[kurtruk27]

Hello,

I just purchased a used 2019 BMW M2 Competition for my semi retirement gift (if I'm being honest with myself it is more like a second midlife crisis purchase). My son helped me join this forum. I'm an old motorcycle racer with carburetors and a cable between my wrist and the throttle bodies. This 2019 BMW M2 is two generations of technology newer than anything I've every worked on. So far I've casually driven it on some country roads and the freeway. I like it.

I have never had to deal with CA emissions on my camaros and corvettes and certainly not my race motorcycles. And my commuter civic is a utensil. I've never cared about "performance" of a civic. I'm needlessly looking for upgrades to my M2, not because I can drive it at the end of its performance level, but because it will be a fun journey and I'll learn a lot about modern automobile technology.

There are three areas in my mind I'd like to learn about and I'm hoping I can learn how to use the resources in this M2 community. Forums like this are new to me like the modernity of my M2. I hope to take my M2 Competition to some track days at Streets of Willow, Buttonwillow, Laguna Seca, Sears Point, and Thunderhill.

1. Engine power and more importantly throttle response and precision.
1a. Can I get a "tune" for the throttle response and still satisfy CA emissions?
1b. Can I get a "tune" for engine power output and still satisfy CA emissions?
1c. What are the differences between an ECU flash and a piggyback tuner? Will one satisfy CA emissions?

2. Suspension and tires and Brakes
2a. Are there aftermarket suspension upgrades which add composure to the car's handling? Or is stock suspension adequate for track days?
2b. What are respected DOT tires which people track day use?
2c. The brakes for normal county road driving are great. For track use should upgrades be considered?

3. Driver Aids - I've never owned a car with this level of computer intervention on driver aids
3a. Is it possible to change/tune/modify the intervention levels for traction control?
3b. If it possible to change/tune/modify the intervention levels for the antilock brakes threshold?

I look forward to learning about my new car and taking it out to some track days. Thank you in advance for you help along the way on my journey.

[OG Shark]

Congrats on the M2 and very glad it is going to see some track time!

Engine power- first ECU tune over piggyback for sure. I would point you in the direction of Bend Calibration and would recommend having a chat with those guys. They can (and will) answer the questions you have about the tuning in Cali. Having a tuner that will discuss things like this with you us a huge plus as not many will take that time to do so. And then when you add in the excellent quality of their tunes plus the huge improvement in throttle mapping they provide you get the added power derived safely and delivered in a manner much improved over stock. Just all around solid tuners.

Suspension, tires, brakes - absolutely every one of those areas can be improved on (I believe suspension is the best return/dollar on the platform) - but in my opinion there are a few ways to look at this. First absolutely do the basic/minimum track prep that needs to be done on every car. Brakes - go with a better fluid and track focused pad. Here I like Castrol SRF due to it being very, very low fuss (does not need to be bled very often) and a good track pad. That is the absolute minimum besides an overall track inspection to verify everything is in good working order. Beyond that there are a couple of different ways to approach this. The M2C is a very capable car out of the box so definitely nothing wrong with flogging the car in the oem state. There are some definite weaknesses but overall the car is still pretty quick and a lot of fun stock. And if you haven't tracked in awhile this is the slowest the car will ever be - and it is easier to develop track skills when the car is slower. A good approach here is to get as much as you can out of the car and then start upgrading areas that you find start holding you back. Do not make the car faster until you are faster than the car... Alternately these areas are pretty common to dive into pretty soon after taking ownership. A good suspension is something that can be appreciated 100% of the time you are in the car (street & track). Ride quality improvements while also big gains in performance can be had with a good setup due to the inherent weakness of the oem setup (can elaborate more if you would like). You can also dial in a proper track alignment which can greatly increase the lifespan of the track tires. Lots of benefits to a good suspension here. Brakes you can wait and see how the basic track prep holds up and if/when that is not enough move to a BBK. Some like the look, convenience, weight loss, and fade resistance of a good BBK right of the bat but nothing wrong with running the oem until it cannot keep up either. Tires are a powerful tool for skill development. Again going with a slower tire can help progress the learning curve a bit faster. Move a step up when you can wring all you can out of that level, rinse, repeat. Or can move to a stickier tire sooner than later knowing that it might not be the absolute most efficient way to build skills but might provide more overall enjoyment out of your track time.

Nannies - you have DSC, MDM, and Full Off. DSC you cannot adjust. It is possible to have MDM programmed to be less intrusive which is a very common practice. This switches the car over to the European programming which gives you a bit more freedom that the US version. Full off is just what it sounds like. I do like the move to Euro MDM and would recommend having that done if you plan to run traction control. I will point out that with either level of traction control there is a possibility of introducing more heat into the brakes. Since the system uses the brakes as one of its tools (both front and rear) if you are tripping the system frequently it can add a lot of heat to the brakes that are already likely being hammered on by such a heavy and fast car. This can certainly cause premature fade so definitely something to be aware of. Not saying traction control should not but run but just be aware of this possibility. Brakes can also be improved upon in coding. daap1193 is the go to on the forums to get this done and is a solid improvement.

