The Comfortable Street/Track Thread

[SpiritedDrivers]

There are lots of "street" and "track" only builds I've seen on this forum. Does anybody here track their daily? What are some of the best performance modifications you've made to your car that haven't tampered much with the comfort behind the wheel?

[angelr]

I daily mine and have tracked it but NVH and comfort aren't very high on my list of concerns. Square wheel setup, proper alignment and better brakes would be my first suggestions.

[86Zed]

The stock pads are not up to the task of tracking once you get into heavy braking at pace, definitely spring for a more aggressive compound there or plan to swap from street-to-track pads.

If you are still running stock suspension a set of coilovers can improve your experience on both the street and track. Depending on budget there are solid offerings from ground control, KW, MCS and the like.

[Azeka1]

The Z4M is a track capable car in stock form and with a few key modifications, you can get some additional performance without sacrificing much on the street.

At the end of the day, it is all about compromises and what your goals are on track. Want to have a good time and focus on technique? Then no need to go crazy. However, if you are really getting into the sport and want to continue going faster, things like additional camber adjustment, Safety Equipment and wear on the car (tires, brakes, bushings, lines, mounts, etc) will dictate modifications. If you think you're getting to the point where random parts are beginning to fail and safety is being questioned, I would highly suggest getting a dedicated car... ask me how I know.

Below are some things that I would suggest if you want to do a couple events per season and still enjoy your car on the street (No Impact on Streetability unless noted):

Wheels:
- 18" Square Setup 265/35 200-Treadwear Tires to balance car and reduce understeer: If using daily, will increase road noise. I would suggest getting a dedicated set and swapping before an event
- Wheel Studs (makes swapping wheels easier)

Brakes:
- Stainless Steel Lines
- Track Pads (HAWK DTC60 or similar): Swap before event
- Fresh Brake Fluid w/ 600+ Temp

Suspension/Drivetrain:
- Corner Balance and Alignment
- Fresh OEM Motor/Trans Mounts
- Poly RTAB & FCAB
- Front Camber Washers can get you up to 2.5* on OEM shocks: Minor impact to street tire's inner shoulder wear
- Quality Adj Coilovers & ~500/600 Springs (Depending on your goals/budget): Impact to Streetability tuned by softening dampening
- Clutch Delay Valve Delete: Positive Impact on Streetability, IMO
- Rennline Pedals (assist w/ Heel-Toe)
- Rogue Engineering SS VANOS Oil Line

[Steeler]

Originally Posted by SpiritedDrivers

There are lots of "street" and "track" only builds I've seen on this forum. Does anybody here track their daily? What are some of the best performance modifications you've made to your car that haven't tampered much with the comfort behind the wheel?

Holy shit snacks That's Fairway Rd K'Town

[SpiritedDrivers]

Originally Posted by Azeka1

The Z4M is a track capable car in stock form and with a few key modifications, you can get some additional performance without sacrificing much on the street.

At the end of the day, it is all about compromises and what your goals are on track. Want to have a good time and focus on technique? Then no need to go crazy. However, if you are really getting into the sport and want to continue going faster, things like additional camber adjustment, Safety Equipment and wear on the car (tires, brakes, bushings, lines, mounts, etc) will dictate modifications. If you think you're getting to the point where random parts are beginning to fail and safety is being questioned, I would highly suggest getting a dedicated car... ask me how I know.

Below are some things that I would suggest if you want to do a couple events per season and still enjoy your car on the street (No Impact on Streetability unless noted):

Wheels:
- 18" Square Setup 265/35 200-Treadwear Tires to balance car and reduce understeer: If using daily, will increase road noise. I would suggest getting a dedicated set and swapping before an event
- Wheel Studs (makes swapping wheels easier)

Brakes:
- Stainless Steel Lines
- Track Pads (HAWK DTC60 or similar): Swap before event
- Fresh Brake Fluid w/ 600+ Temp

Suspension/Drivetrain:
- Corner Balance and Alignment
- Fresh OEM Motor/Trans Mounts
- Poly RTAB & FCAB
- Front Camber Washers can get you up to 2.5* on OEM shocks: Minor impact to street tire's inner shoulder wear
- Quality Adj Coilovers & ~500/600 Springs (Depending on your goals/budget): Impact to Streetability tuned by softening dampening
- Clutch Delay Valve Delete: Positive Impact on Streetability, IMO
- Rennline Pedals (assist w/ Heel-Toe)
- Rogue Engineering SS VANOS Oil Line

These are all great ideas. Thanks for the input! Has anybody had any experience with a CAE shifter in comparison to a short shifter kit? Currently have an Auto Solutions SSK and the weighted ZHP knob and was wondering if making the jump to a CAE shifter is worth it. Ive got a set of 18x9 18x10 apex arc 8s with SuperSports, stoptech braided brake lines, and new tekarbon pads. Thinking about putting the Z4M on a diet and shaving some weight but would prefer to keep some comfort (Wife and I travel in it).

