RE: An idiot's guide to driving the 'ring

RE: An idiot's guide to driving the 'ring

Author
Discussion

RB Will

9,666 posts

240 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
Just looked at your profile and what your car is. Just to illustrate how much effort it would be to get yours round in sub 8.30 I have a friend who has an E46 M3. It has big brakes, coilovers and is striped and caged. He is a good driver and has been to the Ring many times. His best so far is only 8.23BTG.

thewheelman

Original Poster:

2,194 posts

173 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
It does make me laugh when people quote these fictional times without thinking..........

fishman

248 posts

155 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
RB Will said:
Just looked at your profile and what your car is. Just to illustrate how much effort it would be to get yours round in sub 8.30 I have a friend who has an E46 M3. It has big brakes, coilovers and is striped and caged. He is a good driver and has been to the Ring many times. His best so far is only 8.23BTG.
Yeap I always thought the 8.30 target would be a tough ask but very doable all the same. Once the final mods on the ACS3 are completed increased s/c PSI (Circa 500-550bhp) with the added benefit of a light chassis and engine over the M3 i reckon its feasible provided i do alot of practice with some good driving skills of course.

RB Will

9,666 posts

240 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
thewheelman said:
It does make me laugh when people quote these fictional times without thinking..........
No fiction from me

thewheelman

Original Poster:

2,194 posts

173 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
RB Will said:
thewheelman said:
It does make me laugh when people quote these fictional times without thinking..........
No fiction from me
Horst Von Saurma could only get an E46 M3 around the ring in 8:22

iguana

7,044 posts

260 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
fishman said:
RB Will said:
Just looked at your profile and what your car is. Just to illustrate how much effort it would be to get yours round in sub 8.30 I have a friend who has an E46 M3. It has big brakes, coilovers and is striped and caged. He is a good driver and has been to the Ring many times. His best so far is only 8.23BTG.
Yeap I always thought the 8.30 target would be a tough ask but very doable all the same. Once the final mods on the ACS3 are completed increased s/c PSI (Circa 500-550bhp) with the added benefit of a light chassis and engine over the M3 i reckon its feasible provided i do alot of practice with some good driving skills of course.
8.30 is not a tough target at all, thats average hot hatch pace, with that spec you should be aiming for a 7.30 btg, when mild cheap mods on old 120k miles standard engine & stock power e36 & e46 M3s see them sub 8 easy enough, heck whoosher on here has 8.21btg'd an old mk2 golf with circa 170bhp. All datalogged figs not made up down't pub & all road legal rubber.

Yes it takes a lot of laps to get there, but really just needs a dose of man up.

iguana

7,044 posts

260 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
thewheelman said:
Horst Von Saurma could only get an E46 M3 around the ring in 8:22
Thats full lap, not btg as we are all discussing, so already thats a sub 8 btg & standard car on road rubber, a modded track car is considerably brisker than the usual heavy soggy cack road cars.

Check the td forum but shim just did in his track CSL 1.22 at MSV Bedford Howfast, vs 1.27 of evo time for standard CSL & thats on Bedford west which is what a 1.8m track? vs 12 of miles of ring.

thewheelman

Original Poster:

2,194 posts

173 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
iguana said:
fishman said:
RB Will said:
Just looked at your profile and what your car is. Just to illustrate how much effort it would be to get yours round in sub 8.30 I have a friend who has an E46 M3. It has big brakes, coilovers and is striped and caged. He is a good driver and has been to the Ring many times. His best so far is only 8.23BTG.
Yeap I always thought the 8.30 target would be a tough ask but very doable all the same. Once the final mods on the ACS3 are completed increased s/c PSI (Circa 500-550bhp) with the added benefit of a light chassis and engine over the M3 i reckon its feasible provided i do alot of practice with some good driving skills of course.
8.30 is not a tough target at all, thats average hot hatch pace, with that spec you should be aiming for a 7.30 btg, when mild cheap mods on old 120k miles standard engine & stock power e36 & e46 M3s see them sub 8 easy enough heck whoosher on here has 8.21btg'd an old mk2 golf with circa 170bhp. All datalogged figs not made up down't pub & all road legal rubber.

Yes it takes a lot of laps to get there, but really just needs a dose of man up.
Erm 7:30 is Ferrari 458 territory, as for a 170bhp MK2 Golf doing 8:21, I'd pay to see that video as that's quicker than the average Exige around there.

RB Will

9,666 posts

240 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
Remember I'm talking Bridge to Gantry not a full lap which is about a 20sec difference.
And also it is not a standard car.

Even atmospheric conditions can make a difference to lap times there so a warmer track, cooler air would make a faster lap easier for example.

Matt UK

17,707 posts

200 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
I've taken a Zonda R around the 'ring in sub-7mins on quite a few occasions...

