Mike Rainbird said:
Mike Rainbird Evo July 2011 said:...so we went in a relatively standard Z4M (APs and rear bush limiter kit fitted the day before). We both did a lap each at the end of the public day on Sunday - just to see how it went (as neither of us had driven one in anger before - as it was purchased only a few days before, when we realised the Escort wasn't going to be ready) and thought that we were going to die. It was completely unpredictable and just seemed to move around in a frightening manner. We decided to see if adjusting tyre pressures helped any and after my lap went to the garage and dropped them down from 37psi hot to 30 (Conti Sport Contacts). We then had to wait until the morning to see if that did anything.
Fortunately it did (and the relief we felt was fantastic, as we were sure the car was out to kill us previously LOL), and the car was much more settled and this meant that we could push harder and harder (and keep dropping the pressures to maintain the 30psi hot). This seemed to be the best compromise and although we weren't the fastet there, we weren't the slowest by a long shot...
...With the tyres at anything above 30psi, there was a notable drop off in feel and handling, with the car lurching unpredicatably and feeling really vague. Dropping the pressures transformed the car into something that was undriveable on the limit before (or something that you didn't WANT to drive at anywhere approaching the limit), to something that was at least predicatable and did mostly what you wanted it to do (to the adhesion limit of the tyres anyway)....
...It was once we got to grips with the tyre pressures, but nowhere near as fun as a well sorted E46 M3. Maybe the Nitrons will transform the car, but I suspect the design is flawed, so you're fighting against that....
...Sporadic rain, where we came in and wouldn't go out again until it dried, a couple of times the track was closed for accidents (around 30 mins at a time), we had to fill up five times (each time taking around 15-20 mins inc checking tyre pressures) due to the tiny 50 litre tank and the fact that they closed the track a bit earlier than normal (1620 instead of 1640, due to the barrier damage needing to be repaired before the public evening, meant that we did 2 laps less than intended). Still I thought 150+ miles each in a day was pretty good - normally I would only do around that on a UK track day.
I was absolutely wiped out from the high level of concentration that these laps required - we weren't cruising around - doing consistant sub 9 minute laps (including 15s added time due to the circuit from Schikane to T13 being coned off single lane with a 30kmh speed limit as they were building seats on the track for a forth-coming event)...
...It's a nice place to be, albeit the seats lacking as much support as you would like. Quite fast too - we were hitting an indicated 160mph going past the pits, and then slowing to 140mph going under the bridge, which we thought was quick until one of the Stage 1 2011 GTR guys said they were seeing an indicated 190
...I personally was mortified when he told me he had bought it (especially when he told me it was "purple" with bamboo interior) - I thought we would look like a gay couple in it LOL (a bit like when you see two men in a Boxster). I preferred his E46: ....
...The Z4 is a hairdresser's car, so hardly comparable with the almost homologation specials that are the Porsche GT cars (where racing definitely improves the bread)
However, BMW always seem to put woefully inadequate brakes on their cars (choosing cheap mass produced sliding callipers which are fit for nothing but the skip
So you discovered that overinflated Conti M3s handle unpredictably and that small cars have small fuel tanks. Oh, and the seats aren't the best. Still can't see your review :wink:
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Usa
