Big Willow Track Day Pictures... w/ a sad ending

SneakyDeeky · 02-24-2013, 12:56 AM

First session of the day was great and the car was everything it should be - balanced and composed in the turns and pulling hard on the straights.

I took a look at the engine bay when I came back in the pits and everything was in order. I was stoked for my 2nd session as I'd paid for an instructor to help me learn the proper line and get the most out of the day.

The 1st lap with the instructor (white helmet) was smooth as I was focusing on the line and not pushing the car. In fact, there was only a single shift that lap from 3rd to 4th gear while exiting turn 6. Coming out of turn 9, I floored it and a moment later while still accelerating down the straight, the car started surging. I assumed the clutch was slipping and steadied the throttle to maintain a constant speed of 110mph at that point. No more surging, but I had to prepare for the left-hand turn 1. The moment I lifted off the gas and applied the brake there was a sickening explosion followed by white smoke in my rear-view mirror. If that wasn't bad enough the clutch pedal was at the floor.
I pulled off to the side of the track and had to wait for what felt like an eternity (probably only 10-15 minutes) before the instructor or I could get out of the car. The whole time I was kicking myself for breaking my car.

Fortunately, no fluids leaked onto the track, but since the car wouldn't even turn-over they had to tow me into the pits. I still assumed it was just the clutch that had failed at that point. My logic was since it couldn't engage, the engine's electrical coding was preventing it from turning over as a safety feature.

Called AAA and fortunately got a free tow home as Willow Springs is 98 miles from Redondo Beach (100 mile free tow radius).

Turns out I blew the motor and maybe the clutch - I'll find out for sure next week. Click here to finish reading the original thread and discussion regarding possible causes for engine failure.

BONUS: While I was waiting for the tow truck, I rode along with my friend's friend who made it his mission to scare the crap out of me since it was my first time at the track. You can see my white sleeve as I'm holding on for dear life.

Code:

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idrift4wd · 02-24-2013, 12:58 AM

car was looking sweet out there. hope she gets back to the track soon!

aakrusen · 02-24-2013, 01:15 AM

Am I a dick for thinking you should have sold the car a few months back?

e90Nate · 02-24-2013, 01:25 AM

damn thats some shitty news man, the pics look great tho!

StevenY. · 02-24-2013, 01:29 AM

Your car looks awesome! Hope everything goes well with your car.

Amini77 · 02-24-2013, 01:30 AM

I love your headlights still..sorry for the bad news hope your back on the track soon again!

Yodaime · 02-24-2013, 01:54 AM

how the hell you managed that? I daily and push my sh#t and track it hard all the time on nearly maxing out the n54 with a pro tune. wtf?

JDane07 · 02-24-2013, 02:03 AM

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

kdbryce · 02-24-2013, 02:16 AM

awesome photos

really awesome

hope the whip is alright

one of the best looking pre-lci e90s on here

Game · 02-24-2013, 02:39 AM

Ouch sorry to hear, must have be devastating.

just4kickz · 02-24-2013, 12:03 PM

98 miles... i bet the mechanic was like damn it!

SneakyDeeky · 02-24-2013, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by idrift4wd

car was looking sweet out there. hope she gets back to the track soon!

That's the plan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aakrusen

Am I a dick for thinking you should have sold the car a few months back?

Yes

Even though I thought the same thing while I was sitting in the car being towed back to the pits.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yodaime

how the hell you managed that? I daily and push my sh#t and track it hard all the time on nearly maxing out the n54 with a pro tune. wtf?

Dunno yet - hopefully I'll learn some clues when I take the head off. Also, from what I gather, most of the guys who track their N54's use the Cobb tune for whatever reason. Obviously, after this I'm re-evaluating everything. That said, the JB4's been awesome on the street for the last 2.5 years I've had it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDane07

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Game

Ouch sorry to hear, must have be devastating.

You have no idea - it's been a depressing week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by just4kickz

98 miles... i bet the mechanic was like damn it!

Timujin · 02-24-2013, 12:22 PM

Big Willow is so much fun. Sorry for the loss.

SOL403 · 02-24-2013, 01:50 PM

Great pics, so sorry to hear what happened, hope you'll be back on the track soon!

