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      06-07-2017, 03:10 PM   #1
ATLBlue
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Tracking an F36 430d

I relocated from the US to Belgium last September and stayed away from race tracks for some time. Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to spend the day at Spa-Francorchamps (only one hour from where I live) and thought I would share some impressions after my first trackday 1) with the F36, 2) in Europe & 3) in Spa


F36 430d on the track

I had no other car to take to the track than my daily driver, but I was overall positively surprised. This was a 'Public Driving Experience' day and I had no intention of breaking any record. The only modifications to the car are:
-a new engine tune. I replaced the first one that was only increasing the boost by another piggy back using 4 different parameters and that is far more linear. The car feels pretty much like a 2WD 435d (if it existed).
-Eibach springs (combined with the OEM M-adaptive suspension), F80/82 front lower control arms
-Michelin PSS tires

Taking a diesel-powered car to the track was a whole new experience for me. It behaves as expected: the strong torque helps you rebuilding speed after having to shave some for whatever reason (traffic, turn...) and you can then keep up with serious sportscars. The story is of course different in a long straight where you can not achieve the same top speeds as you would with an engine running on gas. I could only get up to 210 km/h (131 mph) at the end of the Kimmel straight and I bet my F30 would have finished 10 mph faster at that point. Still, the car does not feel slow by any means. It will stay ahead of most hot hatches (only a new Golf R managed to run at the same pace) and sportscars driven in a more 'conservative' manner. When you see a GT3 in your rear view mirror (which never lasts very long), do not fight it, you are not in the same league
One merit of Diesel engines is their frugality: it is the first time I do 4 x 30 minutes sessions with less than one tank Not that you care about how much gas you burn at the track, you will save the planet another day.

The combination of the M-adaptive suspension with Eibach springs does a very good job and I did not feel that I would really need coilovers or bigger sway bars
for an occasional trackday. The car remains sufficiently flat in turns, stable in long straights or sweepers and remarkably planted at Eau Rouge and the Raidillon. The only downside is the (very) heavy front weight you feel in tight corners and hairpins (La Source, Rivage ,Chicane). This is the only time you feel frustrated.

The brakes were the original OEM MPerformance setup and I did not get stainless steel lines, neither replace the fluid with one that has a higher boiling point and left the standard pads. I was surprised not to experience any fading in spite of the weight of the car but I was not as aggressive on the brakes as I usually am either. Should I take the car back to the track, I would probably go for these minor upgrades to be on the safe side.


Trackday in Europe

I should not generalise by any means after just one trackday, that was in addition only a 'Public Driving Experience', but there was no tech inspection, everybody runs solo whether you are a veteran or it is your first time, the safety briefing (in French only supported by a few slides in English) does not last more than 10 minutes, there are no point by's (but marshals do an excellent job of warning slow cars that they are obstructing or are going to get passed) and you drive with the windows up. Having been educated following much stricter rules in the US, I was surprised (an understatement) but always felt safe. Guys in GT3s, Radicals or KTMs were very skilled and did a good job passing you flat out without ever scaring you off.
Trackdays with other groups have probably stricter rules but still more lax than Stateside I think.


Spa-Francorchamps

This track was on my bucket list for a while and finally driving Eau Rouge was a blast. The track is a nice blend of speed and technical turns, elevation changes, is well maintained, has proper run-offs etc. Based on my own -limited- experience, I would put it in the same category as VIR or Road Atlanta, but with better amenities.
I will definitely need to do the 'ring some time soon (even though I have the feeling it is a bit over rated and that with the length of the track, you need a lot more practice to do a half decent job).


While I am still looking with no hurry for a suitable week-end/track car (I just missed a nice Cayman S opportunity), I will probably take the F36 a few more times to Spa since the fun factor more than justifies it

Here is a short & cheesy video to give you a better idea (with a soundtrack since there is more wind noise than engine sound or exhaust note )


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      06-07-2017, 04:45 PM   #2
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Nice movie! A month ago i've tracked our M2 on a trackday in Spa. Beautiful circuit indeed with the Porsches and Radicals passing you by [IMG]
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      06-08-2017, 11:20 PM   #3
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Nice write-up! That's amazing about how lax everything was, I'd have been nervous to go out in a group like that, with so many unknowns.

