HPDE Monday 31st

[NorthernDancer]

2008 128, 6MT, Sp pkg, 63,600 miles, BMW perf exhaust and Whiteline RSFBs, Koni orange STR-T only mods. VCG only ever "repair". Still on original battery, been winter stored for 40 months over 9 years, Michelin PSS near end of life Cool Carbon for brakes.
Three 30 minute sessions in a lead/follow format, usually going flat out. 17 M2, stunning E36 M3 and VW GTI in group with me.
Car performed flawlessly, had so much fun and so happy I own a 128. Gotta love that N52.

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

2008 128, 6MT, Sp pkg, 63,600 miles, BMW perf exhaust and Whiteline RSFBs, Koni orange STR-T only mods. VCG only ever "repair". Still on original battery, been winter stored for 40 months over 9 years, Michelin PSS near end of life Cool Carbon for brakes.
Three 30 minute sessions in a lead/follow format, usually going flat out. 17 M2, stunning E36 M3 and VW GTI in group with me.
Car performed flawlessly, had so much fun and so happy I own a 128. Gotta love that N52.

Where did you go? Glad you had a great time! I did the same thing at Watkins Glen this past weekend with my 128i and I’m telling you, I drove it HARD. No issues at all and had fun doing it. My only problem during the weekend was the track was hard to master! Our car is so good you don’t even need to worry if it will make the drive back after flogging it. I tracked it hard and then drove 6hrs back home Sunday afternoon. It did not need anything at all to prep as I already did so last year before garaging it. On to the next!

[NorthernDancer]

Calabogie Motorsports Park https://www.calabogiemotorsports.com/
It's about 5 hrs North of WGI, which I've been to a few times but working, not driving.

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

Calabogie Motorsports Park https://www.calabogiemotorsports.com/
It's about 5 hrs North of WGI, which I've been to a few times but working, not driving.

Oh Calabogie, I’ve heard of it. I don’t think NASA goes that far up north but there’s another club I’m w who goes up to Mont Tremblant. Haven’t driven than yet but hopefully one day.

Hope you get to drive WGI one day, you’ll love it! Where are you headed next?

[NorthernDancer]

If anything, I'll go back to Calabogie for a 2 hr evening stint. Will need tires soon and that's a big expense for me.

[$iriu$black]

Oh like an endurance event? That would be awesome.

Agreed w the tires as a big expense. I’m on the second season w the tires I’m on (225 45 17 RS4s). Give em a try, they’re pretty good since you don’t daily your car, it’ll last longer and perform better than the PSS. All dependent on alignment and other factors ofcourse!

[NorthernDancer]

Not an endurance event; track simply open for 2 hrs so you can come & go as you please. I would expect something like 2x30 min and maybe 1x15 minute. So much depends on how many cars show up. With only 230hp, if I'm spending a lot of time letting 300+hp cars pass me, then that's no fun.
Have 225/45 17 RS4's on a rear set of wheels, fronts are still Dunlop DZ 102's.

[nbrigido]

calabogie is an amazing track, especially if they are running the full track. Raced the many times in a Formula 1200. it would be nice to run it in a 1 series.

[Olgeezer1]

Definitely a good time. Got lucky with the weather too. One of the guys in my group had his GoPro so that's going to pop up on Youtube at some point. Since it was a lead / follow with cars rotating each lap we should get footage of all cars in the group.

[gds52]

This is such a fun car. That's the reason I chose 128i 6MT for track car after test driving 4 e36 M3's. My biggest reason was 128i's hydraulic Steering wheel, which is way more tighter and responsive than e36.
The one I got already had coilover/suspension/LSD upgrades. With muffler and 2nd cat delete, this car sounds and runs amazing. With all these mods, it's still cheaper than M3.

[WDE82]

I had oil temperature issues at Barber MSP in Birmingham this past weekend. HIGHLY recommend an oil cooler for warm-hot track days. I'm really not sure why I don't hear more about oil temperature issues on the 128i at track days if I was able to overheat the oil at my first track day ever.

[NorthernDancer]

How are you measuring oil temps in a 128?

[WDE82]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

How are you measuring oil temps in a 128?

I wasn't but it was going into limp mode. I started shifting at 6000 instead of 6500 and it would make it 3/4 through a session instead of half.

I have the DSC engine power reduction for brake fade disabled so oil temp is the only thing that would trigger limp mode with no code.

I'll be getting a 135i cluster soon.

[NorthernDancer]

Before you get he 135 cluster, check to see if the N52 has a place for an oil temperature sending unit. I believe it does not.

[WDE82]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

Before you get he 135 cluster, check to see if the N52 has a place for an oil temperature sending unit. I believe it does not.

The car has an oil temp sensor it just doesn't report to anything accessible to a driver without INPA or Rheingold. It's crucial data for the computer. 135i clusters need an EEPROM rewrite and code the VIN and it works.

[carscatscoffee15]

Originally Posted by $iriu$black

Where did you go? Glad you had a great time! I did the same thing at Watkins Glen this past weekend with my 128i and I’m telling you, I drove it HARD. No issues at all and had fun doing it. My only problem during the weekend was the track was hard to master! Our car is so good you don’t even need to worry if it will make the drive back after flogging it. I tracked it hard and then drove 6hrs back home Sunday afternoon. It did not need anything at all to prep as I already did so last year before garaging it. On to the next!

how do you get to track at Watkins Glen? always been a goal of mine, especially coming from lower NY

[$iriu$black]

Originally Posted by carscatscoffee15

how do you get to track at Watkins Glen? always been a goal of mine, especially coming from lower NY

Try going to motorsportreg DOT com. It’s a website that aggregates track events depending on your zipcode. I’m from the Northeast and do about a 300mi radius as that’s my limit of driving for trackdays. Look up your local BMWCCA as they also arrange for events like these. I rode w my local one for the first time this year at a track called Club Motorsports in NH and man what an awesome track that is! I mostly run w NASA NE, you might want to look them up too. You’ll love the Glen as it’s a high speed track. Twas a bit crazy it was for me as I’m used to more technical and “slower” tracks so it was a bit of a learning curve. I plan to come back again to feel more comfortable driving there at some point. If you drive a 128i, expect to be a unicorn as I have never driven any trackday w another 128i and I have at least ten days under my belt now within the last two years. I’m almost always mistaken as a 135i and have to always explain that it’s not. Mine just has the lowly N51 and even then, tons of fun and very competitive w cars at the same level. Mind you i don’t have any mods except for suspension, brakes and tires. Hope that info helped!