"No track day use"
Discussion
Been browsing the PH TVR classifieds (again) and a worrying number of cars seem to proudly proclaim 'never been on track' or something along those lines. I find this strange for a high performance sports car - it seems like a fairly natural habitat (not day-in-day out, admittedly but a few times a year to really stretch its legs). What's slightly worrying is it often seems to be one of the main points raised to - no mention of the condition of the outriggers or what parts have been replaced during the ownership - surely that's far more important than its track history?
Quinny said:
BUT Thrashed merclessly from a cold start every day of its life
...exactly.Also, beyond simply being an acceptable thing, I tend to have more faith in people who're sufficiently keen drivers to take their car on track. I tracked my S and if there was the slightest difference in the way it felt entering one corner as opposed to the previous one I would have noticed. I'm a complete mechanical hypochondriac and any changes in the car's condition would have been detected and sorted. I'm not sure I trust these people who apparently drive them on dry, sunny, summer weekends only (never exceeding 3,000rpm) to pick up on that sort of thing.
What Quinny said 
Personally I would see it as potentially as a good sign that the mechanicals are in good order if a car IS advertised as having had "some" track use.
If its had a LOT of track use, look for a bloody big pile of reciepts! as most bits will have broken, been replaced, upgraded, rebuilt, replaced again etc etc.
If the owner has maintained it properly, most of the mechanicals will be better than original.
Personally I would see it as potentially as a good sign that the mechanicals are in good order if a car IS advertised as having had "some" track use.
If its had a LOT of track use, look for a bloody big pile of reciepts! as most bits will have broken, been replaced, upgraded, rebuilt, replaced again etc etc.
If the owner has maintained it properly, most of the mechanicals will be better than original.
Agreed. I'd rather an owner used their car properly.
This is the same as those who say 'never driven in the wet'. In the UK you'd only have the car out 5 days a year if you're looking for guaranteed no rain in the forecast. Poor car. My TVR has been driven in worse 'wet' than either of my other cars (because we were driving through Europe and I wasn't about to hide for a few days while it passed). The car is still in one very healthy piece. I think mega rain driving probably gives everything underneath a good rinse and clean. Just make sure your joints are regularly greased.
This is the same as those who say 'never driven in the wet'. In the UK you'd only have the car out 5 days a year if you're looking for guaranteed no rain in the forecast. Poor car. My TVR has been driven in worse 'wet' than either of my other cars (because we were driving through Europe and I wasn't about to hide for a few days while it passed). The car is still in one very healthy piece. I think mega rain driving probably gives everything underneath a good rinse and clean. Just make sure your joints are regularly greased.
Bluebottle said:
What Quinny said
Personally I would see it as potentially as a good sign that the mechanicals are in good order if a car IS advertised as having had "some" track use.
If its had a LOT of track use, look for a bloody big pile of reciepts! as most bits will have broken, been replaced, upgraded, rebuilt, replaced again etc etc.
If the owner has maintained it properly, most of the mechanicals will be better than original.
I'd go along with that.Personally I would see it as potentially as a good sign that the mechanicals are in good order if a car IS advertised as having had "some" track use.
If its had a LOT of track use, look for a bloody big pile of reciepts! as most bits will have broken, been replaced, upgraded, rebuilt, replaced again etc etc.
If the owner has maintained it properly, most of the mechanicals will be better than original.
I always wonder why people make quotes like "never seen track use", "dry miles only / never seen rain".... it's almost as vacuous as "first to see will buy".... will they? How the hell do you know? How could you ever prove any of these statements?
I'd prefer an advert to list a long itemised list of every service, upgrade and replacement - then you'd have a MUCH better idea of the potential state of the car (and kind of owner) rather than a bland meaningless statement....
I wouldn't see anything wrong with "some" track use - provided this is backed up with service records, more regular oil changes than the usual schedule (I tend to make sure my bikes and the Cerbera are freshly serviced just before a track day (done 1 & 1/2 day track) and then checked afterwards), the brake pads and discs checked (IMO the brakes are the things that let cars down on the track compared to bikes - they seem to take such a pounding) and there would be also higher wear of other components such as tyres etc.
Providing the car is warmed through before being caned, then given a cool down lap (or two), the oil levels checked etc - I don't see any harm in this.
mikeinsheffield said:
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
mikeinsheffield said:
Stuff
I'm happy to report I've thrashed Mikeinsheffield's Cerb to within an inch of its life .....but unfortunatley destroyed two wheels in the process
T'was a cracking car.
Have tracked mine several times with Lotus On Track and impressed many loti drivers! Although it has been tracked anyone whom has invested the amount of time and money into their car like i have will always treat it with mechanical sympathy. As a result of tracking the car i have upgraded almost everything But also as a result i have now moved on to a more precise track tool.
But also as a result i have now moved on to a more precise track tool.
5MUG said:
I dont think that one should necessarily worry if a car has NOT been tracked. We've owned 3 TVRs and have not tracked any of them They have, however been driven as much as poss and maintained with no expense spared.
I agree that it's not mutually exclusive - track driving isn't everyone's cup of tea and some lucky b
ds probably even have a second or third car for the track and keep the TVR for road use (I'd love to be in the that position!) I don't doubt that most people in that position still take excellent care of their cars, but I think driving the car at the limit (in the way that you can only safely do on a track) highlights any flaws that can be more difficult to spot at fast road speeds. At the risk of sounding a bit Zen, it puts you more in tune with the car. That doesn't mean that road-only drivers aren't able to pick up on things, just that it's more likely to be a slight advantage than a disadvantage. In much the same way that a car with a reasonable amount of sympathetic use is often better than a garage queen.
What slightly puzzles me is the inference in some of these ads that (even when fastitidously maintained) a car that's been on track is worth less (at least that's what I interpret the boast that the sellers car hasn't been on track to mean). It was actually one of the things that drove me to sell my TVR. I saw so many sellers proclaiming that their car had never been on track that I feared my increasing number of track days would devalue it, even with religious maintenance. To be fair, a greater part of the decision was also the cost of keeping it in that sort of condition, as opposed to a lightweight track orientated car (with a cheap 4-cylinder engine, smaller tyres etc) but it was still a factor.
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