Glad to hear the M brakes held up.

Charles
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      08-22-2017, 04:40 PM   #4
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I will plead guilty: I wasted the last 2 months spending way more time playing with my week end Cayman S than posting about bimmers. Shame on me

Meanwhile, I have been in petrolhead heaven: depending on my mood, weather, distance to cover or whatever other reason, I could either go on a very effective & comfortable trip with the F36 or a more involving -sometimes exhausting- one with the Porsche.



The best place to experience the difference between both cars was definitely the track and I took the Cayman to Spa-Francorchamps during the first week of August. As expected, it behaved very differently from the F36: as sharp as a scalpel in the turns, but lacking the massive torque to re-launch the car if you had to use the brakes for whatever reason. In the end, there is no doubt that the Porsche is better and more fun on the track (...while the bimmer is faster and better suited for the autobahn) and it was running more than 10 seconds faster than the F36 without pushing too much.

This being all said, I was happy to see that there was another F36 owner (chipped F36 435i I think) at the track the same day, and, while I eventually passed him -keeping in mind DEs are not races-, the BMW did more than hold its rank: the owner had good fun and no problem to keep up with the pack.

Here is a short video where I follow the F36 for one lap around Spa:



In conclusion, no need to invest in a sports coupe -unless you caught the virus- you can definitely have fun with your daily BMW. It may not be designed for the track, but, like I experienced myself before, it does pretty well
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      08-28-2017, 02:24 AM   #5
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Nice video and posts ATLBlue. How do you like the ride quality of the Eibach springs with the M-adaptive dampers on the street and also at the track? I have M-adaptive on my 335i and am debating whether to lower it or not. Originally thinking of going Dinan springs but am afraid that it will lower the car too much (I do drive my car up the mountain for skiing during winter so if I can't fit tire chain at rear, I may be in trouble).

Btw, which app did you use in the 2nd video when you drove the Cayman?
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      09-05-2017, 03:13 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daxtor View Post
Nice video and posts ATLBlue. How do you like the ride quality of the Eibach springs with the M-adaptive dampers on the street and also at the track? I have M-adaptive on my 335i and am debating whether to lower it or not. Originally thinking of going Dinan springs but am afraid that it will lower the car too much (I do drive my car up the mountain for skiing during winter so if I can't fit tire chain at rear, I may be in trouble).

Btw, which app did you use in the 2nd video when you drove the Cayman?
Thanks.
The Eibach springs are doing a good job with the M-adaptive suspension. Not too stiff on the road and good control on the track. I had springs on my 335i in the US (H&R, not Eibach), but there would certainly not have been enough room to fit tire chains, even before I installed coilovers (I did not have the M-adaptive suspension back then, only the standard M-sport, but I do not think it makes a difference).

On the track, I am running Larry's laptimer on my iPhone. On the Bimmer, I use the M-laptimer app.
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      09-07-2017, 01:19 AM   #7
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Thanks again ATLBlue. How's driving in the snow with your car lowered? I have been stuck before with my E46 330i and H&R sport springs. But then I might have been stuck anyway with a 5 to 6 inches of snow on the ground.
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      09-09-2017, 03:52 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daxtor View Post
Thanks again ATLBlue. How's driving in the snow with your car lowered? I have been stuck before with my E46 330i and H&R sport springs. But then I might have been stuck anyway with a 5 to 6 inches of snow on the ground.
I have a set of winter tires and they do fine on the snow (the couple of times we got snow last winter... never more than an inch). I have not been in a more extreme situation before. Next winter, I will probably go skiing in the Alps and will buy a set of tire chain 'socks' just in case. They should work OK on a lowered car.
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      09-12-2017, 12:27 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ATLBlue View Post
I have a set of winter tires and they do fine on the snow (the couple of times we got snow last winter... never more than an inch). I have not been in a more extreme situation before. Next winter, I will probably go skiing in the Alps and will buy a set of tire chain 'socks' just in case. They should work OK on a lowered car.
Tire chain "socks"? Any recommendation?
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