Track day car tyre and coilovers advice please?

[mattrs]

I am in the process of getting my e30 325i track car ready for this summer and need to advice on two things,

Installing r888 s definatly but I've noticed the soft compounds are a fair bit cheaper.... obviously worried about rapid ware and am thinking would soft on the front and mediums on the rear be a good idea??

Also, I have lowering spring and stiffer shocks installed atm but feel there is too much body roll.... There are coilovers on ebay for around 200 quid and am wondering if they are reasonable and likely to be any good and last a while??

Thanks in advance

[327ire]

I used Jom coilovers on my 2.8l e30 for about a year and went to a track day with them installed. They SUCK! The rear was completely unusable so they went straight into the bin and the front shocks blew within about 6 months.

On the track they were really letting the car down as the honda's flew past me even though I had 227bhp. They are ok on a regular e30 but if you drive it hard then dont get cheap / budget suspension.

Recently I installed BC coilovers that cost €860 and a few quid for getting them welded. They are soooooooooo good compared to the usual stuff and well worth being 3 times the cost of the Joms. Now Im flying past the type-r oil burners

Also Im using Federal AD08 215mm tyres on the rear and they stick perfectly well with 227hp. They cost €150 each on ebay which is a lot cheaper than r888s.

[gooseygander110]

Gaz are a good bet .......they do the job really well .........you can pay more ........but unless you are a pro .......Why ?!!

[dot]

I'm using gaz gha range and they work well for me I do occasional track days, also I bought anti roll bar kit from America that made a massive difference in cornering stiffened it right up, I think it's a 18mm rear and 22mm front.

Jom are dog shit a friend bought some and they didn't drop the rear at all just gave him 60mm extra height if he wanted it

I can also vouch for the AD08 tyres I'm using them on the rear worked well but would loose grip if over heated, as you would expect

[rix313]

You get what you pay for at the end of the day... If you have to wait a couple of months in order to be able to spend an extra coupe of hundred quid to spend on dampers then do that. You don't want to buy some cheap ones realise they're crap then have to start all over again.

Tyre wise, buying softs because they are cheaper is just madness. You'll buy two sets for the sake of spending a little extra and getting mediums. Seeing as you won't be going for do or die 1 lap qualifying runs, get mediums. Consider other manufactures too. R888 isn't the be all and end all of track tyres. Since they ramped the price up they've pushed them into the price range of better tyres.

Have fun

[mattrs]

I suspected so re the suspension but had heard some reasonable feedback abiut them, probably from less hard driving owners.

[Paynts]

I've got adjuatable ledas all round coil over at the back, m3 ofset top mounts and offset bottom suspension arms these or some other type of increased camber and caster are key for handling. with 888s in the dry grown men whimper when you load it up on the corners the only things that will get you on corners are caterhams and the like

[PBMW99]

I raced on Ast's last year and have recently switched to AVO as they are local to me and can dyno/ service the dampers at a moments notice. Both sets are Mono's and offer very good adjustability and grip....I have used another rated brand but found that they did not offer a huge amount of difference between full soft and full hard, they also rusted fairly quickly so not ideal for those using their car on the roads.....I won't mention the brand out of respect but I think those in the know have an idea.
So, you dont have to be an expert to make full use of the more expensive set ups, they stand less chance of failing and respond better to adjustments.
On Toyos I would go with either medium or harder, our medium compound is toast after a day at Snetterton or Rockingham and that's being heffed along by a 320i, I fear that a 325 would tear the soft compound to shreds.
I have used tyres in medium compound for sale 195/50/15 which have plenty of track life left but they have lost the crucial 'edge' which is required to run near the front in a one make championship (equiv to half a second per lap) so if you are interested pm me.
My Ast's have just been serviced and are available too......full set up ready to bolt on, mounts, recent bearings etc. Not cheap but very very good. (2 grand new incl donor struts, springs (8 of) and mounts, bmw bearings.

[Mikey_Boy]

R888s are a pretty good tyre for the track and pretty hard to unstick on the road in the wet too from my experiences. However, they don't like standing water at all but no doubt you know that already...

Hearing good things about Federal RSRs as well, some folks who use these are toyo converts..

As for suspension, the best you can afford is always the way. AST gets good reviews (apart from the sales manager in the UK who is a complete tool) as do Intrax, Leda and AVO. Cheap coil overs just aren't worth the hassle and heartache. Getting the right bushes everywhere is also critical as well as the right geometry.

A well set up e30 is still something to behold...

[Mikey_Boy]

And it forgot to mention - uprated adjustable anti roll bars!!!

Best thing for turn in feel and roll - make sure you uprate the drop links as well...