Only being my second one, I thought I did ok. 8 runs in a parking lot with cones. I swapped the front wheels to the back the back wheels to the front, mainly because I had new rubber on the 8.5's. Not having too much rubber on the rears I could oversteer nicely through some of the turns. Although on run 4 I pushed to hard, overcorrected, spun the car out and stalled, haha. Everyone loved it though. I ran 60.3 as my best. Other E36 M3s with drag radials and suspension mods ran 57's. A supercharged E30 had the best time of 54 something. A 335xi ran 63. I thought I did alright. On Friday I replaced the front control arms and the FCABs with Powerflex. Man did that make a difference. Everything is much more stiff than my worn out ones, haha. I like it.

So, what is a good tire set up to run on the streets and track? One guy had K1's with Bridgestone Potenzas. Another had ACS with Pilot Sports. A few people running Kuhmo Drag Radials (forgot the name of them?). Whats a good setup to copliment both?

The brakes held up nice (Euro Floaters/Hawk HPS) No brake fade at all. I found myself pushing through a lot of the turns while braking. Braking too early maybe?

Just though I'd share a good time. I'd love to do a driving school, but $400 a pop will put a dent in my bank account. Perhaps next year.

I appreciate any feedback on stuff. What will i notice most for handling? New tires? Strut tower brace? Coilovers?

Thanks! :)

Just though I'd share a good time. I'd love to do a driving school, but $400 a pop will put a dent in my bank account. Perhaps next year.

I appreciate any feedback on stuff. What will i notice most for handling? New tires? Strut tower brace? Coilovers?

Thanks! :)

Spend the $$ getting signed up for a driver's school. You will not regret it. Costs are higher, but cost given the amount of seattime is much lower. Further, you'll learn a LOT more in a track environment compared to a parking lot!

And as far as the money best spent on your car--definately seattime. Learn how to drive the thing, and have a blast doing it!

Also, they are not drag radials. Someone else will be a dick about it, so I'll just let you know now. There are street tires and R-compounds (like the Kuhmo v710s).

Spend the money on the school first. There is no replacement for seat time.

If you do buy tires, I suggest a sticky street tire like the Bridgestone RE-01. Street tires give more beginner feedback than R-comps (let you know when you are over driving by screaming at you). R-comps also cover a world of sins and bad driving.

Not all DEs are so expensive...the Boston Chapter BMWCCA typically charges around $180-190. per day at NHIS, and if you're a newbie, you get a $100. discount. But I think they're done for the season at NHIS, not positive. But it's been a successful promotion and I believe they're doing it again next year.

Wt Mt Chapter BMWCCA is hosting an event in October, so if you're in the neighborhood....not too far from NY.

http://www.boston-bmwcca.org/events/ultimate-calendarView.aspx?EventID=321

This one's $180, still pretty cheap.

So, what is a good tire set up to run on the streets and track?


I ran Kumho SPTs. They were good all round. Not the ultimate sticky, but good wear with good dry and wet performance.


I found myself pushing through a lot of the turns while braking. Braking too early maybe?


Depends on you driving style. Some people trail brake or brake then turn. For me it is course and grip dependent. I tend to trail brake more than less.


I appreciate any feedback on stuff. What will i notice most for handling? New tires? Strut tower brace? Coilovers?


Tightening the nut behind the wheel. Here's an example: One of our local hot shoe drivers put down a 17sec pass in a stock Z4 2.5 auto where everyone else was putting down 18-19sec passes in the Z4 3.0 and Z4 M. Tighten the nut to go faster . . . Seat time seat time seat time :evil2

Wow, thanks for all the feedback.....

Spend the $$ getting signed up for a driver's school. You will not regret it.
School looks like a popular choice here. School+brakes+tires+gas+sleeping arangments = lots 'o cash. I'd love to go and I'm sure I would learn a ton. Perhaps next year.

Also, they are not drag radials. Someone else will be a dick about it, so I'll just let you know now. There are street tires and R-compounds (like the Kuhmo v710s).

If you do buy tires, I suggest a sticky street tire like the Bridgestone RE-01. Street tires give more beginner feedback than R-comps (let you know when you are over driving by screaming at you). R-comps also cover a world of sins and bad driving.

Yep those are the Kuhmos everyone was running. They looked super sticky! One guy said they went up 2 lbs in one run and he kept spraying them down with water to cool them. I'll keep the RE-01s in mind. I did notice a lot of screaming tires from street tires. Alot of screaming, especailly people pushing through turns.


Wt Mt Chapter BMWCCA is hosting an event in October, so if you're in the neighborhood....not too far from NY.
This one's $180, still pretty cheap.
Cool, thanks. I'll have to check the calander and see whats going on. October: I might have my snow tires on by then...haha.

Depends on you driving style. Some people trail brake or brake then turn. For me it is course and grip dependent. I tend to trail brake more than less.
What exactly is a trail brake?

