Anyone running NASA SE at CMP April 30, May 1-2

#1

I should have my SE30 done by then and may haul it there if there will be a crowd of some level. Any takers?

-Scott

#2

i’d expect a pretty big crowd at that event

#3

jtower wrote:

That’s a pretty safe bet.

#4

This car is freshly assembled and this will be its second time out (assuming it hits the track with NASA Florida in two weeks), so it is not sorted or tested. I am BMW incompetent, so if anyone wants to be crew and work with me on setup, sorting and maintenance, I’d be happy to pay, buy pizza and beer. Let me know.

-Scott

#5

You should talk to guys like Jim Levie, Ranger, Travis - they would be a lot more help in setup then most of us.

#6

ukrbmw wrote:

+1. The southeast has a great group of guys and gals who will do anything to help.

If you want full trackside service, I can’t say enough good things about OPM (770 886 8199). They helped me through some teething problems with my car in '08 and it has been dead nuts reliable since then.

They go to almost all the NASA events.

#7

I will be there, will add your name to the list…the ass kicking list.

The best set up tip I have is a live possum in the cockpit, will help ya with that one.

Al

#8

Thanks guys. I will be bringing all my setup tools, scales, ride height gauge, digital caster camber gauge and tow plates, so I hope to have a hand from those that know how to set up these cars. I have a handle on my other cars but know very little about my new BMW. Everyone is welcome to use these tools as well.

I am familiar with OPM Autosports. They did some work on my Factory Five and hauled it to Nationals at UTAH. I think they are good guys. That said, they aren’t cheap and virtually everything they did to my Factory Five I had to redo because it was done wrong. I am guessing they were not used to dealing with that kind of car, and I wish they would have just told me “dude, we don’t know what we are doing on that car” and I would have sorted that out another way. If you say they have solid SE30 experience, I may give them a call one day on this car.

Do you have to separately rent garages at CMP?

-Scott

#9

Garages are available at CMP. Look up CarolinaMotorSports and give them a call.

Common alignment setups: Caster is fixed. Camber’s easier to do at home so you don’t have to attempt to calibrate some other surface. Folks seem to run 3-3.5deg in front and 2.4-3.0 in the rear. A smidgen of toe out in front and neutral in the rear. Obviously you can do relative toe with plates, but I’d be curious as to how absolute toe can be easily done at the track.

Rear toe and camber is a little tricky. If you have eccentric rear trailing arm bushings (rtabs), then toe and camber are linked. Therefore there’s some trial and error involved trying to find a mix of toe and camber that is liveable.

Corner weight can be adjusted a little with rear spring perches. They make different thicknesses.

The problem with doing setup at the track is that you have to be in a garage. But if you are in a garage, you’re likely to be the only E30 in the garage. The rest of us will be parked together telling lies and just far enough away from you that we can’t see your angst.

Here’s what I’d do. Spend Saturday telling everyone about all the ice cold imported and craft beer you’re going to have in your garage bay Saturday evening. That will result in smart guys hanging out near your car.

And don’t get the impression that I really know what I’m talking about. I only have a clue about those things that I’ve broken. Repeatedly. And there’s still a fair number of things that I’ve not gotten to yet. There’s guys here that have been wrenching and racing on E30’s for the better part of a decade.

#10

We doing standing starts or fliers?

-Scott

#11

BigKeyserSoze wrote:

[quote]We doing standing starts or fliers?

-Scott[/quote]
Depends on the whims of the masters. Sometimes they tell us, sometimes they ask us.

#12

BigKeyserSoze wrote:

Scott -

I remember seeing your car at their shop before they loaded up to go out there. They were doing a bunch of work to it. If you had to fix a bunch of stuff at Miller, that makes your FFR championship even more impressive!! Nice work!

Tom is a stand-up guy in my experience. If they screwed anything up, they’ll make it right.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them for E30 work. The guys around here will tell you - my race victories HAD to be because of the car. :laugh:

I had to move your car in the paddock when we were packing up to leave Utah. There’s nothing like firing up that big nasty V8. It tickles something primitive deep in my brain. Then I looked at where the door bars and Safety Sally said “nope”.:frowning:

#13

Steve:

Glad you liked the FFR. You are mistaken about the door bars. There are three beefy ones in the door with a steel plate across them. The real issue is that the top of the cage, if you draw a line from it to the cowl, doesn’t leave much room for your head. I am going to put a full bar in that car shortly.

This year I will likely send the FFR and the SE30 to Nationals. I am going to race the SE30 this weekend AND run it in TTD AND race my Thunder Roadster. Should be a busy time.

-Scott

#14

BigKeyserSoze wrote:

My only complaint is that they seemed awfully close to the driver compared to the cars I was used to. Definitely not a car I’d want to get t-boned in.

That sounds like a good call. They look like a fun handful to drive, but I’d hate to turn one of those wheels up!!

Have fun doing the double duty at Miller! I tried that at MidOhio a couple years ago and I think the cars were just too similar (Miata and E30). I never could get my braking, shifting and turn in points right when I went back and forth. You’ll probably be fine given how different your 2 cars are (and more talent behind the wheel won’t hurt).