Discussion
Speedtwelve;
You were certainly moving in that VX220, I love those. Is it standard?
Yeah, the track was much nicer in the PM. There was a fair bit of stupid going on that day.
So saying, we were flagged three times; twice, my mate overcooked it and spun, I clipped (and I mean clipped) a cone. But we were trying to learn the car.
Loved it though, and from the posts above it doesn't look like we need to spend much on the car.
Happy days...
You were certainly moving in that VX220, I love those. Is it standard?
Yeah, the track was much nicer in the PM. There was a fair bit of stupid going on that day.
So saying, we were flagged three times; twice, my mate overcooked it and spun, I clipped (and I mean clipped) a cone. But we were trying to learn the car.
Loved it though, and from the posts above it doesn't look like we need to spend much on the car.
Happy days...
T40ORA
The VX220 is the standard 145bhp car; haven't done anything to it other than sticking some Eagle F1s on and refreshing the brake fluid. It has loads of front-end bite and turn-in; I can really lean on it in the corners. It doesn't have an LSD incidentally, something which I've had on almost all of my previous RWD cars, but the VX has so little power & torque it's not an issue. I overcooked it as well in a braking zone at the end of the runway, but managed to run off in between cones and so avoided a spanking.
These airfield days are ideal places to prod the limits a bit; cones are more forgiving than Armco!
The VX220 is the standard 145bhp car; haven't done anything to it other than sticking some Eagle F1s on and refreshing the brake fluid. It has loads of front-end bite and turn-in; I can really lean on it in the corners. It doesn't have an LSD incidentally, something which I've had on almost all of my previous RWD cars, but the VX has so little power & torque it's not an issue. I overcooked it as well in a braking zone at the end of the runway, but managed to run off in between cones and so avoided a spanking.
These airfield days are ideal places to prod the limits a bit; cones are more forgiving than Armco!
Dropped into this thread to comment on s2000 points, realised I was at Abingdon too.
It was a good day in the end and I have to say I was impressed how MSE dealt with "confident" driving in what were quite tricky conditions.
Anyway on s2000. I too have taken an s2000 round Abingdon before and like you I was impressed how good it was standard. Balance, power, brakes all standard seemed to me to be really good. I'm sure with a few simple mods you could improve it but they are far from shabby out of the box! Enjoy
It was a good day in the end and I have to say I was impressed how MSE dealt with "confident" driving in what were quite tricky conditions.
Anyway on s2000. I too have taken an s2000 round Abingdon before and like you I was impressed how good it was standard. Balance, power, brakes all standard seemed to me to be really good. I'm sure with a few simple mods you could improve it but they are far from shabby out of the box! Enjoy
Edited by flat6gallivant on Tuesday 27th December 11:03
Hi,
Speedtwelve & I have done many Trackdays/Go-Kart races/Car Experiences & many newbies ask us "what should I upgrade on my car to make it go faster" & the answer is invariably "Lessons". We mostly get ignored :-)
The Higher boiling point brake fluid & better pads is a good shout tho.
Oh and make sure your tyres aren't Chung Whang Hedge Finders :-)
Seriously tho, A bit of instruction to get your lines & braking points sorted is where to start.
Here are some gratuitous trackday shots... just because :--)
Mark S
Speedtwelve & I have done many Trackdays/Go-Kart races/Car Experiences & many newbies ask us "what should I upgrade on my car to make it go faster" & the answer is invariably "Lessons". We mostly get ignored :-)
The Higher boiling point brake fluid & better pads is a good shout tho.
Oh and make sure your tyres aren't Chung Whang Hedge Finders :-)
Seriously tho, A bit of instruction to get your lines & braking points sorted is where to start.
Here are some gratuitous trackday shots... just because :--)
Mark S
flat6gallivant
Blue 911 GT4? It looked great.
Bristol spark
Seems to be an S2000 issue, oil filters resonating themselves loose. Some people wire-lock them I believe? Looks like you ended-up with an underbonnet BBQ. I lost the engine on my TVR when the sump-plug undid itself one evening. Not something I regularly checked...
Mark S
You should have kept the 205 GTi!
Blue 911 GT4? It looked great.
Bristol spark
Seems to be an S2000 issue, oil filters resonating themselves loose. Some people wire-lock them I believe? Looks like you ended-up with an underbonnet BBQ. I lost the engine on my TVR when the sump-plug undid itself one evening. Not something I regularly checked...
Mark S
You should have kept the 205 GTi!
I too was at the infamous abingdon trackday, but in one of the twin alfa 147's - mine was the one with more dents. The morning was a lot of fun, very greasy 
Regarding the oil filters, I run the HAMP honda oil filters on both my s2000 and DC2 and have never had a problem with them coming loose - I change them regularly and do them up so they come off by hand, so not murder tight. I can't commented on the construction of the filter if they are any different to the OEM honda ones or aftermarket which means they stay on better but my understanding is they are slightly smaller volume and have different bypass characteristics which are more in line with heavy / track use and gives a slightly higher oil pressure.
Regarding the oil filters, I run the HAMP honda oil filters on both my s2000 and DC2 and have never had a problem with them coming loose - I change them regularly and do them up so they come off by hand, so not murder tight. I can't commented on the construction of the filter if they are any different to the OEM honda ones or aftermarket which means they stay on better but my understanding is they are slightly smaller volume and have different bypass characteristics which are more in line with heavy / track use and gives a slightly higher oil pressure.
