BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)
 





 

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      04-13-2018, 05:29 PM   #1
JPRES
joey perez
United_States
9
Rep
10
Posts

Drives: 2012 135i
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: san francisco

iTrader: (0)

first track ever

whats up fellas, i just picked up a 2012 135i and im planning on taking it on the track in a couple of months! this will be the first time for the car and me so i plan on doing some preventative maintenance. i do have a few question (apologies if theyve been answered on previous threads, havent had any luck finding my answers)
ive got the catch can coming in, will be installing soon however


im looking at the vrsf chargepipe and i notice they give me an option of running a BOV but from what ive researched is there is a diverter valve near the turbo, my question is, is anyone running a bov on the chargepipe, if so any negative effects you know of etc

2nd, any other mods i should be looking at SOLEY to survive the track

appreciate in advance and thanks for the add !
Attached Images
 
Appreciate 0
      04-13-2018, 08:43 PM   #2
beattiecj
Second Lieutenant
beattiecj's Avatar
No_Country
122
Rep
293
Posts

Drives: 2012 135i 2017 x5 35i 1988 e30
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: NYC, Baltimore

iTrader: (3)

This is all been discussed a quite a bit but I'll chime in as the 1 series was the first car I really started tracking.

Get pads I run carbotech xp10s in front and xp8s in back great on track and you can daily drive it them they may squeal here and there.

Do brake fluid as well I run Motul something like 600 or 660.

Get camber plates up front it's pretty much a must otherwise you'll destroy tires in a handful of track days. Our cars if you are lucky get -1ish. Rears will be fine.

Tires I ran pilot sports and then got hankook rs4s. The pilot sports are fine just starting out on track but you will learn to push it past the capability of the tire.

That will get you started on the black hole of things you can do to make the car better.

I ran stock suspension for awhile to learn to drive before getting coilovers etc.
Appreciate 1
JPRES9.00
      04-13-2018, 10:06 PM   #3
AndyW
Supreme Galactic Commander (one galaxy over...)
AndyW's Avatar
United_States
650
Rep
1,771
Posts

Drives: '08 E93, '12 E82, '13 E93 M3
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Washington, USA

iTrader: (5)

I'll help pay it forward...I got a 2012 135i similar to yours last year as a track car. It was stock. First track season for me was also last year (why I got the car). Your skill level is likely low so I would not do ANY mods, only preventative maintenance(definitely do the Motul 660). Do get good pads if your pads are worn (I use Ferodo 2500's). Check all the stuff you will find on track day tech inspection sheets. Then, after your first couple track days, the things you need/want will start being obvious.

In summary from a guy only one year ahead of you with the same car...

- Make sure car is good mechanical condition (no issues, fresh oil and filter, no leaks, etc). BMW actually does BMW CCA track car inspections regularly so that may be a good place to start.

- Swap brake fluid to Motul 600/660 - brake fluid swap is probably needed anyway.

- Make sure you have good life on your brake pads. If not, get some street/race ones. I got Ferodo 2500's. First track day this year with them was awesome.

- the only other things I would do before track day are reliability mods---charge pipe (mine is ER), Titanium brake shims (for heat), K&N Intake Filter.

- Go to your first track day (better yet...do the BMW CCC first...my personal recommendation is join the BMW CCA...it's only $49/yr and sign up for some HPDE's. This is a great way to start from scratch IMO)

- Take notes at the end of the day of what you felt your limits were..braking? Traction? IATs? Oil temp? Power? Then develop an upgrade plan to ramp up as your skill improves.

Having said all that modding is still fun in and of itself. I am still way below the skill level necessary to get the most out of my car but I am slowly climbinb the ladder.

Things i did in my first season (and over the winter) in addition to the above:

- New FMIC - keeps IAT's down which keeps the engine happy. Mine is a Wagner but there are many good brands for this.

- Titanium brake shims (DS1371's). Yyou will discover, as you peruse the forums, that the brakescan be an issue with this car if you drive it hard, due to the ceramic pistons on the Brembo's up front. They are great brakes...just the pistons can get heat cycled out and shatter if you don't have mitigators (cooling, shims, etc)

- Custom brake cooling hoses and fittings - use the stock brake duct holes and route hoses to the back of the rotor hub. Very cool...but I can't talk about it much because I was a beta tester...

- Poly Rear Subframe Bushings replacement - mine are whitelines (not for the feint of heart...you really need special tools to do it right. Or you can pay a lot for someone to do it for you) Some swap in M3's.

