Quote:
Originally Posted by blossom
Hi Alex, I trust shits not getting too crazy where you are!(interesting times!)
Whats you opinion with regards to ride height with our cars relative to factory height for optimal handling? I am sure this has been talked about but I've never seen the chatter so thought I might as well ask you.
Don't worry about answering this I have come across fe1rx's threads. I imagine the answer will be there!
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Eh, shit is a little nuts here in LA but we are just on lockdown riding it out. Not as bad as my family and friends in NY of course.
Yeah he's more on the engineering side for sure... I've just done what has worked for me and really haven't dug too much into front height / rake. The car is corner balanced and high enough to leave room for my wheels/tires/caster and so on. I've never tried simple things like adding an inch up front or removing an inch out back, etc... Most of my tuning has been with alignments, spring rates, sway bars and driving style.
I haven't given an update in a while I guess, so why not... The last time I was at the track, I was on a mission to run a 1:52. Buddy of mine and a BMW dude you guys may know, Mike Essa, gave me a set of very used Yoko slicks to try out.
I've been on a real mission as you guys know, to continue to push and set records on street tires, mainly the Nexen SUR4G's. I like the consistency and the bragging rights, despite knowing I could be faster with different compounds.
Anyway -- I gave in and figured I'd try the slicks out, expecting miracles... These things were shot. I had zero front grip, however, the rear-end was FINALLY planted... Managed to squeeze out a 1:52.61 and a 1:52.66. The .66 lap was a lot cleaner, and if I didn't understeer through Riverside (the high speed sweeper) and didn't run up on that Camaro at the fastest part of the track, this was my 51 lap! After reviewing the data, my theoretical best lap was a 1:51.60.
I learned how to use Race Render, and input the GPS data from the AIM Solo, and even got super nerdy to make a 135i speedometer. Here's the PB lap.
The weather was great this day, but the following day we had heat and a dusty track for Bimmer Challenge. I threw the Nexen's back on but wasn't able to improve on my old 1:53.1 time. EVERYONE was off pace this day by a good 2-3 seconds which was crazy. Managed to come away with 3rd in my class, losing by a few hundredths to my buddy in his full race-prep E46 M3 on A052's, and Steve from EAS in his insane S54 E36 on BFG slicks... His car makes 350whp and weighs 2600lbs. It's incredible.
Here's from the end of the day and me being an idiot, scaring the Cali Photo dude at the top of Cotton Corners.
I don't think I showed you guys the new wheels yet either. The Titan7's have been rock solid on the track and I love the way they look, but I needed a second set of wheels of street/spares/slicks, and have always wanted a set of Fikse's.
Brant at Fikse custom spec'd these for me. Profil-10, 18x10 +19 with 3" lips all around. Extra weight has been shaved where possible, polished lips and anodized gold centers. True 3 piece wheel with hidden hardware and they weigh under 21 lbs each, which is amazing.
