Running a 3.0i on track

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DaveP

Member
 Norfolk/London
Keen to hear from anyone who does regular track sessions with an E85 3.0i. I'm in the market for one at the moment, and would love to hear some experiences.

The plan is:
- LSD
- Coilovers
- ARBs
- Bucket seats
- Some bushes
- Sticky tyres (probably 235s on square 17s)
- E46 330 calipers (and decent pads/fluid)

I'm really looking for something robust, that can be thrashed at length for a few sessions a year.
 
i've done maybe a dozen days with my Z4 3.0i - though i kept it fairly standard, the only mods i made were decent tyres (Federal 595 RSRs, 245/35/R18 front, 255/35/R18 rear) and decent brake pads (Performance friction 08s). personally, i found the standard discs and calipers completely fine, pads and racing fluid were all the mods i needed for strong consistent braking, never had any fade. One thing to note though you can remove the front fogs to get a bit more air into the wheel wells.

Equally, i never felt the need to put an LSD in - in the dry the tyres have so much grip, i found it pretty much impossible to slide the rear. Suppose if you think you'll be driving a lot in the wet it might be an idea.

anyways, if you find a car you like i'd start with just brakes and tyres, then upgrade as you see fit - personally i was trying to keep things on the cheap.

Oh, and i wouldnt worry too much about mileage - my car still pulled strong and didnt use any oil between services, despite having done 150k - the M54 engine is pretty bulletproof.
 
brillomaster said:
i've done maybe a dozen days with my Z4 3.0i - though i kept it fairly standard, the only mods i made were decent tyres (Federal 595 RSRs, 245/35/R18 front, 255/35/R18 rear) and decent brake pads (Performance friction 08s). personally, i found the standard discs and calipers completely fine, pads and racing fluid were all the mods i needed for strong consistent braking, never had any fade. One thing to note though you can remove the front fogs to get a bit more air into the wheel wells.

Equally, i never felt the need to put an LSD in - in the dry the tyres have so much grip, i found it pretty much impossible to slide the rear. Suppose if you think you'll be driving a lot in the wet it might be an idea.

anyways, if you find a car you like i'd start with just brakes and tyres, then upgrade as you see fit - personally i was trying to keep things on the cheap.

Oh, and i wouldnt worry too much about mileage - my car still pulled strong and didnt use any oil between services, despite having done 150k - the M54 engine is pretty bulletproof.
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Good to hear your reply, and really informative, question, what engine oil do you use?
 
nothing special to be honest... whatever the garage put in when it was serviced. though the oil was changed every year while i had the car, which probably means it did maybe 2000 miles between services. never had any problems with temperatures, always stayed bang in the middle of the gauge no matter how hard i thrashed it - though always tried to keep my sessions short, and do a decent cool down lap before coming in - standard stuff really.

most full trackdays my target was 200 on track miles, which i usually managed!
 
To go with decent pads and fluid, I'd honestly look at dumping the fog lights and replacing with some brake cooling ducts. It's one area stock BMWs tend to suffer on tracks and a cheap mod anyway, certainly something I'd be doing if you're using it as a track car.
 
Just change the fluids before and after the track day.

Keep it as standard as possible as you can have as much fun in a standard car as you can in a full on race car the second one just costs loads more.

Use the money for race driver training it is day and night from road driving
 
You wont regret it :D but you may get carried away, i did :lol:
Coilover kit, service, bucket seats first track day - melted front brakes :cry:
Uprated discs, calipers and pads + exhaust second track day - mega but header tank holed at end of day (common fault apparently)
Getting the bug now and getting obsessed with weight as its a heavy car, deleted so far air con pump & rad, radio and all the speakers, rear trim and carpet. Last week completely removed soft top with pump and motor as i run the hardtop :D
Here's hoping we can get out soon :!:
 
If you haven't gotten a z/zed yet since your post says in the market for one, maintenance first. Go through spots first that are known issues. My expansion tank had no signs of going checked coolant the night before on pre teck inspection all was good and on that first track day I showed up to with it, had cracked since it hadn't seen colder temps in a while it was low 30s in the morning with mid 60s for highs that day just was its time to go. Luckily it went right as I got in the lot as I pulled in so no harm done except a track day ending before it started. Look at all the common sense stuff before getting your mod list going Inspect/replace disa if you're not sure on the history and so forth.
 
