First track event with e30 = success! pics and vid inside

[JRKOUPE]

track addict....

good for you......you will never be normal again . I love Poco..but many hate it. I really love that course specifically......

I bought a 90 i in 05.....and made her a track toy.

Dont get bars first,,....get springs....that is if you are not doing it altogether. You cant beat HR race for value...and to drive on streets.

get motor mounts!.....poly if you are really into tracking her.


enjoy...!

[hpde30]

Truth be told I've been hooked for quite a few years now. This wasn't my first event despite how it looked on film, lol.

Pocono wouldn't have been my first choice of tracks, especially with the condition its currently in, but this event was a 'shakedown' of sorts to see what needed to be address over the winter.

I was really impressed with how well the car took the abuse. All i need to do is address a few things and I really think it will be a bullet proof track toy. I did the critical bushings/maintenance when I first got the car, now its time to do the non-critical stuff. Below is my list, any input/advice would be great.

I'm going to be addressing the following stuff over the winter:
Seats/Harnesses and roll bar
swaybar bushings & endlinks (might do SE30 bars while Im in there)
Tie rod ends (maybe an e36 rack if its SE30 legal)
Gas tank (noticed a fuel smell when the tank was full, might just be a gasket leaking)
replace those rubber brake lines on the rear subframe
wheel studs

optional stuff:
original clutch has 209k and was slipping a very little bit with a fast 3-4 shift. Not a big issue if I don't shift fast, but when I really start to bang gears it will be so I'd rather take care of it now. I would do all the 'while you're in there' stuff at that time too (refresh trans/seals, guibo coupler, pilot bushing, shifter bushings, rear main seal, ect.).

that's it really, there weren't any leaks or anything else I noticed that needed attention.

[R3Z3N]

I will only trailer it when a track is >2hrs away.

Ah yes. For me every track is >3hrs away. AutoX is the only local thing...

[etxxz]

that blows.. though if your e30 has the stock/sports seats then its very manageable. On a racing seat and harness it gets very unfomfortable. Thankfully for me, i have infineon at 1hr, thunderhill at 2.5, and laguna seca 2hrs. Hell i'm going drifting at infineon today after work ; |

i remember driving my previous bronzit e30 7 and 10hrs from s.FL to GA for RRR and Road Atlanta many times. It had suspension, but stock seats, heater, radio and the most important CRUISE CONTROL - do not remove this if you plan on driving. besides, the 2lbs mean nothing in terms of comfort : p

[R3Z3N]

I LOVE cruise control.

OP, enjoy your E30, and keep posting vids of your driving! That wall looks menacing though, I hope you don't become familiar with it ;-)

[pandaboo911]

KYB shocks are bad, the reason they push up like that is because of the gas cushion, get some oil shocks..like Konis

[hpde30]

I LOVE cruise control.

OP, enjoy your E30, and keep posting vids of your driving! That wall looks menacing though, I hope you don't become familiar with it ;-)

I've got a few more vids, just need to edit them down and upload. I love having video of my sessions to go back and review. so much stuff happens when you're out there in the moment that you just can't retain it all. Its also nice to watch and relive those moments in the off season when the track is closed.

KYB shocks are bad, the reason they push up like that is because of the gas cushion, get some oil shocks..like Konis

why are they bad? just because they have gas instead of oil?

[Don Stevens]

Dash

KYB shocks are bad, the reason they push up like that is because of the gas cushion, get some oil shocks..like Konis

Pandboo911 - That dash is bad to the bone - Can you tell us how you did it? Do you have a template?

[Fusion]

Yea Koni specifically makes oils for the E30 rear.
The difference is that an oil shock doesn't have the automatic lift. Their "default position" is wherever the springs and car weight let them sit. In other words if you lay the shock on a table, you can position the length however you like and they won't move.
The result is that the shock dampens both up and down when you're driving. The rebound, or speed of that dampening is adjustable on the "top adjustables", you actually turn to whole top part of the shock (cover + shaft), not a small adjuster like on the fronts.

Welcome to the world of trackheads btw. ;)

[Emre]

Hey all, just got back from my first HPDE with the E30.

Congrats!

After fighting all weekend to stay in my seat with the stock 3 point belts I'm now looking to install some seats, harnesses and a roll bar.

I think you should start with a GC-Lock before you go crazy with that other stuff. Also, switch to sports seats if you don't already have them (Levent from Guten Parts + Service can hook you up). With sports seats and a CG-Lock, you'll be fine.

