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      12-22-2016, 05:51 PM   #1
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TrackM4 Build Log and Track Journal

I really enjoy reading ongoing build and track journals others have done on rennlist and this forum so I thought I'd start my own track oriented journal. This will help me keep track of what I do on my car and my on-track experiences - and also hopefully help others I plan to keep my M4 for a while, I'll use this to log work that I do on my car, mods that I put on, what worked, what didn't etc.

Starting off, stealing this idea off a friend of mine who has a similar view for his C7 track car journal. I'll keep this updated as things change on the car.

Legend:
*Planned or Researching*
*Ordered*
*Received*
*Installed*


Interior / Safety

Hans Neck Restraint
Driver - Seat and Base - Sabelt ST140 Large
Rollbar - Alekshop Rollbar
Driver - Harness - Schroth Profi II Hans

Passenger - Seat and Base - Sabelt ST140 Large
Passenger - Harness - Schroth Profi II Hans



Handling and Suspension

Coilovers - JRZ RS2 Sport with Eibach Springs
Fallline Toe Links
Fallline Monoballs
FallLine Rear Upper Control Arm Bearings
Fallline Adjustable Sway Bar End Links
Sway bars



Brakes

Pagid RS29 Brake Pads
Revozport Brake Cooling Ducts

Essex AP Racing Front BBK


Tires / Wheels

Studs - APEX 90MM M14
Dual Track/Street Setup - Stock Wheels + Yokohama AD08R 275/30/19, 295/30/19
Dual Track/Street Setup - Stock Wheels + RE71R
Track Tires - NT01 275/35/18 , 305/35/18
Track Wheels - APEX EC7 18x11 ET44, 18x10 ET25



Exterior / Cosmetic

FallLine Front Tow Hook
Akra CF Diffuser
BMW CF Mirror Caps
BMW CF Trunk Spoiler
BMW Front Lip + Diffuser
BMW Sideskirts
Oil Cooler Guard



Exhaust and Engine

Flaps unplugged
BMS Flap Module
Akrapovic Slipon
Akrapovic Midpipes
Akrapovic Downpipes



Track / Timing / Data Acquisition

AiM Solo DL CANBUS Wiring
GoPro
AiM Solo DL
Smartycam HD GP


Other

Trackdecal Stickers


Car as it stands now:

Last edited by trackm4; 01-01-2017 at 02:19 PM..
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      12-22-2016, 05:52 PM   #2
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Did a brake fluid flush today with Endless RF 650 brake fluid. Was quite easy to do with the Motive Brake bleeder. Took me about 1 hour and 3 bottles.



Last edited by trackm4; 12-22-2016 at 06:04 PM..
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      12-22-2016, 05:58 PM   #3
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For the interior, I have two Sabelt GT-140 Large Seats [one installed, one on its way] mounted on a set of side mounts, sliders and base all from Alekshop. Not sure where Aleks gets these from but they are very heavy duty and sturdy. The base/sliders etc don't move around at all.





Last edited by trackm4; 12-22-2016 at 07:33 PM..
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      12-22-2016, 06:00 PM   #4
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I have an Alekshop rollbar installed - Basically a M4 GTS replica rollbar, extremely solid and durable. I like it a lot. Along with the bar I have schroth profi ii Hans harnesses and sabelt gt140 bucket seats. I wouldn't recommend rollbar with stock seats.

Once the correct backing plates and bases were welded in, its an easy install to put the rollbar in. Removing the rearseats and cushions is also very easy.

Just pull up on the seat bottoms (they "unplug"), then the side bolsters pop out.. and then two star bolts hold the seat backs and everything comes out.

The correct rollbar also stiffens up the car a bit and makes everything feel a bit more direct. I DD my car and do 1-2 trackdays a month and don't mind running around town with a rollbar.


[img]

Last edited by trackm4; 12-22-2016 at 06:35 PM..
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      12-22-2016, 06:00 PM   #5
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Quite disappointed really but not surprised by the weight of this car. The M4 is a heavy pig lol! .. Mine is the DCT. Car weight without stock seats, one race seat, no rear seat, alekshoproll cage, 170lb driver and full tank of gas. 3741lb. So without driver, 3571lb


Last edited by trackm4; 12-28-2016 at 06:39 AM..
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      12-22-2016, 06:01 PM   #6
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As far as tires are concerned, though I've run NT01 before, this time I decided to spend a few track days on a less grippy street compound so I can get more comfortable with the car sliding around.

MPSS get too greasy after a few laps and degrade pretty quickly. On the other end, Bridgestone RE71Rs are very close to NT01 performance so after a bit of research I decided on the Yokohama AD08R which I think are right in the middle in the goldilocks zone between MPSS and RE71R.

