[M3 Esq]

I had my first track day on 4/5 with my 335i at LRP with Hudson Champlain PCA. I have to say the car was awesome. It's stock for the most part. The only things I did were mount apex arc 8 17x9 w/ 255/40 BFG G-Force Rivals, stop tech street brake pads, ate gold, and pulled the pins and had an alignment. The car was fantastic. Before this I was tracking an e92 M3 and I have to say there was not a huge drop off. The 335i's suspension is softer and there is a bit more body roll but overall I was impressed. It turned in great and I was able to hammer it at the apex. The car was very neutral the way I had it set up. Oil temp never rose above 250 (I have opt 840). I ran four 20 minute sessions. Ambient temp was around 50 so we'll see how it performs as the temps warm up. I was driving a family sedan and getting point bys from 911s!

[StealYourFace]

Originally Posted by M3 Esq.

I had my first track day on 4/5 with my 335i at LRP with Hudson Champlain PCA. I have to say the car was awesome. It's stock for the most part. The only things I did were mount apex arc 8 17x9 w/ 255/40 BFG G-Force Rivals, stop tech street brake pads, ate gold, and pulled the pins and had an alignment. The car was fantastic. Before this I was tracking an e92 M3 and I have to say there was not a huge drop off. The 335i's suspension is softer and there is a bit more body roll but overall I was impressed. It turned in great and I was able to hammer it at the apex. The car was very neutral the way I had it set up. Oil temp never rose above 250 (I have opt 840). I ran four 20 minute sessions. Ambient temp was around 50 so we'll see how it performs as the temps warm up. I was driving a family sedan and getting point bys from 911s!

Great to hear. These cars are very well sorted out when driven properly.

And yes, passing porsches is to be expected, those guys tend to putter around and cause trains until you get into the faster run groups where the drivers are confident enough to push hard and brake later.

[M3 Esq]

Originally Posted by StealYourFace

Great to hear. These cars are very well sorted out when driven properly.

And yes, passing porsches is to be expected, those guys tend to putter around and cause trains until you get into the faster run groups where the drivers are confident enough to push hard and brake later.

It's a testament to BMW how well engineered and balanced these cars really are. I wasn't sure what to expect. Turn in wasn't as crisp as the M3, and this thing is steptronic so I had some trouble figuring our what gear I was in from time to time. It doesn't have as much power and it's quiet so you don't get a lot of feedback from the motor, but man the car was a blast. I'm going to continue to drive this until I can find a track car. I have 13 events scheduled this season so we'll see how it holds up.

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by StealYourFace

Great to hear. These cars are very well sorted out when driven properly.

And yes, passing porsches is to be expected, those guys tend to putter around and cause trains until you get into the faster run groups where the drivers are confident enough to push hard and brake later.

Not sure I agree with the last comment, that could be said for most high end cars in lower level run groups of any organization, BMW's included.

OP glad to hear the car performed well. I'll be back at LRP most likely in May either with Loose Nut or CCA Patroon.

[M3 Esq]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

Not sure I agree with the last comment, that could be said for most high end cars in lower level run groups of any organization, BMW's included.

OP glad to hear the car performed well. I'll be back at LRP most likely in May either with Loose Nut or CCA Patroon.

I'll be there with CCA Patroon so make sure to stop by!

[evanescent03]

sounds like fun! i'm looking forward to taking my '11 MSport to the track when I can find a convenient time (second baby on the way, gotta take a second look under the seats for bottles, etc, haha).

are you happy with the wheel setup you have? are you doing spacers? was the alignment you got to max camber/etc or did you just have them return it to stock specs?

appreciate any feedback on that! car looks great and good luck finding the next track car. I'm on hold for a dedicated track car as I just sold my e46 m3 and am "making due" with a truly dual-purpose car.

i'll be following your season with the car to see how things go.

thanks for the info

Matt

[M3 Esq]

Originally Posted by evanescent03

sounds like fun! i'm looking forward to taking my '11 MSport to the track when I can find a convenient time (second baby on the way, gotta take a second look under the seats for bottles, etc, haha).

are you happy with the wheel setup you have? are you doing spacers? was the alignment you got to max camber/etc or did you just have them return it to stock specs?

appreciate any feedback on that! car looks great and good luck finding the next track car. I'm on hold for a dedicated track car as I just sold my e46 m3 and am "making due" with a truly dual-purpose car.

i'll be following your season with the car to see how things go.

thanks for the info

Matt

Dual purpose cars are still good for the track. These cars are so well engineered.

As for tire and wheel set up, yes I am very happy with it. I've had two track days total with the car and my third will be tomorrow again at LRP. The tires have good grip and don't seem to rub. The wheels are super light at just over 16lbs so changing in and out is a breeze plus they save big time on unsprung weight.

As far as alignment, we got more camber in the front but we were also looking to make sure camber was fairly even on both sides.

[StealYourFace]

Are you running the BFG Rivals on the street too?

Haven't seen a lot of reviews for that tire, and the price is enticing.

[fastaction]

lap times?

[M3 Esq]

Originally Posted by StealYourFace

Are you running the BFG Rivals on the street too?

Haven't seen a lot of reviews for that tire, and the price is enticing.

Just running them on track.

[M3 Esq]

Originally Posted by StealYourFace

Are you running the BFG Rivals on the street too?

Haven't seen a lot of reviews for that tire, and the price is enticing.

I only run the rivals on the track but you can run them on the street too. I just don't like the feel of the added grip in the front on the street so I change the wheels out before and after my events. Plus I don't want to wear them out on the street.

[spencers]

Looks like someone stole your wheels!

[M3 Esq]

Just wanted to update this thread. I just had my 4th track day with this car at LRP last friday 6/6 with BMW CCA. I was running with BMWCCA in intermediate (B Group). In my last event in May, the pedal felt a little mushy under hard braking, so I decided to add a set of stoptech stainless steel brake lines. I will say they firmed up the pedal feel quite a bit and I had a lot of confidence in my brakes by the end of the day.

I also have to say this car is very well balanced and predictable. I think it is better balanced than my E92 M3. For a heavy car it feels very nimble, and DTC allows enough wheel spin where it seems quite easy to get the car to rotate.

Next mod might be PSS10s. What do you all think?

Next track days will be again at LRP with Porsche 6/13-6/14.

[MJ80.]

Please keep us posted with future updates. Cheers

[Killerfish2012]

Originally Posted by M3 Esq

Oil temp never rose above 250 (I have opt 840). I ran four 20 minute sessions. Ambient temp was around 50 so we'll see how it performs as the temps warm up. I was driving a family sedan and getting point bys from 911s!

Glad you had fun, but this vehicle cannot be compared to any M3 in terms of track reliability. I'm talking from E30 on up. To be clear you are pushing a stock N55 335I (with novice to intermediate skill level). The difference in terms of heat build up is tremendous compared to a modified N54 335I.

[M3 Esq]

Originally Posted by Killerfish2012

Glad you had fun, but this vehicle cannot be compared to any M3 in terms of track reliability. I'm talking from E30 on up. To be clear you are pushing a stock N55 335I (with novice to intermediate skill level). The difference in terms of heat build up is tremendous compared to a modified N54 335I.

I've had 6 track days in this car with no limp mode issues. Not sure what you're getting at, maybe I am misunderstanding your comments, but I was just out having some fun with it. It seems like it would be fine unmodified or with a BMW PPK.

The 335i is very well balanced for what it is and easy to drive fast with a few simple mods. I run intermediate solo with CCA and PCA so the speeds are moderate.

[dinanm3atl]

LRP is a blast! Glad you enjoyed it!