[Feddersen]

Hi all F30 fans

I am wondering. How much do you track your F30 and how much would you consider to be "track-abused"?

My 335i is my dd doing about 16k miles / 25k km a year and I do 1-2 track sessions a year of about 50miles/80km per session.

[DVC]

Mine's a DD too, with about the same annual mileage. I try to get in 6-8 track days per year, and I wouldn't consider the car "track abused" at this point, as there are no mechanical issues, and the wear characteristics of the typical consumables are within my expectations.

I guess track abuse is a bit subjective, and wear levels will vary depending upon the driver and the track. Even stock, I've found the car to be pretty solid for entry-level track driving...but as I got faster, I started seeing some areas that needed upgrading - such as:

Track brake fluid and pads - track driving can boil street fluid, and destroy street pads in short order. I also like stainless steel lines.

Camber plates - which increase front end grip, and keep front tire wear even through hard cornering.

Suspension - running hard in the advanced groups started to take a toll on my springs and dampers... A set of good aftermarket coil overs goes a long way to keep the car planted while eating up curbing on track, and is designed to handle the punishment. And the better systems still ride very well on the street.

Fortunately, I haven't encountered any issues to date with the engine, cooling, etc.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

I drive at least 30k miles a year and track a couple times a season. I'd also add that I drive cars fairly hard on track. I like finding the limit and dancing around it... That's what is fun and rewarding for me.
The F30 handles the track well for a non-pure sports car but the suspension will wear more quickly than just road use. Damper life is reduced by at least 25%, and some OEM bushings get tired quick the way I drive it out there. Brake fluid should be replaced after a track day, and some track-specific pads go a long, long way.

[Outlaw 06]

I’m very fortunate to live within 30 miles of Lime Rock Park, so I track my cars at this world-class facility a couple of times a year (with 4 x 20-minute track sessions per day). The track is the ONLY place for a responsible driver to learn a street car’s limits. Lime Rock is a 7 turn, 1 ½ mile road course with a main straight that’s less than ½ mile long and only one turn that even approaches threshold braking, so unlike some tracks, Lime Rock is pretty easy on a street car’s brakes and tires. Even so, brake rotors, pads and tires are easily replaced expendables anyway. There’s also a BIG difference between a dedicated track car and a street car that’s driven on a track occasionally, and I believe that driving in a couple of HPDEs a year at Lime Rock isn't abusing my properly maintained cars. In my opinion, those owners who aren’t tracking their performance cars every once in a while simply aren’t driving their cars as they were intended to be driven and that’s a real shame…

[MickAv8r]

Well as said Lime Rock is pretty easy going on cars but thats the exception not the rule, especially compared to tracks like Watkins Glen where you are pounding the curbing though even LRP is going to tax your wheel bearings if you are cornering hard enough.

Ive done 6 days this year and have 3 more planned before the season ends I dont consider that abusing the car at all.

[Feddersen]

Hehe - its funny how perception is different. I don't consider my track usage or yours abuse but people who don't track do consider any tracking as abuse.

When would you consider a DD to be abused? Personally I would certainly prefer mine or yours instead of a car that never left the city and never exceeded 30-40mph.