[NW 335i]

So I did my first auto x last weekend and must say I had a ton of fun. I had never driven a car like that and it was a learning experience for sure.

The car is an 07 e92 335i sport package and on run flat tires. The car felt very loose, very soft and huge! haha I was able to get a ride w a couple faster guys in both a 911 and a FRS. Both of these cars felt small and light. They were extremely flat through the corners. The FRS driver had some solo championships and there were corners we entered and went through where I thought that there was no possible way we were going to make it. It was pretty amazing and lots of fun.

I have been thinking about doing more of this and I am kind of left wondering if the 335i can be a good auto x car? I just want to have a fun time with friends but it would be great to compete w my buddy who has a c6. His best run was a full 3 seconds faster than my best run. The course was small and a lap took approx 35 seconds. I know the overall lack of experience driving like this is one thing and I am sure the run flats didnt help. I was the only BMW and only 335i so I literally had no one on equal machinery to compare my results w/. There were times where there seemed like a lot of turbo lag.

Anyone have any good info or suggestions??? Is suspension needed? Will sticky tires make a big difference? Just trying to see what it might take to be a little more competetive. Yes seat time is probably the biggest thing I agree.

Those of you having any success w the 335i/e92? Just curious.
Thanks

[JC335xi]

I would still consider myself a novice (I've done about a dozen events over the last two years) but here are my 2c.

You are correct, seat time is the most important thing. I didn't do anything to the car my first season. Just bought a helmet and started showing up at events. I would suggest focusing on your technique before worrying about what changes the car might need. The #1 thing for all rookies to work on is looking far enough ahead. This is a mistake I still make sometimes and has caused me to screw up what could have been solid runs because I am too focused on where I am and not where I need to go. I would also suggest you show up early and walk the course as many times as you need to be able to play it all back in your mind.

After seat time, tires are the second most important thing. They are the one and only thing connecting you to the pavement and the difference they can make is huge. Mark the edge of the tires and check how much of the tread you are using. Increase the pressure if you are rolling over onto the sidewall and decrease it if you aren't using all of the tread. You can also tweak the pressure on each end of the car to play with the balance. Make sure to check the rules for your class to see what size and tread wear specs are allowed before you make a decision on new tires. If you DD a lot of miles you might want to consider a second set of wheels for the sticky stuff.

Suspension is the third most important. I changed wheels, tires, and suspension all between my first and second season so I can't say exactly what the contribution of each was but I picked up 3+ seconds per run on on courses that are typically 35-40 seconds. I would include, not just the hardware here, but also an alignment to take full advantage of what you have.

As far as being competitive... i don't pay attention to anything past the local level but I imagine it will probably depend largely on the crowd that attends in your area. I can say that in my area I am able to do well in ASP even with my pig heavy XI.

[NW 335i]

Originally Posted by JC335xi

I would still consider myself a novice (I've done about a dozen events over the last two years) but here are my 2c.

You are correct, seat time is the most important thing. I didn't do anything to the car my first season. Just bought a helmet and started showing up at events. I would suggest focusing on your technique before worrying about what changes the car might need. The #1 thing for all rookies to work on is looking far enough ahead. This is a mistake I still make sometimes and has caused me to screw up what could have been solid runs because I am too focused on where I am and not where I need to go. I would also suggest you show up early and walk the course as many times as you need to be able to play it all back in your mind.

After seat time, tires are the second most important thing. They are the one and only thing connecting you to the pavement and the difference they can make is huge. Mark the edge of the tires and check how much of the tread you are using. Increase the pressure if you are rolling over onto the sidewall and decrease it if you aren't using all of the tread. You can also tweak the pressure on each end of the car to play with the balance. Make sure to check the rules for your class to see what size and tread wear specs are allowed before you make a decision on new tires. If you DD a lot of miles you might want to consider a second set of wheels for the sticky stuff.

Suspension is the third most important. I changed wheels, tires, and suspension all between my first and second season so I can't say exactly what the contribution of each was but I picked up 3+ seconds per run on on courses that are typically 35-40 seconds. I would include, not just the hardware here, but also an alignment to take full advantage of what you have.

As far as being competitive... i don't pay attention to anything past the local level but I imagine it will probably depend largely on the crowd that attends in your area. I can say that in my area I am able to do well in ASP even with my pig heavy XI.

Hey man thanks for the reply! That's great info 3 seconds on a 34 to 40 sec course is a pretty serious jump!

I completely agree about the looking ahead. It's a tough thing to get figured out for sure.

I plan on doing more of this stuff this summer and just have fun with it.

[e92_boost]

Hey can this is my first year with my 335i as well. Today was awesome but I didn't run my 335i cause I was scared haha but I got a ride in a lot of s2k, gt3, frs/brz and omg I'm hooked. The thing you really need is suspension and sticky tires. It's time to put these PSS to good use and see how well they do. I'm going to be needing some new wheels as I'm on 19s right now an am wanting the apex ARC-8 with some cheaper tires that I wouldn't mind ruining.

