as we believe this is sufficient for the 135i, and what most customers will be interested in.
Here is the new kit -



Happy to go into the details of the ST60 kit, but we can tell you from direct testing experience on our other project cars, that these kits work amazingly well, and at a price point that can't be beat. We have seen the longevity of the rotors under extreme abuse, and we love that we can get the STRONGEST caliper, but one that has a HUGE range of pad selections already available for it. This is not like when the new 135i calipers came out, and we had to wait forever to get aftermarket pads available, there are TONS of pads available NOW for this new kit.
- strongest caliper, great pedal feel and modulation
- great pad selection
- outstanding heat dissipation and tolerance
- GREAT price point

Here is the new kit installed on the front.


And the pads that we are using this weekend at the track to test the whole solution - PFC 01's



We have TEN sets of these new front kits to sell at a special PROMO and introductory price....this is WAY below what other kits go for, and a heck of a deal. We have one customer who has already taken a set , and we haven't even let anyone know, but he came by the shop, saw the kit on, and we talked about the price...and whoosh....one kit walked away.
PM us if you are interested in the kit and the price....but don't wait too long, this is just NINE kits left now

[brracing]

Ok, the next step that we have done, and that you have also seen on the JB post about his car, is the intake.
ASR intake for the BMW 135i w special build by BRracing.
We are working w ASR to come up with a new pricing model, but the kit is a complete kit right now....
- intake box, completely close, w clear or smoked lense
- 2 stainless steel air filters,
- charge pipe,
- 2 new larger intake scoops that mount in OEM location,
- TIAL BOV (capable of supporting motors in excess of 600HP).
- CNC mounts, intake air filter mounts
- Works in OEM solution, or can be mated to work w other FMICs and hard lines (we have the Evolution Racewerks Intercooler, vs JB is running completely stock or OEM).
This kit fits right in, has mounts for the AC line, brake vacuum line, fits to the standard intake, also can come in custom powder coated colors (just like the BRracing harness bar...we want the look to be completely OEM).

No question on the difference. NO....do not have dyno numbers, but I can absolutely tell you this makes a big difference. We even tested with and without the larger front scoops, and the larger front scoops really make a difference with this intake. No sound difference, other than from the BOV (which sounds really nice...and we had another customer w the AA BOV version, and of course, we like the TIAL version more).

Will post pricing soon...but we can sell today (price today is $1,500 for complete kit, in any powder coated color), but hope to bring the price down by simplifying the kit a little, and optmizing the kit (drive out some costs), and will release in two forms (complete kit, or without charge pipe and BOV)

We further customized out intake install by wrapping the intake in the std racing gold FOIL...to further reject heat from the engine compartment.

[J Tyler]

So what time did you guys do at Laguna? The HP Autowerks E90 335i (street car with full interior, comfy spring rates, etc) just did a 1:41.4 using old Pilot Sport Cup tires. It'd be in the :39's with R888s no problem.

[PUREPHAZED]

Would this would be the same car? Last year I was driving up the PCH in a M3 and had to take a couple of snaps. Since i have a 135i.
If I remember correctly it sounded really nice.
Best,

M

[brracing]

Originally Posted by PUREPHAZED

Would this would be the same car? Last year I was driving up the PCH in a M3 and had to take a couple of snaps. Since i have a 135i.
If I remember correctly it sounded really nice.
Best,

M

M,
This WAS our car. Funny to see what our car used to look like and what a stock vehicle looks like.
If you see us feel free to flag us down, we love to talk to other enthusiasts.
Thanks

Robb
BRracing

[PUREPHAZED]

Originally Posted by brracing

M,
This WAS our car. Funny to see what our car used to look like and what a stock vehicle looks like.
If you see us feel free to flag us down, we love to talk to other enthusiasts.
Thanks

Robb
BRracing

Hi Robb,

I have more pics that I can send you. But what you guys have done is really really nice. If I end up back in California, I would love to see your shop.

Best,

Mark

[brracing]

BRracing update - new wheels......amazing wheels.
We have just installed a set of the APEX ARC-8 wheels, that really maximize the offset to allow the biggest tires you can imagine without body work.

The first set that we have put on are for street use, not to mazimize the width, but a near square set up.

We put 245/35/18 on the front.
We put 255/35/18 on the rear.
We have -1.8 degrees of camber of on the front for street trim (you can't go below this to wear 245 on the front). We tried -1.7, and had slight rubbing on the front outer portion of the fender lip.
To get the 255's to fit on the front, you need to go to max negative camber (and yes, we have both the Vorshlag camber plates on the front, and the M3 lower control arms).

The car will be at Laguna Seca tomorrow (Monday, Feb 15th) for another track outing along w our other cars.

[JimD]

The car looks great and seems like it is throughly sorted.

My question is for a bit different application of the roll bar/brace. I have a 128i cabriolet and do not want to seriously race it but would like to be able to do drive days. BMW CCA will not allow cabriolets without roll bars and they want them to meet SCCA requirements. Would your bar do that? If so, could it be completely unbolted after track day and stored for the next track day? It looks like the carpet would have to be up in the corners if it wasn't cut. I could live with stubs coming up or something but I don't think I could live with a roll bar showing every time I put the top down. I don't car about the piece in the trunk - that would be fine to leave - and I see the brace comes out easily but it looks like with 6 bolts the roll bar would come out too. Comment?

Jim

[billspreston]

Car looks excellent with the new wheels. Very well done guys. Might have to give you guys a shout when I get into suspension mods.