woodbridge trackday, june 27th

[harry_p]

Just booked up for this, got a few mates going in various cars so thought i'd give it a bash.

anyone else fancy it? i know there are a few people not a million miles away in norfolk/ suffolk / essex.

£129 open pitlane day, 102db static noise test, with javelin trackdays http://javelintrackdays.co.uk/jt/index. ... 1&Itemid=4

[harry_p]

well, i did it.

first trackday in the m3 and it was awesome!

got off to a dodgy start when the lower hose popped off the expansion tank during the noise test before i even got out on track. where the pipe clamps to has lost a metal insert it's supposed to have and had cracked meaning the hose hasnt got much to grip to. fixed it and did 5 or so hot laps, really enjoying myself before a big unexpected sideways moment and the check light flashing signalled that the hose had come off again. coasted back to the pits repaired it again, roughing up what remains of where the hose clamps to with a file to give a bit more grip.

then did loads more laps throughout the day, was so hot, and i was pretty much cruising allong the straights so not to strain the cooling system.

i learnt so much more about how the car behaves at the limit in one day than i have in the past 3 years of road driving in it. the way it's so progressive and adjustable at speed is increadible. on the road the odd bit of opposite lock round a roundabout or out of a junction in the wet makes you feel like a hero, but with space to play and no curbs to hit 80mph drifts with a half to full turn of opposite lock are a massive giggle.

loved the track too, interesting layout and a much more interesting location than the airfield title would leave you to believe. a typical airfield conefest made so much more interesting by being routed through overgrown dissused sections and access roads past massive hangers. i will 100% be going back, hopefully fairly soon. they have a date there every month. july is a no go, august probably will be, but september might be possible for me.

overall, the day just highlighted what a good allrounder the m3 is. quick, adjustable, pointy, accurate yet comfortable on the way to and from the track, with enough space for 4 people and their luggage for a european driving holiday.

a little more power would be nice, 20-30bhp would make enough difference i think, just because the chassis is so capable. i wouldnt want to mess with the suspension as it works so well on the twisty b-raods where it spends 99% of it's time, a bit too much roll as a trackcar, but far from soft or wallowy. maybe some adjustable arbs would make a worthwile improvement? if i was to do these days more often i'd be looking at adjustable topmounts to get the car using the full width of the front tyres and hopefully give a little more bite.

of course, there's always the temptation to go full on and make it a dedicated trackday toy, but i just havent got the time or money to do so to a standard i would be happy with, and i think i'd miss the day to day thrills it gives as it is.

[Jon_Bmw]

Looks like a good day out. Nothing like a bit of drama with the hose to get the heart racing.

Did you cain the outside edge of the front tyres then? I'm not sure what the score is with BMW adj top mounts. On the 205 scene, they are relatively cheap(circa £90) but you need coilovers so that the shock/spring doesn't smash the shock tunnel.

Where is Woodbridge, east London?

[harry_p]

nope, just east of ipswich, IP12 3TW is the postcode javelin give.

i didnt exactly destroy the outside edges, but the first session i used my road wheels with almost new toyos on the front and well worn tyres on the rear and afterwards there were signs of the tread overheating and pushing over.

for the rest of the day i swapped to some very well worn toyos which were down to the wear markers over the full width and over maybe 5 sessions of 10+ laps each managed to wear the outside edge completely smooth with the inside edge staying pretty much as they started the day.

not as bad as some cars where ive seen them scrub the writing off the sidewalls! i'd guess even a degree or so would be enough to help, i really don't want to go to coilovers though and not sure what works with stock struts

[harry_p]

some on here might know ste and his ex e30 touring, this mx5 is his latest project / toy and my mate scott in his e34 540, pic by me during a 5 minute window when i wasnt playing with cars

[Fushion_Julz]

Good to see you had a good day...

What spec is your M3?

[harry_p]

'89 195bhp euro spec, non sunroof

supersprint decat full system (96Db @ 4500rpm @ 0.5meters)
polybushed front arms, arbs and rear subframe
bilsteins and eibach springs
eibach front strutbrace
grp sportevo replica rear wing, front splitter and undertray and brakeducts
recaro speed copy front seats

that's about it

[winx]

excellent, a mate of mine lives minutes from the airfield so I can stay overnight and have somewhere to retire to when the car breaks (which it almost certainly will!)
Do you know what date the September day is? Can't do July, August is Abingdon so September would be very interesting!

Good write up, has wet my appetite to come along and try it!

