Mike's Alpine White 1991 318is

[mike.bmw]

Looks very OEM for an aftermarket roof

Very nice!

This car is amazing...*drool*

Just read through this entire thread from start to finish. Love this car and how you've kept it as OEM as possible. Really an inspiration to all us Alpine White Owners out there! Keep up the good work!

That sunroof looks great!

This is a great thread. I really like what you're doing with this car.

Thanks all!

I never would have guessed that was aftermarket. Very well done. Probably works better than my OEM moon roof.

If you ever have to replace the grommet on the sides, do you know what seals you'll have to buy or do generic ones work fine?

I'm not sure. I certainly hope I can use generic ones because I don't think replacement parts are made for this anymore.

[mike.bmw]

HPDE Recap
Yesterday I attended an HPDE event at Summit Point Raceway on their "Main" circuit. It "is a ten turn, two mile road course that includes a 2900 foot straightaway and 400 feet of elevation change".



The format consisted of 4 20 minute sessions on track and some skid pad time in a Ford Crown Vic (i.e. retired police car or taxi). The temps were in the low 80s and it was overcast most of the day. I hadn't run a full day HPDE event in the last 4-5 years. Previously I had been signed off for Advanced Solo, but I thought it was best to start back at the Intermediate level with an instructor and I'm very glad I did.

I'd like to thank my instructor, Joel. He runs a tracked prepped '87 325is, is a wealth of E30 knowledge, and a fantastic instructor. If you come across this post: Thanks, Joel!

Steady Improvement
The first session was a bit nerve wracking as I was trying to relearn the line, learn how my E30 does beyond normal street driving and autocross, and manage point-bys for the traffic behind me. Oh, so many point-bys. Aside from me being slow, the majority of the cars in my group had MULTIPLES of the amount of power in my 318is (and, sure, probably better drivers). I wasn't trying to hold anyone up, so I think I was more focused on pointing folks by than taking the correct line.

The second session went much better. The field was a bit more broken up, I was able to gain speed and maintain momentum by taking the correct line (mostly), and I had clear track behind me for a good amount of time.

The third and fourth sessions went well. I found more speed, gained more confidence in myself and the car, and really enjoyed myself.

Brakes, Steering, Suspension, and Tires
Brakes: I ran high temp Motul fluid and stock rotors and pads. The brakes showed signs of seriously fading about 15 minutes into the first session. I was concerned that they wouldn't make it through the rest of the day. However, after cleaning up my driving and finding the line (resulting in using my brakes less) the brakes did well the rest of the day. No doubt that dedicated track pads would be a huge improvement, but the stock pads did everything I asked of them and got me home.

Steering: RRT had put in a replacement OE steering rack shortly after I bought the car a couple years ago. Combined with new tie rod ends, control arms, and various other bushings the steering was tight and precise. A rack with a tighter ratio would be awesome, but I'm still happy with the stock setup.

Suspension: Holy body roll batman! The previous owner had installed an aftermarket spring and shock setup. The car soaks up bumps well and has a nicer "stance" than stock, but I'm not sure how "performance oriented" this setup is. I'd like to replace the springs and shocks sometime this year. Haven't decided whether I'm going back to stock springs + Bilstein HDs or something different.

Tires: The 195/65R14 Nexens are a commuter tire. They weren't meant to go on the track. I thought they'd be torn to shreds based on the amount of consistent howling I was hearing. They held together nicely (no chunking) and wore somewhat evenly. I'm used to having more grip from performance tires (Super Sports, RE070s, RE01Rs, Star Specs, etc) and less sidewall flex on the track. The Nexens got me through the day (and home) and they still have plenty of life left in them, so I'm not going to complain (much :) ).

Success!
I declare success. The 318is performed beautifully, I learned a ton, I met some really nice people, and I got to drift a Ford Crown Vic around a skid pad.

If I were to choose a few areas to spend money for improvement:
1. More HPDEs. Regardless of the car's equipment, the more I practice the faster I'll be. In reality I probably won't be doing more than 1 or 2 full day HPDEs a year based on schedule/availability/family.
2. Tires and brake pads. Grippier tires and track pads would certainly make things easier.
3. Suspension and alignment. A more "performance oriented" suspension and alignment would inspire some more confidence.

I'll post some video once I pull it off my OG GoPro Hero.

Photos

In the paddock ready to start:


Layers of brake dust after 2 sessions:




Lots of pollen. So much pollen.

[coldweatherblue]

Nice update! Looks like an amazing time.

[jpod999]

I love the lean in the corners, it just looks right on an E30.

[mike.bmw]

Nice update! Looks like an amazing time.

Thanks, it was certainly a great day.

I love the lean in the corners, it just looks right on an E30.

Haha, excessive lean in fact!

I took apart the front brakes last night. Plenty of pad left, though all of the brake grease had burned off, which was causing some squealing. So I cleaned and relubed the pins and backs of the pads. I'll inspect the rear brakes tonight and do the same.

