Widebody Track Car Build

[Dieselboy]

Alright, got the drivers side done. All the belt angles are good. Going to keep the carpet/speakers for now since the car will still be used on the street.

[Dieselboy]

Anyone near StopTech that can go over and kick them in the ass for me?

[Dieselboy]

Got the roll bar in. Everything lined up well and was a pretty easy install. Still waiting on the sunroof delete panel, so this will all need to come back out once that gets here.

[Dieselboy]

Not much to update as I hibernate for the winter. Added a quick release for the fire extinguisher on the roll bar.

[Dieselboy]

Delays, delays, delays. So far this winter I've gotten practically nothing done. I ordered both the carbon sunroof delete panel from NRW and Stoptech Trophy BBK in November of 2022, I still have neither..

I was originally told early March shipment for my BBK, I email them for a status update and I'm now told another 10-12 weeks! Absolutely ridiculous. I did some digging and found this:

StopTech (and parent company Centric Parts) were acquired by First Brands Group and then "broken" following a series of changes. They moved their shipping warehouse 475 miles north to Patterson, California to consolidate with other First Brands companies. They let go all the City of Industry warehouse employees, some with decades of brake experience. They switched to an Oracle-based backend software system, but botched the transition. And they forced StopTech and Centric to switch suppliers to First Brands-owned facilities that didn't even have the tooling or experience to make the needed parts.

Bottom line, StopTech has been shipping nearly nothing since May and the new owners have been gradually discontinuing product lines from StopTech and Centric, such as OEM replacement floating rotor kits, OEM caliper pistons, chassis components (bushings, end lines, tie rods, bearings, etc.). Because of the inability to manufacture new parts, the fill rate for orders has dropped to near zero, For example, almost ALL caliper rebuild components are backordered. Every size of AeroRotor has been backordered for months and they are not expected until the end of November, although that will probably slip.

... At best, if parts are already sitting on the shelf in Compton, it will still take months to get them. But more likely, the parts would have to be manufactured and in that case, you may never see them....​

This is very disappointing news. Not sure what to do at this point.. I looked into Brembo and AP previously, but they were considerably more expensive for a marginal, if any, performance increase over the Trophy kit.


As for the sunroof delete panel, what a disaster this has been. I bought through Nelson Racing Wheel. They certainly seemed highly rated, but they are way in over their heads with orders. Once I received the part, it had a large chip in the clear coat. IMO, it was poorly packaged. They gave me a bit of a hassle to return it, trying to minimize the damage. For a $400 piece of carbon fiber, it better be perfect, or give me a discount and I'll repair it myself. Well they finally take it back and I'm back to waiting with a car that's been sitting in pieces for months. I placed this order in early November!

Anyway here are a few pics

[houtan]

That sucks. Not sure if they will be robust enough for your application, but I have been happy with the f80 m3 380/370mm f/r brakes. They were great stopping from repeated back to back 160mph half mile runs.

[hoki06]

If I were you, I'd cancel the Stoptech order and be working on a retrofit of factory fixed caliper like F80 M3 brakes. More cost effective, replacement rotors are fairly cheap, and they'll take a beating on track all day long. Pair them with some floating rotors in factory size and you'll have some really capable brakes.

[Dieselboy]

Unfortunately, the Stoptech Trophy w/ 355mm rotor was the largest I could fit with my wheels. I had to to go 3pc stepped lip to get the crazy offsets and width I needed. I'm essentially running a 17" wheel.

[wdb]

but at this point you have to assume that you will never see the Stoptechs.

[DRLane]

2 cents, obviously may or not be worth a shit…

As someone that went from Stoptech to AP 9668/9449. The AP set is miles above the stoptech offering in performance and I would strongly consider the incremental investment.

Secondly, the Nelson product is trash. I ordered one from them and fortunately I live adjacent to their facility in Denver. The figment was horrible and I spent a lot of effort arguing and proving myself to get them to take the return. Ordered the BW panel directly from the manufacturer and it fit like a dream (as expected).

Love the build and following along!

[Dieselboy]

Originally Posted by wdb

but at this point you have to assume that you will never see the Stoptechs.

Possibly. I may try to reach out to them directly and find out the likelihood of that. I'd probably just bite the $5k bullet and go AP if they fit. Not sure I've seen an AP kit specifically for the 1 series..


Here's a photo of the ST60 fitment on my wheel.

[Dieselboy]

Originally Posted by DRLane

2 cents, obviously may or not be worth a shit…

As someone that went from Stoptech to AP 9668/9449. The AP set is miles above the stoptech offering in performance and I would strongly consider the incremental investment.

Secondly, the Nelson product is trash. I ordered one from them and fortunately I live adjacent to their facility in Denver. The figment was horrible and I spent a lot of effort arguing and proving myself to get them to take the return. Ordered the BW panel directly from the manufacturer and it fit like a dream (as expected).

