What to do?

[needle332rur]

OK... as some of you know i have been getting into auto-X, well now i am addicted to this new scene. And i want to build a 3??ti that will be able to win and prove our cars worth.

So here is my predicament, I have a ready to swap in m50 vanos in my garage. If i swap it in I will be bumped from DSP (D street Prepared) to SM (Street Mod) in all autoX events.

If i decide to not swap i would do more work to my motor aka chip, and whatever else the rule book allows. Also i could sell the whole motor swap set up and get money for better suspension and or race compound tires and spare wheels. I really think that the ti could beat alot of normal e36's and other cars in DSP with the stock motor.

If i decide to do the swap i will do all the same suspensions mods but the car will be in SM. It will be alot faster on the street and a little faster on the track. But instead of competing against 325is's and GTI's i will be racing super moded STI and nissan 350Z's

What would you do?

[nick_hegel]

I'd go with the swap especially since you have the parts for it already.

[AlaskaBlue]

I agree with the potential of a stock motored 318ti. I have been told tires, swaybars and coil-overs make the biggest difference.

[needle332rur]

I agree with the potential of a stock motored 318ti. I have been told tires, swaybars and coil-overs make the biggest difference.

Last autoX i ran 4.5 seconds of the best time, 2 secs of the best in DSP. Most people will tell you R compound tire will give you two seconds.

[cali-ti]

if you want to "prove the worth" of the ti (which i don't feel it needs), you should stick with the stock motor. skool them bitches :tongue:

[needle332rur]

any more suggestions....

[cali-ti]

how much do they allow you to mod in the DSP class? x-brace? if you're going to put a bigger sway bar in the back with poly bushings, i would strengthen the mounting tabs on the trailing arms. TMS (turnermotorsports.com) sells the tab reinforcements, look under the e30.

[needle332rur]

In dsp i can do mostly anything bolt on to the suspension. You can do the TMS reinforcements for the rear sway. But i wouldn't be able to put my m50 (six cyl) motor in and run that class. Yea the car would be really fast with the six, but wouldn't it be really fun to beat a lot of 325/328 e36's with the 318ti that they all make fun of on any BMW forum.

[PettitWC]

Pretty much I would stick with the stock motor and suspension mods and give me the m50 swap :eyebrow:

seriously though, I'd stick with the stock motor.

[aceyx]

auto-x is very technical, isn't it? not a lot of straights, so the pull of a six wouldn't really come in handy. ask the guy with the MR2.

i'd sell the motor (no, i'm not saying this because i want it) and upgrade suspension as you can. you have light weight on your side, which accounts for a LOT.beef up your technical skill, and show those bf.c 'tards who's boss. after you crush DSP, then do the swap and run SM. i think you'll also learn a lot more this way (relying on skill rather than on the motor and expensive parts).

[John W]

I would invest in some R Compounds first. I can't remember for sure, but I think you might be able to go with a lightened flywheel and stay in DSP. That, with the R Comps, would keep things fun for a while. Then you could drop the M50 in.

[andy]

This is really a tough one, and a problem I tried to solve myself for several years. Locally, probably any well setup car can do well in any class. When you get to National competition, here is the main problem:

DSP - consider the main e36 competition is running 325s or 328 motors. The Edge Red car puts about 220 beefy hp to the rear wheels in SP trim. Every competitive car is running 285 Kumho V710s on all 4 wheels. FWD cars (like ITR's, etc) aren't even competitive anymore with all that RWD rubber on the ground.

SM - Vic Sias S54 powered M3 weighs in the neighborhood of 2800lbs, runs even wider V710s (315's? 335s?) and I'd guess his engine puts a solid 350 or more to the ground with a nearly 9000 rpm redline.

All that in mind, I still think (unless you have tons of money and time) that the 'ti could be more competitive in DSP. While down on overall power it still has a better polar moment (no trunk and it's basically mid-engined) and 245s work pretty darn well on it. I embarrassed a pack of Imprezzas in a rainy autox a few years ago just by driving in control and happening to have a nice new set of Falkens that were well suited to wet competition. Longer horsepower courses will still cause it problems though.

Here's what I'd do:

Suspension - Ground Control, AD's if you can afford them + camber plates, freshen factory bushings, and stifffen where you can. I'd do settings similar to a regular 3 series, but keep the front at 0 toe; the ti doesn't need any help turning in, it's already fantastic in that regard, and it doesnt' need anything holding it back running toe-out. Also, I like runnng as little caster as possible (struts centered) for extra speedy turn-in.

Wheels + Tires - Whatever sticky that you can afford, V710s are the rage these days, and as absoutley light wheels as possible. I like the 245/45x16 size, but V710s don't come in it, IIRC.

Engine - unfortunately, there's not as much data on souping up the 4 banger NA. You could probably find some HP though, by going to a full standalone (Tech3, etc) system and doing some dyno work with the intake and headers. I'd considered doing that myself, but my car is headed for CR and USTCC nowadays on the track instead, where it's much cheaper to swap in a M50.

Diff - I recently installed a 4.44, and while common wisdom would say it's too small for Autox, it's actually really quite good. You spend the slower sections of the course near redline in 2nd, and the faster parts in the beef of 3rd.

Pretty much every other legal thing, you'd want to do as well, as light a flywheel as you could find, exhaust, intake, light seats, remove the AC, etc.

Lastly, write the SCCA SEB and petition ALL the 318's be moved to FSP instead. I think a well setup 318ti really belongs there anyway. When I put in a good run I typically find myself just a tick ahead of another friend who got 7th at Nats in his 2002. Sounds to me like a good match. :)

Anyhow good luck, and post as to what you do!