track car - 944 or MX5?
Discussion
944 S2 any time - check out this clip - what's the car at 5m30secs - can't do that in an MX5 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YysVqtPKFug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YysVqtPKFug
My track focused road legal 944 turbo is going up for sale once I get round to writing the advert
944t AMD tuned ~270 bhp
adjustable konis
968CS adjustable ARBs
removable steering wheel
Sparco seats with harnesses
much of the interior removed
pm me if interested and hopefully I'll have the advert up by then
944t AMD tuned ~270 bhp
adjustable konis
968CS adjustable ARBs
removable steering wheel
Sparco seats with harnesses
much of the interior removed
pm me if interested and hopefully I'll have the advert up by then
Edited by james S on Tuesday 18th December 11:10
This must be my 4th pro mx5 post in a week 
. Mx5!!!!!!!! 3 friends have 944 turbos and the three of them are very experienced drivers and good mechanics with far more exp than me, they all approved my choice of an mx5! I made the choice, besides questioning it once, and wouldn't swap my 5 for a 944 turbo (yet)!!! To have as much fun in the 944 you need to be a much better driver and drive to a far higher standard.
+ Cheap and very available parts
+ Millions of tuning options
+ Handling is sublime
+ Cheap Insurance
+ Top Down Motoring
+ No one expects anything from it
+ Awesome to live with day to day
- Lacks oooomf
- Most probably going to be the slowest car on any track day
- Hair dresser implications
None of the negatives bother me and I even use it as a daily drive to get to and fro work.
. Mx5!!!!!!!! 3 friends have 944 turbos and the three of them are very experienced drivers and good mechanics with far more exp than me, they all approved my choice of an mx5! I made the choice, besides questioning it once, and wouldn't swap my 5 for a 944 turbo (yet)!!! To have as much fun in the 944 you need to be a much better driver and drive to a far higher standard.+ Cheap and very available parts
+ Millions of tuning options
+ Handling is sublime
+ Cheap Insurance
+ Top Down Motoring
+ No one expects anything from it
+ Awesome to live with day to day
- Lacks oooomf
- Most probably going to be the slowest car on any track day
- Hair dresser implications
None of the negatives bother me and I even use it as a daily drive to get to and fro work.
Olly - we knew you wouldn't be safe in a 944 yet 
Have to correct you though - you may know 3 people with 944 Turbos, but only 2 of them fall into the competent / experienced bracket.
I guess the S2 will be quicker (but still not hugely fast), will cost more to maintain & will also cost more to buy a good one. It's easy to buy a cheap S2 & have to spend a couple of grand sorting it out. 944's are quite heavy, & a bit soft on stock suspension.
Have a drive of both - as they are so different, I'm guessing one will appeal much more than the other when you drive them & the decision will be easy.
Have to correct you though - you may know 3 people with 944 Turbos, but only 2 of them fall into the competent / experienced bracket.
I guess the S2 will be quicker (but still not hugely fast), will cost more to maintain & will also cost more to buy a good one. It's easy to buy a cheap S2 & have to spend a couple of grand sorting it out. 944's are quite heavy, & a bit soft on stock suspension.
Have a drive of both - as they are so different, I'm guessing one will appeal much more than the other when you drive them & the decision will be easy.
I am on my second bike-engined-car , but still i absolutely love getting in my mates bog standard Eunos around track. It is an absolute blast. Yes, it is slow(ish) in a straight line but it so safe to push over the limit a bit, it has never bitten me. And it has proved to be 100% bomb-proof in use in about 10 trackdays, just tyres and front pads. My only advice would be go for a mk1 1.8 Eunos (jap version MX5, handily cheaper anyway, £2,000 upwards) has it has an LSD as standard. You can hold some nice angles if permitted. Try to get one with the factory Bilstein suspension and strutbraces too if poss. And keep it on good street tyres at first (we use yokohama A539 and toyo T1-R as it keeps it all very progressive, especially in the wet). You will learn a hell of a lot driving one of those. It must take twice as long to hit 60 than mine, but still I wet myself sometimes, especially when the owner is sitting in the passenger seat.
As for the Porsche, superb car and I am a fan. But i have seen some Trackdays turn into very expensive days out for Porsche owners. My rule of thumb is do not track ANY car you cannot afford to crash, blow up or maintain properly (the third point, normally, ends up in the first or second point) NOTHING is cheap on a Porsche, especially if you hit something.
MR2, again nice car but the advantage of the engine in the back, traction ect is a bit lost if the engine is low(ish) power anyway, and does not (for me) outweigh the dissadvantages of roll-oversteer ect. when you want to have a play, over a blanced MX5.
And the Eunos will set you up nicely to handle the Caterham 7 you will want next!
As for the Porsche, superb car and I am a fan. But i have seen some Trackdays turn into very expensive days out for Porsche owners. My rule of thumb is do not track ANY car you cannot afford to crash, blow up or maintain properly (the third point, normally, ends up in the first or second point) NOTHING is cheap on a Porsche, especially if you hit something.
MR2, again nice car but the advantage of the engine in the back, traction ect is a bit lost if the engine is low(ish) power anyway, and does not (for me) outweigh the dissadvantages of roll-oversteer ect. when you want to have a play, over a blanced MX5.
And the Eunos will set you up nicely to handle the Caterham 7 you will want next!
. You know it makes sense...As much as I love my MX-5 I don't think it's an ideal all-round trackday car in standard form simply because it's too slow on long straights and can be frustrating. Tight, twisty tracks however, are fine though so if you pick your locations well it wouldn't be a factor.
Obviously with so many MX-5s about, the experience would be different for everyone but I have to say mine got a bit scary down the Craner curves at 90mph because it rolled like I'd never felt before, so maybe it'd be a bit of a shocker round some of Silverstone's high speed corners.
Having said that, after a few goes I kept my foot down through the Craners (which says something about the power) and I did find myself trying to get it out of shape through Redgate just for kicks, so you certainly can't say that the car doesn't inspire confidence. That's probably true of the Porsche though at a guess
I've never had experience in a 944 so can't compare, but that's my MX-5 experience.
Obviously with so many MX-5s about, the experience would be different for everyone but I have to say mine got a bit scary down the Craner curves at 90mph because it rolled like I'd never felt before, so maybe it'd be a bit of a shocker round some of Silverstone's high speed corners.
Having said that, after a few goes I kept my foot down through the Craners (which says something about the power) and I did find myself trying to get it out of shape through Redgate just for kicks, so you certainly can't say that the car doesn't inspire confidence. That's probably true of the Porsche though at a guess
I've never had experience in a 944 so can't compare, but that's my MX-5 experience.
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