Track Build (Weight Reduction, HPDE)

[spxxx]

Ran Big Willow today for the first time, of course had issues immediately haha. New splitter wasn't supportted enough up front and required some ghetto engineering with some steel cable to support it after just 2 laps. Removed it and ran a 1:41 which sucks, turn 8-9 really takes balls, decided to put it back on after lunch and get some more laps in.

After lunch I was able to run another 6 laps or so and then started getting a misfire on 5 & 6... luckily, I always carry spare coils/plugs which allowed me to get back on for another 6 or 7 laps with the stock tune, need to figure out what's going there as I would still get intermittent misfires. I was finally getting into the flow of 3-4-5-6 up>down the hill and was able to stay above ~100mph around 8-9 and ran a 1:38 on my last session but tires were giving out and there were two oil spills on T6/8 which didn't help with confidence going in at 120mph lol.

I think that a 1:35 would be very doable with a few more laps under my belt and bigger balls / confidence. Feels like one of those tracks that just requires a lot of seat time to understand the nuances of each turn. Glad I had the stuff to fix my car and had a decent day but I personally don't love the track. The history and heritage of WSIR is awesome but it's quite brutal on tires and the track doesn't feel as rewarding compared to a Thunderhill or Laguna. I'm thinking that the lack of turns and high speed make it tough to feel like you ever really master a turn. I plan on heading back for GTA in June.

Running Streets of Willow tomorrow (possibly Big Willow if the Porsche owners club wants to let me crash their party) - can't complain, always fun driving new tracks especially on a Friday!

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

Great to see west coast. I used to do motorcycle track days at t-hill. :-). What configuration are you running?

Usually the bypass but I actually prefer the cyclone.

[Gangplank]

Originally Posted by spxxx

Usually the bypass but I actually prefer the cyclone.

Nice. I've never run the bypass. The bikes always use the cyclone configuration. Fun and Turn 9 whoo-wee coming over the hill flat out and then hard on the brakes. Miss that track.

Ever run the new track?

[spxxx]

Having 02 sensor problems on bank 2 which was leaning out and causing misfires on cyl4-6... Going to replace O2 sensors and hope that fixes my problems. Glad I caught the AFR issues before bad things happened aka blown engine.

I really just want this car to work! Got a few sessions in at Streets of Willow, ran a 1:26 first session out and engine troubles got worse from there.

Considering just stripping the E92 and saying goodbye to N54 track problems. The S65 is calling my name.

[ajsmithvmi]

I'll take your hood, fenders, splitter...wing...tire/wheel combo.

Gonna have to put me on a payment plan though.

[chris_flies]

Swap the S65 into the 1 and put the N54 into the 3, no one will notice...

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

Swap the S65 into the 1 and put the N54 into the 3, no one will notice...

Oh man, S65 DCT 1M Conversion...

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by spxxx

Oh man, S65 DCT 1M Conversion...

Uh oh, I created a monster

[spxxx]

Decided to DIY clean my intake valves at home along with a few other things I've been putting off. Photo of Cyl 6 before & after for reference. Just waiting for some new Index 12 injectors to arrive before swapping those, these misfires are making me crazy.

- DIY intake valve clean
- Oil filter housing gasket
- Spark Plugs
- Intake manifold Gaskets
- TB cleaning


Tomorrow the car goes out for vinyl wrap! Can't wait to see the finished product on Monday

[spxxx]

Also a quick photo from WSIR, I really sucked there last weekend and the car ran like crap. Hoping I can get into the low 1:30s if I grow some balls for T8/9. Either way, GTA events are always fun!

[mike082802]

when was the last time you cleaned your valves? and how many miles now. i did mine at 55k and now am at 94k thinking about doing them again, i do run tbi though so mines get some fuel sprayed on them when i get on it. i disconnect it when i go to the track though.

[spxxx]

Oh, I also found this Sparco Ergo super cheap used online and bought it "slightly" drunk last weekend... That big ass box is going to be tough to to explain to the wifey.

Stoked for a removable Halo, really can't complain for $400 with 2yrs of FIA cert left, I probably would have bought it sober

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by mike082802

when was the last time you cleaned your valves? and how many miles now. i did mine at 55k and now am at 94k thinking about doing them again, i do run tbi though so mines get some fuel sprayed on them when i get on it. i disconnect it when i go to the track though.

The pics were taken about 45k miles since my last valve cleaning, 25k of those miles with methanol though.

