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      09-09-2008, 08:47 AM   #1
sfbimmer13
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Laguna Seca track report + vids and pics

This was my second time at Laguna Seca and a 2 day event held by PCA Coastal Driving School...awesome operation and the Porsche guys where awesome

First let my share once again my major grief about BMW F$@#ing up the M-DCT...it just won't downshift under heavy braking, which happened consistently before turns 2, 5, 8 and 11. I sure do hope that that problem will be fixed with the mid September DCT SW update, if not I have to say the M-DCT is useless for the track. I could have easily gotten times in the 1:42 - 1:45 range if the no-downshift wouldn't have thrown me off every time

I have upgraded my brake pads to Pagid RS19 yellows and flushed the brake fluid and replaced it with Motul RBF600 and what a difference that made The brakes where simply amazing and held up perfectly the entire day with no sign of fade or any other ill effects

The pads are actually yellow




I ran BFGoodrich gForce R1s 265/35/18 front and 285/30/18 back on TR Motorsports wheels - these tires are absolutely great and provide incredible amounts of grip. I monitored pressures carefully and ran between 43 and 47 PSI hot anything lower than that and the front tires would start to roll over the sidewalls







here are the videos taken from a Sunday session:
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[/u2b]
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[u2b]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qK-rqG3kmCc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qK-rqG3kmCc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/u2b]

and here is a massive amount of pictures:





















































thanks for reading this post
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      09-09-2008, 01:24 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sfbimmer13 View Post
The pads are actually yellow
I'm planning to get the same pads and I must say this piece of info just made my day!

Nice report btw.
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      09-09-2008, 02:39 PM   #3
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who sells these pads? Turner?
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      09-09-2008, 02:41 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sayemthree View Post
who sells these pads? Turner?
yes, I got them from Turner
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      09-09-2008, 04:19 PM   #5
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Rupert
Did you install the pads and fluid yourself? How hard is it to change the pads? Its pretty easy on my 928 with fixed calipers, but I haven't worked on a sliding caliper yet?

Do you leave the pads in all the time or just for track days? I'm wondering if they are too loud for daily use?

The TR-R1 combo seems to be the hot setup for the track!

Bummer about the DCT.....one thing I heard from a tech at Valley Motorwerk is that the DCT will downshift faster when there is a slight throttle applied....I tried it....it does make a difference...so maybe some left foot braking and maybe 20% throttle during downshifts will help? I dunno
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      09-09-2008, 05:44 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by icemang17 View Post
Rupert
Did you install the pads and fluid yourself? How hard is it to change the pads? Its pretty easy on my 928 with fixed calipers, but I haven't worked on a sliding caliper yet?

Do you leave the pads in all the time or just for track days? I'm wondering if they are too loud for daily use?

The TR-R1 combo seems to be the hot setup for the track!

Bummer about the DCT.....one thing I heard from a tech at Valley Motorwerk is that the DCT will downshift faster when there is a slight throttle applied....I tried it....it does make a difference...so maybe some left foot braking and maybe 20% throttle during downshifts will help? I dunno
Hey Brian - I changed the pads myself and it is pretty straight forward, took some time since I did it for the first time on that car, however the next time I should be able to do it a bit faster...

I won't leave the pads on since they squeal like a garbage truck and I am also worried that they chew up the rotors when they are not at temperature.

I am going to have to try the 20% throttle thing...as a matter of fact I might try today on some back road
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      09-09-2008, 05:54 PM   #7
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Pagid RS19 yellows

Any chance of daily driving on these?
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      09-09-2008, 06:13 PM   #8
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Thanks Rupert - that's a great post.

With respect to the DCT downshift issue, I wonder why BMW don't simply program S6 to allow full driver control. Maybe liability issues but that makes no sense as it's really just the same as a manual in that sense. Otherwise I can't see the point.

How do you guys in the US go with warranty and your included maintenance when a car is tracked? Or are you OK if it's a "driver training" day?
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      09-09-2008, 06:44 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dascamel View Post
Pagid RS19 yellows

Any chance of daily driving on these?
I wouldn't recommend it

Quote:
Originally Posted by aggie57 View Post
Thanks Rupert - that's a great post.

With respect to the DCT downshift issue, I wonder why BMW don't simply program S6 to allow full driver control. Maybe liability issues but that makes no sense as it's really just the same as a manual in that sense. Otherwise I can't see the point.

How do you guys in the US go with warranty and your included maintenance when a car is tracked? Or are you OK if it's a "driver training" day?
I don't think that BMW designed the downshift issue for liability reasons - I think it is really a bug, or should I say I hope it is...

As for the maintenance: depends largely on your dealership and Service Manager - I have heard different stories - I will post my experiences here on the forum...
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      09-09-2008, 07:54 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aggie57 View Post
How do you guys in the US go with warranty and your included maintenance when a car is tracked? Or are you OK if it's a "driver training" day?
In the manual it states that "competitive events" void your warranty. So, as long as you are not racing it or time trailing it, I don't see how they could deny warranty claims.

