Hill Climb/Sprint RWD car recommendations?

[rossyl]

Hi

Following my other thread I've been looking in to cars for sprinting/hill climbs. I would probably enter in either Road Going up to 2000cc or up to 1600cc though I realise that classes change depending on Club.

I've been looking at previous threads as well as Sprint/Hill Climb championship standings.

The trouble is I definitely want a RWD car. I've not seen that requirement in previous threads.

The obvious answer is an MX5, but I've also read that they are pretty slow on s hill climb.
Is there a better option?

The RX8 there seems to be confusion over whether it is under or above 2000cc, with different clubs having different multipliers. That's a bit too much doubt for me. Also, I've always thought they are more likely to leave me with s big bill.

Beyond those two cars, I cannot think of anything better in the budget range. Any thoughts?

Thanks
R

[Trev450]

Honda S2000 possibly or a 3 Series BMW.

[rossyl]

As close to £1k as possible

[andye30m3]

it's been a few years since I've sprinted but the S2000 was probably the best of the up to 2.0l in the road going classes on the circuits, although when i had mine I did at times struggle on the tighter airfield events against the new hot hatches

[rossyl]

I am thinking cheap to buy (£1k ish) and cheap to fix.

S2000 - is £4+k

BMW's I am guessing are going to be expensive to fix. Even when old, their parts are still expensive. Or am I wrong?

[andye30m3]

probably best off with an early MX5 then if you set on RWD,

When sprinted they were ok on the tight twisty circuits but didn't have the power of the S2000's, clio 182, honda type R's etc

[RobMk2a]

MG TF - Reg Phillips Hillclimbed a white one with hard top when they were new.

Rob

[LordHaveMurci]

Toyota MR2 - the Mk2 is it - the blobby one? Raced against one in my 1st couple of hillclimbs, in my 172 Cup we were very evenly matched.

[anonymous-user]

MX5 is your only choice really bar old BMWs but they will be heavy and under powered to be competitive, that said a standard MX5 will be probably be in the same class as things like Elises and S2000s so you wont be winning much although it varies significantly between club/championships.

I do think RWD is a strange stipulation, surely you want the best car for the money, that can be competitive out of the box, cheap to run and maintain and still lots of fun. I know you want RWD but £1k gets all sorts of small french hatchbacks and a whole host of randoms like Proton Coupes etc

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 20th July 12:58

[rossyl]

To explain my requirement for RWD.

My other is, and I hope will remain, a powerful RWD sports car or GT. Part of the reason for wanting to do hill climbing (and in a few years, track racing) is to develop car control that can also be used in my other car. Yes the handling will be different, but a low powered RWD on the edge is more similar than a low powered FWD to a powerful RWD car.

Thanks

[anonymous-user]

Yeah I get that and you are right, which are the driven wheels really will be the defining factor when the handling of low powered cars is considered but IMHO Sprints and hillclimbs are two totally different forms of motorsport. The only similarity is that they are races against the clock.

If you are under the impression that you are going to get some tail out fun on a hillclimb let alone anywhere near "the edge" you are greatly mistaken. Sure you will develop car control skills but they will be fundamentally different to the skills you need on a track in a race scenario. I appreciate I chose two exaggerated examples, Combe is nice and wide, Shelsley Walsh is barely ten feet wide but they are fairly representative of sprint and hillclimb venues... Apologies if I am labouring a point but ultimately, if you want to go track racing, just do track days or sprints, I honestly dont think hill climbs will help.

[stevieturbo]

rossyl said:

To explain my requirement for RWD.

My other is, and I hope will remain, a powerful RWD sports car or GT. Part of the reason for wanting to do hill climbing (and in a few years, track racing) is to develop car control that can also be used in my other car. Yes the handling will be different, but a low powered RWD on the edge is more similar than a low powered FWD to a powerful RWD car.

Thanks

And is your current car not something you could use ?

TBH, trying to compare driving a no power MX5 to something bigger and more powerful....well they're just miles apart in every respect. So will you really learn much from driving that slow car ? I just cant see it.

Although the old MR2 suggestion isnt a bad one either if you could find a decent one. Not nice cars to work at though.

