Idea's for trackday preparation on E36 318ti?

[Dutch Beeminator]

Hello everybody,

I have been using my M44 ti on the Nurburgring / Nordschleife and other tracks for a while now in stock configuration, but would like to prep the car more seriously. I know quite some people run ti's in the VLN / BF Goodrich Langstreckenmeisterschaft on the Ring, but I find it's impossible to track down what mods they carried out. So I looking for idea's / suggestions.

Interior stays in, because of daily use.

Questions:

- Brake Discs & Pads? Ferodo / Hawk
- Springs & Shocks? Bilstein / H&R / Eibach
- Wheels & Tires? Switch from stock 15's to 16 or 17. Or will this just eat performance?

Thanks very much in advance for any advice

[Bam2002]

I have an M tech car and with the EBC Green pads \ super blue fluid and stock brakes. I just did a day at Sebring in FL. Brakes were fine. My GF used the EBC red pads and the same fluid in her E30. Again with no problems.

I use Bilstein PSS9 coil over for suspension. Its the onely one I found that lets you adjust the rear perch height. However it is very limited in adjustmet in the rear. I had the rebound set at 6 and the car was solid on the track. I just ordered a set of scales so now Ill be able to dial it in at the track.

I have 17 Sumitomo tires for the street, but I just used them at Sebring with good results. For Auto X I use the stock 16 rims with Avon R compounds.

Your lucky to be able to go out and run Nurburging when ever you want.


Barry

[Dutch Beeminator]

It has been I while since I posted here, but the search for a good setup (still) continues. In Europe there is very little information available. I'm still enjoying myself a lot taking the car to the track in stock form, but there are some area's where I really would like to improve.

Car dives under braking (My TI on Circuit Zandvoort in Holland):



Body roll (my TI on Circuit Zolder in Belgium):





I've decided to go for the following upgrades already:

- Bilstein B12 Suspension Set (Shock + Spring - Non-adjustable)
- Ferodo DS 2500 Brake Pads
- ATE SuperBlue Brake Fluid (DOT 4.0)
- Goodridge Brake Lines (Coated)

Concerning Wheels & Tires, I was given the advice to either go for 205/50 or 225/45 tire sizes for semi-slicks or full slicks. I was also told to use 17 inch wheels maximum and keep the same tire sizes all-round. Any comments? Are there any OEM BMW wheels for these tyres sizes?

Any idea's on how to reduce the body roll? Occasionally it even lifts a wheel..

Thanks for any comments !

Erik

[mohaughn]

I run 17x7.5 rims and will be using either 235/45 or 225/45 the next time I get tires. Those are the largest tires you can run on a 7.5 inch rim. I'm fairly certain their are OEM wheels that are 17x7.5. I'd definitely run the same size tire all around. With only 115rwhp you won't need much more tire than a 235.

Although, I'd probably go after market to get lighter wheels.

My car is similiar in setup as BAM2002's. But I use the TCKline Koni coilovers instead of the Bilstein. Not sure if the TCKline kit is available outside of the US. You can also try the H&R RSS kit. I think it is pretty much identical to the PSS9 from bilstein, just that you can get it cheaper sometimes.

To reduce the rear wheel lifting in corners I don't run a rear sway bar. You'll have to run atleast 550ft/lb springs or higher in the rear without a rear bar to keep the body roll at a minimum. I run my rear konis at almost full stiff on rebound/compression and my car is very stable without much roll at all.

[1996 328ti]

I have H&R Race Springs with Koni adjustables and still get more body roll than I want.
I really need M3 sways but I think I would need to change the struts.
The struts are brand new so that's out of the question.

I'm very happy with my Carbotech XP10s up front and XP8s on the rear.
Stock vented rotors up front with ducting.

[Bam2002]

tirerack has rims.. I am using 17 inch. I dont remeber the width..
They were on special for about $67 a rim, fairly light.. 18lbs or so..

I use the stock rims for the R compounds. The 16 inch tires were about $70 cheaper than the 17s.. It wasnt worth the differnce in sidewall height for the Autocrosses.

B