theCARhack

Targa: The Team

2012-05-02T17:53:56Z

A few posts back we annouced our entry in the Targa Newfoundland, and we mentioned we'd be bringing some updates, including information on our team members. Somewhat complete biographies past the jump.

]]> The Driver
Bill Caswell

Bill is a self-taught racing driver, mechanic, and fabricator that rose to worldwide internet fame by taking a $500 Craigslist BMW to a World Rally Championship event in Mexico in March of 2010. His exploits have been featured in outlets like ESPN Magazine, Grassroots Motorsports, NPR Radio, Wired.com and Jalopnik.com.

Caswell graduated with an MBA from University of Chicago in 2004 and spent several years working in finance. The economic downturn gave him the opportunity to follow his dreams and after constructing a car on his own, he entered the world of rally in 2009. The next fifteen months saw Caswell embark on his rally adventure culminating at WRC Mexico 2010. With no team, little budget, and only a co-driver for help, he achieved a podium finish in one of the sport’s most grueling events. Bill typically competes with Rally America and NASA Rallysport in the U.S. and has competed in the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, built his own BAJA 1000 racer in less than 14 days and drove it in the race, all the while developing an international following.

Paramount Pictures announced the development of a major motion picture based on his racing life starring Academy-Award-nominated actor Jeremy Renner (‘The Hurt Locker’, ‘The Avengers’, and ‘The Bourne Legacy’). Filming begins this summer.

Bill was voted one of the ten nicest guys in racing by followers of Jalopnik.com: “The quixotic rally racer and his endlessly abused BMW have developed a fervent fan following by all but inviting us along for the ride. He's in it for the raw fun, it shows, and he probably knows what it means to the rest of us who watch him battle against the big guys-- an inspiration, both as a racer and as a public face.”

The Co-Driver
Horst Reinhardt Jr

Horst is an engineer, US Army Reserve officer, experienced mechanic and partner in VRPerformance, a highly respected automotive performance workshop headquartered in SE Michigan. He is active in the BMW Car Club of America where he’s been the editor/publisher of the MotorCity Chapter’s newsletter for the past decade.

After a successful first career in the machine tool business, Horst partnered with his friend Eric Volz in 2005 to open a performance parts retail and installation facility. VRPerformance quickly became the local benchmark for hardcore automotive enthusiasts. The shop’s first race car project hit the track in 2009.

If leaving the safety net of a guaranteed paycheck to open a small business was not adventurous enough, at the same time Horst joined the Army Reserve as a combat engineering officer. Once an idea enters his head, be it competing in the One Lap of America, organizing events at race tracks, opening a business or joining the military, he doggedly pursues the notion to the end.

The Chief
Eric Volz

The “V” of VRPerformance, Eric apprenticed with a race team while attending university in Iowa where he received his degree in mechanical engineering. When not at the shop and under a car, Eric is putting his track experience and engineering degree to work in the vehicle development field.

He met Horst at a BMW club event almost a decade ago. They quickly realized that they shared the same passion for automotive performance and racing. Thanks to Eric, VRPerformance has become the shop in SE Michigan to go to for suspension tuning.

Eric compliments the big vision of the other team members with the attention to detail and discipline to turn those often lofty ideas into reality.

Aide-de-camp
John Sandrock

John is a commercial banker, trading in foreign currencies and energy derivatives. He graduated from the University of Colorado and then returned to his home state of Michigan. During the course of a career in capital markets that has spanned thirty years he raised a family at his suburban Detroit residence.

In common with all the team members, John has been inspired by automobiles since his youth. Early activities included repair shop mechanical work and performance rallying – all before leaving high school. Restoring sports cars, participating in car club events and motorsports all serve as outlets for John’s passion in cars.

