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Do you have a track car?

Messages
42
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8
Location
North Bay
#1
I know quite a few people use their FiST both as a daily driver and for track use.

Who has a different car for dedicated track events? If so, what? I was originally considering selling my FiST for a brz because the rwd setup is more ideal for the track but have put that on hold for now.

Been considering inexpensive options such as e46 330i or miata?

What do you guys have for your track toy?
 


Zissou

Active member
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Charlottesville
#2
I would love to get either a Miata or alternatively a cheap FWD car for a track toy. Got one friend that races an Integra Type R so I bought a Prelude with that in mind, but the Prelude is spotless and a great daily so it would be a shame to start taking out interior bits.

One of my best friends bought a Hyundai Sonata for dirt cheap and turned it into track car. Says it's the most fun he's ever had because he can flog the car as hard as he wants without caring.
 


Messages
482
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483
Location
Bowie
#3
I plan on picking up either a foxbody (and or a wrecked newer stang) or a 944 sometime in the future for a track car


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alexrex20

1000 Post Club
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Spring
#4
I have a trio of B13 Sentra SE-Rs that are my dedicated track toys. One of them is a spare parts car but still road worthy, the other is a caged but otherwise stock car that we use for rallycross and Lemons, and the third is also caged but about 300hp with a very mild SR20DET that I do track days in. That last one is on coil-overs and 300ZX brakes and that's about it. I also used to race NASA w2w with it but I didn't keep up my license so now it's just for HPDE. Don't discount the FWD cars for track use. Much like the FiST, they can be absolute track weapons. My caged Sentras have a race weight of 2500ish lbs including my 180lbs. So the Lemons car with only 140hp is still pretty dang quick. They come factory with an LSD and are a dream to drive on short technical tracks.
 


alexrex20

1000 Post Club
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#5
I plan on picking up either a foxbody (and or a wrecked newer stang) or a 944 sometime in the future for a track car


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both of those do terrible on a track. JS. ;)
 


Zissou

Active member
Messages
540
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137
Location
Charlottesville
#7
I plan on picking up either a foxbody (and or a wrecked newer stang) or a 944 sometime in the future for a track car


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There's a guy at cars and coffee here that has a 944 with an LS swap, built for the track. It's become a dream car of mine.
 


alexrex20

1000 Post Club
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Location
Spring
#8
If all else fails

Mita
Is
Always
The
Answer


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Can't go wrong with a Miata. The Fox-body needs too much work to get it halfway decent for cornering. The 944 does ok but is underpowered and the consumables are expensive - brake rotors and pads, ball joints, bushings, tie rod ends, etc.

If you daily a FiST, I'd strongly recommend another FWD for track use. The learning curve is short and everything you learn about left foot braking and lift off oversteer can be carried over into the FiST. Platforms I like for track use are the slightly older B15 Sentra SE-R SpecV with the Brembo brakes. They have a 2.5-liter inline-4 that's a torque monster (relatively) and similar rear suspension to the FiST so they are quite planted and don't need much to handle well. The factory Brembos are a nice bonus as well. the SpecV came standard with an LSD and that's a must on a track car.

The point of track days to me is to learn car control and to have fun. You're not having fun when you're buying $2000 brake pads and rotors. You can buy a SpecV for $3500 in mint condition and go straight to the track with it, and do surprisingly well. It already has all the major upgrades that you'd want for track use (LSD, Brembos), and consumables are cheap and easy to find.

Fwiw, I have a 2012 Z06 that I initially used for track days but the first brake job on it was close to $3000 for just the front pads and rotors, so I got smart and committed to my Sentras. I bought one of my Sentras for $1800 and put about $150 into it and passed tech and started lapping with the big boys.
 


BRGT350

1000 Post Club
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Location
Grand Haven
#9
I have a 1984 Mustang that is setup for autocross and track use, but hasn't seen a racetrack and only one autocross since getting the ST.

I read someplace if you want to have a car that you spend more time driving on track than working on, get a Miata. If you would rather spend more time working than driving, a Mustang is perfect. No surprise that many of my friends who used to run A-Sedan Mustangs now run spec Miata.
 


