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      08-22-2019, 09:27 AM   #1
243Racing
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Drives: M2
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: KC

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243R’s M2 DD/TT Build Thread, Journal, Rambling

I always enjoy people’s build threads, so it’s about time I contributed.

I picked up my 2018 M2 6MT in August of 2019 with only 7300 miles on it. Plans for the car are to be my DD, replace the hole in my heart left from when I sold my Dakar Yellow E92 ZCP, and make some appearances (and hopefully some noise) in NASA time trials.

The power to weight (3390lbs with the gas light on, full interior, all stock everything) of the car classes it very comfortably in TT4 (Or so I thought...) which means I don’t need to add much (if any) power or cut any weight at all (lol), which is optimal for retaining DD drivability. But, it presents unique challenges as I’ll have to make decisions for track mods keeping in mind the fact that the car’s driven primarily on the street and to transport my toddler - so stuff like roll bar, rear seat closeout, super aggressive brakes and coilovers simply aren’t an option. Also to consider - potholes here have gotten REALLY bad. I have bent 4 wheels in the last 18 months on potholes, toasted a wheel bearing and popped a tire. This is a consideration for both wheels and suspension mods.

Snapped a quick pic the day I brought it home:



For TT4, I will be limited to 100UTG tires (so no HooHoos , unfortunately) so I’ll probably be running Toyo R888R or Maxxis RC1 (whatever’s faster) to take advantage of available contingencies. I’m also taking the BTM aero mod, though I should have enough available points to add aero down the line. The series rules also specify that tires can not have a measured section with of more than 282mm at 30mm from the tread - this presents another challenge considering track wheels as I’ll likely be limited to a 9.5” wheel in the rear with a maximum 275mm tire. So, do I run a 255/275? 265 Square? I’ll have to figure that out. I’m planning a progression of brakes, again bearing in mind available money from contingencies (Hawk, Raybestos,etc).


First Track weekend: SCCA Track night in America/Nasa HPDE4

For my first track action, I wanted to run completely stock for several reasons. Although there is a ton of good knowledge on the forums regarding what tires, pads, etc to run; as well as what I’ve discovered from my own experience, I wanted to get a feel for the car so that I could better understand exactly how and to what extent each modification was changing the driving characteristics on track. So, against the better judgement of the forums at large, I ran my first two track days with stock tires, stock pads, a fresh oil change from BMW and ATF type 200 brake fluid (I’m not totally crazy, guys). Shoutout to TMS whose brake bleeder bottle made flushing fluid myself an absolute breeze.

I was fortunate enough to have TNIA and NASA fall on the same weekend, so I could get some good laps in before I had my check ride to advance to NASA TT. I started out running in the 2:15s, and finished the day with a 2:05.9 at our local track (where most of my track time will be spent). Checking local region TT4 times: the majority of competitors run 1:56-1:59. This is fantastic. What wasn’t so fantastic is the rear pads leaving some pretty significant deposits on the rear rotors…

We had been dodging forecasts for pretty poor weather, and I was hoping that it would continue to hold off so that I could keep building on my progress from TNIA. The weather did not cooperate, and my first session with NASA was on a soaking wet track. The tires were not happy with this at all, threatening to step out anywhere I tried to push. I resigned to trying to perfect the racing line at about 3/10-4/10, but unlike many competitors did not leave the track or complete partial sections going the wrong way.

My second session was my TT check ride - this is where the HPDE4 group leader (and in this case a TT competitor himself) rides along to make sure you’re competent to step up into a competition group. I’ve always been very comfortable in traffic, very conscious of the position of other cars on track, and (perhaps to a fault), very generous with point by’s to ensure I’m not ruining hot laps for much faster cars. I also had the opportunity to overtake a Dinan stage 1 M2 on PS4s…

The check ride went well, and with some guidance from the group leader (And an almost completely dry track) I was able to drop another second off my best time.

The next session was a bummer, as on the first hot lap another driver in a stellar E36 M3 put a wheel off, lost control, and went straight into a wall. We were black flagged for over half the session waiting for the track to clear. Once we got back out and warmed back up, I ran my best lap of the weekend - a 2:04.4 The next lap I was on a flyer, green in the first two sectors, when they threw the checker and ended the session - which meant straight into the pits. GRR! Overall though, it was a great track weekend, with the car exceeding my expectations in every way. It was absolutely sensational on track, and I can’t wait to get back out there.

