Jap track car max budget £2k ( done lots of searching)

[samwise77]

Right , i know this subject gets a fairly regular airing but, firstly i feel that i need some more info/have different needs and secondly its always good to have as much input as possible.

Come September i plan on selling my dc2 to fund a dedicated track car and a daily driver/ tow car . From some rough workings i should have about £1500-£2000 to spend on a track car, which doesn't need to be on the road so mpg,size or insurance etc are not an issue

i intend to learn "proper" track driving in this car i have done some days before but nothing mad and have always had to worry about getting to work the next day haha Im guessing it would be good to get something fairly close to what im used to (n/a revvy high power engines and neutral handling ) i would also like something rwd and obviously jap so here are some of my ideas


Toyota altezza - the beams engine seems to be great 210hp is fine and should be able to strip it down to circa 1100kg which isn't too bad doesn't seem to much info RE track work with these

Mr2 mk1 or mk2 from what i have read engines are great as are gearboxes handling can be tricky near the limit plenty of track info and a race series !

Mitsubishi Starion - If i could find one these seem perfect strong engine and ,box simple rwd handling look amazing IMO not much track info

Mazda mx5 Great handling and track support although a little lacking power wise and very common (i like to be a bit odd lol )

Subaru legacy rs -yes i know its not rwd but there just awesome!! (mk1) plenty of poke and grip not too clued up on boxer engines guessing service items could be tricky as well as finding one in the first place

I have thought about engine swaps etc (cbr1100 engine in a k10 micra anyone ?? ) but this takes money out of the budget and could easily cost more than i plan for !

So there you go im after experiences had with any of the cars on track and any advice or suggestions also please feel free to tell me if im looking for too much for my budget Thanks Sam

[GravelBen]

I've done trackdays in a couple of Mk1 MX5s (standard 115bhp on budget road tyres and 250bhp turbo on semislicks, so about as far apart as 2 MX5s get) and both were great fun.

Its funny how people comment on the MX5 being underpowered but don't say the same thing about the Mk1 MR2 (or 205 GTI) which are only slightly quicker.

I've seen an Altezza on a track day and it seemed to handle well enough, didn't set the world on fire but wasn't expecting it to. The beams motor does need to be revved hard to make its power, which is probably better suited to track than road use. I've only driven a mates one paddock racing (think grasskhana), but it was a good steer and the 6-speed box has a nice action to it.

For trackdays don't worry about how fast it is or isn't, just go for something fun - its not a race and you can always find someone running around the same pace to play with. The most fun I ever had on a trackday was in the standard MX5 playing cat & mouse with a Datsun 1200 set up for tarmac rallying.

Edited by GravelBen on Saturday 19th July 01:18

[Scottr89]

Keep the DC2 it's more capable than anything else you mentioned. Just save up for a tow car.

[samwise77]

thanks for the replies , that's very true about people not saying the mr2 is under powered never thought of it tbh.

As for keeping the dc2 as much as i would love to there is no way i could get a tow car sorted in time and there are other reasons for selling (change of job mileage etc )and tbf its pretty tidy so i don't fancy stuffing it into a barrier haha also as a daily it can be a bit of a pain it deserves better

[Clark3y]

Drop the jap requirement and get a 328i.

[samwise77]

that's just not going to happen tbh i enjoy the jap car meets and events to much.

[BricktopST205]

Nissan Primera GT. Get a 4 door shell for around 700ish pounds and spend the rest on modding. Strip it out to 1000kg's. Skyline 4 pot brake setup (bolt on)(£300), coilovers(£600), exhaust manifold(£100) and spend the rest on decent rubber. Any change spent on polybushes. Would give you a great basis for a track car.

I understand it is not RWD but it is a great chassis and comes with a lot of great features for a cheap track day car. (Lovely revvy engine, smooth gearbox, strut bracing front and rear as standard, cheap as chips to maintain and service).