Wear and tear on consumable parts such as pads and rotors is more of a subjective thing. Meaning, it has to be within reason. They won't change pads and rotors every 5000 miles. One should be able get at least two sets of replacements within the 4 years though. I've done that with my E46.
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      09-09-2008, 07:57 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sfbimmer13 View Post
I changed the pads myself and it is pretty straight forward, took some time since I did it for the first time on that car, however the next time I should be able to do it a bit faster...
I'm planning to do this soon for a track day. Is there anything I should know about the M setup that would save me time? Maybe you wouldn't mind writing a very short DIY for changing pads?
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      09-09-2008, 08:29 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lucid View Post
I'm planning to do this soon for a track day. Is there anything I should know about the M setup that would save me time? Maybe you wouldn't mind writing a very short DIY for changing pads?
There is a write up here - that is very similar to what you have to do on the E92 - I will see that I post a DIY with pictures next time I change the pads

http://m3.madrussian.net/diy_front_brake_pads.shtml
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      09-09-2008, 09:00 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sfbimmer13 View Post
There is a write up here - that is very similar to what you have to do on the E92 - I will see that I post a DIY with pictures next time I change the pads

http://m3.madrussian.net/diy_front_brake_pads.shtml
Thanks for the link. Does the E92 M3 replacement process differ from the E46 M3 process in any significant way that I should be aware of?
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      09-09-2008, 09:04 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lucid View Post
Thanks for the link. Does the E92 M3 replacement process differ from the E46 M3 process in any significant way that I should be aware of?

the components look a little different, however the process is the same Don't forget to bleed the brakes after you are done...
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      09-09-2008, 11:25 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sfbimmer13 View Post
I don't think that BMW designed the downshift issue for liability reasons - I think it is really a bug, or should I say I hope it is...
Yes, agree. Lets see what the update brings.
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      09-10-2008, 12:03 AM   #16
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great write up. sorry to hear about the MDCT downshift issue, hopefully it will be resolved soon (even though I am a 6MT driver). Cheers!
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      09-10-2008, 12:07 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dascamel View Post
Pagid RS19 yellows

Any chance of daily driving on these?
Actually the RS19s are really not that bad on the street. There is a bit less initial bite when they are cold, but nothing near as bad as some of the more aggressive pads from pagid or performance friction. I used to leave them on my Cayman S between track days if they were only a week apart. Otherwise I would swap the stock pads back in, but swapping pads only takes a few minutes with brembos so it was no big deal.

The RS19s will squeal like you wouldn't believe though, which can get a bit annoying especially if you get stuck in stop and go traffic.
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      09-10-2008, 12:13 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sfbimmer13 View Post
I ran BFGoodrich gForce R1s 265/35/18 front and 285/30/18 back on TR Motorsports wheels - these tires are absolutely great and provide incredible amounts of grip. I monitored pressures carefully and ran between 43 and 47 PSI hot anything lower than that and the front tires would start to roll over the sidewallsr
43-47psi sounds way to high. The tires would probably feel a lot better with hot pressures around 36-40psi. Its probably time for some camber plates.
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      09-10-2008, 10:06 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by attbimmer View Post
43-47psi sounds way to high. The tires would probably feel a lot better with hot pressures around 36-40psi. Its probably time for some camber plates.
optimum hot pressure for the BFGoodrich is between 34-48 PSI on the M3 it should be at least 37 - 43 PSI - this information is from BFGoodrich.
http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/asset...ne_2.26.07.pdf

My own testing revealed that the optimum hot pressures are between 42-47PSI and I think "saymthree" uses similar hot pressures. Tire temperatures where very even over the entire surface of the tire...

There are no camber plates available yet for the E92 M3...
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      09-10-2008, 04:48 PM   #20
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Hi Rupert,

As far as the DCT issue - did you try downshifting as you were taking your foot off the brake and going to throttle (more or less at turn in)? I'm assuming for the sake of smoothness that you don't jump off the brake and jump on the throttle and if so then I'd think there would be enough time to execute a downshift during this transition.

Additionally, I wonder if the lack of downshift during heavy braking is a designed in "safety" feature to keep from locking up the rear wheels and precipitating a spin... Granted it would be a remote possibility because of the ABS but we know how conservative BMW is. If this is true, then it should change gears once the brake pressure is relieved right?

This is all conjecture as I haven't tracked my car yet and I haven't been able to cause the car to not downshift on the street. Anyway - nice pics! Looks like you had a good time....

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      09-10-2008, 05:00 PM   #21
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One other question - have you tracked the car on street tires and experienced the same downshift problem? If the answer is yes and no downshift issue - then is the use of Rcompound tires enabling you to generate a more braking force and the transmission won't downshift because it "thinks" a spin could occur if a downshift is executed?

I'm probably off base here as I'm just throwing out ideas.

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      09-10-2008, 05:01 PM   #22
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Wow, Very nice pictures! cool videos too
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