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      01-29-2017, 08:00 PM   #23
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Man those EC-7s look great!
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      02-08-2017, 12:39 AM   #24
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Looking bad@ss Aleks, and thanks for the BBK purchase! Do you mind if I share your pics on our blog and Facebook? Thanks!
Feel free ...
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      02-08-2017, 10:10 AM   #25
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Originally Posted by MayorAdamWest View Post
Camber is -3.4F and -2.4R. Drives like it's on rails.
How do you like the car compared to the GT3? Anything you miss about the GT3?
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      02-08-2017, 04:09 PM   #26
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How do you like the car compared to the GT3? Anything you miss about the GT3?
Apples and Oranges. GT3, imho, is the best sports car sold (not the RS or the stupid R). Nothing can replace a GT3. Once you own one, there will be a hole in your heart you can never fill.

That said, I love the M2. It's really a wonderful vehicle. I'm very glad I didn't get the M3. I considered the 718 Cayman S, but it didn't seem worth the extra 30k. Alekshop is doing a great job getting this car set up for me. I'll start a separate thread about it after my next track event. Next up on the mod list is a Fabspeed Sport Cat Downpipe, stiffer rear springs, and an Alekshop adjustable front sway bar. Probably Hoosiers after I burn through the first set of RE-71R (although they are amazing tires - highly recommend them)
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      02-08-2017, 04:26 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MayorAdamWest View Post
Apples and Oranges. GT3, imho, is the best sports car sold (not the RS or the stupid R). Nothing can replace a GT3. Once you own one, there will be a hole in your heart you can never fill.

That said, I love the M2. It's really a wonderful vehicle. I'm very glad I didn't get the M3. I considered the 718 Cayman S, but it didn't seem worth the extra 30k. Alekshop is doing a great job getting this car set up for me. I'll start a separate thread about it after my next track event. Next up on the mod list is a Fabspeed Sport Cat Downpipe, stiffer rear springs, and an Alekshop adjustable front sway bar. Probably Hoosiers after I burn through the first set of RE-71R (although they are amazing tires - highly recommend them)
Thanks for the reply. I followed your other thread on Rennlist and I'm split between a GT3 and M2. My heart says GT3, but wallet says M2 or just keep the GT-R. Look forward to your separate thread.

Been wanting to give the RE-71s a go as I've heard nothing but great things about them. If I keep the GT-R, I might pick up a set for my track wheels.
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      02-08-2017, 06:21 PM   #28
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If you can afford the GT3, get one. Don't walk, run. Do it. Now.
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      02-08-2017, 06:22 PM   #29
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Although, the price of the 991.1 will drop once the new one is announced. So maybe wait for that. Maybe Geneva?
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      02-09-2017, 05:16 AM   #30
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Yeah, good call. Hoping the market becomes flooded with used ones when the .2 is released, especially with the manual option and new engine.

Anyway, glad you enjoy the M2. It's an awesome looking car with a great aftermarket already.
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      02-10-2017, 04:08 AM   #31
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Looks good! Building a similar as yours.
AW, KW v3 + KW adjustable plates front, EC-7 18x10 all round, 265/35-18 R888

I ordered HR 12 mm spacers for the front, what spacers you using?
regards Tobias
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      02-10-2017, 03:11 PM   #32
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Aleks is going to have to answer the spacer question. As for the setup, it's got a bit of understeer. Aleks measured the rear spring at 671lbs, so we're likely going up to 1100. My hope is that it won't be too harsh on the street. If it is, we'll need to find a different way to reduce it.
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      02-14-2017, 08:05 AM   #33
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I'm running KW CS 3 way as well and Re71r. Was nervous going for 275 all around so did 265/275. Good to know it clears but my camber is closer to -3/-2. Wonder if it would clear. Looks close already.
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      02-28-2017, 01:29 PM   #34
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Wow I think I've found the secret lair of the rennlisters. I just bought an M2 over the weekend, and I'm likely selling my GT4 soon.