GAbOS

Active member
Messages
745
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166
Location
Carson City
#10
E36 BMW if you want a cheap rwd that isn't an MX-5. They are pretty much Lego cars that can support parts from other models here and there and parts are cheap and plenty in pick and pulls.

E30s are getting expensive fast so wouldn't recommend those unless you just have to have one.

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Messages
257
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73
Location
Vancouver
#11
I have an '06 Mustang with a 4.6 3v that I use for track events but also DD at times. If it was strictly a track car (no license plate), I would probably use a different vehicle but I love the fact that I can drive it anywhere and everywhere. If you're looking for something cheap to get into, a NA or NB Miata is the perfect choice because of it's low cost/power and great RWD dynamics. If my Mustang were stock, it would be worth around 8-9k even with it's lower mileage which I would consider fairly cheap given everything it can do. 300 hp, very stiff chassis, generally reliable, pretty cheap to maintain, and responds INCREDIBLY well to mods.

IMG_3308

17425897_1277922375594497_3038005495109881406_n
 


Messages
350
Likes
116
Location
Austin
#12
I have a turbo track NA miata. Blew up the stock motor because of an ebc spike.. rebuilding forged internals..

Just running a 2560, makes the fist feel very slow. The fist can consistently put down better autox times though.
 


OP
Z
Messages
42
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8
Location
North Bay
Thread Starter #13
prefer something RWD. Is the miata a better overall choice than a e36/46? Fun, reliability and affordable maintenance are most important.
 


GAbOS

Active member
Messages
745
Likes
166
Location
Carson City
#14
Don't try to group E36 and e46 the parts from a 46 on the outgoing model, geometry is only good for drifting. So many of their models are based on the 36(based on the E30) making it the cheaper option. I can actually put the entire rear subframe from the historic clownshoe z3m in my E30 with just wrenches, no other mods but 5 lug wheels.

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alexrex20

1000 Post Club
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Location
Spring
#15
prefer something RWD. Is the miata a better overall choice than a e36/46? Fun, reliability and affordable maintenance are most important.
yes, the miata absolutely. bmw's do not have affordable maintenance, and generally aren't very reliable. nissan 350z and honda s2000 are pretty affordable these days as well. what was your budget?
 


OP
Z
Messages
42
Likes
8
Location
North Bay
Thread Starter #16
yes, the miata absolutely. bmw's do not have affordable maintenance, and generally aren't very reliable. nissan 350z and honda s2000 are pretty affordable these days as well. what was your budget?
$10k max including upgrades to prepare for track events. Lower the better.
 


GAbOS

Active member
Messages
745
Likes
166
Location
Carson City
#17
yes, the miata absolutely. bmw's do not have affordable maintenance, and generally aren't very reliable. nissan 350z and honda s2000 are pretty affordable these days as well. what was your budget?
S2000 and 350 more affordable and reliable than obd I BMWs?! Laughable.

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OP
Z
Messages
42
Likes
8
Location
North Bay
Thread Starter #18
I have an '06 Mustang with a 4.6 3v that I use for track events but also DD at times. If it was strictly a track car (no license plate), I would probably use a different vehicle but I love the fact that I can drive it anywhere and everywhere. If you're looking for something cheap to get into, a NA or NB Miata is the perfect choice because of it's low cost/power and great RWD dynamics. If my Mustang were stock, it would be worth around 8-9k even with it's lower mileage which I would consider fairly cheap given everything it can do. 300 hp, very stiff chassis, generally reliable, pretty cheap to maintain, and responds INCREDIBLY well to mods.

IMG_3308

17425897_1277922375594497_3038005495109881406_n
Nice Mustang! But over my budget.
 


alexrex20

1000 Post Club
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611
Location
Spring
#19
You're almost in Spec Miata territory at $10k. You could get a nice turbo NB Mazdaspeed and have plenty left over for upgrades and updates.

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OP
Z
Messages
42
Likes
8
Location
North Bay
Thread Starter #20
miata versus the FiST?

Is the overall driving experience of a cheap NA miata as a dedicated track toy more fun than investing the same funds into modding my FiST?
 




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