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2019+ BMW 3 AND 4-SERIES FORUMS (G2x Generation) General G20 Sedan / G22 Coupe / G26 Gran Coupe Discussions Curious: Have anyone ever tracked their M340i? Or know verified track times?

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      01-17-2021, 09:51 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Montaver View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by MBM340 View Post
CALM down everyone. I NEVER said a Miata would beat our M340. That was NOT the question. He asked for a "Better" track car, not a faster one...

And no way the Miata beats our M340 but it is still better in many respects as a track car because Mazda has focused a TON of resources on getting the Miata on track whilst BMW has spent ZERO effort on getting the M340 on track.
Well that's not entirely true. I would go so far to say they have put more thought and resources into the m340i for casual track time than any non-M car to date

- It has an LSD as standard
- Still a RWD option
- A track cooling pack is an option
- It has bigger brakes than the M3 just two generations ago
- The first journalist test drives were at Portimao! A race track.. (The Straight Pipes did a full video)
I added those items to mine, so I could do 2 to 3 track days a year. :-)
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      01-18-2021, 08:22 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MBM340 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Montaver View Post
The M340i will be fun on track - RWD, limited slip differential, plenty of power. It's held back a by weight and cooling (annoying you can't spec a G20 with no sunroof). The brakes are far more substantial that what an E90 M3 has stock for example.

As for it being slower than a Miata... have you ever shared a track with a Miata?! They are moving traffic cones, the m340i will be leagues quicker. I haven't looked at lap times but an m340i would be comfortably quicker than a lot of cars you see at at HPDE (BRZ, E46 M3, 350z etc). It would quite easily hold its own, but it will chew consumables.
CALM down everyone. I NEVER said a Miata would beat our M340. That was NOT the question. He asked for a "Better" track car, not a faster one...

And no way the Miata beats our M340 but it is still better in many respects as a track car because Mazda has focused a TON of resources on getting the Miata on track whilst BMW has spent ZERO effort on getting the M340 on track.
I knew what you meant. Appreciate the info. And i have heard numerous times how fun and balanced the mx-5 is. I asked because may be there is a special edition that was perhaps a lot faster which I didn't know about.

I know that a track car does not necessarily mean a brutal fast straight line speed. I just thought m340i also has a good balance of power, braking and handling.
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      01-19-2021, 02:31 AM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M340i Pride View Post
Couldn't find any info in the internet. We all know that M340i is blistering fast in the straights. But I wonder how much of that could be transferred on a track...
I’ve dying to find out once I have some time away from work to see how this thing is on streets of willow.

I know it’s heavy, so turn in may not be as crisp carrying loads of weight. However this is my first car with e diff, so I’m curious to see how well it compensates.

After several laps with fast times, limiting factor would be brakes, brake fluid/tires (pilot sport 4s).
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      01-29-2021, 01:01 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by MBM340 View Post
OMG there are plenty of them....I have been driving BMWs for 35 years and I love my M340, but a better track car for the same money?
- 2018 Corvette Grand Sport
- 2019 BMW M2 Competition
- 2018 Mustang Shelby GT350R

How about better track cars for less $$:
- Ariel Atom
- Mazda MX5 Miata Club

For more money there are a lot of them:
- 2020 Porsche Cayman GT4
- Lambo Gallardo
- Etc Etc.


