 | Home > Off Topic > Anyone into track days? Advice? |
 
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| TJ101 Member Since: 30 May 2007 Location: Taunton Somerset Posts: 3750   
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Hi
Best advise i can give, for anyone starting in any form of motorsport, is find you local MSA club, see what type of events they organise, Rally, Race, Track Days, auto tests, etc etc, and develop from there See https://www.msauk.org/Get-Started California F1, 75th 110 "Kermit", 50th Ann V8, 90 V8 Hybrid, 55 Series 1 Main Brian James Trailer Dealer for South West UK |
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13th Jan 2015 1:16pm |
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| a13x Member Since: 25 Sep 2011 Location: Burton on Trent Posts: 553 
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I had a heavily modified VX220 for track days and had great fun in both the UK and France. You can buy a standard 2.2 cheap nowadays.
Only advice is get instruction at every circuit as even experienced drivers can be amazed at how a little tuition helps. Start steady and build your way through the day. Lastly, remember that if you are driving to the track day, that you need to be able to drive it back home. Given a circuit may be s few hours away, you don't want to be stranded at the side of the road. |
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13th Jan 2015 2:20pm |
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| Likeomg Member Since: 29 Jun 2012 Location: Lake District / Newcastle Posts: 2642 
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evo 6/7/8....
wouldn't have a second hand one as my car but as a track car... probably best bang for buck |
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13th Jan 2015 3:44pm |
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| ChrisJ Member Since: 12 Nov 2013 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 231 
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Clio 182 for me, I'm driving one as a daily at the minute, the interior is noting fancy so you wouldn't mind ripping it out to make it lighter. Plenty of performance and power upgrades available for little money, easy to fix and providing the engine has been serviced and had the belts and dephaser changed when needed they are bullet proof. Plastic wings if you take a ding are cheap and easy to change.
They are silly cheap too, anything from £1000 for something rough. I'll be shifting mine shortly for about £1500. Has full s/h and 80k on the clock so they are cheap for what they are. I've seriously considered tracking mine but I'll be getting rid in time for the new defender and buying a 205 to tinker with. Rallyesteve any info on your 205 your selling ?  |
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13th Jan 2015 5:03pm |
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| rallysteve Member Since: 10 Feb 2014 Location: Cumbria Posts: 2237 
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Well not to steal this thread too much but its a phase 2 1991. Was originally a 1.6 but now runs a 1.9 engine on 1.6 flywheel and gearbox (lower ratio). Also has 1.9 speedline wheels in white with two new Toyo T1R tyres. Have spent a fortune on new parts (all genuine or oe) for it including new front wishbones, clutch, water pump, cambelt kit, aluminium radiator, refurb steering rack, wheelbearings all round, anti roll bar links. Drivers seat lowered, remote locking kit (Toad). Also completely rebuilt rear axle with genuine bits which other than going on and off a car trailer a few times hasnt been driven. Other than the engine and wheels its very standard and original. Even has original clarion radio. Paintwork and interior is a bit shabby but reasonably solid. Have a few bits to repair then was going to re mot. Probably £850 when repaired/mot'd or 500 without. Worth much more in bits buy cant bring myself to break it!
[URL=]  Click image to enlarge[/URL] Also have another body shell/kit i was weighing up selling as i havent got the space/time at the moment for it. Its a 89' phase 1.5 which is stripped out 1.9 non sunroof shell with a professionly welded in safety devices cage. Floor lowered with mounts for bucket seats. OMP HTE seats, sabelt harnesses, cut down and flocked dashboard, Peugeot sport adjustable bias pedal box, original Bilstein front coil overs (brand new and very rare) and solid camber/castor adjustable mounts. rear group a bilstein shocks. Rare auto bonnet with aerocatches. Polycarbonate windows, Single wiper conversion. Hydraulic handbrake kit. Would be a good start for building a trackday or rally car as I was. Although this is only a rolling shell I also have a brand new 24mm rear arb (standard 19mm) and some other new bits still im packets Paintwork is a bit dull etc but it is one of the most solid 205 shells I have seen. Could be combined with the above to make one track car. Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated  02' 110 TD5 Double Cab Rebuild Thread |
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13th Jan 2015 6:48pm |
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| ChrisJ Member Since: 12 Nov 2013 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 231
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 very interested Steve, I'll move this to pm.
Also I think you used to live in Loughborough? I met you at a meet once, I was with Daz Kilsby in his old v6 205. |
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13th Jan 2015 7:02pm |
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| CE TD5 Member Since: 20 Nov 2014 Location: UK Posts: 51 
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I was going to say mx5 too. I could probably get my sister to lend you one of these from work
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13th Jan 2015 7:52pm |
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| Boyd Member Since: 11 May 2014 Location: Le Saint Posts: 172  
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Right I'm bored and this is an interesting topic and although you may in reality be better discussing on one of the track day forums of which there are loads why not....
