Toying with the idea of making a crossfire track car to compete with a group of my friends that run M3's.. -- Not a club racer, but just something to take to open track days that will keep pace with an E36 or E46 M3.

Inital plans would include suspension work and an LSD with steeper gears. Anyone made these upgrades yet?

I would look to drop as many Lbs. as possible by taking out anything that wasn't ncessary inside -- anyone tried any lightening yet?

And of course, some kind of forced induction would be necessary...

I'd be interested in anyone else's experieces in this direction !

 

Look for posts by HDDP and Saskins, they take their Crossfires out to a track in California (Willow Springs I believe) and have some upgrades.

 

Anything short of a supercharger and some heavy suspension modifications aint going to let you run with an E46 m3 or decently modded e36's.

The crossfire is outclassed by those cars severly, Better off buying a E36 m3 because when you done spending all the money to make the crossfire perform you could have bought one and saved some cash.

 

i would say that one a track, not a high speed track, but a regular track, the substantial braking and handeling abilities of the crossfire over the e36 could keep you competitive. handeling on e36, and to an extent the m3, are greatly overrated because they have great balance and feel. numbers don't match up though.just my 2 cents

 

Well yes, a blower is a given -- with 330 hp +/-, some stiffer springs and shocks, an LSD, and sticky tires, -- as well as some lightening inside (who needs a passenger seat ? ) the xF "should" be able to take down an E36 M3 no problem -- and it "should" be in E46 M3 terrirtory --

Yes, it would be easier to buy an E36 M3, but that's not the point -- I had one of those, they run and handle very well -- but at any given track day you see 5-6 of them. No one's done it to an Xf yet...

 

Sorry for the double post -- just saw this reply.

X'ed -- that is what I was wondering -- does the XF have substantial braking and handling abilities? Even without a limited slip? The E36 M3 has pretty substantial brakes as well -- so I doubt the XF has much of an advantge there (but maybe I'm missing something )

 

The e36 M3 is a least now 7 years old and still out performs the Crossfire.
X'ed I'm sorry the E36 m3 out handles and out brakes the Crossfire. Crossfire is not in the same league. Putting that kind of money into a crossfire is a waste. Crossfire at invoice with incentives= 28k Supercharger IHI kit(Everything Needed) 12k Suspension 3k and Limited slip(3.69) 3500 Misc Performance parts 2k est. So just say 50k all said and done, and not to mention you just voided your warranty. Or you can go option 2 buy a used 02 E46 M3 for around 32k. Just saved yourself 18k and will perform with the modded XF. Or buy a e36 for around 15k drop 15k into it. NOw you have a 350whp e36 that would be unstoppable.

There is a reason why you see alot of M3's there. It is because it is there home.

 

I think you had a chance if you install a compressor and special cams on your engine (like the SLK 320 AMG). Then you have around 340-350 hp. Next step take out all stuff you don't need on your car that safe weight. All that you get for around 12-15K and then BMW´s will see you ever in the mirror or you will see them in your mirror if you are a good driver. The XF have a good base but not enough power to blow away the BMW´s. Trust me here in Germany a BMW M sucks if he has a race with a Mercedes AMG!! And the XF is Mercedes under cover!! Only the big power is missing on the engine that is all. Here in Germany we have every day races on the Autobahn. Last year I have a 2001 E-Class 55 AMG and everybody sucks. The car has V8 5.5l (only around 360hp) engine and have much weight but nobody (except Porsche 911 or Ferrari and so on) has a change to win. The car goes up to 280 km/h (not more because they have an electrical block without that block you run a bit over 300 Km/h). I can tell you that are really fast on a street and you think nothing other as "PLEASE GOD SAVE MY LIFE". The point is you need more Nm not more hp. If you want win a race on a track you need more Nm to win that is the power of the car that safe time on the clock! Sorry that write a lot about Mercedes but I love it much more as BMW`s. Maybe that is the reason I bought my XF because it is a Mercedes under cover but the design is much better as all Mercedes Benz I know.