I'm surprised to see Aleks and the MayorAdamWest here!

Anyhow I bought the M2 to consolidate, and reduce some "fun" expenses. I love the car so far, it's fantastic. In many ways to me it feels like a true successor to the E46 M3.

A couple of questions:
  • Do you guys feel the AP racing set up is mandatory? if so why?
  • Does the M2 pass sound at laguna at full throttle?

I plan to leave the car stock if possible, but I want to hear the reasons why I should or shouldn't change out the brakes. I'm not a hard/aggressive driver. For example, I tracked the GT4 7 times last year, and I still have tread on the original Cup 2s (almost to wear bar), and the brakes are in good shape.
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      03-01-2017, 01:14 AM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fjork_duf View Post
Wow I think I've found the secret lair of the rennlisters. I just bought an M2 over the weekend, and I'm likely selling my GT4 soon.

I'm surprised to see Aleks and the MayorAdamWest here!

Anyhow I bought the M2 to consolidate, and reduce some "fun" expenses. I love the car so far, it's fantastic. In many ways to me it feels like a true successor to the E46 M3.

A couple of questions:
  • Do you guys feel the AP racing set up is mandatory? if so why?
  • Does the M2 pass sound at laguna at full throttle?

I plan to leave the car stock if possible, but I want to hear the reasons why I should or shouldn't change out the brakes. I'm not a hard/aggressive driver. For example, I tracked the GT4 7 times last year, and I still have tread on the original Cup 2s (almost to wear bar), and the brakes are in good shape.
Answered in a PM but will here as well. Welcome! The M2 will absolutely pass sound even on a 90db day.

As for the brakes, it depends. Keep in mind your GT4 weighs 450lbs less and has GT3 brakes. The OEM GT3 brakes were fine for me even under very hard use. That said, there is no way the factory brakes on the M2 can take that punishment. It's not a track car like the GT4. If you are going to track the M2 get the brakes. To me it's a safety thing. The factory brakes are great until the moment they aren't, and that's when you end up in a wall. As for the tires, you may decide to drive harder, you may not. As long as you have fun, it doesn't matter.
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      03-01-2017, 01:20 AM   #36
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For those wondering what we're at as far as times, right now it's probably around 1:41.x, but that was on a day that a friend in a GT4 was running 1:40.x and usually runs 1:38.x at Laguna Seca. That said, I'll probably be going to Hoosiers next to get below 1:40. There is still plenty of time to be had on the current setup, thanks to Aleks, and I do plan on improving my own skill level and comfort with the car. Goal is 1:38 or below.
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      03-01-2017, 08:24 AM   #37
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Hey...I'm a Rennlister as well...as a sponsor.

Quote:
Do you guys feel the AP racing set up is mandatory? if so why?
I had another customer ask me the exact same thing last night. Here's what I told him, and what we've seen with some other M2/M3/M4 customers:

If you stick with your OEM components, particularly on the front of the car, they are going to get abused on the track. The caliper pictured below was on the front of a car we used for prototyping, and they were only run for a few events before they started turning green, the dust boots were burning up, etc. (see pic below). That customer’s discs were also fairly trashed, his fluid was boiled, and he had burned through more than a full set of pads. He realized that the rate at which he’d be throwing consumable brake parts at the car (pads, discs, and fluid) was going to quickly exceed the cost of just buying a brake kit explicitly designed to handle track abuse. If he had kept his OEM calipers, they would have needed to be rebuilt very soon. When he went to sell his car, he would have had to either try and sell it with a tattered set of brakes (which screams track rat), or he would have had to buy a new set of BMW calipers, which are about a $1,000 per pair. He would have also need fresh discs and pads at that time, which are another $1,000. So just to make the car look respectable for sale, he would have had to drop $2,000. That’s after he had been constantly throwing money at the consumable brake parts during his entire ownership, and dealing with inconsistent performance. When you calculate the total cost of the above scenario after a few years, that number exceeds the cost of our front brake kit. The more frequently you track your car, the more that equation swings towards our kits as the more economical long-term solution.

