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#1. RE: [E36M3] Work in Progress - from Matt Malfa
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 14:04:02 -0500 From: "Matt Malfa" <matt@shortshifter.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Work in Progress I haven't had a chance to test the performance of my 3.38 yet, but in Wayne's case, he has NO worries when it comes to high revs; his .83 top gear multiplied by a 3.73 rear end will yield a final drive in 6th of less than 3.10. So actually, his car will be a more relaxed highway cruiser, with brutal acceleration in the first few gears. And frequent upshifts... BTW, a 6 speed tranny with a 3.91 (325 automatic rear end) will accelerate even harder, with a 3.243 final drive in 6th, a largely imperceptible change on a 96+ M3 (3.23 stock), and a negligible difference on a 95 M3 (3.15 stock). - -Matt 95 316tds, pondering new ratios... Only a few more weeks till us east coasters can get back to the track/autox!! -----Original Message----- From: Rob Hatrak [mailto:Hatrak@ix.netcom.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2001 1:48 PM To: E36M3 Subject: Re: [E36M3] Work in Progress Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 10:46:15 -0800 From: "Rob Hatrak" <Hatrak@ix.netcom.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Work in Progress I can't imagine using a 3.73. I put a 3.38 in my car to replace the stock 3.15 and I really don't like what it did to the car. In Nevada, 100 mph is a way of life on the open road. My car sounds like a really nasty bumble bee turning such high revs in fifth gear. Maybe I'm just getting old....
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#2. RE: [E36M3] Any links to Sears Point In Car Video? - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 11:13:30 -0800 From: Jim Bassett <JBassett@mayannetworks.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Any links to Sears Point In Car Video? > I set-up my camera in John (forgot-his-last-name) and Jim > Basset's M3's > at a NASA event recently: John Matthew (LA Chapter member) - and my last name has 2 "t"s :-) > http://www.guagenti.com/010204_Sears_Point/Jim-02_04_2001.mov > http://www.guagenti.com/010204_Sears_Point/John-02_04_2001.mov > > Not great footage, but fun to see the whole track at speed. Actually, I thought it was pretty good. And thanks to Peter for setting up the cameras in each of our cars. Also note that these were from a NASA event, and my video in particular is from the last session of the day for Group 3, where passing is allowed (although not always successfully executed :-)) anywhere. The passing rules for the GGC events are MUCH more restrictive. Just keep that in mind while watching the videos. (I speak form experience; I've been "black flagged" at a GGC event at Sears for passing in a "no passing area". The prior event I ran there had been with NASA. Oops :-)) Cheers, Jim Bassett 1998 M3/4 - likes Sears Point more than Laguna, go figure :-)
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#3. Re: [E36M3] 3 Spoke Sport Wheel --> '95 M3 - from Sean Hester
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 11:20:42 -0800 From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] 3 Spoke Sport Wheel --> '95 M3 >I never did the Mickey D cup holder trick >though. My M3 has TWO (or is that four 1/2) cupholders. you luxury package people. ;-P MY M3 didn't even have a sunroof or cruise control. much less an array of whole or half cupholders. ;-) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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#4. Re: [E36M3] Work in Progress - from Rob Hatrak
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 11:22:16 -0800 From: "Rob Hatrak" <Hatrak@ix.netcom.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Work in Progress You hit the nail on the head when you said "And frequent upshifts." With the 3.38, my car feels like it is constantly running out of breath. I have a buddy with a '96 911 and we race around all the time. Since my diff. change, he wastes me even worse because I have to shift so much. Some people may love it - I did at first. But even with 6 gears (or even 8 if there was such a tranny!), you have to deal with 1-5 first which are all very buzzy and too short for my tastes. Rob
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#5. Re: [E36M3] Re: of lightbulbs and anality - from Sean Hester
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 11:28:09 -0800 From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: of lightbulbs and anality >I thought I was anal until I got on this list, now I realize I am quite >aloof in comparison. > >Hell, most owners of the V1 do not even know or recognize there is an auto >dimming feature!! I still think Sean wins the "Anal Award" since the BMW >related illumination issues mentioned are more noticeable. > >Regards, > >Rich > >95 M3 - Standard V1 i never had a V1 in my M3. but i wonder... if i did... if i'd tried to replace all the red LEDs with orange ones. i DID choose my aftermarket stereo stuff based on perfect matching illumination. the ones on the circuit board (strength indicators and radar type indicators) would be pretty easy to do. but the closed unit for the digit counter might be hard to change. P.S. my wife just bought a 323 convertible. and you know what i noticed? the "orange" of all the parts doens't match very well at all. the stereo is more pale then the dash, and the climate control is too dark comapred to the dash. the components in my 95 M3 matched PERFECTLY. i guess bmw is getting lazy? _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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#6. RE: [E36M3] Any links to Sears Point In Car Video? - from peter@guagenti.com
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 11:48:48 US/Pacific From: peter@guagenti.com Subject: RE: [E36M3] Any links to Sears Point In Car Video? > John Matthew (LA Chapter member) - and my last name has 2 "t"s :-) Sorry Jim, me fingers move too slow for me brain. Extra points if you can spell my last name without looking at my e-mail address. ;-) > Actually, I thought it was pretty good. And thanks to Peter for setting up > the cameras in each of our cars. As an aside, this was taken with the suction cup mounted camera bracket sold by HMS (which we discussed earlier on this list). The suction cup uses a lever to add pressure (which held on _tight_). I mounted it on the back window and let the base rest slightly on the rear deck. There is a safety cable attached to the base that you can either wrap around the headrests (which I did on both Jim and John's car). If you've got a '95/'96 (no headrests -- like mine) you can pop down the fold down seats and wrap the cable around the mounting tabs and close the seats. This'll make sure that if the cup does fail for some reason, you don't get whacked in the back of the head by a camera. -peterg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using HiSpeed Technologies Webmail. http://www.hispeed.com
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#7. Sears Point out-car camera - from Scott Chan
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 11:51:50 -0800 From: Scott Chan <scottch@juniper.net> Subject: Sears Point out-car camera http://www.searspoint.com/webcams/ Cameras located at various places around the track, updated several times a day. Sometimes you can see race cars on track.