I would like to support the community so anyone who has suggestions where to go I'm all ears. I was looking at getting a Kirkey Road Race deluxe seat for me and an Kirkey road race intermediate seat for the passenger, both with six point harness.

To do that you'll need roll protection. Buy you said you had plans to race the car one day, so don't jump into something like a rollbar or cage half-cocked. This is not the time to make a rash decision.

I don't want to add power or anything like that, just looking for things to do that will increase the durability/reliability of the car for future events.

Top 10 known E30 weaknesses on the track are:

1. Control arm/ball joint failures: Very dangerous. Replace them asap.
2. Rear shock mount failures: Not that big a deal.
3. Rear subframe bushing wear: Car feels unstable in high-speed corners.
4. Engine mount failures: Even new OEM mounts will tear apart on the track.
5. Rocker arm failures: Don't rev past 5500 rpm and they'll last forever.
6. Valve float: Don't rev past 6000 rpm and it won't be an issue.
7. Worn trans mounts: Trans moves around in the corners, leads to a "money-shift."
8. Weak-ass wheel bearings: Expect to replace these very often. I seem to be averaging one wheel bearing failure per summer.
9. Oil Starvation: Oil sloshes around the pan. Look for a baffled pan, or install an Accusump.
10. Fuel Starvation: Keep you tank over half-full and it won't be an issue.

Since your car is at 200K miles, you'll probably have to do all of the above. As long as you're replacing OEM rubber bushings and mounts, might as well switch to urethane from AKG or other sources.

As for the engine issues, the best thing you can do is keep your revs below 6K rpm and keep your oil topped off. Most people run 20w-50 conventional oil. Brad Penn PG1 is probably the best for our engines. Some people mix in anywhere from 10% to 20% Lucas HD Oil Stabilizer. When I do, my oil pressure goes way up and oil consumption drops to virtually zero...even running a 3-day weekend in 95+ degree weather. Some say Lucas HD causes foaming and will therefore accelerate bearing wear, others say the increased oil pressure and decreased oil consumption speaks for itself.

[Wh33lhop]

Yea Koni specifically makes oils for the E30 rear.
The difference is that an oil shock doesn't have the automatic lift. Their "default position" is wherever the springs and car weight let them sit. In other words if you lay the shock on a table, you can position the length however you like and they won't move.

You would think so, but oil shocks are gas charged these days, so pretty much all shocks have automatic lift. If they don't, there is something very wrong with the shock.

[Fusion]

Nope, twin tube, oil travels between chambers.
I was was worried when I got mine, but then I realized they wouldn't make the box short if they were meant to autoextend and did some reading.

[kts]

Safety equipment: After fighting all weekend to stay in my seat with the stock 3 point belts I'm now looking to install some seats, harnesses and a roll bar. I would like to support the community so anyone who has suggestions where to go I'm all ears. I was looking at getting a Kirkey Road Race deluxe seat for me and an Kirkey road race intermediate seat for the passenger, both with six point harness.

If you're going to be driving this thing on the road for a while to/from the track you may want to look into something a bit more comfortable than a Kirkey.

I also highly recommend you sit in a lot of different seats to get a feel for them before you buy. If there isn't a good shop near by you with a lot of seats to try, I would talk to people at the next autox or track day and see if you can try their seats out. Most folks should be happy to let you do that.

I just started down this path and ordered a pair of Sparco Evo 2 Plus seats. The 2 Plus was snug for me and I needed the extra height the 2 Plus offers for the harnesses. I also ordered a set of the VAC floor/seat/harness mounts. Not the cheapest solution by any means but people seem to love them and with the harness mounts for the floor and side it means no drilling into the body which I like. (vacmotorsports.com has more info on the mounts.)


If you don't find a supporting vendor for seats, I recommend OG Racing. (http://www.ogracing.com) The folks who work there know their stuff and best of all free shipping. They are based in VA but also have a store track-side at Summit Point if you're headed there anytime soon.

Like you I'm looking at harnesses and a roll bar as well. I'm not planning to go the full cage route so I think I'll get the Kirk roll bar since I've heard good stuff about it.

[Wh33lhop]

Nope, twin tube, oil travels between chambers.
I was was worried when I got mine, but then I realized they wouldn't make the box short if they were meant to autoextend and did some reading.

That is really strange. I have had about 6 or 7 sets of Konis for various vehicles and they have all autoextended. My fronts at the moment are G60s so I suppose E30 konis could be different.

[Fusion]

Yea, Koni sells all three types (not for each car model) http://www.koni-na.com/faq.cfm#6
I also wondered why they chose the hydraulic for e30 rear, but since they've been making them for ages I suspect they chose wisely.