One Saturday morning, several years ago, John stopped by the VRPerformance with his E30 M3. He has not been the same since

Target Targa Newfoundland

2012-04-24T18:14:48Z

VRPerformance Racing has entered the 2012 Targa Newfoundland. We'll be running a highly modified 2003 BMW M3 (follow the construction of the car on this blog). Team members include Bill Caswell, Horst Reinhardt Jr., Eric Volz and John Sandrock. Along with race car build updates, we'll fill you in on the teammates' backgrounds and some Targa Newfoundland information in the months ahead, so stay tuned. As a not so quick primer, check out the 2011 Targa Newfoundland video past the jump that the SPEED channel recenty posted.

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VRPerformance Open Track Day at Grattan

2012-04-24T17:36:33Z

Our annual track day is set for 2012. We'll be heading to Grattan Raceway May 11th.

As every year, we gather experienced track drivers (those with some club or professional performance driving instruction under their seatbelts) for 8 or so hours of open track fun. And we rely heavily on personal responsibility to make the event safe for everyone.

]]> Date: Friday, May 11th, 2012 rain or shine
Time: Short driver's meeting at 8:30, open track from 09:00 to 17:00, lunch around 12:00
Early registration $225 via check, $235 via credit
Late registration (after April 1st) $245/$255
Grattan Raceway, Belding, Michigan

If you're not on the email list, contact us today.

Check out a little video by Jason from last year's event:

VRPerformance Open Track Day at GingerMan

2011-06-09T14:37:54Z

It's official: Friday, July 29th, 2011 is the date for another VRPerformance Open Track day-- this time at the newly configured GingerMan Raceway in beautiful South Haven, Michigan.

If you've been to one of our events in the past, you know the drill. We try to gather experienced track drivers (those with some club or professional performance driving instruction under their seatbelts) for 8 or so hours of open track fun. We rely heavily on personal responsibility to make the event safe for everyone.

]]> Date: Friday, July 29th, 2011 rain or shine
Time: Short driver's meeting at 8:30, open track from 09:00 to 17:00, lunch around 12:00
Early registration $225 via check, $235 via credit
Late registration (after July 1st) $245/$255
GingerMan Raceway, South Haven, Michigan

Do to GingerMan's Draconian no refund policy on deposits, if we do not get enough interest ASAP, we will pull the plug. This is not a money making exercise on our part, we just want to cover the costs. Please, if you're interested sign up sooner rather than later.

As of this moment we do not plan on having many instructors on hand, since we are inviting experienced track rats that know how to handle themselves around a race track. Harris Edwards will be on hand to provide in-car tutoring in 15 minute blocks for a small fee (check out Harris at work in video below).

You are responsible for your self and your car. That includes inspecting your car and making sure it is track worthy. We expect you to have fun, stay within your (and your car's) limit, and to have respect for those around you. We're all adults and shenanigans will not be tolerated.

Fabspeed Exhaust Installation on a Porsche

2011-06-08T19:20:52Z

One of the most balanced, best handling cars on the market today is the mid-engined Porsche Cayman. But, like every car coming out of a factory, it can be improved. Thanks to worldwide noise regulations, the stock exhaust stifles the glorious flat six cylinder engine note just a bit too much. Enter Fabspeed.

]]> Fabspeed is a US company producing high performance components for BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Bentley. Straight out of the box, the Maxflo system we ordered for our customer's Cayman looked impressive. The welds were clean and the all stainless steel construction polished. But the test is always how it fits and how it sounds.

The stock exhaust system is chunky and not very pretty.

The Fabspeed system eliminates the secondary catalytic converters (which are unmonitored by the car's ECU, so no dash lights are triggered by dropping them), and replaces the large stock mufflers with two small section mufflers.

The new system bolted directly to the stock header flanges-- which were much corroded considering the low mileage and young age of the car. We took extra care removing the nuts from the flange studs so that we would not break them. Exhaust systems see so much heat cycling that it’s always tough to remove the hardware cleanly. Time and experience helps!

The end result was perfect. The engine note is now deeper and more classic Porsche-like without the drone you get from kits that are not properly engineered. And we've eliminated the chunky look of the stock muffler and replaced it with a race car inspired polished mufflers that look all business peaking out from under the bumper valence.

