[sirdaft1]

Long overdue post! The off-season has arrived! We were shooting to get her on track for some testing before the end of the season, but between having kiddo #2 and my work travel taking off - I told Eric not to worry about stressing to get her on track by end of season. That said, it’s allowed us to start taking her apart to complete our offseason work!

We have an extensive and thorough checklist of work to complete this offseason with a late Jan completion date. So we will absolutely have her on track starting in Spring ‘19 **giddy with excitement**

Here’s the official checklist:


If partially vented fenders weren’t enough, we decided to fully vent them to work with our upcoming aero and diffuser setup






Since the stock battery box is on the outside of the frame rail in the pass side wheel well, we moved it to the inside of the frame rail and Eric made a custom battery box. We went with a slightly smaller battery vs stock, but it’s not bad to keep some weight in the rear end since the car is front heavy as-is.



Klaus Composites is one of the immensely talented sponsors/partners on this build and he sent over a photo of the start of the plug for our carbon fiber front splitter. The bottom piece of wood is the start of the plug and this is going to be the general size. For comparison, the plug on top of it is for an e46 (it’s going to be massive) #function

[ajsmithvmi]

Any chance I will see you and this beast at Autobahn Country Club next spring?

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by ajsmithvmi

Any chance I will see you and this beast at Autobahn Country Club next spring?

Absolutely! That’ll be her main testing grounds!

[redEYEjedi]

Originally Posted by sirdaft1

I've had a number of people ask about size/offset/fitment/etc. with these new E88's. And I don't believe anyone has gotten into the weeds as it relates to the WTCC widebody and proper wheel fitment. This may not be too relevant for most of you, but for those going down the WTCC route, I'm going to geek out on the details for the FRONT setup for these folks.

TLDR version: with a WTCC widebody kit on a PRE-LCI 335 (LCI's have different front offset since their hubs are 8mm further out), the car is happy to fit a 10.5" wide rim with a 285 or 295 tire and an offset between +3.5 to -1.5 (Our BBS E88 comes in a +3.5). That said, stay within these parameters and your car will happily fit it under a WTCC widebody.

More in the weeds: in Motorsports circles, the general guideline of clearance needed between the tire/wheel and suspension is to have at least two credit cards worth of clearance. The tire moves where it contacts the road, not much/if at all on the top side of the wheel. That said our 18" x 10.5" wide setup with the +3.5 offset looks like this with a 285 Hoosier R7 (5 credit cards of clearance). Note: we are running a 2.25" spring, pretty standard stuff on MCS and JRZ suspension.

[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...ML9dzg4-X3.jpg[/img]

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the exterior with this setup but this offset on the car provides some excellent fender clearance and even has a slightly sunk look (but still looks REALLY good) which is a plus for aero.

If we were to run a 295 tire, we would add a 5mm spacer bringing the offset to -1.5 to gain a little more clearance on the suspension. From a "looks" standpoint, this offset looked the best from the outside since its slightly sunk but looks just like you'd expect on a race car. Here is the clearance you get on the inside. Even more room for for activities!

[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...Fvb4xrZ-X3.jpg[/img]

We're still dialing in the rear wheel setup, will have more to report shortly on that (let's just say that you can easily fit a 335 back there and both LCI and pre-LCI e90's have the same rear offset).

Great info. I have a wtcc e91, swapped with n54 and 6MT. Already have a set of bbs LM's custom made for the car, but this is good info for future reference!

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by redEYEjedi

Great info. I have a wtcc e91, swapped with n54 and 6MT. Already have a set of bbs LM's custom made for the car, but this is good info for future reference!

Anytime! And I wasn’t aware they made a WTCC kit for the e91... or did you retro fit the e90 kit? Either way, I bet it looks stunning!

[redEYEjedi]

Originally Posted by sirdaft1

Anytime! And I wasn’t aware they made a WTCC kit for the e91... or did you retro fit the e90 kit? Either way, I bet it looks stunning!

