Peugeot 306 Gti6 Track Day Project
Discussion
Hi all,
So i thought I better introduce you to the new project...
I have spent the last 5 years in diesel company cars (5 series, 3 series, and now a 120d) and frankly it was sapping my enthusiasm for all things petrol related regardless of how competent they may have been. SO, i got a half decent bonus from work and i've had a spring in my step since i bought my new toy!
SO I set out to buy a Clio 172, but was drawn to 205's and 306's courtesy of my dads 3 year fling with a 1.6 GTI 205 back when i was 10... I have bought a car that has clearly been around the block a few times, it went against everything i normally adhere to when buying a car, not to mention its done 160k miles and i am amazingly, the 10th owner....
Its had a hard life, the paintwork is frankly woeful (someone has blown over it with pearlescent white and its a crap job at best (paint flaking on the bumpers etc), however it had some very cool bits (I was sold at the sight of the Speedline wheels) i was smitten....
So i drove down to Reading and paid £1100 quid (possibly a bit much for what it is but i dont care right now...) for what i hope will be my project for many many years to come, the spec is as follows:
[bullet] Bilstein B8 Dampers
[bullet] Eibach Springs
[bullet] BakerBM Solid Engine Mounts (Top engine mount fix too...)
[bullet] RichW Rebuilt Head with Triple Layer Metal Gasket and New Cambelt (back in 2011 but only done 8k since...)
[bullet] Roller bearing front wishbone conversion
[bullet] Rose joint front ARB
[bullet] Solid rear mounts
[bullet] Hi-Spec Billet 300 4 Pot brakes
[bullet] Peugeot 307, 302mm disc upgrade
[bullet] Yellow Stuff pads
[bullet] K&N Panel filter
[bullet] Full Magnex system including sports cat & decat (havent fitted the latter yet, is it worth it?)
[bullet] Recaro drivers seat (Prodrive bucket thing)
[bullet] Appears to have also been remapped, with a dyno showing 174.4bhp at the fly, although this was in 2008
[bullet] Speedline Turini Wheels (think Clio Trophy) with Toyo Proxes
It is by far the best handling car i've ever driven, its electric to drive, i love the rattling solidity of the engine mounts, its relentless when you change gear, the oil is golden, its just bloody awesome.
It is a bit 'tappy' top end wise, so i suspect its tired and will pop on my first track day, but lets hope not...
The plan:
I've already bought:
[bullet] Ferodo DS2500 pads (the yellow stuff pads were beyond crap)
[bullet] Tarox G88 Discs (coming soon, cant wait, the brakes are really very poor, discs are knackered)
[bullet] Sparco buckets (drivers seat is in, waiting on 2nd sub frame...)
[bullet] OMP Steering Wheel
[bullet] DG Snap-Off wheel mount
[bullet] New plates, including 90% size front numberplate to fit recess and 'aid' cooling (honest)
(I found the lack of steering wheel adjustment too much to bare and have plumped for a non-airbag wheel on a boss to bring it closer to me, i really hope it helps as i'm a lanky git and my knees hit the wheel at the moment...)
Then i smashed the wheel into a storm drain whilst avoiding a dog, hence the white wheel, bare with on that one, they will all be white eventually....
As it is today post polish:
Long terms plans include rebuild, jenvey's and a cage, oh and a few trackdays!
Long live the NA Hot Hatch, its given me a real spring in my step and not cost that much either, bloody marvellous
So i thought I better introduce you to the new project...
I have spent the last 5 years in diesel company cars (5 series, 3 series, and now a 120d) and frankly it was sapping my enthusiasm for all things petrol related regardless of how competent they may have been. SO, i got a half decent bonus from work and i've had a spring in my step since i bought my new toy!
SO I set out to buy a Clio 172, but was drawn to 205's and 306's courtesy of my dads 3 year fling with a 1.6 GTI 205 back when i was 10... I have bought a car that has clearly been around the block a few times, it went against everything i normally adhere to when buying a car, not to mention its done 160k miles and i am amazingly, the 10th owner....
Its had a hard life, the paintwork is frankly woeful (someone has blown over it with pearlescent white and its a crap job at best (paint flaking on the bumpers etc), however it had some very cool bits (I was sold at the sight of the Speedline wheels) i was smitten....
