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9/25/2010 - Almost 80 degrees. First time at the track with the M3. Fresh brake fluid and stainless lines with CSL rotors. Unknown brake pads. Very bad braking. It was hard for me to heel/toe downshift because the brakes were so bad that I felt I had to put more effort on the brake and therefore, the rev matching was difficult. Shifter has felt mushy since I got the car 3 weeks ago and at speed, I was unable to downshift into 2nd gear in the two slow sections (see red sections in map below). Leather seats and stock belts made me move around a lot which also contributed to difficulty in finding 2nd gear. Kumho v710 285-30-18 tires all around (over 1.5 years old but felt good). Cold temps started at 33-34 psi all around. After 20 minutes on track, pressure was:
Oil temperature never went past the 255 dot that is to the left of 210. Water temps never went passed middle. That is reassuring. Motor felt smoothly revving towards redline.
Lap times were:
Power steering went out on the 90 degree right hand turn that leads to the long straight. I didn't check the PS fluid but will tomorrow and will change it out. All other fluids except coolant was changed this week. I reset the trip computer before the session. After the session, computer said averages were 6.3 mpg and 58 mph.
Just for fun, I compared my old corvette to the M3. See below for some comparison points:
Bench-racing: I think with Hawk HP+ pads and a short shift kit and another session, high 2:4x's are possible. If I could stay planted in the seat better, that would certainly be welcome. Headers and a dyno tune to help the power. Coilovers to help the car transition quickly. Here we go again...Should we really go down that road again?
Post Mortem: Day after update:
i had an issue on the track yesterday; steering went out for a 90 degree right
turn about 20 minutes into a session.
i took it easy after that and did a cool down lap and exited. steering was fine
for the drive home.
so i looked at the fluid today for the first time (bought car 3-4 weeks ago).
When i unscrewed the cap, the whole resevoir was moving. I can lift it up and
down easily. THen i noticed what looks like a missing screw or bolt to hold the
clamp that goes around it...hence why it moves up and down. So i'll look for a
nut/bolt to tighten that up. See attached pic.
The PS fluid level was a little bit right before the 2nd ridge; see attached pic
with red line. what is suggested level? don't have owners manual.
So since i don't know how old the fluid is, i'll use the turkey baster to remove
it. Can i replace with the castrol dexron IV premium synthetic blend that I
found in my garage?
