NorCal Sightings Thread

[claritycheck]

I'll be at ES tomorrow. See you guys there!

[jdl1pt]

Originally Posted by mfanatic325

I've spotted an interlagos blue Z4MC in Santa Clara before. Waved at each other, but don't know if they're on the forums

I think that IL blue MC was mine. I bought one from an auto wholesaler in June 2010. He had purchased it at auction. It was local to the Bay area and serviced down in the south bay. You'll have to head up to Oakland now to see it!

[mfanatic325]

Originally Posted by jdl1pt

I think that IL blue MC was mine. I bought one from an auto wholesaler in June 2010. He had purchased it at auction. It was local to the Bay area and serviced down in the south bay. You'll have to head up to Oakland now to see it!

I think you were with a friend that day, near San Tomas/Montague Expressway and Scott Blvd.?
I was interning @ Synaptics, Inc. at the time

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by e for effort

I'll be at ES tomorrow. See you guys there!

Alex (right?)--don't usually get up at 6.00 on Sunday but it was worth it to meet another Z4Mc owner. Awesome turnout today with two Ford GTs, a bunch of 430s, 355s, a McLaren SLR, 2 Z4Mcs and 1 Z4Mr, and a ton of other incredible machines!

[claritycheck]

That's me! It was a pleasure meeting you and your wife, Ron. It was indeed a great turnout! My first ES, but did not go on the drive this time, perhaps another. Yeah, 6AM on Sunday doesn't happen often for me either haha!

[jdl1pt]

Originally Posted by mfanatic325

I think you were with a friend that day, near San Tomas/Montague Expressway and Scott Blvd.?
I was interning @ Synaptics, Inc. at the time

Sorry, I wasn't very clear in my last post. When was it that you saw the car? If it was June 2010 or after, it wasn't me or my car.

I was saying that I think you saw my car (which wasn't my car at the time) but not me. I bought the car in june of last year and know it was in the SJ area from purchase up till June. Either way, IL Blue is the best color! Just hope I'm the only one in the bay area rockin it!

BTW you still liking the 3.91? I want to make an offer on the one for sale but not quite sure I'm ready for it.

[mfanatic325]

Originally Posted by jdl1pt

Sorry, I wasn't very clear in my last post. When was it that you saw the car? If it was June 2010 or after, it wasn't me or my car.

I was saying that I think you saw my car (which wasn't my car at the time) but not me. I bought the car in june of last year and know it was in the SJ area from purchase up till June. Either way, IL Blue is the best color! Just hope I'm the only one in the bay area rockin it!

BTW you still liking the 3.91? I want to make an offer on the one for sale but not quite sure I'm ready for it.

Ah, yeah, it wasn't you then. Cuz the one I saw was back in like...October or November 2010.

haha, my buddy (forum alias dorifto88) also drives a interlagos blue MC. He's from Sacramento, but works down here in San Jose.

3.91 is nice, especially if you're planning on going FI down the road (as I am). 4.10 will be too much with FI imho.

The 3.91 diff setup is pretty pricey imo. My total cost was ~$1500 to rebuild my diff and put the 3.91 ring & pinion in. I haven't yet sold my stock 3.62, otherwise that $1500 could very likely be less

People are usually just wary of getting their diffs rebuilt, but little do they know that companies such as Turner or DINAN do the exact same thing, and charge you an arm and a leg for all the labor and shipping expenses. I did some research on this prior to doing my gearing upgrade the way I did (piece by piece) because I found that even DINAN can improperly rebuild a diff. I've heard of a customer that had to have DINAN redo his diff 2 or 3 times due to NVH (noise, vibration, or harshness).
Plus, I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of service that the shop I went to provided. I highly suggest Performance Technic in Pleasanton if you're going to do a rebuild, or even for just a diff install. They're so awesome, words cannot describe. You literally just hafta go in person and check them out yourself

[The HACK]

Anyone doing the Golden Gate Chapter Laguna Seca one day school on March 14th? I'm going to be there but probably either in a rental or sharing a car with someone else.

[mfanatic325]

Originally Posted by The HACK

Anyone doing the Golden Gate Chapter Laguna Seca one day school on March 14th? I'm going to be there but probably either in a rental or sharing a car with someone else.

I want to because I love Laguna to death. Not to mention it's my home track, but the insane prices turned me off right from the get-go
Not to mention the annual membership fee

Thus far, NCRC (Nor Cal Racing Club) is THE most affordable, stress-free, and responsible track host I've had the pleasure of doing business with. Trackmasters comes second, just because they don't require annual membership like NASA does, but otherwise TM is about same as NASA in my books (EXPENSIIIIVE). The GG CCA chapter is even moreso

[jdl1pt]

Originally Posted by mfanatic325

Ah, yeah, it wasn't you then. Cuz the one I saw was back in like...October or November 2010.

haha, my buddy (forum alias dorifto88) also drives a interlagos blue MC. He's from Sacramento, but works down here in San Jose.

