Best track toy for under 2 bags?
Discussion
Output Flange said:
Nah, the E36 328i is the better track car at that price - you'll get the car and be able to upgrade the brakes or suspension for your £2k.
Ok what if the purchase price was 2k plus a steady small stream of upgrade funds? Would the 330 then be a better car or would the 328 be better because it can be dieted better?Does the 328 come with a rear split diff?
You'll find upgrades for the E36 easier to come by, and tend to be a bit cheaper, too. Plus it weighs less to start with, and is a bit easier to tinker with.
No, they don't all come with a LSD, but some do, and they're easy enough to source if you buy one that doesn't. Putting the LSD from a 3.0 M3 into it will make the gearing slightly shorter, plus there's the tried-and-tested M50 manifold swap to release a bit more power, etc etc. Oh, and it has a proper throttle cable, not the DBW nonsense the E46 has.
No, they don't all come with a LSD, but some do, and they're easy enough to source if you buy one that doesn't. Putting the LSD from a 3.0 M3 into it will make the gearing slightly shorter, plus there's the tried-and-tested M50 manifold swap to release a bit more power, etc etc. Oh, and it has a proper throttle cable, not the DBW nonsense the E46 has.
Incidentally, on a track car I'd worry less about 0-60 and more about cornering and braking, otherwise what you end up with is a point-and-squirt car that's reasonably nippy on the straights but annoys the hell out of everyone else by being really slow through the corners, where other people aren't allowed to overtake. Plus going quickly in a straight line is boring.
Output Flange said:
Incidentally, on a track car I'd worry less about 0-60 and more about cornering and braking, otherwise what you end up with is a point-and-squirt car that's reasonably nippy on the straights but annoys the hell out of everyone else by being really slow through the corners, where other people aren't allowed to overtake. Plus going quickly in a straight line is boring.
Oh absolutely, I am not concentrating on this number alone and out of contextBest in what way ?
Personally I'd want a RWD and I'd suggest you'd have more fun in an MX5 than an E36 but an E36 is a good car and parts easily available.
IMO from doing a few trackdays (I started in a Supercharged MX5) Priorities were:
Brakes
Race seat and harness
Tyres
Suspension
Power
In that order.
Personally I'd want a RWD and I'd suggest you'd have more fun in an MX5 than an E36 but an E36 is a good car and parts easily available.
IMO from doing a few trackdays (I started in a Supercharged MX5) Priorities were:
Brakes
Race seat and harness
Tyres
Suspension
Power
In that order.
redgriff500 said:
Best in what way ?
Personally I'd want a RWD and I'd suggest you'd have more fun in an MX5 than an E36 but an E36 is a good car and parts easily available.
IMO from doing a few trackdays (I started in a Supercharged MX5) Priorities were:
Brakes
Race seat and harness
Tyres
Suspension
Power
In that order.
Sorry, is a 328 not RWD?Personally I'd want a RWD and I'd suggest you'd have more fun in an MX5 than an E36 but an E36 is a good car and parts easily available.
IMO from doing a few trackdays (I started in a Supercharged MX5) Priorities were:
Brakes
Race seat and harness
Tyres
Suspension
Power
In that order.
I suspect it's hard to beat the MX5 at that price, but the MGTF can be a surprisingly capable thing on the track and you'd get a much newer one for the money. Just be damned sure to warm it up properly each time if you don't want to get through a head gasket per track day. Whatever MR2s you can afford are probably worth a look too. 
You might want to consider a roll cage if you get a soft-top, depending on how risk averse you are, and they don't come cheap.
I wouldn't even consider something like a 3-series - too big and heavy, in my experience.
You might want to consider a roll cage if you get a soft-top, depending on how risk averse you are, and they don't come cheap.
I wouldn't even consider something like a 3-series - too big and heavy, in my experience.
Edited by kambites on Monday 16th April 09:15
isee said:
Right-o there doesn't seem to be any split of opinions on this topic then. thanks for that so gettign a E36 to sub 6 seconds is possible for relatively little cash?
erm how often on a track will you be doing full bore standing starts? I'd say wanting sub 6 second to 60 as a target is as silly as wanting to make it fly.As for best track toy - well what sort of track, to do what with it, will you compete in any other motor sports events. Does it need to be road legal?
As there are loads of other or arguably "better" cars to consider.
kambites said:
I wouldn't even consider something like a 3-series - too big and heavy, in my experience.
My M3 was 1100kg with me in it. Not exactly that heavy, eh.The trick with a 3er is to keep to relatively skinny tyres if you want to slide it around and have fun, or go for really sticky stuff if you just want quick lap times and less drama.
Output Flange said:
kambites said:
I wouldn't even consider something like a 3-series - too big and heavy, in my experience.
My M3 was 1100kg with me in it. Not exactly that heavy, eh.Output Flange said:
kambites said:
I wouldn't even consider something like a 3-series - too big and heavy, in my experience.
My M3 was 1100kg with me in it. Not exactly that heavy, eh.The trick with a 3er is to keep to relatively skinny tyres if you want to slide it around and have fun, or go for really sticky stuff if you just want quick lap times and less drama.
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