And generally speaking if you screw up you're just bending your own car and maybe an earth bank or a bit of Armco, not someone else's PAJ.
Cheap track car for noobie
- Thread starter DannyW
- Start date
And generally speaking if you screw up you're just bending your own car and maybe an earth bank or a bit of Armco, not someone else's PAJ.
Soldato
Actually going on a track day is the cheap part, it's all the "necessary" modding to the car that really empties your wallet!
I bought a dedicated track car as I didn't want to keep using my road car due to it being worth a fair amount and weighing quite a bit so it went through tures/brakes/fuel at a much higher rate. But it turns out I've spent a **** load on the track car now
Man of Honour
Bedford and Mallory Park are usually sub £200 track days too.
Plenty of cheaper options for track time though. If it's your thing Drift What You've Brung is £80 for a day plus £50-100 in tyres and fuel, Run what you've brung (Admittedly straight line only but still fun) is £35 for a day, then you've got sprints or things like Curborough that we arrange on the forum a couple of times a year
Soldato
Sprinting can be done very cheaply. We've got guys in the Toyota series who've bought a cheap Starlet, Yaris or Aygo (In some cases for as little as a couple of hundred quid) and done barely anything to them. Wear and tear/running costs on the car are minimal and the main costs are basically your entry fee and the cost of a weekend away (most competitors stay in a Premier Inn or similar the night before the event and have a bit of a social but some camp to make things even cheaper). TSS currently have a promotion for half price entry for your first event as well. (Standard entry is either £139 or £159 depending on the venue)
Hi guys, I still haven't bought a car but got my heart set on an E36 main reason is RWD and I can insure one for £200 for year (driving it back and forth to track days only)
I wanted a 328I but most are bombs are stupid money so 323i it is
Something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1997-BMW-E3...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
I would get it on some cheapo £200 coil overs
Yellow stuff pads
Change all fluids
Tyres
Gut interior
Swap viscous fan for electric and make sure it's on metal water pump
Can anyone help me with tyres, I don't fancy paying £180 per tyres for Toyo T888's
Any cheaper alternatives for tyres?
Would an open diff still ok on track?
Remember its a beginners car, and ideally I want to spend around £1000 on a car and £1000 tops getting it ready
I wanted a 328I but most are bombs are stupid money so 323i it is
Something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1997-BMW-E3...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
I would get it on some cheapo £200 coil overs
Yellow stuff pads
Change all fluids
Tyres
Gut interior
Swap viscous fan for electric and make sure it's on metal water pump
Can anyone help me with tyres, I don't fancy paying £180 per tyres for Toyo T888's
Any cheaper alternatives for tyres?
Would an open diff still ok on track?
Remember its a beginners car, and ideally I want to spend around £1000 on a car and £1000 tops getting it ready
Soldato
I can't help but think a 323i is going to be a bit underwhelming on track. It'll be fun for a while until you realise that you have very little tuning potential, and you can't overtake much on the straights. Something like a Clio 172/182 would be much better IMO. I know you're aiming for a beginners car, but the costs do mount up when prepping a track car and it'd be silly to spend £thousands prepping a 323i then quickly realising you wanted something a bit quicker, and having to spend £thousands more on a new car.
Noooo - T1R's are crap and are *absolutely* not comparable to proper track day tyres. Look at some Yokohama AD08R's for good value, excellent performing track orientated tyres. Make contact with a guy called Ben Patey on Facebook - I got some AD08R tyres from him for much less than I could find them anywhere online.
Soldato
Clio 172
Strip out the unwanted interior bits to whatever level you want.
Uprated pads
AD08Rs
That's perfect to get you started.
Strip out the unwanted interior bits to whatever level you want.
Uprated pads
AD08Rs
That's perfect to get you started.
Caporegime
After looking round for the last month or so at various options, I'm going to get an MX5 in the next few weeks. Probably look to turbocharge it within 12 months.
I was also set on an E36 (or possibly Z3), but the value of even scabby ones these days is unreal. Should never have let my £1500 325i go
I was also set on an E36 (or possibly Z3), but the value of even scabby ones these days is unreal. Should never have let my £1500 325i go
Soldato
There's a well known issue with (I think) the thingimajiggy that controls the variable valve timing on these, which needs to be replaced approx. every 60k miles if memory serves. It's relatively expensive to have done (I think £250-£300? Others will know for sure) so look for one that's had it done. or buy with getting it done in mind.
Other than that, and apart form the obligatory questionable French electrics, they're fairly robust. As a road car they are fantastic little things to chuck about. I'd expect that on track with some weight reduction and sticky tyres they'd be a right hoot. You can pick them over very cheaply these days, <£1000 I'd expect.
Caporegime
Soldato
There's very little between them in a straight line, but personally I'd take the Clio as it's over 100kg lighter (200kg lighter as a 172 Cup), but I agree that the Celica would be a good choice as well.
Soldato
Trailer the car wherever you want to go, then you don't have to worry about it getting you home as you're punishing it on track. Takes a huge stress away doing it this way.
Which means buying a trailer, which means more £££ then you need somewhere to store it and not everyone has the option. I agree if it were practical that's what he should do, but for many it isn't.
Soldato
If you have space for a car you have space to put the car on the trailer.
It is indeed more money but then so is having the car flatbedded(?) home when you mash it on track.
It is indeed more money but then so is having the car flatbedded(?) home when you mash it on track.
Caporegime
Maybe in Florida where every driveway is the size of a strip mall parking lot.
In the UK where space is a premium you can fit a car into a smaller "space" than a trailer.
Also, having your car parked on your driveway looks a lot more appealing than having a trailer parked there all year round.
Caporegime
That is totally irrelevant as a track car will be stripped. Clio interior is made from crisp packets where as the Celica is more robust. Once stripped they will be both similar. Celica has better brakes, better engine and a proper suspension setup.
It is a poor mans DC2 and very cheap to LSD.