Here are a couple video clips from the HPDE, sessions 2 and 3:

[econti]

I'd hazard a guess and say that some 16s would sort out an amount of roll, looking at the amount of sidewall flex you've got going on...
I'd also recommend rebushing the sway bars if you have not, rather than immediately jumping to stiffer spring and shock

[mike.bmw]

I'd hazard a guess and say that some 16s would sort out an amount of roll, looking at the amount of sidewall flex you've got going on...
I'd also recommend rebushing the sway bars if you have not, rather than immediately jumping to stiffer spring and shock

I bet you are correct regarding the tires. Even at higher pressures I could feel the tires rolling over quite a bit. Wheels and tires just haven't been at the top of my priority list, though I'm sure better tires would make a world of difference.

Too funny regarding the sway bar bushings. While I was taking apart the front brakes earlier this week I noticed that both front sway bar bushings are totally shot. The front endlinks need replacement as well. I have bushings and endlinks in my ECS cart as I type this. I may hold off ordering those until I can find some time to inspect the rear bushings/links. Free shipping over $50. :)

[mike.bmw]

35th Deutsche Marque Concours d'Elegance

It was a nice long weekend. On Friday I attended an HPDE. On Saturday I cleaned the car's exterior, engine bay, and interior. On Sunday I attended a BMW/Mercedes/Porsche Concours, the 35th Deutsche Marque Concours d'Elegance.

This was my first time attending and entering. It's really fun and kid friendly event so it nice was nice walking around with my kids to look at all the great cars. I also met a fellow r3vlimiter, Zeemz, at the event. Always a good time hanging out with Zeemz and gawking at his insanely clean and awesome E30.





Zeemz and I both placed in the vintage 80s BMW class, which was fantastic. It'll be cool to go back next year and see how it compares. After the awards, we took a few quick photos on the field:







That's all for now. In the coming weeks I plan to refresh more of the suspension (front and rear sway bar bushings + endlinks), have my driver's seat bolster repaired, and drive the car as much as possible. :D

[Zeemz]

Awesome weekend Mike. Let me know when you are ready to refresh the suspension happy to lend a hand.

[fresh_TD]

Awesome weekend Mike. Let me know when you are ready to refresh the suspension happy to lend a hand.

Lewis, it was nice to meeting you at Vintage. Your e30 is super clean!

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[mike.bmw]

Oil cap, sway bar bushings, sway bar endlinks

First off, the oil cap. The original cap recently started to fail. Oil was seeping down the valve cover from the cap. Coincidentally the idle wasn't as smooth as it used to be. I picked up a $5 Febi oil cap from ECS and quickly swapped it out. The new cap provides a much better seal to the point I actually have to put effort into twisting the cap on/off. No more oil running down the valve cover and the idle is back to being smooth.

Next up, the sway bar bushings and endlinks (front and rear). The bushings and links that were on the car appear to be original as they're BMW-stamped parts. All the rubber was cracked and shot. Having upgraded sway bars and endlinks on various other cars, I thought this was going to be a quick job. I was wrong. Getting those front bushings back into place was a real bear. Pushing the rear endlinks onto the bar was also a struggle. After a few hours it was done.

I soaked all the bolts with PB Blaster before starting. Everything came apart easily. I put antiseize on all the hardware going back in so it'll come apart easily in the event I need to take it apart again.

The results were fantastic! The steering is MUCH more precise and responsive. It feels like I have a different rack in the car. It feels like I actually upgraded to bigger front and rear sway bars even though this was just a simple bushing and endlink replacement. A faint rattle that I've heard over bumps from the rear of the car seems to have gone away.

Original front sway bar bushing in place:



Parts ready to go on:



Old vs new:



Used a jack and some wood to press the bushing bracket onto the bushing and hold it in place:



New front bushings and endlinks in place:







Getting ready to tackle the rear bushings and endlinks:



Vice grips were useful to hold the rear brackets/bushings in place:



Rear old vs new:

[D.Martijn]

Great update! Wouldn't have thought that changing the bushings would have such a big impact. Might have to consider this too on my ix as they look to be in the same condition as your old ones.

Do you also lub the outer part of the new bushing? or only the inside?

[econti]

Great update! Wouldn't have thought that changing the bushings would have such a big impact. Might have to consider this too on my ix as they look to be in the same condition as your old ones.

Do you also lub the outer part of the new bushing? or only the inside?

I did both to avoid any speaking on mine however only really the inside is necessary

[mike.bmw]

Great update! Wouldn't have thought that changing the bushings would have such a big impact. Might have to consider this too on my ix as they look to be in the same condition as your old ones.

Do you also lub the outer part of the new bushing? or only the inside?

I did both to avoid any speaking on mine however only really the inside is necessary

Thanks!

I lubed both the inside and outside of the bushing with white lithium grease. That's the stuff that usually ships with aftermarket sway bars and poly bushings. Lubing the outside was helpful to press on the brackets over the bushings.

[Zeemz]

Having upgraded sway bars and endlinks on various other cars, I thought this was going to be a quick job.

Mike, sorry I wasn't around Saturday to lend you a hand. Great work though!

Lewis, it was nice to meeting you at Vintage. Your e30 is super clean!

Manny, great meeting you as well, especially after seeing your car around town these last couple months.