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#1. RE: Aquaplaning, etc. - from Dan Hermann
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 13:23:26 -0600 From: "Dan Hermann" <dah328@hotmail.com> Subject: RE: Aquaplaning, etc. Reid Conti wrote: >>Have you guys ever hydroplaned before? Your car WANTS to go straight. >>There is drag on the rear tires when on the highway. You start spinning >>your rears, and you'll (basically) keep going straight.<< this might happen if your rear tires lose traction at the same time for the same amount of time. this is rarely the case on the road. i totalled a car when only one tire started hydroplaning resulting in a pretty fast spin into a guardrail. had i been a better driver at the time, it might have been prevented, but that's a whole different discussion. regards, dan _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.
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#2. RE: [E36M3] Installing Turner Wheel Studs - from shane.a.kleinpeter@accenture.com
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 14:24:26 -0500 From: shane.a.kleinpeter@accenture.com Subject: RE: [E36M3] Installing Turner Wheel Studs Yeah, I know! But I was already dialed in and the cell phone was downstairs. I logged off and called Will when I got impatient and he verified that my technique was correct (double-nutting and red loctite). They are now installed and it was not too much trouble. Thanks everybody for the replies, both public and private. Changing wheels at the track on the race car will be much easier now. Shane '96 M3 '94 325i KP/ITS >> Has anybody installed the wheel stud conversion from Turner? >> They came >> without directions so I am assuming that I need to apply some >> red loctite >> and double nut them to install. I figure I need to torque >> them to at least >> 90 lb-ft, if not more. >The race car has the studs from Turner (now if I could just get one of the >Turner studs to drive for me :-)), installed by the previous owner. >Anyway, I checked them all a month or so ago, and this is what I & my >mechanic did. Using 2 nuts on each stud so that they lock against one >another, use the outer-most one to tighten the stud. Basically tighten it >until it doesn't tighten anymore. I guess you could use red Loctite, but we >didn't. I haven't had a problem over many wheel swaps so far <knock on wood> >Another option would be to call Turner & ask them what the installation >procedure is :-) >Cheers, >Jim Bassett >1998 M3/4 >1993 325is #44 KP This message is for the designated recipient only and may contain privileged, proprietary, or otherwise private information. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the original. Any other use of the email by you is prohibited.
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#3. Re: R compounds, Appropriate? - from shane.a.kleinpeter@accenture.com
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 14:40:16 -0500 From: shane.a.kleinpeter@accenture.com Subject: Re: R compounds, Appropriate? Jonathan, Just to let you gauge by my experience: I am an instructor for BMW and many other groups, and have been doing 10-12 events per year for the past 3 years. I would suggest that you remain on street tires as long as possible. At least until you are a solid 'A' group student. And if you are worried about cost, then buy cheaper street tires. I recently bought a set of Kumho 712's for the M3 so that I could run at Sebring when my race car was down. I had a blast. The tires were loud (screaming, actually) and not all that fast, but I was able to drive very hard and they never were problematic. I could barely tell that they had worn when the weekend was over, and I was really sliding them around. I run R-compounds because I like to go really fast. That is pretty much the only reason to use them in a drivers school environment. You will learn more on streets, and incur less cost (new wheels), less PITA (carting separate wheels to the track, storage in the garage) as well. Put it off until you can throttle steer the car at will and put the car into a nice four wheel drift under control. Then you are ready to step up to R compound. Of course, this is all IMNSHO. Shane >Just curious as to the general consensus on when it's an "appropriate" time >to switch to r-compounds for track use. While it's true that you can learn >more on street rubber, burning through street tires isn't really a wise >economic choice for me at this point. It's hard to even rationalize putting >a good chunk of money up front for a seperate set of wheels, until I think >about how much more life I can get on the street. >I'm in the midst of looking for track wheels, but starting to question >whether it's "time" or not. I plan on doing several schools per year now, >and the idea of having dedicated track wheels/tires just seems to makes >sense. I also couldn't see wasting money by having two sets of street >tires, so r-compounds (Toyos or Yoks) sound like a smarter choice... and >quite a bit more fun. ;) This message is for the designated recipient only and may contain privileged, proprietary, or otherwise private information. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the original. Any other use of the email by you is prohibited.
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#4. Re: R-Compounds: Appropriate? - from Geof McLaughlin
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 14:50:33 -0500 From: Geof McLaughlin <gfmiiilist@usa.net> Subject: Re: R-Compounds: Appropriate? I would recommend AGAINST SSR Competition wheels. I have heard from several reputable sources (mainly racers) that these rims are soft as hell and bend easily. Geof At 12:13 PM 3/22/02 -0600, Peter Fanning wrote: As for wheels (probably your next question), if I were in the market today I'd buy the SSR Comp's, light, strong and cheaper than Fikse or BBS.