[spxxx]

Wow... just got this pic from the vinyl wrap dude, looks good so far. Excited to see what a sub-$1k wrap looks like.

[Ginger_Extract]

What wrap is that? Looks like a really good match to Alpine White. May need that for future reference...

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by Ginger_Extract

What wrap is that? Looks like a really good match to Alpine White. May need that for future reference...

Haha I'll ask the guy for deetz, he runs a small shop but did this for me on the side. I basically asked "what's your cheapest wrap that won't fall off or disintegrate" and he chose this. I specifically wanted something similar to OEM 1M colors (white, black or VO) for future purchases of parts but this was not paint matched by any means..

Super excited to get the car back tomorrow, finally looks as good as it drives. But I'm now running quite late for WSIR prep - really hoping I can get new injectors in before the trip.

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by Ginger_Extract

What wrap is that? Looks like a really good match to Alpine White. May need that for future reference...

It's a standard Avery gloss white wrap, he said it was about a 16hr job vs. 30hrs for a show car job which explains the quality of the edges and few seams that are visible up close. Honestly I'm stoked with how it turned out, it's exactly what I was looking for.

Happy to share his info for others in the bay area.

Now time to prep for Willow Springs and hope this misfire issue is sorted. Hard to recreate on open roads but I'm going to swap plugs and injectors to brand new stuff and try to figure out INPA for the injectors if the issue persists. (have 3 spare index 12 injectors that I can swap in).

[berns]

Looks awesome dude. Amazes me how much better the 1M front really is over stock. We are going to be a funny little club of wide front track 135i's.

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by berns

Looks awesome dude. Amazes me how much better the 1M front really is over stock. We are going to be a funny little club of wide front track 135i's.

Haha totally, hoping that rolling the rear makes it look a tad bit more proportional. With the car being all white gloss you can't tell as much that the car is wider up front.

Kinda reminds me of my exgf who was like 100lbs and got fake DDs. Just a tad top heavy.

Let's meetup Sunday at WSIR

[spxxx]

I spent weekend in lovely 110* Lancaster CA for Global Time Attack at Willow Springs. Had a fun battle with @berno who placed 1st as I trailed him by 1 second for 2nd place in Street RWD. Most cars were facing heat issues as ambient temps were in the 105-110* range. I was only able to put down 1-2 laps before the DME killed power. Really annoying but I can't imagine a more brutal test on cooling systems with 100*+ weather at a high speed course. You're literally WOT for more than half the lap and ambients were over 105*

Just reviewed logs and noticed that my coolant would hit 242* after about 2 laps in all sessions which was putting me into component protection mode. Surprised to see this with the CSF Radiator and mostly distilled water and some water wetter.

Temps from the weekend:
Max oil temp - 260*
Max IAT - 149*
Max coolant temp - 242*

Next steps:
In order to bulletproof the cooling system I'm thinking of adding an external Radiator core like the PPK kit and reflushing my cooling system. This will ensure I'm actually running 100% distilled water + water wetter and that I've removed all coolant. Still up in the air on the external core.

The fact that I'm 6AT doesn't help but I've fabbed up a custom ATF cooler pre-heat-exchanger reducing the likelihood of coolant overheating the tranny. I'm determined to find a solution to prove this engine can run in any climate for full 20min sessions.

Another issue that came up were my rear SPL camber arms loosening which f-ed up my rear camber settings and definitely didn't instill trust in the car. I may have to add some loctite to the locking bolts.

Big Willow is fast but fairly boring in my opinion, I prefer streets of willow as it's more technical. Either way, both tracks eat tires and are hot as hell. I think I'll be staying local the rest of summer at Laguna/Sonoma where my car can actually run a full session.

** Action pics coming soon, even with the issues... I Iove this car, even more now that it finally looks presentable in public

[ajsmithvmi]

I have so far been unimpressed with all the adjustable rear arms I’ve tried and their inability to remain tight under load. Especially the upper guide rod and wishbone. I may end up just converting the M3 guide and wishbone arms to solid bushings. The toe arm is the only thing that has stayed fastened properly.

[houtan]

have you considered completely removing the AT heat exchanger and just adding a thermostat and oil cooler? Then, you could possibly change the CSF AT radiator to the MT radiator (I think you need one of the MT coolant hoses as well), allowing the entire radiator to be dedicated to cooling the motor.