Damo's E86 for road and track - New upgrades incoming!
- Thread starter damocell
- Start date
Took the car for an alignment check today, it's necessary after all that work, but I'd also been playing with the ride height and the steering wheel was pointing to 11 o'clock. It looks worse on paper than it actually is 
Unfortunately, they didn't have the time to align it themselves and as some of the bolts haven't been cracked I didn't want to risk them snapping.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
So I got cracking with the maths.......Well, actually I used this brilliant website and fed the degrees/minutes into it to give me my toe figures in mm, which I could then use to get to roughly the correct alignment settings
https://www.wisefab.com/toe-converter?___store=en2&___from_store=en
Turns out I have 2.5mm toe in drivers rear and 0.9mm toe out passenger rear but as the camber was more positive on the passenger side, adding more negative camber would toe the passenger rear wheel in very slightly. So I added 1 degree of negative camber to the passenger rear using a digital spirit level.
I measured from the centre of the hub to the RTAB, which is approx. 18 inches. This meant I needed to add 2mm of toe out to the rear drivers' side at the RTAB, so I did that.
The centre of the hub to my top mount is approx 19.5 inches so I worked out I needed to add 5mm of positive camber to the drivers side to get the drivers and passenger at roughly the same values, and doing so would also correct my significant 5mm of toe out bringing it more towards parrellel or possibly toe in slightly. I could have added more negative camber to the passenger side but decided against that as the drivers was significantly toeing out and I thought it best ti reduce that rather then add more to the passenger side.
After all these changes..........the car tracks straight and true
:thumbs-up:
I know it won't be as good as a proper alignment place doing it and getting it perfect, but it's a quick and dirty alignment that will have to do as it's less than 24 hours till I set off for the next track day.
Also has the dash light up for ABS/DSC faults, turns out I hadn't seated the wheel speed sensor properly as the arm was a bit rusty, but after a tappety tap tap, its in and the light has gone off.
Lools like its ready to go.
Unfortunately, they didn't have the time to align it themselves and as some of the bolts haven't been cracked I didn't want to risk them snapping.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrSo I got cracking with the maths.......Well, actually I used this brilliant website and fed the degrees/minutes into it to give me my toe figures in mm, which I could then use to get to roughly the correct alignment settings
https://www.wisefab.com/toe-converter?___store=en2&___from_store=en
Turns out I have 2.5mm toe in drivers rear and 0.9mm toe out passenger rear but as the camber was more positive on the passenger side, adding more negative camber would toe the passenger rear wheel in very slightly. So I added 1 degree of negative camber to the passenger rear using a digital spirit level.
I measured from the centre of the hub to the RTAB, which is approx. 18 inches. This meant I needed to add 2mm of toe out to the rear drivers' side at the RTAB, so I did that.
The centre of the hub to my top mount is approx 19.5 inches so I worked out I needed to add 5mm of positive camber to the drivers side to get the drivers and passenger at roughly the same values, and doing so would also correct my significant 5mm of toe out bringing it more towards parrellel or possibly toe in slightly. I could have added more negative camber to the passenger side but decided against that as the drivers was significantly toeing out and I thought it best ti reduce that rather then add more to the passenger side.
After all these changes..........the car tracks straight and true
:thumbs-up: I know it won't be as good as a proper alignment place doing it and getting it perfect, but it's a quick and dirty alignment that will have to do as it's less than 24 hours till I set off for the next track day.
Also has the dash light up for ABS/DSC faults, turns out I hadn't seated the wheel speed sensor properly as the arm was a bit rusty, but after a tappety tap tap, its in and the light has gone off.
Lools like its ready to go.
Been a while since Anglesey now, life has got in the way of a proper write-up.
Started the night before at the pub/hotel with the lads, a load of beer and a damn good laugh was had. Next morning off to the track, perfect sunny weather. It was a hot day, peaking at about 24 degree in the afternoon. The slight hangover didn't help, especially having to wear jeans rather than shorts.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Due to the heat, times weren't the best and I wasn't able to lap much quicker than in November even though I has better tyres, a LSD and lower final drive. 1:46 was the best on the international circuit and 1:22 on the Coastal. But we had fun. Car performed really well, The EBC RP-X pads are as good as I remember them to be, super sharp and consistent with great modulation,but I couldn't get on with the Direzza tyres on my 17's.
[youtube]vsSuriLpH1s[/youtube]
Even though it was a square setup I had to wait to get on the throttle, letting the front end settle. If I didn't the car understeered. Soemthing felt a little off and putting my road tyres back on at the end of the day confirmed it. The road tyres were only 0.25 of a second slower. I think the Direzza's were past their best if I'm honest which is disappointing but probably my fault for buying them from a race team.