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#5. Re: R-Compounds: Appropriate? (long) - from KLchmn@aol.com
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 15:54:02 EST From: KLchmn@aol.com Subject: Re: R-Compounds: Appropriate? (long) I would not change to R-compounds unless you run very expensive street tires. It is much more economical to run R compounds (Kumhos, Toyos, or Yokes) if your street tires are expensive. However, I don't advocate running R compound tires as they mask your mistakes on the track. You may go faster, but your learning curve will slow down. Also, mistakes have a much higher speed associated with them so you have less time to react. R compound tires break away at the limit with less notice than a street tire, so make sure your reflexes are up to the task too. If you don't have to run expensive street tires and can live with the Kumho Ecsta 712 street tire, you'll be just fine on the track and learn a heck of a lot. My wife and I put over 500 *track* miles on a set of 712s (245/40/17s on 17 x 9 integrals all around) at Buttonwillow. I can assure you that my laps weren't slow (and my wife drives in the A group). The car was a hoot to slide around. The tires showed some wear (very little), but at $105 each they are cheaper than any R compound tire out there (short of a used tire). Also, I'd steer clear of the SSR Competition wheels unless you just have to have that last 0.1 second per lap. Talking to SCCA racers, the SSR Competitions have a reputation of bending very, very easily. Last time I checked you could get the 17 x 9 SSR Integrals for $249 each, a much stronger wheel and not too much heavier (geez, it's a school afterall, right?). Having said all this, when I was a student I started running R compounds when I was in the B group as my car was horsepower limited ('87 325iS) and needed some edge (so I thought). Since becoming an instructor, I run on street tires during schools. It was way too much fun to pass E36 M3's in my '92 525i (5-speed) at Buttonwillow last year when I was running street tires on it! Got lots of questions about how I liked my S50 motor in my 525i. Too bad I don't have one in the car!<g> Get R compounds if you like, but realize that you aren't going to learn as much and you will be going faster if you make a mistake. Hope this was of some value. Cheers, Kirk Lachman Sin City Chapter '95 M3 #21 I-stock '97 2.8 Z3 ***FOR SALE***
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#6. Re: [E36M3] Re: R compounds, Appropriate? - from twisty M3
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 13:14:32 -0800 From: "twisty M3" <twistym3@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: R compounds, Appropriate? Wow! Thanks to all for the replies, and keep 'em coming. Who'd have thunk this could be such a hard decision... they're just wheels, right? ;) What's funny is that every single point that people have made absolutely makes sense... even when it's the complete opposite of what another person suggests. I certainly like the idea of getting as good as possible on street tires and being able to pass faster cars that are on R-compounds, but I also really like my S03s as street tires, and using them on the track works well, but certainly doesn't help with their life span. A Yoko A032R or Toyo RA-1 sounds like a great compromise, at an "affordable" price, but I also don't want to be slowing down my learning curve... Oy! I think what I'll do is just keep my eyes open for now to see what's out there as far as used wheels/great bargains. If something comes along that I can't say no too, I'll buy it and then decide on a tire from there. The S03s aren't terrible expensive anymore, so I'll keep them on the list as a seperate set as well as the g-Force KDs (Expensive) as my street-tire-as-track-tire choices and maybe the Yokos or Toyos as compromise tires. I just wish everyone's advice hadn't made sense... this would be much easier. I'll try to ask my instructors what they think as well, since they'll have the best feel for my abilities. I've had one instructor suggest the change, but he was also a friend and tries to keep a good track budget... Then again, he doesn't think the Rs would effect my learning curve... I dunno! By chance, does anyone on the list have an email address for Peter Hsu, a BMW CCA instructor? (not the same Peter Hsu from roadfly.org) Thanks again for all the feedback, and keep it comin'! Jonathan L _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
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#7. Grampy gets blown? - from Robert S. Hatrak II
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 13:35:13 -0800 From: "Robert S. Hatrak II" <hatrak@ix.netcom.com> Subject: Grampy gets blown? So grampy is getting a little old and is having to try harder to stay in front of the youngsters. I think he needs some sort of forced induction. It is also much cheaper than buying a new car. I just don't think the new E46 is $40k better than the $20k I could get for mine (if that!) as a down payment on the new $60k beast. I was thinking about going with cams, but for only a 30hp upgrade it doesn't seem like I'd be happy for long. Forced induction seems the way to go for now. So, the old questions arise... Turbo or supercharger? Who has the best kit? Blah blah blah. I want a car that will be able to handle the summer heat of Las Vegas/California without over-heating and pinging. I want a car that isn't always going to be breaking, or needing constant tweaking and maintenance of the "blowing aparatus." I want to pass emissions. I want something that won't suffer from heat soak, thus yielding no boost at all. Etc, etc. Is there such an animal? If BMW put a kit on the car, which one would they choose from the current offerings? Dinan's supercharger is probably out of the question because they are just way overpriced, IMO. I've paid their piper way too much in the past only to find the same thing elsewhere for less. Been there, done that. Sold the badge. RMS is probably out due to some of the stories I've heard floating around. My mechanic has worked on several of their cars and says check engine lights are a constant issue. If that is true, no thanks. ERT is attractive because they've been around a long time, and I think they are using Conforti software, which has worked the best in my car compared to the others I've tried. I just haven't heard a lot of people jumping up and down about this kit. I guess what I'm saying is that I've yet to hear NEGATIVE things about them. I've also yet to hear glowing reviews. The AA turbo kits would be cool, but I'm told they require a lot of maintenance and take a good year to sort out. No thanks if that is true. Mechtech turbos might be an option. My mechanic likes the one he installed, and Jim Powell and Suzy seemed to have good results. It did seem like it took Suzy and Jim a lot of tweaking to get them right. I know nothing else about them, though. Who does their software? Anyone that could give me some insight into this will be doing me a real favor. I don't want to make a mistake by buying the wrong kit, or if there is even a right kit for me. Thanks in advance, Rob 95 M3 - Grampy
