[user12464]

Originally Posted by MichaelB1969

Skidpad was fun. We did it with M5s and M2s, with TC off. I did a really good job inducing then controlling a slide with counter steer, which has always seemed very intuitive to me.

I did fairly well in the Rat Race. Came in 3rd or 4th. But drifting and staying in a drift I wasn’t great at. On the very last run the instructor said that I did a good job using the throttle to induce the drift but that I was too heavy on the throttle from there. So as I felt the drift angle reducing I was overly aggressive with the throttle which ultimately caused too much oversteer. Instead he said I should have had a lighter touch on the throttle to more easily maintain the drift angle.

That made a lot of sense and I would have loved to see if I was able to put that into practice…but he said it after my last run. 😂

So yeah, the drifting on the skidpad was a humbling experience!

The instructors said that in the Advanced school they build an autocross course which incorporates the skidpad in one of the sections. That would be fun!

Very cool. I'm doing the 2 day M school in Thermal next month so your write-up was very timely and fun to read! I got my G80CX a couple of months ago and want to try out the variable TC/RWD option and try some drifting. But no way I'm going to try that on the street!

Any other advice for prep? I've done a number of track days in my prior car (Cayman S) and I'll probably take my own car to the track this summer. I'm also pretty decent on GT7 lol...

[MichaelB1969]

Originally Posted by LuvMyE92

Great write-up Michael, thanks for sharing. I spent two days at the ultra-advanced BMW CCA special event yada-yada at Thermal which cost way too much money and I got a really bad head cold afterwards (fortunately the cold waited until we were done) and I missed my connecting flight on the way home, stuck overnight in frozen Denver with California desert clothing, but other than that, it was really great.

I wrote this up after my first track event in my first G82, and I am scheduled to hit the track early next month in G82 #2, also properly and correctly equipped with three pedals.

The only change I'd make to my write-up is that the wonky steering that I referred to appears to have been unique to that first car, as the current one is much better.

As for you guys and the comments on the M2, I concur. I had one, and it was not all that it should have been, honestly. I think the fact that I bought a second G82 speaks volumes for just how good it is.



And yes, no one should be driving these cars near the limit on public roads. Save it for the track, guys and gals.

Read your old write up. Nicely done! I was surprised about your comment about having the rear break loose to the point where you thought you’d spin.

But when you said it was in MDM it made sense. Our instructors said they don’t use MDM for students because it will definitely let the car spin out in the right circumstances. Something to consider for street driving! 😁

[MichaelB1969]

Originally Posted by user12464

Very cool. I'm doing the 2 day M school in Thermal next month so your write-up was very timely and fun to read! I got my G80CX a couple of months ago and want to try out the variable TC/RWD option and try some drifting. But no way I'm going to try that on the street!

Any other advice for prep? I've done a number of track days in my prior car (Cayman S) and I'll probably take my own car to the track this summer. I'm also pretty decent on GT7 lol...

You’re going to have a blast! Only thing you should focus on is getting a good sleep prior and during. I didn’t sleep great the night before and felt it as I was absolutely exhausted after day one. Got a great sleep for day 2 and that really helped.

I have to assume you know it’s going to be super hot when you’re there so obviously prepare for that. They have a seemingly endless supply of water bottles and plant them in the cars too, so staying hydrated is easy. EDIT: maybe it won't be that bad in April actually.

I’d consider taking a GoPro with a suction mount if they allow it. I’d ask. Not sure they want the liability of something potentially flying around the car on the track. But it would have been cool to take some videos.

I personally just stayed in drive the whole time and let the transmission do its thing. That’s what I would recommend most people do.

Lastly, ask the instructors lots of questions as they are really knowledgeable. Especially ask questions when you get back from driving sessions. After each there is a short break of around 10 minutes. It’s a great opportunity to ask the instructors you were with questions about the session.

Have fun! I’d definitely like to do it again sometime. Probably with my son.

[cfm56d7b]

Fantastic review. Echoes my own experience at Thermal. G80 is one of the best M vehicles one can buy right now.

[Bimmerfun82]

Your video looks like a simulation! Awesome write up. Agree 100%, especially with your comments about this being a great track car. The long wheelbase made it less agile for me (I had the M3cx), but in the right conditions even on tight s curves grip and handling the weight - uphill more than downhill - was immense and sharp. All that being said, on the street this car is a bit much. My previous M3’s were more sleeper cars with joy driving in all conditions. This G8x is bonkers and more of a track car in my experience/opinion. Nice to hear the comparison with the T, as I considered that as well. I’m not as young or adrenaline-seeking as I used to be, so the M3 was overkill for me… but if you have the chance to track your G8x, more power to you

[micvite]

Originally Posted by MichaelB1969

You’re going to have a blast! Only thing you should focus on is getting a good sleep prior and during. I didn’t sleep great the night before and felt it as I was absolutely exhausted after day one. Got a great sleep for day 2 and that really helped.