This is the progression that I plan to go through during the 2017 track season - [Stock Wheels] MPSS < AD08R < RE71R < [Dedicated Track Wheels] NT01 < Hoosier R7

I also decided to run the risk of the widest possible size for the stock rim sizes, 275/30/19 in the front and 295/30/19 in the rear. There's slight ballooning however I believe the AD08R's very stiff sidewalls should prevent the tire from squirming too much during high-g turns.

So far, on the streets the AD08R feel immediately more grippy than the stock MPSS without too much added harshness. I love them!

I'll report back on how they feel on the track after my first trackday on them but I'm hopefully they'll be good. I hope I can get 3-4 track days out of them!


[img]

Last edited by trackm4; 12-23-2016 at 07:30 AM..
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      12-22-2016, 07:17 PM   #7
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Nice! Looking forward to seeing you out on the track, which group do you usually run with? SpeedSF / OnGrid / NCRC / etc.
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      12-22-2016, 07:22 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F3IGHTY View Post
Nice! Looking forward to seeing you out on the track, which group do you usually run with? SpeedSF / OnGrid / NCRC / etc.
I usually run speedsf, exclusive, hod, lotus , private days... basically anything that lines up with my schedule
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      12-23-2016, 12:15 AM   #9
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Nice. I would pass on the SmartyCam, personally, it's limited to 720P 30 FPS which sucks. Get a GoPro 4 that lets you output 1080P 60 fps, and then use RaceRender to sync your AIM Solo DL output to the data.

The Essex AP Racing kit is amazing - it's the one thing I was really missing when I tracked my M4 compared to my E92. The soft mushy pedal was not confidence inspiring at all and probably impacted my lap times by at least a second as I was braking earlier than I needed to.
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      12-23-2016, 07:15 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redpriest View Post
Nice. I would pass on the SmartyCam, personally, it's limited to 720P 30 FPS which sucks. Get a GoPro 4 that lets you output 1080P 60 fps, and then use RaceRender to sync your AIM Solo DL output to the data.

The Essex AP Racing kit is amazing - it's the one thing I was really missing when I tracked my M4 compared to my E92. The soft mushy pedal was not confidence inspiring at all and probably impacted my lap times by at least a second as I was braking earlier than I needed to.
Good point on the Smartycam, though the latest HD Rev 2.1 is supposed to have slightly better quality sensor (still 720p) and combined with an external mic input I don't think it'll be that bad. I also like the idea of plug n' play with no hassle of post processing data overlay.

I currently have a rollbar mounted GoPro 4 though I haven't tried RaceRender, I'll try it for my next track day.

Completely agree with you on the Essex AP Racing Front BBK, I've tried it and I've had other BBKs before and was blown away by the top of the pedal firm feel and consistent amazing performance I got from it. I am saving up to get this kit again!

Also IMO the APRacing 9668 Caliper is a work of art!


Last edited by trackm4; 12-29-2016 at 10:35 AM..
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      12-23-2016, 06:01 PM   #11
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Harness Installed!

Driver side harness came in the mail today.

BTW UPS completely sucks. Fedex isn't a whole lot better but UPS really nearly always manages to ruin my day. I had put in a request to have the package held at a nearby UPS location which they completely ignored, dropped the package off right near my front gate in the open, while it was raining.. (instead of the front door or the UPS location like asked)

Anyway, I got the Schroth Profi II Hans (2" Shoulder) in red. Briefly considered a silver (new color for Schroth) but it was an additional month out from Germany so got the standard red instead.




Sub-strap bolts into eyebolts under the seat base..



And installed! I had to wrap the shoulder straps around the roll bar since I need two additional B14 snap-in adapters (ordered)

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      12-23-2016, 11:53 PM   #12
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      12-25-2016, 10:12 AM   #13
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Got my Revozsport M4 Brake cooling ducts today.

I'm hoping that this, coupled with my Endless RF650 high temp fluid and Endless ME20 pads should be sufficient at the track for the next few months while I save up for a BBK. This kit should keep my brakes a bit cooler, improving their effectiveness and pad/rotor life. At least thats the hypothesis. I'll report back once its been on the track.



Looks to be very well designed and carbon fiber is top notch. Hopefully it won't come apart at the track.



Install has started.

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      12-25-2016, 03:22 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trackm4 View Post
Got my Revozsport M4 Brake cooling ducts today.

I'm hoping that this, coupled with my Endless RF650 high temp fluid and Endless ME20 pads should be sufficient at the track for the next few months while I save up for a BBK. This kit should keep my brakes a bit cooler, improving their effectiveness and pad/rotor life. At least thats the hypothesis. I'll report back once its been on the track.



Looks to be very well designed and carbon fiber is top notch. Hopefully it won't come apart at the track.



Install has started.

