Your dedicated track car besides the M3??

[JC919]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

Not as much as I would like!I do not like driving low powered cars that only go fast by momentum.I grew up on higher horsepower rear engined cars and I am much more comfortable in these kind of cars.The track that is 45 minutes from my door(Mosport) has a 3/4 mile straight that is uphill and can be considered a dyno test.In something like a Miata with sticky rubber you only brake 3 times a lap and everywhere else is flat.Not very challenging to drive in my eyes.After you ridden a sub 400lb bike with 160bhp,most cars seem very slow in a straight line.

To each their own

[anthony @ eas]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

Not as much as I would like!I do not like driving low powered cars that only go fast by momentum.I grew up on higher horsepower rear engined cars and I am much more comfortable in these kind of cars.The track that is 45 minutes from my door(Mosport) has a 3/4 mile straight that is uphill and can be considered a dyno test.In something like a Miata with sticky rubber you only brake 3 times a lap and everywhere else is flat.Not very challenging to drive in my eyes.After you ridden a sub 400lb bike with 160bhp,most cars seem very slow in a straight line.

Plus, tracking a bike is way more fun and a fraction the price of tracking a car. It is far more dangerous though

[The HACK]

M. Z. 4. Coupe. $30,000 range used depending on year and mileage, ~450 lbs lighter than the M3, with suspension and brakes readily available (if you're willing to search and pay $$$). 50% stiffer than the E9X. Just about the last BMW made that won't give you trouble with oil temp, brakes, or whatever else that triggers "limp mode" at the track.

And you can proudly own one of the truly LIMITED PRODUCTION cars to come out of BMW lately, with roughly 1,700 examples built and sold in the US. That's more exclusive than the Z8!

[ace996]

The Lotus Elise....is quite slow. It is such a beautiful car, absolutely purist and a wonderful track car but is pig slow without a supercharger or turbo. I had one last year...for about 1K miles...one track day...and traded it in with my '06 STI for the M.
Granted, I took the car to Pocono Single Infield (my first time on that configuration) on beat tires but it still just wouldn't pull past 100 any more than if I was pushing it.
And God help you if you wall it...two pieces of bodywork and an aluminum tub (big bucks for a proper roll-cage, if you can fit in it)....very expensive and not very safe.
But they are a blast and will teach you more than any other car around.
Find a low mile Exige S (supercharged) if you fit in one and have at it.

Pocono in the '05 Elise (stock)...

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by ace996

The Lotus Elise....is quite slow. It is such a beautiful car, absolutely purist and a wonderful track car but is pig slow without a supercharger or turbo. I had one last year...for about 1K miles...one track day...and traded it in with my '06 STI for the M.
Granted, I took the car to Pocono Single Infield (my first time on that configuration) on beat tires but it still just wouldn't pull past 100 any more than if I was pushing it.
And God help you if you wall it...two pieces of bodywork and an aluminum tub (big bucks for a proper roll-cage, if you can fit in it)....very expensive and not very safe.
But they are a blast and will teach you more than any other car around.
Find a low mile Exige S (supercharged) if you fit in one and have at it.

Pocono in the '05 Elise (stock)...

I would sure be thinking twice about a Lotus after reading this post.Apparently the same thing has happened when the car is jacked up in the wrong spot!

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f3/w...-no-way-44956/

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/auto...-it-wrong.html

[attila]

OK I added the MX5 and the S2000 to the list.
Are convertibles as safe on a track than regular cars?? Maybe it's psychologic issue but the roof makes me feel safer in a car.

So it seems any car from the "list" can be a good candidate with certain mods. How about maintenance? I thought, for example, parts for an Elise are as expensive as for the M3.
I have to run...

[CSMRX7]

Originally Posted by attila

OK I added the MX5 and the S2000 to the list.
Are convertibles as safe on a track than regular cars?? Maybe it's psychologic issue but the roof makes me feel safer in a car.

So it seems any car from the "list" can be a good candidate with certain mods. How about maintenance? I thought, for example, parts for an Elise are as expensive as for the M3.
I have to run...

The convertibles are safe with the proper safety equipment. Some find it a bit uncomfortable but to each their own. I think the s2000 and MX5 are the cheapest to maintain, but also most likely the slowest.

[lucid]

I would think an S2000 should be roughly on par with an E36 M3?

[attila]

Originally Posted by lucid

I would think an S2000 should be roughly on par with an E36 M3?

Regarding performance or maintenance or both?

[von_zoom]

Are convertibles as safe on a track than regular cars??

Some club HPDE sponsored events are fussy about converts, and unless your roll bar protection meets their specs, your car will not be allowed on the track. I recommend a roof over your head.
vz

[Dascamel]

Originally Posted by von_zoom

Some club HPDE sponsored events are fussy about converts, and unless your roll bar protection meets their specs, your car will not be allowed on the track. I recommend a roof over your head.
vz

+1 avoid the convertible, creates too many issues.

Same boat as some of you guys, getting a lot better and faster. Some point in the next couple years I'm also planning on a solid dedicated track car with a roll cage and other safety devices.

[lucid]

A properly caged convertible will not cause any issues. The roof panel itself on a regular car is not a structural member. Can one fit a hardtop on a caged S2000 btw?

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by lucid

A properly caged convertible will not cause any issues. The roof panel itself on a regular car is not a structural member. Can one fit a hardtop on a caged S2000 btw?

I have seen more than 1 roof panel that was pierced during an wheels up episode.That is why a lot of people run a net on the top of the cages.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

I have seen more than 1 roof panel that was pierced during an wheels up episode.That is why a lot of people run a net on the top of the cages.

It is probably good idea to have some layer of metal/CF above your head to keep small stuff from coming in during a roll over, and a roof panel would be useful for that. It won't add much to the overall structural integrity of the cabin though. I assume that a net helps only if it is attached at multiple spots to the cage and well tensioned?