EdgeOfSanity's weekend track day build

[rwense]

MCS turned that blown damper around quickly and I got it back last night and installed this morning. Took the car for a long drive today, felt good to drive it again, its been sitting for the last 2 months due to weather, traveling, and broken parts. Ride quality is much better with the MCS coilovers in even if it is noticeably stiffer. I have always hated the way bmw's ride, this car is no exception. Rides a lot like my S4 does now, just stiffer and I love the way that car rides. Feels fantastic at highway speeds, can't wait to get it on track. Setup makes some noise at lower speeds, nothing at highway speeds. Mostly the dampers are noisy. I'll put some more miles on it this week, adjust the ride height a little bit this weekend and call it good until I get the verkline arms in.

Also, I installed the Rapid Designs rear diff brace earlier this week. Really nice part, love the quality and the looks. Makes a noticeable difference with shifts too and it was super easy to install with the Verus scoop.

Fuel system up next.

Hell yeah! The brace looks sweet with the burnt Ti exhaust.

Thank you sir

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[EdgeOfSanity]

If you have the space, I *highly* recommend getting a string kit. Either pre-built or building yourself. It's completely changed the game for me, saved me many times, and I no longer rely on a 3rd party. Also, with your setup, it makes alignments much easier, once you get the hang of it, than OEM parts. The learning curve is actually not steep at all. I'm an idiot and I got it pretty quickly.

Yeah, I was already looking at how to do string alignments on youtube these past few weeks. Didn't realize anyone sold kits for this, I was going to make a trip to home depot and build my own. My only concern is my garage is not perfectly flat, it has a slight slope toward the entrance so water runs out.

 

[rwense]

Yeah, I was already looking at how to do string alignments on youtube these past few weeks. Didn't realize anyone sold kits for this, I was going to make a trip to home depot and build my own. My only concern is my garage is not perfectly flat, it has a slight slope toward the entrance so water runs out.

I have a similar space. As long as you shim each corner you should be all set!

 

[razorlab]

Yeah, I was already looking at how to do string alignments on youtube these past few weeks. Didn't realize anyone sold kits for this, I was going to make a trip to home depot and build my own. My only concern is my garage is not perfectly flat, it has a slight slope toward the entrance so water runs out.

I bought a BG Racing kit about four years ago. It was a little cheaper back then. That said, it's easily payed for itself many times over since.

 

[EdgeOfSanity]

Shop thinks they've figured out the problem. The caster in the rear was slightly off side to side. That was throwing off the bump steer curves causing the progressive pull to the right when the suspension was under load. Should have the car back middle of next week. Don't think I'll be doing eagles canyon on Oct 3rd. I want to put miles on the car to see what breaks if anything and I would rather not have that happen 4+ hours from home.

 

[EdgeOfSanity]

Got my car back after another 2 week delay and dug into it today. All I can say is what a fucking disaster. I cannot believe that a place that advertises itself as a race shop and specializing in setting up cars for track use can be this fucking bad. I don't feel like writing up a long post right now but here are my notes on what I've found so far. I still haven't touched the nuts on the front suspension knuckle, I'm sure they're fucked up too.

I'm going to miss another paid for track day on Oct 17th now. Already missed a paid for track weekend on Sept 19 over this shit. The whole point of this was to save myself the time of doing it myself to have it completed quicker. This entire experience is an exercise in why you do your own work. I have very low expectations any time a shop touches one of my cars but this... come the fuck on. Straight up put a completely unsafe car on the road TWICE.


After 6 weeks of being in the shop the car was returned to me with these issues. Car was not thoroughly inspected and was returned to the shop.

• Car pulls hard right, does not drive straight at all
• Lots of clunking from the suspension on all corners.
• Drivers front flca subframe completely loose with nut about to fall off
• Drivers front caster arm subframe completely loose with no torque on it
• Asked for ride height to be adjusted as part of alignment in initial instructions. Was not done, had to go back.
• Oil cooler had a slow leak
• Asked for all bolts and arm adjustment nuts to be paint marked, not done

After 2 more weeks at the shop the car was returned to me. Some changes that the shop would not elaborate on were made to the rear. Car was corner balanced, ride height adjusted, and realigned.

Was given car back second time claiming right pull was fixed. Immediately noticed car pulls hard right pulling out of shop. Steering is off center. No way in hell is this going back.