That been said had a brilliant day with the lads and some great photo provided by Javelin as per usual.
Managed to take out Kieran's 3.0si E85 which runs the same suspension and brakes as me but was on AR-1. The car felt much better in the turns with a much more positive front end. One thing that was really different was my final drive. I believe the E85 run 3.28 but mine is now 3.73....what a difference. The car felt much more eager and alive and willing to rev. Probably my favourite mod so far.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Since I got back the car didn't move for three weeks, then I relise the MOT had run out, so swapped back to some road pads. I decided to go for Brembo Xtra pads to give them a try. Also got round to painting the god awful copper brake calipers :thumbs-down:
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Went for a metallic black high temp paint with high temp lacquer, more of an OEM+ plus look
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
The car flew through its MOT test, not one minor :thumbs-up:
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Then a couple of bits turned up for the interior that I'd sent off for retrimming. I've gone for 9002 Alcantara with tricolour stitching and the arm pad and handbrake handle in genuine BMW carbon leather. I love how they've turned out.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Next jobs are to change the outer rear bushes on the passenger side, inner and outer track rods, possibly some firmer suspension springs and then alignment. Also, I do need to do the valve cover and fit my oil cooler.
Started the night before at the pub/hotel with the lads, a load of beer and a damn good laugh was had. Next morning off to the track, perfect sunny weather. It was a hot day, peaking at about 24 degree in the afternoon. The slight hangover didn't help, especially having to wear jeans rather than shorts.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrDue to the heat, times weren't the best and I wasn't able to lap much quicker than in November even though I has better tyres, a LSD and lower final drive. 1:46 was the best on the international circuit and 1:22 on the Coastal. But we had fun. Car performed really well, The EBC RP-X pads are as good as I remember them to be, super sharp and consistent with great modulation,but I couldn't get on with the Direzza tyres on my 17's.
[youtube]vsSuriLpH1s[/youtube]
Even though it was a square setup I had to wait to get on the throttle, letting the front end settle. If I didn't the car understeered. Soemthing felt a little off and putting my road tyres back on at the end of the day confirmed it. The road tyres were only 0.25 of a second slower. I think the Direzza's were past their best if I'm honest which is disappointing but probably my fault for buying them from a race team.
That been said had a brilliant day with the lads and some great photo provided by Javelin as per usual.
Managed to take out Kieran's 3.0si E85 which runs the same suspension and brakes as me but was on AR-1. The car felt much better in the turns with a much more positive front end. One thing that was really different was my final drive. I believe the E85 run 3.28 but mine is now 3.73....what a difference. The car felt much more eager and alive and willing to rev. Probably my favourite mod so far.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrSince I got back the car didn't move for three weeks, then I relise the MOT had run out, so swapped back to some road pads. I decided to go for Brembo Xtra pads to give them a try. Also got round to painting the god awful copper brake calipers :thumbs-down:
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrWent for a metallic black high temp paint with high temp lacquer, more of an OEM+ plus look
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrThe car flew through its MOT test, not one minor :thumbs-up:
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrThen a couple of bits turned up for the interior that I'd sent off for retrimming. I've gone for 9002 Alcantara with tricolour stitching and the arm pad and handbrake handle in genuine BMW carbon leather. I love how they've turned out.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr by Damien Bower, on FlickrNext jobs are to change the outer rear bushes on the passenger side, inner and outer track rods, possibly some firmer suspension springs and then alignment. Also, I do need to do the valve cover and fit my oil cooler.
Not sure if it's just the one I'm using but it has defo introduced more NVH which is why I wasn't sure about it on the road. But the increase in theatre when driving is defo a good thing. On track, it came into its own with no more issues of slipping past 2nd and going into reverse when downshifting aggressively from 3rd to 2nd.
Managed to get another track day in July, this time at Cadwell.
I never been round Cadwell and was a little apprehensive as it is tight, twitsy and in some sections has minimal runoff. Decided to use my road wheels/tyres to help me learn the track and as I always do, booked tuition.
What a sodding top day with the lads! There was Kieran in his E85 N52 track car and Dan in his 450bhp E82. That circuit is amazing!!! I recommend it to anyone and I think its my favourite so far. The combination of elevation change, blind corners and twists means you are constantly on it. It's like Anglesey on acid
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
I'd practiced quite a lot on my sim rig so got up to speed fairly quickly managing a 1:46 on my 3rd session. In the afternoon the track heated up so times levelled off at 1:46, which tbh on road tyres and my first time there, I'm pretty happy with. Look like pole time for Z Cars championship at Cadwell was 1:42 in a built race car so my little road/track car is doing ok.
