Track Review of the Stock F80

[Zerouali]

There's a reason MDM was called M-track mode on the E46.....

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by Zerouali

There's a reason MDM was called M-track mode on the E46.....

///Marketing ?

[edwinm3]

[JNoSol]

Originally Posted by Zerouali

There's a reason MDM was called M-track mode on the E46.....

Yep. BMW developed MDM as regular DSC was too intrusive for aggressive driving.

[edwinm3]

MDM is actually very intrusive even if coded as Euro MDM.

[SherM4n]

Originally Posted by JNoSol

130mph straights, late braking, early apex.

So are you gonna work on pushing those apexes back?

[JNoSol]

Originally Posted by SherM4n

So are you gonna work on pushing those apexes back?

Lol, good catch. I meant late braking = late apex...

[MaynardZed]

Originally Posted by Zerouali

There's a reason MDM was called M-track mode on the E46.....

Which no one uses at the track in the E46 either.

[ex12psi]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Thanks a lot for sharing your feedback. It is always fun reading impressions from fellow trackers. The F8X is really a blast to drive on track, glad you enjoyed it .

I'll offer a few counterpoints to ponder:



I agree that the stock suspension is a pretty good compromise between street and track use. I will also very likely keep it stock except for camber plates. A few points though:

• Lowering the car generally does help to increase total grip by reducing weight transfer, the compromise is reduced suspension travel.
• When installing grippier R-compound tires, the suspension compresses more due to the higher loads the tires can carry. That is when a stiffer suspension becomes more beneficial.
• Camber plates are almost mandatory for those who track regularly to even out front tire wear.

I was also quite impressed with the performance of the stock street pads. However, they remain street pads. Especially when paired with grippier R-compunds, when pushed hard, they will smear un-even deposit on the discs, will wear down pretty fast and will be more prone to fade.

Note that on the F8X (as with previous generation M3s), the parking brake resides in a drum inside the disc hub, so there is no issues with using the parking brake in the pits after a session..



The PSS do just fine at moderate track speeds. However, once you start using more slip angle, they will melt and chunk away on the outer shoulders where they have the "softer" compound. There is just no way around this.



Even Euro-MDM is pretty intrusive. Don't get fooled by the light in the cluster, it does much more interventions than the flashing light suggests. Have a look at Ti-Jean's video in his E92 with Euro MDM, you can see how much Euro-MDM applies the brakes.

While keeping the nannies on maintains a safety net, there comes a point where the nannies will slow you down and prevent full enjoyment of the great F8X chassis. There is also a risk with keeping the nannies on for too long, that is when the times come to take them off. I have seen way too many "advanced" students have incidents when turning the nannies off because they have been relying on them for so long (overdriving the car).

+1000

[evanescent03]

When I'm new to a track (happens often), I keep MDM on until I get an idea of where traction/stability problems exist, but then I turn it off. last time I had it on (non-euro though), I think it was to blame for some brake fade.

thanks for the review. many different opinions floating around out there on "best practices" but that's okay .. nice to see people voice their thoughts and onlookers can see the different sides and form their own opinion.