M4GTS Track Build

[YMS]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Hello everyone,

I have noticed that there is a lack of published M4 track builds so here is our M4 shop car. The goal of this build is for us to extract the absolute maximum from the BMW M4 platform. The photos attached are as the car sits 10/12/2019. I will be periodically updating this thread as the build moves along. I hope you guys enjoy!

Car: 2016 M4GTS FDG

Modifications in progress:
FIA roll cage
Removal of all sound deadening
Air jacks
Ohlins TTX 4 way
SPL Parts front lower control arm
SPL Parts front tension rod
SPL Parts front swaybar links
SPL Parts rear swaybar links
SPL Parts rear toe links
SPL Parts rear upper links
SPL Parts rear traction links
M4 GT4 rear spring bucket bushings
M4 GT4 brake ducts
M4 GT4 steering stops
M4 GT4 tie rods
M4 GT4 stud conversion
M4 GT4 front wheel spacers
M4 GT4 dipstick
M4 GT4 differential
M4 GT4 wheels 18x11 +30 front and rear
Dinan f&r sway bars
Flossmann carbon fiber vented front fenders
BBS E88 18x11 +35 front and rear

Modifications:
Moton 3-way motorsport dampers (true coilover rear)
Fall Line Motorsport front mono ball thrust arm bushings
Fall Line Motorsport front sway bar links
Fall Line Motorsport rear sway bar links
Fall Line Motorsport rear camber shims
Fall Line Motorsport rear toe link (clamp style)
Fall Line Motorsport rear solid upper control arm bushings
Fall Line Motorsport polyethylene front lip
Fall Line Motorsport front tow strap with matching paint cover
M235iR rear wing
Alcon Mono 6/4 brakes (PFC 13 pads)
Apex FL5 wheels 18x10 +25 18x11 +44
Sparco Corsa seat (driver)
Sparco Pro 2000 seat (passenger)
Sparco 6pt Hans harness (driver)
Sparco 6pt non-Hans harness (passenger)
VAC Motorsport seat mounts
BMW electronic steering wheel
Autoteknic carbon shift knob trim
Autoteknic carbon/Antarctica shifter base
Autoteknic carbon pattern steering wheel trim
Acexxon rear reflector inserts
IND painted side reflectors
Akrapovic downpipes
Active Autowerks midpipe
Bootmod3 tune
Whole car has Suntek clear bra

Build on Youtube:
EP1 -

[coryf]

Fun project. Will you be gutting the interior as well?

[chillindrdude]

Subbed!

Will be interesting to see the GT4 rear end and electronics.

Are you going to replace some windows with lexan?

[FormulaMMM]

Whoa! awesome stuff. You've tracked the GTS in near stock form? Interested in as much feedback as possible on the various mods

[Lienrocs]

Subbed. I'm gathering info on doing a much, MUCH, milder version of track prepping my GTS. This is going to be a wealth of information! Cant wait to hear some feed back?

How did the Motons compare to the stock suspension?

Also, did you keep the stock billet knuckles? Or did you change to the civic m4 knuckles to accommodate the new dampers?

[schnell325]

Absolutely gorgeous.

[YMS]

Originally Posted by coryf

Fun project. Will you be gutting the interior as well?

The car will still have complete interior after the roll cage has been put in. Some of the interior panels will be cut and reupholstered. The goal of the whole build is to create a street registered track car that could have been produced by the factory.

Originally Posted by chillindrdude

Subbed!

Will be interesting to see the GT4 rear end and electronics.

Are you going to replace some windows with lexan?

We will try to retain as much glass as possible. The car will still be driven often on the street even after the roll cage has been put in. You can follow @ymotorsport on instagram if you wish to follow the build more closely.

Originally Posted by FormulaMMM

Whoa! awesome stuff. You've tracked the GTS in near stock form? Interested in as much feedback as possible on the various mods

Thank you! I have not driven the car on track in stock form. The closest was when the car still had the OEM KW clubsports but all the Fall Line Motorsport suspension parts were installed. Please feel free to ask any questions.