3.91 is nice, especially if you're planning on going FI down the road (as I am). 4.10 will be too much with FI imho.

The 3.91 diff setup is pretty pricey imo. My total cost was ~$1500 to rebuild my diff and put the 3.91 ring & pinion in. I haven't yet sold my stock 3.62, otherwise that $1500 could very likely be less

People are usually just wary of getting their diffs rebuilt, but little do they know that companies such as Turner or DINAN do the exact same thing, and charge you an arm and a leg for all the labor and shipping expenses. I did some research on this prior to doing my gearing upgrade the way I did (piece by piece) because I found that even DINAN can improperly rebuild a diff. I've heard of a customer that had to have DINAN redo his diff 2 or 3 times due to NVH (noise, vibration, or harshness).
Plus, I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of service that the shop I went to provided. I highly suggest Performance Technic in Pleasanton if you're going to do a rebuild, or even for just a diff install. They're so awesome, words cannot describe. You literally just hafta go in person and check them out yourself

Thanks so much for your insight regarding the Diff. Never would have thought DINAN could fail at the rebuild. I'm still relatively new to all of this. Started autoX last year and had a blast. Will continue this year, and hope to get on the track a few times as well. I should probably spend my $ on driving/training right now vs moding the car. It's just a hard bug to resist.

Looks like you've done a lot to your car...what's the best mod you've done?
Trying to find the direction to take my car and appreciate any advice.

[mfanatic325]

Originally Posted by jdl1pt

Thanks so much for your insight regarding the Diff. Never would have thought DINAN could fail at the rebuild. I'm still relatively new to all of this. Started autoX last year and had a blast. Will continue this year, and hope to get on the track a few times as well. I should probably spend my $ on driving/training right now vs moding the car. It's just a hard bug to resist.

Looks like you've done a lot to your car...what's the best mod you've done?
Trying to find the direction to take my car and appreciate any advice.

haha then we should definitely meet up sometime. Maybe come with me to track once, and see if you like it. I'm sure you will though
I'm currently signed up for the following track days, all at Laguna Seca:
March 28th w/ Trackmasters
March 29th w/ Trackmasters
April 11th w/ NCRC
April 19th w/ NCRC

I can't really say which mod is the best thus far, since I've done so many. And in my opinion, ALL of them have been enjoyable haha
But highlights?
- AS SSK (since we drive manual, we literally shift all the time, and the AutoSolutions SSK is probably THE best kit available; changes the entire driving experience).

- UUC clutch stop along with CDV delete dramatically enhances clutch engagement/feel. I LOVE how my car shifts XD

- I'm a huge Volk fanatic haha, I own three sets of TE37's/LE37's; one set on each of my three cars hehehe

- I also really like my SuperSprint mufflers. I heard countless sound clips and sat in many cars before I made my decision. Super Sprint is the only one for the Z4M that I've found to have the best high-pitched tone, and also a pretty decent low-end grunt/growl. I really despise metallic rasp, which is why I opted out of many of the other popular exhausts out there.

- And of course, I like my gearing upgrade haha

- Along with headers, and ECU tune. These really enhance the car

- Oh, and how could I forget, my TCK coilovers + TCK camber plates up front, all corner-balanced and custom aligned

- and Sparco Rev bucket seats. WORLD of difference in handling characteristics

- Nitto NT05 tires help a lot too lol.

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by mfanatic325

I want to because I love Laguna to death. Not to mention it's my home track, but the insane prices turned me off right from the get-go
Not to mention the annual membership fee

Thus far, NCRC (Nor Cal Racing Club) is THE most affordable, stress-free, and responsible track host I've had the pleasure of doing business with. Trackmasters comes second, just because they don't require annual membership like NASA does, but otherwise TM is about same as NASA in my books (EXPENSIIIIVE). The GG CCA chapter is even moreso

They (BMW CCA GGC) are expensive only because they provide instructors to EVERYONE. And by everyone I mean they'll even sic an instructor in your seat even if you're an experienced club racer with national titles under your belt.

Those instructors, even though they volunteer, still cost $$$ because their room and board is paid for.

Heck we even stuck an instructor in the passenger seat of TC Kline before. TC Kline. Granted it was his first time out at California Speedway and he just wanted someone to give him a quick run-down of the track. He was signed off to go solo for the rest of the weekend.

But those were the more extreme cases. Unless you just want laps without any instruction, the value of having an instructor in the passenger seat is unbeatable in my book, and CCA provides some of the best. I have had a Grand Am Rookie of the Year as my instructor, a Turner Motorsports driver as my instructor, and several "pro" level guys who races for Speed World Challenge as well, and the knowledge you can pick up from these guys are eye-opening.

IMO, short of paying for schools like Skip Barber the CCA schools are the BEST bang for the buck for anyone short of ready to go club racing. Compare the price and track time you do get between CCA schools and other organizations isn't entirely apples and oranges.

