[bkd705]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Hey! I’ve spent a lot of time lurking on the forums here, watching other build threads and trying to get inspiration for my own car. Now that I’m finally getting to build my car the way I want based on watching everyone else’s build, I’m excited to be able to share it and hope to pay it forward in a way as well.

A bit of Background

A bit of background on the car to start. Originally I had bought an OG M2, it had been a dream of mine since it was launched when I was in highschool, and I was lucky enough to buy one at the beginning of COVID. It was an LCI slick top in LBB with DCT. Shortly after I joined a local group and made a bunch of friends, one of them taught me manual, and the following spring I bought the M2 Comp I have now, in manual. Unfortunately it has a sunroof, but life goes on and the BSM paint makes up for it.

We’ll start at last summer, as it was my first summer with the Comp. I kept things pretty conservative and just did suspension, wheels and tires. I had some issues sourcing suspension, I had originally bought a used Ohlins kit and had to replace the front struts, and waited 3 months to get the struts from Ohlins. So in the meantime I had grabbed a BC Racing kit and rode on that for the season. For wheels and tires I had grabbed Superspeed RF05RR and 255/275 RE71Rs.

Due to the suspension issues I didn’t get too much track time, and only spent 3 or 4 days at TMP and one day at DDT (Canadian Tire Motorsports Park), I didn’t get a time at DDT, but at TMP I had set a goal for myself to hit 1:19 since the previous year in the OG I was running around 1:21-1:23 on street tires. On one of my timed laps I hit 1:19.4, and the Aim Solo on the next lap was showing I was up about 5 tenths, but unfortunately I binned a corner because I got a bit too excited seeing the green LEDs. Ultimately still hit my goal, but a long way to go to catch up to other M2s running 18s, 17s and 16s.



The Build

The theme behind the car as a whole is to build a daily-able track car. I have put 30,000kms on the car in my year owning it, and try to track every week or two. Luckily I'm young and can put up with a more track oriented car to drive around every day.

Starting in January I started ordering parts. In the Toronto area we have a lot of M2 owners who track their cars, so lots of people to learn from and take inspiration from which is amazing. I’ll drop the list of parts on order here, and then as I receive / install them I’ll follow up with replies to the thread, with photos, thoughts on why I ordered / picked that specifically, and then my thoughts on how they change the car.

Parts List
Parts are linked to their post once installed.

Wheels/Tires/Brakes
4x Apex EC7 18x9.5 ET35
4x Hankook RS4 275/35r18
AP Racing Front Kit
Endless MS35 Pads
Apex Stud Kit

Suspension
MCS 2WNR Coilovers
SPL Rear Toe Arms
SPL Endlinks
Millway Monoball Bushings
Track Tec Camber Shims

Exterior
BMW M235ir Wing
RKP Front Lip

Interior
2x Sparco QRT-R
2x BK Seat Mount

Goals

TMP - 1:18.x
Place Top 3 at OTA (Time Attack) in my class

If you want to follow along more, shoot me a follow on Instagram @bkd705

[bkd705]

RKP Front Lip

So the RKP lip wasn’t really planned. I knew I wanted to do a lip with the wing, partially to balance aero, but also just to help with the looks. I don’t think the RKP lip is really going to add any crazy aero benefit, but it does support an adjustable lower piece I can add later on if I’m suffering from a lot of push due to the wing. One popped up for sale at a good price so last minute decided to grab it, and installed the same day because I have no patience.

The RKP Carbon lip is honestly awesome. The quality is great, the fitment is perfect. I’ve heard so many horror stories of carbon parts and fitment issues. The RKP lip bolted into all the OEM holes no issue, lines up with the body perfectly and you only have to drill two small holes under the bumper to fit the additional backing support plate provided.





M235ir Wing

The wing I was also super undecided on. I always loved the look of them, and jumped between Schirmer, M235ir and M2 CS Racing wings. But I also wasn’t sure of the benefit or if I would just be adding this for looks. After reading a few threads here (OG Shark’s thread, a few other threads on the wing/M2 CSR wing) I decided a wing was going to be part of the build. A friend of mine was getting rid of his OEM M235ir wing, so I scooped it.

