[BabyM240i]

Memorial Day, I was able to take my G42 to a School of Racing track night at Hockenheimring, Germany. For those who are interested in this car’s capabilities or track days in general I thought it would be helpful to provide my notes and a bit of a review on the car and experience. My personal goal is to continue to absorb and apply constructive critisizm. Perhaps anyone else fresh to the hobby can learn something too. We all start somewhere!

*Quick Shoutout to Thundernight for the formatting inspiration*

Car - 2023 BMW M240i xDrive w/ ZTK
• 893M have been replaced by Apex VS-5RS wheels with Michelin PS4S tires (255/35-19 & 285/30-19)
• Dähler Tune set to Sport
• Dähler Competition Lowering Springs
• Dinan CAI
• Dinan Strut Braces
• Factory Brakes

https://www.instagram.com/babym_240i/

Settings - DSC set to Traction, Sport+, S selected on transmission
Conditions - 66F, partly cloudy with scattered sprinkles
Track Layout - 2.842 mi/4.574 km GP Track, clockwise, 17 turns




Session 1:
Initial Tire Pressure (psi): 38
Ending Tire Pressure (psi): 46 (wow)

Session Notes:
• Initial laps felt really good! This was my second track day at Hockenheim and my 4th overall (different car). Car felt powerful and planted with a great balance. Did experience some of my first ever low speed oversteer/power slides under throttle with throttle manipulation at corner exit. At medium speed turns (3rd gear), the car was more neutrally balanced and felt extremely stable. The high speed stability also felt good but shedding speed after the parabolica into the hairpin was a challenge. Getting the braking point just right when decelerating from the fastest part of the track to the slowest part of the track takes experience. I pushed the car hard a couple times to get a good exit and the rear got extremely light and twitchy which was a blast and the first time I’ve felt xDrive really have to work. This track allowed for some very high speeds so getting all of the braking and accelerating done while outside the turns was vital.
• The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires started to overheat going from tacky to hard quickly due to load, heat, and high pressures. I did not experience any irreversible damage to the tires though throughout all sessions that included several ramp ups, cool downs, trips onto curbing, and varied weather.
• Brakes felt good for the session (20 minutes), and this was the longest (not hardest) session of the day. They did slowly start to get a bit more spongy but never dead or beyond the limit. As mentioned above the braking zone at turn 6 was extreme and hardest on the car but turn 2 also required maximum effort. I did not mix in any cooldown laps in this session and completed 9 laps (one out lap, 7 racing, and one cooldown). The car sat parked for 20 minutes between sessions while the rookie group did their thing and it was enough time for the brakes, and tires to cool down sufficiently to drive on the track again.
• The water and oil temperatures were running perfect, with no indication that they were running hotter than usual. The transmission also never faded and I think the extra cooling capacity the ZTK package offers made a huge difference. Unfortunately, I did not log any live data with BimmerLink but did keep an active eye on Live Vehicle every stop.



Session 2:
Initial Tire Pressure (psi): 39
Ending Tire Pressure (psi): 47

Session Notes:

• Tires slightly dropped off after a few laps, AND the low fuel light turned on so this session only turned in 6 laps (1 out lap, and 5 push laps, I used the drive to the fuel stop as my cooldown). I do not think the slightly quicker fade of the tires was due to the first session although it may be partly to blame. I REALLY pushed it this session and turned in my best time for the day running a 2:07.35 on my first push lap (lap 2) with a top speed of 231 hph (143 mph). For reference that was on the Parabolica with a turning speed of 39.2 kph in the hairpin.
• I fully went into ABS during this session on turn 2 and 6 as I really played with finding the braking points and extracting maximum braking pressure. I also lost traction/power slides multiple times as I pushed hard.
• It slightly rained during this session and I noticed no real ill effects to traction with my wipers being on since turn 1 on my fastest lap, credit to xDrive and DSC.
• Finally, I found the track limits several times as well riding on the considerable serrated curbing they had in some turns. It was a thrill to see the 2:07 pop up. Still not a lap record by any means but my previous best was a 2:19 🤯

