F80 Track Build

[chetrickerman]

Beautiful build, I love this kind of stuff. 400 pounds is quite a bit of weight!

[ninekrpm]

Originally Posted by chetrickerman

Beautiful build, I love this kind of stuff. 400 pounds is quite a bit of weight!

Stay tuned…made progress over the past month; but had a setback that I resolved today. Took a couple of weeks…

Progress update coming…

[BetrayMyWord]

Amazing build. Thanks for sharing!

[ninekrpm]

update on the first post

[jfritz27]

By the beard of Zeus! Wow, amazing dedication, really glad you got yourself over that very large hump. That weight is crazy to see.

Note to self: If I ever do something to my car that requires flying someone in from Europe, look for new wife....

Again, congrats! Can't wait to see those laptimes...

[ninekrpm]

Originally Posted by jfritz27

By the beard of Zeus! Wow, amazing dedication, really glad you got yourself over that very large hump. That weight is crazy to see.

Note to self: If I ever do something to my car that requires flying someone in from Europe, look for new wife....

Again, congrats! Can't wait to see those laptimes...

LOL!

I am blessed to say that I have a phenomenal wife and family!

[E92inSG]

nice weight reduction! correct me if i'm wrong, but that weight is without wheels & tyres?

[ninekrpm]

Originally Posted by E92inSG

nice weight reduction! correct me if i'm wrong, but that weight is without wheels & tyres?

With wheels / tyres

[ninekrpm]

March 27, 2023 Update



After an 8 plus month build journey, I finally made it up to @willow_springs_raceway for a test and tune. So much happened in those 8 months, but did not give up hope when hit with adversity.

Anyhow, spent two days shaking down the car (and driver). Other then 2 minor issues which I solved for temporarily on the fly, car was flawless and the setup felt great. I did bring on a coach for part of the day to help me learn the track (first time at Willows) and overcome some bad behaviors as it was my 3 event back after almost 10 year break.

The two days ended up with a PB of 130.8, and there is much more to go; a lot of car there compared to the driver

The journey has started and look forward to continuing to improve from here. Again, a big thanks to @pitgarage_la for putting a great cage together and @projectroguemotorsport for helping me overcome the wiring setup and for putting a great config for the @aimsportsdata dash.

Finally, want to thank this community for all the insights and the connections I have been able to make through this journey. And most importantly, want to thank my #family for all the support over the past 8 months. You guys are appreciated! Love you all

[r0wr]

Really impressive build! That roll cage looks legit.

[daveishi]

Awesome to see you're back out there man! Respectable time for sure and hope to see you at the track again soon

[ninekrpm]

Quick update…

The fun and the learnings continue (especially for the driver), just wrapped up 3 days at Big Willow. The car continues to perform, even in 90+ deg weather.

Just surpassed my 10th day of driving (6 days this year) after a nearly 10-year break (family, kids, move, yada-yada-yada, LOL).

Car continues to give me confidence and has so much potential that I need to work towards. I did make a small chance before heading out this past weekend to Willow Springs. Increased the springs by 100#’s all around to give the platform a bit more stiffness. After my first session on Friday, I made one knob change (slight increase to the rear rebound) and drove all weekend from there.

The fast speeds at Big Willow remind me of Road America, nevertheless, it is just an old-school track and fast.

My only issue that I was struggling to diagnose was a bit of pedal travel before brakes felt firm – there was no braking issue, but I found my heel/toe being impacted and just did not feel right. I had a pro-coach helping me a bit on Friday and he drove the car and confirmed my speculation. I ended up searching for a few items and found the thread started by @patrickd_21 (in the track section) regarding a similar issue; albeit, he was experiencing it stock brakes. There is a video in there about re-calibrating the ABS module via ISTA; I ended up doing the procedure while on track late Friday and instantly felt the difference on the track over the weekend. Thank you…this was a great find.

I do have a few minor maintenance items to cover – which I will do over the next 2 weeks before heading to Buttonwillow.

Fairly happy with where the car is right now…my focus for the balance of the year will be driving, learning, getting some coaching, etc…and just maintain the car.

[ninekrpm]

A few updates…installed the BW lifeline fire system, great product and fitment. Easy to install, but takes time planning it out and running all the tubing and wiring/switches.

Also, installed the BW GTMore GT4 exhaust with the mid section…great fitment, only a couple of pounds lighter then the MPE setup.

Definitely need a diffuser under tray to cover the big parachute gap in the back now, LOL

Car sounds awesome…looking forward to the next event and a dyno day to test it out.

Sound clip here if interested…

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtXsY...JiY2I4NDBkZg==

BW Exhaust

[ninekrpm]

Been a while since I posted…

Car has been running great, driver starting to come up to speed…so have been focusing on seat time. Brought on a coach a few times out, that always helps.

That said, no major changes to the car…however, did start noticing an issue at high rpm; car made weird noise when on the throttle over 5-6K rpm - sounded like a balloon farting (sorry only reference I could come up with)

Talked to a few people and they all referenced that there is some leak around the charge air system.

Tried to visually / physically diagnose it, and everything pointed to the cold side of the cooler. The j-pipe specifically seemed loose/worn out at the throttle body connection.

Anyhow, decided to replace the j-pipe with the Evolution Racing piece (recommended by bimmerworld) and the bit the bullet and replaced the charge cooler while at it with the Bimmerworld / PWR unit. I have not done any cooling mods to date; so this the first piece. Will replace the rest of the coolers overtime.

Back out at Willow Springs next weekend - looking forward to testing with the upgrades.

Enjoy the few pics for reference - let’s see if you can spot the infamous bimmerworld haribo gummies

[E92inSG]

I really love the GT4 front lip but am afraid that it will be completely undriveable on the streets

[6Spd_M]

ninekrpm

What are your wheel/tire sizes?

[ninekrpm]

Originally Posted by 6Spd_M

ninekrpm

What are your wheel/tire sizes?

18x10.5 (square) and mostly running 285's or 295's depending on the tire

[GasBurnlife(landapanda)]

Thanks for the updates. Curious about what offset wheels you run?

[ninekrpm]

Originally Posted by GasBurnlife(landapanda)

Thanks for the updates. Curious about what offset wheels you run?

Apex wheels ET40 (30mm spacer front and 15mm rear)

[Samurai_F80]

Love the build!

[ninekrpm]

A couple of updates…installed hood and fender vents.

January will be a maintenance + upgrade month. Working with Bimmerworld on a few updates…stay tuned.

Happy Holidays!

[M3SQRD]

Awesome F80 track build. Nice weight reduction. It must be a blast to drive on track. I truly enjoy seeing F8x cars with proper F/R rake. Lowering springs, HAS kits and KW V3s are typically setup with too much forward rake.