 

FWIW -- I think your numbers are a bit high -- I would no doubt start with a used XF -- but I wasn't asking if it was the cheapest route -- I was asking if anyone had begun experimenting with the car on the track.

The E36 M3 is actually 10 years old now.. and it still holds up very well against most modern cars -- fact is though the car weighs 3400 lbs and only has 240 hp/210 tourque. There is no reason an Xf couldn't be built up to outrun it. An E46 M3 is even heavier, but has 333hp/270 torque. They are decidedly faster around the track, but beating them is stil an attainable goal.

 

ditto,did you know AMG had a big silent hand in designing the crossfire ?

 

Yes I know that. The SRT6 engine is not from SRT it is an AMG engine!!! I don't know why they have written SRT on the car it looks all like AMG. But you cant sell a Chrysler pimpted by AMG then all Mercedes customers says why I should pay Mercedes AMG prices if I can buy a much cooler car with AMG tech. for less

 

The new amgs are faster but are still no match for a M series bimmer down the twisties. 2001 BMW M5 > Than 01 E55 straight sideways doesnt matter.

 

Thats why I said at least 7 years old, that would be if you bought a 99. I am well aware of the M's life cycle. EVO's and STi's, performance is all they have, have a hard time with M3's, and you think a few grand into the XF will let you hang. I think not. My numbers are pretty acurate ask anyone. Fact is the e36 weighs around 3200lbs maybe a lil less. And a 97 lightweight m3 saving even more weight. And a e46 tips the scales at bit above 3400lbs.
Not to mention that 333hp m3 is known to hit 12's in the 1/4mi stock. It would cost too much money to mod the crossfire to keep up with them. Better off buying a M

 

I was talking about the whole car ,wheels,tires suspension,brakes ,etc .
I know the AMG engine was dropped into it but maybe the plan was really to sell more AMGs ?

 

If you want the XF to be a competitive track car you need to change the differential ratio to improve acceleration at the expense of top speed and fuel economy. There is a company which produces kits at different levels of improvement for the MB gearbox. I think someone posted a thread on this on this site, but it could have been on a MB site.

 

Bob

You are completely correct. I am in the process of doing just that, 3.69:1 gears ... http://www.bergwerks.com

 

The Crossfire is not even in the same classification as those cars. The SCCA has put the Crossfire in the DS class which pits it against many under-powered sports sedans.

If you do mods, you'll be placed in DSP class and still should walk away with a trophy every weekend, if you know how to drive. Best bet is to change the diff. gears to 3.69:1, ECU remap, suspension upgrade, good sticky tires, cold air intake & pedal to the metal.

You're not going to get any other performance packages currently unless you have an extra 20k in your sock drawer.

 

I've been a member of the BMW CCA for years -- I know what I'm up against. There was no '97 lightweight M3 -- they made a lightweight M3 in '95 only and barely 100 of them made it into the US -- so why bring them up? E46 M3's run mid 13's at best stock -- not sure where your numbers are coming from.

Once again, I am not concerned with the cost of this project at this time - but considering that a decent E46 M3 will still cost $35k - $40k, I don't think I'm better off buying another M at all. I've seen 30k mile crossfires go through the auction for $15k. Heck, there's one at a dealer near me for $19k...



HDDP -- you're talking about auto-x classes, right? What other cars are in the xF's stock class?

Do you know if NASA or SCCA has a club racing class for the xf yet?

 

Yes, Both NASA and SCCA have placed the car in D stock categories. I'll post the classification rules for SCCA in my gallery. In the mean time, here are the other cars classfied to run with the Crossfire in SOLO2 events
http://www.moutons.org/sccasolo/Lists/2003/stockc.html

Although I do not run this because my car is set-up for road courses. I am however a member of the Guldstrand racing team which runs Solo2 and would like more Crossfires running in SOLO2

 

Wow, the crossfire has some steep competition in D stock, huh?
The SRT-4? WRX? S4? Those are some quick cars!