E46 M3 GT Part 4

2011-06-08T15:27:54Z

I think I may have fallen off the GT wagon with the latest modification to my E46 M3. The last time we spoke, I installed a TC Kline Racing suspension. Next up, the exhaust.

]]> And it's not a mild upgrade-- instead we went full zoot race car grade. Bimmerworld, one of our trusted BMW go fast suppliers, came up with a super high flow, lightweight exhaust that was simply too tempting to pass up. The system is a full 62 lbs lighter and reportedly adds 10 hp and 12 ft-lbs torque to the bottom line. What intrigued me most was its simple, elegant design and high quality execution.

So, off with the old.

Here is the rather startling side by side comparison between the stock exhaust and the new Bimmerworld race exhaust. The cross sectional area of the one large pipe of the Bimmerworld exhaust is about the same as the section area of the two smaller stock pipes. But the biggest difference is the flow path-- almost straight on the Bimmerworld unit.

As always, the installation required a fair amount of tweaking, or "clearancing" as the included instructions said-- I would not want to do this without a professional car lift.

The end result is pretty awesome-- and loud, even with the optional resonator.

100% 304 stainless steel, sturdy v-band clamps, quality welds and good (but tight) fit. While it's too loud for everyday use, it performs as advertised. I love playing with the decibel level by shifting through the gears and listening to the change in pitch. My exhaust is now a musical instrument...

Yes, you lose the classic 4 pipe exhaust of your typical M car, but frankly we think it looks that much more serious.

Brake Rotor Friction Ring Replacement

2011-06-08T14:11:43Z

To say that brakes are an important part of a car's performance is to state the obvious. Pads and rotors need to be checked often and replaced when worn or damaged. Most cars come with single piece rotors-- the friction surface that contacts the pads and the inner "hat" that bolts to the hub are formed from a single casting. Higher end brake systems, and many after market big brake kits, use two piece rotors.

]]> The inner portion that attaches to the hub is usually made of a lighter weight material like aluminum and is bolted or pinned to the outer "friction ring". Two piece designs usually weigh less for their size, reducing unsprung weight, and they help mitigate the transfer of heat from the friction ring to the hub, saving your wheel bearings from overheating. More complex "floating" rotors allow the friction rings to grow irrespective of the hub as well as insuring even pad contact. This float allows for better modulation of the brake torque applied during stopping.

Here we replace the friction ring of a standard ST40 Stop Tech big brake kit. Despite not being worn down to its minimum thickness, we felt it was time to replace thanks to the radial cracks in the ring as well as the deep concentric groves.

The first step is to take the existing rotor apart by loosening the small bolts that hold the ring to the hat. These are often frozen in place, so it’s a good idea to apply penetrating fluid 15 minutes before your try to crack them loose. (Back side view)

The next step involves lining up and installing the new friction ring to the existing hat. Always use new hardware! We find it easier to do this with the ring vertical in a vise.

Once all the new nuts and bolts are in place, follow the maker's torque specifications (usually pretty light). We like to tighten in a criss-cross pattern, for example starting at the 12 o'clock position and then 6 o'clock and so on, marking each bolt with a paint marker once it's been torqued.

When the two piece rotors are all assembled, they're fitted back onto the car as any other rotor.

Splitter Install (again)

2011-06-07T18:59:55Z

Aerodynamics on a street car is important for efficiency-- how easily it can punch a hole through the atmosphere. On a race car, aero is even more important for handling. A splitter-- typically a horizontal plane extending out from below the front bumper, helps push the front end of the car down and consequently aids front end grip or traction. Balanced with a wing at the back, a splitter is an integral part in the car's handling.

Because the splitter is usually very low, it is vulnerable to trailer ramps, track burms and digging into wet grass should you have an "off". If it's attached to the front fascia and you have an off and bad things happen, you can kiss the front end of the car good-bye. The solution is to attach the splitter to something more robust, while allowing it to break away should an unfortunate incident occur.

]]> You'll remember we installed a splitter on the E36 M3 race car once before-- well that one was torn off at the last track day taking with it the entire front fascia. To avoid this from happening again, we installed its replacement differently.

