MarkCup's BMW M140i

[BIFCAIDS]

Silverstone ... full GP layout

Is probably exactly why I didn't enjoy it.

 

[-Jamie-]

Yeah that's looooong in something with not a lot of pace, Being so wide won't help either

 

[MarkCup]

Do you ever do track days at entertaining circuits or just the flat boring ones?

Nope, just mostly airfield permiter borne circuits which is about all I have within easy reach on the South Coast. There's Brands Hatch of course, but meh, too small and congested as the Indy circuit, and I've never been even slightly drawn to running on the full circuit.

It may not look it but Goodwood has a surprising amount of elevation change...and it's challenging in so far as it's the only circuit that hasn't undergone improvements and modifications in the name of safety over the last 50 years.

It's fast, very fast, and there's next to f*** all run-off anywhere.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

I must be odd. I've never thought any circuit I've driven on was dull. They all have their challenges. I'm obviously not enough of a driving god 😂

 

[BIFCAIDS]

I must be odd. I've never thought any circuit I've driven on was dull. They all have their challenges. I'm obviously not enough of a driving god 😂

Who said it was anything about being a driving god, Im crap and still found aforementioned circuits boring.

Mark you want to try broadening your horizons, do what the rest of us do and travel a little, christ other than Oulton(40mim) everything is 2+ hours away. You'll be able to update your MPG graph.

 

[Flat Eric]

No track is dull.

Plus I find it entertaining watching Mark push some decent machinery around the track because he knows it so well. It catches loads of people out.

 

[Sir_Dave]

Unless you are in something super fast, & don't mind binning it, so are pushing super hard, Goodwood is pretty dull after a couple of goes tbh, I've told Mark this on numerous occasions

Brands Hatch is shed loads better, if only for paddock hill bend then Brands is a bit average compared to say Donington or Cadwell. Goodwood is basically a bigger/posher version of Llandow ...

 

[-Jamie-]

I must be odd. I've never thought any circuit I've driven on was dull. They all have their challenges. I'm obviously not enough of a driving god [emoji23]

What's challenging about Bedford? There's nothing to hit and it has 23.5 miles of runoff [emoji23]

 

[MarkCup]

What's challenging about Bedford? There's nothing to hit and it has 23.5 miles of runoff [emoji23]

Which is exactly why I've booked a day there in April. I need to learn more about this diff without fear of a big mistake hurting too much.

 

[-Jamie-]

Which is exactly why I've booked a day there in April. I need to learn more about this diff without fear of a big mistake hurting too much.

Just book a Ring or Spa trackday and learn with the fear of an expensive bill [emoji23]

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

Who said it was anything about being a driving god, Im crap and still found aforementioned circuits boring.

Mark you want to try broadening your horizons, do what the rest of us do and travel a little, christ other than Oulton(40mim) everything is 2+ hours away. You'll be able to update your MPG graph.

Try driving faster 😂 I've never found driving on the limit dull, regardless of where it is.

What's challenging about Bedford? There's nothing to hit and it has 23.5 miles of runoff [emoji23]

The guy that stuffed his GTR into a 720S last time I was there probably didn't think it was dull 😂

 

[-Jamie-]

Try driving faster [emoji23] I've never found driving on the limit dull, regardless of where it is.



The guy that stuffed his GTR into a 720S last time I was there probably didn't think it was dull [emoji23]

That's just being a spastic


Fair enough if you don't find the aforementioned circuits dull, But as soon as you do some decent milage anywhere or elsewhere with elevation changes you soon realise how boring a flat circuit is compared

 

[Flat Eric]

I admit when I did Donny it was much more fun than when I have done Llandow, Bedford or Blyton.

I'd say I enjoyed Llandow more than Bedford, that back straight at Bedford in a clio is certainly dull! 🤣
In a 140i I imagine it'll be over quite quick though

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

That's just being a spastic


Fair enough if you don't find the aforementioned circuits dull, But as soon as you do some decent milage anywhere or elsewhere with elevation changes you soon realise how boring a flat circuit is compared

Been to the 'ring so have experienced elevation change. Don't get me wrong, it adds another dimension, but I still enjoy the flat stuff. If I'm in a car, driving it at the limit, it's all good.

I admit when I did Donny it was much more fun than when I have done Llandow, Bedford or Blyton.

I'd say I enjoyed Llandow more than Bedford, that back straight at Bedford in a clio is certainly dull! 🤣
In a 140i I imagine it'll be over quite quick though

I'd quite like to try Bedford. I've only done it as a passenger. It was in my mate's Puma, so definitely underpowered, but it was fun hassling faster stuff in the bends 😎

 

[BIFCAIDS]

Just book a Ring or Spa trackday and learn with the fear of an expensive bill [emoji23]

The expensive bill is an excuse to build another, better car. Beleive me.

 

[-Jamie-]

The expensive bill is an excuse to build another, better car. Beleive me.

Yeah im sure I was on the day you took the scenic route at Pouhon [emoji38]

 

[BIFCAIDS]

Yeah im sure I was on the day you took the scenic route at Pouhon [emoji38]

And that is why you should never run spacers on a track car. Lesson learnt, bought a new car 3 weeks later booked my next track day 11 months later.