I suggest BFG KDW2's. My car is my daily and these give me 3 things; good life, good grip, and great cost to size ratio. Treadwear is I think 380, which isn't bad for the traction they give. Also this weekend I was the fastest car at the local AutoX with street tires. Couple cars I beat were a Lotus Elise, Audi S4 modified on slicks, S2000 with suspension and engine mods; plus all of these guys had about 6months to 2 years more experience at racing then I did. I only have 5 months racing at AutoX, and no mods on my car.

Also this weekend I was the fastest car at the local AutoX with street tires. Couple cars I beat were a Lotus Elise, Audi S4 modified on slicks, S2000 with suspension and engine mods; plus all of these guys had about 6months to 2 years more experience at racing then I did. I only have 5 months racing at AutoX, and no mods on my car.Sorry but this is really a useless performance metric. I'm sure you consider yourself to be a good driver, but an Elise is a SS car stock and my _heavily_ modified DSP BMW is only good for 2-3 seconds faster than an Elise. It's great that you beat these cars but it's not because of your tires, it's because either you're an unbelievably good driver, they're unbelievably bad drivers, or because they werent trying or were focusing on something different. And ditto with the S2000.

[QUOTE=JPs325i;10265339What exactly is a trail brake?[/QUOTE]

Keeping your foot on the brake after turn-in. It helps shift weight towards the front of the car, lightening the rear, and will allow the car to rotate more easily, and will help you carry more speed into the turn, yet still be able to hit the later apexes that are common in autocross.

Time for some brain hurt j/k Trail Braking (http://www.getfaster.com/Techtips/Physics23.html)

Basically, you brake late while turning in . . .

Example: Based on the car feels, I can go into a sweeper and brake virtually at the last minute. Carry the brakes for a bit and then accelerate out of the corner.

I do it a lot to rotate the car. . . .

Edit: Thanks. . . SpeedTheory got to it while I was replying.

Cool...Trail Braking.

A guy at the AutoX told me that braking through a turn would push my front tires (understeer). So I should brake prior to the turn and then try to accelerate through the turn... Interesting differences here.

The guy at the autocross is wrong. Maybe if you're braking while physically turning the wheel, it would scrub off some speed and be, in a sense, understeer, but think about it with a physics mindset. You're getting MORE grip at the front, at the expense of grip in the rear, when you transfer weight to the front. It gets to be a very advanced technique. I would focus more on your line than on trail-braking right now. Work on coming closer to the apex, track-in, and track-out points (excellent autocrossers can lightly tap a slalom cone with the rear of their side skirt as they're going through it, so YES it means CLOSE). Once you've got all the time you can get there, then work on carrying a little more speed with trail-braking.

It can also depend on how hard and were you accelerate out of a corner. Getting on the gas to quickly can transfer the weight to the rear losing from grip.

Speed is providing good things for a novice cone dodger . . . Learn how to read the course. Cancel out all the cones that "don't matter", focus on the key cones, and go slow to go fast.

If it is allowed, draw the course out and study it. What I do is memorize the course and jump in my car and physically drive if from memory (making car sounds as well). If I'm in the first run group, I try to grid last to see how the cars run .

Wow, thanks for all the excellent information.

I think I was just coming in too hot and trying to make the turn and brake at the same time, resulting in understeer....

I walked the course in the morning, then took a map and kept it in my car, so while I was waiting I could think of where I was going.

I agree, getting a good line is probably the most important thing first. I always found myself turning wide in the slalom and trying to make to many sharp turns. If only I could have drove the course 20 times, haha...

Its definately a fun time and I see myself doing more of them. I cant wait to hit up a real track.

So as far as terminology... I know what a slalom is, an S-turn, a hairpin, but what is a sweeper? Is it just a long steady turn? What other terms should I know. If this is a noob search topic just let me know :stickoutt

Bingo . . .

Now you have a Chicago box, pivot box, bus stop, etc :stickoutt

Sorry but this is really a useless performance metric. I'm sure you consider yourself to be a good driver, but an Elise is a SS car stock and my _heavily_ modified DSP BMW is only good for 2-3 seconds faster than an Elise. It's great that you beat these cars but it's not because of your tires, it's because either you're an unbelievably good driver, they're unbelievably bad drivers, or because they werent trying or were focusing on something different. And ditto with the S2000.

The guy in the Audi I have been loosing to him by 2 seconds every month with my 225/245 combo. Went to these tires in 255/285 and now I'm doing 1.7 seconds faster than him. :redspot The guy in the Elise is a tool, even after 2 years of racing. :confused He asked me to give him tips after driving with him, I told him the only way it will get faster is watch a pro drive his own car. He told me to f*ck off. ;)

:rolleyes

What PJ isn't telling you is that his "trail braking" quite often ends up is smokey drifts. Don't think it's an easy technique. Spend more time on huggin those cones and invisioning your best line which in AutoX is always the shortest distance. You won't be a master this season but you will have fun and that's the point.

:buttrock

And you are usually the co-driver yelling "punch it" :rofl

You should try to hop a ride with the fast guys or get them to ride along . . . That's worth at least .5-1 sec . . .