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#8. Re: Rubber vs. Urethane Sway Bar Bushings - from Neil Maller
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 16:11:14 -0500 From: Neil Maller <neil.maller@gte.net> Subject: Re: Rubber vs. Urethane Sway Bar Bushings on 2/14/01 1:56 AM, LoweSeaton@aol.com at LoweSeaton@aol.com wrote: > Neil writes: > >> Emphasis on the "little bit." > > Neil - I think a little bit is a lot. You are dealing with a lever arm. I > crawled under my M3 and tried to measure the dimensions. Best I could do > without raising the M for the front was: Hey Lowell, Up here in the Midwest we avoid crawling under the car in winter any more than we have to! > centerline to bushing bracket = 13 inches > bracket to end of sway bar = 9 inches > > You are dealing with similar triangles. Lets say the rubber bushing squishes > 1/4" pretty easily. Actually I don't think it squishes very easily at all. Since there's less rubber remaining (27mm bore vs. 23mm) the bushing effective stiffness is increased, and its rubber is fairly stiff. > Therefore, the end of the bar moves: > > X / (9" + 13") = 1/4" / 13" > > Solve for X and you get 0.42" This is for just one side. However, one > bushing squishes up 1/4" and the other squishes down 1/4" so the total delta > for the ends of the front sway bar is 2 times 0.42" = 0.84" Say 1 inch. > > This means that one wheel can move 1 inch up or down compared to the other > wheel with little resistance. The front wheel track is 56 inches according > to my M3 brochure. Therefore: tan X = 1 / 56 > Solve for X and you get 1 degree. Basically your M3 will rotate 1 degree. > You give up 1 degree of your front suspension camber. Right? Well, under those assumptions you'd give up 1 degree of body roll, but not necessarily of wheel camber. There's a gain of negative camber as the suspension on the outside wheel compresses. What I think is going to happen is that the initial effect of the swaybars will be very slightly dulled as the bushings compress, but that they will effectively bottom out and then behave similarly to poly bushings. Part of my rationale for reinstalling rubber swaybar bushings is that there's lots of other rubber in the suspension system, so the stiffening effect of putting poly bushings in just one place isn't that great. > Keep us posted. I'm curious to know how much more you think your M3 rolls in > corners. Good luck! Frankly it's going to be very hard to tell. At present I have winter tires and suspension on so it doesn't matter, and by the time I install the summer setup the memory will be too distant. I may choose to put the poly bushings back in with the track suspension. It's all an experiment... Regards, Neil 96 M3
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#9. Three Spoke Steering Wheel - from nzw212@yahoo.com
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 13:20:21 -0800 (PST) From: <nzw212@yahoo.com> Subject: Three Spoke Steering Wheel I have the 4 spoke wheel in my '95. I'm happy with it but it's wearing after 5 years. I'm interested in either recovering it or swaping it out. Does anyone know someone who recovers wheels or anyone with a 3 or 4 spoke for sale? I'd love to know how to do the 3 spoke conversion just incase. Thanks, Noah ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 23:30:24 -0800 From: Bora Akyol Subject: Re: [E36M3] 3 Spoke Sport Wheel --> '95 M3 I am with Sean here. I love the 4 spoke wheel when compared to the 3 spoke wheel. But I have smaller hands. Bora on 2/13/01 11:17 PM, Sean Hester at seanh_race@hotmail.com wrote: > Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 23:09:13 -0800 > From: "Sean Hester" > Subject: Re: [E36M3] 3 Spoke Sport Wheel --> '95 M3 > >> Hey guys, >> >> I've done this conversion on my 95, and I've been thrilled with the >> results. >> The steering wheel is not only prettier, but smaller as well. > > can someone explain to me why 3 spoke wheels are good? > > i LOVED the 4 spoke wheel i had on my 95 M3. it had the perfect contour for > hand placement in the 9 and 3 position, AND it had the perfect contour for > "hand at 6 o-clock becuase i'm relaxing" mode. i even regularly rested a > mcdonalds soda cup at the 6 position while i drove around town, since there > was no other cup holder. (i suppose that would have made a mess if the > airbag went off, but whatever ;-) > > my S4 has the "better" 3 spoke wheel. the same perfect 9 and 3 position, > but now i can't put my hand at 6 o-clock. and i can't rest a soda cut there > either. now... the S4 has a handy cop holder so this isn't as big a > problem as it could have been but still... why is having that damn spoke > right at 6 o-clock a GOOD thing? when bmw has come up with the perfect > compromise with it's ingenious "4 spokes to allow a 6 o-clock hand position" > design? _____ Do You Yahoo!? - Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail Personal Address <http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/> - only $35 a year!
