[smchuck]

Anyone tracking their 230i? seems like everyone has a 240. I've been tracking my 230. So far, my upgrades are MPSS and M sport brakes. Thinking about what might be next.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by smchuck

So far, my upgrades are MPSS and M sport brakes. Thinking about what might be next.

My list would look like this:

0) The Driver Mod – you can go a very long way with only that mod; update: you can go further with that mod than you can with almost any other mod – ask me how I know
1) Camber Plates (or whatever else will enable you to achieve a street/track alignment)
2) Limited Slip Differential
3) Higher-Performing Tires (I would have made this #2, but you've already bought MPSS)

Also, a camera placed next to your rear view mirror so you can determine how successful you are at using all of the track.

[ralawren]

Running 228i with MSport Brakes, Adjustable Dampers
, Dinan Shockware and 235/40/18 Hankook RS-4s. Running on 18x8" with 42 offset. Tried the Dinan Sportronic and it was too difficult to control the throttle (boost I guess).

The square set-up and Hankooks helped a lot. I tore through the MPSSs in 1-2 track days. Have run VIR and CMP.

I have gotten used to the body roll and learning to trail brake to address the understeer. I still have a lot to learn but am sure adding negative camber would help balance the car. camber plates or M3 Lower Control arms will go a long way.

[230iZTR]

Here's my setup. I've mostly autocross so far, but this setup would be killer on track if the one near me ever reopens after resolving its financial and maintenance issues. Next on my list is an LSD from DiffsOnline, swaybars, and subframe bushing - all easiest to do together when the diff is dropped.

[ngl]

I track my 228i ( for 3 years now ). Biggest perceived improvement were sway bars. Biggest real improvement was LSD.

Something to consider early is a intercooler upgrade, the OEM one will heat soak very fast. I'm now considering adding a spray kit to further improve IAT cooling.

Using track oriented brake pads also helps a lot.

If you start doing it very often a racing seat will also change your life, you will be able to focus on driving instead of fighting to remain seated while cornering.

[smchuck]

Originally Posted by 230iZTR

Here's my setup. I've mostly autocross so far, but this setup would be killer on track if the one near me ever reopens after resolving its financial and maintenance issues. Next on my list is an LSD from DiffsOnline, swaybars, and subframe bushing - all easiest to do together when the diff is dropped.

Wow, This is exactly the kind of info I'm looking for. Did you come up with these mods on your own or did someone provide you with guidance? I t seems like there are so many combinations of suspension mods that it is difficult to know what to do. How did you decide on the spring rates and the amount of camber? Is the camber something you change back to more stock when you are not tracking/autocross, or do you just leave it this way all the time?

[Maynard]

Cool to see I'm not so alone (I did see one 230 once at the track, but otherwise I've been the only one around here). My 228 has the MSport brakes, Ferodo 2500 pads, tires are Potenza s007 on 8/8.5 wheels. I'd also put in a huge vote for the Schroth quickfit snap-in 4-point belts. They really hold you in place so much better than 3-points. Next up for me is getting more front camber, oil catch can, and perhaps springs/dampers.

[smchuck]

Originally Posted by Maynard

Cool to see I'm not so alone (I did see one 230 once at the track, but otherwise I've been the only one around here). My 228 has the MSport brakes, Ferodo 2500 pads, tires are Potenza s007 on 8/8.5 wheels. I'd also put in a huge vote for the Schroth quickfit snap-in 4-point belts. They really hold you in place so much better than 3-points. Next up for me is getting more front camber, oil catch can, and perhaps springs/dampers.

I'm glad I started this thread. Too much stuff about the 235/240 and not enough about 228/230. I've got a lead on a Schroth harness. Friend sold his 1 series and I think his Schroth harness will fit my 230. I just got the M sport brakes on the car. I put on Hawk HP Plus. I love the sound. Not a grinding sound more like the pads are singing. I may just keep them on all year or swap them HPS 5 for winter. Cant wait to get on track with upgraded brakes. I toasted the old brakes last time I tracked. Pretty much lost braking power and every possible brake warning related light came on. Once I replaced calipers, pads, etc, all the warning lights disappeared.