- Second set of wheels and tires (used) for the track (I am assuming this is also a daily driver) as I was chewing up the outside of my stock RFT's due to too little camber. I just swap out wheels the night before a track day.

- Dinan camber plates (to also improve the camber issue). Others get adjustable ones from Vorschlag or another decent company. I went with the Dinans because they are relatively inexpensive and easy to install and, important for a DD...won't rattle like race-type camber plates can. My front camber is at -2.2 which is good enough for my skill level right now.

- Custom MHD tune from WedgePerformance . Couldn't help it...he tuned my 335i as well so I just did it. Pushing north of 350WHP and 400WTQ on pump gas. You don't need this...but it is intoxicating. The MHD stock maps are decent also. If you do this, get new coils and spark plugs also. Trust me...just do it.

- RE-71 tires for the track wheels. Really sticky.

Recently I added a real diffuser (http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...93&postcount=9 ) - just for fun.

and a Mason strut bar...didn't notice a problem with stiffness but it was a good deal...not sure if I'll notice anything at my skill level but I know it makes the front stiffer than stock. We'll see on my next track day.

Things on my list after this track season and maybe the next (although right now I don't need any of them, honestly).

- M3 control arms front and rear. (lighter, also pushes front camber out and additional 0.5 degrees or so)

- New sway bars front and rear (still trying to decide which ones)

- Coilovers (still haven't decided on these either)

- Front splitter (probably the full set from OMGsplitters)

- LSD - probably an Mfactory

- At some point I'd like to add a PPK2 kit that puts the extra water cooler in the drivers side wheelwell.

Having said all that...my goals are likely different than yours...I want a trackable street car, not a streetable track car, at this point on my journey. The order of the words is important...

Oh...and I personally don't think the N55 needs an OCC (N54 does - my 335 is an N54) but it's a good simple initial mod and won't hurt anything.

HTH and YMMV.
__________________
Best,
Andy

'12 E82-PS2,Stoptechs,Clubsports+M3 bits,Accusump,Wagner DP+EVO III FMIC,ERCP,BMS Intake,Mason Strut Bar,Wedge Tune
Appreciate 0
      04-14-2018, 11:07 AM   #4
JPRES
joey perez
United_States
9
Rep
10
Posts

Drives: 2012 135i
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: san francisco

iTrader: (0)

you guys are awesome

thank you for the well informed advices. ill be sure to put all of them on my checklist before i test myself on the track
Appreciate 0
      04-16-2018, 10:09 AM   #5
BimmerAg
Lieutenant
BimmerAg's Avatar
United_States
425
Rep
545
Posts

Drives: 2011 135i
Join Date: May 2017
Location: San Antonio, TX

iTrader: (0)

Regarding the charge pipe, VRSF makes a good piece, but the BOV is for N54 only. On our N55's the only thing connected to the charge pipe is the MAP sensor.

Your first few times on track, you may not notice this issue, but limp mode due to high oil temps is a fairly common issue on this platform. People end up installing all sorts of custom oil cooler setups, but so far I'm not quite to that level. For a little extra peace of mind, you could get MHD and flash the "track" coolant target setting when you're out on track. I did that at my last track day and had no problems with oil temp for a 20 min session.

Most importantly, have fun, keep an open mind, check your ego at the gate, and be ready to learn! There will be miatas (and s2000's, BRZ's, etc) that are faster than you everywhere but the straights, so if you see one closing in, give them a point-by and let them pass, and then try to follow their lines and learn where you can get better!
__________________
2011 BMW 135i ///M-Sport, DCT
Bilstein B12 kit, Dinan camber plates, M3 front control arms, Whiteline poly RSFB, MHD Stage 1, cp-e Charge Pipe, H&R Front sway bar, BMW performance diffuser
Appreciate 1
AndyW650.00
      04-16-2018, 10:16 AM   #6
ajsmithvmi
Professional Hack
United_States
96
Rep
379
Posts

Drives: 2009 135i
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: St Louis

iTrader: (5)

Quote:
Give them a point-by and let them pass, and then try to follow their lines and learn where you can get better!
This is good advice, and you should also keep in mind that every car will have a slightly different line, and different braking zones, based on weight, layout, etc.