My humble opinion is that the M340 was NOT designed as a track car at all. You can track any car, but for those of you who have not raced cars on a track before, racetracks beat the shit out of normal street cars. The design and development of a street car is LIGHTYEARS away from what is needed to go fast and stop fast on track.
Each marque usually has a car or two that CAN do well on track, in our BMW family the M2 and M3 come to mind, but the M340 is not designed to race on track. Ford has the aforementioned GT350R and most manufacturers have one model that can be tracked and perform well, but man I can tell you from having raced many vehicles over the years that if you take your DD M340 on track....well, good luck with that.
I agree, with most of your post except that good luck with that regarding the M340 especially with the cooling package. I just sold my beloved 2010 528xi and got a 2021 M340Xi. I took my rather slow of the line 528xi( 0-60 7.0 seconds ) to the track on average twice per year with no problem max speed I hit was 125 mph in straight away, the max top speed of the car was 150. Believe it or not I did pass a few cars each time and plenty pass me also. Yes the brake pads got really hot and smelly and the engine got really hot but the car was able to handle the beating, so I'm sure the M340 cold do better with no problem just don't think you will be a Track Rat , those guys are there twice a month.
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      01-30-2021, 03:48 AM   #27
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Put mine through it's paces at a track day up at willow springs a few months back. Running JB4, Intake, and DP. Car did amazing, and it was about 85-90 degrees. No issues whatsoever, was running 100+ octane as well. Only thing to watch out for is tires/brakes heating up which is typical for any car at a track. Was keeping up with F80 M3's, M2's, you name it. Did outstanding, zero complaints for me. Went out 5 times over the day and did a solid 6-8 laps each time out. Hope my input helps, definitely a great balanced car.
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      01-30-2021, 05:33 PM   #28
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Just saw the M340 Spec series whilst watching the 24 of Daytona...err, oops, that was the MX-5 series...LOL.
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      01-30-2021, 07:16 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hayko_M340 View Post
Put mine through it's paces at a track day up at willow springs a few months back. Running JB4, Intake, and DP. Car did amazing, and it was about 85-90 degrees. No issues whatsoever, was running 100+ octane as well. Only thing to watch out for is tires/brakes heating up which is typical for any car at a track. Was keeping up with F80 M3's, M2's, you name it. Did outstanding, zero complaints for me. Went out 5 times over the day and did a solid 6-8 laps each time out. Hope my input helps, definitely a great balanced car.
Thats awesome! Well that tells me that m340i is sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of full on track work. I mean that is good enough for me...
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      01-30-2021, 07:17 PM   #30
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Originally Posted by MBM340 View Post
Just saw the M340 Spec series whilst watching the 24 of Daytona...err, oops, that was the MX-5 series...LOL.
lol
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      02-12-2021, 06:59 AM   #31
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Has anyone found track pads that fit m340 with cooling pack. Hawk dtc 70 or 90 would be preferable.
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      03-02-2021, 11:58 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hayko_M340 View Post
Put mine through it's paces at a track day up at willow springs a few months back. Running JB4, Intake, and DP. Car did amazing, and it was about 85-90 degrees. No issues whatsoever, was running 100+ octane as well. Only thing to watch out for is tires/brakes heating up which is typical for any car at a track. Was keeping up with F80 M3's, M2's, you name it. Did outstanding, zero complaints for me. Went out 5 times over the day and did a solid 6-8 laps each time out. Hope my input helps, definitely a great balanced car.
Really glad to have some trackday feedback, thanks for sharing

I have a semi-dedicated e92 m3 "track car" but may take my m340i out on occasion as well. I'm curious if you have the Cooling and High Performance Tire Package on your car? LINK

Mainly I'm curious if my car will overheat w/o the added oil cooler. I do have the extra side coolers since I have the self-driving stuff on my car but no oil cooler. All of our cars still include an oil-to-coolant heat exchanger which appears to use the coolant to cool the oil but no dedicated oil cooler w/o the package mentioned above.

I posted a little more info on the oil-to-coolant heat exchanger on page-5 of the above linked thread.
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      03-02-2021, 12:02 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ilyam5 View Post
Has anyone found track pads that fit m340 with cooling pack. Hawk dtc 70 or 90 would be preferable.
Counterspace Garage sells brake pads for the new Supra. I'm pretty sure the calipers and pad shapes are the same as our cars, might give them a call.
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      03-03-2021, 02:56 AM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///Mobbin View Post
Really glad to have some trackday feedback, thanks for sharing

I have a semi-dedicated e92 m3 "track car" but may take my m340i out on occasion as well. I'm curious if you have the Cooling and High Performance Tire Package on your car? LINK

Mainly I'm curious if my car will overheat w/o the added oil cooler. I do have the extra side coolers since I have the self-driving stuff on my car but no oil cooler. All of our cars still include an oil-to-coolant heat exchanger which appears to use the coolant to cool the oil but no dedicated oil cooler w/o the package mentioned above.

