Thread: track day toy idea's ?

thinking of buying something to turn into a track day toy. looking for something that is cheap to replace parts on.

chatting to the boss today. who has agreed to let me keep it in the workshop and work on it during lunch break.

what sort of things would you guys say is worth having a go at

205 gti or 306 gti6

My track project

Pulsar Gti-R would love one

looking at maybe a saxo vtr/vts (had one as my first car) good ish power to weight. cheap parts to replace. thoughts ?

Mk 2 golf

E36 BMW 325 or M3

Requires no engine work on an M3 Evo. Just strap on breaks and suspension and it'll match a lot of things on track.

I'll more than likely be shot... But a 16v nova! I've been in a few, both turbo and na, the turbos are fool king fast but don't deal with corners to well. A friend has a 2ltr 16v with an atb torque biasing diff (never been out in it) but he insists it sits on the back on boxster s's and evo's all day long.... Can pick one up for £1k!

Otherwise I was looking at mk2 golf GTI's. Or a lupo gti, but there not that common.

I think you must first set yourself a budget then ask yourself if you want FWD or RWD? And if you plan for it to be road legal, you need to factor in running costs also.

Originally Posted by Westy

E36 BMW 325 or M3

Requires no engine work on an M3 Evo. Just strap on breaks and suspension and it'll match a lot of things on track.

I'd love a M3 Evo as a road leagal track car, but it would still be an M3 to insure and run, he said affordable and cheap to replace parts!

I'd go with Mk2 Golf GTI or even Mk3, as they are cheaper to buy. Hows about a Mk1 Mazda MX5?

Mk3 Fiesta XR2i 16v, strip it out and fit a proper bucket seat. Fiesta ST150 front brakes, double up the rear ARB and then fit a 2 litre from a Mondeo with a DEEP, DESK or DEWY ECU for a nice 130bhp sub 1000kg car. Mate did all this and had change from 2k

clio sport 172 or 182? 106 rallye

if your looking at vts i would look at the 106 gti instead, the suspension is better

off topic in relation to matts post ive seen corsa 1l with omega lumps and they are insane in a straight line,

also the same guy has tigras novas and even a ka with two 3l v6 lumps front and rear.

Originally Posted by A3AH

clio sport 172 or 182? 106 rallye

if your looking at vts i would look at the 106 gti instead, the suspension is better

Good shout on the Clios. 182 is a hoot round a track. you can pick up the mk1 172 for peanuts now and then strip out the interior. Just check that the cambelt has been done as a lot of people used to not get them done as it was a pita job to do so cost a fair bit from what I remember

Originally Posted by jojo

Hows about a Mk1 Mazda MX5?

+1. I've owned 2 of them, cracking fun.

Phase 1 Clio 172 is a good shout. Friend got a 172 Cup for his wife years ago and to his shock it was every bit as quick through the twisty stuff as his modified Impreza

Originally Posted by Oranoco

Phase 1 Clio 172 is a good shout. Friend got a 172 Cup for his wife years ago and to his shock it was every bit as quick through the twisty stuff as his modified Impreza

It's a very well setup chassis on the cup.

I have the same dilemma but I'm a bit to tall for cars clio size and after last few months driving my daily quattro and owning a beemer before, I've decided I will go for something 4WD. Wouldn't want to spend much on the car because upgrades will cost quite a bit.
Under £2.5k I can get either B5 TQS or a classic Impreza. Decisions decisions...

Originally Posted by slepy

I have the same dilemma but I'm a bit to tall for cars clio size and after last few months driving my daily quattro and owning a beemer before, I've decided I will go for something 4WD. Wouldn't want to spend much on the car because upgrades will cost quite a bit.
Under £2.5k I can get either B5 TQS or a classic Impreza. Decisions decisions...

How tall are you?

Classic impreza would be good but I think a money pit. Can £2.5k not get you an Integra Type R DC2?

6'4 - drove clio 197 for couple of days and love the car but my back was killing me after an hour drive and i was touching the steering wheel with my legs. Can't imagine taking it to nurburgring...
Integra starts at £2.8k and probably not great condition.
I wouldn't mind driving a slower car at the beginning but would be nice if there was an option to get it closer to 350-400bhp in the future. That's why my thoughts about 1.8T 4WD based car or a scoobie. Simply, when I spend a fortune on suspension, brakes, cage etc. I wouldn't want to be stuck with the same power for ever and wouldn't want to change car and start from scratch again.

Originally Posted by slepy

I have the same dilemma but I'm a bit to tall for cars clio size and after last few months driving my daily quattro and owning a beemer before, I've decided I will go for something 4WD. Wouldn't want to spend much on the car because upgrades will cost quite a bit.
Under £2.5k I can get either B5 TQS or a classic Impreza. Decisions decisions...

