[V1.47fan]

Originally Posted by Mr. 5

Thanks guys.
I'll definitely do it again.
I just think that it would be better to start off with a car with less power.

I just want to tear through every turn going as fast as I can, and sometimes--wait a second- most of the time, I forget that I have brakes.

+1 on less power,throttle control with even v1.47 is really hard.Your car has so much power it'd make it really interesting.

In case you decide to get some good street tires,Dunlop Direzza z1's are really good AX tires much cheaper than neovas with almost identical perfomance.

[LambOfGod]

Originally Posted by Mr. 5

Thanks guys.
I'll definitely do it again.
I just think that it would be better to start off with a car with less power.

I just want to tear through every turn going as fast as I can, and sometimes--wait a second- most of the time, I forget that I have brakes.

I know what you mean...the guys with the Audi Club used to call me digital (Throttle On/Off) the turbo cars can be a bit tricky especially with the turbo lag so it becomes a timing issue. I think you have manual shift so heel toe action is a must on the longer tracks from 1st - 2nd & 2nd - 1st. Once you launch you'll probably want to keep in 2nd the entire time if you haven't mastered the heel-toe maneuver. I bet you had the windshield wipers and blinkers going a few times during your runs. If you didn't then you're a pretty good driver already and moving up through the ranks will be fun.

[LambOfGod]

Originally Posted by sambonator

Hey it was great meeting you there Craig!

I can't believe we got spanked by a stock 535i .
Do you have any suspension work done to your car Craig? I think my coil-overs were a little too stiff and the car too low for this slow auto-cross setup we just ran... more body roll probably would have helped load up the outside tires, giving more grip through the long slow turns... rather than sliding... my theory anyway .

Hopefully the SD auto-cross will be a faster setup, where we can use the turbos

I doubt it....they try to keep the speeds under 60 mph so the turns will be there to slow you down. Have fun! You should be able to fly with the car lowered. Do you have adjustable coil-overs with rebound and and compression damp? Did you upgrade your anti-roll bars front and rear? This makes the biggest difference. Some guy will use adjustable linkage on the anti-roll bars and tune the suspension.

[sambonator]

Originally Posted by LambOfGod

I doubt it....they try to keep the speeds under 60 mph so the turns will be there to slow you down. Have fun! You should be able to fly with the car lowered. Do you have adjustable coil-overs with rebound and and compression damp? Did you upgrade your anti-roll bars front and rear? This makes the biggest difference. Some guy will use adjustable linkage on the anti-roll bars and tune the suspension.

The last 2 BMWCCA autocross courses in San Diego was set up pretty fast and long... definitely got into mid to high-RPM's in 3rd gear, which was a lot of fun, and lap times were almost 2 minutes.

My coilovers have adjustable damping, but doesn't independently adjust rebound/compression. It also has an adjustable camber plate, and I've set it for max negative camber (like -3 degrees I think). Roll bars are stock, as I'm told the spring rates are high enough not to warrant the use of heavier roll bars.

Last weekend was too hot and I didn't want to bother lugging my R compound setup and doing the swap before/after in the heat, so I ran my street wheels/tires.

The pavement surface in LA was much better than in SD... the SD parking lot surface is very "pebbly"... and cracking, and they kept having to move the track as the surface broke up in chunks. I had to remove all the pebbles that embedded in my R compound tires after runs there at the Qualcomm stadium parking lot.

[CASHBY]

Looks like an awesome time man!

I was thinking about taking my bike out for a track day... Next time you go though let me know, I will be down to take the car out there with ya!

[Shinobi]

Here are results from the event. The original tab-delimited text file is also attached.

[Mr. 5]

Whoops, I guess I read it wrong. I was 6th instead of 5th.
I'm worse than I thought.

haha, plenty of practice to come.

[leftcoastman]

Originally Posted by Mr. 5

Whoops, I guess I read it wrong. I was 6th instead of 5th.
I'm worse than I thought.

haha, plenty of practice to come.

Take it to the track! At the risk of sounding harsh, "I'm over playing in the parking lot!"

[Mr. 5]

Originally Posted by leftcoastman

Take it to the track! At the risk of sounding harsh, "I'm over playing in the parking lot!"

haha!
That's true huh?

I just opened that file with excel.
Out of everybody, I was 31st out of 51. woohoo!

[sambonator]

Originally Posted by Charlie@RissRacing

Looks like an awesome time man!

