1995 BMW 328i E36 Build Thread – Part 9: First Track Day In The E36
Went to the Pukekohe Test Day and had an absolute blast. This was my first time at Pukekohe and first time on a circuit in the E36. I was expecting it to be a bit slow, especially after my 1.8t Mk2 Golf felt like a snail at Hampton Downs, but it really surprised me. I was sharing the pit garage with a couple of guys who were driving a stripped out, caged 330i E46 with semi slicks, and I was outpacing them. Had quite a good time tangoing with them on the track.
I was quite pleased with how the Solo Werks S1 coilovers performed, held the car pretty solid round the corners and weren’t bumpy or uncomfortable at all.
I was running consistent 1.26-27s, verified by the in car camera and someone who was timing me. Unfortunately the batteries died at midday so I don’t know what I was running later but I am sure I must have cut that down a little.
The car made it through the day like a champ, I faced no issues at all, no overheating, nothing. I did wear down my rear brake pads to the point where they both were no longer held in place by the carrier, so they dislodged a little and started melting against the center of the brake disc. So I didn’t do the last round as I’d rather not end up in a wall.
Some photos and videos from the day:
Bloody tyre kickers…
I was getting a bit of rub on the front left wheel, must have been quite a bit because paint on the top of the fender actually got burned:
Also the exhaust tips melted a bit of the difuser, must be from going so hard round turn 1:
All signs that I was going hard enough I reckon.
I think what would improve the car most would be a brake upgrade and semi slicks for next round.
Some more photos:
Cars owned: Mk2 Golf with 1.8T swap, BMW E28 with M30B35 swap, BMW E36 328I Mtech, BMW 750IL, Nissan 300ZX, Honda Civic EF
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