Have fun and keep us posted on what happens.

[CHI335]

Originally Posted by JC335xi

I would still consider myself a novice (I've done about a dozen events over the last two years) but here are my 2c.

You are correct, seat time is the most important thing. I didn't do anything to the car my first season. Just bought a helmet and started showing up at events. I would suggest focusing on your technique before worrying about what changes the car might need. The #1 thing for all rookies to work on is looking far enough ahead. This is a mistake I still make sometimes and has caused me to screw up what could have been solid runs because I am too focused on where I am and not where I need to go. I would also suggest you show up early and walk the course as many times as you need to be able to play it all back in your mind.

After seat time, tires are the second most important thing. They are the one and only thing connecting you to the pavement and the difference they can make is huge. Mark the edge of the tires and check how much of the tread you are using. Increase the pressure if you are rolling over onto the sidewall and decrease it if you aren't using all of the tread. You can also tweak the pressure on each end of the car to play with the balance. Make sure to check the rules for your class to see what size and tread wear specs are allowed before you make a decision on new tires. If you DD a lot of miles you might want to consider a second set of wheels for the sticky stuff.

Suspension is the third most important. I changed wheels, tires, and suspension all between my first and second season so I can't say exactly what the contribution of each was but I picked up 3+ seconds per run on on courses that are typically 35-40 seconds. I would include, not just the hardware here, but also an alignment to take full advantage of what you have.

As far as being competitive... i don't pay attention to anything past the local level but I imagine it will probably depend largely on the crowd that attends in your area. I can say that in my area I am able to do well in ASP even with my pig heavy XI.

Agreed. Seat time and Tires are 1 and 2. In regards to suspension - that depends on the class you want to compete. We are in the FS class with a stock suspension using scca regulations, which a lot of clubs use to divide their classes. It's competitive enough to get better without changing your suspension. That's the class I have been running and after a year of 20+ events. I'm just adding some coilovers this year, I just a had to put up with the ugly height. Whatever you decide just have fun and compete against yourself and your times. You'll be surprised how great our cars can do.

[Conti.]

as everyone else said seat time is number 1 and will aid to you improving your times the most. Ask some of those top guys (or if there are any instructors) to sit in with you for each run. It always helps having someone with a lot of experience to sit in with you, helping you figure out braking, throttle control, and everything else. Also keep asking if they will let you ride in their car for a lap or two. It's always helpful to see how experienced drivers fly around the course and control their car, especially since the course will always be different each time you go. That was one thing i've found to be the most helpful the first year.

Also you are right about that frs. I've gone for a few laps in that car and it is night and day how flat that car will stay through the corners compared to ours. Granted our cars are very heavy but they are still fun to use. I even have kw coils and it still feels pretty mushy with body roll.

JC335xi i see your from ct. Where abouts are you auto crossing and with what group? I'm not sure where you live but i've been running with the FCSCCA in stratford. I haven't been able to go yet this year, i've had to much work to do on my car. I will be going to the SCDA1 track day at Limerick on may 28th. would be nice to see some more e90 members there.

[JC335xi]

Originally Posted by Conti.

as everyone else said seat time is number 1 and will aid to you improving your times the most. Ask some of those top guys (or if there are any instructors) to sit in with you for each run. It always helps having someone with a lot of experience to sit in with you, helping you figure out braking, throttle control, and everything else. Also keep asking if they will let you ride in their car for a lap or two. It's always helpful to see how experienced drivers fly around the course and control their car, especially since the course will always be different each time you go. That was one thing i've found to be the most helpful the first year.

Also you are right about that frs. I've gone for a few laps in that car and it is night and day how flat that car will stay through the corners compared to ours. Granted our cars are very heavy but they are still fun to use. I even have kw coils and it still feels pretty mushy with body roll.

JC335xi i see your from ct. Where abouts are you auto crossing and with what group? I'm not sure where you live but i've been running with the FCSCCA in stratford. I haven't been able to go yet this year, i've had to much work to do on my car. I will be going to the SCDA1 track day at Limerick on may 28th. would be nice to see some more e90 members there.

I run with CART (www.cartct.com). My only gripe about them is that the courses tend to be short and tight which is probably a function of the course designer being a Miata guy. Not that I mind short/technical courses but a little more variety would be welcome.

I know of FCSCCA as many of the CART guys double dip on dates that the two don't overlap but I have never been to one of their events myself. Heard good things though.

Unfortunately, I missed the first event of the year as well and for some reason it doesn't look like they have any events in May so it looks like my first time out this year will be June 7th.

[Cloud9blue]

Always feel like I learn more about driving on road course than autocross with this car. I tried a few autoX events with the local BMWCCA club here, didn't really enjoy it since the course they have are usually on the tight end and I always have a hard time visualizing the lines with just cones. Compounded by the fact we only get 5-6 mins of seat time while spend the entire day waiting and picking up cones, it just wasn't the best use of my weekends...

I believe you would enjoy these cars much more with a bit room. So give road course events a try, I would say.