Originally Posted by Lienrocs

Subbed. I'm gathering info on doing a much, MUCH, milder version of track prepping my GTS. This is going to be a wealth of information! Cant wait to hear some feed back?

How did the Motons compare to the stock suspension?

Also, did you keep the stock billet knuckles? Or did you change to the civic m4 knuckles to accommodate the new dampers?

The Motons are definitely a higher end damper than the OEM KW Clubsports but the OEM KW Clubsports are designed for the GTS. If I can recall correctly, the OEM KW Clubsports are different internally and externally to the non-GTS version of the KW Clubsports. They were also designed in conjunction with the billet knuckle which I am not using on my car at this moment. If you are an advanced driver and know exactly what you want out of the car, then I would say get something like the Moton 3-ways. We run the M4GTS as a professional race team and there have been scenarios where the Motons were slower than the KWs. This occurred when we were doing dampers setting sweeps so if someone does not know what they're doing, they could really mess up the balance of the car. The Motons are a great damper especially having the external canisters which lets you do changes without jacking up the car.

We have a set of Ohlins TTX 4-way on the way that are built for the billet knuckle. The billet knuckle has a 2 bolt clamp and an inner diameter of 55mm and the cast knuckle is a single bolt clamp with an inner diameter of 62mm. Standard M4/M3 suspension can not be fitted to the GTS knuckle unless a sleeve is made. You can follow @ymotorsport on instagram if you wish to follow the build more closely.

Originally Posted by schnell325

Absolutely gorgeous.

Thank you!

[YMS]

Please read info posted in the previous post if you wish to know more about the differences in the knuckles.

Additional info: There is no taper at the bottom of the GTS knuckle clamp. The GTS knuckle prevents the damper from slipping down using a keyway or a step in the shock body. Standard M4 brake ducts will not bolt onto the GTS knuckle without cutting (this includes the GT4 and RevoZport duct). This is not verified but the GTS knuckle could give one more degree of caster over the non-GTS knuckle.

[Lienrocs]

Fantastic information. Absolute gold. Thank you! I'd love to see the car in person if possible!

[YMS]

Originally Posted by Lienrocs

Fantastic information. Absolute gold. Thank you! I'd love to see the car in person if possible!

Thank you! I can show you the car no problem. Whenever you are in Los Angeles let me know. Our shop will also be opening to the public at the end of this year. We test the car in private at Buttonwillow Raceway sometimes. You are more than welcome to get a ride on track if you would like. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[Lienrocs]

Originally Posted by yyy

Thank you! I can show you the car no problem. Whenever you are in Los Angeles let me know. Our shop will also be opening to the public at the end of this year. We test the car in private at Buttonwillow Raceway sometimes. Your more than welcome to get a ride on track if you would like. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!

I am going to take you up on all of those! Really appreciate it!

[phoenx]

Awesome! How do you like the Alcon BBK over the ceramics? I've thought about selling my ceramics and buying the Alcon kit to run 18's.

[YMS]

Originally Posted by phoenx

Awesome! How do you like the Alcon BBK over the ceramics? I've thought about selling my ceramics and buying the Alcon kit to run 18's.

Switching to any iron rotor will be a big improvement over the ceramics. The carbon ceramics are marketed as a performance or track brake setup but it really is not. Brembo makes CCM (which is what comes on many production cars) and then CCMR which is a rotor that is actually designed for track use. They also have carbon-carbon which is what is used on race cars (not suitable for the street). Carbon ceramic (CCM) rotors takes 2 weeks to be produced. CCMR rotors take 2 months to be produced. To put it simply, carbon ceramics are for aesthetics.

