[warrenw]

I got my oil changed in my wife's car at my friend's shop yesterday and I fully explained how I was feeling about my current setup and what my future plans were. I came to the realization after looking at my tracking spreadsheet that my Ohlins have over 50k km's on them and are starting to show their age. We explored several options, and have come to the conclusion that Ohlins is really a great platform to work off of, and I can still make an effort to make it a good track setup. So, instead of getting another coilover I will be sending my Ohlins in for a full rebuild AND revalving to accommodate a different spring setup. I am currently 9k/12k f/r, I will be switching to 12k/16k f/r and utilizing H&R race springs. Here's a similar setup that they have done:






So in two weeks I'll get all that done, plus KW rear toe links, camber shims, engine oil, transmission fluid, diff fluid, the new wheels + Nexen SUR4G tires, I think that's it. Haha.

[MooMooM2]

I feel your pain with the paint chips, I wish the previous owner had PPFed but he/she didn't and when I got the car already had enough chips that PPF woulda looked like crap so I am going to just enjoy the car for a while and eventually do the same thing, get the front bumper painted (and will get the license plate holes filled up) and by then the hood might need to get painted too but maybe find a CS rep carbon hood as well.

Car looks great, love all the upgrades and that you track it so much, thats whats up. I am taking mine to the track tomorrow, very pumped.

[///393]

Originally Posted by warrenw

So in two weeks I'll get all that done, plus KW rear toe links, camber shims, engine oil, transmission fluid, diff fluid, the new wheels + Nexen SUR4G tires, I think that's it. Haha.

What’s the goal with the KW rear toe links? Minimize deflection under load?

[warrenw]

Originally Posted by wilson kop

What’s the goal with the KW rear toe links? Minimize deflection under load?

I'm naming the wrong part... They tie into the suspension and those plus camber shims help add more camber. Rear adjustable toe arms.

[warrenw]

Teaser pic - I'll do a full update on Monday after my track day.

[///393]

Likely adding SPL end links myself now that I’m lowered. Need to learn more about the camber shims you mentioned for the rear.

[warrenw]

Originally Posted by wilson kop

Likely adding SPL end links myself now that I’m lowered. Need to learn more about the camber shims you mentioned for the rear.

I ended up not getting the shims, basically what they do is they "lock" your camber in place. But if you're checking your camber somewhat regularly you don't really need them. They won't give you any extra camber is what I'm trying to say.

[warrenw]

Suspension Upgrades + Square Setup

Okay so here we go. Lots to unpack haha

I sent my suspension in to Ohlins Korea to get it rebuilt with custom shim stacks to accommodate a higher spring rate. I am running H&R race springs with helpers. I also added adjustable toe arms in the rear and went 18x10+25 square plus 10mm spacer in the front, switched to a stickier tire than what I was running before (now on Nexen SUR4G), and increased camber. Everything together has made for a very nice track experience (but not the best on the pothole ridden roads here lol).

I dropped my car off at the shop, they removed the Ohlins pretty quick and boxed them up and off to the courier.

Once they arrived at Ohlins he started right away.

















And of course they got dyno tested after they were done.





All shiny.



Now time to get it on the car!

I also took the time to change the oil, I've been running 300v for the duration of the car's life and love it. But this last time I went a bit too long in between changes. I last changed the oil in February and did 3 track weekends (7 days) / 2500 miles and I guess I should shorten the interval a bit... Lesson learned.







I went with Fall Line for the adjustable toe arms. Happy so far, they aren't noisy or anything and they provide plenty of adjustment.



Went with SCC for the spacers.



All the goodies laid out



And installed.





Initial camber setting - I have camber plates so you mess with it before you put it on the rack.



versus dialed in a bit more. My friend sent me pictures as they were dialing it in so I could provide a little bit of input, but in reality they know what's best better than I do, so I just agreed to it all knowing that what they suggested was best LOL.











I ended up with -3.7 degrees in the front and -2.8 degrees in the rear, which is -1 degree more both F and R than I was running before. The difference when driving is huge - on one hand you grab grooves in the road a lot more, but turn in is INSANE. I love it.