I was thinking about taking my bike out for a track day... Next time you go though let me know, I will be down to take the car out there with ya!

Hey Charlie! Come'on down to the San Diego Chapter autocross. You can sign up here:

https://www.motorsportreg.com/index....8EE443E8B52A61

Entry is $50, includes lunch. You can go Saturday or Sunday, or both days for $95.

Each "Class" winner on Saturday will get to drive in the runoffs on Sunday, in a dealer-provided BMW 330i, to see who is fastest in the same car.

[LambOfGod]

Originally Posted by sambonator

The last 2 BMWCCA autocross courses in San Diego was set up pretty fast and long... definitely got into mid to high-RPM's in 3rd gear, which was a lot of fun, and lap times were almost 2 minutes.

My coilovers have adjustable damping, but doesn't independently adjust rebound/compression. It also has an adjustable camber plate, and I've set it for max negative camber (like -3 degrees I think). Roll bars are stock, as I'm told the spring rates are high enough not to warrant the use of heavier roll bars.

Last weekend was too hot and I didn't want to bother lugging my R compound setup and doing the swap before/after in the heat, so I ran my street wheels/tires.

The pavement surface in LA was much better than in SD... the SD parking lot surface is very "pebbly"... and cracking, and they kept having to move the track as the surface broke up in chunks. I had to remove all the pebbles that embedded in my R compound tires after runs there at the Qualcomm stadium parking lot.

3rd gear. That must have been a blast. They never let us get going that fast in Chicago. Even at the Tire Rack in Indiana the speed was kept pretty low. The R compound will bump you to the next fastest class for sure. Sound like you have a great handle on your suspension. That car must look awesome. Nice to know that our roll bars are sturdy enough.

Thanks....

[LambOfGod]

Originally Posted by leftcoastman

Take it to the track! At the risk of sounding harsh, "I'm over playing in the parking lot!"

I hear you! The track is a blast but you're definately going to smoke a set of brake pads and half life your tires over 2 days. It is an expensive weekend but if you can afford the maintenance it is a great time.

[leftcoastman]

High 3rd gear in a parking lot is NUTS! That's like 105mph. Plenty of racetracks are 2 minutes, I can't imagine doing that in an autox!

Track weekends aren't *that* bad in terms of tire/brake wear. I get about 8-10 days on a set of Rcomps and track pads. And those who have ridden with me know that I like living life on the edge of the traction circle.

[astris]

Originally Posted by Ramos

I'll be there !!!

I live a mile away... so I'll kinda be there. lol.

[2e9x's]

Originally Posted by Mr. 5

haha!
That's true huh?

I just opened that file with excel.
Out of everybody, I was 31st out of 51. woohoo!

This was your 1st auto-x...cut yourself a break. It is totally different from any other form of motorsport. The driving technique, lack of visual reference...everything. Plus power means very little in auto-x. In 2006 I was taking trophies driving a stock X3 with only 225hp. Auto-x is a mental game insofar as you need to learn where to go fast and where not to.

As for leftcoastman's advice to go to a track, I certainly agree that track events are more fun. However auto-x is a good place to safely learn those fine car control skills that are helpful on a track. The consequences of an error are far lower during an auto-x (unless you are driving an Elise and hit a light pole...). Both forms of the sport are really fun and I think in the end you will find them more satisfying than 1/4 mile.

[satakal]

Originally Posted by astris

I live a mile away... so I'll kinda be there. lol.

close only counts in...
________
Dollface798 live

[astris]

Originally Posted by satakal

close only counts in...

... in stadium parking lot autocross? No? Damn! Maybe I'll stop by with my lowly E46 M3 just to check it out.

[leftcoastman]

Originally Posted by sambonator

Hey it was great meeting you there Craig!

I can't believe we got spanked by a stock 535i .
Do you have any suspension work done to your car Craig? I think my coilovers were a little too stiff and the car too low for this slow autocross setup we just ran... more body roll probably would have helped load up the outside tires, giving more grip through the long slow turns... rather than sliding... my theory anyway .

Hopefully the SD autocross will be a faster setup, where we can use the turbos

Hate to break it to ya man, but you probably slammed the car too low. Low is for looks and near-stock height is for better handling. The suspension angles get very non-optimal once you slam the car.

The myth is that lowering a car reduces the tendency to roll. Because lowering a car moves the center of gravity downwards, you think that it's less likely to roll. Unfortunately, the roll center moves down MORE, resulting in an increased tendency to roll. Unless, of course, the spring rates go up a lot.

