Formula D winning e46 build

Sneak Peek: Mike Essa and GSR Autosport's E46 Build



Sneak Peek: Mike Essa and GSR Autosport's E46 Build

By Khiem Dinh

Khiem Dinh is an engineer for Honeywell Turbo Technologies at the time of this writing. All statements and opinions expressed by Khiem Dinh are solely those of Khiem Dinh and not reflective of Honeywell Turbo Technologies.

"She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid." That's what Han Solo told me at least. To be fair, the crew at GSR Autosport only has the car halfway built. But what she's showing so far has potential! Let's check out the new goodies on the new chassis.

Before we get to the new car, let's go on a quick stroll down memory lane with Essa's two previous drift cars.



The old E92 M3 with the 500hp M5 engine swap. This car is being repurposed as a road racing machine sporting some massive slicks.



Last year's Z4 with the boosted S54 engine. We had a close-up look at this car showing all the goods a while back.



This is the old engine setup in the Z4.



Onto the new setup in the new chassis! The biggest difference is going from the low-mount turbo setup to the high-mount setup. The S54 engine was built by GSR Autosport with Carillo rods and CP pistons.



The turbine housing is a new Garrett V-band divided (twin-scroll) turbine housing. To ease the job for fabricators, a Garrett merge collector that accepts tubes adapts to the v-band divided turbine inlet flange geometry of the turbine housing.



The adapter is made of cast stainless steel so that stainless steel tubing can be welded to it.



Force feeding air into the engine is a Garrett GTX3582R, the same as last year. This turbo is equipped with the optional speed sensor which adds another knob for tuning. It also lets the team know whether or not they are overspeeding the turbo.



Here you can see the installation of the speed sensor in the compressor housing. In case you didn't know, turbos have speed limits like engines do. Just as an engine with a 7500rpm redline does not like to be spun to 9000rpm, spinning a turbo to 155k rpms when it is designed for 135k will shorten its life. In the extreme case of overspeed, the turbine and compressor wheels can burst; they literally split in half due to the extreme centrifugal forces. This is why Garrett by Honeywell burst tests all of their turbine and compressor housings.



The turbo is mounted on this custom fabricated manifold by DOC Race. It's the only one in existence right now. What makes it special? It's designed for a twin-scroll setup. On a side note, this is the first I've heard of DOC Race and their work looks pretty good.



Wastegate flows from each set of runners merge to a single Synapse wastegate. The two flows are separated all the way up to the valve surface to prevent pulsation interference between the two halves of the manifold when the valve is shut.



Here is a little peek at the front suspension (check out how far the tire is pushed out!), but I wanted to show another angle of the twin wastegate flows and the dump tube. More v-band joints are used between the manifold and up-pipes/wastegate flows to facilitate quick installation and removal. The exhaust that isn't wastegated will be sent through a 3.5" Litespeed exhaust.



The turbo outlet is connected to the intercooler with custom endtanks. A v-band connection allows for quick installation and removal which may be necessary in the world of Formula Drift competition. It all tucks in neatly behind the front crash bar.



The front intercooler is massive with the front crash bar providing protection. Note there is still a flow path above the intercooler for fresh cool air to get to the radiator.



The discharge side has a larger diameter pipe. Looking back a bit, you can see how the front crash bar bolts to the chassis. I guess this should allow for a quick removal and repair if necessary.



The big discharge pipe from the intercooler goes to this massive intake manifold from DOC Race. HPS hose couplers handle all the connections on the car. A Synapse blow-off valve is mounted to the pipe before the intake plenum to do the blowing-off (I know, I'm so clever).



Keeping coolant temperatures under control is a humongous CSF radiator.



Two Setrab oil coolers maintain other fluid temperatures (I'm guessing oil and tranny or power steering) to reasonable levels. Remember, to finish first, first you must finish (or something like that). Earl's lines and fittings handle the connections.




These control arms from Wisefab are part of the equation in pushing the tires so far out. They feature a ribbed structure for high strength and low weight. The rear joint is a heim joint eliminating play.



Bilstein Motorsports dampers are used in the strut configuration. Two easy-to-use adjuster knobs are at the bottom. The front suspension setup has the front wheels pushed out so far, Essa can get 70 degrees of steering angle! Wilwood brakes will fill up the Forgestar CF5 wheels.