Subject: Stock GTV okay for track?

["Tony Sims" <SimsTony@domain.elided>]

>From: "Henry Kim" <henry.kim@domain.elided>
>Subject: Stock GTV okay for track?
>
>I was talking to my mechanic today about track cars and he warned me against
>one of my candidates, a '74 BMW 2002tii.  He knocked it for two reasons -
>one, the car just won't take a wide tire.  185s are about the max.  And two,
>the chassis is just too soft and too many track days will basically bend it.
>I asked him about a similar vintage GTV and he just wasn't sure.  Opinions?

What's that saying -- "Better to remain silent and risk being thought a fool
than to speak and remove all doubt"?  This mechanic should have kept quiet.
My former "play" ride was a 1969 BMW 1600 (same as a 2002 with a 1600 cc
engine).  The only way I could have ever bent that car would be to launch it
into a tree.  2002's are tough as nails, and many, many, many members of the
BMW club wring them out on the track regularly.  And a 185 section tire is
plenty of rubber on this chassis, particularly if you go plus-1 or plus-2 on
the wheels to get a 60 or 50 series aspect ratio.

I love my GTV, there's nothing like that twin-cam song, but my 1600 handled
and stuck better with a bone stock suspension and 175/70/13's than my GTV does
with 195/60/15's, adjustable upper arms, short springs, Bilstiens and
anti-roll bars on both ends.  A tii would be even better.

Now I'll just sit back and enjoy being lambasted for defending BMW and my
poorly sorted suspension! ;-)

Tony
'74 GTV

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