ojannen said:Is anyone from the east coast regions going to the Sediv regional event in Huntsville in June?
Thinking about it but have not decided. With it being a SEDIV event instead of a national tour it makes me a little less likely to go.
ojannen said:Is anyone from the east coast regions going to the Sediv regional event in Huntsville in June?
Thinking about it but have not decided. With it being a SEDIV event instead of a national tour it makes me a little less likely to go.
Here is an update from the last few months
The sketchy rallycrosses put on by The FIRM have been a lot of fun. I think they are about 75% of the way to a rally sprint depending on the course. I want a roll cage and a hundred more horsepower for those courses. There is about a rollover per event, not counting side by sides. They seem to be leaning heavily on the nitro rallycross course. We are all curious if they quit going through the tress for insurance reasons or something else. The half tarmac, half clay courses make tire choices tough. You can destroy a set of rally tires in an event. I ended up buying a used set of autocross tires and they worked ok.
I just got back from the Sediv event in Huntsville: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIoAQwJ_--E. I love that site. We stayed in huntsville a few extra days and enjoyed visiting the area.
I am still impressed with drivers who can be quick out of the box on a new surface. My codriver and I spent the whole first session underdriving and pushing the car in corners. We had new tires for the first time in two and a half years and the clay was pretty sticky stuff. I was full throttle mid sweeper instead of having to modulate or stay off.
I didn't drive well. Too many cones early on while learning the surface. Then I decided to push and see what kind of raw times were achievable. That did not improve overall times once the cones were factored in. I think with some practice, I could get within spitting distance of everyone except for Leon. I am not sure how to compete with something that is 1000lbs less, 100 more hp, and mid engined.
In the video, you can hear my transmission eating itself. I thought I had worn out another driveshaft (yay bmw) but didn't find any play. I took it to my mechanic and they found the noise was coming from inside the transmission. They recommended running until it died and bringing a trailer everywhere. I am not sure what I am going to do once it dies.
In the meantime, I bought another Z3 Coupe. I owned one a decade ago and sold it a little too early when my life changed. This one popped up for a good price as an ex-track car.
I was planning on using it for track and autocross days but the first thing that came up was a rallycross at The FIRM. It looks and sounds epic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC0nqzr-6vg
It is also tough to drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH2tE0BbIao. It really wants mid corner gas to keep the back end in line. That took me a couple runs to figure out. I put rally tires on the rear for the second event and it went a lot better. I still have some learning to do as I am about 1.5 seconds back per 60 second run against my regular competition. Front tires will help if I can find soe that fit over the brakes. Mostly I need to get ahead of the car so I am predicting the handling instead of reacting to it.
I am not happy with the diff. It goes from two wheel to one wheel drive once you spin a tire and it is hard to predict when that will happen. It hooks in the opposite direction of the spinning tire almost randomly. You can see it in some of these pictures.
My extremely photogenic Indian friend came out to his first event and rode in the car. I think he is hooked.
I am not sure where to go next.
I bought a mid engined car to run in modified last fall but I think it is going to end up in the space between modified and constructors classes once the new rules are in place. To run in modified, I will need to start my own stage rally series (Totally Real Rally Association, coming soon to the Firm) so I can use the logbook loophole in the rules. To be 100% legal in constructors, I will need to recage and reskin the car to meet metal thickness rules.
Prepared rear is dead in the southeast. I have the only prepped car. I got tired of winning a few years ago and just run in modified so there are other similarly prepped cars. There are fast drivers in the DC, Ohio, and Michigan regions but they are more than a days tow away. A taste of torque from the Z3 has me wondering if I should swap to a 6 cylinder instead of just replacing the transmission when it goes. If The FIRM keeps running the rally sprints, maybe I will add a cage and move towards stage rally.
Lol! "Thumbs up" photo is great!
I took the Z3 to a rallycross at The FIRM this weekend.
https://youtu.be/-q5QWGOz_y4
The wet clay was difficult to deal with. I think flicking the car in and using more patience before getting on the throttle was key. Normally I can change the slip angle with the throttle but it was slick enough that I just added to the understeer. The mud on the tires made the next braking zone extra interesting.
I cracked the bumper pretty badly on the rough bit just before the jump in the video. I zip tied it back together but decided to call it after the morning runs were complete. With no underbody protection and no trailer, I had pushed my luck far enough. I sadly missed the mudfest in the afternoon.
Long live the shoe, love those cars
Your TI looks sooo good crossed up with those meaty fronts. And a clowshoe! You have great taste in E36s
After driving the z3 for a bit and a bout of covid, I drove the 318ti in anger for the first time in a few months. I forgot how good it was. It is a faster steering rack away from being perfect at scca rallycross speeds.
I stripped the interior over the summer and was impressed in the difference in feel. The car is a little under powered and the lower weight was enough that I had to change braking points.
I got a rare spectator video from the event and cut it together with the camera on the car: https://youtu.be/ktnLjMClUeI
I am debating whether I attempt to make sandblast next year. A cage + suspension + safety equipment is expensive.