Any reason you went with the ME20 pads? I'm looking for a track pad myself that will work for heavy duty track use with the stock system.
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      12-25-2016, 04:25 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redpriest View Post
Any reason you went with the ME20 pads? I'm looking for a track pad myself that will work for heavy duty track use with the stock system.
Ah the endless quest for the perfect track pad! ME20 are okay.. not the greatest. I picked them because I wanted to try something different and got recommended these.

They are very, very noisy on the street, very dusty, but last reasonably long and have good pedal modulation feel for trail braking. Next I'm actually thinking of trying RS29 .. all in all I'd give them a 6 out of 10.

What pads are you considering or have tried?
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      12-25-2016, 04:47 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trackm4 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by redpriest View Post
Any reason you went with the ME20 pads? I'm looking for a track pad myself that will work for heavy duty track use with the stock system.
Ah the endless quest for the perfect track pad! ME20 are okay.. not the greatest. I picked them because I wanted to try something different and got recommended these.

They are very, very noisy on the street, very dusty, but last reasonably long and have good pedal modulation feel for trail braking. Next I'm actually thinking of trying RS29 .. all in all I'd give them a 6 out of 10.

What pads are you considering or have tried?
I really like the Ferodo DS2500/DS1.11 on my E92, so I'm looking for something similar here; I don't mind changing out pads at the track. It's actually fairly easy to do on the stock system on the F8X.

I tried the Project Mu HC+ pad and was not impressed - I burned out the entire pad in one day, which is insane to me. The pedal feel was pretty horrid too.
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      12-25-2016, 04:49 PM   #17
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I've had Ferodo DSNunos (on a Essex AP Racing kit) before and loved them!! I like their top-of-pedal immediate stopping power.

How do you like DS1.11? You know they are available for the f8x stock calipers from hpashop..
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      12-25-2016, 07:15 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by trackm4 View Post
I've had Ferodo DSNunos (on a Essex AP Racing kit) before and loved them!! I like their top-of-pedal immediate stopping power.

How do you like DS1.11? You know they are available for the f8x stock calipers from hpashop..
Never used DSUNO but my understanding is that DSUNO has better friction characteristics at higher heat levels than DS1.11. DS1.11 also lasts longer supposedly. I've never had problems with heat on the e92 with 1.11 on my AP Racing kit, it felt amazing at the pedal. Very confidence inspiring and super easy to trail brake.

Only reason I haven't gotten them is I don't know how nicely it plays with stock pads. Maybe I'll give them a shot
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      12-25-2016, 07:24 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redpriest View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by trackm4 View Post
I've had Ferodo DSNunos (on a Essex AP Racing kit) before and loved them!! I like their top-of-pedal immediate stopping power.

How do you like DS1.11? You know they are available for the f8x stock calipers from hpashop..
Never used DSUNO but my understanding is that DSUNO has better friction characteristics at higher heat levels than DS1.11. DS1.11 also lasts longer supposedly. I've never had problems with heat on the e92 with 1.11 on my AP Racing kit, it felt amazing at the pedal. Very confidence inspiring and super easy to trail brake.

Only reason I haven't gotten them is I don't know how nicely it plays with stock pads. Maybe I'll give them a shot
Cool. I also plan to try ds1.11 once I run through the me20.
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      12-26-2016, 09:29 AM   #20
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Finished brake duct installed. Revozport made a very well designed kit, everything went together easily and looks sturdy. Can't wait to test it out at a trackday soon!



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      12-26-2016, 10:30 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trackm4 View Post
They are very, very noisy on the street, very dusty, but last reasonably long and have good pedal modulation feel for trail braking. Next I'm actually thinking of trying RS29 .. all in all I'd give them a 6 out of 10.

What pads are you considering or have tried?
If you are looking for a quieter track pad on the street, RS29 are not it. They sound like a garbage truck on a long downhill. It is one of the sacrifces in using track pads. I swap my RS29s out after track days.

I also have ducting and it did get me better pad life at the track, FWIW.
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      12-26-2016, 10:55 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by larryn View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by trackm4 View Post
They are very, very noisy on the street, very dusty, but last reasonably long and have good pedal modulation feel for trail braking. Next I'm actually thinking of trying RS29 .. all in all I'd give them a 6 out of 10.

What pads are you considering or have tried?
If you are looking for a quieter track pad on the street, RS29 are not it. They sound like a garbage truck on a long downhill. It is one of the sacrifces in using track pads. I swap my RS29s out after track days.

I also have ducting and it did get me better pad life at the track, FWIW.
I bet my endless me20 could give your r29 a stiff competition in the noise department. They are so loud that even garbage truck drivers get impressed seriously though I don't care about noise on the street. People look at my car with no passenger seat, one race bucket and rollbar funny anyway. Lol.

I'll probably try the ferodos next I think.
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