The video from my best lap

Session 3:
Initial Tire Pressure (psi): 38
Ending Tire Pressure (psi): 46

Session Notes:
• I started to incorporate cool down laps in between each push lap and only completed 5 laps this session. My first push lap was set to be my fastest with 2 seconds up early on my previous best but I blew the entry into Parabolica and went super deep, technically off track, and I couldn’t make up the lost time turning in a 2:08.19 which still blew my previous track day best out of the water… even with this costly mistake.
• Had I nailed this turn, draggy estimated I would have put in a 2:05.94 using a composite of my previous laps and current pace.
• I then ran into some traffic and closed out the day with a 2:10 and 2:08 finding my comfort zone without stressing the car or myself too much. This was an after work session so it was now approaching 8 PM. I was braking a bit earlier in this session to ensure my brakes and tires would make the hour drive home and I didn’t bin it somewhere more costly than the beginning of turn 6’s runoff area 🤪.
• Overall the stock brake pads did not degrade as fast as I expected, but I did notice some bits and pieces larger than just dust shred off the pad and maybe even bits of the caliper (red). The rotor and pads though over the last two days commuting have shown to be resilient with zero notable ill effects. I washed the car and you’d never know I went to a track day at this point. Even the tires have shed most of the pickup they gained during trips off the racing line which I theorize had a lot to do with any degradation in performance during the sessions.






• Next track day I will experiment with reducing tire pressure to maintain the target PSI after the first run. The school of racing and track provided two in pit air stations to adjust as needed.
Final Summary:
• Suspension - Good in sport plus. No excessive body roll. Car felt completely planted and stable and both low and high speed.
• Front Alignment - Could use slightly more camber. Even though I am lowered an inch I did get a full alignment to get close to factory specs.
• Tires - The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires did a really good job, but surprisingly were the weakest point of the day. I will do a better job of mixing cooling laps in between push laps next time and modulate air pressures to help. I will look to start session 1 at 30 psi and see if I can build the same pressure difference. Goal was to start out factory and see how things progressed, while also ensuring the sidewalls didnt roll over. Now I have a bit more understanding of what track laps do to tires. Doing these steps will make a big difference during the next track day. In both session 2 and 3 my second lap was my fastest. That said my fastest of session 1 while I explored and become more confident was the last push lap, lap 8 so they aren’t exactly terrible tires and have earned their reputation.
• Braking System - The 374mm brakes from the ZTK package is an absolute requirement for the M240. Smaller brakes would have likely been cooked slowing this big body down. I am going to experiment with DOT 5.1 fluid next time out to see if I notice a difference. The factory brake pads have plenty of bite, especially early in sessions. Beyond the brake fluid my next step for upgrading this car would be a dedicated set of track pads one for the temperature control but also to save my daily driver pads. Realistically though the m performance pads performed admirably.
• Engine - The B58 is a complete beast. Plenty of power and torque with no oil consumption whatsoever. I hung out with cars beyond my class with less experienced drivers and completed plenty of surprising overtakes throughout the day. Underpowered cars were absolutely trashed in the 3 straights even if they had track experience. It is a truly amazing engine in what I feel is a usable happy medium.
• X-Drive - Incredibly well developed. At no point did I miss RWD. And many times i was able to power slide on command any time I slightly over baked rolling into the throttle at slow speed.
• DSC - Will try with it completely off next time to see what the difference is. Car felt planted.
• Driver - Needs more training
• Draggy lap - Amazing App. It did a great job tracking lap times and other useful data. An absolute must for your track kit. I found it useful to browse through the session during cooldown.
• Fuel - I started the event with a nearly full tank. After 2 20 minute sessions, my reserve fuel light was in.
• Track - An absolute blast and far more fun overall than the Nurburgring which is impossible to learn without a mountain sized budget and time. It really shows how well prepped a track meant for Formula 1 and other large racing series is in comparison to street and road courses.

A compilation of all the action from the day where I was passing or being passed:

A bunch of data from draggy:

[hxrly]

Originally Posted by BabyM240i

Track - An absolute blast and far more fun overall than the Nurburgring which is impossible to learn without a mountain sized budget and time.

