[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by Dino355

Nice pics

Sorry to hear about the clutch mate. Better you found out now than on the trackday!

8 laps eh? I'm ahead this year by 3 having done 11 9 in the e90 and 2 in a hired Suzuki Swift (damn that was fun!)

Hehe, 8 only in my own car! I did a few more with some friends three weeks earlier, in a Clio and in another tuned 335i!

Alpina_B3_Lux

[ciomas]

Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux

Two photos from Monday - 8 laps on the 'Ring, the first this year.

After that I discovered that my (new) clutch is slipping...


Alpina_B3_Lux

Lookin good ;]

It wasn't an OEM clutch, right?
How's the Ohlins setup working for you? You never changed the springs, did you?

On the carousel my rear wheel was deep under the fender on the ohlins springs.
Yours doesnt look as bad for some reason.

I just got back from a long drive on some of my favourite b-roads (left at 6am
and once again I proved to myself that the new springs are spot on

Hope to see you there in June

M.

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by ciomas

Lookin good ;]

It wasn't an OEM clutch, right?

No, it wasn't. Which makes it even more annoying as I only just had it installed and it already slips (after 3000km). It's a ClutchMasters FX300. I'll probably throw it out next month and get a HPF Feramic.

Originally Posted by ciomas

How's the Ohlins setup working for you? You never changed the springs, did you?

On the carousel my rear wheel was deep under the fender on the ohlins springs.
Yours doesnt look as bad for some reason.

I just got back from a long drive on some of my favourite b-roads (left at 6am
and once again I proved to myself that the new springs are spot on

Hope to see you there in June

M.

I like the Öhlins suspension very much so far, it's much better than the Bilstein I had before. In particular the not very reassuring lateral movement of the rear axle has gone completely, the car feels very settled now. And - as you've seen - it's quite a bit higher than it was before, which is just how I want it.

Alpina_B3_Lux

[ciomas]

Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux

No, it wasn't. Which makes it even more annoying as I only just had it installed and it already slips (after 3000km). It's a ClutchMasters FX300. I'll probably throw it out next month and get a HPF Feramic.
I like the Öhlins suspension very much so far, it's much better than the Bilstein I had before. In particular the not very reassuring lateral movement of the rear axle has gone completely, the car feels very settled now. And - as you've seen - it's quite a bit higher than it was before, which is just how I want it.

Alpina_B3_Lux

good to hear thats exactly what I did - left it at stock msport height

[Dino355]

Update

Track Day Monday 18 June 2012

1) Alpina_B3_Lux + Batgirl(335i) PAID
2) Ciomas + friend (335i) PAID

Remember once the list on each date goes over 5 people then discounts kick in

Track Day Monday 20 August 2012 - GROUP BUY PRICE ACHIEVED - NOW - £399!

1) Ant1985 - PAID
2) Alpina_B3_Lux + Batgirl(335i) PAID
3) 335rocks (335i) PAID
4) monkeyrider74 (Focus ST) PAID
5) RagingKileak - PAID
6) TopCatz999 - Payment on way

[TopCatz999]

Right - getting excited now! Track Day booked. Eurotunnel booked. Mapping carried out for a little extra boost and of course, better consumption on the way over -(:0)

Looking at those EBC Red Stuff brake pads and grooved discs very seriously now.

Question for those who are old hands - is it a good idea to stick a couple of spare tyres in the back, especially for the rear and if so, should it be tyres and wheels or is it easy to get tyres fitted nearby?

Oh - and can anyone recommend accommodation?

Looking forward to it - my mate and I will be travelling on Saturday 18th and returning on Monday, so if you have plans to hook up anywhere before the Great Day let me know.

[DarkAnt335i]

Depends on how much tread you have left. I didn't find my last trip to the ring particularly hard on the tyres.... especially compared to a smaller tighter track.

You can get tyres fitted locally.... Rent4Ring do them for €15 per corner. Its about a 2 min drive away from the main entrance if i remember correctly.

[TopCatz999]

OK - thanks for the tip. I just had tyres fitted all round. Initially, Goodyear on the front because they were on the edge and then when I got to the garage, noticed that the rear were almost gone so I put some spare Uniroyals on there. Should be good for August!

[ciomas]

Originally Posted by TopCatz999

OK - thanks for the tip. I just had tyres fitted all round. Initially, Goodyear on the front because they were on the edge and then when I got to the garage, noticed that the rear were almost gone so I put some spare Uniroyals on there. Should be good for August!

Good brake pads - always a good idea. If you are changing the pads and discs dot forget about braided brake lines. Extremely important on a long track like this - also the cheapest mod of them all

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

A few impressions from the Track Day on Monday:

- The weather was fine, it stayed dry the whole time (i.e. between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.), although a thunderstorm was announced. We were really lucky!

- There were two closures of around 30 - 45 minutes each, which reduced the driving time considerably as the track day was only half a day really. I had no info on what exactly happened, and didn't see any major crashes while driving.

- In general people were quite reasonable on the track, although there were some overly motivated idiots driving around as well, but only very few this time (compared to other track days where I've been). Although I don't find joy in another's misfortune it is sometimes good to see someone who overtook me in a dangerous fashion a few kilometers later in the armco.

- Lots of nice cars were there. Lots of M3s of course (E46, E46 CSL, E92, E92 GTS but also a few older ones), many many Porkers as usual (some really mean GT2), a few Corvettes that were quite fast too and some more exotic cars such as a new C63 AMG Black Series, an old Opel Manta or VW Golf I. There were also two Alpina B3 GT3 from the factory in Buchloe (one black, the other one with the kermit-the-frog-green painting) that were there to configure the KW3 suspension for the 'Ring so that customers don't need to do that later on. Professional drivers of course, very very fast.

