[1800cc]

Hello,

This is my first post. I have about 30k miles on my manual 6 speed Msport EBII 328i now. I've got the stock Msport suspension(not electronic). I've been autocrossing for a few times in my 99 miata and once in my F30. The miata is going to be sold so I am going to start auto Xing my F30 this season. Got a couple questions about the car's setup.

First off tire situation:

I hate the understeer on the current staggered setup. No matter how much I play with the pressures. Maybe I am doing it wrong? So I am going to buy my friends 18x8 et34 441M wheels from the 435i xDrive M Sport. The plan is to use those wheels and run a square setup.

Question: Since these tires come with 225x45x18 is that going to ruin the way BMW wanted the suspension to work?

My current (stock) wheel specs are 225x40x18 up front and 255x35x18 in the back. Eventually, I plan on running a wider setup like 245 or 235 on the same wheels for the track.
Aiming for streetability and usability. By usability I mean I want to be able to rotate my tires and maximize the usage for them.

Alignment situation:
Is the current stock alignment appropriate for my uses?

Or is there a good setup thats already out there that people are using on stock cars or on cars with camber plates. Respectively I'd like to stay away from buying more parts for the car, but I'd like to hear about your experiences with camber plates and how the additional camber/setup helped you.

Brake fluid for track days and stock brake pads:

Question: Is the stock brake fluid on my Msport Brembo brakes suitable for track use or do I need to change them to high temp from Motul?

Question: How are the stock pads from those who have used them. If they aren't appropriate, which pads should I go with for street/track? My car is still under warranty so I'll have to see if I can get new pads before the warranty is up.



Looking forward to everyone's feedback, recommendations, comments. Excited in F street for autoX this season!

[lijiahua790]

Get motul RBF 600 brake fluid, always safety first. Maybe get some fade resistance brake pads, I use carbotech for track days which is hardcore and super noisy. Get some good tires then you all set

[competition]

If you're going cone dodging, I recommend just going stock. Brake fluid is probably the only think you'll need. I took a stock 428 GC cone dodging and it was a blast. Completely stock too. 1 second slower than my friend's E92 M3 DCT on shitty Hankook V12 tires.

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by handle

If you're going cone dodging, I recommend just going stock. Brake fluid is probably the only think you'll need. I took a stock 428 GC cone dodging and it was a blast. Completely stock too. 1 second slower than my friend's E92 M3 DCT on shitty Hankook V12 tires.

^ this. The first time I autocrossed my F30 335i (with my trackday setup: adjustable coilovers, M3 front lower control arms, Pagid brake pads, high temp brake fluid, Michelin PSS tires and Dinan stage 1 tune), a very experienced guy in fully stock F30 320i was noticeably faster than me...
Unless you plan on doing HPDEs, leave the car as it is and beat the cr*p out of it

I learned to live with the understeer. I played with coilovers settings, tire pressure and asked to get the most agressive alignement possible (without adjustable camber plates and leaving the car stable on the street), but it is still nose heavy. A 328i is probably a bit better from this standpoint but the car remains a sporty sedan and will never match the handling and steering feel of your Miata.

Still possible to get plenty of fun though!

[MickAv8r]

Originally Posted by 1800cc

Hello,

This is my first post. I have about 30k miles on my manual 6 speed Msport EBII 328i now. I've got the stock Msport suspension(not electronic). I've been autocrossing for a few times in my 99 miata and once in my F30. The miata is going to be sold so I am going to start auto Xing my F30 this season. Got a couple questions about the car's setup.

First off tire situation:

I hate the understeer on the current staggered setup. No matter how much I play with the pressures. Maybe I am doing it wrong? So I am going to buy my friends 18x8 et34 441M wheels from the 435i xDrive M Sport. The plan is to use those wheels and run a square setup.

Question: Since these tires come with 225x45x18 is that going to ruin the way BMW wanted the suspension to work?

