<all> E36 M3 street/track questions

[Rich Beebe <rich@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Posting for a fellow racer who is currently having trouble posting.

Rich Beebe

- --------------

Hello All -

I am new to the list, having recently purchased a '97 M3 last Friday.  I
intend to take the car to a track event next weekend.  I'm not going to flog
it. I just want to get a good feel for the car in a controlled environment.
But, before I do, I would like to know a little more about the car's on
track behavior and the suitability of it's stock mechanicals to track duty.
Here are my questions:

(1) Is there anything special that I need to know about the behavior of the
car before taking it out on the track?  Overall, does the car oversteer or
understeer at the limit?  Driving it on the street, I haven't had much of an
opportunity to get a good feel for the car.  My gut (actually, butt) feel,
based on this brief encounter, is that the car will understeer at the limit.
Also, it appears that you can make the tail step out nicely with a little
throttle (throttle steering, not wild oversteer) .

(2) How reliable are the stock components in track duty?  My car is
completely stock at this point.  What else do I need to know about the car's
mechanicals to ensure that it is not unhappy with me for taking it out on
the track?   Are there any problems that others have experienced at the
track?  (e.g., overheating, brake fade, oil starvation -- all things that
have, unfortunately, impacted other cars that I've owned).

(3) Most likely, I will replace the brake pads and fluid to better suit my
driving needs.  In this regard, 95% the car's life will be spent on the
street, about 4% will be in autocross, and only about 1% on the racetrack
(track days only, I've got a race car for wheel-to-wheel racing).  So,
ideally, I'd like to find a set of pads that will not fade (at least not too
badly) in track events, offers decent modulation for autocross duty, and
won't eat my rotors on the street (like the very abrasive Hawk blues on my
race car).  Any recommendations? (Or am I just asking for too much <G>!?)

(4) I am also looking for a set of wheels, suitable for autocross.  I'd like
wheels that are at least as light as the stock wheels, but preferably less
expensive!  They must be the same size since I will run the car in A-Stock
(SCCA).  Does anyone have any wheels for sale?  If not, any recommendations?

Thanks in advance,

Donn Vickrey
'97 M3 Coupe (daily driver/auto-x car)
'83 Spec RX7 ('98 SCCA So. Pac. Divisional Champion)
San Diego, CA

P.S. For those who are interested, the track event (sponsored by Dave Turner
Motorsports in San Diego) is at Holtville Airport Raceway (near El Centro,
CA) this Saturday.  Dave's events are inexpensive ($100) and offer more
track time than you can possibly take -- you'll be too tired to run the
entire time.  There is also instruction available from several SCCA racers
(myself included).

------------------------------