ShocknAwe 135i Photo History & Build

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by Torgus

Any more news/costs/experience on the crank hub lock 'fix' from Hydra?

I have a spare head and would like to build it and rev out to 8200. Best way to make HP stuck on 93 pump gas and meth that I can think of. As well as being a lot more fun

Actually all the stuff from Hydra I was waiting for showed up today, so it's all going in, maybe, next week?

I'll be sure to update.

[ShocknAwe]

Car is going to a local fab shop: Nth Degree Fabrication for a custom quad setup based around a 3.5" midpipe and my MadDad Whisper muffler tomorrow

[ShocknAwe]

Updated image sizing to be more in line with the rest of the thread.

[ShocknAwe]

Drexler differential

Late one night returning with takeout mexican food for family visiting in town, my Mfactory helical differential decided to lunch itself. The car was down for about a month, where in that time the differential was warrantied through Synchrotech, and I had a new Drexler differential built by LimitedSlip.de in Germany. Much thanks to Omar@HydraPerformance in speccing and ordering the new diff! Also thanks to Synchrotech for honoring their fantastic warranty and shipping me a new replacement helical diff to make it up to me.

Whats the scoop on the Mfactory failure? My shop (Ultimate Autowerks in CHS) did the install and uninstall and scoped the unit before boxing it up for me. Their findings were confirmed by Synchrotech when they did the teardown and formal inspection.

There was no failure with the Mfactory diff or the ring gear. Unfortunately, the ring bolts backed out. The previous failures occurred due to bolt shearing, which was not the case here.

I had been granted a couple warning shots, in the form of quiet clunks into and out of the parking lot before the failure happened, which was probably the #3 and #2 bolts falling out. When the final bolt backed out the gears crashed together, seized and sheared, and broke the case.

-------------------------------------------------------------

So nothing on Mfactory, but I was reticent to put another helical in the car. After a week of talking with Hydra, they recommended a Drexler as the end all, "Last Differential the Car Will Have". We settled on 40/10 ramps to mimic the road manners of a torsen, but with slightly more lock on both accel and decel.

It took 2 weeks, but totally worth it. I babied the car for 500 daily driven miles, and conducted 100 figure eights to break it in.

This differential has me feeling like I'm close to completing work on the rear end. The rear is 100% predictable when it comes loose, corrects with minimal steering input and both tires hook up with ease. In addition, thanks to low decel ramps the rear doesn't immediately step out with sudden throttle off if running hot.

Pros: Massive Traction, Improved handling, Smoother actuation
Cons: maintenance. It's possible the clutches will wear out, and need replacing. Will monitor the miles.

Pics!

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

and conducted 100 figure eights to break it in.

I bet that was thrilling. Jesus. Sounds like a much better diff!

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by Torgus

I bet that was thrilling. Jesus. Sounds like a much better diff!

Bored, motion sick, and smelling of raw exhaust more like.

[houtan]

Glad you are liking your new suspension. Just curious, when you took the TCs off, were the shocks blown?

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by houtan

Glad you are liking your new suspension. Just curious, when you took the TCs off, were the shocks blown?

Funny you say this. I'm actually uninstalling and selling the full YCW setup shortly.

Have a final solution coming from Barry@3DM.

The TCK rear shocks were absolutely destroyed. Fronts were fine. The bearing in the camber plates will probably need replacing sometime in the near future, but still works fine.

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Bored, motion sick, and smelling of raw exhaust more like.

That is what I was thinking it would be like. I hope you took breaks.

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Have a final solution coming from Barry@3DM.

Ohhhh going to tell us what you are getting? Anything like my 'final solution'

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by Torgus

That is what I was thinking it would be like. I hope you took breaks.




Ohhhh going to tell us what you are getting? Anything like my 'final solution'

I did. Folks were getting weird about it as well so had to relocate a few times.


Probably somewhat similar suspension setup somehow to yours, however I'm bound to secrecy for now.

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

I did. Folks were getting weird about it as well so had to relocate a few times.


Probably somewhat similar suspension setup somehow to yours, however I'm bound to secrecy for now.

Hmm. 3DM...

Sounds like maybe a custom Ohlins set-up using "F8x M front knuckles and a caliper adapter to use the E82 Brembo on E46M3 CSL rotors (345x28) and F8x knuckle and E82 hub" to me.

Or not.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by Suprgnat

Hmm. 3DM...

Sounds like maybe a custom Ohlins set-up using "F8x M front knuckles and a caliper adapter to use the E82 Brembo on E46M3 CSL rotors (345x28) and F8x knuckle and E82 hub" to me.

Or not.

That's not the secret part. Have to wait until Barry is ready to release details.

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

That's not the secret part. Have to wait until Barry is ready to release details.

Oh, baby! Can't wait!

[twinturbovan]

Really sick build. You're going to hate that splitter though. I've gone through 3 carbon fiber ones just like that and 2 metal ones lol.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by twinturbovan

Really sick build. You're going to hate that splitter though. I've gone through 3 carbon fiber ones just like that and 2 metal ones lol.

Seems pretty indestructible so far. It's plastic.

[houtan]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

That's not the secret part. Have to wait until Barry is ready to release details.

I am so confused! The f8x knuckles fit our cars? What’s the advantage over something like the e9x m3 knuckle?

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by houtan

I am so confused! The f8x knuckles fit our cars? What’s the advantage over something like the e9x m3 knuckle?

Basically... Easier to configure the brakes. Or in other words bracket is available to keep the OE brembo and use a slightly bigger lighter rotor.

[houtan]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Basically... Easier to configure the brakes. Or in other words bracket is available to keep the OE brembo and use a slightly bigger lighter rotor.

I had no idea. Any links to the bracket?

Would love to know why you went this route vs something like the E9x M3 knuckle, rotor, and caliper.

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Or in other words bracket is available to keep the OE brembo and use a slightly bigger lighter rotor.

You mean like these, available for the stock E8x/E9x knuckle? I guess I'm confused now, too. I thought there were camber gains or some such thing.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by Suprgnat

You mean like these, available for the stock E8x/E9x knuckle? I guess I'm confused now, too. I thought there were camber gains or some such thing.

Nice didn't know about those. Great that they're available and definitely opens up possibilities. Did you weigh them?

And yes, there is some macpherson camber gain correction in the F8x upright, though I believe there is in the E9xM unit as well. The whole assembly was marginally lighter but I can't remember all the details, I think most of that was due to hub weight.

houtan

Basically boiled down to cheap easy part access for me, got a screaming deal on cleaned up F8x uprights, and then easily using the stock F8x BBK later as I specifically didn't want the E9xM calipers. Pains me enough that my rotors won't match perfectly.

[ShocknAwe]

In other news though, exhaust is well in progress.

Fabricator kept the 3" DPs, merge to 3.5" mid then to long 3.5" bottle resonator, then neck down to my MadDad Whisper 3" muffler inlet at the end of the exhaust tunnel. Then bending dual 2.5" all the way back to the 1M quad exit.

Hoping to have pictures tomorrow!

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Nice didn't know about those. Great that they're available and definitely opens up possibilities. Did you weigh them?

As a matter of fact, I did. 335 grams on my HFT postal scale.