Track details:


Length: 2.6km
Temp: avg 32C
Car: BMW E60 550i

So I was driving the 550i today at the Mallala race track, and you know what? It is a fantastic car for it's class

I went for about 55 laps around the track and its performance did not falter. It's a shame that in the excitement of driving on the track, i forgot about the stop watch and didn't time myself

Anyway, overall I was impressed with the car. Bear in mind that it is a medium size family sedan and I could not keep up with the Super Porsche's that were out there today. However, I thought I did well against the M3, Skylines, VW RS2, AM DB9

Top speed was 195kmh according to my HUD, down the back section. I reckon I could have gotten it higher if I was not concerned with the ability of the brakes to stop the car fast enough.

I was also concerned about brake fade, but the standard brakes of the BMW did really really well. However, the pads are chewed up. I started the day with the compe telling me I had 22,000km to go before needed new front brakes. When I was done, I had 4,000km left

I really felt the size of the car at the tight turns. There was much screeching but the car held her line. Towards the later part of the day, I turned the traction control off but left the stability control on and that made a huge difference. The car performed awesomely, for a med sized sedan. Under steering was an issue, but by just entering the turns slower I easily removed much of that and with the low end torque this car had, it wasn't a problem.

Some memorable comments from other drivers and spectators and passengers:
- We heard your tires squeling but we were surprised how the car just held its line
- We were thinking you were going to over shoot the track and end up in the ditch but your brakes really gripped wel
- You were sliding through some of the turns but went through really well
- There was very little body roll in those turns. Quite surprising for a car of its size.
- It's certainly no race car but I'm really surprised how well the car went. Over a 100kms and no overheating or brake fade??!!

I was really happy to have experienced what the 550i can do on a track. However, after today I realize I belong in a sportier 2 door car....and an M3 ain't gonna cut it....

What a day....I love the 550i...but somewhere out there, there's a 2 door hot vixen with my name on it...

Anyway, I've said it before and I'll say it again....The BMW 550i is truly the ultimate driving machine in it's class!

Pics, and hopefull vids, will come soon...

BTW, no rattles or squeaks after the drive. Only issue was that the i-drive failed to boot after a few drives. This was fixed by the 'radio on/off + DVD eject' buttons to reset.

 

Excellent post, thanks for the insight. I plan on taking mine out a few times next season. I am looking forward to seeing how it handles in slightly more challenging situations than the normal daily driving...

 

Expected .... but very nioce to hear that every once in a while :-)... waiting for the videos !!!

 

Very nice! Thanks for sharing

 

Excellent to hear how well the car did! I hope to get mine out on a track soon. We can compare notes.

FYI - there is a stopwatch function built into iDrive.

 

I couldn't use the stop watch as the iDrive died after my 2nd round (avg 5 laps per round). I didn't think to reset the idrive until I was about to drive home

If there are any tips I can share about the car on track:
- don't be shy with the brakes, they can handle it. But, be prepared to wear them out.
- use all of the track as the car needs it. on laps where I didn't hit the strips or stayed a couple of feet from the edges it eventually forced me into understeer situations.
- i didn't think to check tire pressure on the track after a couple of laps. It would have gone up significantly once heated up, so you'd need to lower it.
- remember you're not there to test the limits of the cars endurance, so don't overdo the laps. take breaks if you can and let the car cool down. the longest I went was about 17 laps (2.6km lap) with at least 1 lap after 5 laps on cool down style driving (ie. slow enough without having to use brakes).
- if yer on the track with other track suitable cars (ie Porsche etc), don't be disillusioned that you can take turn at their speed or brake as late as they can...

Have fun and be safe!

 

Great posts. I've never tracked so these info are very useful to me. Just curious on what you do to maintain your car so that it doesn't have issues after driving it so hard. also, if you drove aggressively like this, and your brake pads were worn out, does BMW warranty cover it? Or this is going to be out of your pocket? Thanks.

 

A bunch of us hired the track privately for the whole day. This allowed us to go and off whenever we liked. However, to ensure we preserve our cars, we were advised to not go more than 8 laps per run. Even the guys in the Porsche adhered to this. This allowed the brakes and engines to cool down.

Further to this, after each run we were advised to drive the car for a few kms without using the brakes too much. This is to help cool it down as well. The car then had about 20 mins off track to cool out.

On idle, I left the car on 'N', engine on, hand brake off. After 10 mins I put the car on 'P' and turned engine off but hand brake still off.

Brake pads wear is not a warranty issue. It's purely wear and tear and therefore it has to be your own expense. I wouldn't even dream of asking my dealer to cover this...

You're going to get a fair bit tire screaches but don't be too worried. Just try to get the feel of your tail movement. If DTC and DSC are on then it's very unlikely you'll throw the car into a spin as the engine would have cut out thanks to the computer. However, if you decide to turn DTC off make sure you don't over compensate when try to counter a loose tail. Just power down and minor correct then gradually power on. In fact, make sure everything is done through smooth action and avoid jabbing at the accelerator. Just 'feather' it at the turns and try to keep the 'balanced' feel, if you know what I mean.

Good Luck!!

 

In the US the dealer would cover new brake pads.
Note - When we have tech inspections prior to BMW CCA events the local dealer completes it.

 

REALLY?! Wouldn't that cost BMWNA a lot of money if I go tracking regularly? How about the oil change, brake fluid and all that stuff that's normally covered under either the warranty or the maintenance program? Can I go tracking in other events that are not organized by BMW CCA and still get it covered?

I know that the oil change is adaptive which means the car takes some measure by itself and determine if you need oil change now or, say, 10K miles away. Is that the same for things like brake fluid, transmission fluid? Or do I have to feel a soft brake pad or transmission slippage in order to get them to fix them?

I'm a new owner and haven't yet get my car serviced so I have no idea how BMW treats it's owners. Thanks.