E34 M5 track toy progress

[Benji]

There has been precious little time available to work on or enjoy this car. The new ram intake is complete but we havent had the time to take it for a test drive, we built and installed aluminium bumper shocks that are now no longer shocks and are probably way too beefy! (2.5kg saved) Installed some cheap ebay mirrors that save surprisingly little weight (700g saved) but will add about 200kph to our top end down the straights due to reduced drag! Maybe.

 

[Zound]

Have you thought of racing it in the BMW //M PERFORMANCE Race Series?

 

[Benji]

Having fun today uploading things to youtube. Excuse the crappy quality and useless content, mainly to bless your ears on this Friday

 

[Benji]

Entered the car into the BMW CCG Time Trail series this past weekend, was a lot of fun and brings a certain element of competitiveness to the track days, will surely compete in the next two events. Car did a best lap of 1:15:2 at Zwartkops which highlights just how rubbish the suspension is (the drivers obviously have no part to play in this!) This is all still new to us, so we are still experimenting with tyre pressures etc to get the car handling a bit better. There is very little feedback, so it is hard to know when the car is understeering or when the brakes are about to lockup. Probably due to the really crap suspension and bad setup.

We quickly did a few odds and ends the day before "race day". Completed the brake cooling ducts (well, almost, just need to neaten up the inlet bit), stripped out the drivers door (removed 3.6kg) and installed an ABS sheet door card which is a really ugly temporary solution, will do a CF door card to match passenger side at some point. Also installed a set of windows which have had the effect of somehow sucking fumes into the cabin, making it better to drive with the windows closed. So that was a bit pointless. I believe the windows position behind the mirrors creates low pressure inside the cabin which then sucks air in from the unsealed boot, sucking in exhaust fumes... The brake cooling ducts do seem to have worked, I experienced no brake fade.

We took the opportunity to weigh the car with an almost empty fuel tank, 1341kg which is surprisingly low for this old lump! Now to try get that into the 1200s...


Crowd pleasing antics on the first lap with cold tyres

 

[Benji]

Pulled a bit of an all nighter on Saturday to get the car ready for Sundays time trail at Zwartkops. Rebuilt the clutch slave and master (which fixed nothing 😖), upgraded the timing chain tensioner, new CPS, got the speedometer working and installed lower springs for the rear. Gained about a second a lap with a best time of 1.14.3 with the car feeling more stable in the corners. So much fun as always, with a great turnout and a hotly contested group E with all the 6cyl NA cars. I enjoyed some nice fighting on the track with more than a few cheeky overtakes

 

[Crash_Nemesis]

Well done Benji. Car looked great on track and congratulations on your new Personal Best time.

 

[Bernard///M3]

I was coming for u in the pic😜

Ur car pulls well out the corners out turn 2 took me a while to start catching u. Well Done. Great Time

Would be nice to have this car permanently race with us in the Race Series. Maybe one day

 

[Benji]

Well done Benji. Car looked great on track and congratulations on your new Personal Best time.

Thanks bud, I feel like there is at least another 1-2 sec to be gained from proper suspension and brake upgrades and maybe another sec from driver improvements...

I was coming for u in the pic😜

Ur car pulls well out the corners out turn 2 took me a while to start catching u. Well Done. Great Time

Would be nice to have this car permanently race with us in the Race Series. Maybe one day

Your car was a weapon out there, made it look like I was looking for parking in the corners

Maybe once the car is where we want it to be and we are feeling a bit more confident/in-control as drivers, we will join the race series...Would also need to organize a trailer and tow car...

 

[Benji]

I dont want to be blowing my own trumpet here...maybe we can vote on it...but I think this car was in the top 3 best sounding cars on the track this sunday

 

[Bernard///M3]

I dont want to be blowing my own trumpet here...maybe we can vote on it...but I think this car was in the top 3 best sounding cars on the track this sunday

Can’t really comment as I didn’t get to hear it, but that E92 M3 of Dewit is one of the best sounding cars in the Race Series, when we racing on track u hear clearly when next to u, sounds amazing

 

[Benji]

Can’t really comment as I didn’t get to hear it, but that E92 M3 of Dewit is one of the best sounding cars in the Race Series, when we racing on track u hear clearly when next to u, sounds amazing

Yeah that M3 was the best sounding car there by quite some margin

 

[Gordvisr]

car looks welcome on the track

 

[Benji]

This was my favorite pic of the day

 

[PaKiMoNSTeR]

Maybe once the car is where we want it to be and we are feeling a bit more confident/in-control as drivers, we will join the race series...Would also need to organize a trailer and tow car...

