AWDman

same here.....on track with a craftsman truck last sept.......hell one event had an indy 500 winner ex bobby rahal lola. not in my run group tho.

last event at lime rock i elected to run red group (slower less experienced) never again, will stick to intermediate. i had a close call with a miata spinning infront of me. this is one of biggest fears......that and driving to the track surrounded by 10 gals of 100 octane.

AWDman

i have spoken to Ian, last yr i wanted to jump in last min for a NHIS event. He had one slot open but i ended up not doing it. Cool guy.

you run mt tremblant? are you based up in ca? hope to get to there in july with coms. we'll see i may run out of vacation time doing track days!

Fifth Ring

I want nothing more than the stress/excitement of side-by-side racing, but not in my commuter car!

In the Audi Club, I'm required to remain in the "clown" category (Novice) for 1 more event before I can move to intermediate. It takes a LOT of track days to move up to an advanced group. Novice puts me on track with noobs. There's a wide range of us clowns on track, and most of us are very safe; but you never know when you end up too close to a clown that is over his/her head. Us clowns have our fair share of harmless "offs" yet somehow, the non-clowns in the advanced group seem to bend more sheetmetal!

And as to the speed differential, I agree that the differential is not the real risk. To me, the risk is a 600HP car capable of "professional" speeds, but lacking a "professional" driver and "professional" safety equipment. At that point, the margin of safety goes way down. The only qualification to buy and drive such a car is money.

Carl AMG

I have the 18" Nitto NT-01's on my '06 Porsche Boxster S track/autox wheels and have RA-1's on the track/autox wheels for my WRX. The NT-01's are molded to 6/32" versus 8/32" for the RA-1's. However, they are both 100 treadwear R comps. I have only used the NT-01's for autocrossing; haven't been to a track event with them yet. However, I ran them on the street for about two months this past summer just trying to get them worn down to an optimal tread depth for autocrossing. They wear like iron so far; at least as durable as the RA-1's.

The RA-1's are already known very good track tire but a mediocre autocross tire. I think this is even more so for the NT-01. However, I suspect it may be better on the track than the RA-1.

FYI...Although I am still looking to dial them in a big contrast is that the NT-01 likes much lower tire pressures than the RA-1.

m3_eater

Cyn, I know it's been covered before, but those threads are discussion-oriented and it's hard to pull all of the info together neatly. Would you mind listing exactly what a C32 owner needs to do to replicate SMG's suspension? Also, would the way he has it set up be suitable for the street? I've been missing the handling of my E30 and E36 BMWs for some time now, and it's starting to eat into my enjoyment of the C32, despite its great straightline accelleration.

Thanks!

CynCarvin32

I would be glad to walk you though it. Give me a bit of time to get back to it but quickly I can say two things.

First it is a streetable car but SMG drives it every day and he is becoming annoyed with the ride being to firm. That likely was caused by the bushings since they took away all dreams of reducing bump impact.

Second, I spent a lot of the last track day driving his E36 325is with piles of upgrades and after getting back in the C32 I said WOW this car is a big pig. What I felt was that just the size of the steerign wheel makes the C32 seem so HUGE. You turn the wheel the same way you do in the E36 (which has a very small wheel with no airbag) and you just about run off the road. The C32 turns just fine but it takes SO much steering input to make it happen that you just become shocked! I really think the car needs a small wheel but we tried that and ESP just about killed us. Changing the steering wheel means changing the attachment point and that means removing the ESP steering angle input sensor. Without that item ESP goes CRAZY and just starts trying to shut the car off when ever you go to make a turn in city traffic.

But I will get back to you with a broken down list of what parts help and what the car needs to turn. SMG's car turns but you still dont get that smile a BMW brings...

CynCarvin32

I agree door to door racing is crazy. These advanced groups do not have people dive bombing corners and racing into a turn for the line. I would not be there if that was the case.

I just think the advanced group drivers I drive with are the type that will not cause real issues. Yes there are always questionable passes taking place and someone always pushes the limit of reasonable but for the most part they are respectful of slower cars. We are all trying to go as quickly as possible and we all seem to know how to respect the rules.

Blue group drivers are horrible as they just think they are great and have no skill. Car go flying off every which way sometimes and you just scratch your head wondering where their brains went!

You are so right that you do have to stat off in the lower groups. I started with the blue group and skipped the yellow group as my dumb days of canyon blasting had me well beyond the yellow group in driving ability (racing school as well). I finally just said oh forget it I am going to the red group and once there I felt far more safe and I enjoyed the higher level of responsability it required.

CynCarvin32

I will let you know about the NT-01 if we get them on the car before SMG sells it!

He keeps wanting to get rid of his car since he just seems sick of dealing with small issues. He seems to think a 335i will beat the C32 Stock...

Fifth Ring

I posted the question re good street/track tires on a motorsports forum I frequent (Audiworld/Motorsports) and the current "hot" tire for mixed use is Hankook RS2 Z212. A new, inexpensive tires that's supposed to be the "next" Falken 615.