Main thing is to go out there and enjoy the car! And being able to share in this with your son is priceless. Got my father into tracking shortly after I started. We don't often have time to get on the track together but when we do it is absolutely up there at the top of the most enjoyable times I have at the track.

[Brokenbones]

I’ll let others touch on power upgrades and nannies.

I was in your situation, maybe a little less experience. I’ve run a few autocross and lots vigorous driving before getting serious w my m2 comp in last year going to 10… track days.
Here’s what I’ve done.
Started off fully stock and soon found the supersport and alignment limits killing my front shoulders in 4 track days. Upgraded to re71rs 200TW and vorschlag camber plates with a compromise street/track alignment- car is also my daily. Currently getting some brake pad fade on hard laps on hot days.
Now considering better brake fluid and pads this summer. Thinking about trying out nankang cr-s or rt-660 that the fast guys run.

maybe do camber links in rear and antiroll bar next winter and some nitrons from OG shark over winter once car is out of warranty as I still have more car control skills to learn. Will focus on smoothness and learn to drive wo Nannie’s this winter? I like to focus on learning my limits and slowly modding the car when it starts limiting my time. But if you’re bitten by the modding bug got crazy and have fun-love walking the paddock and checking out the serious hardware.

Btw you in SoCal or norcal?

[kurtruk27]

Is this the area I type to write my reply?

Thank you Brokenbones and OG Shark for your replies. I think with the amount of information you both just gave me I've got a lot of reading and educating to do for myself already. I agree with your sentiment to start slow and learn the car. Which I definitely plan on doing. Really the only area I can comment on at the moment is throttle mapping. It seems non linear. The rest of the car is plenty adequate for me to learn car control at the track to begin with. Good tip about the stability control using the brakes for attitude correction putting heat in the brakes I hadn't considered. I'll reach out to Bend Calibration and start with throttle mapping before worrying about more power.

I'm in Northern California. Near San Francisco. Laguna Seca (recently repaved) and Sears Point (repaving Feb 2024) are my two closest tracks. In the 90's I lived in Los Angeles and would visit Willow Springs (Streets recently repaved) and California Speedway infield (no longer). I haven't yet been to Chuckwalla or Pahrump. On two different occasions I was invited to Thermal Raceway near Palm Springs and Inde Raceway east of Tucson. Private venues. Very fun.

Thank you both for helping me and introducing me to this forum.

[David1]

There is already a California forum under regional forums.

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by kurtruk27

1. Engine power and more importantly throttle response and precision.
1a. Can I get a "tune" for the throttle response and still satisfy CA emissions?
1b. Can I get a "tune" for engine power output and still satisfy CA emissions?
1c. What are the differences between an ECU flash and a piggyback tuner? Will one satisfy CA emissions?

2. Suspension and tires and Brakes
2a. Are there aftermarket suspension upgrades which add composure to the car's handling? Or is stock suspension adequate for track days?
2b. What are respected DOT tires which people track day use?
2c. The brakes for normal county road driving are great. For track use should upgrades be considered?

3. Driver Aids - I've never owned a car with this level of computer intervention on driver aids
3a. Is it possible to change/tune/modify the intervention levels for traction control?
3b. If it possible to change/tune/modify the intervention levels for the antilock brakes threshold?

1) Do you like the throttle response in sport+ mode and are looking at apply that to other modes?

Piggybacks are external controllers that are plugged in between sensors and the DME/ECU that alter/spoof readings coming from sensors to get the DME/ECU control algorithms to boost output beyond what they normally would. This means what the DME thinks is happening, isn't actually what's happening.

Flash tunes alter the mapping tables in the DME so the output for a given input/condition is high, but the algorithms are deliberately doing it. Flash tunes also have the ability to modify behavior under many more conditions (such as shifting) to refine things much more than piggybacks.

No tunes are really CARB/smog legal (Carbahn might have an exception), but PM me if you want to know more.

2) For the stock suspension I'd shorten the rear bump stops, add camber plates, and put on the M2 CS Racing front sway bar. That's a nicely balanced setup.

For tires, are you looking for consistency and long life, fastest lap, but less consistency/life, or somewhere in between?

For the stock brakes I'd get track pads and Castrol SRF. You don't really need more than that for casual track days, but you might want a BBK for ease of pad swapping, increased wheel options, or cooling aids if really pushing.

3) As others said, there's not a ton you can do to tune the driver aids, but I'd recommend working up to running without them (unless it's really wet). If you pedal inputs are smooth you shouldn't have to really worry, but if you pop on/off on your pedal inputs a lot, the nannies are likely helping you. I like turning off the emergency braking boost via coding for consistency.