Bimmerworld provides a hardware kit for the E36 M3 EVO II splitter that attaches it to the aluminum bumper beam instead of the lower lip of the plastic fascia. Here is how we installed the kit.

The kit: three stanchions, 2 metal straps and hardware:

The EVO II track splitter:

The front end:

Since the kit is not originally designed to fit the OEM fascia and the splitter, modifications had to be made to each. After deciding where we wanted to attach the stanchions, or "uprights" to the bumper beam, we had to cut reliefs in the fascia and splitter.

To attach the stanchions to the bumper beam, four holes for the bolts had to be drilled.

The trailing edge of the splitter is attached to the anti-roll bar mounting points using the two metal straps. At first they did not fit so we had to grind away some material.

After aligning all the components on the car, corresponding bolt holes for the straps and stanchions-- which have nuts welded to them-- had to be drilled into the splitter. Finally the splitter could be test fitted to the car with the fascia installed.

It was a straight forward procedure that nonetheless took quite a bit of time. We were very careful to make sure everything aligns perfectly on the car and that the splitter is optimally positioned to work efficiently and provide the desired downforce. And now, should the leading edge of the splitter dig into anything, it’s the only thing that will be sacrificed.

The Little Things

2011-06-07T18:34:22Z

Having worked on hundreds of cars over the past 5 years or so a few things have become abundantly clear: no two jobs are ever the same, even if the parts being installed are, instructions from the component manufacturer-- if they exist at all-- are almost never complete, and finally, exhausts never ever fit without a good amount of "tweaking". A quick example of tweaking is presented after the jump...

]]> The problem: connecting a single pipe race exhaust system on an E36 M3 with a Euro engine, stock headers. It was claimed that the header merge pipe we bought-- basically two pipes (that connect to the header) that merge into one (which connects to the rest of the exhaust system) -- was the solution.

Well... after cutting off the original flanges (bolt holes didn't line up), extending the two pipes that attach to the smaller diameter OEM header pipes by 1.5 inches and 3.0 inches, flaring and welding it all together, it did work.

The tweaked merge pipe:

To clean it up, we applied high temperature exhaust paint to the extended portion.

Open Track Day April 2011

2011-05-17T15:03:38Z

The VRPerformance Open Track Day at Grattan Raceway Invitational has become an annual must attend event for many friends of the shop. With its minimum number of rules and absolute maximum amount of track time its a great way to spend a day learning about all the upgrades we performed to the cars (or need to). Check out the gallery after the jump.

]]> We didn't have a lot of time to take pictures; nonetheless, here are a few of our favorites.

E36 M3 with newly installed S50 Euro motor

Being chased by another E36 M3. Both of these cars run in NASA.

Cool old school air cool.

Speaking of old school, here's a nice E30.

E90 M3 too fast for photography...

And the grocery getter...

Thanks to all those who accepted our invitation! See you at another track... soon.

(Thanks to Jason for the video!)

Thrust Sheets to the Wind

2011-05-07T19:59:57Z

One of our good customers complained of "pinging" noises coming from his front suspension-- a TC Kline Racing double adjustable coil-over set-up we installed last fall. The pinging noise is due to the springs binding as they compress. Our first, quick, remedy was to grease up the coil perches so that the springs could freely twist during compression.

]]> This only worked for a short while so we had to look for a better long term solution-- a bearing surface that would allow the coils to twist freely. Enter the thrust ring, or "sheet"-- basically two large washers, one made of a Delrin type material, the other hardened steel. These are placed between the coil and the perch.

We will be recommending this solution right from the start for those who drive their cars predominantly on the street and like a quiet ride. Putting them on after the fact requires dismantling the front suspension completely-- not a quick job.

While we were at it, we cleaned up the perch threads and re-applied some T9 lubricant (a good maintenance procedure to do every season).