• Lots of clunking from the suspension on all corners.
• Front and rear endlinks loose with only half its torque applied. Correct torque is 56nm
• Passenger front flca subframe torqued to 90nm. Correct torque is 100nm + 90
• Asked for all bolts and nuts be paint marked. Not done on first round. Asked for this to be done again, only some are marked.
• Loctite not used at all, asked for loctite to be applied per instructions. Only applied to adjustment nuts on some arms. Do not trust it was used in all places and do not see evidence of it.
• Front roll center spacer missing for both sides. One used in install. Front bump steer is using all spacers creating a 5mm mismatch between roll center and bump steer in the front.
• Front drivers side caster arm to subframe bolt completely loose.
• RLCA damper bolt torqued to only 60nm both sides. Correct torque is 100nm + 90
• Rear traction links both sides to subframe bolt not torqued and completely loose. Correct torque is 100nm.
• Rear lateral bent links to axle hub only at half torque spec both sides. Correct torque is 100nm + 90
• Rear lateral bent links spare lock out plates are missing.
• Rear lateral bent links to subframe loose, very little torque both sides. Correct torque is 100nm + 90
• Second alignment rear camber was set to -2.5, requested -2.2.
• Car has no rake when specific rake was asked for and measures 4 3/16 from the jacking points to the ground both front and rear

Car now needs all nuts/bolts fully replaced that were previously provided to shop since nothing was torqued correctly and there is no way of knowing whether they were torqued at one point to spec and then loosened with follow up changes.

The car will need the subframe and arms inspected where bolts were never torqued to see if the bearings and subframe bolt holes have been ovaled out.

The car will need full ride height adjustment, corner balancing, and another alignment assuming no damage.

Will have to contact verkline and hope they will sell me the missing parts.

The front bump steer and roll center spacers will have to be adjusted.

Essentially the entire verkline install, ride height adjustment, corner balancing, and alignment need to be fully redone. If damage is found then all damaged components will have to be replaced.

Fuck me.

 

[Mdstx]

Got my car back after another 2 week delay and dug into it today. All I can say is what a fucking disaster. I cannot believe that a place that advertises itself as a race shop and specializing in setting up cars for track use can be this fucking bad. I don't feel like writing up a long post right now but here are my notes on what I've found so far. I still haven't touched the nuts on the front suspension knuckle, I'm sure they're fucked up too.

I'm going to miss another paid for track day on Oct 17th now. Already missed a paid for track weekend on Sept 19 over this shit. The whole point of this was to save myself the time of doing it myself to have it completed quicker. This entire experience is an exercise in why you do your own work. I have very low expectations any time a shop touches one of my cars but this... come the fuck on. Straight up put a completely unsafe car on the road TWICE.


After 6 weeks of being in the shop the car was returned to me with these issues. Car was not thoroughly inspected and was returned to the shop.

• Car pulls hard right, does not drive straight at all
• Lots of clunking from the suspension on all corners.
• Drivers front flca subframe completely loose with nut about to fall off
• Drivers front caster arm subframe completely loose with no torque on it
• Asked for ride height to be adjusted as part of alignment in initial instructions. Was not done, had to go back.
• Oil cooler had a slow leak
• Asked for all bolts and arm adjustment nuts to be paint marked, not done

After 2 more weeks at the shop the car was returned to me. Some changes that the shop would not elaborate on were made to the rear. Car was corner balanced, ride height adjusted, and realigned.

Was given car back second time claiming right pull was fixed. Immediately noticed car pulls hard right pulling out of shop. Steering is off center. No way in hell is this going back.

• Lots of clunking from the suspension on all corners.
• Front and rear endlinks loose with only half its torque applied. Correct torque is 56nm
• Passenger front flca subframe torqued to 90nm. Correct torque is 100nm + 90
• Asked for all bolts and nuts be paint marked. Not done on first round. Asked for this to be done again, only some are marked.
• Loctite not used at all, asked for loctite to be applied per instructions. Only applied to adjustment nuts on some arms. Do not trust it was used in all places and do not see evidence of it.
• Front roll center spacer missing for both sides. One used in install. Front bump steer is using all spacers creating a 5mm mismatch between roll center and bump steer in the front.
• Front drivers side caster arm to subframe bolt completely loose.
• RLCA damper bolt torqued to only 60nm both sides. Correct torque is 100nm + 90
• Rear traction links both sides to subframe bolt not torqued and completely loose. Correct torque is 100nm.
• Rear lateral bent links to axle hub only at half torque spec both sides. Correct torque is 100nm + 90
• Rear lateral bent links spare lock out plates are missing.
• Rear lateral bent links to subframe loose, very little torque both sides. Correct torque is 100nm + 90
• Second alignment rear camber was set to -2.5, requested -2.2.
• Car has no rake when specific rake was asked for and measures 4 3/16 from the jacking points to the ground both front and rear