I have to assume you know it’s going to be super hot when you’re there so obviously prepare for that. They have a seemingly endless supply of water bottles and plant them in the cars too, so staying hydrated is easy. EDIT: maybe it won't be that bad in April actually.

I’d consider taking a GoPro with a suction mount if they allow it. I’d ask. Not sure they want the liability of something potentially flying around the car on the track. But it would have been cool to take some videos.

I personally just stayed in drive the whole time and let the transmission do its thing. That’s what I would recommend most people do.

Lastly, ask the instructors lots of questions as they are really knowledgeable. Especially ask questions when you get back from driving sessions. After each there is a short break of around 10 minutes. It’s a great opportunity to ask the instructors you were with questions about the session.

Have fun! I’d definitely like to do it again sometime. Probably with my son.

They do allow suction mounts, you can have as many go pros on the car as you want.
Also unless they changed something recently (since november) all their m4s and m3s should be rwd, they never had any of the xdrive cars other than the suvs and the m5.

[jmg]

Honestly I would skip the gopro and just soak in the experience. There was a lot of instruction going on, and worrying about turnin that gopro on and off is something that will get in the way. I brought mine on my first M School and simply stopped after the first event.

Save the gopro for a track day and then you can get more creative with the mounting and mic placement. I use a helmet mounted gopro paired with a wireless Rode mounted to the rear bumper to capture the exhaust sounds:

[G30M]

Originally Posted by MichaelB1969

NOTE: Driving on a track is always a good reminder for me that there is simply ZERO chance that I could safely test the limits of a car like this on the street. For anyone that is only going to drive on the street that is worried about the relatively minor differences in power between a base and competition or a manual or automatic so that they can eek out every last drop of performance is kidding themselves. It doesn't matter...until you get on a track. If you feel otherwise, I'd assume you've never actually driven a car like this on the track near the limit, or you are either insane or totally irresponsible, or both. Sure, getting a comp and x-drive will help you beat other cars in a race from one stoplight to another, but that's not performance driving. That's more about stroking someone's ego.
!

unless it's raining. don't ask me how i know.

[ASAP]

great writeup... i owned an m2 and completely agree with your statement, that car is all over the place

[Eric@NRP]

I appreciate the write up! I bought the 2 day m school but have not pulled the trigger on going yet. Not sure if to go to SC or Thermal

[jmg]

Originally Posted by MichaelB1969

Sure, getting a comp and x-drive will help you beat other cars in a race from one stoplight to another, but that's not performance driving. That's more about stroking someone's ego.

I don't consider stoplight racing performance driving either, but the X-Drive solves a big problem that the M3/4 has had since the E90: getting more traction to the ground. The G8X solved some of this by allowing wider wheels in the front, and reworking the suspension, but with the added power and torque of the G8X generation, the rear biased X-Drive was really the only logical next step without shaving about 400lbs by developing a whole new M car instead of starting with a G20.

After years of tracking a RWD F80, the rear biased X-Drive was attractive because it offers sooner on throttle corner exit speeds with only a little less than a 100lb trade-off while still maintaining the steer by throttle characteristics of a RWD.

Originally Posted by ASAP

great writeup... i owned an m2 and completely agree with your statement, that car is all over the place

That's kind of what was fun about it though!

[MichaelB1969]

Originally Posted by jmg

Honestly I would skip the gopro and just soak in the experience. There was a lot of instruction going on, and worrying about turnin that gopro on and off is something that will get in the way. I brought mine on my first M School and simply stopped after the first event.

Save the gopro for a track day and then you can get more creative with the mounting and mic placement. I use a helmet mounted gopro paired with a wireless Rode mounted to the rear bumper to capture the exhaust sounds:

Agree with you. I think it would be cool to video a few runs just to be able to capture and share the experience a little bit. However, if you tried to capture everything it would seriously detract from the experience.

I wish I captured just a few runs though!

[MichaelB1969]

Originally Posted by jmg

I don't consider stoplight racing performance driving either, but the X-Drive solves a big problem that the M3/4 has had since the E90: getting more traction to the ground. The G8X solved some of this by allowing wider wheels in the front, and reworking the suspension, but with the added power and torque of the G8X generation, the rear biased X-Drive was really the only logical next step without shaving about 400lbs by developing a whole new M car instead of starting with a G20.