So i drove down to Reading and paid £1100 quid (possibly a bit much for what it is but i dont care right now...) for what i hope will be my project for many many years to come, the spec is as follows:
[bullet] Bilstein B8 Dampers
[bullet] Eibach Springs
[bullet] BakerBM Solid Engine Mounts (Top engine mount fix too...)
[bullet] RichW Rebuilt Head with Triple Layer Metal Gasket and New Cambelt (back in 2011 but only done 8k since...)
[bullet] Roller bearing front wishbone conversion
[bullet] Rose joint front ARB
[bullet] Solid rear mounts
[bullet] Hi-Spec Billet 300 4 Pot brakes
[bullet] Peugeot 307, 302mm disc upgrade
[bullet] Yellow Stuff pads
[bullet] K&N Panel filter
[bullet] Full Magnex system including sports cat & decat (havent fitted the latter yet, is it worth it?)
[bullet] Recaro drivers seat (Prodrive bucket thing)
[bullet] Appears to have also been remapped, with a dyno showing 174.4bhp at the fly, although this was in 2008
[bullet] Speedline Turini Wheels (think Clio Trophy) with Toyo Proxes
It is by far the best handling car i've ever driven, its electric to drive, i love the rattling solidity of the engine mounts, its relentless when you change gear, the oil is golden, its just bloody awesome.
It is a bit 'tappy' top end wise, so i suspect its tired and will pop on my first track day, but lets hope not...
The plan:
I've already bought:
[bullet] Ferodo DS2500 pads (the yellow stuff pads were beyond crap)
[bullet] Tarox G88 Discs (coming soon, cant wait, the brakes are really very poor, discs are knackered)
[bullet] Sparco buckets (drivers seat is in, waiting on 2nd sub frame...)
[bullet] OMP Steering Wheel
[bullet] DG Snap-Off wheel mount
[bullet] New plates, including 90% size front numberplate to fit recess and 'aid' cooling (honest)
(I found the lack of steering wheel adjustment too much to bare and have plumped for a non-airbag wheel on a boss to bring it closer to me, i really hope it helps as i'm a lanky git and my knees hit the wheel at the moment...)
Then i smashed the wheel into a storm drain whilst avoiding a dog, hence the white wheel, bare with on that one, they will all be white eventually....
As it is today post polish:
Long terms plans include rebuild, jenvey's and a cage, oh and a few trackdays!
Long live the NA Hot Hatch, its given me a real spring in my step and not cost that much either, bloody marvellous
haha absolutely i can imagine it, they do seem to create an amazing amount of induction noise even with my standard airbox with a K&N filter
Finally got hold of a boss that fits (for the record my phase 2 did have an airbag, and yes it needed a phase 3 boss regardless of what various well known motorsport retailers thought...)
Anyway, i've always struggled with the seating position, im 6'3 and my knees used to hit the steering wheel (plus it was a manky old thing anyway) as i'm going down the harness route anyway i have opted for an OMP style setup, and its frankly fantastic, im free to move around, it feels great and the smaller diameter makes the turn in feel even more electric...
Finally got hold of a boss that fits (for the record my phase 2 did have an airbag, and yes it needed a phase 3 boss regardless of what various well known motorsport retailers thought...)
Anyway, i've always struggled with the seating position, im 6'3 and my knees used to hit the steering wheel (plus it was a manky old thing anyway) as i'm going down the harness route anyway i have opted for an OMP style setup, and its frankly fantastic, im free to move around, it feels great and the smaller diameter makes the turn in feel even more electric...
Cheers guys! Looks like you had a lot of run around the ring, I'd love to do that but will wait until it's had a rebuild (she's done a few miles...)
So I managed to fit the brakes over the weekend...
Not saying my brakes were buggered but yikes!
New ones on :-)
Not pushing too hard until they've bedded in and work commitments are getting in the way, but initial impressions are fantastic, a real transformation and look forward to giving them a real work out soon!
So I managed to fit the brakes over the weekend...
Not saying my brakes were buggered but yikes!
New ones on :-)
Not pushing too hard until they've bedded in and work commitments are getting in the way, but initial impressions are fantastic, a real transformation and look forward to giving them a real work out soon!
