Had fun at St-Eustache tonight.

[Andre]

Had a great time at lapping at St-Eustache tonight. Decided to see how the car was running with the repaired head. As it turns out, like a Swiss errr... make that German watch. I also was running 19lb injectors for the first time. The car definitely pulls a little harder in the upper rev ranges and compliments MarkD's 93 octane chip very nicely.

Got to do 3 sessions, the first just to remember the track (followed a Skyline for a bit, yes, you read that right. That car just has silly amounts of motor.). The second session was messy, overdriving, throwing the car around; I was not too happy with myself after that. The third was much better, a few small mistakes here and there but much *much* tidier.

It's the first time I'd driven the track with the e30. Wow is that track bumpy and Wow are you ever busy (I'd forgotten about that part). Still trying out different lines and experimenting as I'd only lapped it in an fwd before.

I'm finding the 4.10 gearing a tad short as I'm winding out in 3rd in a few places and think I would be better served with either the 3.73 or a 3.91 (from the ix iirc). Or maybe just mount the 225/50 15's I have lying around; that might be just enough. (Need another set of rims to do that mind you)

The other thing I'm thinking is that I should try and find a set of Koni Yellows instead of Bilstein Sports as it would allow me to adjust the suspension and allow it to be a little more compliant over the rough stuff as I'm finding the J-stock springs and the Bilsteins are jittering over the bumps and then the tires are taking a beating because of it.

*Side note: I managed to get the last of the sound insulation out of my trunk after the second session. The muffler got the trunk floor nice and hot and loosened the glue. All I had to do is reach in and pull large chunks out (and not burn myself as it was very hot). It took all of two minutes.


Andre
(Who is pondering what to do next)

[Andrei]

I would not play with the diff, yet. Unless you plan to run mostly at St-Eustache.
On a bigger track you will have plenty of room for 4th gear.

[Emre]

I'm finding the 4.10 gearing a tad short as I'm winding out in 3rd in a few places and think I would be better served with either the 3.73 or a 3.91 (from the ix iirc).The iX uses viscous diffs...so you wouldn't want one on your track car. As for the 4.10 being too short, I wouldn't be so quick to swap it out. I find the 4.10:1 is perfect for Tremblant, for example. If you do make a swap, be sure to hang onto your 4.10 as you'll soon be swapping it back in.

Emre

[Lee]

hey Booboo.

Glad you had fun at St-Eustache. But nonetheless, do not set your car for THAT track at the expense of other tracks. It is the smallest track around and is mostly a stop-and-go circuit. Obviously, it is so bumpy and has s few potholes right by the rumble strips that you wish for a softer suspension. But all the other tracks are way smoother than that.

[Andre]

Hi guys, thanks for the input. I would not set my car up just for St. Eustache nor was I planning on getting rid of the 4.10 more just thinking out loud. I usually like to sit back and analyse things both on the chassis dynamic side as well as things I could improve upon driving-wise the next time out.

For example, one of the things I managed to pin-point last night was why I was inconsistent with my braking before the Bus Stop. Under really heavy braking the e30's pedal drops fairly low. When this happens, I have trouble with my heel and toe and will often make a hash of the corner or mess up the downshift altogether. The reality of the matter is that my ankle just doesn't want to bend that way. (I have no trouble with this in other cars) The solutions I have to solve this are a pedal cover for the brake pedal to help raise it a little, a 750il mc, and if I'm not mistaken you can also adjust the pedal height but I haven't looked into that yet. So hopefully, by adjusting the ergonomics of my pedal set-up, it will allow me to brake deeper, execute my downshift without trouble and concentrate on driving as opposed to the mechanics of it.

The 4.10 was great at Tremblant allthough I did have lift a little at the end of the straight in 4th if I didn't want to buzz the rev limiter. One could always shift to 5th but it's hardly worth it and would mean two downshifts instead of one. I usually try and simplify and *quiet down* all that is going on inside the car to allow me to concentrate more on the line and being smooth.

How's the 4.10 at Mosport? I haven't driven it yet but I'm hoping to add it to my list before year's end. I'm also planning to do the Solo1 at Watkins Glen in the fall.

Anyone run adjustable Koni's with the Turner J-Stock springs? Should I have them revalved or are they okay as is? I used to have them on my 240sx and prefer the feel of them over the Bilsteins. This would also allow me to make the car a little more supple at tracks like St-Eustache or Ste.-Croix as well as make it more docile in the rain.

~andre~

[Lee]

Mosport is a faster track than Tremblant. You will use mostly 4th and 5th gear, with 3rd gear a few times in slower corners.

As for your braking at the bus stop, you should adapt your driving. Simply brake a second or two earlier so that you are comfortable with your stopping distance and downshift. When you fel good, then start breaking a few yards later. Rushing things is the worst thing you can do as you will probably miss the corner and the next, and the next... The bus stop requires that you prepare for the exit so that you can accelerate as soon as possible (obviously as all the corners). Take your time when you enter it. Before thinking going fast, you shouild be able to do the whole track in a very relaxed mode. Before you even hit the track, close your eyes and make a reharsal of a lap. Think step by step what you are about to do for every corner. When you drive, you do not have time to think. Just do, feel, and correct. That is enough for most people's brain.

