Results of a track day
Well, I took the G8GT out to No Problem raceway and put 70 miles of abuse on it. She performed REALLY well. The weak link, as I expected, is the tires. Until you have something stickier than the stock 245 Potenzas, then all the shocks/springs/bushings/swaybars/etc. aren't going to help. I was also running the stock alignment. I wanted to get a picture of what the car will do, as delivered from the factory.
First, my impressions:
I normally run 1:20-1:21 in my race-prepped Trans Am. It's a 400hp, 2800lb car. To run 5-6 seconds slower than that car is frankly amazing. These are times comparable to race-prepped E-46 BMW with race tires!!
In terms of handling, the car is very neutral, with a mild amount of corner-exit oversteer (just the way I like it). It will push going into a corner if you go in too fast. Otherwise, it's a very neutral setup. The car has very good high-speed handling. I was able to take Turn 1 at 110-115 mph (I can go about 130mph in the Trans Am, which has aero aids).
The brakes are not meant for racing. I experienced significant fade after only 2 laps. However, once they reached a certain point in fade, they never went completely away. This indicates that, while I exceeded the temperature range of the pads, I never boiled the fluid. I'd be interested to see what happens with some better pads and fluid.
- A little tip - be sure to take a long, slow (50mph) cool-down lap. I didn't do that my first time, and the brakes caught fire for a few seconds.
The car's LSD is a good unit. Don't know who makes it (Torsen?), but I never got the dreaded "1-wheel-peel" coming out of turns.
Now, on to what the car needs. First, a good alignment. Get the front tires another 1* of camber over stock (whatever it is), and probably max out the caster. I chunked every single block on the outside of both front tires.
Secondly, good tires. I'm thinking of replacing the tires with something like a Kumho MX, Azenis, or other high-perf tire. Ideally, a second set of track-only tires would be perfect.
Third - and this is a big one - STOCK 17X8.5 BMW WHEELS FIT OUR CARS PERFECTLY! Go find yourself a set of them for $200 on the BMW forums, get a set of takeoff race tires for $300, and you've got track tires for $500. I tried on a set of wheels this weekend for fitment. The only part you may have a problem with is the size of the lug hole. Our studs and lug nuts are larger than BMW. This means that you may have trouble fitting a socket around the lug nut. I suggest paying attention to the holes of the wheels you want and buying something that doesn't have deep holes.
After tires, I'd focus on keeping the car level. Swaybars and shocks will help greatly.
After all that, I'll need to re-evaluate the car. We'll see what it needs next.
(I know that some people say that the main things needed in these cars are bushings. I'm sure that they help. But, if I want to run better times in my car, I'm going with the things mentioned above. And, none of them will have ANY adverse effects on the street.)
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