Second track car dilemma!! Tearing my hair out.

[Partyvan]

Hi all

Dilemma!

My main track car is a big spec Honda CRX, with a 270bhp N/A K20a engine. Very quick. But also prone to rust at the sight of a cloud on the horizon. So it'll never see a wet track, plus it's also constantly being tinkered with, upgraded and so on.

So, I bought a second track car for those cheap winter trackdays. Something that should always be ready to use and not off the road for extended periods. Something that's also Nurburgring TF friendly, unlike the CRX.

It's a Mk4 Golf 2.8 V6 4motion.



Now... I know Mk4's are lardy pieces of crap... but thanks to some coilovers, decent tyres, 6 pot BBK and a hefty weight reduction... it's actually great on a wet track. Round a soaking Cadwell / Oulton I was overtaking everything in sight including several Caterfields. Only a race prepped Seat passed me all day. The Haldex system gives it so much stability in the wet. So all was well. It's also so cheap to fix if I crash it. And fairly reliable and safe.

My problem is - when the track is dry, or dries out... it's lack of straightline speed makes it dull and frustrating. I was utterly bored doing Donnington in it in the dry, to the point of leaving early and going home. I couldn't overtake anything on the straights whatsoever.

So what do I do?

Option 1) Golf R32 engine conversion, with or without some bolt on mods. 240-280bhp.

Option 2) I have a 225bhp convertible Audi TT I can't bloody give away. Put it's 1.8t BAM engine in the Golf.

Option 3) Just buy a tintop Audi TT 225bhp and put the Golf's coilovers/brakes/wheels on it. Added bonus of a lighter car with better steering rack / geometry / roll bars etc and I'm not messing about swapping engines. This makes option 2 redundant!

Option 4) Sell all this VAG tat and get a car that's actually good for similar money, like say an E46 330ci. I love the E46, but fear it'll pale in comparison to the M3 I used to track.

I suspect option 4 will be the PH favourite here, but is there any mileage in my VAG ideas?

Remember... must be reliable, RWD or 4WD, good in the wet, £3k max budget and not an MX5 or kit car / open wheeler

[Partyvan]

What I mean is that in the dry, it's slower than 60-70% of cars on track. I prefer being quicker than 60-70% of cars. Progress through traffic is what makes it interesting.

Nothing more galling than catching someone through a series of bends, then losing it all on the straights.

[Partyvan]

aka_kerrly said:

I also find that baffling.. it's a track day no one wins a prize for fastest speed in a straight line;)

I suspect some of the power requirement depends on which tracks you visit & can appreciate that the long gears on a 2.8 4MO will not really suit most short UK tracks. - I suspect the Final Drive from a 2.3 VR5 gearbox can be swapped in if you want shorter gears. Its a popular swap now for.

Since you already have some nice upgrades on the 4mo I'd sell the TT and use the money toward a supercharger on the 2.8 VR lump taking it to circa 300hp - waaaaaaaaaaay more entertaining than a 20vt swap.

Also consider a Haldex controller if you want to manipulate the AWD to be more rear biased.

Would a final drive in the gearbox work on it's own? Or would I need a rear diff ratio to match?

[Partyvan]

Thornaby said:

There must be lots of info on a turbo for the v6. Wouldn’t that be less chewy than swapping engines?

If not, r32 (or r36) conversion

Yes I like the idea of a turbo.

Cast iron manifold £120
Mid range turbo £600
Decompression plate £40
New timing chain kit £???
Mapped standard ECU £200?
Oil lines/FMIC/sundries etc £200
Custom downpipe £100

I bet it's more like £2k when you've bought everything.

Makes sense in a way as the car / engine are only on 74k

Edited by Partyvan on Monday 14th January 09:53

[Partyvan]

Greg the Fish said:

worried about rust on the Honda..................considers an old 3 series................wtf?

CRX rust is fatal though. They are horrendous.

[Partyvan]

GravelBen said:

Really? Sure it can be frustrating when slower drivers in faster cars won't let you past, but I'd find it more galling to be a straight-line cowboy who catches people on the straights but can't keep up in the bends.

If you want the different excitement of overtaking and competing then go racing, thats not what trackdays are about.

I'm not trying to argue but plenty of people race on trackdays, or at least have a play for a few laps. Hardly the crime of the century.

[Partyvan]

Almostuseful - I do love the 6 pot sound. It's a great engine. Would be even better turbo'd

Kewy said:

I have no idea what the best solution to your dilemma is…

But lets see some pictures of the CRX then

There you go Sir
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Partyvan]

nurseholliday said:

I still don't understand, if you make this car brilliant in the dry, what's the point of the CRX?

If it's dry, just drive the CRX?

Changing / unpredictable weather and not being able to take both cars to the track day is the main issue

[Partyvan]

Thanks for all the replies

Regarding taking the CRX on a wet track, it seems logical. There's a few problems

1) It has no heater. The bulkhead is welded up and the engine has been modified with a heater delete.

2) I wouldn't want to push 100% on a wet track. Cadwell is unforgiving of mistakes in the wet. It's too big a risk of crashing. Driving at 80% is dull.

3) The suspension has lots of rose joints that aren't protected against any sort of corrosion

4) It's tidy enough to be a show car as well, so would rather it didn't get wet / ditched

5) FWD is gay in the wet

Having just typed all that out I'm now left thinking of Nigel Mansell's BTCC Donnington in the wet. That was pretty cool.

Now tempted to grow a moustache, underseal the CRX and be a hero.

If I do bin it, I'm going to resurrect this thread and bill you lot for the damage

[Partyvan]

Yep, can't argue with that!

I've built a lot of track cars, and never found a compromise between something shabby that lets me down, and something too precious to use.

Don't get me wrong, it's nothing like a perfectionist build. But there's a lot of work gone into making it tidy.