[Fushion_Julz]

'89 195bhp euro spec, non sunroof

supersprint decat full system (96Db @ 4500rpm @ 0.5meters)
polybushed front arms, arbs and rear subframe
bilsteins and eibach springs
eibach front strutbrace
grp sportevo replica rear wing, front splitter and undertray and brakeducts
recaro speed copy front seats

that's about it

Sounds pretty similar to mine:

'87 195bhp Euro spec with sunroof (manual)
Engine fully balanced and lightened with flowed and matched 46mm TBs, head and manifolds and 276 Inlet cam
fully polybushed except for AR bars
Faulkner springs, AVO adjustable dampers
Matter front strutbrace
GRP sport Evo replica rear wing
Black diamond front discs
OEM rear discs
Ferodo DS2500 pads
Toyo R888 track tyres on 15" rims

I'm in need of a new exhaust system and have been considering the Supersprint one...
I'm thinking of the mild steel centre section (with decat), but with a silencer and a SS racing rear box.

Which Supersprint one are you running as the noise is about right...
My OEM original system with CATs and a loose rear box baffle read 89dB @ 4500RPM, 0.5m

I also think I've got too much body roll and am considering uprating the AR bars (H&R or Whiteline) to try and control that a bit...
Obviously upping the spring rate would help, too, but I don't want it to become unusable on the road...

[harry_p]

mine is the standard mild steel 'road' supersprint. i'm sure it's a been a bit louder recently than it used to be so maybe it needs repacking. it has been on the car around 4 years though and done a lot of miles in that time.

sounds pretty noisy for everyday use, but not loud enough to be annoying on a run. just right really

have your engine mods made much difference to the power / delivery? i've been wondering if a lighened flywheel and a 3.64 lsd might give a bit more punch without having to play around with the engine and not being able to resist spending an absolute fortune on it

here's a youtube vid taken on the day we were there, it's from a mini cooper s and doesnt look anything like as much fun as it was in the m3, but it's a nice clear, stable vid which shows the track layout

[Fushion_Julz]

Well...
When I bought the car (>5yrs ago) the engine was untouched, original with under 100K miles

It produced a figure of around 172bhp (flywheel) on Surrey Rolling Road (at an E30 Zone meet) so I knew it was ripe for a rebuild...Then it spun a bearing on No1 piston big end at a Brands trackday so I bit the bullet and spent >£3500 on a rebuild...

So bearing in mind the engine was a bit down on power anyway, I'd say the lightness of the bottom end improves the response and feel and the better inlet breathing allows it to pull better up the rev range...At the expense of making it feel a little gutless under about 3000RPM...

However, the engine will now rev (it has a chip to suit the cam and mods) to around 8000 RPM before valve bounce limits it further...But I'd say it has delivered it's maximum power and torque by then, although I haven't (yet) had the chance to take it back to Surrey RR to see what the real figures are...So no real figures, but I'd guess (having driven other M3s and other similar cars) that the motor is producing around the 210-215bhp.

I forgot to say that I've also fitted a mod to the sump to prevent oil starvation on the track...

My recent trip to Castle Combe (see seperate thread and links to pics/vids) showed up a few issues...
The body roll is a bit too much on the track...Hence the desire to improve the AR bars...
The gearing is a bit too tall (even on 15" rims)...Ideally I'd like a closer ratio gearbox...with a taller 1st and shorter spacing from 2nd-3rd-4th with 5th being direct...Perhaps coupled with a 3.64 or 3.75 40% LSD
But that is probably unrealistic and I'll probably have to settle for just swapping the diff.

But my list of purchases for the future are
1. Exhaust (urgent and soon)
2. New Toyo R888 tyre (before next trackday in Sept)
3. New Ferodo DS2500 pads (before next trackday)
4. AR bars...probably this year
5. Steering rack (again this year, probably, as mine has started making a bit of noise)
6. Differential (probably next year now unless I get offered one at a sparkling deal!)

I'm happy with my engine, now...It is powerful enough for trackdays and the road, still economical enough (24-25mpg on the road), still driveable and tractable and feels strong...

Just be aware that any sort of engine work on an S14 isn't cheap...Gaskets, guides and tensioners are expensive by normal BMW standards and (OEM) rings and bearings pretty extortionate!

[Bladerider]

Its good fun on the Woodbridge track, I got told off last year for drifting the bit where you have taken those pics, but in fairness I was taking the mick on my last lap of that session !!

Hopefully have one of my cars up and running for then next one and see you in September !!

J.