[smchuck]

Originally Posted by smchuck

I'm glad I started this thread. Too much stuff about the 235/240 and not enough about 228/230. I've got a lead on a Schroth harness. Friend sold his 1 series and I think his Schroth harness will fit my 230. I just got the M sport brakes on the car. I put on Hawk HP Plus. I love the sound. Not a grinding sound more like the pads are singing. I may just keep them on all year or swap them HPS 5 for winter. Cant wait to get on track with upgraded brakes. I toasted the old brakes last time I tracked. Pretty much lost braking power and every possible brake warning related light came on. Once I replaced calipers, pads, etc, all the warning lights disappeared.

Oh yeah, one more thing. My original 17 inch wheels fit with the M sport brakes. That was very good news. My summer wheels are 18 and I thought Id have to get different winter wheels.

[Maynard]

I also completely toasted my stock single-piston brakes after about 6 track days - burned thru the Hawk pads on first day, and then the factory pads day 2. I'm told they can be made to work, but only with dedicated track pads (and they are really a little under-sized for the weight of these cars). Surprisingly, the dealership replaced it all under the maintenance warranty w/o even a comment about how they got that way (or why I'd triggered the 'don't drive it' warning about 200 times). I put on the accessory BBK kit, so I'm stuck w/ 18's - a great set up, but if I'd been able to find a stock 340mm set I'd have preferred to keep the option of 17's, especially for the track set.

Install on the belts was very simple (and totally worth it), once I got over the fear of just pulling up on the back seat bottom. I kept waiting to find out there was a hidden bolt and i'd f'it all up, but it really is snap-in-place, no need to remove front seats or a/t complicated (you also need a huge Torx driver - 40 or 45mm). I did have to bend some of the mounting plates in the vise, but it wasn't difficult, could probably do it with a couple of vise grips, or a hammer and a solid corner. If the 1'er version has different mounts, they can probably sell you the attachment ends separately. You will want to keep the paperwork with you for tech inspection - I had one tech inspector who initially felt they were unacceptable b/c no sub strap, until I was able to explain the 'breakaway tab' that lets them work like a 3 point in a crash (don't call them 'a harness' and make sure to clarify that they are OEM/SAE compliant and work just like a 3-point in a crash). In the meantime, do you know about 'the belt trick'? - you set the seat a few inches back from ideal, then hand-snap the 3-point until it locks up; keeping tension so it stays locked, you then slide the seat forward until belt is tight on you, and it will usually stay that way thru a session. It takes some practice to find the right distances, but much better than a loose 3-point.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by smchuck

I've got a lead on a Schroth harness. Friend sold his 1 series and I think his Schroth harness will fit my 230.

HMS Motorsport can tell you if they're a fit. They're the US distributor for Schroth, and they know BMWs inside and out. They confirmed for me that the E82/E92 units would fit my car, something you can't see on their site because the belts aren't approved for the F22.

[230iZTR]

Originally Posted by smchuck

Wow, This is exactly the kind of info I'm looking for. Did you come up with these mods on your own or did someone provide you with guidance? I t seems like there are so many combinations of suspension mods that it is difficult to know what to do. How did you decide on the spring rates and the amount of camber? Is the camber something you change back to more stock when you are not tracking/autocross, or do you just leave it this way all the time?

I autocrossed it stock last year, and had a blast, but I noticed it ate through the tires and got unsettled when driven hard. So I knew I needed camber plates, new tires, and to improve the suspension a bit. I did a ton of research online, here on this forum, some other websites I trust like MotoIQ, Turnology, and GRM, and I got in touch with a reputable local racing shop (Geared Performance, if you're in the Reno area) to bounce ideas off of.

This is my daily driver and I'm solidly middle class, so I decided the sweet spot for me is a "min/max" style build - the most performance I can get from the fewest parts. Fix the 'problems' first, and only splurge where the extra value is something I can make use of as a novice and it won't ruin my daily drivability. I wanted to see how far I could take the stock EDC dampers from the track package.