Some great shots as per usual from Javelin
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Had loads of fun chasing a boosted Mx5 and a Fisher Fury, but The new R8 run by Nigel Pinder is something else!! Nice bloke too, had a good chat, clearly a massive petrolhead
Also, due to Cadwells many viewing pots close to the pits, I managed to get a few cool shots of Dan's car and pop them in to a video
RP-X pads once again performed faultlessly, amazing power from the them, but once I got the car home I noticed the orange brake dust all along the car and clinging to the wheels. I've read the dust from RP-X can be corrosive so a bath followed.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Once clean it appeared as though the dust had removed some of the sealant protection from the paint so ~I'll need to clean the car quickly after each track day for sure
by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Also, picked up some Clio 197 Brembos which I am refurbing and rebuilding. The plan is to be able to run them with stock 3.0si discs or 325mm M3 discs with a later upgrade kit to 345mm discs. the adaptors are being designed as I speak!
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
I've calculated that running these calipers on stock discs will shave 3.7kg off the front end and moving to M3 discs will take that up to 6.3kg but more importantly should increase pedal feel
I never been round Cadwell and was a little apprehensive as it is tight, twitsy and in some sections has minimal runoff. Decided to use my road wheels/tyres to help me learn the track and as I always do, booked tuition.
What a sodding top day with the lads! There was Kieran in his E85 N52 track car and Dan in his 450bhp E82. That circuit is amazing!!! I recommend it to anyone and I think its my favourite so far. The combination of elevation change, blind corners and twists means you are constantly on it. It's like Anglesey on acid
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrI'd practiced quite a lot on my sim rig so got up to speed fairly quickly managing a 1:46 on my 3rd session. In the afternoon the track heated up so times levelled off at 1:46, which tbh on road tyres and my first time there, I'm pretty happy with. Look like pole time for Z Cars championship at Cadwell was 1:42 in a built race car so my little road/track car is doing ok.
Some great shots as per usual from Javelin
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrHad loads of fun chasing a boosted Mx5 and a Fisher Fury, but The new R8 run by Nigel Pinder is something else!! Nice bloke too, had a good chat, clearly a massive petrolhead
Also, due to Cadwells many viewing pots close to the pits, I managed to get a few cool shots of Dan's car and pop them in to a video
RP-X pads once again performed faultlessly, amazing power from the them, but once I got the car home I noticed the orange brake dust all along the car and clinging to the wheels. I've read the dust from RP-X can be corrosive so a bath followed.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr by Damien Bower, on FlickrOnce clean it appeared as though the dust had removed some of the sealant protection from the paint so ~I'll need to clean the car quickly after each track day for sure
by Damien Bower, on FlickrAlso, picked up some Clio 197 Brembos which I am refurbing and rebuilding. The plan is to be able to run them with stock 3.0si discs or 325mm M3 discs with a later upgrade kit to 345mm discs. the adaptors are being designed as I speak!
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrI've calculated that running these calipers on stock discs will shave 3.7kg off the front end and moving to M3 discs will take that up to 6.3kg but more importantly should increase pedal feel
yes, only on the road. Tbh, they are ok, fine enough for hte orad a some peopel love them but I think they are just ok. But I feel like I've been spoilt by the RP-X pads which are awesome. They bite hard and fast which I like. The Brembo's feel a less sharp initially. They also don't feel as sharp as Bluestuff pads which are a great compormise between road and track.
Next track day is booked for the 18th of September so I finally got around to fitting my oil cooler.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Bruno at BDS told me that oil temps can easily hit 140 degrees in the N52 when driven hard on track. The N52 uses the coolant to raise the temperature of the oil and then try to cool it but it struggles when on track. So to combat this I started looking around at oil cooler options. Turns out the N54/55 and S55 all run an oil cooler utilising most of the same oil filter housing as the N52. The great part about this is that it has a thermostat that opens at about 90 degrees. This means warm up should still be fairly quick, although the coolant now wont help with this, but hte 19 row cooler will keep the oil temps under control when pressing on.
So, what do you need?
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
It's a relatively straightforward process.
Remove the front bumper and upper cover for better access....Unfortunately I rounded two of the torx screws and had to drill them out
First remove the coolant pipe from the oil filter housing and the lower metal pipe. Be quick with the 16mm bung as you'll lose a lot of coolant if you don't.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Remove the N52 front part of the coolant housing
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Clean the seals, fit hte gasket and then the N54/55 front part
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Now comes the tricky bit. The adaptor for the AN10 lines pushes in with a clip that holds them in place. Then an allen bolt secures it all in place. You have to hold the fitting in with one hand whilst trying to get the bolt in and secured. Its a proper PITA. I resorted to using some tape to hold it all together and in place whilst I seated the bolt.
