Motortrend's Cars - Gojira

[Cano]

First of all: HOLY HELL THAT Z. Truly droolable.

With that out of the way, congratulations on the outing! And altough indeed acquiring a lighter car for track driving would be the sensible thing to do... preparing the M5 with the supercharger and serious driving components would be all-out awesome.

 

[Ronald6]

"and go buy a cheap light car"

Sounds like another Miata is going to be posted here soon.

 

[motortrend]

"and go buy a cheap light car"

Sounds like another Miata is going to be posted here soon.

that was my first though but I definitely don't fit in a miata with a hardtop and a helmet on, even with extensive seat mods (I'm 6'1 and about 2mm from the roof in my car with the helmet on) plus most around here are like 4-5k for a decent one which isn't exactly cheap. I'm thinking something like an E36 which can be had for 3 grand and leave the rest for repairs/mods or something like a civic which is a little more expensive but pretty big inside, huge mod base and very realiable. Any other suggestions? I might just end up going crazy and modding the M5 and end up dailying the M3 but that would be wrong

 

[Ibonibo]

Looks like a nice track 👍

Problem I see with an other 4-5k car, is 4-5k won't cut it

You know you start investing on that car and after a while, you on the lookout for a next track car as the other one has gotten to precious

But yeah go for it

 

[motortrend]

Looks like a nice track 👍

Problem I see with an other 4-5k car, is 4-5k won't cut it

You know you start investing on that car and after a while, you on the lookout for a next track car as the other one has gotten to precious

But yeah go for it

Yeah but I'd probablY get one that's pretty beat up so that even for me it would be ridiculous to make it look good just make it purposeful. The problem with my car is that it's already pretty much at the "too precious to abuse" point and it WILL swallow 4-5k quite quickly if I continue to use use it hard on the track because I'll want another set of wheels and an oil cooler and a BBK and $140 oil changes 4+ times a year and who knows what else
For now I'll keep driving it spiritedly on the track and by September when my budget permits I'll decide if I go further with this one or get something else.

 

[Ibonibo]

Think too the M5 is a bit to precious for multiple/year trackdays. Everything wores out quicker at trackdays, it gets expensive fast, especially suspension, all the rubbers...

An old BMW is a nice choice, cage, turbo, brakes. Done 👍 (and back over budget )

 

[Crash]

Then again, I'd probably still take the M5 out from time to time on the "tourist" laps with passenger because it is just a hoot to drive around.

Agreed. The tourist laps are actually incredibly fun, even if you're slower with all the extra weight!

I might just end up going crazy and modding the M5 and end up dailying the M3 but that would be wrong

Flip that. Daily the M5 and track the M3. The M3 is much lighter, cheaper, and has a significantly wider modification base, especially as more and more of them get turned into track cars.

 

[motortrend]

Agreed. The tourist laps are actually incredibly fun, even if you're slower with all the extra weight!



Flip that. Daily the M5 and track the M3. The M3 is much lighter, cheaper, and has a significantly wider modification base, especially as more and more of them get turned into track cars.

That would be ideal with an E36 but since I'm referring to the E92, it's worth about twice what the M5 is so it would still be scary as hell to crash it. Maybe when I buy it off my dad I'll have the guts to track it.

 

[Crash]

Ah, I see, got it.

Still. Just buy an E36 M3 if you want a track car. Like. Seriously.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

Cheap light car sounds like E36 to me as well.. But instead of 325/328is, go for 318ti.. and swap in M3 powertrain

 

[KudosM4]

I took my E92 to the Nurb a few times and honestly, you can feel that you're not gonna crash. Because of the brilliant handling and sharpish brakes..

 

[KudosM4]

On a second note; I'm really jealous of your car
..

 

[motortrend]

On a second note; I'm really jealous of your car
..

No need to be when you have an F82 I'm the one who has to be jealous. Even though I wouldn't trade it for a new M3/4 because of the practicality and because I don't care that much about new tech, those cars are at a whole new level in every single aspect, it's mindblowing how they got so much tech and exotic materials into the car at that price point.

 

[KudosM4]

No need to be when you have an F82 I'm the one who has to be jealous. Even though I wouldn't trade it for a new M3/4 because of the practicality and because I don't care that much about new tech, those cars are at a whole new level in every single aspect, it's mindblowing how they got so much tech and exotic materials into the car at that price point.

I may have the tech but you got the looks

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

It was a ton of fun. Had the DSC off from the first lap and it's just such an easy car to drive with the long wheelbase and low end torque. Surprisingly, even though I was messing around, my times were pretty consistent. If I switched to better tires and drove seriously I probably wouldn't have all the hot hatches doing better times than me but that's not what it was about, and I don't expect such a good lap time from this heavy beast in such a tight track.

