[orionredwing]

Just a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going to Thunderhill Raceway for the first time, participating in BMWCCA's HPDE. I thought it'd be fun to share my experience with you guys. Located about 90 miles north of Sacramento, in the middle of nowhere, Thunderhill is one of the safest places to learn. You can literally run off track (not that I did) in most places and drive off into the distance. A great reassuring comfort when compared to the scary walls of Laguna and Infineon, and really gave me the confidence to push my car harder, towards the limits.

Coupled with nice hills, fun turns, 3 locations where you can growl past 100-120mph+, and great weather (60-70 deg!), well...it was a great weekend! Despite my first time here, I've been tracking my car moderately for the past 2 years, and have had time to reinforce and build on the basics. But as with all previous instructions, my focus was NOT on the fastest lap time (timing not allowed in HPDEs!), but on learning the lines, techniques, and limits of my car.

(Previous review of mods at Laguna Seca)
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=347748

Suspension Mods:

Early on, I realized that I had progressed beyond what the abilities of a stock car w/ tune could give me. Excessive body roll was finally hindering my ability to go further. As a result, I proceeded to mod my car with the stable characteristics I needed to inspire confidence (in pushing my car to the limits). I mean, when you're a beginner pushing your car to the limits, massive body roll....is NOT something that inspires confidence, but apprehension! Over the past 2 years, my modding philosophy was 'One mod at a time', followed by at least 1 track day, then on to the next mod. Doing it this way, I've learned so much about the benefits of each mod, and it made each subsequent upgrade much more enjoyable and rewarding. So no mod-queen mentality here.

Please refer to my previous thread regarding my driving impressions of my previous mods. Going into Thunderhill, the PROCede, Wavetrac LSD, and KW v3 w/ Swift Springs continue to deliver. We all love the circular freeway on-ramps right? The pulsing G force as our our car powers through the turn is one of the best feelings! Imagine doing that all day on the track, and especially in the big carousel of turn 2 at Thunderhill. Here, the Wavetrac LSD & KW v3 w/ Swift Springs really shined. I was pretty much at the limit of my street tires, but at all times, my car felt completely neutral. What a great feeling! The car felt perfectly in control, and I got to experience all the joys of those wrenching Gs...so much that by the end of the day, I had back pains!!

A couple of off-camber turns (turn 3, and the bypass on turn 5) really allowed the suspension mods to shine, as there was no noticeable body roll (note: if you take a pic you can see the suspension is definitely loaded, but the important thing is the driver does not feel it), and the car felt planted and in control. The PROcede continues to be a dream, as the absolute control over power delivery allowed me to be a lot smoother coming out of my turns. Smooth power delivery is so important as you can use throttle modulation to control your understeer. And of course the boundless torque...take a look at the uphill climbs in the video...it looks so effortless.

WHATS NEW: M3 Front Control Arms

Following up on my one mod philosophy, coming into Thunderhill saw me w/ new M3 front control arms. I gotta say that most of us are used to cars with understeer. Car manufacturers purposely design family cars with understeers, so much that most of us subconsciously expect that feeling. Prior to this mod, the Wavetrac LSD and KW v3 w/ Swift Springs made my car feel so planted, and the feeling was incredible.

I did NOT realize how much understeer I had until the M3 front control arms went in. All of a sudden, everything felt looser. Turn ins were a lot crisper. But to be honest, I DID not enjoy that 'loose' feeling as much on the street (all that understeer conditioning over the years), and for many months, I kinda wish I never did this mod......until my weekend at Thunderhill.

All of a sudden, my car felt so much more alive and responsive! Each turn was NOT a fight against understeer, but an exercise in smooth turn-ins! (You don't want to jerk your wheel into a turn as it reduces overall traction by loading your outside front tire. By being smooth, you get more traction into a turn.) Definitely a whole new experience, and I love how it made my car feel more alive and in tune with me.

Needless to say, after one weekend, I no longer feel this mod was a mistake. (P.S. Because of the increased cornering force, I had to stiffen up my dampening setting by +2 front and rear, for those who followed my previous threads, KWs now at 3 front, 7 rear).

Thanks to Harold @ HP Autowerks for installing these for me, and for helping me with all of my suspension mods. What's next?

THE VIDEO: GoPro HD 1080p 30fps

(If you're on your puter, don't forget to select the 1080p resolution!)

I decided to post a warm-up clip. There are SO MANY track experts here, I'd be totally embarrassed trying to 'appear fast'. Rather, let me embarrass myself LESS by posting something that shows me hitting some respectable lines, lol. First time at Thunderhill so go easy on me, thanks

As stated in the comments, I was at a VERY conservative setting. PROcede only boosting 13psi max (my car can auto-tune to 15.5psi in 60-70deg 91oct). I was also only using 50-70% throttle and short shifting at 4-5K rpms!

This was because I had been experiencing some limp modes on the the track before, and thought I had bad bank 2 injectors (cyl 6 misfires). I almost didn't go to Thunderhill due to my concerns but decided what the heck. For the first time, I tried the PROcede's adaptation clearing features, and opened up the default wastegate position a little (90% to 70%). It worked!! I ran limp free the entire day, and was in heaven. A big thanks to Shiv and his endless free upgrades and PROcede performance enhancements. The PROcede just keeps getting better and better over the years.

Enjoy the video!

[OpenFlash]

I love that track

Good work man! Glad to see the adaption reset feature worked for you

Shiv

[orionredwing]

Can't tell ya how happy I am to be limp free on the track. Reliabilibility is definitely my #1.

I plan to be doing some used oil analysis. A couple have been posted already, but there are so many oil change interval threads, I think the forum will always appreciate more data.

[HP Autosport]

What is next for your car?

[Javier]

Originally Posted by HP Autowerks

What is next for your car?

I say BBK!!

[jbass524]

Nice. I miss Thunderhill. Just keep in the back of your head that with your HPA mods and the Procede and a little familiarity with T-hill you will be able to go sub 2:10 running the bypass. You got in you. I know it.

[mycoupe]

I was just gonna say that it looks slow, and then I read your post! Nice work hitting good lines and hopefully you'll nab some decent times with some good footage to throw at us too!!!

[subieworx]

I love that track as well. One of my favorites. We were about to get our Subaru down to 1:46 last year running the nest.

Good job and keep it shiney side up!

[orionredwing]

Originally Posted by jbass524

Nice. I miss Thunderhill. Just keep in the back of your head that with your HPA mods and the Procede and a little familiarity with T-hill you will be able to go sub 2:10 running the bypass. You got in you. I know it.

lol, you are prob hitting that already W/O a tune! hope to catch u at the track again soon. always fun hangin out w/ u guys.

Originally Posted by HP Autowerks

What is next for your car?

How about the OEM replacement, 2 piece rotor you just posted up in the suspension/brakes forum? That looks nice!

Originally Posted by Javier

I say BBK!!

Yes, I'm considering it! Held off on bigger brakes due to cost and because I wanted to take advantage of the free maintenance. Cost for a bbk upgrade is still a big factor, so I plan to try the OEM replacement route first. I'm long out of warranty now w/ 64K tuned miles on my car and still running strong (knock on wood!)

People have mentioned OEM aftermarket replacements yield a noticeable improvement, so I want to experience it. I'm sure it'll make me appreciate bbks more when I finally get around to it. One step at a time It's been a fun learning / modding process.

[zsapphire7]

my recommendation for the next mod will be camber plates or m3 sway bars . Theres nothing better than a perfectly neutral car going in and out of turns. Actually are you running square? That would probably make a huge difference!

[spiike32]

nice lines.