Yea I had the kit retrofitted. Everything was the same fitment except for the rear bumper, but that wasn't a big deal considering this wasn't my first e91 to build. Compared to your car I've just barely begun though haha.

I think the only jump I have on you is the long roof and extra cargo space, but apparently that's become a bit of a contentious topic lately hah. Obviously I'm joking when I say jump. The wagon is really a love or hate thing, but it works for me!

[sirdaft1]

Eric pulled the rear end to swap in some Turner Motorsports solid diff mounts, the rear StopTech Trophy BBK and a few other go fast goodies. It looks like more of a part out than a build right this second









Out with the old bushings...




In with the new...




Rear subframe back in along with the new solid hardware and the BBK


And a quick update on the aero...

In my last post I shared the size of the super raw front splitter next to a normal sized splitter. Here are pics from Klaus Composites on the nearly completed plug for both the splitter and rear wing. Once these plugs are complete they will be coated in wax and then wrapped in fiberglass to create the ‘negatives’ that will be used to make the final carbon fiber pieces.

[Torgus]

I need those on my street e92.

Nice progress on the car. Always fun to see updates.

[Fritzer]

Where did you purchase the WTCC kit from?

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by Fritzer

Where did you purchase the WTCC kit from?

Imported from Europe.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by Torgus

I need those on my street e92.

Nice progress on the car. Always fun to see updates.

I’m sure they’ll tighten things up but mayyybe not the best for a street car because of the NVH

[tetsuo111]

There's so much inspiration in your thread - too much is just enough, in this case. You're pushing the E9X envelope! Keep posting and thanks for sharing.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by tetsuo111

There's so much inspiration in your thread - too much is just enough, in this case. You're pushing the E9X envelope! Keep posting and thanks for sharing.

Wow brother, thanks so much! We’ve come a long way, but still have so much more on the horizon for her!!

[Fritzer]

Originally Posted by sirdaft1

Imported from Europe.

A specific retailer?

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by sirdaft1

I’m sure they’ll tighten things up but mayyybe not the best for a street car because of the NVH

I was talking about the wing and lip

I have solid subframe and diff bushings, they really don't add much NVH other than diff whine, at least in my case.

[redEYEjedi]

Originally Posted by Fritzer

A specific retailer?

It would probably be cheaper to buy the replica kit circulating in the US. LTMW imported the original authentic kit and everything you see on the market is a copy of that. That's why you see all the kits on the market have an imperfection on the drivers side fender right above the headlight. The Streetfighter wtcc kit is a copy of a copy lol. Go figure.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by Fritzer

A specific retailer?

Originally Posted by redEYEjedi

It would probably be cheaper to buy the replica kit circulating in the US. LTMW imported the original authentic kit and everything you see on the market is a copy of that. That's why you see all the kits on the market have an imperfection on the drivers side fender right above the headlight. The Streetfighter wtcc kit is a copy of a copy lol. Go figure.

Sorry Fritzer I missed your post!

Right this moment your best bet is an LTMW or Streetfighter (?) kit in the US as the European manufacturer for my kit doesn’t offer one off kits to the US.

THAT SAID, our manufacturer has expressed interest to us in offering a group buy for US buyers if we organized and there was enough demand (7 kit minimum). Right this moment, I personally don’t have much desire or bandwidth to run point on importing several dozen fairly fragile large body panels from overseas let alone the risks associated with that. That said, IF it could somehow be figured out... I was incredibly happy with my kit as it was all-in much cheaper installed than the LTMW kit because of far less hours required for prep work (mine came in a gel coat finish that made bodywork a breeze compared to the nightmares I’ve heard about the poor finish work of the LTMW kit). Dave Klimek at Revive Autobody in Schaumburg who did all of our prep/paint/install would be able to comment more on this.

All that to say... it doesn’t get me super excited but I’d be glad to look into this a bit more if there might be demand and if we can figure out a way to minimize any potential unforseen importing issues (tariffs/damage while en route/exchange rate/etc). From the sounds of it ballpark pricing would be somewhere in the $3,500 - $4,000 range plus shipping depending on what kind of group buy discount they’re able to provide. Not cheap, but it is the best widebody kit you can buy for the E90.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by Torgus

I was talking about the wing and lip

I have solid subframe and diff bushings, they really don't add much NVH other than diff whine, at least in my case.

Oh man, I don’t think you’re going to want this splitter and wing on a daily. Let’s just say that both will extend well past even the widest widebodied parts of the car. Good news is, the splitter may be able to serve as a snow plow in the Chicago offseason! lol

[redEYEjedi]

Originally Posted by sirdaft1

Sorry Fritzer I missed your post!

Right this moment your best bet is an LTMW or Streetfighter (?) kit in the US as the European manufacturer for my kit doesn't offer one off kits to the US.

THAT SAID, our manufacturer has expressed interest to us in offering a group buy for US buyers if we organized and there was enough demand (7 kit minimum). Right this moment, I personally don't have much desire or bandwidth to run point on importing several dozen fairly fragile large body panels from overseas let alone the risks associated with that. That said, IF it could somehow be figured out... I was incredibly happy with my kit as it was all-in much cheaper installed than the LTMW kit because of far less hours required for prep work (mine came in a gel coat finish that made bodywork a breeze compared to the nightmares I've heard about the poor finish work of the LTMW kit). Dave Klimek at Revive Autobody in Schaumburg who did all of our prep/paint/install would be able to comment more on this.

All that to say... it doesn't get me super excited but I'd be glad to look into this a bit more if there might be demand and if we can figure out a way to minimize any potential unforseen importing issues (tariffs/damage while en route/exchange rate/etc). From the sounds of it ballpark pricing would be somewhere in the $3,500 - $4,000 range plus shipping depending on what kind of group buy discount they're able to provide. Not cheap, but it is the best widebody kit you can buy for the E90.

Pretty on point here. My kit is from Vollkommen Design and manufactured by ltmw, but knowing the backstory of the original kit when creaminz first imported it, I was aware of certain defects based on my personal observation. I had those fixed by ltmw since I am particular about stuff.

If it's in the budget, go with the original import. If you have a competent body shop, the replica kit could be a good alternative. It is definitely not a straight forward bolt on kit but I agree is the best kit for the e9x chasis. Not only is it NOT an over fender kit that will or already is out of trend, but the wtcc kit actually has BMW history so it's more of a homage kit in my humble opinion.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by redEYEjedi

Pretty on point here. My kit is from Vollkommen Design and manufactured by ltmw, but knowing the backstory of the original kit when creaminz first imported it, I was aware of certain defects based on my personal observation. I had those fixed by ltmw since I am particular about stuff.

If it's in the budget, go with the original import. If you have a competent body shop, the replica kit could be a good alternative. It is definitely not a straight forward bolt on kit but I agree is the best kit for the e9x chasis. Not only is it NOT an over fender kit that will or already is out of trend, but the wtcc kit actually has BMW history so it's more of a homage kit in my humble opinion.

Amen to that!

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by redEYEjedi

...Not only is it NOT an over fender kit that will or already is out of trend, but the wtcc kit actually has BMW history so it's more of a homage kit in my humble opinion.

Ironically I’ve spoken with a few guys who raced the original WTCC 320i’s and despite the added track width with the WTCC widebody... per class rules, they only fit a square 235 width tire under all four fenders! And as turb0mik3, myself and a few others can attest to... this kit allows for FAAAR more tire than that!

[redEYEjedi]

Originally Posted by sirdaft1

Ironically I've spoken with a few guys who raced the original WTCC 320i's and despite the added track width with the WTCC widebody... per class rules, they only fit a square 235 width tire under all four fenders! And as turb0mik3, myself and a few others can attest to... this kit allows for FAAAR more tire than that!

Haha square 235.

Is this wide enough? The LM's for my wtcc E91 😜

I did have them redone to be less wide. Obviously I won't be going very fast with these wheels..