Oh here's a random lunch pic.



Previous tires lol

















And, the "money shot" -



So... after switching to 18" square, I really don't understand why BMW didn't option the car like this from the factory. 19" wheels are really too big, and the performance aspect is significantly different which I'll get into in my next post. I'd also like to add that I'm in love with the suspension change (although it's definitely more stiff) and I'll go into more detail in my next post about how it is on the track, but it just feels so much more settled, stable, and "neutral." I will say there's not a lot of NVH driving on the street, but there are some noises you get at slow speeds especially while parking. I have a pretty loud "PING" creak like noise when going 2/3rd turn while parking, this is just due to how it's setup. Next steps to make this more "Streetable" is to add a bearing at the bottom of the damper and a bearing at the camber plate which reduces it a lot, and also I've heard you can do friction rings but not sure if I necessarily need that or not.

I swapped back to my 1.11 brake pads and since I didn't have the 1.11 transfer layer anymore it was LOUD. Like ear piercing loud. Lol. I'm going to have to borrow my wife's car for the next two weeks in between track days otherwise I'll go deaf.

Other than those two minor noises, I absolutely love this setup.

Finally, I'm incredibly happy with everything overall. I dropped my car off with my friends for about a week to get the dampers rebuilt and then reinstalled, and I really didn't tell them what settings I wanted or how I wanted it setup. Instead I just let them do what they thought was best, and I was rewarded with a truly great setup. Their shop car used to run the exact same damper + spring setup and wheel size/offset, so they're very familiar with the options available and really hit it out of the park with this one. So, so happy.


And here are the pains of living in an apartment complex...



Then I did a quick wash in time for a track day.

[///393]

Originally Posted by warrenw

I have a pretty loud "PING" creak like noise when going 2/3rd turn while parking, this is just due to how it's setup. Next steps to make this more "Streetable" is to add a bearing at the bottom of the damper and a bearing at the camber plate which reduces it a lot, and also I've heard you can do friction rings but not sure if I necessarily need that or not.

Just installed a TC Kline Racing setup and have a similar binding issue at low speeds. I can feel it in the steering wheel.

Are you doing swaybar endlinks?

[warrenw]

Originally Posted by wilson kop

Just installed a TC Kline Racing setup and have a similar binding issue at low speeds. I can feel it in the steering wheel.

Are you doing swaybar endlinks?

Maybe in the fall for the winter track season. I have a track weekend towards the end of the month, then no track time until November-ish.

Also I can't feel it in the steering wheel, but I do DEFINITELY hear it haha

[warrenw]

I joined a track day at a private course yesterday for the first time. Stark difference compared to what I'm used to, thats for sure!

A friend invited me who has an annual membership, so we met up then headed for the entrance.



The first big surprise was just in arriving at the track. Once you get there, you get out of your car, leave the keys, and head for the lounge! A track attendant will valet your car to the pit lane area after they adjust your tire pressures to whatever you want it to be. Then you wait in the drivers area for your time to go out on track. I'm used to having to do everything myself so... Definitely different.

The drivers lounge has all sorts of drinks and coffee for you to have free use of, and they also provide free lunch as well which I'll get to later.



They also have a quieter lounge in the event a spouse or girlfriend comes along and doesn't want to be "so close" to everything and doesn't want to ride with you.





Being up on the 2nd floor gave a pretty good vantage of the track -



And of the pit lane.






















Then lunchtime.



So second stark contrast with this track vs the F1 circuit I go to down south is at the F1 circuit it's 4 sessions per day (20 min each), while this one is 10 sessions 25 minutes each with a 15 minute cool down. I didn't realize it until yesterday but that is... a LOT of driving. By the end my brain was fried.

For the changes made to the car, I feel a huge difference. First, the suspension is sublime. Really, really well dialed in, I'm enjoying the stiffer yet compliant response, and the rebuild in general is a night and day difference in and of itself. The added camber has made turn in incredibly precise, and the square setup, at least in my one day on it, makes the car feel more balanced. I don't think I was pushing hard enough to get the oversteer characteristics of a square setup to come out, but compared to what it was before, complete night and day difference. The best part is even with how aggressive the setup is, no rubbing at the track.