My current (stock) wheel specs are 225x40x18 up front and 255x35x18 in the back. Eventually, I plan on running a wider setup like 245 or 235 on the same wheels for the track.
Aiming for streetability and usability. By usability I mean I want to be able to rotate my tires and maximize the usage for them.

You could run up to a 245 on that 8 inch rim but I'd personally ditch the idea of the 18x8 and go 18 x 8.5 ET 35 square running 255/40/18s.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by 1800cc

Hello,

This is my first post. I have about 30k miles on my manual 6 speed Msport EBII 328i now. I've got the stock Msport suspension(not electronic). I've been autocrossing for a few times in my 99 miata and once in my F30. The miata is going to be sold so I am going to start auto Xing my F30 this season. Got a couple questions about the car's setup.

First off tire situation:

I hate the understeer on the current staggered setup. No matter how much I play with the pressures. Maybe I am doing it wrong? So I am going to buy my friends 18x8 et34 441M wheels from the 435i xDrive M Sport. The plan is to use those wheels and run a square setup.

Question: Since these tires come with 225x45x18 is that going to ruin the way BMW wanted the suspension to work?

My current (stock) wheel specs are 225x40x18 up front and 255x35x18 in the back. Eventually, I plan on running a wider setup like 245 or 235 on the same wheels for the track.
Aiming for streetability and usability. By usability I mean I want to be able to rotate my tires and maximize the usage for them.

Alignment situation:
Is the current stock alignment appropriate for my uses?

Or is there a good setup thats already out there that people are using on stock cars or on cars with camber plates. Respectively I'd like to stay away from buying more parts for the car, but I'd like to hear about your experiences with camber plates and how the additional camber/setup helped you.

Brake fluid for track days and stock brake pads:

Question: Is the stock brake fluid on my Msport Brembo brakes suitable for track use or do I need to change them to high temp from Motul?

Question: How are the stock pads from those who have used them. If they aren't appropriate, which pads should I go with for street/track? My car is still under warranty so I'll have to see if I can get new pads before the warranty is up.



Looking forward to everyone's feedback, recommendations, comments. Excited in F street for autoX this season!

If you're going to buy wheels, I recommend going with a 18x8.5 ET35-38 with 255/40/18 all around. It'll reduce a bit of understeer and provide you with a lot more grip up front.

For AutoX, stock pads and fluid are okay. If you're looking to upgrade, I recommend going with Castrol SRF. It's expensive, but you won't need to bleed the system per season as often as other types of brake fluid. For pads, unless you're tracking a lot, you can stay with stock. If you need to upgrade, try to the M3 pads. They are still streetable and a bit hotter than the stock M Sport Brake Option pads.

I would keep alignment stock. You can't adjust front camber anyways without camber plates.

[MickAv8r]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

I recommend going with Castrol SRF. It's expensive, but you won't need to bleed the system per season as often as other types of brake fluid.

Definitely one of the best and most people do only change it out once a year. One thing to be mindful of is that at least here in New England the two BMW CCA clubs want you to change your fluid within 90 days of any track day. Not an issue for AX but HPDE it makes me stick to Motul 600.

I do wish I had saved some of the stuff that was in over the winter to see if there was much if any water in it, it still looked new when I did the flush a couple weeks ago.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by MickAv8r

Definitely one of the best and most people do only change it out once a year. One thing to be mindful of is that at least here in New England the two BMW CCA clubs want you to change your fluid within 90 days of any track day. Not an issue for AX but HPDE it makes me stick to Motul 600.

I do wish I had saved some of the stuff that was in over the winter to see if there was much if any water in it, it still looked new when I did the flush a couple weeks ago.

Another advantage of Castrol SRF is that you could probably get away with storing an open container for some time as opposed to any other brake fluid that must be used once the bottle is open.

I don't recommend it, but I wouldn't be dead set against it if you were going to use the excess in a car that is not being tracked.