OPM

For a good price, I would love to. Unfortunately, those are wrong size for me. On the Audi I use 225/45/17, and I do need 2 new tires. It is funny you mentioned T-1S because I have plenty of experience with that tire. I have used both 615 and T-1S on 17 by 8.5 SSR rim. I run them for thousands of miles on the street and did a few events with each. IMHO, 615 is by far better in all categories except aesthetics and noise level. In the corners where T-1S would squeal and start sliding, 615 does not even make a sound. In some places my cornering speed would go from 40-45mph to well over 60mph. For a street tire that is just amazing. Unlike T-1S, 615 did not chunk at all. And it never got greasy. However, the most amazing part was its performance in the rain. Honestly, while on T-1S, I always felt unsafe above 70mph during a downpour AND that is driving an AUDI. If it was in C55, I probably would **** myself. However, I was blown away the first time I used 615 in a rain. I felt like I was driving on all-season tire. Bottom line maybe I had a ****ty set of T-1S and above average set of 615. Stretching the sidewall helps, so maybe the 8.5” helped 615 more than T-1S. Maybe I was using correct pressure for 615 and incorrect one for T-1S. Maybe on S4 these tires rule and on C32 they suck. There could be a lot of other maybes, but in my experience 615 preformed at the top of the street class tire for much less bank. I never tried Potenza RE-01R or ADVAN Neova AD07. Consequently, I cannot really say that it is #1 street tire. But what provoked me is you calling it JUNK. IMHO, 615 is as far from junk as a tire can get.

Nope. I live in Boston. I go to Mt Tremblant with Audi club. Each year at the end of September they run an event there. It’s great time of the year. The surrounding area is beautiful. Lots to do – if you have strength. And great food is abundant. Plus, you can always take an extra day and stop in Montreal for some additional fun and food. Le Circuit is an awesome track. I believe it was design by the same engineer as WG. Everybody I spoke with was impressed. For novice it’s challenging and fast. For more experience drivers it’s an opportunity to learn something new each time. Last time I went I discovered a new fast corner. I cannot remember the #. At the beginning it looks like you will run out of asphalt if you push to hard on the exit. But if you look closer you realize that if you go off, you’ll be driving in the grass in a straight line parallel to the track. After my brain registered that fact I got very ballsy in that corner and had a hard-on every time I passed it – faster and faster and faster. I am sure you all know that feeling. By the end of the day I was good 30mph faster there than the slower cars in my run group. However, the track has lots of other tricky places. But I did not have enough time to work on them. I am hopping to do it this year.

Yea, Ian is cool. I love his sister and his parents are really nice too. They also have great instructors. Plus, it is not a club. Thus, there are no membership fees.

Zeppelin

Steve needs to try a big rear swaybar before he makes up his mind on selling. I might be able to loan him mine. If he does sell, keep me in mind for his Quaife. I will come over and swap our rear diffs for some cash.

CynCarvin32

I will let him know about the bar. He just is having issues with justifying the more limited drivability of the car on a daily basis to go to the track. He expects the car to ride like an E500 but lap the track as fast as his E36 track car. I keep telling him its not that the car is bad its his expectations. WHo knows what will happen but we did discuss what to do regarding all the upgrades and the diff has your name on it if he does sell the car. He told me I have to sell off all the parts so I have one sold already!

smgC32

Hey, I used to be the one with the endless ramblings...

I have missed many months of forum threads and stumbled on to this one. To answer an open question, yes my car still has the PSS-9's, or Carlsson's version of them. The car is finally set up properly for the track and tire wear is no longer the nightmere issue it use to be. 3 degrees negative up front was just too much and we wore the inside edge out in one day! We are back down to 2.25 with Kmac adjustable front bushing up front and one washer shim at the strut mounting point. The caster is currently at 10.5 degrees. The rear is set at 1.85 negative. We will run the 245/275's next to see if there is any advantage, then move on to the NT-01's. I really don't like the feel of the Falken's, but do praise their wear, but this could be due to the new allignment specs which happened at the same time as the new tires. I still have the rear Corsa's and may get a set of fronts and try them again.

The car now has the H&R sways and this made an improvement with the Kmacs combined. The car is very stiff for street use, especially more so with the Kmacs, but the trade off for the track was worth it. After four years, I am getting tired/bored with the car and want to move on.

Zep, you get the Quaife! After we run the Vegas event this month, I will seriously think of parting out all the parts as well as offering the car for sale with or without the parts. PM me if interested.

Parts:
Quaife LSD
Carlsson/PSS-9 coilovers
H&R sway bars
Kmac front and rear camber bushings and front caster bushings
Stoptech 14" fronts/13.1" rear calipers/rotors and lines
RENNtech Pully kit and Chip. Will trade out ECU with yours.
SL intake kit/splitter and air boxes
Reworked intercooler with custom front mounted heat exchanger
RENNtech Monolites in 18x8.5" front and 18x9.5" rears (9 wheels total)
Recaro Topline Sport seat and adapter bracket. Superior comfort to stock.
Four useless buttons on center console for steering wheel conversion
I am sure there is more but I can think of it at this time.

And yes a new 335i Sedan is in the works and I think I can run a 1:38 at WSIR in it stock! Maybe I just need to gut the interior, install a cage and keep the C32 as a track car!

AWDman

these really were cheap when they came out over a yr ago....like 1/2 the price of a premium tire. think it was european car mag that did a comparison and were impressed with results.

my all time fave road tire was/is the s03. very stiff sidewall for turn in response......i have the original s01 (expedia) on the ferrari and had the s02 on my s2000. ........you could have gotten s03s on closeout at very good prices but see tire rack has sold most of em.

AWDman

if you decide to go this route smg then may i purchase the kmac camber/caster front setup? preferably the entire arms with the pressed in bushings?

also would like the seat and brackets/sliders.....

AWDman

yes i have beeen going to montreal f1 for yrs and familiar with crescent st area. i'm planning to visit mt tremblant this yr with COMS late july.........actually this yr may leave montreal sunday after race for a time trial at mosport on monday.

yeah i scope out the tracks to see where it's safe to overcook. most places i run has uneven terrain off track could take out your suspension so i run aggressive/conservative if you know what i mean. also mess around with late braking where there is runoff that sort of thing..... exciting but not enough to cause an erection

m3_eater

If you do part out, I call dibs on the RENNtech Monolites! Call or PM me