[DavidG2017]

I’m new here on the forum, lurking a bit but never post. My previous car was a 2017 M3 ZCP (lease just ended). In December I took delivery of a new 2021 M340 that I special-ordered. (The order process was really smooth and I highly recommend)
I have a fair bit of experience at track days at local tracks in SoCal through the years. Was really excited to get this new M340 to the track and see how it performed bone stock, with the big brakes/cooling package + adaptive dampers + summer non-run flat Michelin PS4S.
Seeing this car with all the other cars in the paddock makes it look really tall on skinny tires (225 front /255 rear) and the wheel offset has the wheels really tucked into the wheel wells. Visually it would really benefit from some spacers and lowering springs to get the stance looking better. Eventually I will replace the tires with wider rubber and maybe wider wheels with more offset. My M3 competition had a perfect stance so that’s a first goal for any future upgrades on this 340.
Really impressed with the car on track, and able to put down some really good consistent times with no brake fade and oil temp never moved above normal. The brakes, steering, and suspension really feel well-tuned for track work. The car was easy to place on the racing line and control as it transitioned from understeer to oversteer. It really slid around quite a bit on these skinny tires but somehow that made it more fun than my previous M3 on the track. (That’s a topic for another post I think) The M-differential really put down the power well coming out of the hairpins and it’s crazy they say this thing only has 380 crank hp because it must be more like 380 to 400 at the wheels. I was lapping really similar lap times with some track veteran running a modded Boss 302 mustang. He commented that I would pull on him a bit coming out of the tight mid-field hairpin because it put the power down better. (He has 305 rear tires ! )
My Best lap time was a 1:56.9 which put me ahead of some other guys in M3s and much fancier track specials.
I’m putting some pics so you can see my super-quick Track Wrap clear film on the front. It’s my first time using anything other than blue painters’ tape and the clear wrap stretchy film gets a big thumbs up for being easy to put on and take off and keep everything protected and clean.
My tires I ran at 41 psi (cold) all around and the performance display showed about 49-51 all around when hot. I ran them a bit high to avoid getting premature sidewall wear, but after talking to a few guys I think I will try them in the low 30’s next time to see if they grip better. Also put a pic to show wear on the fronts after 3 full sessions (with admittedly lots of drifting through some of the slower turns)

[TruthOne]

Awesome post man. Thanks for the report, all my friends who are hardcore track guys want me to come out and bring my M340i. I gave them rides and they feel like it's a beast that will do very well on the track. I also have the cooling and brake package. Curious but why are your tires so skinny? I'm also staggered but I'm pretty sure I have a 245 front 265 rear set up on Michelin's.

[TiMSport]

I thought the ZTK package was equipped with 225/255, no? Can you check yours to see if you really have 245/265? That sounds too wide compared to what I have read.

EDIT: I meant to say wider than what I had understood, not too wide.

[tturedraider]

The standard staggered setup is 225 up front and 255 in the rear. It’s been so for many years. I can’t say with 100% certainty, but I’m virtually certain that’s the same setup even with the cooling and high performance tire package. I’ve never heard or read anything about 245/265 with that package.

[TruthOne]

You're right I'm thinking of my previous car I just looked it's 225 front 255 rear.

[DavidG2017]

Yeah you are right, I edited my post to show the correct size for rears. My big concern is the fronts being so skinny and I haven't paid much attention to the rears.
I see other people run 245 fronts on the same wheels without any problem?
If I keep the same wheels, I will definitely go that way at replacement time

[_E90S65_]

Great post, OP!
Nice PPF treatment.
I, too, am going from an F80 to a Portimao M340 on 792Ms (non-ZTK though).

[hayko_M340]

Nice post! I also ran a track day a few months back at Willow Springs and had nothing but good to say about the car. I'm on aftermarket wheels and tires 245/40/19 front and 275/35/19 rear running 30 psi all around and it made a huge difference. Mine is a 2020 and although I don't have the ZTK package my oil temps never went above 220-225 on a 85-90 degree sunny hot California day. Was also running JB4, Intake, DP, E30 mix, etc. (Also used 0W-30 oil + Redline Water Wetter) I tracked it hard and did a good 20-30 laps each time out. Keeping up with F80's, F82's M2's you name it. I don't have one complaint. You mentioned yours is a 2021 so I'm wondering how the mild hybrid system felt on the track. If I'm being honest I hate it and feel really bad for 21' owners, but some people like it! Nice post, these cars are really fun!

[jlapicki]

Thanks for the great information......planning on getting my similar spec 2020 model out for the first time next month......what is the wrap you used on the front end....I've never done anything to my track cars and the fronts always show the battle scars.

What do you think the best cold pressures would be....I'm thinking 32-34?

[12v_dub]

Did you have any fade in stock brakes?

[EXE46]

Thanks for this, these cars are definitely capable and make a good compromise when one is contemplating the M3 or have a budget constraint.