Overall impressions: I found the limits of the PSS pretty quickly, even with optimal inflation. The stock brakes were VERY good, though I will note that our local track does not have any heavy braking zones, and I was also taking very good care of them. An important note (especially WRT lap times) is that I was lifting on the straight instead of shifting to 6th and staying in it, specifically to prevent cooking the brakes before T1. There’s a ton of time to be gained with a tire and brake upgrade only. I also noticed a ton of body roll - will have to figure out if it’s worth an upgrade there to tame it without compromising daily drivability.

First track action - paper tags and all:




Dyno Day



I got my BMC filter put in, filled up with a tank of 93 and headed to Modified by KC for a dyno day being put on by my old car club. Ended up be a muggy but mild day, around 82-84 degrees. Based on dyno’s I’ve seen on the forums and the one submitted for NASA classing, I was expecting 320-340 whp. My car made....not that.



January 2020 Update
First off - I did a "fail", as the kids say. I didn't do enough research on the BMC filter, which promptly, happily, and continuously threw CELs. No issues once I went back to the OEM filter.

October 2019 - NASA Central Regional Championship

Since I only got signed off for TT before the last event of the year, I wasn't eligible (And couldn't score enough points in one day anyway) to qualify for the regional championships, but there were still points and contingencies and hardware for the weekend to compete for.

On stock tires and very badly faded stock brakes, I improved my times quite a bit but still wasn't quite up with the pack. When I started to send it harder, either the tires or the brakes (and frequently both) let me know that they were past their limit. Still, I'm happy with the improvement (And any weekend where you bring the car home in one piece is chalked up as win in my book).
One thing I noticed besides the brakes and tires was that the gearbox started to get....slushy? The shifts weren't nearly as smooth once the transmission started to warm up. Not sure yet if that's a "me" problem or if there's something I can do to mitigate that.

I took home an unimpressive 3rd (out of 3 - we had 2 other guys in the class who didn't register a time in the sessions that counted) for the day - but I'll take the trophy and the Hawk Bucks!



It's already been a pretty long offseason, and I'll likely be waiting even longer (until May!) to get back in the saddle. My goal in 2020 is simple - to challenge for the Central Region TT4 championship. I'd also like to drive at least one "Bucket List" track this year - and that might go down at Global Time Attack Road Atlanta.

Incoming: Safety items, brakes, wheels (hi Apex!), tires. Also, hopefully some cooling upgrades, if the budget allows it.


February 2020 Update
After doing some more research and talking with a shop that loves to build M racecars, I decided to go ahead and upgrade to Swift springs, and postpone any coilover upgrade to when the car is not doing dual-duty. After driving around on the springs for a couple weeks, I think that's a great idea. They ride a lot firmer than stock - which I absolutely love - but it does get to be a bit much on the road, and I certainly wouldn't want any more aggressive suspension setup.

Love how it looks.



Rona Update

Well, this spring has sucked. Not going to dwell much on that. It looks like we're going to be able to have our May 30th NASA event, so I'll finally be getting the car out on the track with all the upgrades from over the winter.

Test fitting the TA5Rs wrapped with Toyo R888R:



I got some Lamin-X for the headlights and started getting the classing and contingency decals laid out:




Summer 2020 Update

Whew! Once track season started, the weeks just started FLYING By! This update is a download of the last several months, so it's going to be more of a ramble than usual.

I'll start with what I think is probably the coolest news. NASA Central Region has new regional directors this year, and we had a lot of staff turnover (as can be expected). Leadership put out a call for new instructors, and seeing as how teaching something forces you to expand your knowledge and understanding, I put my hand up, thinking it would be a great opportunity to both give back to the NASA family that has been so awesome to me, and also continue my personal growth as a driver of fast cars. Well, a few conversations and one busy track weekend later, I actually became the Time Trials Series Director for the Central Region. This is a position I'm very proud of and take very seriously.

As far as on track action - I have posted some nuggets in the thread so far, but right now I'm tied with another driver for the TT3 class lead.

What? TT3? But BBR, I thought you picked this car specifically for TT4?

