First trackday with the Eunos
Discussion
Just a note to recommend the MX5/Eunos as an out-of-the-box trackday car!
I have a Corrado VR6 which I normally use for trackdays, but yesterday took my Eunos S-Spec 1.6 out at Abingdon with MSE. I'd had reservations (the Eunos has 1/2 the power and torque of my Corrado) but they were unfounded. A few other Mk1 & Mk2 cars turned up through Planet MX5, and everyone seemed to have a good hoon on the airfield. The Eunos was so adjustable and throttle-steerable. Trail-braking or lift-off would get the tail out, the slide then sustainable with a bootfull of throttle. I didn't think 115 bhp/100 lb ft would be enough for this but I was wrong (on Goodyear tyres in the dry, too). Most of the time I tried to keep it neat, though. The Eunos doesn't understeer at all; the Corrado used to do my head in trying to deploy 215 bhp through the front tyres whilst steering at the same time.
For anyone with doubts as to whether or not to take a standard engined Eunos/MX5 on track, do it! Light weight and decent corner exit speed makes a lot of difference on the next straight and you'll be amazed at what you can keep up with. Even the standard brakes are fine: I fitted EBC kevlar pads and swapped the fluid to fresh DOT 5.1 the other day, and there was no fade, even after staying on the circuit for 20 mins at a time. Tyre wear was also minimal. More powerful FWD cars I've tracked used to absolutely shred their front sidewalls.
Fuel consumption was horrendous. I did 150 miles on track during the day, and went through £60 worth of fuel!
I'd been toying with the idea of forced-induction on the Eunos, especially for track work, but after yesterday I honestly think it doesn't require it. It's fun and well-balanced as a track-package without it.
Some final kudos to Motorsport Events who organised the day. Very well run day, a realistic attitude ( i.e. spinning is just the driver finding their/the car's limit, not a binnable 'offence') and a decent crowd of track enthusiasts the vast majority of whom used their rear-view mirrors properly.
I have a Corrado VR6 which I normally use for trackdays, but yesterday took my Eunos S-Spec 1.6 out at Abingdon with MSE. I'd had reservations (the Eunos has 1/2 the power and torque of my Corrado) but they were unfounded. A few other Mk1 & Mk2 cars turned up through Planet MX5, and everyone seemed to have a good hoon on the airfield. The Eunos was so adjustable and throttle-steerable. Trail-braking or lift-off would get the tail out, the slide then sustainable with a bootfull of throttle. I didn't think 115 bhp/100 lb ft would be enough for this but I was wrong (on Goodyear tyres in the dry, too). Most of the time I tried to keep it neat, though. The Eunos doesn't understeer at all; the Corrado used to do my head in trying to deploy 215 bhp through the front tyres whilst steering at the same time.
For anyone with doubts as to whether or not to take a standard engined Eunos/MX5 on track, do it! Light weight and decent corner exit speed makes a lot of difference on the next straight and you'll be amazed at what you can keep up with. Even the standard brakes are fine: I fitted EBC kevlar pads and swapped the fluid to fresh DOT 5.1 the other day, and there was no fade, even after staying on the circuit for 20 mins at a time. Tyre wear was also minimal. More powerful FWD cars I've tracked used to absolutely shred their front sidewalls.
Fuel consumption was horrendous. I did 150 miles on track during the day, and went through £60 worth of fuel!
I'd been toying with the idea of forced-induction on the Eunos, especially for track work, but after yesterday I honestly think it doesn't require it. It's fun and well-balanced as a track-package without it.
Some final kudos to Motorsport Events who organised the day. Very well run day, a realistic attitude ( i.e. spinning is just the driver finding their/the car's limit, not a binnable 'offence') and a decent crowd of track enthusiasts the vast majority of whom used their rear-view mirrors properly.
speedtwelve said:
...the vast majority of whom used their rear-view mirrors properly.
Except for that Celica GT - at least for the first half of the day!I got though just over 40 litres of super and covered 100 miles on track - that works out to around 11.5mpg
It was indeed a very good day, and the weather was perfect; nice and dry all day but cool enough to keep my supercharger happy
My car stood up very well and I was passing as many cars as were passing me. Most of the cars I had to let past were the sort you'd expect to be quick: Elises, VX220, Cater-fields etc. I had fun after letting an M5 past only to stick on his tail for the next 2 laps
There was a track-prepared 106 Rallye with Toyo R888s that was lapping pretty much the same speed as me but completely differently with me being much faster wherever the track opened up a bit but with him much quicker on the bends - we had a good chat a couple of times about that
A mate took me out in his bog-stock (except for serious roll bars) Eunos fitted with R888s and I was stunned by how much more speed you can carry through the bends. I knew track tyres were stickier but wasn't prepared for just how much difference they made! I had to brake heading into the main chicane and hold it on the throttle running through but Jon just accelerated all the way through with just a slight lift! Needless to say they are on my shopping list now - I think, on the right circuit, they will make m ore difference than any amount of power! Cheers for the eye-opened Jon
Hi chaps, I was the Scottish bloke doing the diagnostic on the silver Mk1 that had the engine problem. I was there in the black K-reg Mk1 Eunos.
I was speaking to Jon with the Toyo R888s etc. I agree his car went very well, and we had fun on one session swapping the lead a couple of times, although he was ultimately faster through the corners and pulled away gradually.
The Celica GT was suffering from fast(-ish) on the straights, slow in the corners syndrome, but he seemed to improve a little in the afternoon. With only 115 bhp it's an exercise in maintaining momentum out of the corners with me.
Don't know how much you chaps have done previously at Abingdon, but I preferred the 'new' layout compared to that of last summer.
I was speaking to Jon with the Toyo R888s etc. I agree his car went very well, and we had fun on one session swapping the lead a couple of times, although he was ultimately faster through the corners and pulled away gradually.
The Celica GT was suffering from fast(-ish) on the straights, slow in the corners syndrome, but he seemed to improve a little in the afternoon. With only 115 bhp it's an exercise in maintaining momentum out of the corners with me.
Don't know how much you chaps have done previously at Abingdon, but I preferred the 'new' layout compared to that of last summer.
Edited by speedtwelve on Sunday 15th June 00:20
I did Abingdon in my mr2 last month with mse, really enjoyed it and good attitude towards spins, I'd had the car for only a week and it still had wrong sized tyres etc on it. One spin I came in from and they just waved me straight back out with a "we know why, our fault" bacause soemone was having instruction and waved me past but he was in a much more powerful car, didn't lift off enough and we basically ran out of straight and it messed my line completely up. Its far better when its kept light hearted, although I was held up for 4 laps and although every marshal for 4 laps the car infront was blue flagged they wouldn't let me past and then only had it mentioned to them after I get fed up and came in and complained. Should black flag people for ignoring blues
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