Good Track Car?

[TREMAiNE]

I'm doing an ever increasing amount of track days now and as fantastic as my RX-8 is on track I know that at some point its not going to be able to take the punishment any more and I've thought about selling it and buying something specifically for the track.

All I can really think to replace it with is a Mk1 MX5 (and then put a couple of thousand into getting it track-ready).

What cheap similar alternatives could you guys recommend?

[JQ]

Mk3 MR2 gets good reviews, the only thing putting me off is the lack of cheap aftermarket rollover protection. There's loads of options for the MX5 but little for the MR2. I've had 2 trackday MX5's and they've been excellent, but both have eventually suffered from rust which has been expensive to sort properly, hence why the MR2 appeals to me.

It's also far far cheaper to buy a car where someone else has done all the work already. Buy one already done then spend some money fine tuning it.

[jcmr2]

Mr2 Mk2 are hard to beat, they take all the punishment you can throw at them, put yellow stuff brake pads all round and decat it and off you go.

[Synchromesh]

jcmr2 said:

Mr2 Mk2 are hard to beat, they take all the punishment you can throw at them, put yellow stuff brake pads all round and decat it and off you go.

+1

They handle very well out the box IMO, and my 160k rev.4 NA still felt fresh (which couldn't be said for my similarly leggy E36 that followed). Go for a tin-top, take out as much weight as you can and put some decent rubber on and you'll be smiling all day.

[bertie]

Caterham or similar are epic, for track think light.

Weight is the enemy of everything on track.

[benedwards64]

A friend of mine runs a Mk3 MR2 as a track car. It cost about a grand, he's stripped out as much weight as possible but it's otherwise totally stock - brakes, engine, suspension, everything. The bodyroll looks a tad alarming in the pics but it's a fantastically capable car out of the box and is a real giggle to drive on track. It's taken a lot of punishment with no complaints! Best bet re: rollover protection is to get one that's fitted with a hard-top, I'd say.

[Peecee]

Integra Type R - DC2 are cheap and won't cost a lot to have good fun on track. Good cars! Or EG Civic which is a lighter chassic but will cost quite a bit more to get to 'track' level.

All in all, they're reliable cars and cheap to maintain, and good on track.

[bertie]

benedwards64 said:

A friend of mine runs a Mk3 MR2 as a track car. It cost about a grand, he's stripped out as much weight as possible but it's otherwise totally stock - brakes, engine, suspension, everything. .....Best bet re: rollover protection is to get one that's fitted with a hard-top, I'd say.

Still bloody heavy though, and a hard top does not provide roll protection!

[mrdemon]

Elise, end of thread :-)

[bertie]

mrdemon said:

Elise, end of thread :-)

Nah, had 2, snappy and a real handful at the limit on track, especially the mk1.

Mk2 less snappy but will still spin readily in its own length as the guy right in front of me in the Exige S proved at Silverstone on Monday.

[FatSumo]

I'd have thought the rx8 would be a good choice so stick with what you got? Especially if you strip out the interior as you have plenty of space for spare tyres too.

[mozzerS]

mrdemon said:

Elise, end of thread :-)

+1
my S1 handles great (for me) especially after geo checkup

[TREMAiNE]

Cheers for your suggestions guys, as expected there were several people who mentioned MR2's!

I love MR2's to pieces and at the moment they're probably my second choice behind the MX5. The Clio 172 and ITR suggestions are a no, as I'd prefer something RWD and sadly S1 Elise and Caterams are out of budget!

I'd love to keep the RX-8 for the track, but it is a heavy old beast and even stripped it would way considerably more than the other cars mentioned in the thread.

Does adding a turbo to an MX-5 significantly reduce the reliability or are they just as bulletproof?

[Dakkon]

I track a Mk2 MR2 Turbo, good cars, make sure you give it a good service and change the fluid and pads before going out on track.

[binnerboy]

TREMAiNE said:

Does adding a turbo to an MX-5 significantly reduce the reliability or are they just as bulletproof?

for the cost of a turbo conversion you could by a second hand sevenesque kit car, westfield or the like which make great track cars.

Light does make a massive difference.

what do you prefer FWD or RWD ?

what is your budget ?

[TREMAiNE]

binnerboy said:

TREMAiNE said:

Does adding a turbo to an MX-5 significantly reduce the reliability or are they just as bulletproof?

for the cost of a turbo conversion you could by a second hand sevenesque kit car, westfield or the like which make great track cars.

Light does make a massive difference.

what do you prefer FWD or RWD ?

what is your budget ?

Not sure on budget yet - in fact I'm not definitely going through with it yet either, still working out if I should do it or not.

I'll probably have £4,000-£5,000 and then maybe another £4,000 left over to get a cheap daily and prep the track car for the track.

EDIT - and RWD ideally.

[bertie]

TREMAiNE said:

Not sure on budget yet - in fact I'm not definitely going through with it yet either, still working out if I should do it or not.

I'll probably have £4,000-£5,000 and then maybe another £4,000 left over to get a cheap daily and prep the track car for the track.

EDIT - and RWD ideally.

You'd get a decent Seven style for that, not a Caterham but there's some decent cheaper stuff about.

Light means better braking, turning as well as acceleration plus it's light on brakes, tyres, etc so long term cheaper to run on track.

And if it all goes wrong light means they slow quicker and are less likely to hit a barrier!!

[JQ]

TREMAiNE said:

Does adding a turbo to an MX-5 significantly reduce the reliability or are they just as bulletproof?

It depends on how well the conversion has been done. A full Flyin Miata kit professionally installed is absolutely fine on track, but costs circa £6,000, whilst a budget DIY install may not be quite so good. However, a budget install can still be reliable, there's just less of a certainty. Also, don't forget adding a turbo to an MX5 also adds strain to other areas of the car.

If the car is just for trackdays, the suggestion of a Westfield or Locust is a good one. I seen some of the MX5 based kit cars (MEV) on ebay for around £5,000 - they are by all accounts great fun, just not very practical.

[HorneyMX5]

£4-£5K is good MX5 Turbo money.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mazda-MX5-Mk1-Eunos-1-6-...

How about a supercharged one?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Supercharged-Mazda-Eunos...

[bertie]

I'd still go lightweight, if it's track only you don't need the practicality of an MX5 and all the weight that comes with it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TIGER-AVON-HAYABUSA-1300...


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/k...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/k...