[infinitekidM2C]

Originally Posted by David1

There is already a California forum under regional forums.

He's new here. It's ok we are an accepting group. Not like those M4 people. They'd have brutally assaulted him verbally for such nonsense.

[BigJsmall2c]

Brand new to the BMW, but years of track days behind me. Looking forward to tracking the M2. Think there is a good weekend at Thunderhill April 12-13th.
Driver mod is the best thing to start with. Track time on its own is the best $$$ spent.
To get on the track with ANY car, pads and fluid. Everything else you will figure out as you get to know the car. Any car is more capable than you are. Don't worry about adding parts for the track yet.
That being said, I commute in my M2c and just installed Ohlin Road and Track Coilovers. Wow, what a difference from my stock shocks and Eibach springs. So happy.
I'm in Manteca and commute to Livermore

[kurtruk27]

Thanks All. Sorry I didn't know there was already a California thread.

I agree with comments from some indicating I really should just go drive the car first before making a bunch of adjustments/modifications. I have a throw away "kleenex" grocery getter so I'm hoping this M2 Competition can be mostly for fun canyon drives and track days. My son introduced to me the concept of "forums" so I've got a lot to learn about driving the car and apparently a bit to learn about navigating this forum.

FaRKle! you asked me to PM you. What/how is a PM? Private Message?

Bigjsmall2c I'll be in Austin April 12-13 for the MotoGP race.

[Maynard]

Originally Posted by kurtruk27

1. Engine power and more importantly throttle response and precision.
2. Suspension and tires and Brakes
3. Driver Aids

I look forward to learning about my new car and taking it out to some track days. Thank you in advance for you help along the way on my journey.

Just my input, I've been tracking mine mostly stock. You really should take the time to browse the other specific threads (tracking, brakes/suspension, tires, etc). Lots of good info, but so much of it depends on what you want to do with the car - the more you track, the more specific those needs may get - many people have regretted purchases that seemd like a ton of fun on the street, but weren't trackable or didn't suit their driving level (and vice versa, lots of 'race parts' just suck for a street car, making it less safe and slower).

1) The most precise throttle setting is 'comfort' because it doesn't artificially alter the rate of throttle response; the 'sports' just increase the rate of throttle opening in that first 30% or so of pedal travel, so it feels zippier. I don't notice terrible 'turbo lag' and there really isn't a cure for it - either you push the pedal down faster, or set the computer to do that for you with Sport/Sport+. You won't need more power for a while; take time to figure out how you want to use the car, and research the tuner options if you decide to go that way.

If you have a DCT, make sure to set it to level 2 for sportier driving, and level 3 for tracking. This holds revs longer, faster shifts.

2) You can do fine for early tracking with stock suspension and upgraded pads/fluids. I'm on Ferodo 2500 and Motul RBF660 fluid (Castrol SRF is a common go-to, but it takes a lot of work to fully change over and maintain properly, so I find the Motul preferable). The 2500's work great on the street as well, so you don't need to swap pads for track days. There are other pads that people like for this listed in specific brake threads. I've known people who say they can get 4-6 track days out of their stock pads/fluid, but I'm skeptical, and if the cost of changing pads/fluids is prohibitive then you may want to stick to autocross or street use - it only goes up from there. If you buy from fcpEuro then you can get lifetime replacements, should you get the habit.

You don't NEED camber plates, but you'll eat the outside edges of front tires otherwise. For early track experience Street tires are preferable (PS4S, Conti sportcontacts); track-specific tires have more grip some of the time, but a lot of compromises that make them really a bad choice for new drivers. I've switched to the Conti Extremes and finding them to wear better but behave very similar (not as good in the rain though, which is where you'll learn the most).

You won't need more power for a while. Take time to research how you want to do it (expensive coding, cheap dongles, hardware). I think Dinan and Carbahn may be CARB legal, but probably the only ones (I think that once you go to coding, there are a lot of ways to dodge CARB limits). If you get into tracking, you'll be spending your money on suspension, brakes, and cooling first.

3) I'd leave the TCS on until you really notice the interference, then drop to MDM and do it again. Learn to drive well enough that you aren't invoking the TCS before you turn it off (and buy track insurance).

Tracking is, for me, the most enjoyable way to really appreciate these cars; but it is expensive and habit forming, and definitely not for everybody. For me, it opened up a world of car control that I hadn't known existed. But if you find you aren't into it, there are a ton of ways to customize for street use as well and you won't want to have sunk 5k into track mods that you really don't use.

The BMW CCA or Porsche PCA have the best instructor setups for new drivers and I'd strongly suggest that you go with one of their events if possible. Avoid the self-certifying 'track night' type events where they just let you loose on the track. Good instruction is easily worth far more than any mods.

