At long last, after a Summer and Fall of maintenance and repairs, our little BMW E30 was ready for the track. This car is a 1991 BMW 318is that we used for development and autocross competition from 2007-09, then it went away and changed hands many times. But in 2024 we had the chance to buy it back, and we did!
After restoring the car enough to get it street worthy, we had one task left – replace the 13 year old tires that were cracked and aged out. We went a little overboard with these fat 225mm Bridgestone RE-71R tires, but wow – the GRIP! These 200 Treadwear tires have come a long way since 2007. And we had to do some things to “make them fit”…
We hadn’t driven this E30 on track since 2008 and it was JUST AS MUCH FUN tracking it in 2025 as it was then. Likely more fun, as the grip levels were much higher with modern rubber. The old AST dampers held together for this track test and of the two drivers that day, Amy Fair came out on top. In the latest Forum Build Thread entry we cover all of the upgrades, tweaks, test drives, and track videos.
In this latest update we discuss an engine upgrade – to something newer and more powerful, yet hopefully not too heavy or “overdone”. We only show the LS1 V8 above to show how small the J-series Honda SOHC V6 really is (we will absolutely not LS swap this car). A lot of measurements, testing, and research sadly led us away from this potent and lightweight V6, but we do have something more interesting and spicy in mind.
Clink the link above to see what we’re up to. Thanks for reading!