May 25: Come see us–and our BMW 435i–at the FIRM

This Saturday, our own JG Pasterjak will be at our official test track, the Florida International Rally and Motorsports Park in Keystone Heights, with our BMW 435i project. Not for testing, though (well, some testing. Always some testing), but for the FIRM’s May edition of their in-house time trial series.

That’s right, our home track runs a house league inviting members and non-members alike to test their skills against the clock and against other drivers for a season points championship with some nice prizes. Entry is only $250, or, if you are member, the fee is included in your annual pass.

Although we’ve laid down some baseline times with our BMW 435i, we’ll be showing up in a slightly different configuration for this event. We recently flashed the ECU with an MHD tuner, which is an iOS/Android based tuning software suite that provides full communication with the ECU.

So while we love the couple psi of extra boost, we also really love the ability to monitor and log several engine parameters in real time that we had no access to before.

For example, although the BMW ECU monitors oil pressure, we have no way of reading it without tapping into the ECU with something like the MHD setup.

Now, we have an iPad on the dash with supplemental gauges, including boost, IAT, coolant temp, oil temp and oil pressure. We’ll be watching and logging those–paying particularly close attention to oil pressure, as N55s have a reputation for losing oil prime in certain high-g situations–to help guide us through the next steps of the project.

The BMW will arrive at the FIRM behind this week’s press loaner, a 2024 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro with the new twin-turbo, 437 horsepower, hybrid V6. Toyota rates it at 11,175 pounds of towing capacity–a few hundred pounds more than our personal V8-powered, 2010 Tundra–and a quick trip around the block to check trailer balance confirms it barely feels the 3600-pound BMW on the aluminum trailer behind it.

[Live Thread: 2024 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO]

This newest Tundra drives and feels considerably larger than our 2010 model, so without a trailer it may feel downright cumbersome. The hoodline is high and flat, and good luck seeing anything within 5 yards of the front bumper. But it’s hard to argue with 583 ft.-lbs. of torque, and the Tundra lopes along at highway speeds under 2000 rpm like it’s taking a nap under a shady tree.

We’ve heard anecdotal stories of premature turbo failure with these newest V6s–not a good look considering the number of quarter-million-mile V8 Tundras still on the road–but if they can solve the teething problems and hit the reliability numbers of the V8 trucks, they may be on to something here.

So if you’re in north central Florida this Saturday, May 25, stop by the FIRM for some TT action and check out our BMW and the new Tundra and say hi.

Maybe bring JG a water or something. We don’t want him dehydrating before the next issue goes to press.

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