Camber plates were the right call because I could dial them in for the track season, then put them back for winter. Vorshlag was the obvious choice for me because the ridiculously over-spec'd bearings they use should hold up better on a daily driver. Its only 2.6 deg, which reasonable to drive daily. I just swap back to the Michelins when my AutoX weekend is done.

To fix the suspension instability, my ass-dyno said the car was probably a little undersprung, overdamped, and under-rebounded. Having the race-driver/engineer I'd been talking with take the car out confirmed that suspicion. So I tried to put together a package to fix it.

Its hard to find published numbers for spring rates, but Swift Springs had the stiffest published numbers I could find for an off-the-shelf kit in the "Spec-R" configuration, and HP Autosport confirmed it would fit. Several phone calls to Dinan about what they can do with their Shockware confirmed that the tune dialed down damping and upped rebound, which is exactly what I was looking for. I was concerned (maybe unjustly) that the shorter springs with stock damper lengths would cause bottoming out, so I found a shorter front bumpstop in the m-perf catalog. When the shop put all that on and did the alignment, it was just as transformational as I had hoped. Maybe in the long run a set of KW's, BC's, or Ohlins would be better...but I'm very happy with where it ended up for the price I paid.

For tires, the RE71R was the obvious top-dog 200TW sport tire when I was looking (since dethroned by the Yokohama A052). I also had a $70 rebate coupon from Bridgestone for joining the SCCA as a newbie. I did a ton of research on this forum for the max tire and wheel size you could stuff into our tiny fenders and a 255/40/17 on an et42 wheel with small spacers is where I landed. I feel like I measured the fenders about a dozen times to make sure my numbers were millimeter perfect. APEX happened to be debuting a forged line with that exact fitment available, and I've long admired their quality and commitment to the BMW market so I was happy to be the first name on the list on day 1. I probably could have gone with the flow-formed version, but forged weighs less and is stronger for when my dumb ass runs over cones, speed bumps, and Nevada's crater-like potholes, and being an early adopter yielded a pretty serious discount that kept the costs in check.

My first event with this setup was a driving school, the SCCA Starting Line program. I can't recommend it enough. It was like learning how to drive again. The car's limits were so much higher than what I could find, and hearing several former national champions say the car was fast and not terrible reassured me on my choices. One bad thing did come of it though...I figured out I was rubbing the front tires against the fender on hard transitions, and the tight fitment had actually started to roll the fender on its own over the weekend. I had the race shop finish the job the tires had started when I got back.

For now I'm happy with where the car is relative to my driving ability. I'm pretty consistently finishing second in class (by a wide margin, but still) behind a national level driver in a car that's won a national title before...and notably, ahead of cars that are significantly faster on paper. I had been planning to do phase 2 of the build - LSD, sways, end-links, brake pads, and RBF660 - but the pandemic presented me with a surprise opportunity to buy a house, so my fun money got diverted.

Here's the long term plan for the car:

"Phase 1" - fixing the easy stuff - Done
- Vorshlag camber platess
- Swift Spec R Springs (F30 fitment)
- Dinan Shockware
- m-Performance front bumpstop
- 255/40-17 Bridgestone RE71R's
- 17x9 et 42 forged APEX Arc8-R's
- APEX 5mm front spacer
- Apex 75mm stud conversion
- Front fender inner lip rolled
- Turner tow straps
- Bell helmet

"Phase 2" - Things that require dropping the rear diff and drilling holes - Next year? (On hold for global pandemic)
- DiffsOnline LSD (Probably basic 2-clutch or Wavetrac)
- H&R Sway bars with adjustable endlinks
- Turner derlin rear subframe bushings
- Schroth clip-in harness and HANS restraint

"Phase 3" - I think I'm cool - When I'm as fast as the car
- BMS catch can and billet short ram intake
- Metal chargepipe
- Catted downpipe
- Muffler delete
- "Stage 2" Bootmod3 Tune for 91
- Msport front end conversion with GAZP "Large" splitter
- BMW Motorsport M2 CS Racing wing (if its ever available publicly)
- Recaro Sportster CS seats with replica E36 M3 LTW m-tricolor cloth fabric inserts