[kurtruk27]

Thank you Maynard. Good info and advice.

[kurtruk27]

I'd like to say thank you to you all for accepting me into this forum. I am excited to report I'm attending my first HPDE with my new to me M2C at Thunderhill Raceway 3 Mile East circuit. I'm looking forward to it.

[IcewaterPete]

Originally Posted by kurtruk27

I'd like to say thank you to you all for accepting me into this forum. I am excited to report I'm attending my first HPDE with my new to me M2C at Thunderhill Raceway 3 Mile East circuit. I'm looking forward to it.

You’re going to have a great time! Let us know how it goes and what you think about the car after pushing it. Enjoy!

[kurtruk27]

I will IcewaterPete. The weather forecast looks like rain. We'll see. Weather prediction in California isn't a science. But if it is wet, it will make my introduction to 400 horsepower interesting. TCS ON at the beginning for sure for me.

[kurtruk27]

I drove my 2019 M2 Competition 6 speed manual at Thunderhill Raceway 3 Mile course this weekend. It was a lot of fun. The weather was mostly cold, rainy, and wet. There were 2 run sessions Saturday afternoon where the surface mostly dried. The car was a lot of fun. I have a lot to learn but believe the M2C is a great foundation. I'd like to thank FaRKle! for all the support and guidance he provided. Helped me understand the character of the car and build confidence. Practice makes perfect so I hope to be able to attend future track events.

[Inuyasha]

Welcome and what bikes you used to track?

[Jeom2]

Originally Posted by kurtruk27

I drove my 2019 M2 Competition 6 speed manual at Thunderhill Raceway 3 Mile course this weekend. It was a lot of fun. The weather was mostly cold, rainy, and wet. There were 2 run sessions Saturday afternoon where the surface mostly dried. The car was a lot of fun. I have a lot to learn but believe the M2C is a great foundation. I'd like to thank FaRKle! for all the support and guidance he provided. Helped me understand the character of the car and build confidence. Practice makes perfect so I hope to be able to attend future track events.

Cool, i was gonna ask if u met drew. Very knowledgeable and actually knew he was there after texting with him.

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by kurtruk27

I drove my 2019 M2 Competition 6 speed manual at Thunderhill Raceway 3 Mile course this weekend. It was a lot of fun. The weather was mostly cold, rainy, and wet. There were 2 run sessions Saturday afternoon where the surface mostly dried. The car was a lot of fun. I have a lot to learn but believe the M2C is a great foundation. I'd like to thank FaRKle! for all the support and guidance he provided. Helped me understand the character of the car and build confidence. Practice makes perfect so I hope to be able to attend future track events.

It was fun meeting and hanging out with you too! Looking forward to the next event we can hang out again (probably Sonoma?). I hope you get some cool insights from the lead/follow videos we got of you!

Originally Posted by Jeom2

Cool, i was gonna ask if u met drew. Very knowledgeable and actually knew he was there after texting with him.

Psh, you could've been there too, but nooooo you just had to go to Cabo with nice sunny weather instead of the cold, wind, and rain at Thunderhill. Where are your priorities?

[Brokenbones]

nice glad it dried out some and you had a good time. was going to go but bailed as at several thunderhill last year in rain and was non-stop black flags for cars spun off deep into the mud... missed at least half of each run as result.

what group did you run with? def sign up for 5 mile if they offer, love the crossover from each side. best of the faster 3 mile and the twisty 2 mile.

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by Brokenbones

was going to go but bailed as at several thunderhill last year in rain and was non-stop black flags for cars spun off deep into the mud... missed at least half of each run as result.

We run a well-marshalled event at Audi club. I didn't see anybody that had to be towed off the track all weekend. Were there some spins/minor offs, yes, but nothing severe enough to black flag any of the sessions.

[kurtruk27]

Originally Posted by Inuyasha

Welcome and what bikes you used to track?

Hello Inuyasha,

I've road race tracked: Honda NT650, Honda CBR600F2, Yamaha R6, 2x Suzuki GSX-R1000R, Honda RC51, BMW S1000RR

I've dirt raced: Honda CRF250R, CRF450R, XR650R, Kawasaki KX250, and kinda sorta CRF1000L.

[kurtruk27]

Originally Posted by Brokenbones

nice glad it dried out some and you had a good time. was going to go but bailed as at several thunderhill last year in rain and was non-stop black flags for cars spun off deep into the mud... missed at least half of each run as result.

what group did you run with? def sign up for 5 mile if they offer, love the crossover from each side. best of the faster 3 mile and the twisty 2 mile.

Yes, the Audi Club was very well organized and marshalled. As I had a new to me car and I was new to the Audi Club I ran in the C group.

I have ridden/driven the 3 Mile and 2 Mile independently. I have not yet experienced the 5 Mile config.