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DISCUSSION => General Topics => Topic started by: 318iEnthusiast on April 12, 2006, 11:21:13 PM

Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 318iEnthusiast on April 12, 2006, 11:21:13 PM
hey guys, i'm new to bmw's i've owned mine for about 4mths, but I wanna do some upgrades and do a little racing... I already have upgraded exauhst, headers, and i'm slowly losing weight... i want to put in racing seats and rip out the rear seat... even though it's 4wd... and possibly put a rollcage in? any help is greatly appreciated, thanks
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: nickmpower on April 12, 2006, 11:40:53 PM
ummmm 4wd?
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 1991318is on April 13, 2006, 12:47:19 AM
Quote from: 318iEnthusiast
hey guys, i'm new to bmw's i've owned mine for about 4mths, but I wanna do some upgrades and do a little racing... I already have upgraded exauhst, headers, and i'm slowly losing weight... i want to put in racing seats and rip out the rear seat... even though it's 4wd... and possibly put a rollcage in? any help is greatly appreciated, thanks

None of the 318i's were awd and no e30's were 4wd. If it's a 318i then it is just rear wheel drive which is really good for racing. I personally would focus on the suspension and getting that all up to par before worrying about all the other stuff. As for a roll cage, I would check into an autopower which are cheaper or just have a custom one made and welded up. Kirkey also makes cages from what I remember and their more pricey and better made than autopower.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 318iEnthusiast on April 13, 2006, 08:42:49 AM
but would it actually help any in a 4dr car? jw... i'm going to upgrade to h&r and bilstien once i have the $$$ my friend said he'd sell me his whole set up for $250.... so why not right?
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: asubimmer on April 13, 2006, 10:05:16 AM
well what type of racing are we talking here?  auto-x, track...?  that will depend
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 2002maniac on April 13, 2006, 11:58:26 AM
Make sure your car is safe and reliable.  Then take it to a few auto-x's  I wouldnt start making serious modifications until youve had some experience.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: e9nine on April 13, 2006, 12:54:05 PM
Quote from: 2002maniac
Make sure your car is safe and reliable.  Then take it to a few auto-x's  I wouldnt start making serious modifications until youve had some experience.

QFT. It's all about having a reliable car, being in the right frame of mind to learn and have fun then upgrading the car. Beating people with a stock car is fun :)
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 318iEnthusiast on April 24, 2006, 10:55:40 PM
oh the car is in excellent shape, runs great... i little hard to start....mostly due to older spark plugs, and the need for a newer batt and ignition wires... you know?

i did notice that it runs a little hot... how hot should it be running? i'm at about halfway to 3/4 on the temp gauge
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 1991318is on April 24, 2006, 11:06:27 PM
Quote from: 318iEnthusiast
oh the car is in excellent shape, runs great... i little hard to start....mostly due to older spark plugs, and the need for a newer batt and ignition wires... you know?

i did notice that it runs a little hot... how hot should it be running? i'm at about halfway to 3/4 on the temp gauge

Mine runs at 1/4 when the fan clutch isn't burnt out like it is right now. I'd get that all worked out before racing, last thing I'd wnat to be worrying is the motor overheating. Try taking newspaper folded up(no the entire thing but a chunk) and hold onto it while sticking the other end in the fan while the car is running. It shoouldn't stop the fan, but if it does its the fan clutch that has gone out.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: D. Clay on April 25, 2006, 01:37:43 AM
My neighbor does A/C work and he has a nice little contact thermometer for checking the temp of A/C lines. Comes in handy when the guage or sender is bad. Just touch it to the water outlet or thermostat housing.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 1991318is on April 25, 2006, 11:16:33 AM
Quote from: D. Clay
My neighbor does A/C work and he has a nice little contact thermometer for checking the temp of A/C lines. Comes in handy when the guage or sender is bad. Just touch it to the water outlet or thermostat housing.

