[Relegate]

... I admit, I'm a little sour right now. My N55 has been sort of a pain in the butt and I've worked through issues with JB4, had to replace the DME (see JB4), and put MHD on which causes the car to chronically go into limp mode. I've pretty resigned myself to running stock tune FBO on track and while I'm eeking out slightly better lap times, the question still comes to mind: IS the 135i a good choice for a track car? I just don't think so after a year and half of ownership and a broken car currently sitting in the garage.

ALL TRACK CARS WILL BREAK

If you go into the game with this in mind, it's not only a true statement but something to consider when choosing a car for HPDE, let alone racing. The 135i is shown to make decent power with it's little turbo, has a host of upgrades available, but with stock cooling it just can't handle the heat of tracking. I got into a discussion with a guy at the track with a 2013 who "never has any problems" and figured I must be crazy. Well, we were running about 10+ seconds a lap difference in lap times (I would lap him every session) so I didn't think that was a fair comparison- he's just not sending it as hard.

My current issue is still unofficially diagnosed as rod bearings. In fact, there is so much copper in my oil filter I'm surprised I haven't (yet) hear a massive rod knock from a disintegrated or spun bearing. I'm stock power, stock cooling and run either Liquid Moly 5w40 or Rotella T6 5w40 in a pinch and change the oil and filter every 3rd track day.

HOW DID I GET HERE?

Well, I was having a great day on 7/1 at NYST with the new Nankang AR1's. I was hitting over 1.4g's in a few turns (I have wang, splitter and hood extractors) and setting PB fast laps when everyone else was 2 seconds off their best in our club. I was chasing down a supercharged e92 M3 track car (and caught him). I decided to let him lead and that's when things got too hot... the car began to over heat and I backed off... too late, 4 turns later it was dead on the side of the track. Wouldn't start, couldn't get into Neutral (DCT) and we had to drag it off the track to a safe spot so the next session could go out. (I did put on the handbrake and only one tire was still on the tarmac). 2 hours later I went to retrieve it when the track was cold and it started up, I limped it to the pits. Oil level was fine, coolant level was fine, nothing out of the ordinary, no noises, etc.

I swapped wheels, packed the car for the 4 hour drive home. No CEL's (I have a new DME so I assume everything is working because it definitely hates the MHD Stage 2+ tune and goes into limp mode on 3 cylinders within 3 laps - new plugs, new coils btw, gapped correctly, etc). So I get an hour into the drive and I'm meeting my friend with a 1999 M3 track car with 202,000 miles on his trailer. We're meeting for dinner and to caravan back and my car started making a noise like a stuck lifter, within the last few miles before I got to our meetup spot. We send a vid to a couple BMW mechanics and they all advise not to drive the car... duh. So we trailer it home, me driving his M3 race car now for the remaining 3 hours. One of the conti slicks blows out on the PA Turnpike, so that's a sketchy moment but we change the wheel and I made it home.

DIAGNOSIS

Next day we pull car off the trailer at my house and coincidentally there is no noise again... it went 100 feet into my garage. I pulled the filter and it's copper-fest 5000. In fact, I bet the oil pickup is also clogged and the filter being so clogged caused the lifter ticking. Solid.

So, Now I have to save up $2500 for the rod bearing job *if* the motor is salvageable. We won't know until I tow it to the shop and he pulls the oil pan, etc.

I've had a lot of headaches with this car, and in the same amount of time my friend with a Supercharged BRZ who tracks 2x as much and is faster than me has had 1 problem with his car - a trans bearing and put in a used trans for $500.

Is it just me... or are these cars not a good choice for a track car? Help me stay positive below, share your experiences, etc... If the car is fixable, we are FOR SURE doing the CSF 7046 Rad and ER Oil Cooler (single side). I have the BMS Thermostat by pass which helps on the street, but not really on the track.