Keeping the weight even on all of the tires is optimal. In other words when you have 1000 lbs on each of the four tires, you have higher total grip than if you put 300 lbs on each of the left side tires and 1700 lbs on each of the right side tires.

Grip increases some with weight, but the necessary grip to prevent "sliding" increases more!

[sambonator]

Originally Posted by leftcoastman

Hate to break it to ya man, but you probably slammed the car too low. Low is for looks and near-stock height is for better handling. The suspension angles get very non-optimal once you slam the car.

The myth is that lowering a car reduces the tendency to roll. Because lowering a car moves the center of gravity downwards, you think that it's less likely to roll. Unfortunately, the roll center moves down MORE, resulting in an increased tendency to roll. Unless, of course, the spring rates go up a lot.

Keeping the weight even on all of the tires is optimal. In other words when you have 1000 lbs on each of the four tires, you have higher total grip than if you put 300 lbs on each of the left side tires and 1700 lbs on each of the right side tires.

Grip increases some with weight, but the necessary grip to prevent "sliding" increases more!

My car's actually not that low... maybe 1.5" lower front and 1.2" rear. In fact, when Charlie installed these coilovers for me, at the setting which he said was "perfect height"... it was too low for me, so I adjusted them to ride like an inch higher. That also took care of problems with scraping over large speed bumps, and scraping my front spoiler on driveways.

The springs are pretty stiff, especially the rear, at 671 lbs/in. The fronts are 392 lbs/in. I'm thinking of changing the rears out with 392 lbs/in springs, from TEIN's Eurodamper series for the e90. I talked to their technicians and they said it'll fit, but they recommend I get the shocks revalved to match.

Originally Posted by LambOfGod

3rd gear. That must have been a blast. They never let us get going that fast in Chicago. Even at the Tire Rack in Indiana the speed was kept pretty low. The R compound will bump you to the next fastest class for sure. Sound like you have a great handle on your suspension. That car must look awesome. Nice to know that our roll bars are sturdy enough.

Thanks....

Well, its 3rd gear on the 6AT, so it isnt quite as fast as on a 6MT. But for sure it was over 80+mph in a couple of places...and it was a little hairy going that fast through tight cones taking a fast bend... I was chicken to take it WOT because spinning at that speed would have been pretty hairy...

Tuned N54 engine power alone I think let me come in 2nd then 3rd in the competitive D class at the last 2 San Diego autocrosses.

And no, my suspension setup is still in the works... and so is my driving...

[leftcoastman]

Hmm, sambo - you might want to raise it up further.

I am running at less than 1/2 inch lower than stock and that's because I can't raise it any higher. The suspension geometry gets finicky once you lower it.

And you shouldn't change the stock relative corner heights. from the factory, the corner balance is nearly perfect.

I would advise against changing the rear springs out. Looking at the E90/E92 suspension setup, the rear geometry has a lot more leverage than the front. Therefore a ~700lb spring in back might actually have about as much "resistance" as a ~400lb in front. If you overspring the front relatively speaking, you're just going to pushpushpush.

[sambonator]

Originally Posted by leftcoastman

Hmm, sambo - you might want to raise it up further.

I am running at less than 1/2 inch lower than stock and that's because I can't raise it any higher. The suspension geometry gets finicky once you lower it.

And you shouldn't change the stock relative corner heights. from the factory, the corner balance is nearly perfect.

I would advise against changing the rear springs out. Looking at the E90/E92 suspension setup, the rear geometry has a lot more leverage than the front. Therefore a ~700lb spring in back might actually have about as much "resistance" as a ~400lb in front. If you overspring the front relatively speaking, you're just going to pushpushpush.

Thanks Lefty! I think I'll take your advice and try to raise the car a bit more. Do you know what the heights are front/back on a stock car... maybe from the ground to the top of the fender opening? Is that even front/back?

[leftcoastman]

Originally Posted by sambonator

Thanks Lefty! I think I'll take your advice and try to raise the car a bit more. Do you know what the heights are front/back on a stock car... maybe from the ground to the top of the fender opening? Is that even front/back?

LOL, give it a shot and see if it helps. I'm a big fan of educated trial and error.

That said, sorry, I don't know what stock height differentials are. Find someone with a bone stock 335i and measure it. Or, I believe SG335 did some measurements and posted.

When I got mine installed, I just said, "Keep the stock rake."