Update! Progress has been made...
...first track day is on Monday at Bedford Autodrome (naturally the forecast is sh*te) but hey ho i'm going!
I've made quite a few changes since buying the car and overall it now stops, goes and handles better than ever and cant wait to get it out on the circuit! (been as a passenger but my first outing as the driver on a trackday - gulp)
Since the initial post i've done the following:
- Fitted 302mm Tarox discs and Ferodo DS2500 pads
- Serviced the Billet 300 Hi-Spec kit
- Changed the brakefluid (which was dire) to Dot 4 blue
- Stripped out the entire back end up to the front seats
- Changed half of the bloody fan electrical system and it still only runs on one fan....
- Fitted the a/c fan override so one highspeed fan comes on and seems to do the job just fine (i see Rallyes only have 1 anyway?!)
- Fitted 2 x Sparco buckets with Sparco subframes/sliders etc
- Serviced solid wishbone mounts etc/packed with grease
- OMP Wheel
I also discovered its been remapped - with a RR printout stating 144.4 bhp at the fly, 174 at the wheels - back in 2008
I've tried to do it all properly, good quality parts, no warning lights, retained airbag wiring/resistors etc so all works as it should (bar the lack of drivers airbag!)
Engine is still a very noisy one, many taps and nasty metallic sounds so we'll see how long she lasts (truthfully i pray it doesnt break but i guess it may do, the engine really is the weak link)
Its epic to drive, and there's another GTi6 going on Monday so keen to see how i shape up against the other Pug and a million Clio's....
Here are a few pics!
Next up:
Get oil cooler plumbed (crappy pipework supplied), refurb all wheels white, then decide what to do about cages, harnesses, better seats and throttle bodies...
Its an expensive hobby eh
Cheers
C
...first track day is on Monday at Bedford Autodrome (naturally the forecast is sh*te) but hey ho i'm going!
I've made quite a few changes since buying the car and overall it now stops, goes and handles better than ever and cant wait to get it out on the circuit! (been as a passenger but my first outing as the driver on a trackday - gulp)
Since the initial post i've done the following:
- Fitted 302mm Tarox discs and Ferodo DS2500 pads
- Serviced the Billet 300 Hi-Spec kit
- Changed the brakefluid (which was dire) to Dot 4 blue
- Stripped out the entire back end up to the front seats
- Changed half of the bloody fan electrical system and it still only runs on one fan....
- Fitted the a/c fan override so one highspeed fan comes on and seems to do the job just fine (i see Rallyes only have 1 anyway?!)
- Fitted 2 x Sparco buckets with Sparco subframes/sliders etc
- Serviced solid wishbone mounts etc/packed with grease
- OMP Wheel
I also discovered its been remapped - with a RR printout stating 144.4 bhp at the fly, 174 at the wheels - back in 2008
I've tried to do it all properly, good quality parts, no warning lights, retained airbag wiring/resistors etc so all works as it should (bar the lack of drivers airbag!)
Engine is still a very noisy one, many taps and nasty metallic sounds so we'll see how long she lasts (truthfully i pray it doesnt break but i guess it may do, the engine really is the weak link)
Its epic to drive, and there's another GTi6 going on Monday so keen to see how i shape up against the other Pug and a million Clio's....
Here are a few pics!
Next up:
Get oil cooler plumbed (crappy pipework supplied), refurb all wheels white, then decide what to do about cages, harnesses, better seats and throttle bodies...
Its an expensive hobby eh
Cheers
C
Well it took a while but i've done it and went for the 595 RSR Tyres - £75 a corner fitted - Seems very very reasonable in comparison to the AD08 etc, and WOW!! what a difference, i've only managed to get out in the wet thus far, which supposedly isnt their strongest asset and the difference between these and the Toyo Proxes on there before is night and day!
I'm massively pleased, also gone up from a 195/45 to a 205/45 16, no rubbing regardless of how hard i throw it about and it also has that lovely slightly chubby track tyre look to boot!
Booked in to go to Bedford Autodrome on the 16th of Feb, cant wait to see how they hold up on track...