Don't need the big budget, but you do need plenty of time in Gran Turismo or your favorite driving simulator. 😉

[FunnyUsername]

You should turn DSC fully off and practice getting to know the car. Only traction off gives a false sense of security and DSC is actually very aggressive which can mess with the car's weight transfer.
It almost spun me out when I was accelerating on a slippery on ramp to a highway before. After that I am never trusting it again. All assists on or all assists off.

[AlexC2er]

Originally Posted by BabyM240i

Memorial Day, I was able to take my G42 to a School of Racing track night at Hockenheimring, Germany. For those who are interested in this car’s capabilities or track days in general I thought it would be helpful to provide my notes and a bit of a review on the car and experience.

*Quick Shoutout to Thundernight for the formatting inspiration*

Car - 2023 BMW M240i xDrive w/ ZTK
• 893M have been replaced by Apex VS-5RS wheels with Michelin PS4S tires (255/35-19 & 285/30-19)
• Dähler Tune set to Sport
• Dähler Competition Lowering Springs
• Dinan CAI
• Dinan Strut Braces
• Factory Brakes

https://www.instagram.com/babym_240i/

Settings - DSC set to Traction, Sport+, S selected on transmission
Conditions - 66F, partly cloudy with scattered sprinkles
Track Layout - 2.842 mi/4.574 km GP Track, clockwise, 17 turns




Session 1:
Initial Tire Pressure (psi): 38
Ending Tire Pressure (psi): 46

Session Notes:
• Initial laps felt really good! This was my second track day at Hockenheim and my 4th overall (different car). Car felt powerful and planted with a great balance. Did experience some of my first ever low speed oversteer/power slides under throttle with throttle manipulation at corner exit. At medium speed turns (3rd gear), the car was more neutrally balanced and felt extremely stable. The high speed stability also felt good but shedding speed after the parabolica into the [...]

Good write up. Can you share a bit about what will your next upgrade be for the car to be more competent on track? I’m thinking I’ll change my pads out to endless with motul 660 fluids, strut brace. I’ll keep my ps4s for now. I don’t really want to have a third set of wheels. I already have 2 set one for summer one for winter. Maybe later I’ll upgrade to some semi slicks when the ps4s wear out even though the car is still my daily

[BabyM240i]

Originally Posted by FunnyUsername

You should turn DSC fully off and practice getting to know the car. Only traction off gives a false sense of security and DSC is actually very aggressive which can mess with the car's weight transfer.
It almost spun me out when I was accelerating on a slippery on ramp to a highway before. After that I am never trusting it again. All assists on or all assists off.

Definitely! That’s the plan. I was expecting a bit more rain so I thought it might be a good idea to retain some stability. Have you ran in Traction? I didn’t find it to be too aggressive but read up that DSC can also contribute negatively to brake temps.

[BabyM240i]

Originally Posted by hxrly

Don't need the big budget, but you do need plenty of time in Gran Turismo or your favorite driving simulator. 😉

I packed up the seat to move but I really do need to pull it out and get in some reps 🤪

[BabyM240i]

Originally Posted by AlexC2er

Good write up. Can you share a bit about what will your next upgrade be for the car to be more competent on track? I’m thinking I’ll change my pads out to endless with motul 660 fluids, strut brace. I’ll keep my ps4s for now. I don’t really want to have a third set of wheels. I already have 2 set one for summer one for winter. Maybe later I’ll upgrade to some semi slicks when the ps4s wear out even though the car is still my daily

I ran about an hour of track time in 20 minute stints. The first session was especially long with 9 laps. I didn’t notice drastic brake fade but I did as you can see in the write up and pictures have some physical pad degradation. Drives fine but in an effort to still have pad for my DD a set of dedicated track pads (maybe rotors too in the more distant future) are probably worth it. I found the factory pads to have plenty of bight though so which pad I get is still TBD. I also want to expirsment with DOT 5.1, not 4.0 660 since it’s still upgraded from factory but not necessarily a dedicated race fluid that really doesn’t have a road operating window. 5.1 should have plenty of operating head room for track days and still function great on the street.

Other than that? More operational things. Incorporate more cool down laps in between hot laps, and maintain tire pressures by starting lower and more closely observing and adjusting them throughout the day.

