Phloozy builds a TT car

[Phloozy]

Background:

After a good bit of getting to know my 128 and getting my feet we at the track I felt a build thread to help me track progress was finally in order. A little background about myself, I was always into modifying cars but it wasn't until around 2015 when I found out about autox that I started really enjoying driving competitively. For the last 4-5 years I autocrossed a ton of different cars (I have car ADD) starting with and NA miata, then another NA miata, then an 05 sti, then and 04 zo6, then an ND miata, then and ND2 miata, and now a type-r.









On to the BMW

That is how it started and this is how its going. In 2019 I bought my 2012 BMW 128i with plans to get more into tracking and build it into a dual duty car that I could daily and also be pretty competitive in time trials. The car came from an autox friend that did a lot of the initial heavy lifting and help with the build. He sold it to me with a diffsonline rear diff and RSB so in my mind the hard stuff was already out of the way.

This is how it sat when I first got it home.


I spent my first winter with the car getting it ready for its TT debut. I will go over the full mod list later but to get started I picked up some Ohlins Road and Track coilovers (different spring rates), 17x9 Flow One wheels, Raybestos st43 pads, Active Autowerke header, and custom exhaust with the help of the previous owner.

Goodies:


Corner Balancing:




With the basics out of the way I was ready to hit the track


The first few days were pretty amazing, the car handled great and I put down some solid lap time for a first outing with the car (I have run the tracks a bit in my first track car, an nb miata)

1:33.589 at NJMP Thunderbolt:

While the car was pretty stout it did have 1 major issue, I kept getting power cut after a few sessions. I was told the car may or may not need an oil cooler and I was hopeful that this was my issue. This is when I learned the joys of an unpopular race platform. There are no good coolers out of the box so i needed to figure this out on my own. With the help of good friends and many forum posts I was able to make something custom using the popular 135 thermostat housing. I had to piece meal the parts together and figure out how I was going to mount the thing, luckily I took a ton of pictures so hopefully this helps anyone else in the future.

Oil Cooler Install:











With that said and done I got the car back out on the track. Thankfully this seemed to be all it was. With the oil cooler on the car I was able to do session after session without skipping a beat!

1:16.567 at NJMP Lightning

That brings it to the season closer. I made a few tweaks along the way. Changed springs, tweaked shock settings, slightly bigger front bar, but nothing to crazy. I did as many days as I could and ended the season in my first SCCA TT competition event at NJMP lighting. I had a ton of fun and ended up winning T4 and running a personal best.



1:15.631 at NJMP Lightning:

That wraps up most the 2020 season so I think it is a good place to stick the mods list. I will try to update this section as things get added.

Mods:

Car: 2012 BMW 128i M Sport

Power:
Active Autowerkes header
2-1 Burns collector with custom exhaust
aFe Intake (may remove)
Epic Motorsports Tune

Handling:
MCS 2WNR
Vorshlag Camber Plates
LCA offset bushings
1100lb rear springs/650lbs front springs
27mm FSB
20mm RSB
Diffsonline LSD
17x9 Flow One F2
17x9 TRMotorsports C4

Brakes:
Raybestos st43 pads

Aero:
Aeromotions Rear wing
Home made front splitter

Misc:
BMW 135i oil thermostat housing with custom oil cooler
Racecapture

[Phloozy]

2021 Off-Season

This off season has been a big one for the car and a major learning experience for me. The main purpose of the car is to compete in NASA TT5 which uses a power to weight classing system and point modifiers. I had the car weighed already so all I needed to know was what power it was making to decide my next steps. Now this has been a point of contention between friends of mine because we all expected it to make way to much power for the class therefor would be in a tricky spot when it comes to allowable mods.

Dyno Day:

I got to my first NASA event and they had a dyno on site so I decided I may as well throw it on to see where I stand. From what i was told the car should make around 235-245hp, really good numbers but doesnt allow me to do much in terms of additional modifying, truth be told i was hoping for lower numbers. Long story short I never thought I would be so happy to dyno so low . The car made 218 peak hp which means I was already turning good laps and in theory should only get better with the points available for more go fast parts.

Aero!:
So i have room to grown, whats next? Aero! This is something I knew very little about and still am new with (i currently am terrified to see how it goes) but luckily I have some very smart friends in the aerodynamics field that helped point me in the right direction. After tons of discussions and I decided to go with an Aeromotions rear wing because it seemed like it had the best lift to drag ratio for me. All the wings were fairly close in comparison but theirs seemed to set a middle ground pretty well for me.

Got myself a spare trunk (may keep the 135 on just to mess with people):



The install was pretty straight forward, so we just started cutting! Took a few hours to do the trunk swap and get the balls to cut into it but not long after it was done! Again thanks to the help of great friends.



The Splitter:
Yet again I was faced with the fun realization that building an unpopular race car can be a real PITA. I knew very little about fabrication or aero but it was up to be to figure out how to build a splitter a securely mount it to the chassis. This may have come easier to some but was a big challenge for me. Big shout out to fe1rx for talking me through it a bit (he has actually been a big help in the entire build) I ended up using rivnuts for the first time and used the front section of the front subframe to attach some mounting points.