Here’s the kicker that most people don’t think about though. With the OEM components, you don’t get much of anything back when you sell them used. Fried OEM calipers would bring a few hundred bucks, and OEM discs would go in the dumpster. Due to the strength of the AP Racing brand however, our kits retain a very nice chunk of their value when sold on the used market (typically 60-70% depending on condition). So if you buy a $4k kit now, you’re going to get something like $2500-$3000 back out of them when you uninstall them and move on to your next car in five years. In that scenario, you’re also able to pull your factory fresh OEM components off of your garage shelf and drop them back on the car. The car won’t look like it went through war, and you won’t have to dump money into something you’re about to sell. You’ll also get to enjoy a headache-free experience at the track during your time of ownership, and you won’t be constantly bleeding your brakes, throwing consumables at them, etc. You’ll also have the confidence in your brakes required to improve your skill and lower your lap times.

In terms of need, the front brakes are the biggie. On an M2, you’re far better off investing in the best front brake kit you can afford, rather than getting a lesser front/rear system. The rears are nice to have, and can always be added later for weight savings, aesthetics, etc.

If you’re going to track your car, you will either pay now for brakes, or you’ll pay later. There’s unfortunately no way around it! If you pay now, you'll ultimately pay less, and you'll get to enjoy all of the kit's benefits during your time of ownership.

One of the organizers for Chin Motorsports posted about the value proposition of our BBK on the FT86 forum, which I copied to our blog. He found that his brake kit very quickly paid for itself in consumable savings alone. Mandatory is a strong word, but when you start running the numbers, it becomes clear that our BBK's are as much a long-term cost saver as they are a performance asset.

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      03-01-2017, 08:36 AM   #38
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Quote:
As for the brakes, it depends. Keep in mind your GT4 weighs 450lbs less and has GT3 brakes. The OEM GT3 brakes were fine for me even under very hard use. That said, there is no way the factory brakes on the M2 can take that punishment. It's not a track car like the GT4. If you are going to track the M2 get the brakes. To me it's a safety thing. The factory brakes are great until the moment they aren't, and that's when you end up in a wall. As for the tires, you may decide to drive harder, you may not. As long as you have fun, it doesn't matter.
I agree with you on the GT4 brakes. We see customers getting huge life out of our 2-piece AP Racing J Hook discs mated to the OEM calipers on the GT4 and GT3. Too bad those calipers are such a disaster for pad and disc changes though! If I were designing one of our Competition Kits for the GT4, I'd probably use a six piston/355x32mm front system, mated to a four piston/340x28mm rear. We've been winning races and championships with that setup on Z06's for years, and I think it would be the sweet spot for the GT4 in terms of durability and unsprung weight savings. The rear 380x30mm rear disc is frankly an anchor for that car to drag around. You could knock about 8 lbs. of thermal mass out of those rear discs and still be good to go. For reference, the C7.R Factory Corvette won Le Mans with only a 355mm rear AP Racing disc!
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      03-01-2017, 11:32 AM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fjork_duf View Post
Wow I think I've found the secret lair of the rennlisters. I just bought an M2 over the weekend, and I'm likely selling my GT4 soon.

I'm surprised to see Aleks and the MayorAdamWest here!

Anyhow I bought the M2 to consolidate, and reduce some "fun" expenses. I love the car so far, it's fantastic. In many ways to me it feels like a true successor to the E46 M3.

A couple of questions:
  • Do you guys feel the AP racing set up is mandatory? if so why?
  • Does the M2 pass sound at laguna at full throttle?

I plan to leave the car stock if possible, but I want to hear the reasons why I should or shouldn't change out the brakes. I'm not a hard/aggressive driver. For example, I tracked the GT4 7 times last year, and I still have tread on the original Cup 2s (almost to wear bar), and the brakes are in good shape.