I had another issue come out which really frightened me but lent itself to a good learning experience. Since this was my first time at the track and I'm still learning the braking zones, etc., I..well, braked too much. This track also has significant elevation changes as there's a run down a hill into a braking zone, corkscrew upwards, then corkscrew down and then up again to cross a bridge that goes over the track. WOW it's tough on brakes - to the point where I felt something "give" and all of a sudden, pedal goes to the floor when I try to press the brakes. Pumping the brakes brought it back again, only for it to be to the floor again next corner. I immediately slowed down and "limped" into the pits, only to have the pedal 60% back to normal in the next 15 minutes or so. I had never had that happen before.

So I went out again after my friend who owns the shop I go to checked it over and said the brakes were working again, and he said to try to replicate the issue. Maybe 3/4ths of the way through the session it happened again, so I pitted and we limped the car to the shop about 1.5kms away from the track entrance. Put the car up on the lift and bled all 4 corners and there was a good amount of air in both front lines, no air in the rear though.

So went out a third time with MUCH improved brake response, only to have sponginess (but not nearly to the same degree) happen on my cool down lap!

We had a debrief and named the culprit on brake fluid overheating. Another M2 had a similar issue that day as well. I didn't feel it was that hot, but with the elevation changes, overuse of the brakes, and not enough cooldown was deemed to be the culprit.

I will replace the fluid before my next track weekend at the end of the month. I will say that I went out with an instructor for my last two sessions, who helped me learn the line and braking zones, and not only did we have consistent pedal feel the entire rest of the event but we added in a mid session cool down lap and I didn't have any more issues, plus he said from when I first got in to when we finished the day I was braking a lot less - so culprit found. I'm glad it's not a hardware issue but now my "weak link" isn't pads or tires anymore, it's the fluid!

Final thought on the brakes, it's a mega confidence killer out on the track after your pedal has gone limp. I've learned that especially as you get out of the winter season you have to be mindful of temperatures and the effect they have on the car.

Apart from the brakes (lol) I couldn't have asked for a more fun track event with some good friends.







And by the way, when it's time to leave they give your car a once over and adjust pressures, etc. I don't think I'll ever get used to that!

[adc]

I suggest you get invited more often .

Fun report. I run Castrol SRF and although it is $100/bottle, it works really well.

[happyjack]

Originally Posted by warrenw

I joined a track day at a private course yesterday for the first time. Stark difference compared to what I'm used to, thats for sure!

...

And by the way, when it's time to leave they give your car a once over and adjust pressures, etc. I don't think I'll ever get used to that!

epic post!!! that's like the day of a lifetime for most.

[warrenw]

Originally Posted by adc

I suggest you get invited more often .

Fun report. I run Castrol SRF and although it is $100/bottle, it works really well.

Awesome I'll add it to the list of potentials! I'm currently looking at flushing and switching to Ferodo.

Originally Posted by happyjack

epic post!!! that's like the day of a lifetime for most.

Thanks! Tons of fun! We're talking to a group of folks to rent the track for the day, I'll just have to see how much it costs LOL.

[adc]

Originally Posted by warrenw

Awesome I'll add it to the list of potentials! I'm currently looking at flushing and switching to Ferodo.

Have you considered PFC 08? Much quieter, long lasting, easy on the rotors, and not fussy about bedding in. When I had the stock brakes, that was the golden setup, with tires ranging from NT01 to Hoosier R7.

PFC08’s would stay on the car from April to November.

[warrenw]

Originally Posted by adc

Have you considered PFC 08? Much quieter, long lasting, easy on the rotors, and not fussy about bedding in. When I had the stock brakes, that was the golden setup, with tires ranging from NT01 to Hoosier R7.

PFC08’s would stay on the car from April to November.

I'm currently running 1.11's - super loud haha - but am running these due to availability and I've been swapping between these and DS2500 (which, are fantastic IMO) as a daily set. I haven't had to re-bed between the two which is great. When I said Ferodo I meant the fluid, again because of availability. I'll look into PFC!!