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#8. Re: [E36M3] Re: R compounds, Appropriate? - from Chester Wong
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 13:40:58 -0800 (PST) From: Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: R compounds, Appropriate? I too am going through this tough decision as my Pilot Sports look like crap. I think I'll be able to get 3 - 4 more school out of them at which point I'll need new tires. So what to do? I like that fact that someone mentioned that the A032Rs behave similarly to street tires and don't have that violent break away behavior as people usually say about R-compounds. At the same time, I was thinking about the cheap tire alternative. Kumho 712 or even the new Kumho MX tires (which look like BFG KDs at around $138 each!) might be ideal. Chester --- twisty M3 <twistym3@hotmail.com> wrote: > Who'd have thunk this could be such a hard decision... they're just wheels, > right? ;) What's funny is that every single point that people have made > absolutely makes sense... even when it's the complete opposite of what > another person suggests. ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards(r) http://movies.yahoo.com/
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#9. Re: [E36M3] Re: R compounds, Appropriate? - from Peter Guagenti
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 13:45:32 -0800 From: Peter Guagenti <peter@guagenti.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Re: R compounds, Appropriate? on 3/22/02 1:23 PM, twisty M3 at twistym3@hotmail.com wrote: > I certainly like the idea of getting as good as possible on street tires and > being able to pass faster cars that are on R-compounds, but I also really > like my S03s as street tires, and using them on the track works well, but > certainly doesn't help with their life span. Yet another data point for you: When you get past that top layer of rubber (maybe about 1/3rd of the tread), an S-03 is actually R-compound rubber. They put the R-rubber underneath so that when the tire hardens overall, but you burn past the top layer, you have stickier rubber underneath to make up for the loss of grip in the old stuff. This is also why they burn pretty quick for folks like us that drive the hell out of our cars. I had the lucky chance to do a tire test with the Bridgestone folks when they released the tire, and one of the folks there explained the set-up. Seems that when they created the SO-series, they really took a cue from DOT-legal race tires. If you notice, they are quite a bit wider than average, have stiffer shoulders, and the S-03's have a new tread with more surface area (another technology instead of tread deals with water routing). One guy even threw out that if you shaved them when brand new, you'd probably have a pretty competent track tire, although I don't know how much I'd agree. My $0.02 on the "when" issue -- I'm probably a half-step from Group B with the CCA, and I'm starting to run with NASA Group 3 at tracks I know. I thought about the whole R-compound question, and I decided to stay on street tires. Why? Because if I want to be fast, I'll have to learn to make the most of what I have, instead of having a big helping hand from tires. The M3 makes you feel like a real hero long before you can really drive well, so why add to that? I also tend to be more conservative then most, so take it with a grain of salt. -peterg (my whole diatribe above didn't stop me from spending money on engine mods though -- guess I'm a bit of a schitzo ;-)
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#10. Re: [E36M3] Grampy gets blown? - from Chester Wong
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 13:54:26 -0800 (PST) From: Chester Wong <chester_p_wong@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Grampy gets blown? --- "Robert S. Hatrak II" <hatrak@ix.netcom.com> wrote: > Anyone that could give me some insight into this will be doing me a real > favor. I don't want to make a mistake by buying the wrong kit, or if > there is even a right kit for me. Some food for thought: http://home.attbi.com/~kbleck/ Chester ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards(r) http://movies.yahoo.com/
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#11. Re: [E36M3] Grampy gets blown? - from Jimenez, Ariel
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Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 15:58:10 -0600 From: "Jimenez, Ariel" <ariel@megapathdsl.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Grampy gets blown? Robert, Jim Powell seems to have been having some engine problems recently with Katerina, enough to make him change his mind about Mechtech and no longer endorse them. I don't know the full story, but when I asked him this same question, he said he'd just go Dinan if he had to do it all over again. He did say AA would definitely be the one if he lived in Florida and could drop his car off whenever he had a problem. :) Ariel 99 Titanium M3/2 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert S. Hatrak II" <hatrak@ix.netcom.com> To: "E36M3" <e36m3@bmw-m.net> Sent: Friday, March 22, 2002 3:43 PM Subject: [E36M3] Grampy gets blown? > Mechtech turbos might be an option. My mechanic likes the one he > installed, and Jim Powell and Suzy seemed to have good results. It did > seem like it took Suzy and Jim a lot of tweaking to get them right. I > know nothing else about them, though. Who does their software?