DE30s team member Jesse Reitz was giving me a hard time about having white trailer wheels that "didn't match."
So took a few minutes today to address his concerns, with the leftovers of the paint used to paint the euroweaves a while back....
Finn was not impressed....
Spent the day today doing some team assistance and giving the M42 a full shakedown run. 30+ miles on the highway at 70 and the car ran great, aside from being just barely bearable in terms of engine/exhaust noise. I definitely plan to do some re-soundproofing on the firewall and transmission tunnel in the very near future.
Helped out Nick and Bobby with the e28 for about 4-5 hours today trying to get the newly-built hybrid engine going. Long story short, in those hours we didn't get it running, chasing down one issue after another. Apparently they finally got it going about an hour after I left, by switching out ALL of their "new" injectors back to the stock ones. I had mentioned it earlier, but injectors were last on the list so we didn't get there until last. Figures, lol
Also swung by ETA team member Chris Helgesen's place, checked out his most excellent shop, giant machine-working tools, and some of his cool fabrication projects. Also took a ride with him in the ETA to troubleshoot a noise he was hearing. Let Jim Spoth run my car behind him. Gotta say, even on the road Chris drives that ETA at 99% track style....It was a fun ride.
Nick and Jim both drove my car today, though I don't think either was terribly impressed by the 4-cylinder, both of them being 6-cyl e30 guys :) I don't think they were prepared for how "rough" the M42 feels versus the M20, which is much better balanced.
Oh, and at the shop....most epic toolchest I've ever seen: Snap-On Chevy Bel-Air in the legit turquoise color. So awesome...
a shot posted up on our FB team page by the RG318 Cup guys..
Did a little bit of indulgence today. I know it's kind of anathema for a car like this, but after the long cruise yesterday the sound was really annoying. If this was a trailered track car that would be ok, but I have to drive to events and like to cruise on the weekends, so I don't want a headache after driving for 2 hours.
So....a bit of weight penalty. But not much. 4-5lbs tops.
I used this:
(thanks Pat Henry and Nick for the suggestion)
Did the passenger firewall (inside and outside), as well as the entire transmission tunnel back to the shifter and a small part of the passenger floor. Basically everywhere the exhaust runs directly under. We'll see how well it works. I may cover any "foot contact" areas with some skateboarding grip tape or something so the insulation doesn't get torn up. We'll see :)
outside firewall behind the heat shield (basically replaces the stock stuff, but this is lighter)
passenger footwell. only in locations where feet won't be most of the time
Do your events usually hit the registration limit? I'm thinking of coming down for the first event but don't want to pre-reg until I know I can make it.
We did not hit the reg limit last year but I think we might start hitting it this year.
A lot of the registration for the first event is front loaded since start order for the first event is based on registration time.
With 1.5 weeks to go and 13 spots left it is hard to call this one right now.
moxnix - WDCR RallyX registration guy
Alright, hopefully I can know soon whether I can make it and get my reg in.
Quick question Irish. Are you still on the stock spring with billy HD's? And if so how do you like them after a year or so?
Like Shawn said, we're at 47 right now. I know of 2-3 more people who "say" they're going to register, but always wait til the last second.
The test&Tune on Saturday has less people registered though (and cheaper with more runs) so if you don't care about the timing, just come down and hoon. Hell, you can take mine for a run if you're at the T&T if you want to.
Would be interesting though to see how we stack up against a Miata - MR is a big class this year (8 regulars, plus a few others), and should be pretty quick as everyone has been working on their cars from last year. Almost all e30s, with a couple RX7s and an MR2 right now.
nicksta43 wrote: Quick question Irish. Are you still on the stock spring with billy HD's? And if so how do you like them after a year or so?
Yeah, stock springs with HDs and a 325i rear sway.
I like them, but am thinking of switching to IX springs if any happen to turn up cheap - I'd like a bit more stiffness, especially if I want to do a trackday later this year. I know most of the RG318 Cup guys in Germany run IX springs on their cars, though they're obviously doing more high-speed work. IDK...maybe will try to swap in the summer.
I'm also considering getting something a bit stiffer and shorter for the rear of the car so it sits down a bit more. How much I fiddle with things will have a lot to do with how I'm doing vs. the competition after a few events. If I'm at or near the top, might leave it mostly alone. If any of the other e30s are beating me, I will definitely start thinking about ways to upgrade :)
As is, with the star specs on there is some serious body lean, lol. Summit has some fairly rough sections and this setup really soaks up the bumps and keeps the wheels planted pretty well. The street ride is excellent. I don't notice the body lean when on course at rally-x, but when I see photos of my car I'm like "damn!" with the lean, haha.
I was going to put a 325i front sway on, but the more I think about it, the more I think that might be counterproductive for rallycross.
Got some random small parts in from our newest team sponsor IMBMparts.com (check out their site, their prices on most items beat man of the other popular online parts distributors if you're looking for OEM BMW and Mini stuff). Also run by our man Danny, one of the admins on r3vlimited forums :)
And some more car bling, which will be on 4 cars on our team :)
PROJECT: EVAP CANISTER BLING-IFY.
Eventually I'll get around to removing the evap stuff. But since I just finished those two bottles of Guinness, might as well make some use of the wraps :)
heheh...
Irish stout does not belong in a German car 
Cool idea, though 
Winston wrote: Irish stout does not belong in a German car
But Germans don't make beer, they make fizzy water pale looking stuff...
(ducks and runs like hell)
INCOMING!
