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Originally Posted by Tom_135
Jeff,
First off thanks for the replies, it allows us to all to keep our day jobs.
I have a relatively new stock 135i and I have done a few months of autocross. I love this car on and off the track but I think everyone here agrees its a few ticks away from perfect.
Ive been sifting through the forums and hoped you could provide some answers; I apologize if these are somewhat redundant.
My goals in order of precedence:
-Reduce the understeer - for track and daily use, and to be able to participate in some drifting events. Dont want it out of control flailing all over the place.
-Reduce the body roll
-Looking to increase track abilities but maintain some practicality. To put numbers on it, maybe a 35% increase in track abilities.
-Stay within a $2000 budget (realize this might be unrealistic)
Other considerations:
-Dont want to lower the car, but if I have to I dont want it lower than .75" to 1.0"
-Id like mods that I can do myself, relatively mech guy, dont have a degree mech engineering
The plan I was thinking:
-Buy KW coilovers, I was thinking the V1s due to balance of value and daily driving. I know yall all recommend V2 or V3s. For my objectives what do you recommend?
-New tires as soon as these RFTs are done. Want tires that again will give some track increase but wont last a few months on daily driving. I have no idea what to go with here, have heard everything under the sun.
-Maybe a front sway bar - looking for a suggestion on brand.
-Unrelated but, also going to throw a SSK on there, I had a UUC in a 335i and I think Im going to try a B&M.
Thats all I was thinking. Thanks for any insight,
Tom
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Hey Tom,
I am just going to pick apart your questions one-by-one. Here goes:
Quote:
My goals in order of precedence:
-Reduce the understeer - for track and daily use, and to be able to participate in some drifting events. Dont want it out of control flailing all over the place.
-Reduce the body roll
-Looking to increase track abilities but maintain some practicality. To put numbers on it, maybe a 35% increase in track abilities.
-Stay within a $2000 budget (realize this might be unrealistic)
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I'd say: KW V2's + camber plates. Bye-bye understeer and body roll, and you will still have a good-quality ride on the street (not too stiff). Plus, you can adjust the damper stiffness individually for track days and street driving. If you are really tight on budget, the V1 is OK. It's just nice to be able to stiffen up the dampers for track driving.
The V2's are rebound adjustable, which is nice because rebound has more of an affect on the balance of the car than compression does. Most other single-adjustable coilover kits are compression-adjustable, which is silly IMO.
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Other considerations:
-Dont want to lower the car, but if I have to I dont want it lower than .75" to 1.0"
-Id like mods that I can do myself, relatively mech guy, dont have a degree mech engineering
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Check and check
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-New tires as soon as these RFTs are done. Want tires that again will give some track increase but wont last a few months on daily driving. I have no idea what to go with here, have heard everything under the sun.
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Dunlop Direzza Star Spec Z1, hands-down. They hold up incredibly well to track abuse, and last way longer than all the other high-performance street tires. By far my favorite street tire, and I've tried just about everything. My #2 choice would be Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's, but they just don't hold up on the track. The only time they are better than the Dunlops is in very cold weather, and in heavy rain. Those Dunlops are by far my fav's.... and Berk is sponsored by them too
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-Maybe a front sway bar - looking for a suggestion on brand.
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No clue. I wish our H&R bar was a little stiffer, but it paired nicely with the KW V3 kit spring rates when we had them (those are the same as the V2 rates). What I can say confidently is: keep the rear sway bar stock. A stiffer front bar will help, but is not a huge deal. You would simply notice a small increase in front roll resistance and understeer. Not nearly as important as camber plates, IMO.
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-Unrelated but, also going to throw a SSK on there, I had a UUC in a 335i and I think Im going to try a B&M.
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Haha, I will get flamed for this but here goes: I don't like SSK's. They mess with the factory-designed directional lever loads, relative gate placement, and overall precision/feel of the lever. Not a fan. Watch my videos, I have no problem shifting the factory lever quickly and efficiently, without having to worry about whether or not I'm hitting the gates properly. This is a bit subjective, though.
Ok Tom, good luck, hope that helps. Keep us all updated with what you do