In terms of mounting the cooler it was fairly easy. Drill holes through the bars at the top and then use the fittings in the kit to mount it to the crash bar using the self tappers. Don't forget the rubber washers to dampen vibrations.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Fill the cooler with oil and get as much of the air out as possible. Technically you should fill the lines with oil too but that would cause a massive mess. The lines were the perfect length luckily. I tightened the AN10 fitting finger tight then a 1/4 - 1/2 turn extra with a 26mm spanner.
Refill the coolant and bleed the system.
by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Refit the bumper and wonder why you have screws left over.
I ran the car for 30 minutes on the drive to check for leaks. Don't forget though, the oil housing has a thermostat; oil won't run through the cooler until up to temp. No leaks so far so I took it for an extended drive with some oil in the boot. I kept checking the oil level which did drop so I topped and and repeated this process three times until I was happy the oil level was stable.
Next up is to fit a oil temp and maybe pressure gauge.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrBruno at BDS told me that oil temps can easily hit 140 degrees in the N52 when driven hard on track. The N52 uses the coolant to raise the temperature of the oil and then try to cool it but it struggles when on track. So to combat this I started looking around at oil cooler options. Turns out the N54/55 and S55 all run an oil cooler utilising most of the same oil filter housing as the N52. The great part about this is that it has a thermostat that opens at about 90 degrees. This means warm up should still be fairly quick, although the coolant now wont help with this, but hte 19 row cooler will keep the oil temps under control when pressing on.
So, what do you need?
- Front of a N54/55/S55 oil filter housing - managed to get mine from eBay for £40
- Aliexpress oil cooler kit for the N54/55 - about £110 with all the fittings you'll need
- New gasket - £15
- 16mm bung and hose clip - £8
- Assortment of M6 nuts/bolts and some self tappers - £10
- Rubber washers to dampen vibrations - £10
- Oil to fill the cooler and top up once complete
- Coolant to refil what you lose
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrIt's a relatively straightforward process.
Remove the front bumper and upper cover for better access....Unfortunately I rounded two of the torx screws and had to drill them out
First remove the coolant pipe from the oil filter housing and the lower metal pipe. Be quick with the 16mm bung as you'll lose a lot of coolant if you don't.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrUntitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrRemove the N52 front part of the coolant housing
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrClean the seals, fit hte gasket and then the N54/55 front part
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrNow comes the tricky bit. The adaptor for the AN10 lines pushes in with a clip that holds them in place. Then an allen bolt secures it all in place. You have to hold the fitting in with one hand whilst trying to get the bolt in and secured. Its a proper PITA. I resorted to using some tape to hold it all together and in place whilst I seated the bolt.
In terms of mounting the cooler it was fairly easy. Drill holes through the bars at the top and then use the fittings in the kit to mount it to the crash bar using the self tappers. Don't forget the rubber washers to dampen vibrations.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrFill the cooler with oil and get as much of the air out as possible. Technically you should fill the lines with oil too but that would cause a massive mess. The lines were the perfect length luckily. I tightened the AN10 fitting finger tight then a 1/4 - 1/2 turn extra with a 26mm spanner.
Refill the coolant and bleed the system.
by Damien Bower, on FlickrRefit the bumper and wonder why you have screws left over.
I ran the car for 30 minutes on the drive to check for leaks. Don't forget though, the oil housing has a thermostat; oil won't run through the cooler until up to temp. No leaks so far so I took it for an extended drive with some oil in the boot. I kept checking the oil level which did drop so I topped and and repeated this process three times until I was happy the oil level was stable.
Next up is to fit a oil temp and maybe pressure gauge.
Last edited:
Almost forgot, the preventative maintenance continues at pace.
Valve cover gasket has been changed which has stopped the car hunting at idle when first starting it.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Seems quite clean in there for 115,000 miles and 6 track days. It has had 2 oil changes in the last 6000 miles though witht the last one being before Cadwell.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Valve cover gasket has been changed which has stopped the car hunting at idle when first starting it.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on FlickrSeems quite clean in there for 115,000 miles and 6 track days. It has had 2 oil changes in the last 6000 miles though witht the last one being before Cadwell.
Untitled by Damien Bower, on Flickr
Yes mate. It seems that quite a few of the N52's hunt at idle when first turning on. The revs fluctuate for about 10 seconds or so when hot then settle down. It can be due to a few things, such as the MAF, CCV system, etc. Those are all new on my car and helped a little, but the VGC has defo made the biggest difference
That’s very interesting. Mine does hunt a little on startup, VCG is leaking a tiny bit at the moment. It’s being replaced on Thursday so let’s see!
That's good to hear, thanks for letting us know