Simplest Track Day Car £3k Non MX5
Discussion
I had similar criteria earlier in the year and went with a Clio. Loads about to choose from, lots of good advice on Cliosport.net and here and plenty of fun on a track.
I'd agree with an above poster and leave power alone at first - brakes and tyres first, suspension second and then tuition. Spend ££ on those three and you'll have a blast
I'd agree with an above poster and leave power alone at first - brakes and tyres first, suspension second and then tuition. Spend ££ on those three and you'll have a blast
How about a ford puma ?
Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
egor110 said:
How about a ford puma ?
Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes DO A MONTH OF WELDING! with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
EFA!Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes DO A MONTH OF WELDING! with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
TartanPaint said:
I ran a Mk2 MR2 N/A for a while, and it was absolutely loads of fun on track. Do it!
For your budget I got a good UK Rev 4 T-top with leather seats (very comfy) in overall great condition, fixed a few blemishes in the paintshop, gave it a nice new Momo steering wheel, Janspeed exhaust, K&N cone, and a full service/plugs/leads at roguemotorsport.com. After that, it was just consumables, and not many of those.
RWD, cheap bits, not so slow you'll be getting in the way too much, utterly bombproof engines, and a real, not electronic, drift mode (just add damp track). What's not to like?
That's quite good to read actually, having run a VX on track I was a bit worried the Mk2 MR2 would be noticeably slower, did you do anything else to it (strip it, adjustable shocks etc)? I'm thinking I'd need to sort the suspension/handling out to reduce or remove the notorious snap oversteer. I used to have a Mk2 MR2 before the VX and loved it.For your budget I got a good UK Rev 4 T-top with leather seats (very comfy) in overall great condition, fixed a few blemishes in the paintshop, gave it a nice new Momo steering wheel, Janspeed exhaust, K&N cone, and a full service/plugs/leads at roguemotorsport.com. After that, it was just consumables, and not many of those.
RWD, cheap bits, not so slow you'll be getting in the way too much, utterly bombproof engines, and a real, not electronic, drift mode (just add damp track). What's not to like?
Apologies for the thread hijack OP.
E-bmw said:
egor110 said:
How about a ford puma ?
Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes DO A MONTH OF WELDING! with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
EFA!Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes DO A MONTH OF WELDING! with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
Buy something half decent cheap then when it needs welding get rid of it .
Have you ever owned one ?
egor110 said:
E-bmw said:
egor110 said:
How about a ford puma ?
Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes DO A MONTH OF WELDING! with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
EFA!Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes DO A MONTH OF WELDING! with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
Buy something half decent cheap then when it needs welding get rid of it .
Have you ever owned one ?
So by that chalk & your theory surely you would be modifying & re-modifying the car almost constantly.
Hi guys thanks for the replies so far - appreciate your time.
I was initially much more tempted by a rwd car but after reading your posts I'm thinking it's a big compromise and possibly one too far - there are a lot of good FWD choices out there for the stipulated budget.
It's a while before I buy (waiting for clarity on my job situation) so I have got some time to think it over.
Also, is anyone on PH able to provide tuition on more complicated tasks e.g. Spring and damper replacement? I'm willing to to pay for the time. I can already do the basics such as oil changes etc
Kind regards
Matt
I was initially much more tempted by a rwd car but after reading your posts I'm thinking it's a big compromise and possibly one too far - there are a lot of good FWD choices out there for the stipulated budget.
It's a while before I buy (waiting for clarity on my job situation) so I have got some time to think it over.
Also, is anyone on PH able to provide tuition on more complicated tasks e.g. Spring and damper replacement? I'm willing to to pay for the time. I can already do the basics such as oil changes etc
Kind regards
Matt
E-bmw said:
egor110 said:
E-bmw said:
egor110 said:
How about a ford puma ?
Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes DO A MONTH OF WELDING! with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
EFA!Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes DO A MONTH OF WELDING! with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
Buy something half decent cheap then when it needs welding get rid of it .
Have you ever owned one ?
So by that chalk & your theory surely you would be modifying & re-modifying the car almost constantly.
There’s a fella on here who bought a rusty puma for £100 and tracked it for 2 years so it is possible you just have to be picky when you first buy it .
egor110 said:
E-bmw said:
egor110 said:
E-bmw said:
egor110 said:
How about a ford puma ?
Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes DO A MONTH OF WELDING! with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
EFA!Apart from a mx5 there going to be one of the slowest cars on track but there cheap and they can be hustled around pretty rapidly due to the great handling .
Parts are dirt cheap , just uprate the brakes DO A MONTH OF WELDING! with the st150 brakes , whack some decent tyres on and enjoy.
Buy something half decent cheap then when it needs welding get rid of it .
Have you ever owned one ?
So by that chalk & your theory surely you would be modifying & re-modifying the car almost constantly.
There’s a fella on here who bought a rusty puma for £100 and tracked it for 2 years so it is possible you just have to be picky when you first buy it .
