Mazda RX-8 as a trackday car...?
Discussion
Pentoman said:
Agreed the only option is a e36 328i. If you have ABSOLUTELY NO IMAGINATIONS.
Risk the rx8 anyway. Why not.
It is not about having an IMAGINATION we're not in a product design session Risk the rx8 anyway. Why not.
E36's - parts are cheap and readily available, good handling, progressive rear end, upgrades are easy to install, alot of other threads to referance to, rather simple to work on.
Rx8 - engines are expensive and not efficient in power to fuel ratio, upgrades and parts are no where near as readily available as the BM, Engine issues are not un common.
A track car to me is about easy to work on , fun , cheap to repair and upgrade, I'm all for out of the ordinary road cars etc but track cars need to simple and easy to get parts for at a reasonable cost.
O I wonder why the E36 is so popular ............................... O yes that's why
For £3K you could have a rev3 245bhp as stock MR2 turbo, a mint normally aspirated 173bhp MR2, a 140bhp mk3 MR2, MX5 etc loads of choice. The BMW is a boring choice they are not that fast even in stripped out 328i guise. I remember at Combe a few years ago when I had a bog standard n/a MR2 out a couple of chaps with a fully stripped 328i came over to enquire a to specs, they thought they'd choosen the wrong car as the MR2 was blatently faster when bog standard which they were not expecting.
I drove a PZ RX8 on track and it was very good for a car of its size, the engine would bother me though.
I drove a PZ RX8 on track and it was very good for a car of its size, the engine would bother me though.
Edited by Herman Toothrot on Tuesday 6th September 23:19
Herman Toothrot said:
For £3K you could have a rev3 245bhp as stock MR2 turbo, a mint normally aspirated 173bhp MR2, a 140bhp mk3 MR2, MX5 etc loads of choice. The BMW is a boring choice they are not that fast even in stripped out 328i guise. I remember at Combe a few years ago when I had a bog standard n/a MR2 out a couple of chaps with a fully stripped 328i came over to enquire a to specs, they thought they'd choosen the wrong car as the MR2 was blatently faster when bog standard which they were not expecting.
I drove a PZ RX8 on track and it was very good for a car of its size, the engine would bother me though.
What was the MR2 like to live with on track days, I've been thinking about these for £800, I was told that the brakes would need uprating.I drove a PZ RX8 on track and it was very good for a car of its size, the engine would bother me though.
Edited by Herman Toothrot on Tuesday 6th September 23:19
I would say an rx8 track car could be a good shout and will be faster and handle better than most other options for £3k. Try and buy one with low miles and good history, and expect to replace coils, leads and plugs to make sure its tip top before taking to a track. Look through the good advice on the rx8 oc forum plenty using them on track. There are plenty being broken and I expect parts are therefore as cheap as most other cars should they be required. Don’t know of a race series for them.
PAULJ5555 said:
What was the MR2 like to live with on track days, I've been thinking about these for £800, I was told that the brakes would need uprating.
they make good track cars for the cheap budget. yes uprate brakes with good discs and fast raod/race pads, also for the age the suspension may need firming up with a change too as well as bushes if you are lookng for a good sporty performance.I liked our rx8 on track but not as much as our old mr2 mk1 track prepped car. the rx8 was lovely as an every day car apart from the fuel thirst. maybe i didn't push the rx8 as much as the cheaper mr2 m1k track car.
mr2s also have a race series - see the 750MC.
GC8 said:
Bruntingthorpe?
Yes on one of the Renesis days.Regards MR2's if the budget is very low go mk2 n/a as they are plentiful, cheap and reliable. Bit higher budget either a good mk1 or a rev3 mk2 n/a bigger budget again rev3 turbo.
I'd avoid pre rev3 turbos.
Set of carbotech pads and the brakes are great.
you could get a very nice E46 330i which would make a good track car. Cheap bits and bullet proof.
