[triton.]

Hey All,

I attended the BMW CCA Driving School over the weekend at Summit Point in WV. Had my brother who is a semi pro take some shots (First 4 Shots) and also have a few from someone else that was there.

The event was really awesome and you learn quite a bit. Well worth the money. All the shots are of me except the black M3.

Over all the E90 performed very well. My car is stock. The only thing keeping me from keeping up with with certain cars was my driving ability, not the car. I have to practice Heel Toe before the next event. The track itself was very small, about 1.02 miles long which meant a lot of turns in short period of time. I shaved off about 1 mm off of my front brake pads and about .75 mm off the rear for the 2 day event (8 20 min runs).

The fastest I got up to was about 95 mph(in 3rd gear). At one point(1 time) an e46 M3 was behind me coming out of the last turn into the straight away and the driver said that he couldn't catch up to me on that straight away. This only happened once (the only time I properly did a heel toe to accelerate out of the turn).

In tight turns the E90 suspension can keep up with the M3s easily, (E46, E30s). Again the main thing holding me back was driving ability. I highly reccomend these events as there extremely educational and a whole lot of fun.

I did go off the track once because I went into a turn way too hot. It was my 2nd run, so I had a little more confidence but not the skill at the point. Everything was ok though as I went straight off the track(like your suppose to) rather then try to fight it and hitting the grass/sand sideways.

If anyone has been thinking about these events, this track I thought was great as a first timer as it's short so you can keep trying turns that you mess up often. Plus the smaller track limits your top speed which in this case for me was great cause, it was alot to do and adding the element of going 125+ mph was something I'm glad I didn't have to factor in.

Oh the blue tape is to protect the fog lights incase of anything that gets kicked onto the track. The hook is a tow hook just in case you to crash.

My Avg MPG / Run.

Run1: 25.3 | Run2: 15.8 | Run3: 13.7 | Run4: 11.2
Run5: 9.8 | Run6 9.7: | Run7: 9.8 | Run8: 9.2

[txusa03]

dude, that looks awesome. would you explain to me how heel toe is performed (or how did the instructor explain heel toe to you)?

[triton.]

Originally Posted by txusa03

dude, that looks awesome. would you explain to me how heel toe is performed (or how did the instructor explain heel toe to you)?

I'm still learning it but the basic premise to to use both the throttle and brake at the same time while downshifting.

The application for this(and why a lot of M3s with SMG were gaining on me) is that your going into a turn really fast and not braking till the very last moment, so you have to down shift while your still braking at full force. So 2 feet for 3 pedals. Stil mastering it.

[larryn]

Nice pics! Looks like you had fun. In the Boston Chapter, I'm #31 as well in my e90 330i.

[E90330iS]

very nice!

[Hotan Braskey]

Heel and toe is used to downshift using rev-matching while braking so it does not unsettle the car like dropping the clutch would. You actually don't use your heel at all-just the two sides of your right foot. Imagine you are entering a braking zone in fourth gear, and the corner is taken in third. While braking for the corner, use only the left side of the ball of your right foot on the brake. As the revs drop, depress the clutch and shift from fourth to third. As the gear stick is being slotted into third, use the right side of your right foot to rock over on the gas peddle, blipping the throttle. As the revs are elevated, let the clutch out, and you will have just performed a smooth downshift while braking! I know it sounds really complex, but try it a few times and you will be a pro.

[noflash]

Congrats on the school. I did one not too long ago. Best Performance Mod Ever!

I have tried to teach myself h/t shifting several times. It is hard and scary! The problem is, you're going 90 mph toward a corner trying to modulate 2 petals at once and if you slip off the brake -- well, I just hope there is a big open field in front of you.

At my school, I specifically asked if we'd be learning h/t and got a resounding NO WAY. I was instructed to go learn at 30-40mph around town and not on the track.

I was taught to let the clutch out (not too fast to avoid an unsettling chirp) while braking and no throttle blip. While I felt it was a novice's way out. I was a novice and it worked fine! There was really no lurching of the car that you might expect.

I'd love to learn the technique, but I think my size 14s might not permit it. Hopefully, BMW's DSG will be as great as I hope and I'll never need to master it!

Congrats again. Thanks for the pics and sharing your experience.

[mikepinkerton]

I was just on that track last fri with Racing Adventures driving a Shelby Cobra. Wish i could have taken my 330 around it a few times. It had to watch from the parking lot

How often does bmw do things at summit point?

-Mike

[txusa03]

Thank guys/gals. Great thread. I never could understand why they call it heel and toe until you described to me and said there is really no toes involved. Sound like something I (or any novice drivers) need to practice alot to become good at it.

[Hotan Braskey]

Yeah, the track should not be the place to try doing heel-toe for the first time. Try it at lower speeds around town, and eventually it will become second nature,

[itsbrokeagain]

Ive been h/t-ing ever since I started driving. I perfected it driving my Nissan 240s (had 3 of them over the years) because the car was so responsive and easy to revmatch and what not (good old cable style throttle!)...I find it harder to revmatch with the E90, and I don't know if its my head playing games, but turning DTC on seems to make it more responsive. I slight blip of the gas while downshifting in a 240 would work perfectly, whereas the bmw with its drive-by-wire setup seems to take a bit more effort to do it right.

Once the CDV comes out I'm sure it will make things a lot easier...I have a habit in the car of revving too much or not enough...its just so quiet I cant hear what the car is doing!

[Don Nguyen]

Damn, looks like fun. It's not often you see E9Xs on the track, maybe that'll start changing soon

[EHDEN]

is there another reason for the tape on the lights besides possible rocks flying out and scratching???