In my personal opinion, it does not matter which BBK you get as long as it is from Brembo, AP Racing, PFC, Alcon, Endless, or Project Mu. The brake boosters in our cars numb out much of the pedal feel. The Alcon kit has really impressed me in terms of how friendly it is on the street. The brakes do not squeal at all even with racing brake pads, however, getting pads can sometimes be a pain. Pagid pads have been on back order and all PFC pads need to be modified (have the edges cut on a mill). On track, the brakes are also fantastic. They can take a massive amount of heat. We have run nonstop for 30 minutes threshold braking every time with no brake ducts and we never got any fade. We might be making a brake kit using PFC calipers and rotors so stay tuned for that.

[FormulaMMM]

Originally Posted by yyy

Switching to any iron rotor will be a big improvement over the ceramics. The carbon ceramics are marketed as a performance or track brake setup but it really is not. Brembo makes CCM (which is what comes on many production cars) and then CCMR which is a rotor that is actually designed for track use. They also have carbon-carbon which is what is used on race cars (not suitable for the street). Carbon ceramic (CCM) rotors takes 2 weeks to be produced. CCMR rotors take 2 months to be produced. To put it simply, carbon ceramics are for aesthetics.

In my personal opinion, it does not matter which BBK you get as long as it is from Brembo, AP Racing, PFC, Alcon, Endless, or Project Mu. The brake boosters in our cars numb out much of the pedal feel. The Alcon kit has really impressed me in terms of how friendly it is on the street. The brakes do not squeal at all even with racing brake pads, however, getting pads can sometimes be a pain. Pagid pads have been on back order and all PFC pads need to be modified (have the edges cut on a mill). On track, the brakes are also fantastic. They can take a massive amount of heat. We have run nonstop for 30 minutes threshold braking every time with no brake ducts and we never got any fade. We might be making a brake kit using PFC calipers and rotors so stay tuned for that.

This is what I was most interested in. Contemplating bouncing to a steel setup after I'm through my first set of pads. But have found the stock system faultless, so a bit hesitant.

You did run the stock ceramics and prefer the Alcon system? I know unlikely, but any perception of unsprung weight increase?

[YMS]

Originally Posted by FormulaMMM

This is what I was most interested in. Contemplating bouncing to a steel setup after I'm through my first set of pads. But have found the stock system faultless, so a bit hesitant.

You did run the stock ceramics and prefer the Alcon system? I know unlikely, but any perception of unsprung weight increase?

Yes I did prefer the Alcon system over the ceramics. I think any other iron brake setup will also be an improvement over the ceramics as long as they are from the companies I stated in the previous post. Iron rotors are for sure heavier than the OEM carbon ceramic rotors but having iron rotors can allow you to run an 18 inch wheel.

In my case, I'm not too concerned about unsprung weight as I put more priority in being confident on the brakes. I can brake much later with the iron setup because it is easier to modulate allowing me to threshold without getting into ABS. The ABS on street cars don't actually help you brake later. It releases way too much pressure sometimes forcing you to miss the corner. I would always be on ABS with the ceramics as they were way too touchy. I have even contemplated removing the brake booster in my car but it is still a street car so I probably won't.

[redrumm3]

Your are going to really like the Ohlins when you make the switch. I have them on my E92 M3 GT4 race car. The adjustments on them are really noticeable.

[GOLFFRR]

o yea! this is awesome!

[jacobe92]

Awesome Build👍👍👍

[tambat]

Thanks for taking the time to share all this knowledge!

[YMS]

Originally Posted by redrumm3

Your are going to really like the Ohlins when you make the switch. I have them on my E92 M3 GT4 race car. The adjustments on them are really noticeable.

I will keep you guys posted on how I like them. They won't be going on the car until the roll cage gets put in.

Originally Posted by tambat

Thanks for taking the time to share all this knowledge!

No problem! Please feel free to ask any questions.

[Justin.AutoTalent]

That's cool I guess, but it doesn't matter if you aren't shooting big fire balls down the 10

[YMS]

Originally Posted by Justin.AutoTalent

That's cool I guess, but it doesn't matter if you aren't shooting big fire balls down the 10

Hahaha I took the previous tune off. It was causing a lot of drive-ability problems and eventually it just became annoying.