BMW 328I for track day use only!
Discussion
I'll soon be purchasing a 328I to use on the track only, it will be towed to the circuits...
I have a far amount of mechanical knowledge for my age (17) and will be looking to upgrade the suspension with gaz gold coilovers, complete new front brakes and ebs blue pads and groved disk for the back, new inlet manifold (m50 i think), roll cage, bucket seats + harness.
I plan on having two sets of wheels, one with silverstone ftz slicks and another with silverstone ftz wets, the only question i have is how good are these tyres?
i have looked all over for reviews on them and cant find anything...
please help me!
oh and the interior will be completely stripped.
I have a far amount of mechanical knowledge for my age (17) and will be looking to upgrade the suspension with gaz gold coilovers, complete new front brakes and ebs blue pads and groved disk for the back, new inlet manifold (m50 i think), roll cage, bucket seats + harness.
I plan on having two sets of wheels, one with silverstone ftz slicks and another with silverstone ftz wets, the only question i have is how good are these tyres?
i have looked all over for reviews on them and cant find anything...
please help me!
oh and the interior will be completely stripped.
Isnt it probably a good idea that you get into the whole trackday thing first, before turning up to your first one in a caged stripped car with full wet and dry sets of tyres?
That seems a bit like turning up for your first lesson at Pitch and Putt decked out with 5 grands with of Taylor Made Clubs...
You don't need to spend a pile of cash on any of that stuff to have fun on the track for a few years until you get the hang of it.
That seems a bit like turning up for your first lesson at Pitch and Putt decked out with 5 grands with of Taylor Made Clubs...
You don't need to spend a pile of cash on any of that stuff to have fun on the track for a few years until you get the hang of it.
tjlazer said:
Rumour has it a stripped 318i will be quicker, lighter and cheaper to buy and run...I looked into doing this myself a while back but fatherhood put this on the back burner on a permanent basis.
I can guarantee you that a 318 won't be faster than a 328. Common sense will tell you that.I know that I shouldn't just jump in all guns blasing, and I'm not going too, its purely for future reference 
I don't want to be buying a car that later on, cant have anything done to it and I rather have ideas in my head then nothing.
Cant the compression rates be change on Gaz Golds? they say you can have them set-up however you like from the factory.
Is a 318I really faster? :s i wouldn't have thought that...
I don't want to be buying a car that later on, cant have anything done to it and I rather have ideas in my head then nothing.
Cant the compression rates be change on Gaz Golds? they say you can have them set-up however you like from the factory.
Is a 318I really faster? :s i wouldn't have thought that...
samoliver9 said:
Cant the compression rates be change on Gaz Golds? they say you can have them set-up however you like from the factory.
Yes, you can have custom. You'll find something that's OK, but they'll only ever be OK. But then they're cheap, so it's to be expected.samoliver9 said:
Is a 318I really faster?
No, of course it isn't.what springs would you recommend? If I'm going to do it I might as well do it right!
Besides I have 2 - 3 years before insurance drops enough for me to get a more powerful car to tow it with so I'm in no rush to get it finished. I'll just get my dad to drive it to the track for me a few times before it mod it
Has anyone ever put a large splitter on these like they did on top gear in the 24 hour race?
what tyres do people recommend?
Besides I have 2 - 3 years before insurance drops enough for me to get a more powerful car to tow it with so I'm in no rush to get it finished. I'll just get my dad to drive it to the track for me a few times before it mod it
Has anyone ever put a large splitter on these like they did on top gear in the 24 hour race?
what tyres do people recommend?
Why don't you just track it as it comes - when things wear out and break (which they will) replace them then. I would have thought you'll learn much more seeing the difference between stock springs, dampers, weight etc having driven the car on the track both before and after you make all the changes.
What to do to it will depend largely on your budget.
Can I suggest you have a read of a few E36 tack builds - there are several on here (including mine) plus assorted other sites on t'internet.
Everyone has personal preferences on things from wings to brakes pads, so you really need to read as much as you can and work out what you think will work for you - but get some trackdays under your belt first so you know what you want to be aiming at!
Can I suggest you have a read of a few E36 tack builds - there are several on here (including mine) plus assorted other sites on t'internet.
Everyone has personal preferences on things from wings to brakes pads, so you really need to read as much as you can and work out what you think will work for you - but get some trackdays under your belt first so you know what you want to be aiming at!
The 318iS is a good shout. It's not faster but then outright speed does not on its own make the trackday.
The 318Is is lighter, better balanced and crucially cheaper to run - the less you spend on each trackday the more trackdays you can afford to do.
It's probably more insurable as well, so you can actually use it as a car, too.
The 318Is is lighter, better balanced and crucially cheaper to run - the less you spend on each trackday the more trackdays you can afford to do.
It's probably more insurable as well, so you can actually use it as a car, too.
Sorry I should have qualified my earlier comment slightly as obviously in a drag race a 328 will be quicker but the benefits of lightness and running costs means there are some real advantages of running a 318...its not really short on power when you've binned all the crap and stuck in a cage. On track a stripped 318is should be just as much fun and crucially much easier on bills. A replacement engine is only about £150 so you can't go too wrong.
To be fair you are 17. You are just about to begin your car ownership career. Why run before you can walk? You don't need a caged, stripped 200bhp 3 Series with a set of slick tyres and a set of wet tyres to enjoy driving. That sort of stuff can come later. For a start it'll cost a huge pile of cash to do this and arguably much of it will be wasted until you properly get the hang of it anyway.
Why not get some fun to chuck about hatch and enjoy it on road and track for a few years before moving on to greater things?
Why not get some fun to chuck about hatch and enjoy it on road and track for a few years before moving on to greater things?
tjlazer said:
Sorry I should have qualified my earlier comment slightly as obviously in a drag race a 328 will be quicker but the benefits of lightness and running costs means there are some real advantages of running a 318...its not really short on power when you've binned all the crap and stuck in a cage. On track a stripped 318is should be just as much fun and crucially much easier on bills. A replacement engine is only about £150 so you can't go too wrong.
I'm assuming you're talking about a 318iS rather than a 318i?To be honest, a replacement 328 engine is about £300, and it's noticably pokier.
I'm not a fan of the iS engine. It lacks any real punch. All the same chassis mods apply to both, but you get a good 60-70bhp more with a 2.8, and the weight difference is marginal.
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