Edited by BricktopST205 on Sunday 20th July 02:16

[samwise77]

Thats a good option that i hadnt thought of , i am a big btcc fan so a race rep could be done aswell , how strong are the gearboxes? i only ask as i thought about accord type r but i know they anit got the best boxes. Also am i right in thinking they run a sr20 without the turbo?

[james_gt3rs]

You might be able to get a tatty mk3 MR2 for that money, they are brilliant fun on track, better balance than a mk1.

[kpb]

If its not to similar to the DC2, hows about an LSD-equipped BB4 prelude with a front upper strut brace and decent tyres. Plus change from £1000.

[samwise77]

I did have a good think about the ,ludes do they have the same gearbox issue as the accord type r ? ( drops out of tec between 3rd and 4th? ) also a mk3 mr2 could be cool, would i get a 190 hp tho?

[samwise77]

i have also thought about kei cars just because they seem like such fun and some are quite tuneable

[StreetDragster]

Mazda RX8

I run one as a trackcar as does two of my friends. 231ps, 6 speed, lsd, rwd, great handling and brakes as stock and cheap to buy and plenty of spares.

Just get one with a good compression test result before you start and your laughing

Matt

[samwise77]

im a bit scarred of the engine rebuild tbh although im not overly informed on the rx8 do they wear rotar tips like the rx 7?

[StreetDragster]

Yes they do, but that's what the compression test is for.

Get yourself over to www.rx8ownersclub.Co.UK and do some research, mines great, fit the money I can't complain

Matt

[samwise77]

Thanks matt i ll have a butchers

[kpb]

samwise77 said:

I did have a good think about the ,ludes do they have the same gearbox issue as the accord type r ? ( drops out of tec between 3rd and 4th? ) also a mk3 mr2 could be cool, would i get a 190 hp tho?

No its a different box and I never had that problem. The one you need to look for on a lightweight BB4 is the m2b4 box, as it has the LSD. Its stamped on the housing and easily spotted from the engine bay.

A common mistake is assuming all BB4s have LSD, which is not the case as I learnt to my cost with the second one I bought. That said, with a strut brace fitted I still think any mk4 lude is a great handler, although the JDM has a few more ponies as you probably know. My second one (non LSD, better tyres and a strut brace) handled better than the shabby LSD- one I had previously, as the diff was quite aggressive and used to tug at the steering at the point of cross over.

LSD option aside, the only real advantage of a BB4 is the few kilos it has lopped off, which is easy to achieve on any mk4 if you intend to track it.

There's a chap on ludegeneration who sells spoon map ECU chips for £20 and parts are very easy to get hold of as rust is killing a lot of them come MOT time.

[MG CHRIS]

For your budget I would get a £500 quid mx5 spend £1500 on converting to track spec coilovers, roll cage, seats, harness, set of track tyres and 4 wheel alignment, along with upgraded pads and dot 5.1 fluid then off you go.
People comment on the lack of power but the best thing of that is the engine is so under stressed it can go all day and not have any problems the block was designed from the 323 turbo so the block and internals are really strong.

And when you get bored of the power slap a turbo on it 200bhp easy can get 250 with management etc and you got a really quick car with few other on track beating it, or if the shell gets to rusty strip it and turn it in to a kit car and save half a ton in weight.

Parts are plenty and cheap so wont struggle to find anything for it all people to help you out with it.

[samwise77]

Cool, preludes sound interesting what kind of weight can i expect to get it down to? also do the lsd equpied cars make much more money,

As for the mx5 they sound perfect i just wish there wasnt so many of them ! i know that means plenty of parts etc and i guess there are popular for a reason maybe im being too fussy !

[samwise77]

I should also mention that i have a lexus is200 that is off the road as i was planning on trying my hand at drifting although im quite happy to make this the track car its already stripped out as well,

i know the original engines are not that great but plenty of room for conversion lexus v8 (1uzfe) would be great but i know these are expensive and i anit sure if i can get it track ready within budget ?

I do know of a Aristo thats available for around £250 with a good engine i guess i could use the 2jz engine and make it fit with the mounts etc from the Aristo (gs300) again anit sure if this would work.

Edited by samwise77 on Sunday 27th July 21:29