After years of tracking a RWD F80, the rear biased X-Drive was attractive because it offers sooner on throttle corner exit speeds with only a little less than a 100lb trade-off while still maintaining the steer by throttle characteristics of a RWD.



That's kind of what was fun about it though!

I agree. Given the power of the S58, AWD will definitely help put the power down to the pavement.

[BRAKE!]

Literally echo every single thing you said about your experience. I made a post about my experience at the 2 day M school in 2021 in SC.

The takeaway I got was that the cars are incredibly capable on the track, and the auto is amazing in that it lets you forget about the transmission and focus your mind on the things that matter - vision, braking points, track out, etc. However, as capable it is on the track, for a street focused car, the manual gives you far more engagement. These auto transmissions are only fun when you're driving 10/10th IMO (otherwise out on the streets you tap the right paddle twice and you're over the speed limit)

I walked away thinking that this was going to be my limited track experience, but I have to say it opened up a whole new world and I've been a few more times since. It's addicting.

Thank you for your summary, reading your experience just brought back so much of mine. I recommend this to anyone who can go (and make sure you do the 2 day so you can take advantage of driving out on the whole track)

[adc]

So now that you are upgrading to an M3, do you want to sell the 911T? I’m serious.

[MichaelB1969]

Already sold it a few months ago! Been renting a 235i convertible from Sixt until my M3 arrives. 😁

[veenut28]

Interesting take on the M2 which seems to be catching a little shade here. I think it’s telling that this is based on track performance. To me there’s no comparison between the G8x and F87 on track - the G cars feel more planted and precise and are much better track weapons if you’re chasing lap times. That “squirrelly” feeling of the M2 is what it makes a dicier proposition on track but so, so much more fun on the street. As you mentioned, you never feel like you’re close to the limit with the G8x on the road but the M2 gets bouncy even at sane road speed. I think it’s what’s led some reviewers to deride the G8x as sterile or in some cases, boring.

[M2CS]

Originally Posted by veenut28

Interesting take on the M2 which seems to be catching a little shade here. I think it’s telling that this is based on track performance. To me there’s no comparison between the G8x and F87 on track - the G cars feel more planted and precise and are much better track weapons if you’re chasing lap times. That “squirrelly” feeling of the M2 is what it makes a dicier proposition on track but so, so much more fun on the street. As you mentioned, you never feel like you’re close to the limit with the G8x on the road but the M2 gets bouncy even at sane road speed. I think it’s what’s led some reviewers to deride the G8x as sterile or in some cases, boring.

The G8x is a great platform and it has assists that can help even average drivers get closer to the limit. The car is the star of the show. With something like a M2, it's not going to cover up as many errors so if you're looking for a quick laptime and achieve it, you will feel like the star of the show. I'm not saying the M2 is hard to drive, it just has to be driven correctly to get a lot of speed (otherwise it likes to slide) and it takes a level of skill to do that.

[spuntyb]

Thanks for sharing. Reminds me I need to use the voucher I got with the M Driver’s Package with this car at some point. Thermal sounds pretty fun!

[to_riffic]

Yeah, the S58 is bonkers good. I had my fun with it in the X3M. The ZF8 never bother me. When you're on WOT, it can be just as engaging as a DCT, but that exterior, I doubt I'll ever get over it. Glad you enjoyed your time at Thermal. I did the GT4 experience and had a blast

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by MichaelB1969

Comparison to my 911 Carrera T: in all fairness, I never drove my 911 on track, so can't fully compare. And obviously they are very different cars with different missions. That said, people often compare them, so figured I'd at least mention it. My take is that that the Porsche "felt" better. Even off the track, I felt more connected to the driving experience. Better steering feel, felt more nimble, more communication through the chassis, better shifter, engine sounded better (although was not as powerful), etc. However, I only fully appreciated these things when I was driving aggressively on twisty roads (again, NOT like I'd drive on a track, but within reasonable safety margins), which was maybe 2% of the time. While the M3/4 might give a bit away in terms of driving dynamics and overall engagement, it is still really fun to drive and offers incredible performance while being much more comfortable and practical as a daily driver (which is essentially the mission of the car, to do many things well).

The Carrera T is a special car. It's got that Porsche secret sauce built into the tuning of the car. It's down on power, but that can be solved with a tune. But how they manage to make it feel so alive even compared to a Carrera or Carrera S is just divine.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by jmg

That's kind of what was fun about it though!

it makes it fun and a bit scary but not necessarily good...


its good if all you want to do is go sideways on the street on a super bouncy suspension... many consider that fun... i kind of find that to be a bit unsettling... it would be very HARD for you to set a good lap time in a stock M2