Second track car dilemma!! Tearing my hair out.
Discussion
Partyvan said:
GravelBen said:
Really? Sure it can be frustrating when slower drivers in faster cars won't let you past, but I'd find it more galling to be a straight-line cowboy who catches people on the straights but can't keep up in the bends.
If you want the different excitement of overtaking and competing then go racing, thats not what trackdays are about.
I'm not trying to argue but plenty of people race on trackdays, or at least have a play for a few laps. Hardly the crime of the century.If you want the different excitement of overtaking and competing then go racing, thats not what trackdays are about.
I was more suggesting that if what you're looking for is mainly overtaking and measuring your speed against other cars then club racing might be a better option (and depending on class, might not even cost any more?).
Partyvan said:
Option 4) Sell all this VAG tat and get a car that's actually good for similar money, like say an E46 330ci. I love the E46, but fear it'll pale in comparison to the M3 I used to track.
I've owned a couple of E46 330s, and couldn't think of a worse track car. Apart from being RWD, it has none of the attributes I'd want in a track car.It weighs 1.5 tonnes, there isn't a ton of steering feedback, it's not actually that quick, the DBW throttle has zero feel. It's a great cruiser, and can be hustled on country lanes, but I wouldn't want to be trying to drive it hard at the limit regularly.
If you want something fun to drive on track, start with lightweight RWD and work backwards from there. As you've discovered, the opposite end of the spectrum (heavy AWD) is no fun whatsoever. I don't think a TT (which is also 1.5 tonnes, and FWD-biased) is going to be the answer either.
Partyvan said:
nurseholliday said:
I still don't understand, if you make this car brilliant in the dry, what's the point of the CRX?
If it's dry, just drive the CRX?
Changing / unpredictable weather and not being able to take both cars to the track day is the main issueIf it's dry, just drive the CRX?
C70R said:
If you want something fun to drive on track, start with lightweight RWD and work backwards from there. As you've discovered, the opposite end of the spectrum (heavy AWD) is no fun whatsoever. I don't think a TT (which is also 1.5 tonnes, and FWD-biased) is going to be the answer either.
Yeah that's true 
Thanks for all the replies
Regarding taking the CRX on a wet track, it seems logical. There's a few problems
1) It has no heater. The bulkhead is welded up and the engine has been modified with a heater delete.
2) I wouldn't want to push 100% on a wet track. Cadwell is unforgiving of mistakes in the wet. It's too big a risk of crashing. Driving at 80% is dull.
3) The suspension has lots of rose joints that aren't protected against any sort of corrosion
4) It's tidy enough to be a show car as well, so would rather it didn't get wet / ditched
5) FWD is gay in the wet
Having just typed all that out I'm now left thinking of Nigel Mansell's BTCC Donnington in the wet. That was pretty cool.
Now tempted to grow a moustache, underseal the CRX and be a hero.
If I do bin it, I'm going to resurrect this thread and bill you lot for the damage
Regarding taking the CRX on a wet track, it seems logical. There's a few problems
1) It has no heater. The bulkhead is welded up and the engine has been modified with a heater delete.
2) I wouldn't want to push 100% on a wet track. Cadwell is unforgiving of mistakes in the wet. It's too big a risk of crashing. Driving at 80% is dull.
3) The suspension has lots of rose joints that aren't protected against any sort of corrosion
4) It's tidy enough to be a show car as well, so would rather it didn't get wet / ditched
5) FWD is gay in the wet
Having just typed all that out I'm now left thinking of Nigel Mansell's BTCC Donnington in the wet. That was pretty cool.
Now tempted to grow a moustache, underseal the CRX and be a hero.
If I do bin it, I'm going to resurrect this thread and bill you lot for the damage
Partyvan said:
2) I wouldn't want to push 100% on a wet track. Cadwell is unforgiving of mistakes in the wet. It's too big a risk of crashing. Driving at 80% is dull.
4) It's tidy enough to be a show car as well, so would rather it didn't get wet / ditched
It feels like this is the crux of the issue here. You've built a show car that can occasionally double as a track car, rather than the other way around.4) It's tidy enough to be a show car as well, so would rather it didn't get wet / ditched
Owning a track car that you're excessively precious about is counter-productive.
Partyvan said:
Yep, can't argue with that!
I've built a lot of track cars, and never found a compromise between something shabby that lets me down, and something too precious to use.
Don't get me wrong, it's nothing like a perfectionist build. But there's a lot of work gone into making it tidy.
Life is much too short to worry about using a car. It's just a car, after all.I've built a lot of track cars, and never found a compromise between something shabby that lets me down, and something too precious to use.
Don't get me wrong, it's nothing like a perfectionist build. But there's a lot of work gone into making it tidy.
Just get on - drive it, enjoy it, break it, fix it.
Learning to carry more speed through the corners could reap rewards.
I did Donington with a group of TVR owners.
The slowest car on paper was a 1980s 2.9V6 S, with just 170 bhp.
It was just as fast as my 315 bhp 5 litre V8.....because its driver races an underpowered (240bhp) V8 Chimaera against the 350-400 bhp Tuscan Race mob, so has learnt to beat them by cornering faster.
Alternatively, stick a turbo on it, just be aware that if you give it serious boost you will need to strengthen the engine internals too.
My 315 bhp 5 litre is now a 4.6 turbo - 395 bhp and 525 ft lbs with just half a bar of boost, so no strengthening needed.
I did Donington with a group of TVR owners.
The slowest car on paper was a 1980s 2.9V6 S, with just 170 bhp.
It was just as fast as my 315 bhp 5 litre V8.....because its driver races an underpowered (240bhp) V8 Chimaera against the 350-400 bhp Tuscan Race mob, so has learnt to beat them by cornering faster.
Alternatively, stick a turbo on it, just be aware that if you give it serious boost you will need to strengthen the engine internals too.
My 315 bhp 5 litre is now a 4.6 turbo - 395 bhp and 525 ft lbs with just half a bar of boost, so no strengthening needed.
GravelBen said:
Really? Sure it can be frustrating when slower drivers in faster cars won't let you past, but I'd find it more galling to be a straight-line cowboy who catches people on the straights but can't keep up in the bends.
If you want the different excitement of overtaking and competing then go racing, thats not what trackdays are about.
well said my manIf you want the different excitement of overtaking and competing then go racing, thats not what trackdays are about.
GravelBen said:
Really? Sure it can be frustrating when slower drivers in faster cars won't let you past, but I'd find it more galling to be a straight-line cowboy who catches people on the straights but can't keep up in the bends.
If you want the different excitement of overtaking and competing then go racing, thats not what trackdays are about.
well said my manIf you want the different excitement of overtaking and competing then go racing, thats not what trackdays are about.
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