Took the G80 M3CS to the Track @ Summit Point Main Circuit

I took BoB to Summit Point Main circuit for the PCA event this past weekend. I am so glad I did

For reference, here is the track map:

The event started grim with heavy rains that lasted until about noon, leaving a wet track with few rivers across the track. Thankfully, most of the track dried out by early afternoon with few spots left damp. Unfortunately, those few spots were at the critical points on the track that caught me by surprise, such as at the turn-in of T3.

I was nervous and anxious before the event, and I did not want to run in the rain, so I skipped the first two sessions of the first day. I got onto the track in the afternoon and ran conservatively trying to figure out my bearings and setting down my nerves. It was overwhelming, everything coming at me at the same time, I felt a bit of overloading of the brain. The last session of the day, I focused on slowing down my perception, observing the track, the drivers, flag stations, etc. This helped tremendously. I was able to concentrate on getting into a rhythm, running the driving line, ensuring I gave timely point-bys. The best I could do was to test the car, trying to understand how it communicates, figuring out the tires, the gearing and see how well the brakes would hold up. All looked promising, except the tires.

The paddock:

There were about a dozen BMWs in the event, from E36/E46 M3s, F90 M5 to F87 M2s and a Z4:

The next day was much better, although we started at below freezing temperatures. First session, again, I focused on my surroundings, and maintaining a rhythm and not being in the way of other drivers. The tires, the Michelin PS4S, were clearly the weakest point of the car for this type of driving; regardless, this first session increased my confidence and I started to enjoy being on the track.

In subsequent sessions, my confidence and my speed increased steadily. I was certainly catching other cars on the straights with so much power on tap, but also under braking, which was surprising to me. At the same time, I was losing a lot of ground to others in the infield. Regardless of my confidence, I asked an instructor to ride with me to point out any bad habits I might have developed, areas for improvement and hopefully a validation that I am doing okay in the run group, not overdoing anything.

The instructor was superb. He corrected my braking technique, entry into turns 3 and 6, which all combined, made for a much smoother ride and faster laps. The feedback was invaluable to me, and he confirmed that I was running in the right group, intermediate. Following this feedback, in my last session of the event, I felt I was much faster, safer and smoother at the same time.

About the car’s performance:

I bought this car for multiple duties. Use it as a daily driver, run a few autoxes and hopefully be able to go to a few track events as well. I always had the impression that BMWs need, at least, a moderate amount of modifications to be able to hold their own on track, and possibly compromise streetability a little in the process. So, buying this car was a bit of a gamble. The gamble paid off beyond my expectations. The only modifications I did to the car was install track brake pads, change brake fluid, and add cooling ducts to the front brakes.

Power – This is the first car I had in which I have to be careful how I apply the throttle. It has more power than grip. This is such a good feeling as I could squeeze the throttle and get significant acceleration out of the corners, and know that I still have more I can apply as the track straightens. Other cars were doing all they can to get out of my way on the straights, giving very early point-bys. The rate of closure to other cars on the straights was something I was not expecting. At the end of the front straight of the track, the car would reach 150+ mph, but frankly I had a mental block getting to that number, I would back off just before reaching that speed and hit the brakes into T1. The perception of that speed was not something I was quite prepared for.

The only aspect that might be considered negative was fuel consumption. A full tank lasted only 3 sessions, and I was averaging about 5.5 mpg per session. I can live with this given the performance.

Cooling the engine after a session:

Handling – The suspension setup on the M3CS is nearly perfect for my taste and level of driving. I set it to Sport+ and it never felt jarring or unsettling, even going over the curbs. The only time I wished it had a bit more shock support was when going through high-speed directional changes, such as between turns 8 and 9. I was just breathing the throttle momentarily to help with that transition. I think I now understand why some companies are suggesting an increase in the front swaybar, which I think might help.
The car never felt heavy, floaty or slow in any parts of the track. The camber and caster settings are certainly more than adequate for my level of driving and the tires I have. The level of compromise setup by BMW just feels right in my opinion.

Brakes – Phenomenal; just phenomenal! I closed the gap I would lose in the in-field to other cars on the straights and particularly under braking. The consistency of the brakes were superb. There was never a hint of fade, degradation or worry about the brakes.

The first time I hit the brakes approaching T1, the instructor who was riding with me during that session just could not help but laugh. He got slammed to the seat belt, he just wasn’t expecting it. He would continue to giggle through all of the other turns when I had to use significant braking. They are just flawless.

On the front straight we would reach 145-150 mph and that leads to one of the slowest corners, T1, which is taken at 40-45 mph. Shedding 100+ mph lap after lap is very demanding on the brakes. The M3 never exhibited any signs of weakness, and consistently they performed.

I ran with MDM on, and the rear brakes are not showing any signs of overuse at this time; granted this is at my level of intermediate driving, it may vary for others.

Tires – There is so much to say about the tires. In short, the PS4S is certainly not the right tire for track events, particularly for intermediate and lower level drivers. Better and more experienced drivers can probably manage them more effectively, but then again, their speed would be much higher, demanding more from the tires. I don’t think these tires are suitable for anyone on track. They are superb on the street and even autox, but track driving needs a lot more. They gained heat way too much and too quickly. They behave noticeably inconsistently as they go through different pressures and eventually become rather greasy, but not dangerously so. My tires would gain between 10-12 psi within the first 6 or 7 laps, and track temperatures were not any higher than 45-50 deg.

The best part of this adventure was on the way back home. After the track “abuse,” I just got in and drove home as if I was at work or shopping. There weren’t any unwanted or strange noises, the drive was as comfortable as always. Everything was as designed, no objections of any kind. This is what I was hoping I was buying, there are no disappoints of any king. We’ll see how it holds up to multiple track days, but this has been a very encouraging start.

This is a 5 min. video of a session. My phone mount failed and could not record any, but one session. Also to note, contrary to what this video my imply, I got passed many times by much faster drivers. I hope you enjoy it.