Car now needs all nuts/bolts fully replaced that were previously provided to shop since nothing was torqued correctly and there is no way of knowing whether they were torqued at one point to spec and then loosened with follow up changes.

The car will need the subframe and arms inspected where bolts were never torqued to see if the bearings and subframe bolt holes have been ovaled out.

The car will need full ride height adjustment, corner balancing, and another alignment assuming no damage.

Will have to contact verkline and hope they will sell me the missing parts.

The front bump steer and roll center spacers will have to be adjusted.

Essentially the entire verkline install, ride height adjustment, corner balancing, and alignment need to be fully redone. If damage is found then all damaged components will have to be replaced.

Fuck me.

Sorry dude. I know the shop. I used to take my cars there long ago when it was owned by my mechanic. But it changed hands many years ago. I wouldn’t let Steve or Paul anywhere near any of my cars. Sadly, your story is similar to others I’ve heard about that shop. I’ve provided you with my mechanic’s contact info. He’s very good. He’s especially good with track car setups. Good luck.

 

[kaj]

Sorry to read about your troubles, dude. I used to deal with the same ALL the time. it's 50% the reason I started doing everything myself. There's one shop in my area I'd trust, but they do custom stuff, so their labor rates are insane. So.. still DIYing all my cars.
All that is also the reason my Supra stayed stock, other than a set of camber plates. I beat on the car all day long and only did oil/brake/tire changes.

Good luck, man.

 

[razorlab]

Yup, this is why I do all the work myself. It also made me amass a bunch of tools that have 1 or 2 uses over a decade. lmao.

Sorry to hear. Do you have the verkline rear subframe too, or just all the arms? What I have found is that if you baseline set all the aftermarket arms to same length as OEM when installing, you have a solid baseline and you aren't chasing weird vector shit from everything being different lengths. Has def saved me some grey hairs.

Most shops do not do this and don't give AF.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Re-organizing the first few posts a bit. Build log starts with post #3 now.

Never done a build log before despite having taken multiple cars quite far down the modding rabbit hole. This is mostly something for me to look back on. Goal is to build a very capable track car that can still be driven on the street and taken on short road trips. I plan to drive to the various tracks around Texas regularly over the coming years. Its been quite a long time since I was regularly tracking a car, very much enjoying this with a few track weekends already on the car as of June 2026.

Mod List as of 8/15/26

Engine and Drivetrain
Femto dme unlock
MHD license/flasher
MHD OTS flex fuel tune
xHP stage 3 TCU tune
Dorch DS25 hpfp
S58 injectors
MHD ECA
AA catted downpipe
Valvetronic Ti exhaust
Armaspeed cf intake
Wagner intake manifold
Verus turbo heat shield
Verus rear diff cooling plate
Verus Oil Cooler
Rapid Designs rear diff brace

Suspension
MCS 2wnr coilovers divorced rear
Swift springs 14k f/18k r
Ground control camber plates
Ground control rear weight jacks
RSR EDC cancelers
Whiteline front swaybar
Whiteline rear swaybar
Verkline front endlinks
Verkline front LCAs
Verkline front caster control arms
Verkline front tie rod ends
Verkline rear upper lateral links
Verkline rear upper bent lateral links
Verkline rear traction arms
Verkline rear toe arms
Verkline rear spring wishbone bushings
Verkline rear knuckle bushings
Verkline rear endlinks

Wheels and tires
Apex V5RS wheels square 18x11 +40 (track)
RE71RS tires 295/35 (track)
BCF HCS02 wheels 19x9.5 +25 F 19x11 +38 R (street)
RE71RS tires 265/35 F 305/30 R (street)
iSweep Ti lug bolts (street)