[///393]

My PFC 08s are loud as F and they squeal like a stuck pig on my buddies E92 M3 as well.

They have great bite for two laps and then drop down to a plateau of bite that holds up all 30mins. It’s an endurance compound, which lines up. I’m moving off PFC 08 to DS3.12. The PFC 08 last forever, so there is that.

If anyone wants these PFC 08s I’ll make you a stupid good deal.

[SteveD2]

WOW what a cool track day experience! Thanks for keeping the report updated. I've loved following along

[VonB]

Sick ride Bro

[AnthraciteOG]

Originally Posted by warrenw

Suspension Upgrades + Square Setup

Okay so here we go. Lots to unpack haha

I sent my suspension in to Ohlins Korea to get it rebuilt with custom shim stacks to accommodate a higher spring rate. I am running H&R race springs with helpers. I also added adjustable toe arms in the rear and went 18x10+25 square plus 10mm spacer in the front, switched to a stickier tire than what I was running before (now on Nexen SUR4G), and increased camber. Everything together has made for a very nice track experience (but not the best on the pothole ridden roads here lol).

I dropped my car off at the shop, they removed the Ohlins pretty quick and boxed them up and off to the courier.

Once they arrived at Ohlins he started right away.

















And of course they got dyno tested after they were done.





All shiny.



Now time to get it on the car!

I also took the time to change the oil, I've been running 300v for the duration of the car's life and love it. But this last time I went a bit too long in between changes. I last changed the oil in February and did 3 track weekends (7 days) / 2500 miles and I guess I should shorten the interval a bit... Lesson learned.







I went with Fall Line for the adjustable toe arms. Happy so far, they aren't noisy or anything and they provide plenty of adjustment.



Went with SCC for the spacers.



All the goodies laid out



And installed.





Initial camber setting - I have camber plates so you mess with it before you put it on the rack.



versus dialed in a bit more. My friend sent me pictures as they were dialing it in so I could provide a little bit of input, but in reality they know what's best better than I do, so I just agreed to it all knowing that what they suggested was best LOL.











I ended up with -3.7 degrees in the front and -2.8 degrees in the rear, which is -1 degree more both F and R than I was running before. The difference when driving is huge - on one hand you grab grooves in the road a lot more, but turn in is INSANE. I love it.

Oh here's a random lunch pic.



Previous tires lol

















And, the "money shot" -



So... after switching to 18" square, I really don't understand why BMW didn't option the car like this from the factory. 19" wheels are really too big, and the performance aspect is significantly different which I'll get into in my next post. I'd also like to add that I'm in love with the suspension change (although it's definitely more stiff) and I'll go into more detail in my next post about how it is on the track, but it just feels so much more settled, stable, and "neutral." I will say there's not a lot of NVH driving on the street, but there are some noises you get at slow speeds especially while parking. I have a pretty loud "PING" creak like noise when going 2/3rd turn while parking, this is just due to how it's setup. Next steps to make this more "Streetable" is to add a bearing at the bottom of the damper and a bearing at the camber plate which reduces it a lot, and also I've heard you can do friction rings but not sure if I necessarily need that or not.

I swapped back to my 1.11 brake pads and since I didn't have the 1.11 transfer layer anymore it was LOUD. Like ear piercing loud. Lol. I'm going to have to borrow my wife's car for the next two weeks in between track days otherwise I'll go deaf.

Other than those two minor noises, I absolutely love this setup.

Finally, I'm incredibly happy with everything overall. I dropped my car off with my friends for about a week to get the dampers rebuilt and then reinstalled, and I really didn't tell them what settings I wanted or how I wanted it setup. Instead I just let them do what they thought was best, and I was rewarded with a truly great setup. Their shop car used to run the exact same damper + spring setup and wheel size/offset, so they're very familiar with the options available and really hit it out of the park with this one. So, so happy.


And here are the pains of living in an apartment complex...



Then I did a quick wash in time for a track day.

Amazing fitment!!

Lunch also looks delicious

[bkd705]

What wheels are you running now? They look awesome.

[warrenw]

Originally Posted by bkd705

What wheels are you running now? They look awesome.

Volk ZE40