time attack setups

[kman_e30]

so ive decided to make the change from drifting to time attack. i really over trying to compete in pro am events that have no chance in at all with all these big money teams. heres my drift setup

chassis: 84 318i, bd racing (drift) 6 point with door bars
engine: m20b25, straight pipe exhaust, intake, and i think my ecu is chipped(153)
brakes: stock 318i front, 325i rear disc brake conversion
suspension: bilstein sports shocks, ground control sleeves, cosmos camber plates, ge top hats, ebiach 500lbs springs up front, ie3 rears springs in the back, m3 cabs, ie subframe and trailing arm bushings, ie posi locks, front vert bar, no rear bar
diff: 4.10 welded
wheel and tire: 16in wheels with 205 55 16 tires
aerodynamics: adjustable gt wing

so my question to the grip guys is what should i change up? heres what im thinking, 325 front brakes with track pads, add a rear bar im thinking maybe an ix bar(i know where to get one for a good price) 4.10lsd(is the ix diff rear diff a bad idea for the track?) 15in. wheels with either 205 or 225 50 15 tires, some more engine performance.

help me out guys

[djjerme]

Sounds like you got a decent start. What I would suggest:

Upgrade the front brakes like you said, and get some cooling on them if you haven't already. Then look at making the car as light as possible. Try to get it down to 2000 pounds if you can (depending on the class rules..)

Some places to consider saving pounds:
-glass (Lexan)
-hood/trunk (fiberglass)
-interior stripping (lose the sunroof cartridge.)

Then some aero. You are trying to push a brick through the air, which puts the E30 behind the eightball over many other cars you may run in to. Smooth front, and possibly look in to a splitter to get some down force, which combined with your rear wing should be a good start to dial in the aero.

EDIT: also note, you are starting off with a really early E30, which seem to be lighter than later years. Mine started as a really early 85, and even with the stock sound deadening throughout the car, I am still under the class weight by 100 pounds.. So you should be able to get that weight down easily.

You are on the right track with the wheel/tire size IMHO, but I would also up your rear spring rates instead of adding a rear bar. Many of the E30's in our series runs no bar with 850-1000 rear springs. Along with that, I would really suggest coil overs so you can get the car as low as possible..

[Wh33lhop]

ix diff is viscous and will NOT be well suited for track use. Nab a 4.10lsd from an auto 325is or an m3 and slap some new clutch packs in there (or even add some) and the car will push less off throttle and resist turning a lot less in general than your current setup, but should still lock when you need it to.

[kman_e30]

my car fits in redline time attacks street class, the interior is already fully gutted, besides the manual sunroof, i do want to do the lexan windows soon also. what track pads do you guys recommend? are bilstein sports strong enough for 850lb spring rates? what about alignment settings?

[Wh33lhop]

PFC08s. $260 a set for the e30, last forever, easy on rotors oh and they stop amazingly too. Awesome pad. Don't forget fluid and either ss or new OEM lines (rebuilt calipers are nice too).

Off the shelf bilstein sports would not match an 850lb in the rear very well. You can
1) have the bilsteins revalved
2) check out the turner j stock versions that are valved firmer (not sure if they sell them separately from the whole kit or not)
3) check out tc kline's Konis and either order a set of motorsport-valved single adjustables from them or go straight for the double adjustables. All Konis are 20% off through the end of June.

I don't know the rules of time attack nor how much you want to soend on tires, but I'd say a 225/50 or 225/45 NT01 or RA1 on a 15x8 or (preferably) 15x9 would be great. Those tires like about 3-3.5 degrees of camber, maybe a bit less (.5 degree) in the rear since the rear gains camber more quickly than the front. Max the caster out, and I'd start out with zero toe or a smidge of toe out in the front, and a tiny bit of toe in in the rear.

[robgoesvroom]

sorry dude, IMHO if you are serious about time attack and want to be competitive I would suggest choosing a more competitive platform than the E30 chassis. At least step up to E36 chassis. The amount of money you'll have to dump into your car to be as fast as an S2000 will make you feel bad!

Just do it for fun and set those personal records (and chase those miatas) =]


Also, I'd like to see some pics of your aero setup. PM me!

[robgoesvroom]

dat splitter =]

[kman_e30]

im going to stick with the chassis i have for right now since it kinda semi built already:p i just have an adjustable wing for the trunk, nothing serious, i had a front splitter on the front for quite some time but then i broke it at the track, i need to make another one.


what brake fluid do you guys use? should i upgrade my engine and trans mounts?

[djjerme]

ATE Blue.. Just make sure your brake system is good, and its never a bad idea to flush it every once in a while.

The engine and tranny mounts are a good upgrade for a track car. Stock mounts can and do break (I ran them at first), and that's never a good thing. Plus, a stiffer transmission mount will give you a better feel when shifting, since the tranny won't be flopping around.

The downside is going harder or solid mounts will increase the vibration you feel in the car - a lot. So if you are planning on street driving, this will be one of those upgrades that makes the drive to and from the track more annoying.

[FLG]

PFC08's, cheapest rotors you can find, i prefer the Motul 600 over the ATE blue due to higher boiling temps.

[carnurd]

PFC08's, cheapest rotors you can find, i prefer the Motul 600 over the ATE blue due to higher boiling temps.

^^ agree with this man, he speaks the truth. If you are feeling really cheap ATE blue is not a bad choice at all its a very good fluid however it just doesnt take too kindly to really high brake temps. Motul is overall the better fluid, it's a staple by most people at the track.

If you MUST run ATE-Blue and consider yourself a decently fast driver, then I would recommend looking into additional brake cooling. I was able to overheat my brakes on my 318is at Buttonwillow(less power less weight than you m20's and I still was able to do it), I was using ATE, Turner Cool Willy Race Pads, and SS lines. And at the time with a whopping 120hp.

Since then however I have swapped to Mazda 4 pistons up front, and I'm harder on brakes now that I ever was with the stock units. As of now they have yet to overheat even at 100deg track events.

[kman_e30]

ATE Blue.. Just make sure your brake system is good, and its never a bad idea to flush it every once in a while.

The engine and tranny mounts are a good upgrade for a track car. Stock mounts can and do break (I ran them at first), and that's never a good thing. Plus, a stiffer transmission mount will give you a better feel when shifting, since the tranny won't be flopping around.

The downside is going harder or solid mounts will increase the vibration you feel in the car - a lot. So if you are planning on street driving, this will be one of those upgrades that makes the drive to and from the track more annoying.

i dont mind a rough rides so that not really a big deal :D
what wheels are most of you guys running? trm c1's?
would it be better to do a 5 lug swap?

[djjerme]

We can't swap to 5-lug, has to be stock 4-lug. There is a mix of wheels in the field, I run Konig since they are a sponsor, there is trm's, kosei's, Enkei's (though those tend to get bent rather easy we have noticed at certain tracks..)

[kman_e30]

should i stay away from xxr's? i have the 522's on the front of my car and havent had any issues with them at the track

[djjerme]

Run what you got. If it's round, it will work.

The only reason to change is if you are:

A) Trying to shave weight by going to a lighter rim
B) Want or need to change the sizing for either track width or dia/gearing