Well, my classing for TT4 was REALLY close. It started with the HP being to high, and the car weighing just a little bit less than I expected. The only thing really keeping the car in TT4 was my love affair with tacos and cheezburgers, which needs to be resolved. Plus, going to TT3 gives me room to add aero (which we need here), modify the exhaust, and use a lot more tire. This of course means that the car is no longer a daily driver, mostly because it is now all stickered up and attracts a LOT of attention when I drive it on the street.

Anyway, back to the show. My main competition is ALSO driving a 2018 M2. He's got Dinan FBO including a big turbo, and a DCT. The first weekend, we were back and forth, each session besting each other's times, and by the end of the day both days (Sunday, luckily due to a DQ from him spinning off the track after setting the fastest time of the weekend for either of us) I had gone just fast enough to take first place. I was really frustrated though, because even with the new pads and grippier tires, I was still stuck in the 1:59's. The other M2 driver did a 1:56.9 on PS4s in his DQ'd session!!! And the competitive time for TT3 right now is closer to a 1:53. So even though I'm still techincally in TT4 trim, I have a LONG way to go.

The second weekend, I was hoping to bring some good upgrades, but alas...fortune did not favor me. As noted in my build, I have the Swift spec-R springs. I ordered some GC camber plates. Well...the GC plates apparently don't work to well (that is to say, at all) with these springs. As soon as spring tension is reduced (like when you jack the car up), the plates separate, which jacks up everything. However, that did free up some funds to try some other things. I got a new "muffler" (more on that later in the post) and after some agonizing research and an uninformed purchase, I decided to try MHD's OTS tune. I honestly could not be happier with the results. We dynoed at 374/405 - 374 is the EXACT number I needed to hit in order to make my classing work, and this means I can run Hoosier R7 tires once I get my alignment figured out! Rock on. Hashtag purple crack! The MHD tune also is almost identical to the Dinan flash where it matters - with peaks of almost 50whp in the powerband - but the Dinan only made 365 whp (and absolutely fell apart as the car got hotter) but more wtq.

So, feeling pretty confident, I headed out to the June event ready to lay down some 1:55s. I had another great battle with the other M2, and a blast running the group by myself for the first time. We had some members show up from different regions, we had a Corvette catch on fire and another one blow up on track, and everyone did exactly the right thing under those circumstances. I was super proud of my drivers, the corner workers, and the EMS crew. What I was not super proud of was my lap times: Despite all the upgrades, I was still stuck in the 1:59s. I ended up taking second on Saturday and spent all night reviewing video, looking at track maps, and looking at my data and video. Armed with a plan, I went out Sunday morning in the first dry session and did a 1:57.8! Eureka! It's not a great time yet, but man, I can't tell you how good it felt to break through that plateau. I ended up improving to a 1:57.6, but my competitior bested me again and took first place for the entire weekend.

My impressions of the car so far - it's an absolute animal. I can't really say enough good things about it. So nimble and predictable. The one thing I don't like is the R888R's - I got half of them for free and I still think I overpaid. They are however on the wear bars and will be replaced shortly, probably by Hoosier R7s.

That would have been the end of the update, however my buddy talked me into doing a track night in america event with him last week. Ambient temps were around 97* - almost 15* higher than they were for my best lap at the previous event. I flashed my car back to the stock tune to save some wear and tear on the motor, and proceeded to run...a 1:57.1 - go figure!! But I think with the driver mod I've done, finally getting my alignment dialed in, and going back to the MHD tune, I am fully expecting to break into the 1:55's at the next event.

Enough of the boring stuff - on to the pictures!!

My calipers finally turned green.




Bye, heavy muffler...




And hello, straight pipe!




The new Turner high kick spoiler, my new exhaust, and a dirty, dirty girl





Rocking the new Operation Motorsport windshield banner




Preseason 2021/ 2020 Retrospective

Well guys, first let me apologize for not updating more often. First, a quick summary of the second half of the 2020 season:

I spent a lot of cycles trying to get some suspension upgrades done. The Swift Spec R springs I have on the car are FANTASTIC, and I don't want to switch. Unfortunately, the springs are not compatible with aftermarket camber plates due to the springs not being level at the top, and the camber plates only having adapters for springs with "coilover" style ID. We spent almost 16 shop hours trying to get the GC plates to work, and endless calls/emails to Bimmerworld and GC to try to get the issue resolved. Without being able to adjust camber, I can't run more aggressive tires (hoohoos or slicks) - I mean, I could, but it would be a waste of money as I wouldn't be able to maximize the grip and tire life.