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#10. Re: [E36M3] Re: Rubber vs. Urethane Sway Bar Bushings - from nabli@attglobal.net
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Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 17:11:12 -0500 From: nabli@attglobal.net Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: Rubber vs. Urethane Sway Bar Bushings I think we are probably over-analyzing the effects of using rubber as opposed to urethane bushings. I highly doubt anyone on this list will notice an appreciable difference between the two in terms of handling. Allow me to be a little more precise. I highly doubt anyone on this list will notice any difference between the two materials in terms of steady state handling. Why you ask? Because once the rubber bushings eventually compress to their limit, there really isn't much of a difference between the two bushings. You may however notice a slight difference in transient handling characteristics. For the most part this would probably be negligible. There are so many variables and parameters involved in vehicle dynamics that focusing on the different materials used turns into a case of not "seeing the forest through the trees." For the average driver who mainly uses the car on the street and occasionally tracks/autocrosses his baby, rubber bushings are probably the way to go. Cheers, Jim E. Neil Maller wrote: > Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 16:11:14 -0500 > From: Neil Maller <neil.maller@gte.net> > Subject: Re: Rubber vs. Urethane Sway Bar Bushings > > on 2/14/01 1:56 AM, LoweSeaton@aol.com at LoweSeaton@aol.com wrote: > > > Neil writes: > > > >> Emphasis on the "little bit." > > > > Neil - I think a little bit is a lot. You are dealing with a lever arm. I > > crawled under my M3 and tried to measure the dimensions. Best I could do > > without raising the M for the front was: > > Hey Lowell, > > Up here in the Midwest we avoid crawling under the car in winter any more > than we have to! > > > centerline to bushing bracket = 13 inches > > bracket to end of sway bar = 9 inches > > > > You are dealing with similar triangles. Lets say the rubber bushing squishes > > 1/4" pretty easily. > > Actually I don't think it squishes very easily at all. Since there's less > rubber remaining (27mm bore vs. 23mm) the bushing effective stiffness is > increased, and its rubber is fairly stiff. > > > Therefore, the end of the bar moves: > > > > X / (9" + 13") = 1/4" / 13" > > > > Solve for X and you get 0.42" This is for just one side. However, one > > bushing squishes up 1/4" and the other squishes down 1/4" so the total delta > > for the ends of the front sway bar is 2 times 0.42" = 0.84" Say 1 inch. > > > > This means that one wheel can move 1 inch up or down compared to the other > > wheel with little resistance. The front wheel track is 56 inches according > > to my M3 brochure. Therefore: tan X = 1 / 56 > > > Solve for X and you get 1 degree. Basically your M3 will rotate 1 degree. > > You give up 1 degree of your front suspension camber. Right? > > Well, under those assumptions you'd give up 1 degree of body roll, but not > necessarily of wheel camber. There's a gain of negative camber as the > suspension on the outside wheel compresses. > > What I think is going to happen is that the initial effect of the swaybars > will be very slightly dulled as the bushings compress, but that they will > effectively bottom out and then behave similarly to poly bushings. > > Part of my rationale for reinstalling rubber swaybar bushings is that > there's lots of other rubber in the suspension system, so the stiffening > effect of putting poly bushings in just one place isn't that great. > > > Keep us posted. I'm curious to know how much more you think your M3 rolls in > > corners. Good luck! > > Frankly it's going to be very hard to tell. At present I have winter tires > and suspension on so it doesn't matter, and by the time I install the summer > setup the memory will be too distant. I may choose to put the poly bushings > back in with the track suspension. > > It's all an experiment... > > Regards, > > Neil > 96 M3