And used a sheet of plywood for v1



After getting the rear mounted I had to figure out how I would support the front. This was the trickiest part for me and sadly I didnt get enough pictures. Maybe I will get some later and edit. Essentially I drilled a whole through my bumper beam to allow for a through bolt and then cut out a section of my bumper by the fog lights so it couldnt be seen if I remove the splitter.



I then used a 4in block and traced around the bumper to make sure it was the same distance around (NASA allows for 4in maximum)



The next tricky part was the air dam. The M sport bumper does not have a flat bottom so I needed an air dam for the splitter to be effective. I ended up buying a large sheet of HPDE plastic that I found recommended online (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and paver edging i got at home depot (https://www.homedepot.com/p/ProFlex-...0-HD/203706944). I traced where i wanted it then got to drilling.





To my surprise everything lined up pretty well. I still need to paint it and seal it. I may purchase some alumilite and keep this one as a template but for now I am happy.



Oh and the obligatory stand test



All thats left to do now is to get it out there to see if I actually made the car faster.......

More to come in the off season. I have an autopower roll bar on the way and trying to decide on a seat. Most likely a little weight saving as well.

[asbrr]

Great thread. Nice to see the 128i getting some love. fe1rx is a great resource to have around these forums.

For power, I see you only have the header and custom exhaust - have you thought about adding the 3 stage intake manifold or skipping that entirely and going with a short runner manifold (maybe an N54, or a custom open trumpet type)? Not sure if that wrecks your classification, but I'd expect you to be able to get to 235 whp or more...maybe even close to 250 whp.

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by asbrr

Great thread. Nice to see the 128i getting some love. fe1rx is a great resource to have around these forums.

For power, I see you only have the header and custom exhaust - have you thought about adding the 3 stage intake manifold or skipping that entirely and going with a short runner manifold (maybe an N54, or a custom open trumpet type)? Not sure if that wrecks your classification, but I'd expect you to be able to get to 235 whp or more...maybe even close to 250 whp.

Since I added the wing and splitter I'm no longer allowed to add power. An extra 20-30hp does sound like a ton of fun and if the aero seems to not be worth it I may try the power route down the line.

[spidertri]

Awesome build! Love that you're building for TT5.

Please post up pics of the Autopower bar when you install it, I've been looking for better details of how it fits into the car.

I ended up doing almost the exact same thing you did for the oil cooler solution, glad to know it has solved your problem. I haven't been to a hot track day yet to see how it does. It worked really well at the track when raining and 38F this past weekend, lol.

What tires have you been running?

Do you still have stock calipers/rotors? I haven't seen too much of a need yet to swap them out but I'm still in DE3, need to do TT check ride this year.

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by spidertri

Awesome build! Love that you're building for TT5.

Please post up pics of the Autopower bar when you install it, I've been looking for better details of how it fits into the car.

I ended up doing almost the exact same thing you did for the oil cooler solution, glad to know it has solved your problem. I haven't been to a hot track day yet to see how it does. It worked really well at the track when raining and 38F this past weekend, lol.

What tires have you been running?

Do you still have stock calipers/rotors? I haven't seen too much of a need yet to swap them out but I'm still in DE3, need to do TT check ride this year.

I will definitely get pictures up once I get the roll bar. I had yokohama a052s from my STR Miata but I wouldnt recommend them. I went through 3 sets and finally had to give up on them. They each lasted around 3-4 hours of track time. I think they all corded on the 3rd or 4th track day. Right now I have bridgestone re71r that I used for the TT tour and are great but I am most likely moving to hoosiers for NASA. I am also considering the goodyear supercar 3r for an hpde lapping tire. Damn tire decisions are always so hard!

Yeah still on stock calipers/rotors. I havent felt a need to change them yet so until there is im probably sticking with stock.

Glad to see there are more of us out there!

[spidertri]

Yeah, I'm running RE71Rs too. Are you thinking 225 Hoosiers?

My car is just a sport package, so I could build for the BTM aero bonus but it does seem like a lot of TT5 cars are taking advantage of the wing/splitter allowance.

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by spidertri

Yeah, I'm running RE71Rs too. Are you thinking 225 Hoosiers?

My car is just a sport package, so I could build for the BTM aero bonus but it does seem like a lot of TT5 cars are taking advantage of the wing/splitter allowance.

Yeah 225 is the plan. Once I realized the M sport kills BTM aero it kind of solidified the wing/splitter plan haha. I was running about 2-3s off winning TT5 times with no aero, 200tw tires and 218whp so I am still not sure the aero is needed to win as I bet I could make that time with hoosiers, 20hp and seat time but from what I have seen aero almost always beats power.

[lowside67]

Originally Posted by Phloozy

Since I added the wing and splitter I'm no longer allowed to add power. An extra 20-30hp does sound like a ton of fun and if the aero seems to not be worth it I may try the power route down the line.