Brakes
Endless RF650 fluid
Hawk DTC 60/30 pads (track)
Hawk HPS 5.0 pads (street)
Verus master cylinder brace

Exterior
XPEL PPF - bumper, hood, a pillars, roof, fenders, rockers, mirrors
XPEL ceramic tint
Armaspeed cf wind deflectors
Verus jack pad replacements
Cusco Tow hook
Armaspeed rock guards

Interior
JQ Werks magnetic paddle shifters
P3 vent gauge
Cusco rear harness bar
Blendmount for v1
V1 radar detector w/hardwire
Rexspeed cf passenger dash insert

Datalogging
Garmin Catalyst 2

Future planned
Verus hood vent
Verus full aero
Pure 800 turbo
Custom flex fuel tuning for track
Better data logging
Race seats
Roll bar
Wheel stud conversion
Charge pipes
BBK

LOVE LOVE LOVE those wheels! Well done sir!

 

[EdgeOfSanity]

Yup, this is why I do all the work myself. It also made me amass a bunch of tools that have 1 or 2 uses over a decade. lmao.

Sorry to hear. Do you have the verkline rear subframe too, or just all the arms? What I have found is that if you baseline set all the aftermarket arms to same length as OEM when installing, you have a solid baseline and you aren't chasing weird vector shit from everything being different lengths. Has def saved me some grey hairs.

Most shops do not do this and don't give AF.

Yeah I've been amassing tools for about 20 years now and haven't stopped. My issue is with doing everything myself is I have back issues, like the kind you hope you never have. Getting under the car like I'm doing this weekend is brutal so these types of installs I'm more likely to pay someone for if I know its going to take more than a weekend.

Just the arms, I did not go with the subframe. Figured the solid mounts would be a bit much on the nvh side.

Yes I did get the oem arms back from them thankfully. I was planning to take measurements of arm lengths today, can't wait to see how off that is...

 

[EdgeOfSanity]

Sorry dude. I know the shop. I used to take my cars there long ago when it was owned by my mechanic. But it changed hands many years ago. I wouldn’t let Steve or Paul anywhere near any of my cars. Sadly, your story is similar to others I’ve heard about that shop. I’ve provided you with my mechanic’s contact info. He’s very good. He’s especially good with track car setups. Good luck.

I'll call them this week, I don't see myself correcting this mess for the reasons I mentioned in the post above this one. Gonna be a fun conversation with Steve on Monday before I do that.

 

[EdgeOfSanity]

Sorry to read about your troubles, dude. I used to deal with the same ALL the time. it's 50% the reason I started doing everything myself. There's one shop in my area I'd trust, but they do custom stuff, so their labor rates are insane. So.. still DIYing all my cars.
All that is also the reason my Supra stayed stock, other than a set of camber plates. I beat on the car all day long and only did oil/brake/tire changes.

Good luck, man.

I wish I could leave my cars stock... Its like a mental disease, I cannot leave anything alone. I have modded every car I've owned for the last 25 years.

 

[EdgeOfSanity]

First finding of the morning. The tie rods are set half an inch in length difference. This is causing the passenger side wheel to contact the caster arm quite badly. The driver side just barely kissed it once. I have steering rack limiters waiting to go in but it won't help with this difference in tie rod lengths. All of my brand new apex wheels are dinged up because of this and so is the caster arm. Lock to lock steering position is also noticeably more or less depending on which side and the tire is hitting the inner fender liner on the passenger side. Length of visible threads on the tie rods differs by 10mm from side to side. Morons.

 

[kaj]

I wish I could leave my cars stock... Its like a mental disease, I cannot leave anything alone. I have modded every car I've owned for the last 25 years.

It was tough to leave it alone, but the class I ran allowed so few points, the plates/wheels/tires are all I could do. I'm actually really glad, as it let me focus on other things, especially driving.
The car is fast out of the box and my lap times were better than all but one of the modded cars I ran against (driver was a ringer). It was a great experience. So much so, that I"m low-key shopping Supras again.
Other than my daily, I've never NOT modified a car before or since. Even my old exotic has a few bits and pieces to make it mine. LOL.

Back on topic: I'd honestly be furious right now, if I were you. When I pay someone to do something, I expect them to know WTF they are doing. Saying that, I'm usually disappointed.

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