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#1. Re: [E36M3] Bringing the M3 down a notch. - from Sean Hester
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Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 19:37:20 PDT From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Bringing the M3 down a notch. > > I would guess you could take this to any extreme, > > getting as narrow as your wheel will fit. Any > > opinions? > >My snow tires are 205/50/17 mounted on 17x8 rims. i said this in a different response, but i have to say it again at the thoguht of snow tires at the track?!?!?!?! i think messing with the car to make it handle worse would be a bad idea. you'd probably just lower the overall tracion without making it more communicative about what mistakes it's covering up. worse tires will make the car not have as much grip, but it's the suspension (and horsepower to a degree) that's covering up mistakes. i guess snow tires would slow you down, but it wouldn't help the learning curve any. but... FOR GOD'S SAKE!!! NO SNOW TIRES!!! that's so dangerous i can't stress it enough!!! snow tires have low heat ratings. if you're going at any speed at all (>60) or cornering with any speed at all, (or both like at the track) they're gonna heat up so much it's dangerous. they'll either blister, or seprate, or get so greasy you'll have no grip at all. DON'T TRY IT!!!! NO NO NO! i'm gonna be looking at all the M3s that show up to the SIR driver school tomorrow. and tell the tech guys to look for it too. NO SNOW TIRES!!!!!! ;-P ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
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#2. Re: [E36M3] re: m3 handling - from Sean Hester
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Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 19:43:44 PDT From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] re: m3 handling >However, going from >under the limit to over the limit, I think there's plenty of warning. >That's where the disagreement is. well... if you use the word "plenty"... sure there's "plenty" of warning. for me. after many years of practice and lots of time (compared to most humans) in a skid car. (i'm going to drive skid cars again on monday) my only point is. EVERY other street car i've ever driven has more warning. and more is better. even most of the race cars i've driven have more. formula cars usually have less, but i don't drive alot of formula cars. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
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#3. Re: [E36M3] re: M3 handling - from Sean Hester
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Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 20:17:42 PDT From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] re: M3 handling >Really, why? I had a 88 5.0 LX and it was atrocious! Live rear axle, >lots of torque, short wheelbase... these things really go from >understeer to oversteer in a hurry. The M3 is way easier to drive fast >and far more forgiving. i think i must not be describing the "attribute" of the car i'm saying M3s don't have alot of correctly. a mustang is indeed harder to drive at the limit. but what i'm trying to describe is that with a mustang you KNOW you're NEAR the limit, when with an M3 you don't know. (and i'm talking about unseasoned drivers. a seasoned driver probably knows what's going on) a student in a mustang will know "something" is wrong well before a spin occurs. the car will be squireely, understeering, oversteering, etc. when this happens the student may or may not react and fix the problem, but there's a pretty large "window of opportunity" there to so "something". and if i'm instructing, i can feel it, and usually have time to say something like "don't get on the brakes" in time before the student does it, thereby ensuring the spin. a student in an M3 will probably NOT know something is wrong well before a spin occurs. they will be going along, right near the limit and have no idea. the car being "way easier to drive fast and far more forgiving" i'm saying is a BAD THING for learning. that's right, it's a BAD THING!!! string me up and hang me. suzy get out the whip. i'm going on record as saying that the very thing that makes M3s great (sublime handling at the limit) is the WORST POSSIBLE THING for trying to learn what/where/when the limit is. the M3 IS easy to drive at the limit, easier then any car i've ever driven in fact. so if you're clueless about where the limit is, or if you don't even know WHAT the limit is or feels like, you sure don't want the M3 masking it for you saying "every thing is perfectly alright", when you're one tiny step from "over the limit". i'd much rather a car tell me "you're about to go over the limit stupid" then "everything is perfect" when i'm near the limit. so, you have a student, right at the limit and they have no idea. then, one lap, they will either go a tiny bit too fast, or get on the gas a tiny bit too hard, or unwind the wheel a tiny bit too fast and end up with something "wrong". and by the time they notice it, it's proabbly gonna be too late. and by the time i notice it in the instructor seat, it's probably too late for me to blurt out my "don't get on the brakes" line... the first (only) time i ever had/let a student spin. it was an e36. coincidence? i vote NO. in the talk about it after, i said "you were doing that turn so well, right at the limit, did you get on the gas sooner that time?" to which the answer was "i was near the limit?" sigh... does that make sense yet? it's gotten to the point that when i instruct in an e36, i actually am very PROACTIVE about telling people they are near the limit. if they go through a turn well and fast and near the limit i say "that's great, you're not gonna be able to go any faster in that turn". which is usually answered with "really? i had no idea.". which, if you ask me, is a BAD ANSWER!!! usually in the "after session talk" i get asked "how could you tell i was at the limit? i didn't feel anything?" which is when i usually give the speech about the e36 not being the best car for learning where the limit is. followed by some tips about how to detect the limit with no signs from the car. in other cars, as the students get near the limit, they usually tell ME. they go through a corner fast, and well, and near the linit and say "that felt like i was almost going too fast, what did i do wrong?" and i tell them "that was good i'll talk to you about it in the 'after session talk'" then in the "after session talk" i usually give them the speech about how driving "at the limit" is supposed to be a bit uncomfortable, and that's what it feels like, so you either need to "get used to it" or drive a tiny bit slower to stay in your "comfort zone". then i usually tell them they're lucky they don't have an e36 because they'd have a much harder time feeling the limit. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
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#4. Re: [E36M3] Learning curve: M3 vs beginner - from Sean Hester
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Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 20:23:58 PDT From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Learning curve: M3 vs beginner >I don't think you need to avoid an M3 when starting out with >driving schools. But if you do, get yourself to an autocross or skid pad >and >find out the car's limits in a controlled environment before you go flying >off the track during a drivers ed event with your poor volunteer >instructor. >Work yourself slowly up to the limits. Remember, the life you save may not >be >just your own. i second that. (and i apprecitate this post allowing me to rephrase my "complaint" about the M3's handling in another (hopefully more meaningful) way.) my only "complaint" about the M3's handling is that it's hard to "find the limit" in an M3. not that driving M3s at the limit is hard. or that handling at (or above) the limit is bad. or anything like that at all. just that finding the limit is an M3 is HARD. (because the car is working as hard as possible to keep you below the limit that it MASKS the limit from you) so if you're learning in an M3 you are going to go out of your way to learn what the limit is, what it feels like, etc. because the car is going to try to hide that information from you as much as it can. going to skid pads and spinning on purpose is a good way. (i'm going to drive skid cars again on monday) making sure you build up slowly slowly slowly slowly to the limit is an OK way. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
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#5. STOP!!!!! M3 handling debate - from jay
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Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 02:21:59 -1000 From: jay <jguzman@hawaii.edu> Subject: STOP!!!!! M3 handling debate PLEEZE STOP ALL THIS TALK ABOUT M3s AND THIER WONDERFUL HANDLING!!! its not the car's handling that covers up my errors...i'm just a natural when it comes down to driving skill...now you guys are telling me that the CAR had something to do with it...HA! what a bunch of bull...my theory is that those of us who are so into our BMWs that we constantly check e-mail and help fellow bimwads and bimwadettes out with problems, give advice, and know model designations by heart (e30, e36, e28, etc.); we are given the gift of supreme driving skill thru our computer monitors when we log on to check bmw related "stuffs"...it is a form of worship to the bmw gods...and they shall then bless us with SUPREME driving skill...it's not the car...its the religion :D jay "who the hell needs to go to a driving skool?" guzman PS> okay, lets not start up another long thread about the importance of drivers schools...i know, i know... jay- wanting to put my tongue in a pretty girl's cheek :P
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#6. 2 Electrical Problems - from F. Graziano
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Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 14:27:00 -0400 From: "F. Graziano" <fgraziano@monmouth.com> Subject: 2 Electrical Problems i have these two electrical problems that are bugging the he double hockey sticks out of me. I have a 95 M3 if that helps anyone. 1.) My reversing lights don't work. I checked the fuse (26 i believe) and have also put in new rear light clusters (not because of this problem). My only guess is that theres a bad connection to the reversing lights. Has anyone else had this sort of problem before? any troubleshooting tips. BTW the brake lights work and the signals too it's just the reversing lights. 2.) I don't thing my auxiliary fan is working either. I never hear it go on and i don't think i've ever seen it going. My engine runs a little warm, a hair over the middle line of the temp. gauge but other than that nothing tooo serious. Again has anyone had this sort of trouble before and how can i go about TSing it. Thanks in advance.