I am a rotory fan and done a few track days with the Mazda Rotary Club and the RX8's stop and handle well and go ok for the power. Follow the advice above and get it compression tested if you can. The coils can be had new for about £200 and should last many thousands of miles. The only other thing to change is oil and plugs regularly, other than that it will be cheap to run until the engine dies unless you can rebuilt it yourself. It comes with LSD which is a benefit
I am a rotory fan and done a few track days with the Mazda Rotary Club and the RX8's stop and handle well and go ok for the power. Follow the advice above and get it compression tested if you can. The coils can be had new for about £200 and should last many thousands of miles. The only other thing to change is oil and plugs regularly, other than that it will be cheap to run until the engine dies unless you can rebuilt it yourself. It comes with LSD which is a benefit
Edited by antnicuk on Friday 9th September 21:22
wackojacko said:
It is not about having an IMAGINATION we're not in a product design session
E36's - parts are cheap and readily available, good handling, progressive rear end, upgrades are easy to install, alot of other threads to referance to, rather simple to work on.
Rx8 - engines are expensive and not efficient in power to fuel ratio, upgrades and parts are no where near as readily available as the BM, Engine issues are not un common.
A track car to me is about easy to work on , fun , cheap to repair and upgrade, I'm all for out of the ordinary road cars etc but track cars need to simple and easy to get parts for at a reasonable cost.
O I wonder why the E36 is so popular ............................... O yes that's why
Who cares about the well- known measure, the 'power to fuel' ratio(!?) on a track car? I didn't see that OP is doing endurance racing so I really don't think this matters.E36's - parts are cheap and readily available, good handling, progressive rear end, upgrades are easy to install, alot of other threads to referance to, rather simple to work on.
Rx8 - engines are expensive and not efficient in power to fuel ratio, upgrades and parts are no where near as readily available as the BM, Engine issues are not un common.
A track car to me is about easy to work on , fun , cheap to repair and upgrade, I'm all for out of the ordinary road cars etc but track cars need to simple and easy to get parts for at a reasonable cost.
O I wonder why the E36 is so popular ............................... O yes that's why
OP any decision?
wackojacko said:
Coil pack problems which leads to rotor tip wear and then lack of compression (which a 3K RX8 will have)
Vastly exaggerated but you read it on the internet so it's probably true.Herman Toothrot said:
I drove a PZ RX8 on track and it was very good for a car of its size, the engine would bother me though.
I drove on the of the fully prepped 'Formula Women' cars a few years back at Rockingham and it was an absolute eye-opener. Coming from my rx-7, road car with laggy turbo, to race-prepped n/a actually made me think twice about gettin grid of the 7.I'm a long way from skilled on track and it was the first time I'd really felt a car respond to throttle input to change the cornering. not something you can't get elsewhere and these cars were well above 3k in cost but it shows what the chassis is capable of.
IainT said:
wackojacko said:
Coil pack problems which leads to rotor tip wear and then lack of compression (which a 3K RX8 will have)
Vastly exaggerated but you read it on the internet so it's probably true.wackojacko said:
IainT said:
wackojacko said:
Coil pack problems which leads to rotor tip wear and then lack of compression (which a 3K RX8 will have)
Vastly exaggerated but you read it on the internet so it's probably true.All 3k RX-8s will have coil pack problems? I know of an RX-8 engine with a turbo bolted on but that doesn't mean they all have a turbo. I also know of RX-8s that don;t have coil pack problems after covering large mileage.
So yes, your claim is exaggerated.
get what suits you - track day is not a race.
Get a race car if you want to race - start with Caterham classic, novice race series.
btw Mk1 Mx5 at Bedford showed a clean pair of heels to anything in the corners, inc Maaserati Gransport and 3200 GT (twin turbo). It's all about the driver.
Get a race car if you want to race - start with Caterham classic, novice race series.
btw Mk1 Mx5 at Bedford showed a clean pair of heels to anything in the corners, inc Maaserati Gransport and 3200 GT (twin turbo). It's all about the driver.
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