Just go and race. The more seat time you get the better. It's also the best place to learn. You guys also have that handicap series running. Not sure what it's called but that seems like a more relaxed environment to start off in.

 

[Benji]

After parking the car in June and not having touched it since, we drove it to Redstar Raceway for the BMW CCG time trail series to join in on the fun. The track was done in reverse (or at least in reverse to the last time we did it) so it was like learning a whole new track. Redstar is super technical, so it takes some time to learn the track and also requires a predictable and confidence inspiring car. With me and Mark sharing a car, we effectively get half the track time, so the track learning does not quite reach completion over a weekend. Add to this an unpredictable car with the tendency to lock up the front wheels, the confidence in the car does not build up which results in slow lap times.

Now, if this all sounds like thinly disguised race-driver excuses, that is exactly what they are. According to the Trackaddict app, my best time was consistently in the 2.19s, however the official timer put me at 2.22.6. Not very flattering. My previous best on the track was a 2.20.6 before we did a few upgrades on the car

Considering how hard this car gets beat on and how little work we do on it, it is about time that money was spent on it. Cue the center silencer on the exhaust disintegrating with spectacularly loud results. Now consider also my ears on the hour drive back to JHB. Your moment of silence is appreciated 🙉 I'm not quite sure how a stainless exhaust rusts like this, but this will need to get sorted before the next track day. The locking front wheels are also critical as it destroys tyres, lap times and confidence in equally devastating measure. Since one cannot blame the driver, I suspect the issue has to do with the front suspension bottoming out under braking with predictably smokey results.

Anyway, enough rambling, on to the mandatory pics:

 

[Bernard///M3]

After parking the car in June and not having touched it since, we drove it to Redstar Raceway for the BMW CCG time trail series to join in on the fun. The track was done in reverse (or at least in reverse to the last time we did it) so it was like learning a whole new track. Redstar is super technical, so it takes some time to learn the track and also requires a predictable and confidence inspiring car. With me and Mark sharing a car, we effectively get half the track time, so the track learning does not quite reach completion over a weekend. Add to this an unpredictable car with the tendency to lock up the front wheels, the confidence in the car does not build up which results in slow lap times.

Now, if this all sounds like thinly disguised race-driver excuses, that is exactly what they are. According to the Trackaddict app, my best time was consistently in the 2.19s, however the official timer put me at 2.22.6. Not very flattering. My previous best on the track was a 2.20.6 before we did a few upgrades on the car

Considering how hard this car gets beat on and how little work we do on it, it is about time that money was spent on it. Cue the center silencer on the exhaust disintegrating with spectacularly loud results. Now consider also my ears on the hour drive back to JHB. Your moment of silence is appreciated 🙉 I'm not quite sure how a stainless exhaust rusts like this, but this will need to get sorted before the next track day. The locking front wheels are also critical as it destroys tyres, lap times and confidence in equally devastating measure. Since one cannot blame the driver, I suspect the issue has to do with the front suspension bottoming out under braking with predictably smokey results.

Anyway, enough rambling, on to the mandatory pics:
View attachment 18818
View attachment 18819
View attachment 18820

So what page are you and Mark on with regards to your excuses?

#JustWondering

 

[Benji]

So what page are you and Mark on with regards to your excuses?

#JustWondering

we are reaching the end of the book when it comes to excuses

 

[Fordkoppie]

Considering how hard this car gets beat on and how little work we do on it, it is about time that money was spent on it. Cue the center silencer on the exhaust disintegrating with spectacularly loud results. Now consider also my ears on the hour drive back to JHB. Your moment of silence is appreciated 🙉 I'm not quite sure how a stainless exhaust rusts like this, but this will need to get sorted before the next track day.


View attachment 18820

It appears as if you still have a stock system?

If that is the case, simply remove the center silencer, and replace it with straight pipes.
I did that with my M5, and the difference in sound over stock is minute.

For some reason the center one always goes.
Also saves at least a ton of weight 😜

 

[Benji]

It appears as if you still have a stock system?

If that is the case, simply remove the center silencer, and replace it with straight pipes.
I did that with my M5, and the difference in sound over stock is minute.

For some reason the center one always goes

No it has a full aftermarket system on it, silencers have a chrome finish to them. Surprised me that they started disintegrating

 

[///Avi]

Not sure if this loads but the car looked great in motion!

View attachment Benji.jpg