Sandblast this year isn't happening. I helped my parents buy a house and we picked a marginal one. At least the location is good. I should get back onto the stage rally safety train after Sandblast 2023 when all the local rally prep shops run out of work.
In the mean time, I have been enjoying driving the lightweight 318. Acceleration is much better with less weight in the car. This past weekend, I took the car to the local sketchy rallycross at The FIRM. For the tabletop jump, I slowed to my normal speed and was surprised when all four wheels left the ground. I noticed handling getting worse and some weird banging noises due to wheel hop. I thought I had just blown a shock until I got back to paddock and looked under the car.
I finally won my class at The FIRM this week using a new strategy.
Leh Keen was there in the original Safari 911 that has been all over youtube. He put in some ridiculous times that would have put him in roughly 2nd overall if he had stayed for the whole day. He looked epic: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp_PVu4AXQj/
I had my normal day which isn't particularly interesting to watch. At one point, I caught up to a dirt modified on bald offroad tires. He was quick in a straight line but had to take every corner at 8 mph. I had to make this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UccHMQKQ1NI
Wow! I think that is the first 2wd car I've seen get enough traction to really clear the Nitro jump! And the dirt modified? I was picturing a V8 circle track car, but looks more like a sand rail buggy? Nice win!
I did not know who Leh Keen was until I just googled him. Damn, what a Boss!
Its the beginning of 2024 in this increasingly poorly named post.
I took an awesome picture of my sedan delivery.
I managed to finish 5th in raw time in a field of nearly 50. Obviously, I hit a ton of cones. Maybe I will stop someday. It is more fun to try to get close though.
I am debating whether I set the Z3 up for prepared rear. It needs a cat, a skid plate, and not much else. I don't think it is faster than my gutted 318ti but the extra low end torque makes it more fun on our courses. Every course has at least 18 mph turnaround that just doesn't work with the 4 cylinder gearing. I might raise up the rear a little too.
Back to the 3 series and the rougher venue at St Lucie this month. I pulled the rear sway bar this winter and the extra rear grip at St Lucie is pretty impressive. I avoided it for a long time because we have so many slalom type elements at The FIRM.
The other side of the change is the car wants to understeer instead of kicking the back end out when I blip the throttle mid corner. That was a bit of an adjustment but I mostly got it right on my quick runs.
A local shops rents out a Subaru for rallycross and I drove it at the event this weekend. I was towing the timing trailer back to Orlando so I didn't have my regular BMW options available.
It was my first rallycross in an AWD drive car. The straight line grip was great. High speed turns were great. I kept doing dumb stuff in the low speed turns as I figured out the car. I ended up with a pretty good raw time, a few seconds behind the leaders, but hit a ton of cones.
In reply to ojannen :
I have an AWD Saabaru I use for RallyCross and I've been pondering RWD since I love driving sideways, but your video's description of enjoying all the traction of AWD makes me second guess that. It feels futile to try to do slides on ice, for instance, when I can't get enough traction to get up to speed in the first place. Would that be a comparable experience to running RWD in RallyCross dirt?
Also, I think I haven't been taking left foot braking seriously enough. My 2.5 bogs down in the loose dirt a lot but I bet I could reclaim real time by being able to re-launch just by coming off the brake. I can't wait for the next event to try it!
Hey, I know you! It's Alan Jr, with the (kinda) black GTi!
Do they rent the Subarus for events at the firm? Our GTi probably isn't going to be running for a while, but arrive and drive at the firm wouldn't be bad!
Also do you have a thread on the mini?
and finally, keep in touch! My dad and I camp at Rolex every year outside the track, if you and the wife and kiddo go next year let me know and we can meet up!
The difference between AWD and RWD on the straights (after 1 event, not an expert, your mileage may vary, not a lawyer, etc), was that in a 150hp, 2200lb awd car, I could floor it and go. In my similar weight and power 318ti, I pedal it constantly to keep it going in a straight line. The driving style in sweepers for me was pretty similar. Pitch the car sideways with a lift, touch of brakes, or big steering input then catch it with steering and gas. In slower corners, in the AWD car, I just had to wait for the corner to end. In my RWD car, I could blip the throttle to bring the rear end around and start accelerating out a little sooner. I lost a bunch of time attempting that in the Subaru and just understeering into the loose stuff.
Higher Ground rents their Subarus at The Firm too. I am not sure the best way to contact them because google doesn't have their phone number. They normally respond to instagram DMs pretty quickly: https://www.instagram.com/highergroundfl/. The next FIRM even is on April 18.
I will keep in touch on the Rolex. We went for the first time this year and had a bunch of fun.
This is thread on the mini. The real update is now I have a 2 year old, a 5 year old and a TV in the garage capable of playing Bluey so I have started working on cars again. I don't have much to show yet. I have finally solved this problem (jackstand just out of shot).
Back in the 318ti for a rallyx at the firm. The Subaru has ruined me. It took 2 or 3 runs to remember how throttle modulation worked.
