Check out this video:

I’d taken the route myself one other time, but it was a lot more enjoyable going with a friend. It ended up being the PERFECT day for the drive. The weather was made to order and the leaves were well into their glorious fall colors. The route itself offered the kind of twisties that are the very reason we buy these cars.

We’ve always been greeted warmly by the gang at Metric Mechanic and this time was no exception. This was my third or fourth trip and it felt like a homecoming. Tom and I ended up arriving a little earlier than the rest of the crew. Apparently they were delayed due to some lane closures on Hwy 44. While Tom and I waited, Teddy explained a few things about a motor they were working on for a guy in New Jersey.

When the other club members showed up (about 15 in all) Jim, Teddy and Courtney hosted a great technical session. Courtney was his usual animated self which makes the visit that much more pleasurable. We all shared light-hearted stories about our experiences with the local constabularies. And we learned more about the challenges of being a high performance shop and the legitimate need to test their product from time to time on local roads.

Jim talked about piston design. His detailed knowledge is impressive, and I have to admit that I didn’t have the capacity to take it all in. I think some of the other guys were better equipped to understand the deeper technical points. But the bottom line is that Jim obviously knows how to generate horsepower with reliability.

Another topic of discussion was differentials. Courtney talked about Limited Slip Differentials, how they work, and why they are preferred in many cases. He showed us components of their own design and why it works better.

At this point I was more involved in taking pictures and didn’t listen very well. But the club members appreciated the depth of knowledge and the ability of our hosts to communicate technical information in a way that’s understandable. And they’re pretty patient with us when we ask lots of questions.

Although the folks at Metric Mechanic are known for their mechanical ability, we rave about the food. Mary always puts out a spread that leaves me wanting only one thing – another stomach! We sat around and talked a little more about cars and life in general. We were all very appreciative of the hospitality shown by Jim, Teddy, Courtney and Mary.

Being sufficiently stuffed I elected to take Hwy 44 home. I reflected on my thoughts from early in the morning. I was very glad I still went and I would have missed oit on a lot if I’d stayed home. Now I’m looking forward to next year.

For the whole photo set click HERE.

The forecast showed a good chance of rain throughout much of the day and the skies looked a little angry. The practice session was a little wet, but the rest of the day was beautiful.

The Muscle Milk Aston Martin took pole in the P1 class, and Joey Hand took pole in the BMW for the GT class.

The closing laps were exciting as I watched from turn 3. The Dyson Mazda caught the Aston Martin but was not able to pass. After 4 hours of racing the gap between first and second place was only 0.112 seconds – a record in ALMS racing.

The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 took first in GT, with BMW taking second and third in class. Joey Hand and Dirk Muller maintain a firm lead in the points standings, making BMW fans very happy.

The complete official race results are HERE.

The complaint is the use of plastic in certain components, like the radiator, the water pump impeller and the thermostat housing. Those pieces can become brittle, break and cause a lot of trouble.

At about 80,000 miles I did a lot of work on the cooling system.

Here’s a video of the work I did.

I replaced the radiator on my (14 year old) 1997 M3. I also replaced the water pump with a Stewart High Performance unit and I upgraded to an aluminum thermostat housing. Of course, I replaced the thermostat while I was in there.

UPDATE ON NEW TIRES

I’ve talked about the new tires I have on My BMW M3. I have a “straight” set of wheels with Yokohama S.drive tires that are about 4 years old. Two of them are pretty worn and hydroplane on certain surfaces. These tires have done well for me and they still have a little life in them. I can use them as long as I’m on a dry surface. I like the tires so well that I’m getting them again. This time I’m putting them on my original wheels, which are “staggered.” (The rear wheels are wider than the front.)

Here’s what I noticed after taking the tires for their first drive.

MORE GRIP: The new tires are fresh and the compound is softer. But the tread is deeper. By thought was that I would feel the new tires “squirm” a little because the tread blocks are deeper and would have more flex. My experience here is that there’s very little squirm under normally “enthusiastic” driving. Instead, I notice that the tires have more grip under acceleration and in turns.