I see a few of the newer hairdresser MR2 convertibles on egay though sub £2k, and apparently they're quite fun

[rossyl]

We are going off on a tangent here...but, I think you can definitely learn driving any car, it does not need to be powerful to develop and grow car control skills, to learn the best lines to take when driving etc.

For example this guy is very well thought of and does some lessons in a 100hp Fiat, as well as doing other lessons on track in track cars. http://www.drivertuition.com/index.htm

As for my other car, I would not want to but it would not be the end of the world if I binned an old MX5 or BMW on a sprint or hill climb, my AM Vantage on the other hand! Plus the Vantage would cost too much to run in terms of tyres, pads and discs and fuel. Even a stone chip!

[Trev450]

Corner dynamics are completely different in a powerful car than they are in an underpowered one. Weight also makes a considerable difference. AM V8 is a very nice car but wouldn't be at all competitive in production class.

[stevieturbo]

IMO raise your budget and get something like an M3.

Then it will give you some chance of learning to drive in a car with similar dynamics to your AM.

They'll both be big heavy rwd cars with a little bit of power. You could probably get something in the £5-7k range.
It isnt cheap by any means, but it would be far more relevant to you than a car that barely has enough power to spin the wheels etc. It also isnt a fortune.

And who cares if it's competitive as long as its fun.

[fat80b]

stevieturbo said:

TBH, trying to compare driving a no power MX5 to something bigger and more powerful....well they're just miles apart in every respect. So will you really learn much from driving that slow car ? I just cant see it.

Perhaps you should try it. My experience says the opposite.

I have a TVR Tuscan, an M3 as a daily driver and an MX5 for Autosolos and Targa Rallies.

I use the MX5 mostly on track or competing and only rarely on the road, as such, it spends most of its time sideways. Having tracked the TVR as well, the experience gained in the MX5 was invaluable and transferred directly to a car with 3X the BHP.

You definitely don't feel slow or underpowered in an MX5 as with the diff / rwd / no traction control, you are on the hairy edge most of the time. and it does give you the rwd experience / car control learning that you are seeking.

As for not having enough power to spin the wheels - pull the other one. If anything, the MX5 can be more fun than the other cars as it gets to that hairy edge at much slower speeds and you can break traction at will.

Bob

p.s. Do autosolos before sprinting or hillclimbing as it is much much cheaper.

[rossyl]

Yep. Autosolos look more fun than Autotests, I've got a terrible sense of direction!!

Why don't Ford, Vauxhall, Citroen, Renault - those more run of the mill brands produce a decent RWD car?

Seems absurd pretty much the only cheap option is a Mazda.

[stevieturbo]

fat80b said:

Perhaps you should try it. My experience says the opposite.

I have a TVR Tuscan, an M3 as a daily driver and an MX5 for Autosolos and Targa Rallies.

I use the MX5 mostly on track or competing and only rarely on the road, as such, it spends most of its time sideways. Having tracked the TVR as well, the experience gained in the MX5 was invaluable and transferred directly to a car with 3X the BHP.

You definitely don't feel slow or underpowered in an MX5 as with the diff / rwd / no traction control, you are on the hairy edge most of the time. and it does give you the rwd experience / car control learning that you are seeking.

As for not having enough power to spin the wheels - pull the other one. If anything, the MX5 can be more fun than the other cars as it gets to that hairy edge at much slower speeds and you can break traction at will.

Bob

p.s. Do autosolos before sprinting or hillclimbing as it is much much cheaper.

I understand where you're coming from, but I'm not about to drop 500hp or so to get an MX5.

[Trev450]

rossyl said:

Why don't Ford, Vauxhall, Citroen, Renault - those more run of the mill brands produce a decent RWD car?

Because rwd is more expensive to produce than fwd and the vast majority of Jo public wouldn't pay the extra because they wouldn't perceive any advanatge.

[sandys]

2.0 MX5 Mk3 is fairly competitive and not too expensive, pick up the cheapest you can find do not worry about spec etc, and crack on, worked for me, it was quicker stock than I imagined it could be, then a few minor mods it just got quicker, learned a lot about driving RWD in it and I now feel more comfortable buying something RWD`that's a bit quicker, the experienced gained can only be beneficial.

Edited by sandys on Friday 22 July 22:33