Upgrading a 120d to be able to handle track days

[Ranger 6]

Welcome Charlie,

Have a look on BabyBMW.net there's a few people on there with various solutions to the questions you're asking. Most of the answers though will need an idea of budget, for example the Performance Brake kit is £1200ish.

[charliechalk]

Thanks Ranger.

[gizlaroc]

If you enjoy driving the run flats are the first thing that need to go I'm afraid, don't even consider spending money elsewhere till that is done.

Adding a CD changer is an absolute mare on your car as it is MOST BUS, so everything hooked up via optical cables including CD changer.
You are looking at £400 for the changer and another 1-2 hours dealer rates to code the car to accept it.
Your head unit will play MP3 cds though and display the titles and folders etc. So probably worth burning a disc with a few albums on it.

[Thorny]

Also you've got the aux in for ipod/mp3, I was in the same position and have just made do with the single cd and ipod.

[rich_vw]

I took a 120d for an open pit day earlier on in the year the car seemed to manage just fine, can't recall brake fade or similar, just had to remember to knock off the 'stop start' to allow the engine to cool itself a little before switching off.

The run flats (bridgestone) managed well although they did start a funny drowning noise as the rubber colelcted in little blobs over the section of the tyre.

Only thing that was needed was a small top up of the water as the level indicator appeared after the first run out.

Must say the car held up really well and managed an impresive 23mpg over the day

[christer]

Its always nice to save £200 when you are buying something for around £15k or whatever

Seriously though, I hated my run flats on my 550 so much that I changed them within 4 weeks of buying the car and upgraded to 19 inch wheels. I have no practical experience of BMW's on a track but I have heard that even on the M3 the brakes are apalling - not in strength but heat dissipation so that you get brake fade very quickly. This may be the same on your 120D, but someone else who knows this model better will let you know.

To be honest though, I wouldn't consider a diesel for any kind of trackwork personally.

[Thorny]

Have doen a few track days in my 130i and the brakes are ok but not great, certainly nothing compared to my old Boxster. You have to treat them with a bit of sympathy and do a few laps them give them a rest etc. They are prob the first things I would upgrade.

[bazking69]

Motability supplied car on trackdays....

[brenflys777]

motability supplied car on track days = more debt to taxpayer ? . Admire your enthusiasm for driving - detest the fact that someone else is funding it...

[Nurburgsingh]

charliechalk said:

I've just ordered myself a nice little BMW 120d (as a long-term motability rental, rather than buying). It doesn't arrive for another four weeks or so, so I have time to work out what I'd like to do to it.

So... I enjoy my driving, my comfort, my speed and my music. Its a standard 120d with sports seats in the front (I've got a bad back and the sports seats are much comfier for me), a great sound system (Logic7) and runflat tyres (I'm often more than 40 miles away from the nearest garage as I travel to remote areas aborad a lot).

I'm keen to drive the car in a 'spirited' manner, go on track days and the such-like. My questions are really:

1. What upgrades should I consider for the front brake unit? Are the standard brake discs and pads capable of dealing with a day on a track? After I wear out my first set of brake pads I'll be getting KwikFits cheapest of the cheap ones put on for free (as part of my Motability package) so will probably have to see whether they'll upgrade them for a small extra fee...

2. How easy is it to install a multiple CD-changer in the boot? (My car is coming with a single CD player - I thought the £200 or so extra for a 6-CD box in the boot was a tad expensive!).

Actually, for now, that's about all the questions I have.

Thanks in advance,
Charlie

Edited by charliechalk on Monday 16th November 13:13

Change the pads and the brake fluid... fit some KW V3 dampers and ditch the back seats.

[Wayne King]

Are you even allowed to take it onto a trackday? Terms and clause of motability contract? Insurance etc etc?

[trackdemon]

Don't bother - upgrade the driver instead!)

[Dr Dave]

This is what you need they look great and give awesome stopping power.

[J500ANT]

Wayne King said:

Are you even allowed to take it onto a trackday? Terms and clause of motability contract? Insurance etc etc?

If they get a whiff of their car going on a track day then you're off the scheme and banned for life. Oh and the contract you sign says they can keep taking your money if they're out of pocket in any way, so if you bin it on a track day you'll have to pay for the car. All of it.