To many, a Trackday car is an opportunity to drive the car they love or the car they've always wanted to the limits and sometimes beyond. This means the car choice has already been decided before the track is chosen. For someone that wants to get into track days, learn the 'racing line', learn the tracks, learn car control there are MANY different routes to go down. First question I would normally ask people is what tracks do they plan to go to, slightly stating the obvious but short, twisty tracks mean small, light and agile cars are the answer and with that a Clio 172 or Mx-5 would be hard to beat. Longer, faster tracks (Spa, Nordschliefe etc) mean a little Clio would be a less than ideal and you be better in the likes of a 6-cylinder BMW or dare I say it an Impreza or EVO. Higher top speeds, greater stability at speed and often some decent amounts of torque. Tracks aside, if the draw is out of the box keeping up with and sometimes overtaking expensive machinery rather than learning car control yes these EVO's/Impreza's are hard to beat, they have been making reasonable drivers look fast for years and can be an excellent means of learning tracks even leaving the host of electronic aids active (although you will go through pads and indeed discs doing that). They do have there limits though (and I don't mean power) you will get to a point where your skill is beyond the car and you will have to pay pretty serious money to get a chassis setup to go further. If the draw however is car control then there really is one drivetrain configuration that fits the bill and that's front engined rear wheel drive. I say that as yes you can learn a number of car control techniques with front or four wheel drive but you will get bored, you will want to learn various oversteer techniques beyond lift off oversteer. I say front engined rear wheel drive due to the post limit handling balance characteristics (yaw inertia) of having a heavy lump of metal of the engine over the front axle rather than over the 'yawing' rear axle. Here again a BMW particularly an E30/E36 would be very hard to beat, minimal modifications beyond a set of respectable pads and cheap ebay coilovers can see an E36 giving you months and months of fun. Back to the MX-5 idea, slightly less ideal post limit for car control but lighter and therefore easier on consumables and a great car to learn in, they do however have there limits and they're mainly power related, you will get bored after a season or two. With this an E36 is actually cheaper to modify, easier to swap lumps to larger M3 esque power, cheaper aero modifications (it needs it) and ultimately more potential. Other slightly more off the wall options, how about a Leon Cupra (amazingly capable and competent out of the box) or a Porsche 944 S2? I would personally stay away from highly tuned n/a Japanese cars as the Type R's mentioned as you really need to ring their necks for decent torque and engines don't like to be sitting at 9k RPM all the time and that's where it'll be on a track day. Back to the lazy 6-cyl BMW engines particularly say a 2.8 M52 single vanos engine it will go on for years of abuse. Love track days and track day cars, I had to sell all my fast toys under doctors orders following a head injury a couple of years ago and I'm dying to get back into it both personally and professionally. Do it! 2003 Zambezi Silver TD5 110 XS SW overland prepped.... 2004 Santorini Black TD5 110 XS SW left hooker for sale! 2004 Alpine White TD5 110 left hooker (work in progress) |
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13th Jan 2015 10:03pm |
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| landy andy Member Since: 15 Feb 2009 Location: Ware, Herts Posts: 5729 
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MX5 lack of power issues can be sorted. Mates got a big turbo of his track one.
Another option is a Westfield, cheaper version of a caterham. Andy |
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13th Jan 2015 10:52pm |
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| Grenadier Member Since: 23 Jul 2014 Location: The foot of Mont Blanc... Posts: 5829 
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All the local rally mad Froggos use the 205Gti. One of the first cars I drove, back in 1991 when I passed my test, then the owner (mate of Thompson and Plato of WTC fame) wrote it off. Perhaps that's why his aspirations to join them stayed exactly as that, aspirations... Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated Monsieur Le Grenadier
I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list..... 2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey |
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14th Jan 2015 8:46am |
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| mk1collector Member Since: 17 Sep 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 6769  
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Mk1 golf
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14th Jan 2015 9:39am |
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| ken Member Since: 18 Aug 2009 Location: Banging Birds with my bitches !! Posts: 4328
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LP560 F430
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14th Jan 2015 9:48am |
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| mk1collector Member Since: 17 Sep 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 6769
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That's no good for a track day, it's a soft top.
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14th Jan 2015 10:08am |
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| Tiger Member Since: 06 Jul 2012 Location: Wales Posts: 2265 
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Took my old TVR on a couple of Track Days
Some tracks don't like loud cars so bear that in mind, they'll check with a DBmeter. Also you'll be surprised how much it will cost you in fuel and tyres  if your driving to and from make sure you leave some tyres for the journey home and enough fuel to get you to a petrol station.
I'd say that an MX5 is a really good idea, the TVR was great fun but in reality (although all men think they are great drivers) the TVR taught me that I'm not that good really. It's good fun though (expensive though) |
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14th Jan 2015 10:18am |
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