I am thinking about supercharging my 1999 M3. This car is for track use only. Is this a good idea because i have heard it causes major wear to the engine due to only running it hard on the track. I appreciate any input you have.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k187/kach50/Ruth%20M3/M3interior.jpg?t=1187207973

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k187/kach50/Ruth%20M3/M3frontside.jpg?t=1187208041


http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k187/kach50/Ruth%20M3/M3cage.jpg?t=1187208085

Cannot remember his name but there is a guy on here who has a TS SC 328ic who has put somewhere between 20-50K track miles on his car with just a MLS HG and head studs. IIRC
You will also need alot of cooling(aftercooler, water injection, etc).

i have no input but, is that car on stock springs? it does not look very low.

no it is on t c kline springs

TS or centrifugal?

I have found my SC to to be pretty good on the track, have not really experienced heat soak. When we took the motor apart for a head job the internals looked fantastic. I use an oil cooler, W/A injection the ZM3 radiator and an aftercooler, ceramic coated pistons, ceramic coated headers and it does a good job. The car is consistently fast.

There are lots of little things that can go wrong though, boost leaks, tuning, etc etc...

I am in so deep though that I will be sticking with the package. On the other hand though I run with some cars that I have no right to run with and am very competitive at Road America.

I ran many tens of thousands of track miles on my '95 M3 with AA charger with no problems. So did RyanC in his M coupe...

Did you do any internal work?

The Eurosport Twin Screw has been on the track for many tenthousand miles, including a class win at the One Lap of America and in SCCA Autocrossing. Neil and Woody are running that setup.

I too run a similar Eurosport TS setup at the track. I'm in the process though to go turbo ...

You ask about superchargers, but have you considered turbo?

Most of those ''new'' to the FI forum seem to come with a lot of misconceptions about turbocharging, such as poor power delivery:rolleyes etc...

Supercharging is great, but if you haven't yet, look into technique tuning's stage 1 and 2 turbo kits.

The good thing about superchargers in a track environment is linear power delivery. The lack of spool to hit higher levels of boost does not overwhelm the tires. Turbochargers are great, especially for street, however, I decided to go with a supercharger for the track because of the traction issue. It can and has been done both ways, but these motors have plenty of mid range torque from the factory. I felt no need to increase it until the top of the powerband.

I think that autox is better suited for a sc, just because of the low end. My $.02.

I'm running an old Dinan Powerdyne kit on mine. Its great on the track.

the only problem i've heard (when researching the potential of converting my car into a track car) is that it will put you into the A-mod class which is small but super competitive. and the big scca requirements for running A-mod are a cage (no problem for you) and dual fire supression (engine and driver compartment).

that's all i remember at the moment.

I think that autox is better suited for a sc, just because of the low end. My $.02.

Explain...

nope, no internal work done.

the only thing that is done to the engine is exhaust and dinan air intake

Jclark has recently installed an AA c-38 kit and been running it on the track with good results.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=715320

I'd be interested in hearing more about people using any of the TT kits on a track car, since I've yet to come across it. Most of the turbo people I found doing track time had custom kits.

try posting in the track forum....i know there are a few club racers with superchargers over there

A properly designed turbo setup for the track would be better than a supercharger. Unfortunately, the kits available are for street cars, and the cost to do the R&D on your own custom setup is pretty huge.

I've had good results with my kit, but there is no substitute for an NA motor producing the same horsepower.

I've had good results with my kit, but there is no substitute for an NA motor producing the same horsepower.


unfortunately that's a lot easier said than done in e36 land, as I'm sure you're well aware.

Have you been able to do any comparisons to other track e36s that have cams or the like?

Actually, I'm making about the same power as the S50B32 right now, so that's looking like the new winter project.

I've been out with various E36s and the cammed cars are noticeably faster than the stock or bolt-on motors but they are all slower than the blown cars or euro motors.

thanks for the insight. I've always been curious if a cammed car would hang with someone running a centri s/c on the track since they're about the same money to do (properly).

Are you thinking about doing the euro motor just for reliability and drivability? Ever consider going stage 2?

If you are going to track/HPDE then I would go turbo, but if you are going to do more autocrossing you might have trouble keeping the turbo spooled up. There are typically some really tight radius turns in autox where I believe that a supercharger might benefit. More lower end, and linear power for more driveability. Either way I think the biggest problem will be fighting the heat sink. Just my thoughts.

Did you contact Fall Line? They do BMW prep, and installed my Dinan SC. They had quite a few FI track cars there.

Before you get too bogged down with what engine upgrades you want, you should review what track class you want to participate in. FI will put you into a mod class in BMWCCA. I highly suggest looking into a racing budget first. Track cars get expensive quickly and it's not just the intial build. The limited photos of your car suggest reivewing the Prepared class BMWCCA rules. Engine is usually the first place people want to drop money, but it should be the last. Build a car that can be competetive in a chosen class and then go out and have some fun. If you're still inclined to go the s/c route, pm me and I'll give you the disturbing details of running a BM car.
And for the record, there is no current off the shelf FI system that will run dependably in a racing enviroment. Don't let anyone tell you different.

...And for the record, there is no current off the shelf FI system that will run dependably in a racing enviroment. Don't let anyone tell you different.
+1

For a track car, I would go Euro S50B32 or Eurosport OBD-II cam kit. Both are great options with MUCH LESS to break or overheat on you. I have never heard or seen of a turbocharged e36 running problem-free at the track (I'm sure one exists... but every one I have seen were dealing with OVERHEATING problems after 25-30 minutes of hard running).

I have seen that car before, very nice! If you do go F/I, I would love to compare laptimes with ya! My best time around south course is 1:41.3 and full course 2:54.4 (97 street car with full interior and OBD-II cam kit)

The Eurosport cam kit is expensive for the gains. The euro motor is a stupid amount of money + labor.

I had zero, count em, zero problems with my AA sc on the track.