In my opinion, the AP racing kit is mandatory. When I first bought the M2, I was excited about the better OEM brakes vs. the previous M3 platform. One of my big reasons for excitement was that I wouldn't have to spend money upgrading the brakes.

Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Even with Castrol SRF and Pagid RS29 pads I would get severe brake fade and would have to end my sessions early. The OEM kit was basically costing me money in shortened track days and extremely high pad wear rate.

I finally bit the bullet and got the AP kit; while I haven't had a chance to test it on track yet (my car is down for a build until April), check out my unboxing impressions in this thread (2nd post) http://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1353408

They are really a work of art and I have no doubt they will solve the issues the OEM system has on the track. It should be much more economical to run, probably paying for itself after a season or two. The pads being 2x as thick as OEM yet costing just a couple bucks more offer literally a couple hundred dollar savings every time you buy replacements:



And 10lbs unsprung weight reduction is honestly nothing to sneeze at either.
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      03-01-2017, 01:18 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MayorAdamWest View Post
For those wondering what we're at as far as times, right now it's probably around 1:41.x, but that was on a day that a friend in a GT4 was running 1:40.x and usually runs 1:38.x at Laguna Seca. That said, I'll probably be going to Hoosiers next to get below 1:40. There is still plenty of time to be had on the current setup, thanks to Aleks, and I do plan on improving my own skill level and comfort with the car. Goal is 1:38 or below.
Wow! This is a fast car. Great lap times. I'm sure you're a skilled driver. I'll be happy with 1:45.
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      03-01-2017, 01:26 PM   #41
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Great responses on the brakes guys.

Ok so I've decided I'm getting at least the 4660 fronts once the GT4 finds a new home.

So a few questions about pads for these calipers:

-Are there 2 pads I can buy that I can swap between before track days? One primarily for daily driving / canyons, and one for driving to/from/on the track.
-Do I need to bother swapping the back? From what I've read the answer seems to be "no" but I figured I'd see the opinions you guys have.

I do enjoy HDPE, but would not consider myself a "track rat." First and foremost my car needs to be livable on a daily basis, but I don't want it to fall apart when I probe it's limits at Laguna/Sonoma/Thunderhill. I'm looking for a balance.
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      03-01-2017, 03:19 PM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fjork_duf View Post
Great responses on the brakes guys.

Ok so I've decided I'm getting at least the 4660 fronts once the GT4 finds a new home.

So a few questions about pads for these calipers:

-Are there 2 pads I can buy that I can swap between before track days? One primarily for daily driving / canyons, and one for driving to/from/on the track.
-Do I need to bother swapping the back? From what I've read the answer seems to be "no" but I figured I'd see the opinions you guys have.

I do enjoy HDPE, but would not consider myself a "track rat." First and foremost my car needs to be livable on a daily basis, but I don't want it to fall apart when I probe it's limits at Laguna/Sonoma/Thunderhill. I'm looking for a balance.
The Ferodo DS2500 are quality street pads that can also stand up to some light track work. The DS UNO is the track compound to get.

You probably don't "need" to swap to the rear BBK kit from the description you give. The kits are designed to provide proper front/rear balance, so you can technically use just the front kit. I decided to go rear as well, but I am a "last few percent" type of guy and am a bit OCD when it comes to unmatched front/rear calipers!

Jeff can probably weigh in here on the amount of noise (if any) the DS2500 make on the street; I only have track pads since my car will see most use there.
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      03-01-2017, 10:08 PM   #43
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Agreed. Swapping is easy. I might also recommend track wheels. The Apex ones I have are cheap and you can run the cheaper and sticker RE71r tires. Even at 1:45 you get terrible chunking on the MPSS tires.
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      03-01-2017, 10:12 PM   #44
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I should note if you don't plan on using track wheels then swapping will be more annoying and you might want to consider a street/track pad.
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