Hello. My name is Dan, and today I doomsday prepped

[straight6pwr]

i really need an external mic for the back of the car so you can hear her sing. watching the video makes me see where I could have made up a lot of time by looking a turn ahead, or not hugging cones in unnecessary places. also i typed in 2016 for some reason, lol.

[straight6pwr]

another day, another 2/32" of tire gone.

Madison Sports Car Club setup a great course. It was more high speed than my first event, which was a fun change of pace.

I remembered to setup my front camber to MAX and air up the tires to 45lbs, and it certainly made a difference. 

I met a couple of cool guys out there. A couple of other BMWs. I got to do a ride along in Sam's m3. Man, it feels fast from the passenger seat! I learned that I would love to have better brakes. The m3 brakes haul that thing down so much faster than the e30.

Vince's m3.

[KaiserRolls]

Wait, did you say 45 psi?????

[KaiserRolls]

If they are softer sidewall all-ish seasons maybe I can see that actually.

CARRY ON DAN

Glad you're having fun with this!!

[B C]

love those photos! I do wonder if the lack of droop on a low coilover setup is a hinderance to grip compared to a spring and damper combo that stays in contact with the road. I would think so but lots of fast racecars lift the front wheel so who am I to judge?!?

~45 psi is what some of my friends ran for autocross when I would spectate many many years ago

[KaiserRolls]

Snap said:

love those photos! I do wonder if the lack of droop on a low coilover setup is a hinderance to grip compared to a spring and damper combo that stays in contact with the road. I would think so but lots of fast racecars lift the front wheel so who am I to judge?!?

~45 psi is what some of my friends ran for autocross when I would spectate many many years ago

I guess it depends on the tire/suspension setup.

[m42b32]

Looks like it was a great time!! Awesome pictures as usual!

[patsbimmer1]

Going up in psi seems contradictory to what i've been taught and what i've read.  If it works it works but did you see what it's jumping up to with heat?

[KaiserRolls]

patsbimmer1 said:

Going up in psi seems contradictory to what i've been taught and what i've read.  If it works it works but did you see what it's jumping up to with heat?

Tires rolling over too much maybe?

[Boris3]

Typically you do bump them up for autox. Short runs with tight turns that cause tire rollover and variations in heat. The magic tire pressures vary by car, suspension, tire, driver, road surface, weather, etc. Variation in pressures from front to rear depending on all the above. Plus you'll see folks with tire blankets and water sprayers trying to get the right heat - grip combinations.

Chalking the tire shoulders and seeing the wear lines is one easy way to check for rollover and whether you need to adjust pressures up/down. Pyrometers are a step up for measuring heat variation at centers and edges.

All sorts of ways to go deep down the rabbit hole with this stuff. At this stage though more fun to just bump up the pressures, go fast and try not to kill too many cones.

[straight6pwr]

yeah, my tires have super wishy-washy sidewalls, so a bump in pressure definitely improved responsiveness. not sure if 45psi is the right pressure, but i based it on the tires max psi and online research.

Boris3 said:

Chalking the tire shoulders and seeing the wear lines is one easy way to check for rollover and whether you need to adjust pressures up/down. Pyrometers are a step up for measuring heat variation at centers and edges.

All sorts of ways to go deep down the rabbit hole with this stuff. At this stage though more fun to just bump up the pressures, go fast and try not to kill too many cones.

i saw a couple guys chalking tires and measuring with pyrometers, but as you suggest, I'm resisting the rabbit hole. the only money I want going into this is replacing parts from any extra wear/tear. and maybe tires. and maybe sway bars.

I also found out that my tires are pretty garbage for racing, in general. after the last run of the day, I got a re-run due to a timing error, so I was able to do two runs directly back-to-back. the second run the tires felt slippery at the hotter temps.

also to note, i have not killed any cones yet, but i do have a few DNFs

[m42b32]

straight6pwr said:

I'm resisting the rabbit hole. the only money I want going into this is replacing parts from any extra wear/tear. and maybe tires. and maybe sway bars.

Sounds like the rabbit hole resisting is going well 

[straight6pwr]

m42b32 said:

Sounds like the rabbit hole resisting is going well 

maybes.   really, what it comes down to is that I really don't give a shit about my times against anyone else. i like to best myself by the end of the day, but, then I find that the last few runs I'm just being a hoon because its fun. the car is super fun as it is, so I will keep reminding myself of that.

[straight6pwr]

first bit of fall. can't wait for the colors to really show.

[B C]

i'm still green with envy. What a machine

PS:  lemme pop dat hood

[KaiserRolls]

Gosh dang, white is the best color on an e30

[Jdesign]

Looks damn spectacular. Alpine White is the best color.

[straight6pwr]

Snap said:

i'm still green with envy. What a machine

PS:  lemme pop dat hood

hood poppage scheduled for after the fall cruise. gotta do heater core/coolant hose/some other things at that point.

[straight6pwr]

well, i was going to tackle some of this in the fall before putting the car 'away' for the winter, but i couldnt help myself and just drove the car to the last minute.  so, i'll try to tackle this in one weekend (maybe 2) before driving season kicks off in may. 

the list for april (to be done by may 1):

1. turn my hot air intake into a colder air intake, incl. bimmerworld silicone intake boot and something beer related
2. brake refresh: install new stoptech sport pads, blank rotors, ss brake lines, remote brake fluid reservoir, ate super blue fluid. my brakes are 'meh' at best. i couldn't lock them up in the rain at autocross  probably the worst of the 3 e30s i've had. could just be some bad pads on there, but we'll see. 
3. replace heater valve, spider hose, and additional coolant hoses. replacing the water pump and thermostat 'while i'm in there'
4. new intake manifold seals,  brake booster check valve, and crank case vent lines, clean ICV 
5. new valve cover gaskets, oil cap to stop leaks. powdercoating the valve cover and new spark plugs and coil boots 'while im in there'
6. get new tires installed. 205/50r16 BFG G-force sport comp 2
7. new engine harness cover or wrap 'while i'm in there'
8. reseal dipstick tube to oil pan

the list for the rest of the year:

1. find oil level wiring, or add it. 
2. find washer fluid pump/sensor wiring, or add it. reconnect washer tank to hood hoses.
3. replace windshield with used OEM glass. 
4. wire in electric fan correctly. (connect to run all the time currently) https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=210783
5. permanently mount elec fan with bracket kit.

did some small prep today, mostly to get the valve cover off for painting.

oops, that's a puddle of oil in there.

5 of 6 were dry

another found 'hack'. i suppose this bit of sharp steel plate was used as a lift location. with a teeny 10mm bolt in an aluminum head casting.  i removed it because i like my blood to be inside my veins and my s50 head in one piece. 

mystery harness wires that i need to figure out. picture for self reference. 

intake side!

[B C]

yeesh, hopefully that lifting point was only used for a head install. Thats a good list though. brake pads are next up on my car after I start driving and remember how scary these ones were the last time I drove it.