Thanks for the advice, guys. Going faster is certainly not on the list just yet; if I really want faster, I'll get the TVR out (after I've addressed the noise issues) but at the moment it's about learning, maximising "driveability" of the car, and safety. (Although, if a couple of grand can give 30+bhp and extend the rev range, then after the following has been done, who knows....?)
So far then, keeping the right rubber on the wheels, upgrading the pads, and changing the brake-fluid are at the top of the list. Looking at the oil filter seems to be a good exercise too
Professional lessons will come, but for me there is a balance to be attained; pushing myself to the limits that I currently have in terms of confidence, THEN getting pro tuition.
Interesting that the roll-cage is not seen as essential. We have standard seats, so it may well be that my loaf sticks above the built in protection and getting a hard-dog might be on the list.
Just need to get out on the track again!
So far then, keeping the right rubber on the wheels, upgrading the pads, and changing the brake-fluid are at the top of the list. Looking at the oil filter seems to be a good exercise too
Professional lessons will come, but for me there is a balance to be attained; pushing myself to the limits that I currently have in terms of confidence, THEN getting pro tuition.
Interesting that the roll-cage is not seen as essential. We have standard seats, so it may well be that my loaf sticks above the built in protection and getting a hard-dog might be on the list.
Just need to get out on the track again!
speedtwelve said:
flat6gallivant
Blue 911 GT4? It looked great.
Bristol spark
Seems to be an S2000 issue, oil filters resonating themselves loose. Some people wire-lock them I believe? Looks like you ended-up with an underbonnet BBQ. I lost the engine on my TVR when the sump-plug undid itself one evening. Not something I regularly checked...
Mark S
You should have kept the 205 GTi!
What TVR did you have? NOT the Speed Twelve I'm guessing!Blue 911 GT4? It looked great.
Bristol spark
Seems to be an S2000 issue, oil filters resonating themselves loose. Some people wire-lock them I believe? Looks like you ended-up with an underbonnet BBQ. I lost the engine on my TVR when the sump-plug undid itself one evening. Not something I regularly checked...
Mark S
You should have kept the 205 GTi!
S2k's are great fun on track and really quite capable as standard. You can get a lot of trackday learning out of a standard car before you need to worry about doing too much.
I'd always recommend brakes and tyres first. Bridgestone Re002's are a really good all round tyre and come in stock S2k sizes. Great tyre for the car. I use Carbone Lorraine RC5+ pads (with cheap plain discs) which are a bit pricey but very, very good. I've also got a master cylinder brace and ATE superblue fluid. It's a great combination, I'm pretty confident this it's the best braking you'll get out of the stock setup and the car takes it really well.
As said, you don't really need induction/exhaust as they won't do a lot for you, its more for some added drama. I've got the K&N fipk and a quiet exhaust on mine - love the combination of extra noise but no difference in power from what I can tell.
Get yourself a decent bucket seat, if only for the driver. Stock seats are shocking for lateral support. Make sure you get something quite narrow as the space to bolt them into is small. I use a Recaro SPG which is perfect and gives you an extra couple of inches of headroom.
Suspension is really good as standard, I wouldn't rush to upgrade as you'll then potentially be looking at various replacement suspension arms to get the geometry into spec.
Also, as said elsewhere, don't run the risk of semi-slicks without a baffled sump. Not worth the risk and you'll lose some of the dynamism of the car which is what makes them so fun.
Here's a vid of mine at Donny. Shows some of the antics you can get up to in a mostly stock car:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnDy8Di2-PM
Have fun with it!
I'd always recommend brakes and tyres first. Bridgestone Re002's are a really good all round tyre and come in stock S2k sizes. Great tyre for the car. I use Carbone Lorraine RC5+ pads (with cheap plain discs) which are a bit pricey but very, very good. I've also got a master cylinder brace and ATE superblue fluid. It's a great combination, I'm pretty confident this it's the best braking you'll get out of the stock setup and the car takes it really well.
As said, you don't really need induction/exhaust as they won't do a lot for you, its more for some added drama. I've got the K&N fipk and a quiet exhaust on mine - love the combination of extra noise but no difference in power from what I can tell.
Get yourself a decent bucket seat, if only for the driver. Stock seats are shocking for lateral support. Make sure you get something quite narrow as the space to bolt them into is small. I use a Recaro SPG which is perfect and gives you an extra couple of inches of headroom.
Suspension is really good as standard, I wouldn't rush to upgrade as you'll then potentially be looking at various replacement suspension arms to get the geometry into spec.
Also, as said elsewhere, don't run the risk of semi-slicks without a baffled sump. Not worth the risk and you'll lose some of the dynamism of the car which is what makes them so fun.
Here's a vid of mine at Donny. Shows some of the antics you can get up to in a mostly stock car:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnDy8Di2-PM
Have fun with it!
T40ORA said:
What TVR did you have? NOT the Speed Twelve I'm guessing!
Mmmmmm.... Cerbera Speed Twelve.... I had a '98 Chimaera 400 for 6 years. Great fun on road & track. I really wanted a Cerb or T-Car, but reckoned a Chim would be less likely to bankrupt me. The car probably cost around £1k/year in maint, which wasn't too bad. speedtwelve said:
Mmmmmm.... Cerbera Speed Twelve.... I had a '98 Chimaera 400 for 6 years. Great fun on road & track. I really wanted a Cerb or T-Car, but reckoned a Chim would be less likely to bankrupt me. The car probably cost around £1k/year in maint, which wasn't too bad.
Depending on how many miles you did, £1k per year is excellent!I do adore my Tamora; 4l, around 400bhp, handles extremely well. Just bloody expensive....
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