I posted a little more info on the oil-to-coolant heat exchanger on page-5 of the above linked thread.
Nope, don't have the cooling high performance package. Car did just fine, oil temp was steady around 220-225. I am using 0W-30 rather than recommended 0W-20 which helped a lot. Never had to top up oil like majority of M340 owners. Proper break in procedures and frequent 5k mile oil changes using quality oil helps a lot. Oh had two bottles of Redline Water Watter as well in my coolant. Helps disperse the heat much better and keeps temps steady. Hope that helps!
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      03-03-2021, 07:30 AM   #35
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So I pretty much am retired from the track after 20 years of M cars (M5, M6, 3-M3s, and finally an M2) BUT....bought my M340 last year with intention of trying it out just to see how it stacks up....didn't get out last year due to COVID-19 but will sign up this summer.
I do have the track package as well as Dinan exhaust and intake and will go with stock Michelin ps4s but will probably swap out brake pads and maybe put some harnesses in....first time on track with an automatic....
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      03-03-2021, 09:41 AM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///Mobbin View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ilyam5 View Post
Has anyone found track pads that fit m340 with cooling pack. Hawk dtc 70 or 90 would be preferable.
Counterspace Garage sells brake pads for the new Supra. I'm pretty sure the calipers and pad shapes are the same as our cars, might give them a call.
I was told by Zechhausen Racing that the track pads from my 2017 M2 will fit the 340.....haven't tried them yet
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      03-04-2021, 12:20 PM   #37
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This is a good comparison:

https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...lightning-lap/

And a comparison of lap times from Lightning Laps at VIR: https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...storical-data/

A 3:03.2 isn't fast by any means - but you can look at other cars it is faster than and note that it isn't exactly a slow car - on VIR at least.

Last edited by Liquid_Ice; 03-04-2021 at 12:46 PM..
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      03-04-2021, 06:12 PM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlapicki View Post
So I pretty much am retired from the track after 20 years of M cars (M5, M6, 3-M3s, and finally an M2) BUT....bought my M340 last year with intention of trying it out just to see how it stacks up....didn't get out last year due to COVID-19 but will sign up this summer.
I do have the track package as well as Dinan exhaust and intake and will go with stock Michelin ps4s but will probably swap out brake pads and maybe put some harnesses in....first time on track with an automatic....
Wow!! Can't wait for your review. You have so much experience on track and m cars!!

Im sure you know this already but that ZF 8 speed is a jewel. Super fast and smooth.
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      03-04-2021, 06:14 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Liquid_Ice View Post
This is a good comparison:

https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...lightning-lap/

And a comparison of lap times from Lightning Laps at VIR: https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...storical-data/

A 3:03.2 isn't fast by any means - but you can look at other cars it is faster than and note that it isn't exactly a slow car - on VIR at least.
Totally agreed. It is pretty darn good. Almost as quick as a Ls3 vette. That is a great company to be in I believe. With quicker off the line speed to boot. Im good with it.
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      03-11-2022, 04:32 PM   #40
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On track do you drive with dsc all off or traction on?
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      03-11-2022, 04:55 PM   #41
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On track do you drive with dsc all off or traction on?
Depends on many factors not the least of which is your experience and skill...also the track, the weather, etc...

Start out with everything on and when you have mastered the line and are picking up speed try turning them off if you have skills to catch spins manually...

Btw.....I did do a complete report of my M340i on track in another post on this forum....I'm sure you can find it if you do a search....it was very capable but couldn't match speeds or lap times of my M2 or M3s and it wasn't nearly as precise and trusted..
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      03-11-2022, 05:24 PM   #42
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I didn't read the thread so idk if it was mentioned but Car and Driver wheeled it around VIR 2.5 seconds slower then the F82 M4. For a ~3 minute lap time 2.5 seconds isn't that much considering it's down 60hp and has 9" front wheels with the 255 size tire that the M340i has on the back
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      03-11-2022, 10:05 PM   #43
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I've tracked my m340i (with ztk pkg) at Sonoma raceway once. Only mod, if you even call that, is rt660 tires 265/245. I was running around 2:00 but I feel like the car has at least another 3-5 seconds in it. My lines weren't that great as it was my first time at that track. The car has tons of grip but could use more front camber. The seats also don't hold you in at 1.2-1.3g around the corners. Stock power was plenty adequate for that track
Zero issues with heat soak. Oil temps maintained at around 220-230. Ambient temps weren't too bad that day either. I think around 80 degrees iirc
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      03-11-2022, 11:32 PM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iifymbro View Post
I didn't read the thread so idk if it was mentioned but Car and Driver wheeled it around VIR 2.5 seconds slower then the F82 M4. For a ~3 minute lap time 2.5 seconds isn't that much considering it's down 60hp and has 9" front wheels with the 255 size tire that the M340i has on the back
They also didn't have any spare tires unlike other cars so they weren't able to put on that many laps. They said they can probably get the times down a couple seconds more
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