On the track, without being able to make any alignment adjustments, I went full YOLO with my tires ; 265/35/18 and 295/35/18 Yoko A052s on my 18x9 and 18x10 TA5R's. The fitment on the rears is SUPER sketchy, but it works and doesn't appear to rub. These tires have ALL OF THE GRIP, and I didn't lose a single TT event after switching to these tires.

From a power perspective, I also had a lot of issues. I first tried the new Dinan tune. It caused the car to pull power just during the dyno runs! And didn't make the power I expected. After talking to a bunch of experts and tuners (including some members here, I REALLY appreciate you all's time, advice and expertise), I went with the MHD flasher and OTS tune. On the 93 map, I ended up making 374 WHP and 405 WTQ and didn't have any heat issues either on the dyno runs or on track. I've been really happy with it and have no need or interest in making any more changes in that department.

We went into the regional championships tied in the points and tied for every single tiebreaker NASA Allows for. They ended up setting up the final event, which is one day with two separate points paying "events", where the first "event" would be single points and the second "Event" would be double points. It ended up not mattering. I was over a second clear of the competition and wrapped up the 2020 season with a regional championship and a new track record.



Up next: New livery for 2021, planned upgrades and plenty of track action

Mid-2021 Update

When we last caught up, I was heading bright-eyed and bushy tailed into the 2021 NASA season. The first event was at National Corvette Museum, and though I wasn't planning on going, I had a friend generously offer to split a trailer with me, so the car was delivered at the track at very minimal expense. What a way to live!!

I got a demo lap of the track on Friday, and man, is that a cool course. Definitely the most elevation change I've experienced, high speed corners, off camber corners and wacky braking zones - this track had it all! I was hoping that, after our intense 2020 battle, that 2021 would have more of the same. However, after the first day was in the books, I was a full 6.1 seconds clear of the competition. In fact, I would have finished 3rd in the next class up! Sunday was more of the same, even with a myriad of other cars going off track, and sessions being shortened by red flags, and not improving my time at all, I still posted a time good enough to be 7.7 seconds clear of my competition, and a time good enough for SECOND place in the next class up! Also, alas, while giving it a real go, I managed to cord my front tires. That means my Yoko A05s lasted only FIVE TT days. That's rough for a 200UTG tire.

I also debuted a sick new livery:



However, as the spring wore on, it would prove to be the beginning of the end of my time in TT3, with NASA Central, and the M2 itself.

The car slots very well into the TT3 class - however, unfortunately, the class itself is completely dead at a national level. At the time of writing, there are only four drivers signed up for the NASA national championships in TT3 - that's not even enough for a tire contingency! I briefly looked at moving either up to TT2 or down to TT4, but to be competitive in either class I would need to shed another 300lbs of weight - and I never wanted to completely gut this car.

After a couple more events, one where I was less than a second off of a class win with my ice & snow rated tires and full interior, and another at Kansas Speedway where I was yet again untouchable running under power, over weight, and with 5-year-old Pilot Super Sports; it was time. The car is as close to stock as I can get it, with only the BMW M2 CS Racing wing and custom muffler delete betraying its heritage as a lap-record-setting, feelings destroying, championship-winning Time Attack machine.

2021 Track Trim:
Auto Solutions Shifter
AFe Pro Dry Filter
515 Motorsports Custom muffler delete
MHD Stage II Tune
TMS Stud Conversion
Swift Spec R Springs
Bimmerworld TA5R 18x9 +31 | 18x10 + 33
Yokohoma A052 265/35R18 & 295/35R18
PFC 11 Brake Pads
GTS EPS coding
GTS MDM coding
GTS Differential coding
AIM Solo 2 DL
(pending) RKP Motorsport Front lip

Fun fact: The Beastie Bomb is a drink named by an old friend, which is a Jager bomb but using Monster (beast, get it?) instead of Red Bull.

Last edited by 243Racing; 07-30-2021 at 02:46 PM..
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