MORE CUSHION: This is something I didn’t expect. At first I thought it was my imagination, but I realize that the ride is slightly less harsh. I’m sure it’s simply because there’s more thickness to the rubber to cushion the ride.

Because the wheels are staggered, they cannot be rotated. I’ll be curious to see what kind of wear I get out of the rear tires.

My plan is to make very judicious use of my right foot. (Yeah… right.)

Old tires with plenty of tread can perform poorly or even be dangerous. Time and exposure to elements degrade the rubber and the compound begins to harden. That means that the tire won’t grip as well. This video talks about tire aging and compound degradation.

Aging can also effect the tire structure below the surface. The generally accepted sweet spot of tire life is around 5 years for normal driving. High performance driving and trucks pulling or carrying heavy loads might have a shorter practical life. Some have suggested 4 years.

Leaving in groups we took off down Hwy 44 and got off at the Pacific exit. Winding our way through some backroads we had a great drive to Sybill’s Restaurant. Group 1 was surprised by a cow in the middle of the road! Good thing we keep a reasonable pace and don’t go crazy fast.

Sybill’s is a great restaurant and we enjoyed a wonderful meal. Not shown in the video was our visit to the Two Squirrels Winery after lunch.

Why two sets of wheels?

I’ve got two sets of wheels for my M3. One set is the original wheels pictured here with the new tires. I also have a set made by Beyern that I purchased for the track. The original set is “staggered,” meaning that the rear wheels are wider than the front. It’s helpful for getting the power down to the pavement and for managing the balance of the car in the turns. They also enhance the appearance of the car. When viewed from the rear the car looks great with the wide, meaty tires.

As much as I love them, there’s also a down side to these wheels.

A staggered set of wheels does not allow for tire rotation. In normal driving conditions the rear wheel drive tires will have a lot more wear than the front. Driving on the track can add additional wear on one particular tire or another, depending on the track. Gateway International Raceway, for example (when it was open) was hard on the outside of the front right tire. That makes rotation even more important if you want to extend the life of your tires.

So why put the new tires on the staggered wheels?

There are three reasons I made this decision. First, the current tires still have some life in them for dry conditions. Second, Gateway is closed and I don’t expect to be out on the track any time soon. On the other hand, if I continue doing driving schools I’ll probably use a set of higher performance tires R-compound tires for the track on my straight set of wheels. The third reason relates to the life of the tire compound, unrelated to tread depth.

Tread depth isn’t the only wear consideration

Tires certainly wear from driving but rubber also degrades over a period of time. The compound of the tire hardens, reducing its ability to grip the road. The hardening is caused by heat cycles from driving and from exposure to ozone. So an old tire can have plenty of tread but still perform poorly. It can even become unsafe. The sweet spot of a tire’s usefulness is about 5 years.

Because I don’t put many miles on this car I expect the tread life of the rear tires and the life of the compound to be about the same. With judicious use of my right foot the tread on my rear tires will be done in about that 5 year window. So I get to use my street wheels with the more attractive wheels and wider rear tires.

Learn more about Yokohama S.drive tires.

This short video highlights the first generation M3 and its racing heritage. Can the M3 do well in 2011?

The first generation M3 was the E30. It had legendary performance on the race track in DTM.

Through the years we’ve seen many iterations of the BMW M3. After the E30 there was the E36, followed by the E46 and now we have the E90 making history. Here in the US you can watch BMWs race in the American Le Mans Series. Attending a live event with paddock access is a great way to go. You can meet some of the drivers and get a close look as the team prepares the cars for action.

The M3s are off to a great start this year, having taken first ans second at Sebring. Let’s hope they can be consistent throughout the rest of the season.

Prominent Crashes: There were a lot of surprises including two significant crashes and an unusually high number of laps under the yellow flag. Audi and Peugeot were fully set for a high speed dual, Audi having brought their new R18. The Corvette factory team arrived with high hopes of winning again. This would be a great way to celebrate their 10th year at Le Mans, and Chevrolet’s 100 year anniversary. Of the four classes racing, the two most interesting were P1 and GTE Pro.