Piper1 said:
If you haven't gotten a z/zed yet since your post says in the market for one, maintenance first. Go through spots first that are known issues. My expansion tank had no signs of going checked coolant the night before on pre teck inspection all was good and on that first track day I showed up to with it, had cracked since it hadn't seen colder temps in a while it was low 30s in the morning with mid 60s for highs that day just was its time to go. Luckily it went right as I got in the lot as I pulled in so no harm done except a track day ending before it started. Look at all the common sense stuff before getting your mod list going Inspect/replace disa if you're not sure on the history and so forth.
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I agree with this. Coolant system refresh (radiator, hoses, expansion bottle, thermostat, pump) as these can all fail without warning, especially under track pressure. Then make sure there are no other pressing maintenance or repairs due. Then brake pads. After that try it and make modifications gradually as you learn the cars weak spots and improve them. The weakest spot will of course be the driver, I've been out with professional instructors and they got so much more out of my car than I could.
 
Really appreciate the input, folks.

I'm no newbie to trackdays. I almost bought a Z4 two years ago to replace my last track car, but picked up a 210bhp supercharged Mini Cooper instead. It's been great, and it got me hooked on the Ring, but I'm looking to move to something RWD.

The Z4 is going to need some fairly serious modification to match the Mini for pace, but I suspect it will be more rewarding overall.
 
DaveP said:
The Z4 is going to need some fairly serious modification to match the Mini for pace, but I suspect it will be more rewarding overall.
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I'm not sure why. :?

I'd much prefer 231bhp from an N/A straight 6 and RWD compared to 210bhp from a 'charged 1.6 litre 4 cylinder with FWD. And I'd be surprised if the Cooper S was significantly lighter.

Still you'll find out as soon as we are allowed out to play - hope it goes well. :thumbsup:
 
Mr Tidy said:
DaveP said:
The Z4 is going to need some fairly serious modification to match the Mini for pace, but I suspect it will be more rewarding overall.
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I'm not sure why. :?

I'd much prefer 231bhp from an N/A straight 6 and RWD compared to 210bhp from a 'charged 1.6 litre 4 cylinder with FWD. And I'd be surprised if the Cooper S was significantly lighter.

Still you'll find out as soon as we are allowed out to play - hope it goes well. :thumbsup:
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Then you're going to be surprised. The Mini is almost 300kg lighter than the Z4, and only a tiny bit down on power.
 
Maintenance first yes of course but as a track day man already, you’ll know go with standard pads and you’d be wasting your time
 
I’ve been tracking mine for an few years now. Done probably close to 15days in the Z, Spa, Silverstone, Snetterton, the only issues I’ve had are brake fade and the throttle body went at Snetterton; that was a long AA ride back to Sheffield. :headbang:

Agree with all the points made on maintenance first. It’s really crucial everything is safe. Make sure you check you torque settings on.. well... Pretty much everything.

As for brakes, I first upgraded to the larger front setup but used EBC Yellow Stuff pads which said track and race use at the time, they were absolutely crap! Switch to CL’s and they’ve been amazing; no bedding in, just throw them in and go. I’ve used Black Diamond discs and they’ve been great. Make sure you upgrade to braided brake lines, including the upper two rubber hoses in the rear. Done properly, there are 6 lines to change, most kits only come with 4. And as others have said, get high temp fluid and you’ll be fine. I’ve used Pagid 5.1 but currently use the 4.1 from CL and that, again, has been great.

I just put some Cobra Monaco seats and harnesses in so can’t wait to see the difference as I only had the standard seats in before.

Other than that, its standard. Not even got round to coilovers yet although that is the next thing on the shopping list. Well, after the switch to hydraulic steering.

There’s certainly no need for an LSD immediately but it is on my upgrade list.

This shopping list is getting longer the more I type! :lol:

It really is a cracking track car and surprises many people on track days. You’ll love it.
 
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