EPT535i · 02-24-2013, 02:00 PM

Sorry to hear what happened, hope u get your car fixed...

J-Spec Dan · 02-24-2013, 02:44 PM

dude, my condolences. hope she gets back up and running on the track soon! think you're going to switch to cobb from jb4?

SneakyDeeky · 02-24-2013, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Spec Dan

dude, my condolences. hope she gets back up and running on the track soon! think you're going to switch to cobb from jb4?

Definitely giving it some consideration. I need to know what went wrong first, though, as the JB4 offers a lot more (i.e. code reading/clearing, downpipe fix, adjust maps on the fly, fuel economy map, etc.).

Duck360198 · 02-24-2013, 08:31 PM

Ohhh noooo!

This is horrible news. I hope you get the news you want to hear this week, that's for sure. Keep us posted.

02-24-2013, 12:56 AM	#1
SneakyDeeky driver mod in progress 232 Rep 1,858 Posts Drives: with both feet Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Redondo Beach, CA iTrader: (6) Garage List 2015 VW Golf R [5.50] 2014 Audi SQ5 [10.00]	Big Willow Track Day Pictures... w/ a sad ending First session of the day was great and the car was everything it should be - balanced and composed in the turns and pulling hard on the straights. I took a look at the engine bay when I came back in the pits and everything was in order. I was stoked for my 2nd session as I'd paid for an instructor to help me learn the proper line and get the most out of the day. The 1st lap with the instructor (white helmet) was smooth as I was focusing on the line and not pushing the car. In fact, there was only a single shift that lap from 3rd to 4th gear while exiting turn 6. Coming out of turn 9, I floored it and a moment later while still accelerating down the straight, the car started surging. I assumed the clutch was slipping and steadied the throttle to maintain a constant speed of 110mph at that point. No more surging, but I had to prepare for the left-hand turn 1. The moment I lifted off the gas and applied the brake there was a sickening explosion followed by white smoke in my rear-view mirror. If that wasn't bad enough the clutch pedal was at the floor. I pulled off to the side of the track and had to wait for what felt like an eternity (probably only 10-15 minutes) before the instructor or I could get out of the car. The whole time I was kicking myself for breaking my car. Fortunately, no fluids leaked onto the track, but since the car wouldn't even turn-over they had to tow me into the pits. I still assumed it was just the clutch that had failed at that point. My logic was since it couldn't engage, the engine's electrical coding was preventing it from turning over as a safety feature. Called AAA and fortunately got a free tow home as Willow Springs is 98 miles from Redondo Beach (100 mile free tow radius). Turns out I blew the motor and maybe the clutch - I'll find out for sure next week. Click here to finish reading the original thread and discussion regarding possible causes for engine failure. BONUS: While I was waiting for the tow truck, I rode along with my friend's friend who made it his mission to scare the crap out of me since it was my first time at the track. You can see my white sleeve as I'm holding on for dear life. Code: <object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/89ewGqGTcIs?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/89ewGqGTcIs?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> __________________ '15 VW Golf R \| '14 Audi SQ5 \| '08 Audi Q7 4.2 \| '07 BMW 335i \| Last edited by SneakyDeeky; 02-24-2013 at 01:47 AM..
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02-24-2013, 12:58 AM	#2
idrift4wd Brigadier General 151 Rep 3,549 Posts Drives: Three Hundred and Thirty Five Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Yonkers NY iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 BMW [7.00]	car was looking sweet out there. hope she gets back to the track soon!
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02-24-2013, 01:15 AM	#3
aakrusen To Punish and Enslave 35 Rep 243 Posts Drives: with both hands on the wheel Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Under the hood iTrader: (2) Garage List 2008 M3 E92 [9.00]	Am I a dick for thinking you should have sold the car a few months back?
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02-24-2013, 01:25 AM	#4
e90Nate Colonel 312 Rep 2,158 Posts Drives: F80 M3 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Canada iTrader: (4) Garage List 2011 335i xdrive M- ... [10.00]	damn thats some shitty news man, the pics look great tho! __________________ Instagram: http://instagram.com/e90nate