[smchuck]

Guess I'm still confused about the dampers. Do you know of the 230i with the THP has different dampers than the 230i without THP? I don't have the THP but it looks like I have adaptive dampers. The reason I ask is because I'm wondering if the aftermarket springs and Shockware you purchased will fit my car if my dampers are different from a 230 with THP. thanks

[230iZTR]

Originally Posted by smchuck

Guess I'm still confused about the dampers. Do you know of the 230i with the THP has different dampers than the 230i without THP? I don't have the THP but it looks like I have adaptive dampers. The reason I ask is because I'm wondering if the aftermarket springs and Shockware you purchased will fit my car if my dampers are different from a 230 with THP. thanks

There's 4 different damper packages that have been available on the 230 over the years, and you need to use a VIN decoder and the Order Guide for your model year to determine what your car has on it:

Standard - STD - Statically valved struts with comfort-oriented soft damping and rebound curves. Standard on the 230i if neither m-Sport (ZMP) or Track Handling (ZTR) options are selected, or if the Luxury (ZPL) option is selected.

m-Sport - Build Code 704 - Statically valved struts with performance oriented moderate damping and rebound curves. Comes with 10mm lower springs compared to STD. Standard on the m235i, and installed on the 230i when the m-Sport (ZMP) package is selected.

m-Adaptive - Build Code 2VF - Variable electronically adjusted struts that use the car's sensors to modulate the base damping/rebound curves between 'comfort' and 'sport' in different modes, and further adjusts the curves based on sensor inputs while driving to optimize either comfort or performance depending on the active mode. Comes with 10mm lower springs compared to STD. Standard on the m240i, and installed on the 230i and m235i when the Track Handling Package (ZTR) option is selected. This is the only damper that Dinan Shockware will work for, as it adjusts the chassis computer's baseline comfort and sport valving curves.

m-Performance - Retrofit P/N 33-50-2-320-928 - Statically valved struts with high-performance oriented stiff damping and rebound curves. These are valved even more aggressively than the m-Sport units. Springs are sold separately, but are 20mm lower than the STD units, and are different for RWD coupe, AWD coupe, RWD cabrio, and AWD cabrio.

This may also be incomplete...I'm under the impression that there were changes to equipment availability and standard offerings sometime around the 2018 LCI transition that aren't actually reflected in the order guide. For example, the Track Handling Package seems to have disappeared from the build-your-own website on LCI 230i's altogether after a certain date, but could still be built if your dealer manually submitted the option codes in the order. I ordered mine in early 2017 before the transition (allegedly the 2nd LCI to roll off the line) but I've heard others who weren't early adopters had issues. The 228i also had an optional static luxury damper that's even softer than the STD damper, but I can't find much information on it, and its not relevant to the 230i.

Addendum: Honestly, the only less than great suspension for this car is the STD package, and the only outright bad suspension is the 228i luxury package. If youve got either of those, you're a great candidate for a guilt-free swap to the m-performance units or preferably an entry level motorsport coilover like KW V2/3's or Clubsports, Ohlins R&T's, or BC Racing BR's. The m-sport, m-adaptive, and m-performance suspensions are probably going to be fine for everyone but the most dedicated track rats getting the absolute most out of the stickiest street tires or better. If you were a phenomenally skilled pro/am driver, on R-comps, or competing wheel to wheel...yeah, the suspension might be the thing holding you back and therefore has to go. But I'll fully concede, even with my pretty smart mod list, that its my driving that's holding me back at this stage, not the car or the suspension. I'm fast locally, and proud of how far I've come in a short time...but I'm still way off the national pace and have a long way to go before I'm close. I'm a small fish in a tiny puddle of a pond, doing autocross, which is the lowest entry point into any form of motorsports.

[MarcoZandrini]

If you're serious about tracking the car buy Performance Friction-08 pads for all 4 wheels. Btw, they are expansive! Change your brake fluid before each track weekend. I use Motul RBF600. The pads are fanom, absolutely no, zero, zip fading on factory calipers and rotors lap after lap at Virginia International Raceway. See my post in the brakes sub-forum.

