Jake's Epic BMW 135i Build Thread! (5+ Years of Ownership)

[suspenceful]

Yesterday I did something I've never done before, but have always wanted to do... race the full track at Road America. I forgot my camera, but snapped some pics with my phone. Also have some in-car Go-Pro footage that I'll edit and upload in a few days.

This was the Lamers Motor Racing driving experience event. I scored a free admission ticket from the CEO of the company I work for. Apparently this is a "golf outing for car guys". The event was so much fun. The rules/regulations were relaxed, but the drivers were competitive. Only rule; no metal-to-metal contact. There were three classes, as follows.

GROUP 1: for those street cars that go a little quicker and are more experienced at driving at speed.
GROUP 2: for those who are more interested in driving at a more moderate speed.
RACE CAR: limited to cars that average under 3:00 per lap.

Having never been to this event before, I assumed that group 2 would be for people who wanted to bring their regular car and putz around the track. I wanted a little more than that so I pre-registered for group 1. I figured it'd be perfect because I've done auto-x, 1/4 mile and 1/2 mile events before and I'm comfortable going fast in my car.

Got there, had a brief safety meeting and then it was go-time. No instructors. My group was first. I had no idea what to expect. I don't know the track and have only been to RA once before. I left my ego at the door and turned the power down as far as I could (wastegate pressure, ~450whp).

I put my car in the middle of the pack and figured I'd just follow the cars ahead of me. We merge onto the track and I quickly realize this is the real deal. Everyone is balls out and I'm pushing my car to it's limits. My girlfriend is having the time of her life in the passenger seat. The 15-minute session went by so fast.

We exited the track and I went over to talk to the guys I was playing cat-and-mouse with on the track. They almost laughed when I asked if it was their first time. Apparently most of them had done this many times before. They couldn't believe that was my first-ever lap. I got two more sessions in throughout the day and probably racked up a total of 15 laps.

I couldn't believe how much the car's tires and brakes changed throughout each session. It was interesting because it sprinkled a bit on the last session. The car performed great on the low power setting. I can't imagine how much of a weapon it'd be on a high power setting with a proper driver. Everyone had a great time, people loved the car. I was the only non-M BMW there. There was an E92 M3, F82 M4 and F10 M5 in my class that seemed to be flooded with C6/C7 Z06 and GT350/GT500s.

I'd love to do this again, but would really enjoy doing it in an older car that I don't care as much about. N54 swapped E36?

[jc43089]

That looks fun!  Was that E36 N54 swapped?

[suspenceful]

jc43089 said:

That looks fun!  Was that E36 N54 swapped?

No, it wasn't. Not sure of the exact setup.

[patsbimmer1]

I'm glad you had fun!  It looks like some pretty serious hardware out there.  Did you run a timer at all?  So what do you like more, air field races or track driving?

[B C]

The one and only time I drove on a track was within my top 3 fun experiences in life (well you dont have a very fun life then, yeah i know) .

Thanks for sharing the pics and glad it was a good time for you guys with no walls or mechanical snafus

[suspenceful]

patsbimmer1 said:

I'm glad you had fun!  It looks like some pretty serious hardware out there.  Did you run a timer at all?  So what do you like more, air field races or track driving?

I did not run a timer, but wish I did. Oh well, next time.

Track driving requires a lot more concentration. It's fun, but also exhausting. I think straight line racing is more fun, in a relaxing way. Track driving is more serious, but enjoyable. Can't go wrong with either.

snap said:

The one and only time I drove on a track was within my top 3 fun experiences in life (well you dont have a very fun life then, yeah i know) .

Thanks for sharing the pics and glad it was a good time for you guys with no walls or mechanical snafus

Get back on a track soon! Even auto-x...

Happy to share with my fellow WIBimmer fanatics. Hope to see some of you guys this year.

[patsbimmer1]

Well good for you!  I'm glad you had this opportunity!  I'm eager to see the track video.

[SteelBlue]

"My brakes are pretty good"

Turns 1, 5, 12:

[Jdesign]

Damn. That must have been a blast. Anxiously waiting to see video coverage!

[suspenceful]

I finally strapped my 135i onto the dyno this weekend and am thrilled with the results. I can't find a higher published power output from a Precision 6266 on an N54! Now I need to put my Draggy to use so I can see how fast it really is...

I did a handful of pulls at various power levels and attached the logs below. This should give everyone a good idea of what a properly set-up 6266 can do from low boost to high boost on an N54.

All pulls done in 4th gear (manual transmission). DynoJet with STD correction.

• 749whp, 643wtq @ 29psi - https://datazap.me/u/suspenceful/dyno-749whp
• 708whp, 609wtq @ 26psi - https://datazap.me/u/suspenceful/dyno-708whp
• 658whp, 554wtq @ 21psi - https://datazap.me/u/suspenceful/dyno-658whp
• 552whp, 495wtq @ 16psi - https://datazap.me/u/suspenceful/dyno-552whp
• 453whp, 422wtq @ 11psi - https://datazap.me/u/suspenceful/dyno-452whp

Watch the video above for speedo & exhaust angles... plus lots of awesome turbo noises. I also explain a lot of stuff as I'm dynoing the car.

Let me know what you think!

[cpandrewschmidt]

hot damn

[straight6pwr]

NO WAY!

[Drgt5683]

That’s awsOme!

nice work..

[SteelBlue]

Power numbers are pretty tasty.

Whats the plan for putting the power to the pavement now?

[suspenceful]

Thanks guys! I'm very happy/impressed with the car.

SteelBlue said:

Power numbers are pretty tasty.

Whats the plan for putting the power to the pavement now?

I have some 275 Federal 595RSRR to try on my current wheels. The MPSS I have currently are actually really good at holding the power for a street tire.

I'll be getting a set of 17" wheels to put an Mickey Thompson ET Street tire on.

[B C]

If only Burger Tuning could help with my beef to cheese ratios....

Things keep getting better with this car!  Stay safe!

[patsbimmer1]

Nice job!  Plans for an LSD anytime?

[suspenceful]

patsbimmer1 said:

Nice job!  Plans for an LSD anytime?

I just ordered some cheap 17" wheels and a pair of Mickey Thompson ET Street R tires on eBay to take full advantage of their 20% sitewide sale today.

LSD is next

[patsbimmer1]

The Mickey T's should help a bit I would hope. 

[suspenceful]

Had a bit of an issue with the cheap eBay wheels, so @Tkuhn sold me a pair of rear Style 68 wheels from an E46. My girlfriend wouldn't let me steal some from her car. They're one of the only available wheels that have a high enough offset with some decent width. I'd still like a 9.5" wheel instead of these 8.5", but they'll work. The MT radials are on and it's a very tight fit.

Any opinions on color? I am going to clean them up and spraybomb them tonight. Silver, gray, black or red?