BeirutTaxi said:
is anyone on PH able to provide tuition on more complicated tasks e.g. Spring and damper replacement? I'm willing to to pay for the time. I can already do the basics such as oil changes etc
Kind regards
Matt
We are a generally friendly bunch of p!ss takers on here but there is a wealth of knowledge & many willing to advise on individual tasks as they crop up.Kind regards
Matt
Having said that if you ask around where you are, you are likely to come across someone not too far from you willing to assist for the odd beer.
Z3 1.9
MGF VVC
MGTF
R53 Cooper S
Celica 190/140
MR2
3 Series Compact
i'd take out the z3 and MG's from that list, add in a clio 172/182/fiesta for consideration
Mk3 mr2's the best mr2 i've driven, I loved my rev2 turbo on tiens but my mk3's more fun. Mk2 na is too heavy for power tbh (dont get a t-bar for track if you have a choice) - but both better than an mg (and THAT engine bay)
Celica 190's underrated but possibly inferior to a clio out of the box difficult, my 172's a racecar, not driven one standard, i do want to try/own a 190 celica though, Se7en Motorsport build really tempting race versions, certainly on my bucketlist!
I dont have any experiance of Mini's, or 3series compacts, but you see plenty about (especially race / ex-race compact cup cars)
with upto 3k you're in vtec country too.
MGF VVC
MGTF
R53 Cooper S
Celica 190/140
MR2
3 Series Compact
i'd take out the z3 and MG's from that list, add in a clio 172/182/fiesta for consideration
Mk3 mr2's the best mr2 i've driven, I loved my rev2 turbo on tiens but my mk3's more fun. Mk2 na is too heavy for power tbh (dont get a t-bar for track if you have a choice) - but both better than an mg (and THAT engine bay)
Celica 190's underrated but possibly inferior to a clio out of the box difficult, my 172's a racecar, not driven one standard, i do want to try/own a 190 celica though, Se7en Motorsport build really tempting race versions, certainly on my bucketlist!
I dont have any experiance of Mini's, or 3series compacts, but you see plenty about (especially race / ex-race compact cup cars)
with upto 3k you're in vtec country too.
For £2k you could a rust free MX5. You just have to know where to look.
Guaranteed to be the most fun out of any of those cars. And there is a good supply of bolt in track day parts for the eg; cages, wheels and suspension fairly cheap.
Plus lots a good network of mx5 only track days and competitive sprints already set up.
I was skeptical about buying an mx5, I didn't much like them. Until I drove one, then my opinion completely flipped. My advice would be try and test drive one.
Guaranteed to be the most fun out of any of those cars. And there is a good supply of bolt in track day parts for the eg; cages, wheels and suspension fairly cheap.
Plus lots a good network of mx5 only track days and competitive sprints already set up.
I was skeptical about buying an mx5, I didn't much like them. Until I drove one, then my opinion completely flipped. My advice would be try and test drive one.
I am looking at track cars for a similar price.....
Have done loads of track days in my old MR2 (Mk2) and can echo peoples thoughts on here. The mid engined nature gives an added dimension I think and is a little more challenging. Heres the old girl, sadly sold years ago when I was skint....
I worry that a FWD Mini/Clio etc will turn out to be quite dull after 3 or 4 days???
Any thoughts on a 225bhp TT?
Whats your thoughts?
Have done loads of track days in my old MR2 (Mk2) and can echo peoples thoughts on here. The mid engined nature gives an added dimension I think and is a little more challenging. Heres the old girl, sadly sold years ago when I was skint....
I worry that a FWD Mini/Clio etc will turn out to be quite dull after 3 or 4 days???
Any thoughts on a 225bhp TT?
Whats your thoughts?
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 15th June 09:09
skinthespin said:
I worry that a FWD Mini/Clio etc will turn out to be quite dull after 3 or 4 days???
That's pretty much where I am at. Money no object I would go for RWD every time. But money is an object, and for a cheap track car budget it's the choice between an 'average spec' RWD car or a higher spec FWD machine.FWD cars I typically find are fun at 5/10 but are a bit dull at 9/10 - it's always hard to judge when the grip is going to drop and when it does it's understeer whatever the car is. Rwd is the other way around. That said, I haven't tried the Clio yet and after a look on Ebay they tick a lot of boxes. R50 and R53 Mini prices have hit rock bottom too.
Edited by BeirutTaxi on Saturday 15th June 17:13
not really inline with the OP requirements, but i'm running an FK2 Civic typeR (fwd, 306ps) and not found it boring at all after 4 trackdays in it now.
last trackday was at donington on monday. soaking wet but a real fun day. i was surpised at just how well it did for both it's power and the fact it runs cup2's tyres up front.
not one part of monday did i find boring, and if anything 4 wheel siding/aquaplaining through some corners including crainers just added to the thrill which i'm sure could have be had in any fwd car.
so much fun in the wet, i kinda hope the next day is the same.
as for car, i think it depends what your wanting it for. For a casual trackday car then i'd go with whats been sugested. if your interested in modding it and making it a pure trackday car, then i'd likely look for something thats essentially scrap. my next trackday car could be something that i'd strip bare, engine internals... few hundred quid for something that'll drive away from the scrapyard, then strip it back to it's core and then dump £5-10k on mods.