After many pints of Guinness, I'm convinced that people only drink the stuff to feel self-important -- it sure isn't because it tastes good. Nobody is quicker to tell you what kind of beer they drink than those that "drink only Guinness," and it usually comes with a bit of attitude. Sometimes they even wrap random car stuff with the cans/labels
P.S. In case it's not clear, this is a friendly jab at you guys. Guinness snobs are out there, though, and they are annoying. I usually just nod my head and agree that I enjoy a pint every once in a while (which is true) and let them go about extolling the virtues of the stuff :)
Winston wrote:
I used to drink a LOT of Guinness so I know where you're coming from, but have expanded my reach a bit. My joke-rule is, "I drink no beer I can see through" mainly due to my preference from stouts and porters Over the years, I've learned I'm not fond of "hoppy" beers, like most lagers, pilsners and especially IPAs. Still, a few sneak through... Today during lunch I had a Left Hand Brewing Fade to Black and was not impressed. It looks like a stout. Tastes like an IPA.
I'll have to check out IMBMparts. I still have to figure out exactly whats wrong with my E30 and order parts to fix it. I still need a driveshaft as well.
I edited my post to clarify what parts were jokes and which ones weren't 
I tend toward lighter beers for everyday drinking, but will take a stout if I'm in the right mood.
Back on car topics, the new car bling from IMBM looks good! I like the placement of that hood decal, especially.
I'm actualy not a big guiness fan, more a nice hoppy pale ale or bitter. i was just posting a jab at German 'beer's'
You know the old joke:
Q. Why is Bud and having sex in a boat the same?
A. They're both berkeleying close to water.
Back to rallycross E30's. Did you buy the DMACK tires?
Winston wrote:
I rarely drink it, really. Just had a few in the back of the fridge. I was a beer snob in college when I couldn't afford to be.....these days if I'm at a bar it's Miller Lite or Captan&Coke.....lol. But I do prefer German Pilsner over much of any other beer.
Winston wrote: Irish stout does not belong in a German car
Ah, but note my username ;)
If I could get a label from Berliner Pils, it would be there. But that would involve going to a specialty store.....and I'm way too lazy to bother.
Ian F wrote:Winston wrote:I used to drink a LOT of Guinness so I know where you're coming from, but have expanded my reach a bit. My joke-rule is, "I drink no beer I can see through" mainly due to my preference from stouts and porters Over the years, I've learned I'm not fond of "hoppy" beers, like most lagers, pilsners and especially IPAs. Still, a few sneak through... Today during lunch I had a Left Hand Brewing Fade to Black and was not impressed. It looks like a stout. Tastes like an IPA. I'll have to check out IMBMparts. I still have to figure out exactly whats wrong with my E30 and order parts to fix it. I still need a driveshaft as well.
Tell Danny I referred you via GRM. He may give you a discount. His prices are pretty low though. I did a comparison with Pelican and a few other places and he was lower on about 90% of the genuine OEM parts.
Adrian_Thompson wrote: Back to rallycross E30's. Did you buy the DMACK tires?
No, since I will be getting my furlough letter within the next few days and taking a 20% pay cut bath this year apparently (as a federal employee), I figured it was probably not a good time to buy $800 worth of tires. I just bought a $25 used groover and sharpened up my old Yokos. Nobody else in my class will be on fresh rally tires, so I'd hate to show up with some and then not win, anyhow :)
Plus DMack said it would be $160 for shipping of 4 14" tires, which is absolutely ridiculous (on top of the $680 for the tires themselves). So I probably won't buy them in the future either, just on principle from feeling like I'm getting ripped off on shipping. The big all-terrains on my 4Runner cost half that to ship on a private account from California......
Sucks about the furlough... one of my mtn biking buddies works for the FAA. Not sure if he'll be gettign one too. Granted, his wife works and they have no kids, so while I know he'll complain, I also know he'll be happy to get an extra day to go riding...
Something is up with the catalog... I could browse E30 parts yesterday, but today it doesn't seem to be working. I can choose "1988" but no make choices are available. Odd. Unfortunately, I didn't see a driveshaft offered yesterday anyway.
Ian F wrote: Sucks about the furlough... one of my mtn biking buddies works for the FAA. Not sure if he'll be gettign one too. Granted, his wife works and they have no kids, so while I know he'll complain, I also know he'll be happy to get an extra day to go riding... Something is up with the catalog... I could browse E30 parts yesterday, but today it doesn't seem to be working. I can choose "1988" but no make choices are available. Odd. Unfortunately, I didn't see a driveshaft offered yesterday anyway.
hmm...I know it's a pretty new site, so they're probably working out some bugs. Shoot Danny an email or give him a call....he's pretty quick responding in my experience. I'll let him know about the site.
Went out to W.Va. to work with Pat on getting their car ready for next weekend....a lot of work to do as they've recently swapped in an "i" motor, done suspension stuff, gutted interior, sunroof delete, 10-point cage (not rally-spec, btw), race seats, etc.
I was working with him today on integrating the ETA radiator with the "i" motor using some creative hose work, welding up a stopgap exhaust for him using flex pipe, some rigid pipe, and a dynamax muffler, and a few other things. They have a way to go to get it running right (there are some mystery vac leaks, I'm pretty sure), so hopefully they'll get it all done.
Pat's backyard doubles as a nice rallycross facility....
The Mountaineer-Mobile
We use Subarus as utility vehicles, not rallycross cars :)
Ghetto-fab exhaust I fabbed up. Hopefully it will survive one event until we have time to build something better
workin it
Funny that we both rallycross e30s, but we both daily-drive WRXs
cresting the ridge into garage 2 right
with Pat's tow vehicle :0
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