[mfanatic325]

Well I can get Laguna track days (with instruction if I want) via NCRC for around $200 for a full day with 5 sessions @ 20-25 minutes per session. I doubt the instruction is as good Grand-Am rookie of the year, or pro drivers, etc. But not bad for almost half the cost of CCA =P

[CalRick]

Originally Posted by The HACK

Anyone doing the Golden Gate Chapter Laguna Seca one day school on March 14th? I'm going to be there but probably either in a rental or sharing a car with someone else.

I'm heading up there for it, since it's my semi-home track, too - I'm up there about every month, so I always try to work a trackday in when I'm there. I was glad to see you signed up for it since you couldn't make it last year. Are you doing Chuckwalla the next weekend as well?

[jdl1pt]

Originally Posted by mfanatic325

haha then we should definitely meet up sometime. Maybe come with me to track once, and see if you like it. I'm sure you will though

I'll look into the dates. I should be able to do the one on Monday in March. It would be a hell of a lot of fun and there is no doubt I'll love it!

Thanks again for your comments on mods. I've done a few things so far, mainly the CDV delete, new shoes and shim kit. Think I'll do the clutch stop here in a few days as well. I guess the first big ticket item I should do is coilovers. My concern is getting it into/out of the garage after.

If the weather is nice over the next few weekends, possibly we can get a small bay area group together for a drive/coffee or a beer

[mfanatic325]

haha just don't drop the car too low. Suspension travel is just as important

For sure, lemme know when you wanna meet up. I'll get dorifto88 in as well. I'm not a big drinker though hah

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by CalRick

I'm heading up there for it, since it's my semi-home track, too - I'm up there about every month, so I always try to work a trackday in when I'm there. I was glad to see you signed up for it since you couldn't make it last year. Are you doing Chuckwalla the next weekend as well?

Looking like it right now. For a while I wasn't sure about Chuckwalla since the registration numbers were so low, but it's looking pretty good now. Can't imagine NOT going to Chuckwalla at this point.

Just got the MZ4 Coupe re-aligned and will get the "new" old tires mounted on the rear this weekend. Can't wait.

[Finnegan]

Met Todd (Black 3.0si) and another forum member (black Z4Mc) at Thunderhill yesterday. There was a very fast Z3M there as well. What a great day! Skelekitty will post pics in the photos section later.

I took the STI as I wanted to see what it was like on the track. Lots of fun on the street, but no where near the Z4M on the track IMO. I am no expert (first track day LOL) but the STI loves to push and was a real PITA on turn 3 (off camber). All around the track it was nowhere near as stable and confidence inspiring as the Z, especially at higher speeds.

I only had the Z for the last session of the day (light rain too, the other sessions were dry) and it was an absolute joy to drive. Turn 3 was a piece of cake relatively speaking, and I was faster in the wet in the Z4M than the STI (and no, I wasn't pushing it). Of course, it might have helped if I could find someone locally that will align the damn STI with more than the stock -.3 front camber. But it just doesn't feel as stable/confident at speed as the Z4M at over 100 MPH.

Well, I think we're hooked. This first day out was great to learn the ins and outs of the track (passing, flags, basic lines) with NRCAracing. Next things to get are a CG lock, and some solid instructor time. Now that I have the "rules" down I think I could actually focus on listening to the instructor. There's a lot to keep in mind on the track and I doubt I could have "heard" much my first day out while trying to learn the rules of the road but YMMD.

BTW, NRCAracing puts on a very well run and organized event (I totally agree with Mfanatic). The communication was excellent up to the event and right through it, everything ran like clockwork, and it was a very fun day. While they don't offer instruction for the 125 track fee, the "driving school" will provide your with basics such as the lines for the track, basic passing skills (and communication), and flags (including "drills" to make sure you are really paying attention). You get a lot of track time and there are plenty of experienced guys that will let you ride along and offer a lot of tips on driving the track. If you've got some instruction under your belt I don't think you can beat it for getting in track time to put into practice what you've learned.

[Skelekitty]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

Skelekitty will post pics in the photos section later.

They're up on my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/misskri...7626209040880/ and I did post over in the Track Days section....

Originally Posted by Finnegan

BTW, NRCAracing puts on a very well run and organized event (I totally agree with Mfanatic). The communication was excellent up to the event and right through it, everything ran like clockwork, and it was a very fun day.

+1,000,000!

[claritycheck]

Wish I could of been there! I heard Driven Authority's 300zx crew went as well. Must have been fun!

[Nikki]

M Coupe in SF @ 3rd and Market. I am almost positive it was Sepang but I may have been delirious.

[mfanatic325]

=] glad you guys had fun! I kinda wish I had gone. Was stuck babysitting my nephew over the weekend lol.

Yeahhh NCRC/NCRA = THE. BOMB! Woot!

BTW, did you guys get to meet up with a red Z4MR? He's a friend of mine
I'll check out the pix on Flickr later. Currently on my phone.


wth? What were you doing in the Bay Area Nikki? lol