Ownership Verified: 1995 BMW M3 (US 3.0L), track day car

I'm not an "e36 guy".. but the "why can't I tilt my steering wheel?" is very true :D

where's the one for "e34 guys"? :p
 
:rofl:

Damn, I must find a "shit E46 guys say" to annoy my brother!
 
I'm not an "e36 guy".. but the "why can't I tilt my steering wheel?" is very true :D

Well I have heard you proclaim the "I wish I had a Euro version" multiple times, as well as the "It only has 240hp" :tease:
 
Well I have heard you proclaim the "I wish I had a Euro version" multiple times, as well as the "It only has 240hp" :tease:

I don't know if I wish I had the euro version.. but having 320hp would be nice.

You've heard all of that more because Europeans are confused that my car isn't a euro M3 and "only has 240hp". I get tired of explaining it :D
 
found this video that someone took yesterday of the advanced group starting at the track. My e36 sounds sweet :D (and there are some other cool cars too)

you'll probably want to view larger on youtube.. the dude shot vertically
 
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Nice! Too bad it was shot vertically.
 
took it to another track yesterday. I got the tires a little more warmed up, but it was still a cold day and the track was damp most of the day.

video someone shot of my car coming onto the main straight..
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200280419679174
direct flash link: https://www.facebook.com/v/10200280419679174

my car developed a very serious vibration under braking that I haven't really been able to replicate while driving on the highway. The whole car shook and moved around.. also felt through the steering wheel. I can't tell if it's from the front or rear, but something is definitely loose. I just don't know why I haven't felt it off the track yet. I'll have to drive the car around a little more to try and pin it down.

This will probably be the last track day until the weather warms up more. I bought these tires because I wanted something that would take a beating better than the Star Specs I'm used to, but the other side of that coin is that they are not heating up easily in the cold weather. Oh well. This will give me time to sort out a few of the issues I've come across with these two track days.

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I'll have some video at some point.. I recorded a couple of sessions.
 
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Which tires did you go with?
 
it's not a vibration in the brakes if the entire car is bouncing around under braking ;)

I'd get more for my money by just taking the car to a shop and having them diagnose. A dyno is $120 on the cheap end here, which is about 1.5 hours of shop labor.


Right now I won't be surprised if it's a torn bushing in the front or rear :(
 
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here's a long, uncut video of one of my sessions after the track dried out a little. The vibration at the end of the straight is pretty obvious here. I was being pretty careful through some of the turns since I didn't trust the tires, and I purposely missed a couple of apexes due to the track being slippery. You'll see several cars passing me :D

I also went straight off at Turn 1 on the last full speed lap in this video. I pushed the top speed a bit and ended up deep enough that I didn't trust the tires to keep me from spinning.. so going off straight ended up being the best course of action. No harm done..

 
since the aforementioned track day I've just been busy moving. I did buy new wipers for the car last week so I can see better in the rain. I washed the car for the first time in a few months as well, and the M3 is currently in the garage while my wagon sits outside, very dirty.

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it's a month or two away from seeing track time again.. it will depend on weather. I'm keen on getting the car onto some dry track in warmer weather, so the tires can heat up.
 
I've started amassing some parts that hopefully go on sooner than later..

hood cowl & fasteners
e36-hood-cowl-cover-51711977677.jpg


jack pads.. the car was missing all of them
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Vogtland Club Spec springs for the existing Bilstein Sports.. until coils can be afforded
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obd2 M3 headers
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obd2 mid-pipe/cats

Active Autowerke Gen 3 cat-back
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