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02-24-2013, 01:29 AM	#5
StevenY. ///M 227 Rep 2,248 Posts Drives: 10' SG e92 335i Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: NYC iTrader: (1)	Your car looks awesome! Hope everything goes well with your car.
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02-24-2013, 01:30 AM	#6
Amini77 Brigadier General 194 Rep 4,732 Posts Drives: Alpine White '13 550i Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Tarzana, CA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2013 BMW 550i [0.00]	I love your headlights still..sorry for the bad news hope your back on the track soon again!
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02-24-2013, 02:03 AM	#8
JDane07 Lieutenant Colonel 143 Rep 1,720 Posts Drives: 330i (sold), MK7 GTI Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Napa, CA iTrader: (3)	Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo __________________ Current Ride: '16 MK7 GTI// Former Ride: '06 E90 330i// Don't mind me... just passing along// Old E90 Thread: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...first+e90+m580
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02-24-2013, 02:16 AM	#9
kdbryce I have to return some video tapes 363 Rep 4,712 Posts Drives: e70 X5M Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Albany, NY iTrader: (0)	awesome photos really awesome hope the whip is alright one of the best looking pre-lci e90s on here __________________ 13 Carbon Black e70 X5M - 13 Black Sapphire e92 335i - 10 Le Mans Blue e92 335i - 09 Monaco Blue e92 328i xdrive - 07 Sparkling Graphite e92 328xi
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02-24-2013, 02:39 AM	#10
Game ------ 8142 Rep 10,620 Posts Drives: G80 LCI, G87 (sold) Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Chicago'ish iTrader: (25)	Ouch sorry to hear, must have be devastating. __________________
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02-24-2013, 12:03 PM	#11
just4kickz boku no namae ha... 344 Rep 11,023 Posts Drives: 2006 BS 330i Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: S. Bay Area, CA + Newark, NJ + ChiCity + True Blue iTrader: (11) Garage List 2006 E90 330i [0.00]	98 miles... i bet the mechanic was like damn it! __________________ looking for a PreLCI Black Sapphire e90 front bumper without license plate holes "Akimbo shotguns. Broken wrists anyone? And don't give me that 'it's just a game' bull**. Where the are my akimbo interventions then?! One scope on each eye mother**er!!"
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02-24-2013, 12:22 PM	#13
Timujin Major 355 Rep 1,005 Posts Drives: GMC Sierra Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: California iTrader: (9) Garage List 2010 BMW M3 [0.00]	Big Willow is so much fun. Sorry for the loss. __________________ We grow food to feed the animals so we can eat the animals
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02-24-2013, 01:50 PM	#14
SOL403 Lieutenant 18 Rep 388 Posts Drives: E90 330xi Join Date: May 2012 Location: Calgary, AB iTrader: (0)	Great pics, so sorry to hear what happened, hope you'll be back on the track soon! __________________ Mtec AE - Blacklines - ACS style front lip/roof spoiler/pedals - CF grill/trunklip/licenseplate frame/badges/diffuser - 19" VMR V701 - Michelin PS2 - Res delete - Remus Powersound Quadexhaust - Simota V2 intake - Cyba airscoops - KW V1 coilovers - BMS PBX - Stoptech brake pads/rotors - Mtech rear - Matte Silver Vinyl Wrapped
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02-24-2013, 02:00 PM	#15
EPT535i Major 57 Rep 1,023 Posts Drives: F10 535I Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: EL PASO, TEXAS iTrader: (12)	Sorry to hear what happened, hope u get your car fixed...
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02-24-2013, 02:44 PM	#16
J-Spec Dan ALL RIGHTY THEN 224 Rep 2,957 Posts Drives: 12 STX Advance Join Date: May 2011 Location: G O T H A M iTrader: (2)	dude, my condolences. hope she gets back up and running on the track soon! think you're going to switch to cobb from jb4? __________________ BMW CCA Member 483866 \|Officially Official Build Thread\| \|Widebody Thread\| Follow me on instagram: @jspecdan
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02-24-2013, 08:31 PM	#18
Duck360198 Lieutenant Colonel 285 Rep 1,901 Posts Drives: 2018 F30 340i Laguna Seca Blue Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Cin City iTrader: (8)	Ohhh noooo! This is horrible news. I hope you get the news you want to hear this week, that's for sure. Keep us posted.
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