Don't always try to mimic a line, especially if you're in a 135i and you're following a 911 or Cayman or any other vehicle that's very different than yours.
Appreciate 1
AndyW650.00
      04-16-2018, 11:49 PM   #7
AndyW
Supreme Galactic Commander (one galaxy over...)
AndyW's Avatar
United_States
650
Rep
1,771
Posts

Drives: '08 E93, '12 E82, '13 E93 M3
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Washington, USA

iTrader: (5)

Quote:
Originally Posted by BimmerAg View Post
For a little extra peace of mind, you could get MHD and flash the "track" coolant target setting when you're out on track.
I haven't driven aggressively enough to get limp mode yet ()...but I definitely do this the night before a track event.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BimmerAg View Post
Most importantly, have fun, keep an open mind, check your ego at the gate, and be ready to learn! There will be miatas (and s2000's, BRZ's, etc) that are faster than you everywhere but the straights, so if you see one closing in, give them a point-by and let them pass, and then try to follow their lines and learn where you can get better!
This is very good advice.
__________________
Best,
Andy

'12 E82-PS2,Stoptechs,Clubsports+M3 bits,Accusump,Wagner DP+EVO III FMIC,ERCP,BMS Intake,Mason Strut Bar,Wedge Tune
Appreciate 1
BimmerAg425.00
      04-17-2018, 01:46 AM   #8
Ginger_Extract
California-bound
Ginger_Extract's Avatar
United_States
383
Rep
1,480
Posts

Drives: BMW 135i
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Los Angeles, CA

iTrader: (3)

Everyone is jumping the gun. For your first track event, OEM brakes are sufficient. Make sure you have plenty of brake pad left. Flush your brake fluid with fresh high-temp DOT4. Oh, and if you haven't done so recently, do an oil change.

From there, get an instructor and learn to drive on track. A stock car isn't going to be limiting factor, it will 100% be the driver.
__________________
Streets of Willow: 1:27.7 CW 11/15/15; 1:29.5 CCW 8/15/15 |||| Autoclub Speedway ROVAL (CCW): 1.52.6 - 12/2/17
Willow Springs - Big Willow (CW): 1:35.8 - 3/31/18 |||| Buttonwillow #13 (CW): 1:59.3 1/27/18
https://www.facebook.com/JakeStumphRacing |||| http://www.youtube.com/user/RaceMeMZ3
Appreciate 4
BimmerAg425.00
drunkenup213.50
berns1557.00
AndyW650.00
      04-17-2018, 10:27 AM   #9
drunkenup
Captain
214
Rep
987
Posts

Drives: 2009 135i, 2021 F150
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: NJ

iTrader: (1)

Change fluids, RBF600, but at a minimum I'd change pads. EBC Yellow are really cheap hybrid pads that have really high and approachable drop off in my experience. Stock pad deposits really put a damper on my first day.

It would be nice to have a sorted car the first day out, but dialing out the inherent understeer takes a dozen steps and can't be done incrementally, so you might as well start with a baseline.

Everything in your first post sounds alright.
__________________
MHD | BMS | VRSF | APEX | RECARO | TC Kline | BERK | Turner Motorsport | Eibach | BMW Performance
Appreciate 0
      04-17-2018, 01:41 PM   #10
spxxx
Boost
spxxx's Avatar
1349
Rep
3,689
Posts

Drives: 135i M-Sport
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Valley of Silicon, CA - United States

iTrader: (9)

Maybe an oil cooler if you see issues after your first day out but 100% stay on a stock tune for as long as possible, maybe pads and good brake fluid!!! Running old fluid is a serious safety concern, Motul stuff is great.

FWIW - My car is only running ~350whp (50 more than stock) and keeps up with GT3s all day. More power will just cover up your mistakes which is a mistake I made early on and am still trying to fix my high HP bad habits to this day.

Also, don't forget to have fun! You can't win HPDEs
__________________
F80 M3 TrackBoi, Z4MC GarageBoi, 1M Clone StreetBoi
Appreciate 2
BimmerAg425.00
AndyW650.00
      04-18-2018, 11:43 PM   #11
dvas
Lieutenant
dvas's Avatar
515
Rep
579
Posts

Drives: 2017 M2 - Mineral Gray, 6spd
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: NYC

iTrader: (0)

First track day? Just do basic car prep and focus more on your own driving.

Brake fluid flush, general assessment of the car to make sure you're not leaking anything, have at least 40% pad life left and tires are in decent shape is all you really need. Track oriented pads and tires would be my suggested next step if you want to spend additional money. Otherwise, just watch some you tube videos to learn the track layout, get a good night's sleep, arrive early and keep an open mind that's willing to learn.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:35 AM.




1addicts
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST