F430 track prep - brakes / suspension / seats / tuning
Discussion
Can anyone offer advice on engaging in a project to create a better trackday animal from a F430 F1?
I've owned the car 3 years now, and it's completely standard - steel brakes, daytona seats, standard wheels. I've covered 10k miles and done several trackdays in UK and Europe and up til now it's served the purpose and kept a grin on my face. Going forward though I'm going to have less chance to get away for weekends enjoying it on country roads in the UK, and expect it to spend most time on trackdays for which I'd rather have a more hardcore machine.
So here's my choice, should I sell this recently serviced 12k car I know is straight, and look for a factory specced car with race seats + harnesses, ceramics, challenge wheels and a cage which will have inevitably seen a decent amount of track action (not to mention not that many around it seems, and I don't want a red one!), and work from there. Or, avoid the bid / offer of changing and use a specialist to make the changes to a car I know the history of and fundamentally like?:
Brakes - has anyone upgraded 430 steels to ceramics, or more track pedigree discs and calipers? (I've had complete loss a couple of times on track, and notice the fade on most outings). I've read a few posts of people talking about 6 pot fronts with race discs / pads but no outcome.
Suspension - given the ECU controls the various settings here, I assume you need a specialist who would match the lowering / stiffening with an ECU remap in some way? I think I'd do this even if I changed to factory track spec one - not worried about rattling my fillings out on road now.
Seats - sports seats and four point harness (?) I guess would slot in easily enough and I could stick stick the daytona's on ebay or save them for resale. Would 360 sport seats from a breakers, say, fit in 430?
Wheels I'll likely stick with standard and get some stickier rubber in place... I'll probably also look at engine ECU remap, and keep the standard pipes since it just squeaks through 100dB limits as it stands... all open to advice though
Yes, I know it sounds like I want a Scud, (I do!) but not in a position to stick in another £70k at the moment. Or... should I abandon this whole thought process and swap into a 360CS instead?!
Interested in anyone else's experience of these mods and their opinion on if it's worthwhile / worth the cost, and which specialists you found useful.
Any advice appreciated, thanks
I've owned the car 3 years now, and it's completely standard - steel brakes, daytona seats, standard wheels. I've covered 10k miles and done several trackdays in UK and Europe and up til now it's served the purpose and kept a grin on my face. Going forward though I'm going to have less chance to get away for weekends enjoying it on country roads in the UK, and expect it to spend most time on trackdays for which I'd rather have a more hardcore machine.
So here's my choice, should I sell this recently serviced 12k car I know is straight, and look for a factory specced car with race seats + harnesses, ceramics, challenge wheels and a cage which will have inevitably seen a decent amount of track action (not to mention not that many around it seems, and I don't want a red one!), and work from there. Or, avoid the bid / offer of changing and use a specialist to make the changes to a car I know the history of and fundamentally like?:
Brakes - has anyone upgraded 430 steels to ceramics, or more track pedigree discs and calipers? (I've had complete loss a couple of times on track, and notice the fade on most outings). I've read a few posts of people talking about 6 pot fronts with race discs / pads but no outcome.
Suspension - given the ECU controls the various settings here, I assume you need a specialist who would match the lowering / stiffening with an ECU remap in some way? I think I'd do this even if I changed to factory track spec one - not worried about rattling my fillings out on road now.
Seats - sports seats and four point harness (?) I guess would slot in easily enough and I could stick stick the daytona's on ebay or save them for resale. Would 360 sport seats from a breakers, say, fit in 430?
Wheels I'll likely stick with standard and get some stickier rubber in place... I'll probably also look at engine ECU remap, and keep the standard pipes since it just squeaks through 100dB limits as it stands... all open to advice though
Yes, I know it sounds like I want a Scud, (I do!) but not in a position to stick in another £70k at the moment. Or... should I abandon this whole thought process and swap into a 360CS instead?!
Interested in anyone else's experience of these mods and their opinion on if it's worthwhile / worth the cost, and which specialists you found useful.
