trackable street car?

[JRKOUPE]

i want to hear some discussion on thicker sways vs stiffer springs because i believe with the right research you can get trackworthy suspension that you can drive on the street w/o breaking your car

track worthy?....what does that mean?......there are no true dual duty cars........its a compromise.


Any well maintained bimmer is track worthy. I have a dual duty car.....its almost too so
ft for advanced level DE's and almost too hard for a DD. Sure, w/ the proper choices one can find a good 'tweener, but there are no hard and fast answers. Too stiff for one is not hard enuf for another. C/o's are fine for the street w/ the proper rates.......and Spec e 30 does fine as well. Whats the dilemma here?.....your car wont break.........unlesss you run like 800 lbers.....and then you just end up having horrrible creaks and groans......and compressed lumbar discs!!!!!

[Boris3]

Good thread.

I'm also just starting out with an e30 1990 325i that will see some HPDEs this year. I'm doing basic suspension upgrades (Bilstein/H&R sport, bushings and mounts) and catching up with the past due maintenance of the POs (long list here).

I have 9 HPDEs in a miata over the past few years and picked up the 325 for the next step up in a trackable street car. I typically run in the intermediate group.

Two questions:

-wheels/tires: car came with 14" bottlecaps and some Dunlop all seasons. Does it make more sense to go for new wheels and tires (say 15x7 wheels and Kumho or...) or just go new tires on the bottlecaps as I learn the car (Azeni 615s as the likely choice in a 14).

-seat belts/harness: I ran a rollbar, 6 point harness, and fia seats in the miata and liked the feel of being planted in the seat. For the 325i what would be a good start? Options that I can think of would be to use the: stock seat belts; stock seat belts plus the lap belts from the old harness; stock seat belts and a CGlock; or a set of Schroth 4 pts (even though folks use these I am a bit leery of a harness w/o a rollbar). I know going for a rollbar would be another option but I need/want more seat time in the car before making that decision.

Insights welcomed. Thanks!

[ptownTSI]

the factory recaro sport seats hold you in pretty good compared to nearly every stock seat i've ridden in apart from other bmw's with sport seats, vipers, etc.

[BM5W]

-wheels/tires: car came with 14" bottlecaps and some Dunlop all seasons. Does it make more sense to go for new wheels and tires (say 15x7 wheels and Kumho or...) or just go new tires on the bottlecaps as I learn the car (Azeni 615s as the likely choice in a 14).

Keep the bottlecaps and save money for tires. The 615s are more of an autox tire and will get greasy. Get a set of Toyo RA-1s. If u bump up to the 15x7 you just spend more money on rubber. If you are learning and aren't worried about time just stay on the cheaper 14s while learning.

[Boris3]

Thanks guys.

The 325i came with the regular seats and not the sport seats. Still pretty comfortable but not the support of the "is" seats.

I had been wondering about the Toyos as an option, but I was figuring on getting more familiarity with the handling on the 325i before moving to the RA-1s. Use them unshaved since they would also be weekend street tires? Size 205/55/14s or the 225/50/14?

[ddavidv]

I have run Toyo RA-1s unshaved for 2 events. Great tires. I run them on bottlecaps. I can't remember the size, but it's the SE 30 regulation size. I've also driven to the track on them and they don't wear prematurely with highway driving.

[Boris3]

Checked on the Spec e30 site: 205/55/14 for the 14" version of the Toyo RA-1. Any recommedations on best place to order the tires?

[e30sd]

edgeracing has them in stock. i buy all me street tires there, never bought r-comps from em though. good prices, good service.

[ddavidv]

I had my local tire vendor 'match' the price close enough I bought them locally, but if I had it to do again I'd probably buy from Edge also. Best price I've found.

[Boris3]

Thanks guys. I've bought from Edge before and had postive experiences. So far they also have the best prices on the Toyos I've found.

[flypenfly]

I pricematched at Discount Tire to edge racing for a set of 195/60/14 Azenis RT615s. I should be getting it this week.

[etxxz]

track worthy?....what does that mean?......there are no true dual duty cars........its a compromise.


Any well maintained bimmer is track worthy. I have a dual duty car.....its almost too so
ft for advanced level DE's and almost too hard for a DD. Sure, w/ the proper choices one can find a good 'tweener, but there are no hard and fast answers. Too stiff for one is not hard enuf for another. C/o's are fine for the street w/ the proper rates.......and Spec e 30 does fine as well. Whats the dilemma here?.....your car wont break.........unlesss you run like 800 lbers.....and then you just end up having horrrible creaks and groans......and compressed lumbar discs!!!!!

i rode a camaro with 11xx lbers, 900s in the back and it was most breath taking (literally) experience ever...

what i kind of meant is for example having very thick sway bars right and decently hard springs in the 450lbs-f/600lbs-r which are alright on the street but with the help of the thick sway bars they are all you would need on the track and you have good travel in the suspension ~ traction i suppose, but there has to be a balance with the sways becasue i've had experience with cars that lift a wheel and it sucks

i'm gonna look at rally car forums see if i see something interesting, i wanna know how they do it...not that i'm trying to get something like that...i'm suspension is drifting, track~auto-x oriented

[Boris3]

Brake pad recommendations?

Costing a bit more to get the car in shape than planned due to pretty lax maintenance by POs, so it looks like the RA-1s are out for a bit. To start with I will run a set of Yokohama AVS ES100s with about 6K that I took off the miata and had stored last spring.

I have upcoming HPDEs at Blackhawk Farms this summer and could use some recommendations for a streetable track pad (maybe also good for an autocross or two as I get a better feel for the car?). I've been reading through assorted threads on brake pads and am more confused than enlightened. Hawks (HP-10, HP+, HPS), Carbotech (XP-08, AX-6 the old Panther+), Performance Friction (01, do not make Z compounds for the non-M3), Porterfields (R-4, R-4S), Mintex (C-tech), Pagid (Dark Blue Sport)?? I have run Axxis Ultimates on the miata which have been OK but not great so I am less convinced on how well they will do with a heavier car.

Iinsights and suggestions appreciated!

[JGood]

Costing a bit more to get the car in shape than planned due to pretty lax maintenance by POs, so it looks like the RA-1s are out for a bit. To start with I will run a set of Yokohama AVS ES100s with about 6K that I took off the miata and had stored last spring.

I have upcoming HPDEs at Blackhawk Farms this summer and could use some recommendations for a streetable track pad (maybe also good for an autocross or two as I get a better feel for the car?). I've been reading through assorted threads on brake pads and am more confused than enlightened. Hawks (HP-10, HP+, HPS), Carbotech (XP-08, AX-6 the old Panther+), Performance Friction (01, do not make Z compounds for the non-M3), Porterfields (R-4, R-4S), Mintex (C-tech), Pagid (Dark Blue Sport)?? I have run Axxis Ultimates on the miata which have been OK but not great so I am less convinced on how well they will do with a heavier car.

Iinsights and suggestions appreciated!

Just as with springs, you have a compromise. Pads that work better when you first touch the breaks in the morning, or pads that work better after 20 minutes of track driving. I use Hawk HPS for autox and have talked to many people who use them at track events with little to no fade. The price and availability is another plus. Not much dust compared to most street pads, although a little squeaky from time to time. I would recommend them.

I once used PBR/Axxis Deluxe, and they were nothing spectacular.

[jlevie]

Hawk HP+ is about as far as you can go in a "streetable track pad". They are a bit noisy when cold and that can be too much for some folks, but they aren't that farr off of a pure track pad (say like HT-10's) in performance. If you can't stand the noise on the street Hawk HPS or Axxis Ultimates would be my next choice.