Love the build and following along!

Thanks for following along. When I was researching, it seemed that Stoptech was the best bang-for-buck, and AP was just the best, period. The car isn't currently a dedicated track car and I figured the Trophys would be a good compromise. This all before I found out the company was in disarray.

The aftermarket part world is tough to navigate, and I do a lot of research before buying. I read mostly positive things about NRW and their carbon panels. Hoping for the best as I was unable to test fit prior to returning.

I should probably do a vendor rating post at some point considering all of the parts I've gotten.

[hoki06]

If it's not a dedicated race or track car, just throw on some F30 335i brakes that are 340mm. They'll be plenty capable and save you a bunch of money. I'd either be doing that or get the AP setup and call it a day.

Factory BMW brakes (except the 135i Brembos) are usually incredibly capable. I raced GTS2 with Hoosiers on stock E36 M3 brakes for years and kept up with guys with big brake kits. Pedal feel was the biggest drawback but if you use a fixed caliper like the F30 that'll be way better. Keep them fresh with annual seal rebuilds, good race pads, and good fluid and you'll have a solid setup for 1/4 the cost of a big brake kit. Just my 2 cents.

[Dieselboy]

Originally Posted by hoki06

If it's not a dedicated race or track car, just throw on some F30 335i brakes that are 340mm. They'll be plenty capable and save you a bunch of money. I'd either be doing that or get the AP setup and call it a day.

Factory BMW brakes (except the 135i Brembos) are usually incredibly capable. I raced GTS2 with Hoosiers on stock E36 M3 brakes for years and kept up with guys with big brake kits. Pedal feel was the biggest drawback but if you use a fixed caliper like the F30 that'll be way better. Keep them fresh with annual seal rebuilds, good race pads, and good fluid and you'll have a solid setup for 1/4 the cost of a big brake kit. Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for the advice I'll keep that in mind. BTW, this resource is very helpful: https://www.bimmerworld.com/About-Us/F30-M-Sport-Brakes

I've reached out to Stoptech directly and will see if they respond. Not sure I'll be able to cancel my order unless they state specifically this will be discontinued or delayed indefinitely.

[Dieselboy]

FYI, here's a great comparison between the AP and Stoptech. Though keep in mind the Trophy kit > standard ST's

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...4&postcount=10

[amg6975]

Originally Posted by Dieselboy

Possibly. I may try to reach out to them directly and find out the likelihood of that. I'd probably just bite the $5k bullet and go AP if they fit. Not sure I've seen an AP kit specifically for the 1 series..

Essex does have a non-M kit that actually has more wheel clearance vs the M3/1M kit.

[hoki06]

Call up these guys and see how they can help. Tyspeed in NJ can probably help as well.

https://www.racetechnologies.com/pro...0?vehicle=7468

[Dieselboy]

So I received the "repaired" sunroof panel and, well, see for yourselves...



They told me to keep this one and they'll send me a brand new one. The car has been sitting with a hole in the roof for months, so I installed the chipped one and at least the fitment was pretty good.



Now lets hope my Trophy BBK ships this month..

[houtan]

Fitment does look good. Do you have pictures from the interior as well? Curious how it looks/mounts from the inside.

[AndyW]

Originally Posted by Dieselboy

So I received the "repaired" sunroof panel and, well, see for yourselves...

Attachment 3170712

They told me to keep this one and they'll send me a brand new one. The car has been sitting with a hole in the roof for months, so I installed the chipped one and at least the fitment was pretty good.

Attachment 3170713

Now lets hope my Trophy BBK ships this month..

Sorry to hear about the NRW insert troubles...I just ordered one a few weeks ago myself so now I'm nervous...

I already have Stoptechs on my 1er but seeing what is happening I hope they'll still make pads. Crap situation all around.

Look forward too seeing your build get completed.

[AndyW]

Originally Posted by DRLane

Secondly, the Nelson product is trash. I ordered one from them and fortunately I live adjacent to their facility in Denver. The figment was horrible and I spent a lot of effort arguing and proving myself to get them to take the return. Ordered the BW panel directly from the manufacturer and it fit like a dream (as expected).

Can you share who the BW manufacturer is? I wanted to order that one but it was no longer available. thx.

[DRLane]

Originally Posted by AndyW

Can you share who the BW manufacturer is? I wanted to order that one but it was no longer available. thx.

Looks like he’s closed shop. I think it was SR2 Tuning that provided then to BW. For what it’s worth Nelson claimed the used his work as their mold. But then also blamed him for fitment issues…

Anyhow, maybe Nelsons had improved…

My frustration wasn’t an adjustment install issue. It flat out didn’t fit properly and would eventually let water in. When I explained that to them, he treated me like an incompetent idiot.

Ignore the circle, I was highlighting that to prove refund approval.