From the moment I left the track I wanted to go back, and I'll probably go to the next event in July. However, as much fun as it is driving my car on the track, it can get very expensive very fast because it has big wide tires, the oil changes are $140, and it's a heavy car so the brakes take a beating so I probably won't get too serious with the lap times. What I might do instead is switch my priorities from buying a SC for the car and go buy a cheap light car that I can drive hard without worrying too much. Then again, I'd probably still take the M5 out from time to time on the "tourist" laps with passenger because it is just a hoot to drive around.

Thanks for sharing the video. Glad you had a great time. I do agree with you and the others about getting a car specifically for track racing. No sense in beating up your beautiful daily driver and having to take it "easy" at the track. You could have the best of both worlds with another smaller car. Will be interesting to see what you decide to purchase for a track car.

 

[motortrend]

Thanks for sharing the video. Glad you had a great time. I do agree with you and the others about getting a car specifically for track racing. No sense in beating up your beautiful daily driver and having to take it "easy" at the track. You could have the best of both worlds with another smaller car. Will be interesting to see what you decide to purchase for a track car.

Doing that would be the right decision… but it's fun to do stupid stuff
seriously, though, between the extra space needed for another car and the cash I'll inevitably spend getting it up to spec without making it worth any more I decided it's best just to go all out with the M5. By "all out" I don't mean anything crazy, just another set of tires, intake, tune, oil cooler, and braking/suspension bits. Anyway, got the tires and wheels already.

Miro 111 with Z221 Hankooks.

 

[WrxScooby]

Nice looks good man. 👍

Edit* So nice made your trash can faint.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Doing that would be the right decision… but it's fun to do stupid stuff
seriously, though, between the extra space needed for another car and the cash I'll inevitably spend getting it up to spec without making it worth any more I decided it's best just to go all out with the M5. By "all out" I don't mean anything crazy, just another set of tires, intake, tune, oil cooler, and braking/suspension bits. Anyway, got the tires and wheels already.

Miro 111 with Z221 Hankooks.
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Nice that will work. Now you have the bug for sure. That's honestly how my Camaro is set up too. Basically a pro touring build. It can be daily driven AND flogged on road courses or autocross. Been doing that on and off with my car for about 14+ years.

First thing I would do would be to swap out all your current brake fluid to high temp synthetic. Makes a huge difference at the track to prevent your fluid from boiling and greatly reduces pedal fade. You could also get a separate set of composite H brake pads specifically for the track. I run Wilwood Composite H pads and have been very impressed with the quality. They are usually designed to start working once the pads hit about 100 degrees. Not great for the street but excellent on the track. Just a few more inexpensive ideas. Those tires will be a huge improvement too. I would try and add a little negative camber to your front tires to prevent excessive wear on the outside of the tire. Cant wait to see your next ideas and the progress of this build. 👍

 

[motortrend]

Nice that will work. Now you have the bug for sure. That's honestly how my Camaro is set up too. Basically a pro touring build. It can be daily driven AND flogged on road courses or autocross. Been doing that on and off with my car for about 14+ years.

First thing I would do would be to swap out all your current brake fluid to high temp synthetic. Makes a huge difference at the track to prevent your fluid from boiling and greatly reduces pedal fade. You could also get a separate set of composite H brake pads specifically for the track. I run Wilwood Composite H pads and have been very impressed with the quality. They are usually designed to start working once the pads hit about 100 degrees. Not great for the street but excellent on the track. Just a few more inexpensive ideas. Those tires will be a huge improvement too. I would try and add a little negative camber to your front tires to prevent excessive wear on the outside of the tire. Cant wait to see your next ideas and the progress of this build. 👍

I'm running Castrol SRF which, from what I'm told, is the best for this. Right now I have hawk HPS pads which have faired decently well but with these tires I have a feeling they won't be working very well after a couple of laps. Ideally, I'd like something that I don't have to switch out every time I go to the track but has decent cold braking (the weather is always hot here so fully cold braking isn't that important). Probably going with something like HP+ which are street friendly and hold up to about 200° more than the HPS. There are also some carbotech and project mu brakes that may be up to the task, I'll have to explore my options. As for camber, since the car is lowered I'm at about -2° of camber which is pretty good, though still not enough for the track. I might get camber plates and do something about that but alignments before and after track days could get just as expensive as changing the tires from extra wear so I'll probably keep it around -2° which is a happy medium.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Excellent. Sounds like you have the right idea for sure.

 

[motortrend]

Went to another track day last weekend, but before I had a couple of things done. The koni shocks were not mouning right and slipping in the bottom mount because of their shape so they got replaced by Bilstein B8s and they feel waaaay better. I also replaced rear pads and disks because the disks were on their way out and the pads were pretty much shot because they can't hold track temps. Alsso got an alignment and a full braking system checkup.

Couple of pics form this weekend:

And the only bit ov video I could record:

I was doing faster laps in the next run and overtaking everything from S2000s to an F430 driven by an inexperienced driver, while closing in on an RCF. However, the fun didn't last long because th oil gets too hot after 3-4 laps and I have to let off.