...before the kids start whining I'm hogging their xbox.

I have had a great weekend there in 2010 and done about a dozen laps in the MX5 I used to track. No idea about times, it's of no interest to me. A wonderful place though and looking to get the Caterham out there next year (which will hasten the urgency to sort out the final drive on the current set up...)

thewheelman

Original Poster:

2,194 posts

173 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
RB Will said:
Remember I'm talking Bridge to Gantry not a full lap which is about a 20sec difference.
And also it is not a standard car.

Even atmospheric conditions can make a difference to lap times there so a warmer track, cooler air would make a faster lap easier for example.
Noted, sorry not with it today. I was thinking full lap & not BTG.

I need some coffee....

iguana

7,044 posts

260 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
thewheelman said:
Erm 7:30 is Ferrari 458 territory, as for a 170bhp MK2 Golf doing 8:21, I'd pay to see that video as that's quicker than the average Exige around there.
Fair enough, you want to paypal or post a cheque?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y8KZpxMLJ8&hd=...

RB Will

9,666 posts

240 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
thewheelman said:
Erm 7:30 is Ferrari 458 territory, as for a 170bhp MK2 Golf doing 8:21, I'd pay to see that video as that's quicker than the average Exige around there.
You are still thinking full lap you nit. 7.30BTG would be about 7.50 full lap which is achievable.

I can fully believe a Golf Suitable prepped will do an 8.21BTG

Here is a video of a Suzuki Swift with about 150bhp and heavier than a stripped Golf doing a BTG of about 8.17
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D76t5XyIYAs

fishman

248 posts

155 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
All the same....im hoping to 'man up' to achieve or better 8 & 1/2 mins, im not an racing driver but are reasonably experienced from a few track days so with a bit of good luck (and no crashes) Ill do the time somehow.

Alex

9,975 posts

284 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
iguana said:
8.30 is not a tough target at all, thats average hot hatch pace, with that spec you should be aiming for a 7.30 btg, when mild cheap mods on old 120k miles standard engine & stock power e36 & e46 M3s see them sub 8 easy enough, heck whoosher on here has 8.21btg'd an old mk2 golf with circa 170bhp. All datalogged figs not made up down't pub & all road legal rubber.

Yes it takes a lot of laps to get there, but really just needs a dose of man up.
I'm wondering where some of these times are coming from. You'd have to be seriously on it, dangerously so in my opinion, to achieve a 8:30 BTG time in a hot hatch. Even then, it would have to be one of the more powerful models, like a Megane 260. A Clio Cup, for example, simply wouldn't have enough power for the long drag up to Mutcurve to achieve an 8:30.

Edited to add: On road tyres with standard suspension and brakes.

Edited by Alex on Wednesday 13th June 14:00

456GT

301 posts

178 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
I'll be surprised if anyone can get 8.30 BTG on their first trip to the 'Ring in any car. There can be so much traffic sometimes and you still need some real-life experience of the track to know where you can push it.

On my first trip I was in a 1.7 diesel Astra (thank you, Avis!) and managed 11.15 BTG. I'd say if you learn the track and are in a hot hatch, sub 10 mins is respectable.

Also, bear in mind that Sabine Schmidt only managed 9.12 BTG in a 2.7 Jag S-Type and I'd reckon she is easily a minute faster than most people on this forum....

fishman

248 posts

155 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
456GT said:
I'll be surprised if anyone can get 8.30 BTG on their first trip to the 'Ring in any car.
You've misunderstood...the 8.30 BTG target is based on doing after several trips to the ring i.e after say 50+ completed laps for example. Also the 2.7 Jag S-Type to which you referred is a pretty heavy car with a lot less power to weight ratio too. I'd expect to have 350bhp/per 1000kg which is considerably more potential to reach that mile stone.

It would be interesting to see what various types of standard vehicles have posted as a datum. Ill be grateful to get around the track in one piece initially. biggrin


Edited by fishman on Wednesday 13th June 14:39

456GT

301 posts

178 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
fishman said:
You've misunderstood...the 8.30 BTG target is based on doing after several trips to the ring i.e after say 50+ completed laps for example. Also the 2.7 Jag S-Type to which you referred is a pretty heavy car with a lot less power to weight ratio too. I'd expect to have 350bhp/per 1000kg which is considerably more potential to reach that mile stone.

Edited by fishman on Wednesday 13th June 14:39
Ok, understood. Good luck!

Found this:

http://www.fastestlaps.com/tracks/nordschleife.htm...

I think these are all full laps so you can subtract the 25 secs or so for BTG.

Edited by 456GT on Wednesday 13th June 14:52


Edited by 456GT on Wednesday 13th June 23:38

M@1975

591 posts

227 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
great article and quality thread, the Ring is on the driving holiday list for next year! smile

fishman

248 posts

155 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
Great link 456GT ta!