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#7. Re: [E36M3] 2 Electrical Problems - from Lee, Peter
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Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 14:31:56 -0400 From: "Lee, Peter " <plee@mlundy.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] 2 Electrical Problems >>> "F. Graziano" <fgraziano@monmouth.com> 07/23/00 02:33PM >>> Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 14:27:00 -0400 From: "F. Graziano" <fgraziano@monmouth.com> Subject: 2 Electrical Problems i have these two electrical problems that are bugging the he double hockey sticks out of me. I have a 95 M3 if that helps anyone. 1.) My reversing lights don't work. I checked the fuse (26 i believe) and have also put in new rear light clusters (not because of this problem). My only guess is that theres a bad connection to the reversing lights. Has anyone else had this sort of problem before? any troubleshooting tips. BTW the brake lights work and the signals too it's just the reversing lights. I had the EXACT same prob. with my 96 M3. I believe the dealer simply replaced the bulb and also ensured that the harnesses were tightly connected. A la warranty! 2.) I don't thing my auxiliary fan is working either. I never hear it go on and i don't think i've ever seen it going. My engine runs a little warm, a hair over the middle line of the temp. gauge but other than that nothing tooo serious. Again has anyone had this sort of trouble before and how can i go about TSing it. Last year, my aux. fan would STAY ON while my car was turned off and parked. It would stay on until the battery died. This hap- pened sporadically. The dealer simply unplugged the battery, cleaned the + and - connections, and voila, the problem was fixed. I have no idea how the battery connections could have been related to the damn aux. fan. But it worked. Although your problem is somewhat different (i.e., it DOESN'T turn on), just try doing this. You never know... Also, try turning your A/C on while your car's on. This usu. gets my aux. fan operating. If that doesn't work, I have NO CLUE. Sorry. Peter Thanks in advance. ************************************************************* List Commands UNSUBSCRIBE - (in subject line) unsubscribes you from the mailing list. *************************************************************
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#8. Fw: [E36M3] 2 Electrical Problems - from NickG
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Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 15:05:43 -0400 From: "NickG" <nikog@MediaOne.net> Subject: Fw: [E36M3] 2 Electrical Problems > 1.) My reversing lights don't work. I checked the fuse (26 i believe) > and have also put in new rear light clusters (not because of this > problem). My only guess is that theres a bad connection to the reversing > lights. Has anyone else had this sort of problem before? any > troubleshooting tips. BTW the brake lights work and the signals too it's > just the reversing lights. Common problem on '95 M3's. It's most likely the reverse light switch on the transmission assembly. > 2.) I don't thing my auxiliary fan is working either. I never hear it go > on and i don't think i've ever seen it going. My engine runs a little > warm, a hair over the middle line of the temp. gauge but other than that > nothing tooo serious. Again has anyone had this sort of trouble before > and how can i go about TSing it. This was just brought up on the list last week (the thread where the AC got hot at a stoplight). Check the fuse for the auxiliary fan. Nick '95 M3
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#9. Detecting the limit (was Re: M3 handling) - from Gleb Arshinov
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Date: 23 Jul 2000 12:18:28 -0700 From: Gleb Arshinov <gleb@barsook.com> Subject: Detecting the limit (was Re: M3 handling) >>>>> "Sean" == Sean Hester <seanh_race@hotmail.com> writes: Sean> usually in the "after session talk" i get asked "how could Sean> you tell i was at the limit? i didn't feel anything?" which Sean> is when i usually give the speech about the e36 not being Sean> the best car for learning where the limit is. followed by Sean> some tips about how to detect the limit with no signs from Sean> the car. Please, do tell, how do we go about doing this? Gleb
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#10. worth modifying my 91 318is? - from Shelhart2@aol.com
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Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 20:43:11 EDT From: Shelhart2@aol.com Subject: worth modifying my 91 318is? Anyone done any substantial mods to am E30 1.8 liter 4 cylinder. The car is a daily driver and is a dog. Car has only 85k miles and is in excellent condition. Anyone familiar with Firehawk racing series? I've heard they raced a few modified 318's. TIA. Shel 98 M3/2 91 318is 83 633 CSI