I finished in my usual spot a few seconds per run behind Andy/Lof8.
I slowed significantly over the jumps to keep the front wheels on the ground. I don't trust my front shock towers. I could have gotten some real air time on the second one if I had stayed in it.
In reply to ojannen :
After running the Yamaha exclusively for the last 6 months or so, I agree that strapping back into a rwd is a challenge! Can't just mash the throttle on corner exit!
I just did my first track day in about 5 years. I ran in the novice class because I am remember having a hard time watching for flags the last time I went on track. The novice group was a weird mix of fast cars on sticky rubber, and sub 200hp cars on summer tires. I couldn't keep up with the 850i or the Tesla Plaid.
Here is one of my few clear laps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5pfduJnNXY. I was pretty happy with my driving coming off the track but looking back, I see a bunch of mistakes. I am torn between wanting to go back and improve my driving and wanting to finish setting this car up for rallycross.
On track I had a weird situation where I caught up with a Supra with a ton more power than me in the north part of the track. The driver pointed me by and I pulled away in the tight stuff. On the long straights he caught up pretty quick no matter how big my gap was. After 2 or 3 laps of following, he improved his line significantly through the corners. He never rode my bumper on the straights but I could tell he was backing off. When should I give a point by in that situation? I talked to the driver afterwards and he wasn't looking for one but I have hard time deciding when to let someone by.
In reply to ojannen :
You did the right thing talking to him afterwards, then you know there are no hard feelings and if there are you can hopefully resolve them before you are back on track again together. If a situation arises where talking in the pits isn't being productive that is where a chief instructor (hopefully there is one) or organizer should be involved.
He probably improved his line and pace through the twisty stuff by just following you, not the ideal way to learn as it can all fall apart once they're on their own but at an event without instruction (sounds like that is the case here) it's going to happen. I'd give the point by if he caught back up but I'd also expect a point by back from him if his pace slows and is holding you up.
Playing with another car on track like that can be a lot of fun, the horsepower car gets a point by on the straights and at some point in the twisty stuff they throw the hand out and you get to send it up the inside, both cars might run the same lap time but do it in very different ways. Don't be afraid to approach drivers of similar pace and see if they are interested in doing something like that swapping back and forth throughout the session at different points on the track. It's a great way to get comfortable with other cars and the passing zones while making a session even more fun.
Just watched the video, I'd love to drive Sebring one day!
You can tell the car has a bit of a rallycross setup on it with the lean but if you aren't killing tires too quickly then I'd keep sending it on the track too. I'd recommend getting an instructor in the car with you, they can help with flags if you are struggling to see them but also get you up to speed quickly too. You've got a lot of experience in the car so I think you would make a lot of progress in short order with some coahing from the right seat.
In reply to adam525i :
It is funny how bucket list tracks change from region to region. My local tracks are The FIRM, Daytona, and Sebring. I will hit Road Atlanta and Barber some day. Road America is a two day tow and Laguna Seca is never happening in my own car.
I had enough mental capacity to watch for flags and watch the gauges on the straights this time. I have done lots of light rally sprints in the last few years so I was less overwhelmed than my first time on track.
If I go back to a track night, I might run in intermediate group. The flags and course information was a nice refresher but there wasn't much instruction. The parade laps around the track weren't really helpful. Once we got a real session, it was hard to pair up with someone. The novice group was mostly high horsepower, heavy cars like late model Mustangs, Teslas, and new BMWs. All the quick hatchbacks and 15 year old sports sedans were in intermediate. I would love to follow another car with similar and horsepower and weight just to watch braking points.
I got some outside footage of my car and synced it up with my go pro video at the rallycross this weekend. The car looks great but it is still tricky to drive. Inside, the feeling of the slides are amplified by sitting so far back in the chassis.
The Z3 squats 2-3" in the rear under power. The front and rear springs are about 25% stiffer than stock and are on adjustable perches. It is close to neutral rake at rest. I can spin up the rear perches for a little more static height but I am not sure if that helps here. The car still has sway bars and they are going away at some point. Do I go to stiffer springs, just raise the ride height, or is the reverse rake actually a good thing?
Z3 follows the same rules as E30s for ride height. I have had the best luck trying to keep the front control arms level with the ground and the rear only maybe an inch lower than stock. The car seemed to get very understeery with my soft suspension (350/475 lb springs, 21mm front bar and 14.5mm rear bar) if the front got too low, even with tons of camber dialed in. The rear seemed like the squat got worse with the suspension lowered more, and it also felt like something strange was happening with the rear toe that I never quite sorted out. Various companies make bushings that raise the rear subframe now, which is something I want to try eventually. My car always ended up with a lot of rake and not a lot of low compared to other E30s, and it always felt the most balanced to me this way. It might also have had something to do with staying out of the bump stops.
The Z3s always look like they have some reverse rake going on, but I don't know if that's from the design of the body or if they are actually low in the rear.
Celebrating 7 years of parallel terrible driving with my wife.
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