[Andre]

Thanks for the pointers Lee,

Backing up my breaking points is exactly what I ended up doing. What I'm trying to get at is that the way my pedals are placed in this car presently (the low brake pedal height specifically), I find it very difficult to get maximum breaking and execute a heel and toe properly. It's either one or the other. I don't have trouble with this in other cars.

It also might have to do with the fact that I sprained my ankle rather badly last fall and even with physio I have lost some flexibility in it. What I want to do is work a little with the pedal placement to see if I can improve things.

Visualising the track is a great tool and has helped me be more consistent. I used to do it alot when I raced karts. For fun, I would time myself as well. With tracks I knew really well, I could come to within a second of my actual lap time. When I didn't, it told me that I needed a few more reference points. Actually, this is something I picked up in "A Twist of the Wrist" written by Keith Code. It's one of the best books I've read on driving. (About motor-cycle racing but a good majority of it applies to cars as well.)

~andre~

[Andre]

Well, I'm now convinced that the brakes on the e30 are absolutely lousy! Or at least they are on mine.

Just for fun, I went out for a few laps at St-Eustache with my Acura EL. I recently swapped in a set of type-r springs that I had lying around and wanted to see how it would affect the balance of the car. The EL weighs maybe 150-200 lbs less than the e30 and stops sooooo much better. On Yoko a520's, front disks and rear drums and metal master pads(<-- yes I know, ewwww) It was light years ahead of the e30 that has braided lines, disks all around, hawk hp+ pads and Falken Azenis'. (Motul RBF 600 in both cars)

No trouble with the heel and toe going into the bus stop and the rate of deceleration was much better than anything I could do with the e30. The MC doesn't leak. I'm left scratching my head. I've put a pedal cover on the brake pedal to try and play with the pedal placement a bit but I don't think it's going to change much apart from helping with the heel and toe.

Am I to beleive that disk-drum technollogy 10 years newer is more effective than what BMW had to offer in 1989?

I'll burn these pads up before going to something much more aggressive as well as the MC from the 750il unless someone else has any brilliant ideas.

~a~

[Emre]

Well, I'm now convinced that the brakes on the e30 are absolutely lousy! Or at least they are on mine.Do you have Girling or Ate calipers? The Ate's are marginally better. But, overall, the brakes suck on non-M3 E30s. (Hell, even the M3 isn't that hot in the brakes department!)


Just for fun, I went out for a few laps at St-Eustache with my Acura EL. I recently swapped in a set of type-r springs that I had lying around and wanted to see how it would affect the balance of the car. The EL weighs maybe 150-200 lbs less than the e30 and stops sooooo much better.Does the EL really weigh so much less than the E30??? I find that surprising.


Am I to beleive that disk-drum technollogy 10 years newer is more effective than what BMW had to offer in 1989?Yes ;)


I'll burn these pads up before going to something much more aggressive as well as the MC from the 750il unless someone else has any brilliant ideas.The 25mm MC from the E32 750iL will help to a small degree. But the main problem with pedal feel seems to be that the calipers themselves flex to a large degree. For a really firm pedal, you'll need to upgrade to stiffer calipers. And those tiny rotors overheat in no time. Brake ducts help tremendously, but larger rotors will always help.

Personally, I decided to go with Lee's "Massive Brakes" kit. The problem is that the calipers don't quite clear the insides of my iX basketweaves even with appropriately sized spacers. I'll be looking at other wheel choices, particularly the Kosei K1's which should work, according to Lee.

Emre

[Andre]

Hey Emre,
Thanks for the feedback,

I'm not sure as to the make of the calipers, I'll have to double-check.

The 97 el weighs in at in around 1162 kg or 2556 lbs give or take a few. The 325i weighs in around 2700 lbs or so if I'm not mistaken.

I have started to "add lightness" as Colin Chapman would say and have removed the sound deadening and ac compressor; the next step will be to gut the interior and begin to prep for a cage. I figure when all is said and done, with a cage I'll end up somewhere around 2600 lbs and have to add a little balast to make weight for racing.

If caliper flex is the root of the problem, would a solid brake guides like these be a viable solution? http://www.bimmerworld.com/html/solid-brake-guides.htm

I have ducts set-up and special backplates to duct air onto the calipers. Fade from heat has yet to be a problem but I think the fluid in the caliper takes a beating as I notice that bleeding the calipers prior to a track session helps a lot but the effect is short-lived.

I am very much considering Lee's kit as well but I'd rather see if I can make the stock brakes work as I really don't want to go out and buy several sets of wheels.

If you're looking to sell a set of your weaves to finance your K1's I'd be interested as I have the proper spacers as well.

What pads are you running?


Thanks,
~andre~

[Lee]

Hey Booboo. Even with great pads such as the PF90/97, you will find that the brake pedal will be soft after half a session. Small rotors, flexi calipers. Not the best. Removing the backing plates will help, as well adding air ducts.