Audi’s Woes: Audi started well but were soon sobered by two events. They’ve been dominant for a decade and are well known for their preparation and execution. This year, however, they were visited with misfortune. Two serious shunts kept viewers on the edge of their seats. In both cases the race was run under the yellow flag for extensive periods of time (totaling over 3 hours) while the barriers underwent repair.

In the opening laps Audi looked good until the 1 hour mark. Allan McNish crashed the #3 Audi when he attempted an aggressive pass on his teammate, colliding with a GT car. McNish was fortunate to walk away from his car that hit the tire barrier, flipped up and rolled. It was even more fortunate that no photographers or spectators were hurt as debris and one of the wheels rained down on the other side of the track barrier. That left two of Audi’s three cars left in the race.

GTE Pro: In GTE Pro the two BMWs ran with the leaders early in the race after qualifying on pole and third in their class. As the race progressed, however, the #55 car was hindered by a puncture. They were further troubled by an engine misfire that had to be addressed in the garage. They recovered but lost a couple of laps. Corvette was in the lead at the 1 hour mark. It was clear that they were contenders for the class win at this event. They’ve won many times at Le Mans, but were robbed of a possible additional win last year as one of their cars was punted by a Peugeot prototype driven by Anthony Davidson.

Racing into the night…

As the race ran into the night viewers were horrified again as Mike Rockenfeller crashed the #1 Audi on the Mulsanne Straight at about 180 MPH. The massive shunt occurred when a Ferrari moved over in the kink as the Audi approached. The Audi driver tried to take evasive action and disaster ensued. Fans held their breath along with teammates and announcers until it was confirmed that Rockenfeller had been able to exit the car on his own. It was a gut wrenching moment followed by great relief.

The barrier was repaired and the race went green at about 1:00 AM. But the yellow lasted for over 2 hours. Class leader and Corvette driver Olivier Beretta had been following the slow-moving safety car for so long that he suffered from carbon monoxide fumes. He came in for a driver change and was given oxygen.

Dawn: When the green flag flew again the remaining Audi was first in class, followed by a gaggle of Peugeots. Corvette ran first in GTE Pro and BMW’s best car was a couple laps down, in 7th. Through the night Audi and Peugeot traded lead positions and Peugeot emerged the stronger. Audi went down a few spots. Corvette was dominant through the night in GTE Pro. Jan Magnussen had a good lead in the early morning but crashed in the Porsche Curves trying to avoid a slower car. He was out of the race, leaving the other Corvette to chase down the #51 AF Course Ferrari 458 that inherited the lead.

As the morning progressed Audi fought toward the front. There were some great passes as Audi drivers Treluyer and Lotterer did a stellar job. The swordplay between Audi and Peugeot was great entertainment. The two teams traded lead positions as they each took their scheduled stops in the pits. In GTE Pro BMW made their way to 3rd and 5th.

Closing Hours: In the final two hours Audi took a more decisive lead, possibly helped by rain. The Ferrari 458 had problems that prevented them from running at full speed. They eventually gave up the class lead to the remaining Corvette. As the #56 BMW held 3rd in class the #55 BMW fell from 7th to 10th.

Finish and Notes: Audi’s Andre Lotterer pushed hard all the way to the end as the Peugeot driven by Sebastian Bourdais stalked him just seconds behind. Audi took the win over Peugeot after a very hard-fought 24 hours. Corvette took 1st in GTE Pro, with the AF Course Ferrari 458 taking 2nd and the #56 BMW M3 in 3rd.

Of special note is the number of American drivers and teams that took podium positions.

- P2: Scott Tucker’s Level 5 Motorsport took 3rd at their first crack at Le Mans

- GTE Pro: Corvette Racing took 1st and American Joey Hand took 3rd in a BMW M3

- GTE Am: Robertson Racing took 3rd with a husband and wife team at their first Le Mans. They’re grandparents who were also celebrating their wedding anniversary.