Could resist a thrash regardless of weather lol
Loving the car, also going to remove the decat - MOT is due and the decat pipe is failing (cracks around welds etc) so although as track car i think the torque curve with decat suited it, its just too much of a faff every time we come around to an MOT (It was also painfully loud and raspy)
I'm massively pleased, also gone up from a 195/45 to a 205/45 16, no rubbing regardless of how hard i throw it about and it also has that lovely slightly chubby track tyre look to boot!
Booked in to go to Bedford Autodrome on the 16th of Feb, cant wait to see how they hold up on track...
Could resist a thrash regardless of weather lol
Loving the car, also going to remove the decat - MOT is due and the decat pipe is failing (cracks around welds etc) so although as track car i think the torque curve with decat suited it, its just too much of a faff every time we come around to an MOT (It was also painfully loud and raspy)
Thanks for the comments, yours looked very nice indeed!
Engine noise wise it's mot time and the decat has started blowing which seems to have been a cause to the lower down grumble....so had it removed yesterday, and as much as I said it suited a track car, I have to confess it sounds nicer and pulls harder with the cat back on...
It certainly has got a sewing machine type vibe, but oddly 2 mechanics have just said its a noisy engine...and it goes well enough which is a relief!
I've discovered it also has a richw lightened crank pulley so based on receipts it all ties in together, I'll see how the next Trackday goes first and go from there. (I just desperately want throttle bodies and a roll cage lol)
Cleaned pre-thrash back home, still keeps me grinning from ear to ear!
Engine noise wise it's mot time and the decat has started blowing which seems to have been a cause to the lower down grumble....so had it removed yesterday, and as much as I said it suited a track car, I have to confess it sounds nicer and pulls harder with the cat back on...
It certainly has got a sewing machine type vibe, but oddly 2 mechanics have just said its a noisy engine...and it goes well enough which is a relief!
I've discovered it also has a richw lightened crank pulley so based on receipts it all ties in together, I'll see how the next Trackday goes first and go from there. (I just desperately want throttle bodies and a roll cage lol)
Cleaned pre-thrash back home, still keeps me grinning from ear to ear!
Thanks,
Yes funny you say that, its bugged me since the discs turned up, however that is the only design Tarox do in this fitment, and frustratingly it has that extra inner surface. Principally i wanted high-quality grooved discs that wont turn to bananas on track, that i am certain i have based on recent experience (the likes of Brembo dont do a direct fit). With regards to the pad, the Yellow stuff pads that were on it previously did hang out of the caliper further but looked very bodge tastic.
I guess its one downside of the aftermarket stuff, i'm limited to 2 pad designs, either Volvo 240 or Jag EType design, these DS2500's are amazing and came directly from HiSpec and as i understand it were made specifically for this brake kit! (Volvo pad design I believe)
Ultimately it stops incredibly well, with braided hoses, Dot4.1 'racing' brake fluid (that blue stuff) there is a lovely firm pedal and no fade regardless of track conditions, so i guess the extra surface may assist cooling wise, and at the price of these discs i'm sure not changing them any time soon!
Yes funny you say that, its bugged me since the discs turned up, however that is the only design Tarox do in this fitment, and frustratingly it has that extra inner surface. Principally i wanted high-quality grooved discs that wont turn to bananas on track, that i am certain i have based on recent experience (the likes of Brembo dont do a direct fit). With regards to the pad, the Yellow stuff pads that were on it previously did hang out of the caliper further but looked very bodge tastic.
I guess its one downside of the aftermarket stuff, i'm limited to 2 pad designs, either Volvo 240 or Jag EType design, these DS2500's are amazing and came directly from HiSpec and as i understand it were made specifically for this brake kit! (Volvo pad design I believe)
Ultimately it stops incredibly well, with braided hoses, Dot4.1 'racing' brake fluid (that blue stuff) there is a lovely firm pedal and no fade regardless of track conditions, so i guess the extra surface may assist cooling wise, and at the price of these discs i'm sure not changing them any time soon!
thiscocks said:
Looks pretty good value. Although Id be surprised if the engine had been dyno'd
Doubt these engines need oil coolers in std spec?
I did a track day at bedford on a cold october Monday last year, oil temperature hit 140 degrees! (typically runs under 100) - its a pretty well known requirement for track work, I was surprised how quickly the temp rose Doubt these engines need oil coolers in std spec?