[oldbmwtech]

I have been tracking cars for 18 years off and on mostly on.
There seems like there are not many here that track their cars. I track mine at least 4 weekends a year. We run about 30 minutes per session and run 4 to 5 sessions a day depending on how many sign up. I bought this car just to track but I do use it on the street. This is not my daily, but a fun toy.
First of all you should lower your tire pressures. I start at 32 PSI cold and once finish my session I adjust from there to 39 hot. I'm usually letting air out.
Second, I'm using Endless ME20 brake pads. They last, easy to modulate, very rotor friendly, and have very little to no squeal on the street so I don't have to swap pads. I have tried many pads and these are my favorite so far. My last set I bought at Black Hawk Japan which were a fraction of the price I can get here locally. I have several threads on this in the brake section here. EBC junk, Raybestos were great pads but they no longer make them, but they squeal.
Third, I use ATE 200 brake fluid with no issues at all and I'm hard on the brakes. Do a flush once a year.
Fourth, I have camber plates and set camber to -2 and toe to 0 front or a bit + toe not much.
Fifth, once you get good you will be buying tires a lot of them. I use tires with a 200 to 260 tire wear rating. Right now my shoes are Yokos AD09.
Sixth, turn off all your nannies. it will save brakes, keep your brakes cooler, and most importantly make you a better driver. This is an awesome car.

[BabyM240i]

Originally Posted by oldbmwtech

I have been tracking cars for 18 years off and on mostly on.
There seems like there are not many here that track their cars. I track mine at least 4 weekends a year. We run about 30 minutes per session and run 4 to 5 sessions a day depending on how many sign up. I bought this car just to track but I do use it on the street. This is not my daily, but a fun toy.
First of all you should lower your tire pressures. I start at 32 PSI cold and once finish my session I adjust from there to 39 hot. I'm usually letting air out.
Second, I'm using Endless ME20 brake pads. They last, easy to modulate, very rotor friendly, and have very little to no squeal on the street so I don't have to swap pads. I have tried many pads and these are my favorite so far. My last set I bought at Black Hawk Japan which were a fraction of the price I can get here locally. I have several threads on this in the brake section here. EBC junk, Raybestos were great pads but they no longer make them, but they squeal.
Third, I use ATE 200 brake fluid with no issues at all and I'm hard on the brakes. Do a flush once a year.
Fourth, I have camber plates and set camber to -2 and toe to 0 front or a bit + toe not much.
Fifth, once you get good you will be buying tires a lot of them. I use tires with a 200 to 260 tire wear rating. Right now my shoes are Yokos AD09.
Sixth, turn off all your nannies. it will save brakes, keep your brakes cooler, and most importantly make you a better driver. This is an awesome car.

I absolutely love this car!

Tire pressures noted ✅🤪

Thanks for the info and plug for endless. I’ve seen them mentioned several times since my track day looking for my eventual replacement pads.

Thanks as well for the specific tire info as well. It’s interesting how obvious it is looking at the tires that they saw the track now. The front tires have two sessions on them and the rear have this one detailed above. In my opinion they have held up admirably considering what I put them through but I definitely see why I’d need many many tires through a year if this became a true hobby of mine. Coming from a rather pedestrian car for the last decade it was shocking enough to me to see how long (not long) these tires last anyways. I think I got 60k+ on my last set of tires on my Hyundai.

[FunnyUsername]

Originally Posted by BabyM240i

Definitely! That’s the plan. I was expecting a bit more rain so I thought it might be a good idea to retain some stability. Have you ran in Traction? I didn’t find it to be too aggressive but read up that DSC can also contribute negatively to brake temps.

I’m not sure about brake temps. I don’t have opportunities to drive the car hard for that long but it makes sense that the higher interference system will brake more.

Traction on basically cuts all power to prevent slip. It’s useful if you are on a new street or track and just want to take it easy but will kill your exit speed. If the road upsets the balance of the car, you still need to make small corrections with counter steering, so don’t trust it that much.

Traction off and DSC on I already mentioned: Works pretty well until it doesn’t, then the car is trying to spin you out. Mainly a feature for straight line heroes that just want to mash the throttle and get a slightly better launch.

Once you know all the optimal driving lines on the track and your braking points, DSC off is the way to go.