[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Useless Comment

I'm really impressed that you got a set of tires in there, that must have been a work out. I know it may seem like sacrilege, but I'm definitely considering a Stealth Hitch for a bike rack. Yes, with enough rigamarole, I can get two bikes in the back, the car's capacity is pretty amazing. But the effort involved so frequently is getting old. (BTW, OneUp USA bike racks are the BMW equivalent)
Again, props for showcasing the 2 series versatility.

It's work, all right, esp. for this just-about-71-year-old. Faced with doing the lifting and bending or not going, I just do it. The first day at the track is a slow one for me, though.

The Stealth Hitch makes perfect sense to me. I use the wife's Mazda 3 hatchback to carry my bike as it's much easier to load the bike into than the M240i would be.

Below is an engineering drawing of a trailer from Leroy Engineering I've considered for carrying both tires and the bike to the track. It's a very well-engineered trailer, and with all the bells and whistles it specs out to (IIRC) something like $3K. Instead, I decided to keep on lifting and forego the bike at the track.

Originally Posted by msendit

- spare brake pads
- hammer (things sometimes need extra convincing)
- zip ties (very occasional drifter-stitching)
- IR thermometer
- pyrometer (though I rarely ever use it)
- masking tape

Fitting a full set of wheels has gotten much harder after putting in a roll bar and buckets.

Also, I saw you mention HANS? That's an odd choice on collapsing seats with a 3-point belt. I thought a HANS needs good pressure on both sides to do anything?

I carry those items - they're in the large plastic bin. It's heavy and unwieldy enough that I almost can't lift it into the trunk.

I wouldn't mind having a roll bar and buckets, but I don't think I'll end up using this car at the track enough to justify them. The 4-point belts hold me in place very well, and so I at least get that same benefit the chair and harness bar would provide.

I'm using Schroth's Quick Fit Pro. It's designed to be used with a HANS device while riding on an OEM chair: https://www.hmsmotorsport.com/produc...ckfit-pro#3317. I feel lucky that Schroth makes this unit, as I wouldn't be running this car with just a 3-point belt. Installing chairs and a rollbar would have been a significant additional expense for the total of nine events at which I expect to end up having run this car. As it is, my cost is running at $442/day all-in.