Next up is saving for an oil cooler and after that I'll probably save for a track car/beater to beat on mercilessly at the track and to use when the M5 has something broken or just when I want to save gas etc. (Open to sugestions, but keep it reasonable eg. No E36 M3s because running costs)

 

[Cale]

Bumper mounted oil cooler

 

[Azuremen]

No E36 M3s because running costs)

Y U DO DIS?

Though, if you guys have the Euro E36 M3, I don't blame you. The US market ones are pretty easy to cheap running if you don't mind random, typical older car quirks. Certainly much cheaper to run than an E46 or E39 M.

Other wise, track beater? I'm partial to MR2's.

 

[Cale]

Import a spec E30

 

[motortrend]

Y U DO DIS?

Though, if you guys have the Euro E36 M3, I don't blame you. The US market ones are pretty easy to cheap running if you don't mind random, typical older car quirks. Certainly much cheaper to run than an E46 or E39 M.

Other wise, track beater? I'm partial to MR2's.

I don't know, it's still a BMW which means BMW labor and parts prices. I can do things by myself but I don't have the correct equipment to do things like a brake bleed or changing the springs and shocks. On the other hand, E36 M3s are really cheap here, with some decent ones going for like 6 grand. I did think about the MR2 but I'm afraid I'll die because of snap oversteer

Import a spec E30

That would be too expensive, if I look hard enough I could get a track ready E30 locally pretty cheap. Thing is, I'd rather drive the car to the track because I have no space to store a trailer and it's always more expensive to maintain a full blown racecar.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

and after that I'll probably save for a track car/beater to beat on mercilessly at the track and to use when the M5 has something broken or just when I want to save gas etc. (Open to sugestions, but keep it reasonable eg. No E36 M3s because running costs)

So you are indeed taking our advice.

 

[motortrend]

So you are indeed taking our advice.

Yeah haha but I'll still be taking the M5 from time to time because it's so dang fun and easy to drive hard.

 

[Crash]

Next up is saving for an oil cooler and after that I'll probably save for a track car/beater to beat on mercilessly at the track and to use when the M5 has something broken or just when I want to save gas etc. (Open to sugestions, but keep it reasonable eg. No E36 M3s because running costs)

I've seen you ask about this, but you should just go the route of that custom oil cooler that someone designed and posted about. The other ones don't look like they really fit E39 M5s well..

I know you said no E36 M3s, but the US spec ones are not actually that bad since the engine is more a hot M52 than the bespoke M engine that Europe got. If you're really worried, you could probably get an E36 328i coupe and fit most if not all the same suspension parts to it and make it a very fun track car.

Decent E36 M3s for $6k is a good deal. That was about as low as they went here on the continent; they've appreciated and you can't find decent ones for that price anymore.

E30s are also not a bad choice. Light, fun, large aftermarket support, and lots of people are racing them. You don't have to buy one ready built. You could find a beater and build it up over time.

 

[motortrend]

I gave the dedicated track car idea a lot of thought but ended up going against it for a number of reasons:
1. Cost: another car means more costs, especially if it will be driven hard
2. Getting another fast car will be a little impractical considering that it won't be much of a radical difference
3. The track cars within budget would never be as fun as the M, and those close in terms of fun have prohibitive upkeep as well
4. I will only go to the track about 5 days a year being that I'm quite busy with my studies these next couple of years.

Considering that a track car would be overkill, and that an economy car would be either boring, unsafe, or a combination of both I set out to look for something quite different from the M. I came up with something I had been eyeing for a long time, which is a 100 series LC. They are very capable, reliable and safe, the only drawback to me being that they drink quite a bit of gas (used to that, don't travel very long distances anyway). A very good condition one came up for the right price (After some haggling) and I took it home.

Here it is, my new (to me) 2000 model year LC100:

Plans for it are few:
-Change the tires to matching new ones
-Do the timing belt service (probably water pump as well)
-Change brake disks and pads
-Re-dye driver's seat leather.
-Put a newer radio interface with bluetooth and USB and add a nice subwoofer

That's pretty much all I'm expecting to do as it will be my daily/roadtrip/comfortable vehicle.

I will still be using the M5 at least twice a week because I just love driving that car but it's a waste to have it sitting in my daily ccommute in traffic and exposed to door dings in the place I park every day. I will still be taking the M5 to the track and right after I do the T-belt on the LC I'll keep saving for a couple of track oriented mods for the M5. I hope to be back on the track between october-december but in the mean time expect some more LC exploring stuff as well as light M5 freshening up.

 

[Crash]

Congrats on the Land Cruiser. I love those, but they are just way too big and drinks too much gas for it to be practical for me, but otherwise is definitely a car that fills a different need and use.

Great thing is, when you do decide to get a dedicated track car, you now already have the tow rig for it!