 

[MarkCup]

...as soon as you do some decent milage anywhere or elsewhere with elevation changes you soon realise how boring a flat circuit is compared

I'm completely with @massivewangers on this...and couldn't disagree more.

To me a circuit is just a playground to explore my car. I like trying to nail a perfect lap, every entrance, every exit, tip-toeing up to the edge of what's available without stepping too far over the line. That never gets dull.

I've done many other circuits many times back in my Clio 172 Cup, I had a mission to chalk off as many as I could...and then I realised, it doesn't matter where I'm doing what I enjoy doing, just that I'm actually doing it.

Driving and learning. That's all it is for me...and the fact that I have Goodwood on my doorstep to learn on is a bonus.

 

[MarkCup]

This is as far as I got...admittedly not very far!

I did also have an Oulton Park day booked once, but having driven the entire way there the evening before, in terrible snowy and icy conditions, I got to the circuit the next morning and it was closed and the day had been cancelled. They emailed everyone about the cancellation the day before but didn't call...and this was before email was available on mobiles.

That kind of convinced me to stay close to home.

 

[McGherkin]

Haynes isn’t a track and 4 of those are the same bloody track

 

[MarkCup]

Yep! 🤣

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

No Snetterton on there? I'm offended.

 

[-Jamie-]

So you've missed all the best circuits in the UK then [emoji38]

 

[Stay Puft]

Brands is only two hours away, similar to Bedford distance wise isnt it? I’m hoping to do Brands Hatch in the summer.

 

[Sir_Dave]

So you've missed all the best circuits in the UK then [emoji38]

Barring Brands Hatch, @MarkCup appears to be afraid of elevation changes 😂

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

I didn't realise we had so many F1 drivers on here 😂

 

[-Jamie-]

Barring Brands Hatch, @MarkCup appears to be afraid of elevation changes [emoji23]

Scared of getting a nosebleed

I didn't realise we had so many F1 drivers on here [emoji23]

No one is saying they are ffs? [emoji23][emoji2359]

 

[MarkCup]

In other sea level news I realised I'm rapidly approaching the point at which I sacked my RS off for being fragile. Time has goine by so quickly in this thing 😁

 

[Gouldy]

Mark; have you had this remapped?

(I couldn't be bothered to read through the entire thread)

 

[MarkCup]

Mark; have you had this remapped?

(I couldn't be bothered to read through the entire thread)

Nope.

I'm 50/50 on that...my warranty expires early in March so it's an option, and a cheap one at that, to easily have it putting out 425bhp + 435lbsft.

But I'm really not sure it needs it, I can't ever say I've not been able to scare myself silly in it!

 

[Gouldy]

Nope.

I'm 50/50 on that...my warranty expires early in March so it's an option, and a cheap one at that, to easily have it putting out 425bhp + 435lbsft.

But I'm really not sure it needs it, I can't ever say I've not been able to scare myself silly in it!

If I was going to take it anywhere for mapping, I'd go down the Litchfield route.

 

[MarkCup]

If I was going to take it anywhere for mapping, I'd go down the Litchfield route.

That's exactly who I have in mind if I were to do it. Drive in, hand over £600, drive out in an identical car in ALL aspects except it'll pull harder than a Ferrari 360 and still return a fairly easy 30mpg.

That's mental.

 

[David172]

You won't regret a remap. Maybe consider a sports cat downpipe too. It made mine sound that bit more angry and exciting, even when wafting along in comfort.

 

[Gouldy]

That's exactly who I have in mind if I were to do it. Drive in, hand over £600, drive out in an identical car in ALL aspects except it'll pull harder than a Ferrari 360 and still return a fairly easy 30mpg.

That's mental.

Do it.

 

[Stay Puft]

Or just get the JB4/MHD box!

 

[MarkCup]

You won't regret a remap. Maybe consider a sports cat downpipe too. It made mine sound that bit more angry and exciting, even when wafting along in comfort.

That doesn't appeal to me, I like that mine is as unassuming as a 114d both inside and out.

Plus, by leaving everything standard and not bothering with a remap I can insure with BMW, and they charge pennies. Also, my LSD is not viewed as a mod by them as it's a BMW supplied part.

#easylife

 

[NorthloopCup]

That doesn't appeal to me, I like that mine is as unassuming as a 114d both inside and out.

Plus, by leaving everything standard and not bothering with a remap I can insure with BMW, and they charge pennies. Also, my LSD is not viewed as a mod by them as it's a BMW supplied part.

#easylife

We can always tell if ones been fitted with a jb4/other random plug and play box. What’s not so easy to tell is if they’ve been remapped. Some remaps are that obvious though, that the software picks it up and flags it on the system. Every brief test sends back vehicle information back to bmw too, so they’re always looking in that respect.

 

[1985michael182]

Pretty obvious on a road test aswell lol

 

[Gouldy]

Cant you fit a plug and play box. Then remove it when you take it in for a service at bmw?

 

[NorthloopCup]

Pretty obvious on a road test aswell lol

Lol - well yeah assuming it gets a kicking!

Cant you fit a plug and play box. Then remove it when you take it in for a service at bmw?

You can do yeah. Loads of people do it. But it logs fault codes when things are unplugged.