i do enjoy tinkering with cars and can do a lot of the work myself so the satisfaction of building it yourself is a big part of the enjoyment for me.
last trackday was at donington on monday. soaking wet but a real fun day. i was surpised at just how well it did for both it's power and the fact it runs cup2's tyres up front.
not one part of monday did i find boring, and if anything 4 wheel siding/aquaplaining through some corners including crainers just added to the thrill which i'm sure could have be had in any fwd car.
so much fun in the wet, i kinda hope the next day is the same.
as for car, i think it depends what your wanting it for. For a casual trackday car then i'd go with whats been sugested. if your interested in modding it and making it a pure trackday car, then i'd likely look for something thats essentially scrap. my next trackday car could be something that i'd strip bare, engine internals... few hundred quid for something that'll drive away from the scrapyard, then strip it back to it's core and then dump £5-10k on mods.
i do enjoy tinkering with cars and can do a lot of the work myself so the satisfaction of building it yourself is a big part of the enjoyment for me.
BeirutTaxi said:
skinthespin said:
I worry that a FWD Mini/Clio etc will turn out to be quite dull after 3 or 4 days???
That's pretty much where I am at. Money no object I would go for RWD every time. But money is an object, and for a cheap track car budget it's the choice between an 'average spec' RWD car or a higher spec FWD machine.FWD cars I typically find are fun at 5/10 but are a bit dull at 9/10 - it's always hard to judge when the grip is going to drop and when it does it's understeer whatever the car is. Rwd is the other way around. That said, I haven't tried the Clio yet and after a look on Ebay they tick a lot of boxes. R50 and R53 Mini prices have hit rock bottom too.
Edited by BeirutTaxi on Saturday 15th June 17:13
I have gone from a 238 bhp 328 e36 to a 220 bhp R53 & similar lap times at Cadwell & can say that there is absolutely no issue with a well set up FWD car.
Don't discount FWD because you think they will be less fun. But you can discount RWD for drifting as fun on a trackday as you will be black flagged and the fun will be over. So you have to look at fun in reference to driver satisfaction. Your budget will reign you in from having being satisfied by setting blistering lap times and blowing away other drivers.
So look at what will be satisfying going fast for less money - for me thats the best feeling. Walking away having hounded someone in a 'faster' car.
I've had a fair few people in these faster cars come up to me asking what ive done to the engine in my 182 - and when they hear the answer 'nothing' the look is a mixture of confusion and disbelief. The reason is - I have track tyres, and 1 set of 4 is cheaper than 2 road tyres for my M3 - I have coilovers, again, they cost less than OE replacement for most popular track cars, the car weighs nothing, so with these 3 things, I (generally) can carry more speed in and around the bends, so the faster car will only be faster for a few hundred yards at the end of a straight. BUT without a doubt the biggest reason is I can carry the knowledge that if take a few mph too much in to a bend and end up in the gravel/armco all I have to do is find another £1k clio, transplant what I can from my wreck on to that and start again. Where as others may have to worry about the 'what if' costs are going to be, so drive at 80-90% even when they push on. Now that latter statement can apply to any cheap car, so you are already on that route, whether by choice or necessity.
And to add to and repeat what others have said promoting the clio - there a the reason why the Clios get recommended by more people, more often, everytime this subject comes up. There will also be multiple Clios at every track day you ever go on. They have a superb chassis, and both the cars and parts are so cheap you can pretty much treat them as throw away.
Ive borrowed Mk5s on trackdays, I've had my M3 on trackdays, BUT - i'm on clio 172/182/197 number 7 now.
For £/smile the Clio (specifically the 1*2's) win hands down.
So look at what will be satisfying going fast for less money - for me thats the best feeling. Walking away having hounded someone in a 'faster' car.
I've had a fair few people in these faster cars come up to me asking what ive done to the engine in my 182 - and when they hear the answer 'nothing' the look is a mixture of confusion and disbelief. The reason is - I have track tyres, and 1 set of 4 is cheaper than 2 road tyres for my M3 - I have coilovers, again, they cost less than OE replacement for most popular track cars, the car weighs nothing, so with these 3 things, I (generally) can carry more speed in and around the bends, so the faster car will only be faster for a few hundred yards at the end of a straight. BUT without a doubt the biggest reason is I can carry the knowledge that if take a few mph too much in to a bend and end up in the gravel/armco all I have to do is find another £1k clio, transplant what I can from my wreck on to that and start again. Where as others may have to worry about the 'what if' costs are going to be, so drive at 80-90% even when they push on. Now that latter statement can apply to any cheap car, so you are already on that route, whether by choice or necessity.
And to add to and repeat what others have said promoting the clio - there a the reason why the Clios get recommended by more people, more often, everytime this subject comes up. There will also be multiple Clios at every track day you ever go on. They have a superb chassis, and both the cars and parts are so cheap you can pretty much treat them as throw away.
Ive borrowed Mk5s on trackdays, I've had my M3 on trackdays, BUT - i'm on clio 172/182/197 number 7 now.
For £/smile the Clio (specifically the 1*2's) win hands down.
Edited by loggyboy on Monday 17th June 12:42
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