Can't you add some ballast and run the extra power? Within reason, the heavier cars within the same power to weight generally have an advantage since they overcome aero drag better than a lower powered car of the same physical shape.

-Mark

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by lowside67

Can't you add some ballast and run the extra power? Within reason, the heavier cars within the same power to weight generally have an advantage since they overcome aero drag better than a lower powered car of the same physical shape.

-Mark

Definitely an option. I am fairly new to track stuff and aero so it will be a learning experience. I was originally going with the "power makes you faster in the straights, weight makes you faster everywhere" mentality but doesnt mean it is the correct way to go.

Also keeping this power lets me take the wind and splitter off and run SCCA events in T4!

[Phloozy]

Finally got around to painting the splitter. Next up is interior. I just got my VAC Motorsport mounts delivered and waiting on an autopower bolt in roll bar. Currently have a sparco sprint but looking into a full containment seat, trying to see if I'll fit in a sparco circuit.

[Rallysmurf]

Originally Posted by Phloozy

Finally got around to painting the splitter. Next up is interior. I just got my VAC Motorsport mounts delivered and waiting on an autopower bolt in roll bar. Currently have a sparco sprint but looking into a full containment seat, trying to see if I'll fit in a sparco circuit.

Circuit is tight. I'm a 30 waist and 145 lbs fits me perfect.

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by Rallysmurf

Circuit is tight. I'm a 30 waist and 145 lbs fits me perfect.

Oh man so my 36 waist 185 pounds is a bad match probably?

[Rallysmurf]

Originally Posted by Phloozy

Oh man so my 36 waist 185 pounds is a bad match probably?

Unless it's the II. It's larger. Has it been ordered?

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by Rallysmurf

Unless it's the II. It's larger. Has it been ordered?

No, no seat ordered yet.

[Phloozy]

Ordered both the OMP HTE-R 400 and the Sparco Circuit II and ended up selling the Sparco. I actually liked the fit of the Sparco but it did not look like it was going to fit in the car with, if at all. Its pretty comical seeing the 2 seats side by side.



I also finally got the rollbar finished today after weeks of working on it and waiting on parts. I went with the autopower rollbar and while im happy that it is done I did see the downside of going with a kinda "generic" roll bar. I had to do a bit of problem solving to get the brackets to fit but in the end it all worked out. The biggest issue was the drive side bolts up directly above the brake lines so I had to drill a hole in the backing plate to allow for the support mount to fit.





I also saw some concerns online that the feet can potentially punch through the thin floor in a rollover. I called Autopower and they are confident this is not the case but to be safe I also added a 6x6 steel plate to spread the load a bit more.







I will have to get more pictures later once the seat is in and everything is buttoned up.

[Phloozy]

Safety is finally done and we are back on the road with the first event coming up soon. Was a long pita getting the roll bar setup but VAC Motorsports made the seat install a breeze.

[Frankly]

Great thread and really happy to see all this info! I recently picked up a 2013 128i to start tracking this year. My original plan started in 2019 when I rented a Spec E30 on both of the tracks at NJMP for NASA HPDE events and was trying to figure out what car to buy. I ended up targeting several different cars as tracking candidates and finally found a good 128i to buy! I'm also a PA guy (Lehigh Valley) so I'm sure our paths will cross at NASA events at local tracks!

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by Frankly

Great thread and really happy to see all this info! I recently picked up a 2013 128i to start tracking this year. My original plan started in 2019 when I rented a Spec E30 on both of the tracks at NJMP for NASA HPDE events and was trying to figure out what car to buy. I ended up targeting several different cars as tracking candidates and finally found a good 128i to buy! I'm also a PA guy (Lehigh Valley) so I'm sure our paths will cross at NASA events at local tracks!

Awesome man! Glad to see another around! I'm sure I'll catch you at njmp.

[Phloozy]

Got the spare trunk back from paint and mounted the lay back risers for the wing. Kind of worried it will rip the trunk lid off lol. Also mounted my v2 splitter that looks much cleaner and has a rounded lip. Lastly installed the tow strap, definitely NOT worth the money. Had to remove the bumper to thread it in.....

[chris82]

Originally Posted by Phloozy

Safety is finally done and we are back on the road with the first event coming up soon. Was a long pita getting the roll bar setup but VAC Motorsports made the seat install a breeze.

Loving this build! I just put seats in mine using the VAC mounts, also getting the same roll bar installed this week. Looks great! I see you removed your rear seat, are you going to put a panel there in place? If so I'd love to know what you decide to do. I was going to order this rear seat delete from street faction engineering but the lead time on it is 12 weeks so I don't think ill be ordering that

[Phloozy]

Originally Posted by chris82

Loving this build! I just put seats in mine using the VAC mounts, also getting the same roll bar installed this week. Looks great! I see you removed your rear seat, are you going to put a panel there in place? If so I'd love to know what you decide to do. I was going to order this rear seat delete from street faction engineering but the lead time on it is 12 weeks so I don't think ill be ordering that

Had no plans on putting anything on the rear seat but let me know how the tray goes, would love to see it! First event is this Friday and I'm super excited to see how all this pays off.