Looking at the wing from a "performance" perspective. As I mentioned I really wasn't sure. Looking at the M235ir and the M2 CSR they both don't have a substantial front lip for aero benefit, now either they want to introduce push since they are customer cars, or the wings are more about smoothing airflow and less downforce so they don't need a lot of front to balance. Regardless based on that I felt comfortable adding the wing without significant front aero. Looking at some of the other threads here, as well as feedback from local owners who ran the wing, it seems it does have a measurable difference, but I'm comfortable saying this is more for looks than performance, as the tracks we have here tend to be more slow and technical, not high speed cornering where the wing would add a large benefit.

I decided to paint match the endplates as they were LBB before, after that I let a local shop do the install. Honestly too scared to drill my trunk myself and they’ve done a few of these wings so I felt it was for the best. I have only driven on the street with it so far so no real thoughts on the performance, but man am I in love with the way it looks. I’m still on winter wheels but so far lots of compliments and I personally can’t stop looking at it and taking photos.

[MooMooM2]

Looks great, the lip goes well with the wing. BSM is the best color (I am definitely biased)

[bkd705]

Apex EC-7 / Hankook RS4

Wheels have arrived! These aren't ready to go on yet with the AP kit still in shipping and 18" don't clear the front brakes on the Comp. But just wanted to share a couple photos and the spec.

I went with the Hankook RS4 mainly so I can daily the wheels and because they'll give more seat time on track than something like an RE71R, RT660, etc. Originally I really wanted RE71R because I loved them last year, and there was 1 set left in Canada in 275 square, but my friend talked me into the RS4 on the basis of more seat time means I'll get faster anyways, then can grab a cheater tire later on to push a PB.

The wheel spec I ordered was 18x9.5 et35. Looking back on this I kind of regret it, I should've ordered either 9.5 in their more aggressive et2x fitment, or I really should've gotten 18x10 et25. The reason I didn't originally was that I wanted to keep this as a daily spec so didn't want to go crazy camber and risk fender rolling in the rear, but now this car is 80% track build, so I'll be running likely -3.5 front -2.5 or -2.8 rear anyways.




Here is a photo of the test fit in the rear. These are all with a 12mm spacer. It sits about flush with the fender now, like directly inline. I think once the car drops about .5-.75" and gets about -0.5 more camber then it'll fit nicely with the spacer and tuck under compression.

[bkd705]

Small Photo Dump

Been a minute since the last update so this one might be a bit bulky. First off just wanted to share a couple of photos from the last month or so. One is with a good friend's E36 which is also a track (somewhat daily-able) build, and another of just mine in front of a cool building here in Toronto when I had my winters on still.

As I post this I am writing up the MCS and Sparco QRT-R update!

[bkd705]

MCS 2WR

I finally got everything in and got to install my MCS suspension. These have a bit of a story behind them, but long story short I originally ordered MCS 2WNR with Vorshlag plates, but due to some mixups and long waits I now have MCS 2WR and Ground Control plates.

The specs on the suspension are MCS 2WR dampers, 800lb/700lb spring rates, true coilover rear with Ground Control camber plates.

Installation

Installing these were honestly pretty straight forward, the rear cannister routed into the trunk easily and the fronts have the quick disconnect so it was super straightforward, just a bit time consuming. During the install we ran into two issues:

1. Finding a spot for the cannister under the hood
2. Bimmerworld endlink had a broken end with play in the bearing

For the cannister, we had to ziptie them onto the carbon brace, this isn't pretty but it leaves access to them open so I can do adjustments. Long term I'd like to replace the hood (stock hood reinforcement gets in the way) and mount them to the metal strut brace towards the windshield, that way they'll be more accessible and further from the engine heat.

For the endlink, I ended up just ordering SPL endlinks while waiting for BW to send the replacement ends. Car feels more fancy now having SPL parts on it, somehow that feels more racecar than the remote reservoir MCS...

Quick Review

These honestly feel amazing, I went with BW's track setting of FR:10 FC:9, RR:9 RC:7, and for the street I left rebound and adjust compression to FC:2, RC:1.

Day to day driving around town they're pretty comfortable, definitely more firm than stock but not uncomfortable, and way more planted. I was on BC coilovers before and its a world different.