Edited by thiscocks on Thursday 22 January 16:07
So i've been worried about the quality of my steering wheel ever since I saw a video of how the bloody things snap and spear you like a cheap kebab. (I should have realised £45 was too good to be true...)
Anyway, I managed to grab a real bargain on eBay, a badly listed, virtually new OMP 2 Spoke wheel worth £160 @ Demon Tweeks right now.....price i paid, £65 incl postage - bargain...
And I love it! (its way way stronger/stiffer, slightly smaller and thinner rim, as well as being lighter, but most pleasing is the way it fits, rather than cheese strength plated bolts it uses the high-tensile Momo bolts that came with the boss, all counter sunk etc.)
I gave it a quick wash over lunch, noticed the tyres are ever-so-slightly catching the arches on the outside, i guess i will need to get them rolled?
Cheeky pic, without the decat the exhaust sits perfectly:
Anyway, I managed to grab a real bargain on eBay, a badly listed, virtually new OMP 2 Spoke wheel worth £160 @ Demon Tweeks right now.....price i paid, £65 incl postage - bargain...
And I love it! (its way way stronger/stiffer, slightly smaller and thinner rim, as well as being lighter, but most pleasing is the way it fits, rather than cheese strength plated bolts it uses the high-tensile Momo bolts that came with the boss, all counter sunk etc.)
I gave it a quick wash over lunch, noticed the tyres are ever-so-slightly catching the arches on the outside, i guess i will need to get them rolled?
Cheeky pic, without the decat the exhaust sits perfectly:
Update time!
So we were back on track on Monday last week (16th Feb) @ Bedford, and following the previous outing i was suffering from oil temp issues. now the car came with an oil cooler fitted in a bracked but not plumbed in...
Oil cooler all plumbed in with Mocal thermostatic plate, oil temps on track never broke 100 (140 last October in similar conditions)
Also gave it a full oil change/service and fitted a new clutch cable. (the latter transformed the car!)
Car park, pre track:
The track day was fantastic, started off dry and the car felt amazing, the RSR's were incredibly sticky and we were faster than quite a few traditionally faster cars. Here's a few pics and a video of one of my dry laps, it was one of the first laps and turn in was a tad aggressive, definitely improved throughout the day...
Bloody LOVE this picture from a guy in the track day section on PH!:
Video:
The weather got progressively worse from lunch time onwards, however It was fantastic, really forced me to adapt my driving style, balancing understeer vs oversteer, trail braking etc, its some of the best driving i've ever done. Towards the end of the day we were keeping up with really pretty special cars, particularly the E46 M3's, one lap I caught on camera below that i'm pretty pleased with! (RSR's arent amazing in the wet so did struggle with understeer on a couple of occasions as you'll see...
Wet Video: 12 solid laps chasing this M3! (just awesome)
Overall the car was fantastic, brakes remain the best setup i've ever used, handling is agile and lively but incredibly predictable and engaging, although i am craving more straight line speed (particulary torque out of the apex) however i cant complain, clicked over 160k miles whilst on track, completing 180 miles on track and 110 miles each way to get there!
Now on the hunt for the elusive half-cage, harnesses and throttle bodies....
Thanks for reading
Chris
So we were back on track on Monday last week (16th Feb) @ Bedford, and following the previous outing i was suffering from oil temp issues. now the car came with an oil cooler fitted in a bracked but not plumbed in...
Oil cooler all plumbed in with Mocal thermostatic plate, oil temps on track never broke 100 (140 last October in similar conditions)
Also gave it a full oil change/service and fitted a new clutch cable. (the latter transformed the car!)
Car park, pre track:
The track day was fantastic, started off dry and the car felt amazing, the RSR's were incredibly sticky and we were faster than quite a few traditionally faster cars. Here's a few pics and a video of one of my dry laps, it was one of the first laps and turn in was a tad aggressive, definitely improved throughout the day...
Bloody LOVE this picture from a guy in the track day section on PH!:
Video:
The weather got progressively worse from lunch time onwards, however It was fantastic, really forced me to adapt my driving style, balancing understeer vs oversteer, trail braking etc, its some of the best driving i've ever done. Towards the end of the day we were keeping up with really pretty special cars, particularly the E46 M3's, one lap I caught on camera below that i'm pretty pleased with! (RSR's arent amazing in the wet so did struggle with understeer on a couple of occasions as you'll see...
