[acj75]

I managed to score my 5th autoX class win out of 7 events in 2014 on Saturday, 7th fastest overall out of 66 drivers.

I was running stock power, stock sport suspension and wheels with daily driven Hankook RS3s (225/255). The E92 continues to impress!

[spencers]

Nice job! Can you tell/show me how/where you have that GoPro mounted?

[335m]

AT? I have no autoX experience but I was worried that the fact I had an AT would basically disqualify my 335i from being a viable autoX car.

What other cars were in your class? Any tips for the AT?

[acj75]

Originally Posted by spencers

Nice job! Can you tell/show me how/where you have that GoPro mounted?

I mount the GoPro upside down from the sunroof with the suction mount. If you just use the suction mount, the view out of the car will be obstructed by the rear view mirror. If you add a couple extender links, it hangs right at eye level and looks just about perfect.

I set the GoPro to record upside down and always use spot metering when filming inside the car looking out.

Originally Posted by 335m

AT? I have no autoX experience but I was worried that the fact I had an AT would basically disqualify my 335i from being a viable autoX car.

What other cars were in your class? Any tips for the AT?

AT makes no difference. I just put it in DS mode during my runs with DSC off. The vast majority of autoX courses will allow you to stay in 2nd gear, but sometimes you may go into 3rd. Just use the paddles to make any shifts while on course. The rest comes with experience. I've been making steady improvements for quite a while by doing ~1 autoX/month with a track day sprinkled in every 3 to 4 months.

I've seen a wide variety of cars in my class depending on which group I run with, from E36 to E9x M3s, to 800+ hp track prepped Camaros and pretty much anything in between

[MadToy]

Awesome videos!

[spencers]

Originally Posted by acj75

I mount the GoPro upside down from the sunroof with the suction mount. If you just use the suction mount, the view out of the car will be obstructed by the rear view mirror. If you add a couple extender links, it hangs right at eye level and looks just about perfect.

I set the GoPro to record upside down and always use spot metering when filming inside the car looking out.

Nice! I have that same/similar mount for my Sony Actioncam. I'll have to give it a shot.

[TC Kline Racing]

Awesome! nice run! It's crazy that you are still pulling close to 1.2g's on stock suspension and stock camber.

I love the Roundel under the G-meter....what data acq. system is that?

[acj75]

Originally Posted by TC Kline Racing

Awesome! nice run! It's crazy that you are still pulling close to 1.2g's on stock suspension and stock camber.

I love the Roundel under the G-meter....what data acq. system is that?

It's an AiM SOLO GPS lap timer, and the overlay was done using DashWare. The car will typically hit around 1.1x max lateral Gs in the sharpest part of the turns according to the data

[Cloud9blue]

Impressive driving!

[335byi]

So im guessing the length of the car is not a problem ? I auto x'd my S2k and always thought the e92 was a little to long and heavy for the tight auto x courses.

[z3papa]

Originally Posted by 335byi

So im guessing the length of the car is not a problem ? I auto x'd my S2k and always thought the e92 was a little to long and heavy for the tight auto x courses.

Matter of prospective. Coming from an S2000, anything will feel long and heavy. I'm contemplating retiring my Z3 from full-time STR and am looking for an FS car. Until I find the right one, I'll give my 335i a whirl for an event or two to make sure I'm not going to drive myself nuts by getting into a car 700# heavier and much less prepped.

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by z3papa

Matter of prospective. Coming from an S2000, anything will feel long and heavy. I'm contemplating retiring my Z3 from full-time STR and am looking for an FS car. Until I find the right one, I'll give my 335i a whirl for an event or two to make sure I'm not going to drive myself nuts by getting into a car 700# heavier and much less prepped.

The end of an era?

[z3papa]

Originally Posted by TheAxiom

The end of an era?

End of trying to pound a square peg into a round hole. The Z has been very competitive locally and even competitive regionally but has reached its limit.

[acj75]

Originally Posted by 335byi

So im guessing the length of the car is not a problem ? I auto x'd my S2k and always thought the e92 was a little to long and heavy for the tight auto x courses.

This is the only car I've ever autocrossed, so I can't really compare. I just try to adapt by driving patiently through the tight stuff and using the power when I can. I have several friends who autocross the S2k, and there's no doubt those are great cars

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by z3papa

End of trying to pound a square peg into a round hole. The Z has been very competitive locally and even competitive regionally but has reached its limit.

I used to watch your progress before I was banned on Bfc. Did you ever manage to put a set of headers on?

[z3papa]

Originally Posted by TheAxiom

I used to watch your progress before I was banned on Bfc. Did you ever manage to put a set of headers on?

Never really sorted how to get a CAT into the 6" after the exhaust manifold (where the rearward CAT in the second set is) terminates. There is a major choke down in that area. In the past two weeks, I've decided to make my Z3 into a BSP light prep by throwing caution to the wind and put on full long tube headers merged into a single 3" system with a race CAT much further down stream. By all accounts, it will bump hp/torque by ~20 and drop about 35# off the car. I've just decided the car will be mine to its death and I'm going to get r-comps and start just enjoying it to its' fastest prep. May even consider other weight drop items like AC delete but that may be rough in a black car.

[Taskmaster]

Originally Posted by z3papa

Never really sorted how to get a CAT into the 6" after the exhaust manifold (where the rearward CAT in the second set is) terminates. There is a major choke down in that area. In the past two weeks, I've decided to make my Z3 into a BSP light prep by throwing caution to the wind and put on full long tube headers merged into a single 3" system with a race CAT much further down stream. By all accounts, it will bump hp/torque by ~20 and drop about 35# off the car. I've just decided the car will be mine to its death and I'm going to get r-comps and start just enjoying it to its' fastest prep. May even consider other weight drop items like AC delete but that may be rough in a black car.

Y pipe is still for sale
But besides power, what else is holding you back?

[David0ff]

great driving! and congratulations

[acj75]

We just wrapped up our local autocross season on Saturday. This venue has some gravel, and it was slick from drizzle throughout the day. 9 months of daily driving, 100+ autocross runs, and a few track days on the RS3s didn't help the cause, but I never pass up the chance to get out there

I was really off the pace in the morning, struggling to find any grip under acceleration. On my 6th run (of 8), I just decided to stay in 3rd gear around the entire course. It felt a little sluggish out of the corners, but at least it wasn't spinning the tires like before. Right away I was 3 seconds faster. By the last run, I had cut almost 5 full seconds off my best run from the morning and ended up a close 2nd in class to a C5 Z06, 10th fastest overall out of 56 drivers - only the 3rd time I've cracked into the top 10 in this series.

I'll chalk this up as a good lesson learned for the future. If the tires just aren't hooking up on a slick surface, just go up a gear and focus on being smooth.

Here's my best run from the day, plus a few slides before I decided to run the course in 3rd gear: