If you were to build a track car - what would you build?

[Atlblkz06]

Sure FWD can be made fast, but it just doesnt make sense to me.

Acceleration shifts weight to the rear wheels - might as well use it and give the rear wheels something useful to do instead of letting the fronts do all the work.
You wouldn't throw in 6 pistons 14" rotors in the back with 13.5" 4 pots in the front!

Also, its so much easier to have a decently balanced RWD car instead of having all the weight up on the front axle. It'd take a miracle of engineering to make a fwd car not inherently under-steer. And you'd have to pay big bucks too - Civic Type R?

With the typical small fwd car that's nose-heavy, the car will even come around if you brake hard under light cornering loads. The front is so heavy that braking puts the car's center of mass incredibly close to the front axle.

[Big Baller]

Also you could consider a Foxbody Mustang, check out NASAs web page and you can find out more about CMC (camaro mustang challenge). Its a very affordable class to run. Theres also a class called AI (American Iron) you could probably build a car for that for between 10k and 15k, its a very good very competitive class.

[Elbow]

Sure it can teach you things. Jumping off a bridge can teach you about momentum and braking as well but I wouldn't do that either. Real sportscars are rwd, buy learning a rwd car you are setting yourself up for the most opportunity's to succeed. You can make a FWD car handle, you can also fuck a pig but again I won't be doing that either.

Regardless I hate FWD cars, thats my opinion.

For the record I am not big into racing, I don't feel the need to watch every minute of every race that comes on. I race cars so I don't need to watch other people do it all day long. Don't get me wrong I have friends that run in Grand-am and I watch all those races but I'm not one of those guys that feels a need to show how cool I am by naming off every single driver in every series that ever existed.

I race cars too, and I can't name tons of drivers, but I know stuff about different series, as I am around different series, team owners, and people. Nothing wrong with WATCHING racing if you aren't at the event. You don't drive F1 so I guess you can watch that? lol

[matthewAPM]

Also you could consider a Foxbody Mustang, check out NASAs web page and you can find out more about CMC (camaro mustang challenge). Its a very affordable class to run. Theres also a class called AI (American Iron) you could probably build a car for that for between 10k and 15k, its a very good very competitive class.

[Big Baller]

I race cars too, and I can't name tons of drivers, but I know stuff about different series, as I am around different series, team owners, and people. Nothing wrong with WATCHING racing if you aren't at the event. You don't drive F1 so I guess you can watch that? lol

I should have made it more clear, I love racing, I just don't like watching it that much. BTCC honestly bores me to death, probably because I hate fwd cars. I respect other peoples right to enjoy what ever they want but its not my thing. If it won't hang ass out coming out of 12 at Road A then I'm probably not going to want to drive it.

Honestly I would rather watch scca club racing any day over F1, its the lamest most boring shit on TV. I have no idea what it is that people find so appealing about it.

[Big Baller]

Oh your one of those

[Elbow]

I should have made it more clear, I love racing, I just don't like watching it that much. BTCC honestly bores me to death, probably because I hate fwd cars. I respect other peoples right to enjoy what ever they want but its not my thing. If it won't hang ass out coming out of 12 at Road A then I'm probably not going to want to drive it.

Honestly I would rather watch scca club racing any day over F1, its the lamest most boring shit on TV. I have no idea what it is that people find so appealing about it.

Well true NEW BTCC is boring, but back in the day when they hot and banged and drove balls out it was exciting. I agree it's exciting for your rear tire to clip the outside at T12 on the exit. And F1 was boring, but these past two years were anything but boring.

[Big Baller]

Well true NEW BTCC is boring, but back in the day when they hot and banged and drove balls out it was exciting. I agree it's exciting for your rear tire to clip the outside at T12 on the exit. And F1 was boring, but these past two years were anything but boring.

To say F1 is boring isn't really a fair statement, I think all open wheel racing is pretty boring

[ranger250x]

Also you could consider a Foxbody Mustang, check out NASAs web page and you can find out more about CMC (camaro mustang challenge). Its a very affordable class to run. Theres also a class called AI (American Iron) you could probably build a car for that for between 10k and 15k, its a very good very competitive class.

Its actually more expensive than one might think. building one from the ground up will definately cost more than the 10K budget that Atlz06 would like to stay close to. I'm not sure what they go for when they are already built.

I would say race a miata. to be very competative in SM would definately be expensive, but to build a SSM(showroom stock miata) would be considerably cheaper. if you get a chance next year go to road atlanta and walk around in the paddock area. you'll get a better idea of costs there. also there is a spec miata forum, might be a good place to find out more info

[Big Baller]

You can build a CMC car for 10k no problem, I helped a buddy build one for just under and that included the fire system and all that jazz, now AI you could build a car for 10 but you won't be competitive. Ill stick with my original suggestion though...MIATA

[Thighs]

FWD cars have no place in the performance world, period. I'm sure that will piss plenty of people off. There is no reason to learn on something thats going to teach you bad habits, thats why I didn't recommend AWD and FWD falls into the same category. AWD is fine once you have the skills to make it work but when you start off in a AWD car it teachs you really bad habits.

that was one of the most ignorant statements ive ever read.


bad habits? its just a different style of driving. awd cars handle alot like fwd cars sometimes, so im assuming these "bad habits" are the ones that you use on the track? until you start producing big hp numbers, fwd can be just as fast as rwd, if not faster. its ALOT easier to go fast in a fwd car. if set up correctly, a fwd car will get sideways easier and more often than a rwd car, and go faster in the process. just look at speed world challenge TC. who wins most of the races? its either realtime acura, tri-point, tindol, and SOMETIMES bimmerworld.

FOXBODY??

[Thighs]

Its actually more expensive than one might think. building one from the ground up will definately cost more than the 10K budget that Atlz06 would like to stay close to. I'm not sure what they go for when they are already built.

I would say race a miata. to be very competative in SM would definately be expensive, but to build a SSM(showroom stock miata) would be considerably cheaper. if you get a chance next year go to road atlanta and walk around in the paddock area. you'll get a better idea of costs there. also there is a spec miata forum, might be a good place to find out more info

theres nto really a big field for SSM... you could buy a middle-pack SM for pretty close to 10k.

unless you wana run with hooverspeed, saferacer, or even OPM... then youre looking at 25k+

[ranger250x]

theres nto really a big field for SSM... you could buy a middle-pack SM for pretty close to 10k.

unless you wana run with hooverspeed, saferacer, or even OPM... then youre looking at 25k+

I hear you on that. why go ninja on OPM though???

edit: ^^^ nevermind Jesse

Do you work with OPM anymore or have you moved on? havent heard if you were going back or not?

[okra1981]

Base model WRXs suck on track, you will just end up swapping a sti drivetrain into it. S2000s are fun but not the most reliable and they are terrible in the rain. SR20 and reliable shouldn't be used in the same sentence together, they also make terrible track cars. Look at all the work DSG put into theirs and its still slow.

I was just thinking of things that I would do with 10k for fun. I didn't realize that S2000's were that bad though, that sucks, it should have been a great car. I'm sure this guy isn't expecting to win anything in his first year, but investing in a platform that he can learn and build on, that makes a little more sense.

[Roadster]

that was one of the most ignorant statements ive ever read.


bad habits? its just a different style of driving. awd cars handle alot like fwd cars sometimes, so im assuming these "bad habits" are the ones that you use on the track? until you start producing big hp numbers, fwd can be just as fast as rwd, if not faster. its ALOT easier to go fast in a fwd car. if set up correctly, a fwd car will get sideways easier and more often than a rwd car, and go faster in the process. just look at speed world challenge TC. who wins most of the races? its either realtime acura, tri-point, tindol, and SOMETIMES bimmerworld.

FOXBODY??

Foxes can be a force to be reckoned with. If you can hustle one of those around the track you're doing something right. I'd love to have one.

Realistically, since I didn't realize that this was intended to be a noob car (thought it was just build something for 10 grand), then the Miata would probably be the best choice. Quick, forgiving, reliable, cheap.

But if I personally had 10k to drop on a track car all at once, I wouldn't be starting out with something slow. I'd be getting the fastest thing I could for the money and just work with the steep learning curve. You learn fastest out of necessity. Hence the Super 7 I mentioned before. If you've got any clue about how to drive, it's not just going to bugger off and kill you. And if it does, it's natural selection.

For safety's sake though...E30, E36, or Miata.

[Thighs]

I hear you on that. why go ninja on OPM though???

edit: ^^^ nevermind Jesse

Do you work with OPM anymore or have you moved on? havent heard if you were going back or not?

i guess i still work there... lol. theyve been really slow lately though. last i heard from tom or brad, they were looking for work just like i am. a couple guys up there are looking for part time jobs until racing season starts back up in february, but ive got a spot locked down with another team if things work out and we find sponsors. im just waiting to hear something. i should have called today, but i guess ill just have to wait until monday.

[Elbow]

FUCK THE OFF SEASON.

Everyone in racing goes broke now lol

[Big Baller]

that was one of the most ignorant statements ive ever read.


bad habits? its just a different style of driving. awd cars handle alot like fwd cars sometimes, so im assuming these "bad habits" are the ones that you use on the track? until you start producing big hp numbers, fwd can be just as fast as rwd, if not faster. its ALOT easier to go fast in a fwd car. if set up correctly, a fwd car will get sideways easier and more often than a rwd car, and go faster in the process. just look at speed world challenge TC. who wins most of the races? its either realtime acura, tri-point, tindol, and SOMETIMES bimmerworld.

FOXBODY??

LOL...I'm not even going to argue with you, you actually know even less than I thought you did. If fwd was faster then they would be driving the front wheels of F1 cars.

A properly setup AWD car does not handle like a fwd car.

Foxbodys are cheap I didn't say they were the best handling car ever.

[Roadster]

FUCK THE OFF SEASON.

Everyone in racing goes broke now lol

Not everyone. We're covered up right now.