I haven't tested on track yet, but on backroads + some on/off ramps these things feel insane. Nothing unsettles the rear anymore you can keep power on through some incredibly bumpy backroads, it feels like a bullet around corners. The biggest surprise for me was accelleration and braking feel more intense now, likely because there is less dive in the car so your body wants to move more. Definitely worth the money so far, and am excited to get on track and smash some curbs.





Sparco QRT-R

Bucket seats came in this week, right now I only have one installed because my friend sold me his mount, and still waiting on the other mount to arrive.

The rundown of the bucket seats are that they are Sparco QRT-Rs and I'm using the Brey-Krause mounts that mount to the OEM rails and can maintain electric slide.

The Sparco QRT-Rs are super comfy overall honestly. However, there is much more road feel which at first seems great but feeling every crack in the road in my butt cheeks kinda sucks, also reaching out the window to grab my McDonalds order at the drive thru is tougher now too. But, all that doesn't matter the second you start cornering and realize that you are stuck in a comfortable position and I don't need to brace with my legs against the door/center console anymore. Again, super excited to try these on track.

The one downside to these that actually is sort of bad, is that the right shoulder padding thing gets in the way of any shift into an even gear and digs into my arm. Going to try adjusting the seat position a bit to see if I can fix that.

[hlm2c]

Cool build so far! Love all the details and feedback you provide on your mods as well. Great job!

[to_riffic]

Nice build!

[Peterometer]

Agreed with above — nice build!

[bkd705]

AP Racing / Endless MS35 / Motul RF600

Brakes finally arrived and are on the car. Was a long wait for these and a lot of unknowns due to shipping etc. But the brakes arrived last week and went on the car Friday, just in time for a track day on Saturday.

These make a huge difference on the car. First the obvious point being I can run 18" wheels, but also the braking is nuts, I'll touch on this more on the follow up track day post. Looks wise these are incredible, they get a lot of attention and make the car look and feel like a real "race" car now. The weight difference is substantial, I had to move the OEM rotors out of my trunk and the box they were in fell apart and I almost dropped them, they are HEAVY.

From just a driving around town perspective, the pedal is a bit meh, the pads need a bit of warm up to have the bite they provide, but honestly even cold these stop a lot harder than OEM. No noise surprisingly, but lots of dust..

Writing a follow up track day post, will talk about the brake performance there a bit more. But first impressions are that these are great, definitely track oriented and the car, for sure, belongs on the track now.

For now, here are some photos.

[bkd705]

CTMP DDT Track Day #1

Want to plug my instagram real quick, more photos and videos there too, @bkd705

First track day of the year with the new setup, woo!

This is my first time really experiencing the car in the full setup, so up until now I've only had brief backroad experience with the seat, suspension, brakes, wheels/tires, etc.

A quick update on how the car is set at the moment
Camber -3.3F -2.2R
MCS 2WR (800lb F, 700lb R)
AP 9660 w/ Endless MS35 & Motul RF600
18x9.5 Apex EC7 w/ Hankook RS4 275 Square
Sparco QRT-R
M235ir Wing
Assorted supporting / aesthetic mods (SPL endlinks, RKP lip, etc)

Was a blast, this is only my second time at this track and my first was cut short, so I went into it starting real slow. For reference, a fast time for a track setup M2 Comp on 200tw tires (or cheater tires) at this track is roughly in the 1:35 area.

I started the day off running 1:40-1:42 area, really just relearning the lines and the car. The car is completely different from the last time I was here. The suspension, brakes, etc make the car a completely different thing to drive, I had to learn different lines (could be more aggressive with curbs), different braking points, how to modulate the pedal, how far I could brake before hitting ABS, etc etc etc. After the third or fourth session (20 mins each) I was getting comfortable pushing the car more and more and was able to shave off half a second or a second each lap until I finally got down to running 1:37s consistently. Ended the day with a personal best of 1:37.5. I'd like to target a 1:36 but on RS4s and only my second time here, as well as not doing any suspension setup past a baseline track setting, I'm happy. I definitely know where to improve (mainly carrying more entry speed, using slip and better brake modulation), and am excited for the next time back.

I'll give some individual feedback on specific mods below in case anyone is interested.

