"I’ve been participating in NASA’s Time Trial series for 4 years now and I’m in love with the sport! Currently I drive in the TT5 class which is defined by the car’s power to weight ratio(in my case 14:1). I’ve been competing with a e46 328i with a m54 ZHP swap that I’ve been modifying and tuning to make it a fun but reliable car that could be competitive on the track as well as manageable on the street.
The bump in power over the M52b28tu motor was noticeable, but it was Daniel that unlocked the full potential of my ZHP motor giving it extra tuque, power, and a huge smile on my face. To help keep that power going to the rear wheels I swapped in a single mass flywheel and solid hub clutch, Dinan short shifter and AKG Motorsport’s red polyurethane bushings to the entire drivetrain(motor, transmission and differential).
For suspension, I also swapped in AKG’s red polyurethane bushings to the rear subframe, RTAB’s, and front control arms. This dramatically improved the car’s handling not just in the corners but also in straight-line speed due to less power being lost through the drivetrain. The car currently sits on a mix between Raceland front suspension and Koni yellows in the rear with TCkline spring’s. I’m planning on upgrading the coil overs to ISC suspension at the end of the 2021 season. Total weight with driver is 3150LBS.
While this car has been a fantastic platform for learning and developing my skill as a driver. I’ve been slowly building up a new car to take it’s place in NASA's TT5 class. An e36 318is with a M52b28 swap. I plan on debuting it at the track for the second race of the season in March 2021. This will be a fully committed Time Trial/wheel to wheel race car with a similar build sheet to my e46. I took everything I learned from that car and applied it to this one. The largest difference with the e36 is the amount of weight that's been stripped out of it. This car is fully gutted and runs on a custom lightweight body harness. Power steering, A/C, sunroof and door windows have also been removed in the name of losing weight. The car should weigh in around 2700lbs."
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Josh Weeks