NASA Tech Inspections

2011-03-30T17:43:48Z

Many of our customers have progressed to the point that simple car club track days will no longer scratch the driving itch. For them competetive amatuer racing is the next logical step, and one of the best-- and easiest to get involved with-- sanctioning bodies is the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). Following our customer's lead we are proud to announce that VRPerformance is now an authorized "HPDE and Time Trial inspections and Competition annual inspections/log book issuance" provider. Follow the jump to see the official press release from NASA.

]]>

Chicago, March 29, 2011, NASA Midwest, Inc.

NASA Midwest is pleased to welcome VRPerformance as our newest Tech Shop. Located in Sterling Heights, Michigan, VRP Performance will provide HPDE and Time Trial inspections and Competition annual inspections/log books issuance.

VRPerformance was formed in 2004, with the owners, Eric Volz and Horst Reinhardt Jr., both automotive engineering grads, offering performance parts, service, installation, tuning and fabrication. From street cars to track cars to full on racing cars, they can do it all.

Horst Reinhardt Jr., co-owner of VRPerformance said, “I am pleased to have this opportunity to serve NASA drivers in Michigan and the Great Lakes Region. We are excited to help continue NASA’s growth.”

“I am very pleased that Horst and Eric have come on board as a Tech Shop. “Their education and experience sets them apart. I am excited to have VRPerformance part of the NASA family.” said Bryan Cohn, Director of Competition, NASA Midwest, Inc.

Dave Royce, Region Director of NASA Midwest, Inc said, “I’m pleased to have VR Performance providing Tech Shop services to NASA Great Lakes drivers”.

Contact:
VRPerformance LLC
43706 Utica Road
Sterling Heights, MI 48314
www.vrperformance.com
586-991-2455

NASA Contact:
Bryan Cohn
Director of Competition
NASA Midwest, Inc.
bcohn@nasamidwest.com

50 Years Sideways

2011-02-17T21:04:31Z

Do you remember Speedvision? The SPEED Channel before its NASCAR-ification. Speedvision would run these wonderful old, usually British, films of racing in days gone by. Well, thanks to Youtube, I came across 90 minutes of rally racing awesomeness...

]]> Kick back with a beer or two and enjoy!

5th Annual VRPerformance Kart Enduro

2011-01-21T15:04:44Z

Sign up today for the 5th Annual VRPerformance Coffee Beanery Enduro at Kart2Kart in Sterling Heights. We'll be using the same format as in the past: 12 teams of 3 to 4 drivers, non-stop 90 minute race with starting positions decided by qualifying (or random draw, behind qualifiers, if you show up late). Every driver on the team needs to race at least one stint. Price is $150 per team (or about $38 to $50 per driver).

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Date: Saturday March 19th
Start: doors open at 11:00, qualifying starts at 11:30, race starts 12 noon sharp
Price: $150 per team, payable at the door
RSVP: we need you to RSVP your team with us by March 12th, send us an email with your team name and drivers at horst@vrperformance.com

An EVO Introduction... and Sale

2010-11-23T20:48:26Z

We've got a new project at the shop; a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, or EVO for short. While we're well known as a premier performance shop for European sports cars, in actuality we work on all cars that have a sporting pedigree. And the EVO certainly has that in spades...

]]>

One of the first things we tackled on the car was the exhaust system. The previous owner installed a pretty cheap aftermarket exhaust that droned on the highway and looked just a bit too juvenile for our taste. When it comes to great intake and exhaust systems for Japanese cars we look west to California to our friends at Injen.

We have been impressed with thier exhaust systems from the day we opened the shop and have installed their handiwork on everything from Mazdas to Hondas.

For project EVO, we came up with this:

The welds are Injen perfect, the double walled tip is understated classy, and the sound is balanced with a deep rumble at idle, authoratative howl under load and no droning on the highway. Plus, the design provides useful power across the rev band.

Well engineered products don't come cheap, and unfortunately Injen pulled this unit off the market because it couldn't compete with the cheap foreign brands that were flooding the market. Too bad, because quality never goes out of style. (We still have a few in stock, contact us ASAP if you want one)