Sparco QRT-R
The seat makes a huge difference on the track. Taking passengers out and seeing them flail around in the OEM seat vs me being stuck is painfully obvious (literally, it looked painful). This is a huge confidence booster on track and allows you to focus a lot more on the driving. This would be a top 3 mod for me if I was rebuilding the car. As for the Sparco specifically, it was comfortable all day, however it is a bit wide for me and gave me some room to slide around, and led to my thighs being a bit iffy by the end of the day.

MCS 2WR
These feel amazing on track, they keep the car so flat in the corners, so composed over bumps and I left it in the baseline track setting all day with no adjustments. I think there is a few areas I can improve the setup, my friend noted the car felt a bit floaty, the bigger curbs did upset the car a bit (see video below) where my friend's on dialed Nitrons/Ohlins/etc were able to run over them. But overall these felt amazing, and knowing I can adjust and tweak to really fix the issues gives me a lot of confidence that these were the right choice to run. I am going to try to contact MCS/Bimmerworld directly to ask for some assistance on the adjustments and will report back!

AP Brakes / Endless MS35
These were the biggest difference in my opinion. It takes around a lap for the brakes to warm up, but once they do the bite is incredibly hard, right at the top of the pedal. This gives confidence braking late, but the modulation is tough since you have so little pedal movement, they feel very off and on. This was the hardest part to learn as from OEM habits I kept hitting ABS which put me into corners late. Once I learned how to do this properly though, the car felt insane. For the entire day running around 6 20 minute sessions, the brake feel never changed once. Lap after lap after lap of pushing hot laps for 20 minutes and I never experience a difference in feel. It would bite at the same spot, brake just as hard and consistent. I am only running the MS35s in the front, with OEM rears due to stock issues. This shifts the brake balance forward heavily which did hurt the braking performance a bit, but was relatively easy to drive around, looking forward to when I have balanced braking and get to go again. With all that said, 100% worth the upgrade if you track often.

Hankook RS4 275 Square
These tires honestly felt great on track. I know they're not the fastest but from some feedback from friends and my own experience, I think they're a really great tire the learn on. The slip came progressively, they're predictable, and just like the brakes they lasted hot lap after hot lap for 20 minute sessions without changing the feel or grip. I'm super excited to run these more and to see how long they last.

Photo Time!!








Here is a short clip of me bombing over a curb. Maybe should take this one less aggressive but was fun to try out different lines and see how the car handled.

[warrenw]

Loving the progress! Are you only running the AP fronts? I really want the kit but don't want to run all the way around haha

[bkd705]

Originally Posted by warrenw

Loving the progress! Are you only running the AP fronts? I really want the kit but don't want to run all the way around haha

Yep, only running the fronts. Brake balance rn is a bit messed up due to track pads in front and OEM in rear, but its pretty common for people to only run fronts and a few successful time attack guys here running that setup.

[Zyzzthetic]

Night build, love BSM!

What yellow film did you use for the front lights?

[hlm2c]

Perhaps this could be worth your while to help sort out your brakes a bit.

https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1885341

[bkd705]

Originally Posted by Zyzzthetic

Night build, love BSM!

What yellow film did you use for the front lights?

When I had the yellow it was Stek film, not sure the exact model but I'm sure they only have one or two yellow films aha. It was really nice, lasted all summer last year and wasn't too yellow where I looked like the hotboy takeover crowd.

Originally Posted by hlm2c

Perhaps this could be worth your while to help sort out your brakes a bit.

https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1885341

Definitely want to look into this. I have to get some coding done for the buckets so will likely do this at the same time. Thanks for reminding me of the thread!!

[M3ANSPEC]

Wow, very nice build!

[HP Autosport]

Nice build!

Make sure your lap belt receptacle is routed though the opening and not on the outside of the seat. You want the lap part of the belt to be low on your waist area. By routing over the seat it will be ineffective.

[JCaliX6]

Originally Posted by bkd705

[SIZE="4"]CTMP DDT Track Day #1[/SIZE]

Want to plug my instagram real quick, more photos and videos there too, @bkd705

First track day of the year with the new setup, woo!

This is my first time really experiencing the car in the full setup, so up until now I've only had brief backroad experience with the seat, suspension, brakes, wheels/tires, etc.