[BetweenTheWheels]

Op, I've just begun tracking my 228, so thanks for starting the thread.

To all, I never cease to be impressed with how tuned your butt dynos are and how perceptive you are of upgrade results. I just have too little experience (and I'm driving too slow ) to perceive which upgrades are required. So far, I've added high temp brake fluid and kept the car stock otherwise since the driver mod is the weak spot in my setup (by a long way!)

Likely next for me will be upgraded pads, tires and a Schroth harness.

Looking forward to an auto cross I have coming up.

[ralawren]

If you have the Dynamic Dampers I highly recommend Dinan's Shockware. It makes the car feel a lot firmer but still comfortable. I am still using OEM M-Sport pads and they are holding up with the speeds I am driving. Got 9 track days out of the fronts and the rears are still at 50%.

I also am running Hankook RS4s - 235/40/18 on 18x8" 42 offset wheels. The square set up and firmer sidewalls helped a lot. Reduced lap times by 5 seconds.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by smchuck

...it is difficult to know what to do. How did you decide on the spring rates and the amount of camber?

Your budget and ultimate goal(s) will determine the choices you make.

TC Kline Racing outside Columbus is two hours down I-71 from you. Going to an outfit like that one will save you from doing what many of us have done: travel a winding road with multiple stops along the way for a variety of pads, tires, alignments, suspensions, etc. until finally landing on what (maybe) works best for us. It's cheaper, and much faster, to consult with professionals as early as possible in the process. Just my 2¢.

Now, there are many drivers who want to take the circuitous route to their final destination, and I'd be the last driver to say that's not a fun way to go!

[230iZTR]

Here's my fastest each day this weekend.

Reno SCCA Round 7, Run 4

Reno SCCA Round 8, Run 5

[MassNerd]

Originally Posted by Maynard

Cool to see I'm not so alone (I did see one 230 once at the track, but otherwise I've been the only one around here). My 228 has the MSport brakes, Ferodo 2500 pads, tires are Potenza s007 on 8/8.5 wheels. I'd also put in a huge vote for the Schroth quickfit snap-in 4-point belts. They really hold you in place so much better than 3-points. Next up for me is getting more front camber, oil catch can, and perhaps springs/dampers.

Isn't the rule of thumb, no roll cage, no harness? It may hold you tight but if you roll the car and the roof collapses, you can't move down (up if you are upside down?) and to the side like you can with the standard 3-point belts.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by MassNerd

Isn't the rule of thumb, no roll cage, no harness? It may hold you tight but if you roll the car and the roof collapses, you can't move down (up if you are upside down?) and to the side like you can with the standard 3-point belts.

If I roll my car, I think I'd rather be more tightly anchored to the chair than not, thereby leaving me less likely to be able to "move down...and to the side."

This is Bimmerworld's take on the subject: https://www.bimmerworld.com/About-Us...-Buying-Guide/.

The following are descriptions by the distributor of how the two QuickFit models function. Both include the same video, part of which discusses 3-point and QuickFit belt functioning during a rollover.

QuickFit Pro: https://www.hmsmotorsport.com/item/s...ning-Harnesses

QuickFit: https://www.hmsmotorsport.com/item/s...ning-Harnesses

[Maynard]

Originally Posted by MassNerd

Isn't the rule of thumb, no roll cage, no harness? It may hold you tight but if you roll the car and the roof collapses, you can't move down (up if you are upside down?) and to the side like you can with the standard 3-point belts.

You are absolutely right about that rule, but it only applies to true racing harnesses (and as Doug noted, there is still some debate about relative risks). The Schroth units have a built in giveaway release tab in one shoulder strap so that in a crash it functions like a 3-point belt (actually much better, because the lap belt is much tighter and won't let you off the seat). This lets your torso pivot into the airbag the way the designers intended, giving the best of both worlds (4-point solid retention while driving, but 3-point in a crash).