E30 as a track car

[Muzz2676]

How good a track car can the e30 be? With 260hp, decent suspension and brakes and sticky tyres do you think I'll be able to keep up with reasonable machinery or am I polishing a turd?

[bosers]

I'm no expert for sure, but I've watched some beefed up e30's nailing loads of other cars round a track on YouTube, some vids of M52'd ones look like theym fookin flying! Polish that Turd I say!

[Muzz2676]

I'd like to be comparable to an Exige S..
....pie in the sky?

[Jonny6]

Hmmm ... Yeah they make awesome track cars .. But comparing them to really modern stuff especially in tbd wet is always going to be difficult .. In the dry I'd say yes , if your wallets are deep . But with all the electric assist on the newer stuff not a chance in the wet ..

[Muzz2676]

That's fine, I'm looking for the old catch phrase 'the thrill of driving' as long as it can keep up with stuff in the dry but also gives a real thrill to drive then I'll be happy. Had fast cars before that will Muller most cars on track but it just became boring

[Jonny6]

In that case .. Yeah will be awesome .. Some proper Coilovers (ast's or kw's ) , some braking tweeks , a good diff and some geo work and it will be mega fun .. As always there is no substitute for seat time .. Learning how to properly drive your car on track. Seen some of the biggest spec cars crawling road a circuit with the owner having no idea how to drive in a track environment .

[Jesus325iTouring]

I'm of the opinion, it's not the car, its the driver. You could have a chap in a Lambo, little nuts and no talent up against a tatted up fellow in a beaten up Vectra SRi with big balls and a bit of talent and the Vectra could well show up the Lambo

Polish the turd

[Muzz2676]

What do you think are the best for the e30...had ASTII's on my Clio Cup, KW's on my 993, and Ohlins and Nitrons on my 360hp Elise.....Ohlins failed in a stunning way

[Jonny6]

I'm a Huge fan of variant's personally .. But Ast's are equally impressive ..

[Motorhole]

There are plenty of vids of this dude keeping up with much newer BMWs. This one is vs. an E92 M3.



Plenty of folk on here with track focussed E30s more than capable of embarrassing quick stuff.

[ajay]

Hmmm ... Yeah they make awesome track cars .. But comparing them to really modern stuff especially in tbd wet is always going to be difficult .. In the dry I'd say yes , if your wallets are deep . But with all the electric assist on the newer stuff not a chance in the wet ..

Exceptional electric assist to rival & better modern turds is retrofittable & available for E30's so thats not an issue tbh!

[Demlotcrew]

Cheers Andy!

It's certainly possible to have a good handling E30, just expect many people to tell you how to do it wrong.

This is a shamelessplug, but one of my customers who fitted one of my modern ABS/Stability systems to his E30, ran it for the first time this weekend, he broke the Lap record for fastest lap time on Semi Slicks by 1.5s!

He qualified pole with 1.8s faster than the next leading car. Engine is an S14 2.5l

Here is a little video from yesterday.



A big congrats to him, although he doesn't get on forums so probably won't see this.

[bss325i]

He qualified pole with 1.8s faster than the next leading car. Engine is an S14 2.5l

Here is a little video from yesterday.



A big congrats to him, although he doesn't get on forums so probably won't see this.

Slide throttles and a sequential box?

[Demlotcrew]

Yes that's right, pretty much a late DTM engine.

[bss325i]

[Demlotcrew]

At the last session the stock E30 abs was playing up and he didn't make the podium, so I got a kit together for him and his friend fit it in less than two weeks! The track is in Finland, check out the other cars he was racing against!

[Motorhole]

That's an epic noise. Beautiful car.

[andyp]

Go on BUTT selling the kits off now, you know this

[Demlotcrew]

a˜‡

[Muzz2676]

How much are said systems?

[Demlotcrew]

A great in car video of the car above.



Look at how he out braked the E46 to gain the lead with the CSL MK60.

Andrew

[LondonTom]

What a cracking car and driver.

Demlot, out of interest, are you involved in engineering professionally in some respect? It's just some of the technology I see you discussing / producing seriously stands out.

[Demlotcrew]

Not really, just dedicated and very geeky.

Latest is my testing of an F1 fuel pump

[pacerpete]

[bss325i]

Very geeky is an understatement!

But not in a bad way.

[Demlotcrew]

a˜­ I know a˜Š

[LondonTom]

Not really, just dedicated and very geeky.

Latest is my testing of an F1 fuel pump

It's all in the detail!

[ajay]

And thats only half the story, the Lifter pump is also a work of art!! a˜Ž

[Demlotcrew]

Yup devil is in the detail, that's why it takes me soooo long to complete anything these days.

a˜‚ Ajay, you're right, the little lifter is incredible, CAN control, PWM, System voltage, 270lph and only 3amps!!!!!

[Dave_M3]

Like for like, an E36, E46 or E92 trackcar will be alot faster but even though my E36 and E46 M3s would blow most E30s into the weeds in terms of pace, I still find my E30 hugely entertaining to drive as it just feels more involving since it's so much smaller.

For shear fun and entertainment, a good E30 is extremely hard to beat as even a well sorted 318is with around 150-160bhp is great fun. A well built track car with around the 250bhp mark will be brilliant!

[Carl911rugby]

I have a half share in an m52 e30(230bhp). It's got a 3.64 LSD and therefore gearing is very short as we top out at 120mph in 5th. Here's a link to my first fast lap of the ring last year, couple of yellows and a massive oil spill at Adenau forst and the camera angle is not the greatest. It's been set up by edmotorsport in Launton and handles brilliantly!! Oh and was built by big Bavarian beauties. On uk circuits it certainly holds it's own!!

[Muzz2676]

I have a half share in an m52 e30(230bhp). It's got a 3.64 LSD and therefore gearing is very short as we top out at 120mph in 5th. Here's a link to my first fast lap of the ring last year, couple of yellows and a massive oil spill at Adenau forst and the camera angle is not the greatest. It's been set up by edmotorsport in Launton and handles brilliantly!! Oh and was built by big Bavarian beauties. On uk circuits it certainly holds it's own!!

Thanks for posting that. I've got a 3.64 LSD going in too. What suspension did you opt for? As mentioned I'm not looking to win a track day.

I was a bit worried that the car would be a bit of a handful with this power but yours seems okay.

Off to Donnington next weekend to give the current set up m52b25 a go so I've got something to co.pare it with when it comes back with the new engine and brakes.

[Carl911rugby]

It's running gaz gold with power flex bushes. It's got 325i discs and yellow stuff pads. We use 195-50-15 federals as they are really progressive when they go. We just need to fit our new rack with pas, as the non pas e30 rack gives great feedback, but makes drifting look very untidy.
I really should do a build profile!!

[Muzz2676]

This is mine
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=259389

Got R888's and similar brakes, changing to WMS. Need to see if the H&R's cup suspension is up to the job, if not then probably got Gaz or BC's had AST2's on another car but bit too pricey for me at the mo

[Dave_M3]

They can make very fun track cars really! Here's a friend in his S54 E30 having some fun followed by another mates E36 M3 Evo.




S54, carbon airbox, ecu, GAZ gold coilovers, 4.27 cwp and cut slicks all round on 17x8.5 and 10s!