A quick update on how the car is set at the moment
Camber -3.3F -2.2R
MCS 2WR (800lb F, 700lb R)
AP 9660 w/ Endless MS35 & Motul RF600
18x9.5 Apex EC7 w/ Hankook RS4 275 Square
Sparco QRT-R
M235ir Wing
Assorted supporting / aesthetic mods (SPL endlinks, RKP lip, etc)

Was a blast, this is only my second time at this track and my first was cut short, so I went into it starting real slow. For reference, a fast time for a track setup M2 Comp on 200tw tires (or cheater tires) at this track is roughly in the 1:35 area.

I started the day off running 1:40-1:42 area, really just relearning the lines and the car. The car is completely different from the last time I was here. The suspension, brakes, etc make the car a completely different thing to drive, I had to learn different lines (could be more aggressive with curbs), different braking points, how to modulate the pedal, how far I could brake before hitting ABS, etc etc etc. After the third or fourth session (20 mins each) I was getting comfortable pushing the car more and more and was able to shave off half a second or a second each lap until I finally got down to running 1:37s consistently. Ended the day with a personal best of 1:37.5. I'd like to target a 1:36 but on RS4s and only my second time here, as well as not doing any suspension setup past a baseline track setting, I'm happy. I definitely know where to improve (mainly carrying more entry speed, using slip and better brake modulation), and am excited for the next time back.

I'll give some individual feedback on specific mods below in case anyone is interested.

Sparco QRT-R
The seat makes a huge difference on the track. Taking passengers out and seeing them flail around in the OEM seat vs me being stuck is painfully obvious (literally, it looked painful). This is a huge confidence booster on track and allows you to focus a lot more on the driving. This would be a top 3 mod for me if I was rebuilding the car. As for the Sparco specifically, it was comfortable all day, however it is a bit wide for me and gave me some room to slide around, and led to my thighs being a bit iffy by the end of the day.

MCS 2WR
These feel amazing on track, they keep the car so flat in the corners, so composed over bumps and I left it in the baseline track setting all day with no adjustments. I think there is a few areas I can improve the setup, my friend noted the car felt a bit floaty, the bigger curbs did upset the car a bit (see video below) where my friend's on dialed Nitrons/Ohlins/etc were able to run over them. But overall these felt amazing, and knowing I can adjust and tweak to really fix the issues gives me a lot of confidence that these were the right choice to run. I am going to try to contact MCS/Bimmerworld directly to ask for some assistance on the adjustments and will report back!

AP Brakes / Endless MS35
These were the biggest difference in my opinion. It takes around a lap for the brakes to warm up, but once they do the bite is incredibly hard, right at the top of the pedal. This gives confidence braking late, but the modulation is tough since you have so little pedal movement, they feel very off and on. This was the hardest part to learn as from OEM habits I kept hitting ABS which put me into corners late. Once I learned how to do this properly though, the car felt insane. For the entire day running around 6 20 minute sessions, the brake feel never changed once. Lap after lap after lap of pushing hot laps for 20 minutes and I never experience a difference in feel. It would bite at the same spot, brake just as hard and consistent. I am only running the MS35s in the front, with OEM rears due to stock issues. This shifts the brake balance forward heavily which did hurt the braking performance a bit, but was relatively easy to drive around, looking forward to when I have balanced braking and get to go again. With all that said, 100% worth the upgrade if you track often.

Hankook RS4 275 Square
These tires honestly felt great on track. I know they're not the fastest but from some feedback from friends and my own experience, I think they're a really great tire the learn on. The slip came progressively, they're predictable, and just like the brakes they lasted hot lap after hot lap for 20 minute sessions without changing the feel or grip. I'm super excited to run these more and to see how long they last.

Photo Time!!

Attachment 2904376

Attachment 2904377




Here is a short clip of me bombing over a curb. Maybe should take this one less aggressive but was fun to try out different lines and see how the car handled.

Everything looks old except the rice rocket wing!

[HotRodM4]

It's the lip and big wing for me 🔥

[warrenw]

Originally Posted by JCaliX6

Everything looks old except the rice rocket wing!

It's literally a M235iR Evo wing, not sure how it's rice rocket...

[warrenw]

Congrats on getting featured!!