318is???

#1

Anybody currently running a 318is. How’s it going for you?

#2

I had one as a track car with most of the Spec E30 stuff in it.

My gut feeling after driving a 325i is that it would get killed. The weight differential isn’t that great…but the lack of grunt is. 4.10 gears are nice but won’t help that much.

You will never get through a corner fast enough to get a run on a 325 and you won’t brake that much later to get them going in.

Maybe in the rain.

That being said it was a great car to drive and a bit more nimble feeling (even as a street car) than my 325.

I sold my 318is (hell they are almost collectible) for too much money and built a 325i

Ric

#3

I wonder if Carter would be up for a rules adjustment if a few people built 318is (M42) cars and they were getting spanked by 325i’s?

#4

Elephant2 wrote:

This is an area that we haven’t examined closely just because there aren’t any 318is Spec E30 cars on the track.

However, we’re willing to look at all possibilities on new ideas.

Carter

#5

The 325 is almost done, somehow we have added a second 325 and will do it next. THe two 318’s will follow. Then we will have a basis for comparison, same car, same track, same preparation, same experienced driver.

#6

Change of plans, started on a 318is build yesterday.

#7

mwmills1 wrote:

Mike - would it be too presumptuous to say that it sounds like you may have one or two of the cars at Buttonwillow next month? :slight_smile:

#8

My car will be well built too. James can drive it and then we’d undoubtably have a good comparison of it’s actual speed. I don’t think they’ll need much, the M42 is a bit underated.

Post edited by: robweenerpi, at: 2005/08/25 11:33

#9

What’s your completion date?

I look forward to seeing you at the track.

Carter

#10

I’m stripping the donor now. And I’m picking up a new body this weekend. However long it takes me to build the new one up I guess. I’m gunna take my time with it and do a write up on it on the website. I want to be driveable by the end of fall and at the track in time for the spring.

The M42 does have alot of things that make it easier to run a car. Forged crank, oil squirters, timing chain, no rocker arms to break, more compact, and is very easy to work on. I still like to autox as well. So having a 4 cylinder there is a pretty big advantage with this softish suspension package over the 6. I’ve seen a couple of dynos on stock cars with no mechanical fan, intake, exhaust with cat, and chip make decent power at the wheels. We have smaller diffs and better gearing in 1, 2, and 3, that should help. 4th is the same so it’ll get creamed by the torque of the six once they get rolling.

My main concern is the fact that I can only add 100 pounds of ballast. I’m gunna be underweight. I may have to figue out ways to add weight back (leave the back seat and some interior panels in perhaps). The car was 2455 pounds at summit point this summer with heavy wheels, full interior, spare, full tank of gas etc. A racecar with me in it could easily be under the 2600 pound mark.

Post edited by: robweenerpi, at: 2005/08/25 17:53

#11

robweenerpi wrote:

I’ve been back and forth over it a bunch because we are building a customer 325iS and figured we’d do the same for the EMS Team Car #1. However, 150# less weight is quite a bit. I gotta believe if you have 134HP to start with (just using factory numbers of course) you might reach 150 with exhaust, intake, and fuel pressure regulator mods. Maybe not, we’ll see I guess. Seems like it would be fun to try though. I guess what I’m saying is that we’ve decided to switch to building the first team car from a 318iS. Should be fun at the very least!

We’re still hoping to spawn several SpecE30 cars here in the midwest for next year. Maybe we can get a class fielded for points and all at a midwest event. Always hoping!