- Everything was well organised, it was easy to find a parking spot for a break between laps. Suprisingly though the petrol station near the 'Ring ran out of 98 octane fuel at around 11 a.m. - but apparently that happens from time to time.

- It was great to meet Dino (albeit too little time!), regretfully he seemed to have a few problems with his car, as well as Michal with his beautiful black 335i coupé. The day went over too fast, one of the reasons I would have preferred to have a full track day.

- Car drove very well, I'm really happy with the Öhlins suspension and the Performance Friction Brakes. The car can now handle anything that at least I can throw at it. I'm less happy with the COBB stage 3 remap, boost oscillations and retarded throttle reactions that may be due to the stiffer wastegates of the RB turbos. Time to try some different solutions in the next weeks.

A few photos:

Alpina B3 GT3 (1)


Alpina B3 GT3 (2)


Me driving


Michal


Alpina_B3_Lux

[Dino355]

Nice report Marcel. It was good to meet you too (albeit far too briefly!) although I did see you blast past me on track a couple of times!

The closures were unfortunate and it's the first time on any of our trackdays we've had this many! As you said the standard of driving and behaviour was very good save for the 2 or 3 idiots who clearly didn't listen to the safety briefing but as you say karma repaid them in the end

I also spent a lot of time with Michal, we had some great laughs together and I hope to see him again soon, oh and his car is I'm pretty much sold on a 335i for my next steed that's for sure

Roll on August! I hope to have my car problems sorted by then

EDIT : Those Alpina Coupes were rocket ships!!!

[ant1985]

nice one bring on august 20th !

im fitting parts on mine this friday that should be me good for the ring, just need to get my rear tyres fitted a few weeks before.

what issues you got dino

[ciomas]

Oh what a weekend this was. And driving was only half the fun - great laughs, great people. Many thanks for organising this Dino. Also my first opportunity to meet Marcel in person. Lovely guy and a ridiculously fast driver - like Dino said, he just kept blasting past us on the track, I know the back of his car pretty well by now :P

Still, I have to admit the highlight of my weekend was a passenger lap in an M3 CSL. What a brutal car! The way this thing changes direction is insane. My neck hurt for another hour - after just one lap. A great driver too who knew the ring very well...and loved his Chemical Brothers tracks while driving Kudos to him.

Like Marcel said, those Alpinas were very impressive. Had a chat with one of the fatory drivers at the end of the day. It was a final check before they hand them to Sport Auto next week. My favourite part must be the interior - beautifully finished in Alcantara..

Oh yeah, and Dino is seriously fast and knows the track like the back of his hand. Thanks for the tips!

Hope to see you guys in August

M.

[neo871]

Looks like you guys had a lot of fun! I don't now how soon I'll get the chance to join you in one of these trips...anyway, I'll never forget the blast we had couple of years ago

Marcel, how is your 335i holding up with all the continuous modding?!

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by neo871

Looks like you guys had a lot of fun! I don't now how soon I'll get the chance to join you in one of these trips...anyway, I'll never forget the blast we had couple of years ago

Marcel, how is your 335i holding up with all the continuous modding?!

It's holding up very well! Of course there are always issues - if you modify something, then something else does not work perfectly... Always something to do, it doesn't stay boring.

Last changes were the Öhlins suspension and Performance Friction BBK, and with both I'm very happy. Ok the brakes squeal a bit, but you get that with almost any sports brakes. The Öhlins is miles better than my previous Bilstein B16 RC coilover.

And then there are the RB turbos - some install problems, and the tuning with the COBB stage 3 map is far from perfect. But I'll get a custom mapping soon, and will also try out other alternatives (JB4, Procede).

The new clutch is rubbish - I can't really recommend ClutchMasters. Judders like hell, and slipped already several times after some hot laps on the 'Ring. I'll throw it out in favour of the HPF stage 1 at the end of this month. At that time, the Alpina replica airbox will also go in.

How's your car? Any plans to come to the 'Ring or near Germany this year?

Two more photos of me at the Track Day:





Alpina_B3_Lux

[RagingKileak]

Hi Marcel,

Are you selling the Bilstein kit? If so can I have first refusal please?

Matt

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

Originally Posted by RagingKileak

Hi Marcel,

Are you selling the Bilstein kit? If so can I have first refusal please?

Matt

Sorry Matt, it's already been sold to a guy from a German car forum a few weeks back.

Alpina_B3_Lux

[RagingKileak]

No probs Marcel, was worth asking!

Matt

[ant1985]

not long to go,

the M3 is nearly ready, new arb bushes going on.
new rubber on the back fitted.
4 wheel alignment then im good to go.

[TopCatz999]

Is anyone who is going to the Track Day in August planning to get there earlier? If so, do you want to meet up? Very excited - new discs and pads, hoses and fluid all round being fitted today. Lots of grumbles about having to spend hours getting the anti-corrosion paint off though! Never mind, should be bedded in nicely in a month's time!

[ant1985]

were leaving on the 18th getting the ferry from dover, 19th dtm 20th the track day.
21st Luxembourg for a project with Marcel. were coming back on the 23rd.

[fastloop]

Not finalized the travel plans yet, but we will either drive out on the 17th or 18th and back on the 21st/22nd depending on a few things.