Tracking a car , good or bad ??
Discussion
On the Noble forum there are a few that would never buy a car thats been on track and i have seen many advert saying "never been on track" my own car has done a few track days and i,m planning to do 5 or 6 this year because of that i keep it in tip top condition !! brakes ,ball joints dampers tyres ect are all new and will be replaced when there are any signs of wear,. , engine oil and filter are changed after 2000 miles so the question is does it devalue a car to use it on track ??
is it bad for a car to use it on track ??
is it bad for a car to use it on track ??
TuxMan said:
does it devalue a car to use it on track ??
Rightly not wrongly to most people... yes it does. 99% of people don't look at it like you (and me) clearly do (eg. that the car is possibly actually in BETTER condition that a non tracked car!)TuxMan said:
is it bad for a car to use it on track ??
Totally down to the person!!When I see adverts for things like Lotus Exige's, or GT3's and it says 'never tracked' I just think, well what the HELL did you buy the car for then!!!!!
I have done and will always track all my cars, no matter what they type they are and how much they cost.
Porkie said:
will always track all my cars, no matter what they type they are and how much they cost.
Agree. Aslong as the car is warmed up and cooled down properly with regular servicing twinned with doing say 6-8 laps at a time the Engine wear should be no more than a proper spirited drive aslong as you don't get any form of oil surge.
If you're thinking resale value then I wouldn't worry, there will be many people out there after the car you put up for sale some will view the subject " using the car as it was designed to used" and others will steer clear.
Just enjoy any car you own, after all it is YOUR car and YOUR decision.
Porkie said:
When I see adverts for things like Lotus Exige's, or GT3's and it says 'never tracked' I just think, well what the HELL did you buy the car for then!!!!!
My thoughts exactly, did have to wonder about the recent report on the Atom where the guy doesn't track it, almost seems like having a thoroughbred race horse and using it for riding around the yard.Steve Evil said:
My thoughts exactly, did have to wonder about the recent report on the Atom where the guy doesn't track it, almost seems like having a thoroughbred race horse and using it for riding around the yard.
Or paying a grand a night for Miss Dominatrix and asking her to make you a cuppa.5paul5 said:
I have to disagree, giving the choice of buying a car that has been driven carefully or thrashed around a track on a regular basis i know what i'd rather spend my money on despite what car it is. And by the way i am a regular trackdayer.
I can see your point, but sadly nothing is as clear-cut as that. A decent driver/owner can look after a car whilst still "thrashing" it, whereas a crap driver can completly f**k up a car by just pottering round town. Buy on current condition rather than history, crashes or current owner.Edited by jonnyleroux on Wednesday 13th April 13:30
jonnyleroux said:
5paul5 said:
I have to disagree, giving the choice of buying a car that has been driven carefully or thrashed around a track on a regular basis i know what i'd rather spend my money on despite what car it is. And by the way i am a regular trackdayer.
I can see your point, but sadly nothing is as clear-cut as that. A decent driver/owner can look after a car whilst still "thrashing" it, whereas a crap driver can completly f**k up a car by just pottering round town. Buy on current condition rather than history, crashes or current owner.Edited by jonnyleroux on Wednesday 13th April 13:30
5paul5 said:
I have to disagree, giving the choice of buying a car that has been driven carefully or thrashed around a track on a regular basis i know what i'd rather spend my money on despite what car it is. And by the way i am a regular trackdayer.
Trouble is there is no way of knowing if a car has been driven carefully on or off track !!! mine lives a easy life on road as i don,t take it out when it rains and i drive very steady on road !! on track i drive it pretty quick but as already said 1 lap warm up 3 or 4 flying laps then 1 cool down !!
so you would not buyit ?? Tux
sorry brothers logged in !!
Porkie said:
When I see adverts for things like Lotus Exige's, or GT3's and it says 'never tracked' I just think, well what the HELL did you buy the car for then!!!!!
Because they're still awesome road cars that have a great sense of occasion for their owners! Fair enough, to buy an Atom or similar and not track it is a crime but, GT3's especially, are still a great road car that can be used often.I personally wouldn't track a nice road car. I don't care what anyone says, the stresses and wear created on track far exceed those caused by a B road, breakfast blast to your favourite cafe.