That would be awesome to have.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 318iEnthusiast on April 25, 2006, 05:27:41 PM
Quote from: 1991318is
Mine runs at 1/4 when the fan clutch isn't burnt out like it is right now. I'd get that all worked out before racing, last thing I'd wnat to be worrying is the motor overheating. Try taking newspaper folded up(no the entire thing but a chunk) and hold onto it while sticking the other end in the fan while the car is running. It shoouldn't stop the fan, but if it does its the fan clutch that has gone out.


which is the clutch fan? where's it at? sry.... is it the one right behind the grilles?
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 1991318is on April 26, 2006, 12:33:45 AM
Quote from: 318iEnthusiast
which is the clutch fan? where's it at? sry.... is it the one right behind the grilles?

Nope, open your hood ndit shuld be right there in the middle w/ a shroud(covering around the sides). It sits right on the engine side of the radiator. I'll try ad take a picture of it tomorrow.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 318iEnthusiast on April 26, 2006, 09:09:37 AM
o ok, then what's the one in front of that? behind the grille?
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 2002maniac on April 26, 2006, 10:16:55 AM
Auxilliary fan.  it comes on when the A/C is running

*edit* I removed my A/C so it isnt actually running, only the fan comes on.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 318iEnthusiast on April 26, 2006, 06:24:43 PM
mine doesn't turn on when the a/c runs.... but it blows cold as ice..
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 1991318is on April 26, 2006, 08:00:13 PM
Quote from: 318iEnthusiast
mine doesn't turn on when the a/c runs.... but it blows cold as ice..

It might have a temp switch somewhere in there, so there might be a temp it turns on at.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 318iEnthusiast on April 26, 2006, 09:19:27 PM
where would it most likely be? i kind of just want to take out the ac....should i? i drive with the windows down and sunroof open...
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 1991318is on April 26, 2006, 11:47:42 PM
Quote from: 318iEnthusiast
where would it most likely be? i kind of just want to take out the ac....should i? i drive with the windows down and sunroof open...

It wouldn't hurt anything to leave it in. Just let it be and it'll be fine, worst thing that could happen was that it would just kick on the fan incase you were overheating, which wouldn't be a bad thing.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: E30M42 on May 02, 2006, 07:11:41 AM
Check out http://www.spece30.com

I raced a 325i there for two years.

The 318i is legal...but no one has built one yet.

Very restrictive rules...but that is good.  It doesn't end up being a checkbook race.  Cars with HR race, Bilstein sports, camber plates, offset CAB and some good sways are VERY fun to drive.  Spec tires keep the costs down too.  (TOYOS).

Good group of guys too!

Ric
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 1991318is on May 04, 2006, 12:14:26 AM
Quote from: E30M42
Check out http://www.spece30.com

I raced a 325i there for two years.

The 318i is legal...but no one has built one yet.

Very restrictive rules...but that is good.  It doesn't end up being a checkbook race.  Cars with HR race, Bilstein sports, camber plates, offset CAB and some good sways are VERY fun to drive.  Spec tires keep the costs down too.  (TOYOS).

Good group of guys too!

Ric

That sounds really tempting. I seriously would love to do that once I have more money(out of college)
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: silverblades181 on May 06, 2006, 08:01:45 PM
Quote from: 1991318is
and no e30's were 4wd.


E30 325ix was 4wd ;)
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 318iEnthusiast on May 06, 2006, 09:53:45 PM
true true
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 1991318is on May 07, 2006, 04:14:26 PM
Quote from: silverblades181
E30 325ix was 4wd ;)

But that's not a 318 like he was asking. No worries.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: GrippyDrifty on May 07, 2006, 04:24:05 PM
^^Yeah I was wondering about the no e30's were 4wd comment. You beat me to it.
Title: Spec E30.
Post by: D. Clay on May 08, 2006, 02:02:59 PM
Another good thing about Spec E30 is the ease of resale and value. Build the car to be legal for popular series.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: 1991318is on May 09, 2006, 01:03:46 AM
Quote from: GrippyDrifty
^^Yeah I was wondering about the no e30's were 4wd comment. You beat me to it.

My bad, sorry I was unclear on that one.
Title: I wanna do a little racing...
Post by: silverblades181 on May 14, 2006, 06:02:28 PM
Whats this about SPEC E30?