Popped the block
- Thread starter Davidwarren
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Yes. Very happy with this as a track car. I think my best lap was about 4.5 seconds off Andy pilgrim in the 1LE. My dad and I are doing a private day with him at NCM this summer.Huge difference
But this is what ultimately sold me:
2019 BMW M2 Competition vs. 2019 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE: Comparison Test
A grunty muscle car faces an M-Car throwback. Guess which is which.
Thanks for sharing the articleYes. Very happy with this as a track car. I think my best lap was about 4.5 seconds off Andy pilgrim in the 1LE. My dad and I are doing a private day with him at NCM this summer.
But this is what ultimately sold me:
2019 BMW M2 Competition vs. 2019 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE: Comparison Test
A grunty muscle car faces an M-Car throwback. Guess which is which.www.roadandtrack.com
Yes ... but the real story ... you're in striking distance of dad and the Vette.
Filippo
Happy to hear you are up and running again! That is awesome.
And this yet again inspires me to go wider wheels and tires. It seems you are much faster although you have less power and carry about the same curb weight?
And this yet again inspires me to go wider wheels and tires. It seems you are much faster although you have less power and carry about the same curb weight?
Yes, as funny as it sounds to say with a 6.2L v8, I notice the lack of the instant huge wave of torque from the n54. It took a little while to adjust to a N/A engine on track. But the other benefits (and a factory warranty that covers track usage) outweighs that.
Factory tires are GY supercar3 285/30/20-305/30/20. They are surprisingly sticky for a 220tw.
Nice toy! I was strongly considering an 18 SS but leaned towards keeping my current car a bit longer.
That platform is a true performer, and is often overlooked simply because of its target demographic in middle of nowhere America lol *wink wink* (at least that was my impression after sharing with friends I was looking into one haha) and underestimated because its American (i.e. "US cars can't handle as well as their Euro counterparts.").
Enjoy and be careful.
-Reef
That platform is a true performer, and is often overlooked simply because of its target demographic in middle of nowhere America lol *wink wink* (at least that was my impression after sharing with friends I was looking into one haha) and underestimated because its American (i.e. "US cars can't handle as well as their Euro counterparts.").
Enjoy and be careful.
-Reef
If it was born with 285/305, it means you can fit square 305 or more by adding camber plates up front. Can't think of many German cars that can match that. What kind of oiling system does that thing have? Track warranty sounds like heaven on earth. A heavily tracked M2 n55 just died in a huge cloud of smoke here today. Vibrations from engine, loud metal noises, not sure what died.
yup, going to order a set of apex wheels in 19x11 for 305 square. It's a wet sump. I'm not fully up to speed on all of it's internal systems, but I think it has a variable displacement oil pump and a baffled pan stock. It holds a lot of fluids. 10L oil and 12L coolant. It doesn't overheat.
It's kinda funny you say that because I'm noticing the 1LE is taking the throne from the e36/46 M as the de facto track day car. At least here in the middle of nowhere Midwest. LOL
All of my track day/tail of the dragon buddies are now switching to this platform whether it is the C7 GS or the SS 1LE. Many came from BRZ (NA or Supercharged), RX7s, etc...
1LE is no joke, nor is the C7...
I am a little bitter pumping time/effort and money into my N54... their platform just 'works'.
BMW screwed up when it went to the turbo cars - IMHO it did not consider the enthusiast market. Increasingly a sales numbers driven org I suppose.
The track path has been longstanding - chassis 114/E10 et al old school, a blip of E21, but really jumped to E30 forever, then E36, then E46. Various engines (not worth digressing). But when BMW went to the turbo platform, the NA motors didn't cut it for the e8x/e9x (sorry a small number of E92 cars don't count as a significant path). BMW in its attempt to meet various parameters with the N54 "system" didn't consider a way for that system to be configured for track use.
Historically speaking, american manufacturers did not make cars that were well suited for track - brakes and suspension being the long pole in the tent. But in the past decade or so that's changed. It's a new world and nice to have choices!
Filippo
I certainly agree. The turbo engines were a lot of compromises, and came to fruition in ~2006. Quite a bit has changed in engine technology, packaging, etc. It used to be laughable to consider a Camaro a 'track weapon' but now GM allows the Camaro and Corvette teams to 'compete' so the chassis is sorted and suspension works well.
I wish the N54 has a better oil pickup system, a less complicated intake system and port injection as well as direct injection. I like the chassis, the interior, etc... but not for the track.
Can you spot me?
(The blue BRZ has been sold and he now drives a blue SS 1LE)
MURICA
Is the M2C popular over there? From my perspective that car has already solved all of the engine issues that we are trying to solve (biggest issue remaining being oil pick up). It can even take pretty wide tires as well. It's also much much cheaper than the Z4 was from new in China.
At least in the context of my post, it's not quite that easy. In the USA the traditional BMW track guys - the sweet spot is the older cars, when they get toward the bottom of their value point become track-time cars - modified, etc. I'm generalizing obviously but that's exactly the point: the larger numbers are that kind of situation. Many cars make an ecosystem. There is an ecosystem for E46 track cars in the USA, and E36, the E30 too those on its way out. The M2C is awesome (I'd love to have one personally). The reality is that there is a hole in the lineage that is basically at least a decade wide, in the USA. If one speaks with the average BMW track guy ... no idea what that N54/N55 stuff is ... go to track events, you don't see them. Plenty of E46 and E36 cars.
Filippo
I'll just add one additional observation, which is rather amusing to me. I've seen people mention that the N54 is at the bottom of the value - no one is going to spend money on these cars. I find the opposite - people buy the cars inexpensively and mod them.
There is a race class in the USA called, SpecE46. They run the M540B30 engine (3.0 liter NA). A few years back I considered the possibility of maybe wanting to get back into a bit of racing, so I investigated the class - I know a lot about the E46 and that engine. Turns out competitive cars have about $45k sunk into them. I was shocked! In my naive way of thinking, "spec" classes are commonly created to manage cost. An E46 can be bought all day long for $5k here. I took a hard pass.
Filippo
There is a race class in the USA called, SpecE46. They run the M540B30 engine (3.0 liter NA). A few years back I considered the possibility of maybe wanting to get back into a bit of racing, so I investigated the class - I know a lot about the E46 and that engine. Turns out competitive cars have about $45k sunk into them. I was shocked! In my naive way of thinking, "spec" classes are commonly created to manage cost. An E46 can be bought all day long for $5k here. I took a hard pass.
Filippo
They are popular to a point... extremely expensive. It's hard to justify buying one and 'thrashing' it. Most people out there would buy a much cheaper car and mod it to the point of acceptable rather than spend the BMW tax on an M2/C. Hell, you can get an SS 1LE for far cheaper, exactly shown in this thread.
@fmorelli is exactly right about the costs of these vehicles. I can't imagine spending the money required to be in a 'spec' class. Holy moly.
I'll stick to some light HPDE and Autocross, thanks.
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