24v track rats

[Ara]

Im curious to know what suspension tweaks had to be done after the swap. Especially interested in the S14 guys who are now M5x/S5x

What's everyone's setup like ? I want to get the car dialed in to make it in time for a sept 17th track day.....if not, then another track day in October.

[7pilot]

1990M3 on here and S14.net has BTDT.
He used a 91 318iS, I believe.
He used Turner Jstock kit.
The car more rear grip than I was expecting, plus he is very handy behind the wheel.:D
I have swapped my E30M3 but won't be doing any track this year. The TMS J stock kit plus a front bar will be sufficient for me. I have a different track toy for the non BMWCCA events, which also requires attention..

m
Btw, Be sure to convert to E36 steering rack for better apex sniffing.

[markseven]

Im curious to know what suspension tweaks had to be done after the swap. Especially interested in the S14 guys who are now M5x/S5x

What's everyone's setup like ? I want to get the car dialed in to make it in time for a sept 17th track day.....if not, then another track day in October.

I would imagine a coilover setup and then proper corner weighting. TMS Shorty's will eliminate the need to shim the motor mounts so long-tube headers will clear the subframe, which will let the engine sit lower in the bay.

[Ara]

1990M3 on here and S14.net has BTDT.
He used a 91 318iS, I believe.
He used Turner Jstock kit.
The car more rear grip than I was expecting, plus he is very handy behind the wheel.:D
I have swapped my E30M3 but won't be doing any track this year. The TMS J stock kit plus a front bar will be sufficient for me. I have a different track toy for the non BMWCCA events, which also requires attention..

m
Btw, Be sure to convert to E36 steering rack for better apex sniffing.

wont that have too much front bias ? I was thinking of putting in IE sways and set the front to full soft and rear as stiff as possible to counter the understeer no ?

with the S14 I was sitting at 2380 lbs with 6 gallons of fuel and now with the extra 62 pounds up front from the S52 its like driving a completely different car. Im still trying to get heel-toe down but its so much more difficult with the lower revs needed for power as well as stage 2 clutch.

I most likely wont have time ( read : money ) to have the car where I want it to be by the 17th =/

[nrubenstein]

wont that have too much front bias ? I was thinking of putting in IE sways and set the front to full soft and rear as stiff as possible to counter the understeer no ?

with the S14 I was sitting at 2380 lbs with 6 gallons of fuel and now with the extra 62 pounds up front from the S52 its like driving a completely different car. Im still trying to get heel-toe down but its so much more difficult with the lower revs needed for power as well as stage 2 clutch.

I most likely wont have time ( read : money ) to have the car where I want it to be by the 17th =/

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Full stiff up front, full loose in the rear is a better starting setup. Soft up front, stiff in the rear is the worst of both worlds - you get understeer at corner entry with oversteer on corner exit.

[Ara]

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Full stiff up front, full loose in the rear is a better starting setup. Soft up front, stiff in the rear is the worst of both worlds - you get understeer at corner entry with oversteer on corner exit.

judging by your sig Im pretty sure you know a thing or two about what's a better setup. thanks !

[BigD]

I have GC coil overs on Koni SAs with no bar in the back and IE bar (25mm I think?) on full stiff front. I have 900 lb springs in the rear, which I worked up to, because the softer ones most people recommend are way too soft. Front are 575 and they're too soft but according to GC, I'm approaching the limit of what the shocks can handle. I'd like to try 7-800 front and 1000 rear. I wouldn't want to drive my car to the track though.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Full stiff up front, full loose in the rear is a better starting setup. Soft up front, stiff in the rear is the worst of both worlds - you get understeer at corner entry with oversteer on corner exit.

Disagree, that's asking to be 3 wheeling around the track (inside front in the air). The proper setup for these cars is a stiff rear and medium stiff front, stiff bar front, little to none rear. I don't have any racing credentials but I arrived at this through trial and error, it feels best to me. It was also confirmed to me by a competitive E36 team in Canadian Touring Car.

[twism]

On my e30 I have the IE sways 25 front 22 rear. If you go super stiff on the rear you'll be drifting every corner, its good for drift events but not for track events. Mine are set to soft on the rear and medium in the front which is the middle hole in the sway. Remember that the stiffer you make them the more dependent your suspension becomes which is not always good, and I don't actually prefer it at all. I've seen a lot of prepared e30s on the Nurburgring in Germany, and a lot of them don't use rear sway at all to have better traction in the corners because some of them are really bumpy.

[nrubenstein]

I have GC coil overs on Koni SAs with no bar in the back and IE bar (25mm I think?) on full stiff front. I have 900 lb springs in the rear, which I worked up to, because the softer ones most people recommend are way too soft. Front are 575 and they're too soft but according to GC, I'm approaching the limit of what the shocks can handle. I'd like to try 7-800 front and 1000 rear. I wouldn't want to drive my car to the track though.



Disagree, that's asking to be 3 wheeling around the track (inside front in the air). The proper setup for these cars is a stiff rear and medium stiff front, stiff bar front, little to none rear. I don't have any racing credentials but I arrived at this through trial and error, it feels best to me. It was also confirmed to me by a competitive E36 team in Canadian Touring Car.

Uh. You have a reading comprehension problem. I wasn't commenting on springs.

[BigD]

Uh. You have a reading comprehension problem. I wasn't commenting on springs.

Apparently I do, nevermind.