Maybe it's because my pockets aren't as deep as some on here but, when I buy a good example of a car I want to keep for while, I look after it, A LOT! Which means not thrashing it to within 25.4mm of it's life, round the nearest circuit.
Anyway, everyone knows road cars are too heavy to take on track.
Porkie said:
jonnyleroux said:
5paul5 said:
I have to disagree, giving the choice of buying a car that has been driven carefully or thrashed around a track on a regular basis i know what i'd rather spend my money on despite what car it is. And by the way i am a regular trackdayer.
I can see your point, but sadly nothing is as clear-cut as that. A decent driver/owner can look after a car whilst still "thrashing" it, whereas a crap driver can completly f**k up a car by just pottering round town. Buy on current condition rather than history, crashes or current owner.Edited by jonnyleroux on Wednesday 13th April 13:30
As an example, my old E36 track car gets a new engine full of Mobil1 after every day out: c200 miles?
I doubt that many 15 year old, road-only BMWs get that kind of treatment.
V8mate said:
Me too.
As an example, my old E36 track car gets a new engine full of Mobil1 after every day out: c200 miles?
I doubt that many 15 year old, road-only BMWs get that kind of treatment.
So if i had two identical cars for sale for the same money, one ragged to an inch of its life on track and the other carefully driven and looked after, you would buy the track car ? Yeah right !As an example, my old E36 track car gets a new engine full of Mobil1 after every day out: c200 miles?
I doubt that many 15 year old, road-only BMWs get that kind of treatment.
5paul5 said:
So if i had two identical cars for sale for the same money, one ragged to an inch of its life on track and the other carefully driven and looked after, you would buy the track car ? Yeah right !
How are you finding out that one is carefully driven? It might look just as good, it might have all the same stamps in the book. And still have been thrashed from cold every day, etc etc. At least with the track car you know how it's been driven. The other car is a question of faith...Doesn't this all hinge on what you are buying, and what you want it for?
I would rather buy a weapon, thas has been honed and tuned for it's purpose. So, if I wanted for example, a track ready 911, I would buy one that has had time and money invested in getting it so, and live with the fact it may need some maintenance (but hope the majority was pretty good). If I wanted a 911 for weekend use, polishing, commuting etc I wouldn't want one that was track ready and focused. Isn't it pretty obvious from the car itself if it has been used seriously on track? If it has had 1 or 2 days, why is that any worse than someone roasting it on the roads?
As for something like a Noble / Atom / Caterham - that is what they are built for!!! My Caterham has probably done as many track miles as it has road miles. But then it is set up for track use, and that is what it does best.
I would rather buy a weapon, thas has been honed and tuned for it's purpose. So, if I wanted for example, a track ready 911, I would buy one that has had time and money invested in getting it so, and live with the fact it may need some maintenance (but hope the majority was pretty good). If I wanted a 911 for weekend use, polishing, commuting etc I wouldn't want one that was track ready and focused. Isn't it pretty obvious from the car itself if it has been used seriously on track? If it has had 1 or 2 days, why is that any worse than someone roasting it on the roads?
As for something like a Noble / Atom / Caterham - that is what they are built for!!! My Caterham has probably done as many track miles as it has road miles. But then it is set up for track use, and that is what it does best.
Munter said:
How are you finding out that one is carefully driven? It might look just as good, it might have all the same stamps in the book. And still have been thrashed from cold every day, etc etc. At least with the track car you know how it's been driven. The other car is a question of faith...
I track both subaru imprezas and mx5's on a regular basis, the cars tend to get driven hard on the road and obviously the track. Only problems i get are when they are being tracked, overheating, oil leaks etc. This is because they are driven to extremes on a track that no way could be achieved on a public road. All i am saying is tracked cars lead a much harder life despite regular oil changes etc.5paul5 said:
I track both subaru imprezas and mx5's on a regular basis, the cars tend to get driven hard on the road and obviously the track. Only problems i get are when they are being tracked, overheating, oil leaks etc. This is because they are driven to extremes on a track that no way could be achieved on a public road. All i am saying is tracked cars lead a much harder life despite regular oil changes etc.
But if, on the other hand, a road car is routinely getting thrashed from cold, driven over speed humps at 30mph and hitting potholes, is the overall wear and tear really that different?Each car needs to be taken on its merits - I think it's an invalid assumption to say that non-tracked is always preferable to tracked.
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