Any advice appreciated, thanks
Thanks both, increasing leaning towards the CS...
on the resale angle, if anyone out there has done a similar project and struggling to sell I might be able to help! (I'd thought that might make a car with cage and harnesses etc easier to pick up for a good price also, but been on the lookout for a while and not many have come up)
on the resale angle, if anyone out there has done a similar project and struggling to sell I might be able to help! (I'd thought that might make a car with cage and harnesses etc easier to pick up for a good price also, but been on the lookout for a while and not many have come up)
You want to be wary of the CS and Scud (to a lesser extent) - they are both the obvious choice for more track work but you will be limited on the number of track days you can do in the UK. You did mention Europe?
I think the CS is 112db on noise tests, that means there are very few options available to you track day wise. You could do test days if it has a fire extinguisher on board. Not sure mine does.
I'd be interested what others think? Personally I would keep your 430 and spend the 10k you'd spend on the ceramic upgrade on a caterham instead. It would lunch a 430 round a track and you can chuck it in the skip if you crash it (I have had some big crashes in my 7 and the biggest bill was 4k). Crash your fezza on track, not worth thinking about......Of course a caterham is alot more fun and involving than a 430 round a track to. Try one if you haven't already. I have quite a few cars and my caterhams are my favourites.
I think the CS is 112db on noise tests, that means there are very few options available to you track day wise. You could do test days if it has a fire extinguisher on board. Not sure mine does.
I'd be interested what others think? Personally I would keep your 430 and spend the 10k you'd spend on the ceramic upgrade on a caterham instead. It would lunch a 430 round a track and you can chuck it in the skip if you crash it (I have had some big crashes in my 7 and the biggest bill was 4k). Crash your fezza on track, not worth thinking about......Of course a caterham is alot more fun and involving than a 430 round a track to. Try one if you haven't already. I have quite a few cars and my caterhams are my favourites.
pistolp said:
You want to be wary of the CS and Scud (to a lesser extent) - they are both the obvious choice for more track work but you will be limited on the number of track days you can do in the UK. You did mention Europe?
I think the CS is 112db on noise tests, that means there are very few options available to you track day wise. You could do test days if it has a fire extinguisher on board. Not sure mine does.
I'd be interested what others think? Personally I would keep your 430 and spend the 10k you'd spend on the ceramic upgrade on a caterham instead. It would lunch a 430 round a track and you can chuck it in the skip if you crash it (I have had some big crashes in my 7 and the biggest bill was 4k). Crash your fezza on track, not worth thinking about......Of course a caterham is alot more fun and involving than a 430 round a track to. Try one if you haven't already. I have quite a few cars and my caterhams are my favourites.
+1 I think the CS is 112db on noise tests, that means there are very few options available to you track day wise. You could do test days if it has a fire extinguisher on board. Not sure mine does.
I'd be interested what others think? Personally I would keep your 430 and spend the 10k you'd spend on the ceramic upgrade on a caterham instead. It would lunch a 430 round a track and you can chuck it in the skip if you crash it (I have had some big crashes in my 7 and the biggest bill was 4k). Crash your fezza on track, not worth thinking about......Of course a caterham is alot more fun and involving than a 430 round a track to. Try one if you haven't already. I have quite a few cars and my caterhams are my favourites.
Absolutely spot on, why would you want to chuck a more expensive, slower, less responsive car about on track, get a Caterham or iv you want to go REALLY fast, a Radical.
no need to go to the ceramic upgrade route brembo do a big brake steel kit for about 3k http://www.brembo.com/CatalogoHPGT/Templates/Searc...
Sounded from advice above and lack of evidence searching around for similar projects it was a non starter, shich I guess is where I needed to get to.
For the sake of those searching forums looking for colour on any work carried out I flogged the 430 and am waiting for a new GT3 RS to arrive at the end of June!
Should do the trick. I know I'll miss the F but wasn't going to get much non track use out of it going forward... and one last farewell resulted in overheated / cracked discs which needed replacing before it was sold.
For the sake of those searching forums looking for colour on any work carried out I flogged the 430 and am waiting for a new GT3 RS to arrive at the end of June!
Should do the trick. I know I'll miss the F but wasn't going to get much non track use out of it going forward... and one last farewell resulted in overheated / cracked discs which needed replacing before it was sold.
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