Wet Video: 12 solid laps chasing this M3! (just awesome)
Overall the car was fantastic, brakes remain the best setup i've ever used, handling is agile and lively but incredibly predictable and engaging, although i am craving more straight line speed (particulary torque out of the apex) however i cant complain, clicked over 160k miles whilst on track, completing 180 miles on track and 110 miles each way to get there!
Now on the hunt for the elusive half-cage, harnesses and throttle bodies....
Thanks for reading
Chris
banksey said:
Some links for you to help
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2373558213/
http://www.306gti6.com/
Excellent cars
Cheers, signed up to both of the above already https://www.facebook.com/groups/2373558213/
http://www.306gti6.com/
Excellent cars
So...Update time, christ its been bloody ages!
Well after what seems like an eternity progress at last - Rallye Aux kit fitted & all of the aircon pipes etc all removed, along with the compressor etc...
I also stripped out all of the carpet & sound deadening which has made it very very raw, but kind of fun and it was an amazing amount of weight reduction (particularly the rear seats carpet and the bulk head sound deadening
And much more importantly, it was a real pain of a job by all accounts but my Satchshift (from Satchell Engineering) is in, and I can confirm, utterly utterly brilliant! - Incredibly short throw, lovely high position near the steering wheel (i can change smoothly from 2nd to 3rd at 7krpm i dont even loose 1k rpm between changes, so its still at 6k and really pulling after changing gear - it is just brilliant)
As you will see I also bought a fire extinguisher as the tunnel does get very very hot after a reasonable drive so I can only imagine it could get pretty damn hot on track...
On the down side, I have found rather a lot of rust in the passenger wing and the floor on both passenger & driver foot wells (in the corners and running along the sill) so some serious welding is on the horizon i guess :-(
That said it is still so much fun to drive, so agile, lively, direct and engaging - such great cars!
Well after what seems like an eternity progress at last - Rallye Aux kit fitted & all of the aircon pipes etc all removed, along with the compressor etc...
I also stripped out all of the carpet & sound deadening which has made it very very raw, but kind of fun and it was an amazing amount of weight reduction (particularly the rear seats carpet and the bulk head sound deadening
And much more importantly, it was a real pain of a job by all accounts but my Satchshift (from Satchell Engineering) is in, and I can confirm, utterly utterly brilliant! - Incredibly short throw, lovely high position near the steering wheel (i can change smoothly from 2nd to 3rd at 7krpm i dont even loose 1k rpm between changes, so its still at 6k and really pulling after changing gear - it is just brilliant)
As you will see I also bought a fire extinguisher as the tunnel does get very very hot after a reasonable drive so I can only imagine it could get pretty damn hot on track...
On the down side, I have found rather a lot of rust in the passenger wing and the floor on both passenger & driver foot wells (in the corners and running along the sill) so some serious welding is on the horizon i guess :-(
That said it is still so much fun to drive, so agile, lively, direct and engaging - such great cars!
Well its been a few weeks since i stripped it out, loving the 'rawness' of the car now, really feels like a proper little sports car now..
That said it looked a bit crappy and with wet shoes was truthfully lethal, so i've added a set of tailored front mats which i've attached down (taking inspiration from my dads Westfield) with industrial velcro which has worked amazingly well.
I've also trunked all of the interior cabling which looks a hell of a lot nicer but also protects the wires during a spirited drive...
That said it looked a bit crappy and with wet shoes was truthfully lethal, so i've added a set of tailored front mats which i've attached down (taking inspiration from my dads Westfield) with industrial velcro which has worked amazingly well.
I've also trunked all of the interior cabling which looks a hell of a lot nicer but also protects the wires during a spirited drive...
Totally chuffed, thanks to Eddy aka Chris on the gti6 forum I bagged a set of 16" Pro Race 1.2's and had them powder coated White - a lot of people like the Turini's and I did but always wanted these not just for looks but weight advantage too...needless to say I bloody love them :-)
Centre caps are coming...
Centre caps are coming...
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