Diesel car for trackdays?

[Dakkon]

Obviously diesel is the fuel of the devil, but that aside are there any diesel cars that might be good on the track?

[wackojacko]

Depends what you class as good.
There's was an E60 530d Auto at Castle Combe and a Manual 320d coupe at Abingdon when I was there a few years ago.
Weren't holding anyone up.


I think a 320d compact would be a pretty decent track car.

[HustleRussell]

Seen a few at trackdays
a normal* diesel is never going to be all that on track though because the power band is so narrow.

• ADDED to stop smart-arses posting up LeMans and BTCC diesels...

[AshVX220]

You can track whatever you want, at Brands in December, some bloke pitched up in a Diesel Astra Estate! He had fun.

[wackojacko]

Indeed, a PHer (can't remember his username) had a ball in his diesel Yaris at Brands last year when I was there.

[ode]

I took my mapped Alfa GT diesel around Oulton a couple of years back and had a blast. The narrow power band made for a bit more work than it would have been in a petrol but that's not really a downside.

There was nothing in it between mine and a 147 GTA around there. Nothing.

Track whatever you like - if you're worried about being the fastest there you'll probably not have the best day. If you go with the intention of having some fun, you can do that in anything.

[geeeman]

120d, with remap (easy 220bhp), and quaife LSD

[Neal 182]

here you go anything can be made fast on track http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8L9rzYOU-0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK355ggLR0o

[tim2100]

a couple of years ago I kept on seeing an Astramax van running a 1.9CDTI engine on some track days.

Very quick.

[hyperblue]

Can't see why you'd ever choose one over a petrol equivalent. It may be possible to have fun, but it'll always be less fun than thrashing a petrol engine.

[rallycross]

Maybe if your race/ track car broke down and you were faced with no other option than using the diesel tow car otherwise don't do it.

[Daggers89]

Fabia VRS surely..?

[RB Will]

Did a day at Silverstone in December with a mate in his 320D (mapped) and it certainly didnt embarrass itself, bloody thing was still averaging 19mpg!

[iguana]

Yip got my arse kicked- in a reasonable track spec e36 328, by a mapped & played with 120d at a damp Spa, not so much on grunt, but is a far more advanced & near 20 yr newer chassis design, plus proper track mods- decnet KWs, big brakes etc, so a good prep car & the brakes cost alone would buy a track prepped 328, but still it was impressive & I'm not a slowcoach at Spa.

Always thought a derv track car wouldnt really appeal to me I must say, but that particular car, which was a damaged repaired cheapie base car was impressive.

[Hub]

Daggers89 said:

Fabia VRS surely..?

Not without sorting the handling!

Not sure if the old model Ibiza Cupra is any better?

[DiscoColin]

It is indeed the fuel of the devil, but it has a single redeeming feature - a remapped 335d is quite probably the fastest thing that can pass the noise test at Thruxton. Won't be ideal, but at least you will be out there.

[Nellist]

Have you not seen the episode of Top Gear where they race the Britcar 24hr?! BMW 330D would be a good bet, remap gives them decent power and heaps of torque, and decent enough chassis standard will be even better with upgraded brakes and suspension.

Plus you'll still have fuel left for the drive home ... Hopefully!

[rdjohn]

AshVX220 said:

You can track whatever you want, at Brands in December, some bloke pitched up in a Diesel Astra Estate! He had fun.

I think that this an important point, you do see all sorts of stuff on track and generally everyone really enjoys themselves.

You tend to find the least content are the Porsche / Ferrari owners who discover their cars are not quite as fast as some Caterfields etc.

[Quietlybonkers]

ode said:

I took my mapped Alfa GT diesel around Oulton a couple of years back and had a blast. The narrow power band made for a bit more work than it would have been in a petrol but that's not really a downside.

There was nothing in it between mine and a 147 GTA around there. Nothing.

Track whatever you like - if you're worried about being the fastest there you'll probably not have the best day. If you go with the intention of having some fun, you can do that in anything.

Turbo diesels (and they mostly are) are pretty nippy in the 30-80 range, and it's not about lap times, its about having fun in the corners. They will handle just the same.
FWIW, a few months ago I was following a woman in a Golf TDI along a fairly straight A road. We came out of a village doing 35 and onto a 2 mile fairly straight stretch before the next 40 limit. She suddenly dropped a gear and nipped past the car in front and floored it.
I did the same and only caught up with her as we got to the 40 limit two miles later. My car? A 4 litre 240 bhp petrol TVR Chimaera, and ok, she had a head start, but I WAS trying to catch her.

So have fun whatever your wheels. I went round a trackday circuit as a passenger in a 63 Bhp Vauxhall Nova. It was scarier than my previous ride in the 376 BHP Holden Monaro, as the Nova driver was good and he totally ignored the middle pedal until several seconds after the last possible moment I would have braked

[framerateuk]

A Megane dCi 175 could probably keep up quite well. Same chassis as the R26, and very quick, especially after a remap!