[SpiritedDrivers]

Originally Posted by dbarton62

Holy shit snacks That's Fairway Rd K'Town

Good eye, my local friend.

[Mirko]

I think you might be friends with my neighbor. He was showing me pictures of a similar black z4m that his friend just bought recently?

Suspension made a world of difference. KW v3 were great but MCS are much better. I track and street drive. I find setting suspension in softest setting for street and medium for track.

I don't daily my car anymore, havent in years but easily could with the mod's I've done. I think louder than stock mufflers make it worse to drive daily as it stands out and can drone a little. Otherwise love all my mods.

[Eau_Rouge111]

Hey man...first off...great to meet you at the Z4M cruise. I can vouch for KW V3...but from personal experience when fitting aftermarket wheels...on the front end...you need more inner clearance so the wheels will not touch the suspension so a must is working out numbers on a wheel offset calculator app. My new set...not on the car at the time of the Z4M cruise are 8.5 ET34 and they barley clear...so make sure b4 u pick a suspension setup u look into clearance issues with aftermarket suspension systems. Cheers...again...great to meet you at the Z4M cruise.

[Fuzz954]

Originally Posted by Eau_Rouge111

Hey man...first off...great to meet you at the Z4M cruise. I can vouch for KW V3...but from personal experience when fitting aftermarket wheels...on the front end...you need more inner clearance so the wheels will not touch the suspension so a must is working out numbers on a wheel offset calculator app. My new set...not on the car at the time of the Z4M cruise are 8.5 ET34 and they barley clear...so make sure b4 u pick a suspension setup u look into clearance issues with aftermarket suspension systems. Cheers...again...great to meet you at the Z4M cruise.

This is what worries me. The suspension on my Z is already awfully low. I'd like to switch to some flavor of coilover, but I don't want to lose ground clearance or fight rub issues. Also, KW V3 is very much out of my budget on this car. Is there anything more budget minded that can compare (obviously won't be as good, but closer than others)?

[wdb]

Subbed! Thanks for starting this thread. Great information in a tidy format.

[gds52]

Originally Posted by Azeka1

The Z4M is a track capable car in stock form and with a few key modifications, you can get some additional performance without sacrificing much on the street.

At the end of the day, it is all about compromises and what your goals are on track. Want to have a good time and focus on technique? Then no need to go crazy. However, if you are really getting into the sport and want to continue going faster, things like additional camber adjustment, Safety Equipment and wear on the car (tires, brakes, bushings, lines, mounts, etc) will dictate modifications. If you think you're getting to the point where random parts are beginning to fail and safety is being questioned, I would highly suggest getting a dedicated car... ask me how I know.

Below are some things that I would suggest if you want to do a couple events per season and still enjoy your car on the street (No Impact on Streetability unless noted):

Wheels:
- 18" Square Setup 265/35 200-Treadwear Tires to balance car and reduce understeer: If using daily, will increase road noise. I would suggest getting a dedicated set and swapping before an event
- Wheel Studs (makes swapping wheels easier)

Brakes:
- Stainless Steel Lines
- Track Pads (HAWK DTC60 or similar): Swap before event
- Fresh Brake Fluid w/ 600+ Temp

Suspension/Drivetrain:
- Corner Balance and Alignment
- Fresh OEM Motor/Trans Mounts
- Poly RTAB & FCAB
- Front Camber Washers can get you up to 2.5* on OEM shocks: Minor impact to street tire's inner shoulder wear
- Quality Adj Coilovers & ~500/600 Springs (Depending on your goals/budget): Impact to Streetability tuned by softening dampening
- Clutch Delay Valve Delete: Positive Impact on Streetability, IMO
- Rennline Pedals (assist w/ Heel-Toe)
- Rogue Engineering SS VANOS Oil Line

Great advice

Happened exactly with me. I didn't want to modify my Z so after couple of track days I bought a dedicated track car 😀

[Eau_Rouge111]

Originally Posted by Fuzz954

This is what worries me. The suspension on my Z is already awfully low. I'd like to switch to some flavor of coilover, but I don't want to lose ground clearance or fight rub issues. Also, KW V3 is very much out of my budget on this car. Is there anything more budget minded that can compare (obviously won't be as good, but closer than others)?

Not so much...the kw v3 setup min drop is like 10mm or 3/8"....u can go lower obviously but if u like u don't have to. I believe all options for coils for the z4m are about the same for the min/max drop