Just wanted to tell you that stripped out scooby doo's are quick!

Originally Posted by Westy

Can £2.5k not get you an Integra Type R DC2?

<3

Metro VVC £1k-£2k, the look on their faces after being done by a metro, priceless.

Martin Hadland did just that. MGF VVC motor in a Metro and it scalped a lot of cars on track.

thats some epic body roll

I seem to recall it was built for a laugh as he has this as well. Quite a laugh though though lol

I know these aren't cheap on parts etc but I have to put it out there simply as a toy, FTO Mivec, I've owned my Fto for a little over a month, like you I wanted a toy, not for track mind, but just smiles, I think the Audi is awesome, then I drive the Fto and I just smile, that is what driving is about.
That said, I get back in the Audi and love the smoothness, and that's after dropped on coils. I'm stripping the Fto tomorrow just leaving the front seats, as it's my play thing I thought it'd be rude not to, will let you know how it goes.

Kai

I know these aren't cheap on parts etc but I have to put it out there simply as a toy, FTO Mivec, I've owned my Fto for a little over a month, like you I wanted a toy, not for track mind, but just smiles, I think the Audi is awesome, then I drive the Fto and I just smile, that is what driving is about.
That said, I get back in the Audi and love the smoothness, and that's after dropped on coils. I'm stripping the Fto tomorrow just leaving the front seats, as it's my play thing I thought it'd be rude not to, will let you know how it goes.

Kai

Love the sound of fto's! That's what audi definitely lacks when it comes to 1.8T.
Could go 2.8V6 route in b5 as I had one before and loved it but not much option when it comes to increasing power and S4's are bit to expensive to buy,insure, maintain etc.

A3 3.2v6

Old skool mini! That's what I'm building. Bits are really cheap including panels. Easy to swap to a 16v engine to get more grunt out of them.

the first sugestions on here.
its not about how quick they are....
fwd......
205 1.9 gti..... stripped out, roll cage, decent brake pads.

this is all you need to have all the fun you require!

rwd..... a pre face lift e30 325i.
fit all the motronic 1.3 managment from the later post facelift e30 325i. some decent front tyres, green stuff front pads, even weld the diff!

again all the fun you require!

sorry to bring down the quattro but unless you after out and out lap times (which isnt fun). fighting for grip and drifting is very fun!

Another vote for the Mk2 Golf GTi, but as an alternative I would also look into the SEAT Ibiza Cupra (R) from the late 1990's.

Another good cheap platform is the Mk2 Jetta GTi, cheaper than the Golf and I think personally they handle better as the balance is better as there is more weight over the back axle. 205 another obvious contender as is 106 Rallye and 306GTi 6.

Almost too much choice!

Originally Posted by murran

the first sugestions on here.
its not about how quick they are....
fwd......
205 1.9 gti..... stripped out, roll cage, decent brake pads.

this is all you need to have all the fun you require!

rwd..... a pre face lift e30 325i.
fit all the motronic 1.3 managment from the later post facelift e30 325i. some decent front tyres, green stuff front pads, even weld the diff!

again all the fun you require!

sorry to bring down the quattro but unless you after out and out lap times (which isnt fun). fighting for grip and drifting is very fun!

Can see your sense in all but the Green Stuff pads, they are to stopping what coarse sand is to vaginal lubrication, totally bloody useless!

reguards green stuff pads, my old mk2 golf gti would beg to differ.
open pit lane track day at cadwell park...... nearly a full hour of me of me hammering round with no reguards for mechanical sympathy or my own mortality.
when i pulled in cus i was running low on fuel, i still had a brake pedal that worked well. i call them decent pads cus they are a good fast road pad that work well from cold on the road as good as they are a track day pad.

even 6 years later, id still like to know the lap times i was doing. when your hanging on to the back of a porsche carerra 4s and overtaking lotus elises in a fwd car.... you know your doing something right!

I can't argue the point agasint these pads aggresively enough. Ran them on my S2 track car and had issues almost immediately, converted to Sierra Cosworth brakes and still had problems (I didn't choose the pads they were just what were fitted up). Had a friend who ran them on his Impreza, 4 hard stops from 60-70mph and they were smoking like mad and lost all stopping power and my brother tried them on his Fiesta, which we actually caught on video, the car was then only running 160bhp and weighed in under 1000kg

EBC brake pads - YouTube

I was aiming to pull up next to the camera but the brakes faded to nothing and I was readying to apply the handbrake to stop. Only place I would ever fit a set of those pads is the inside of a wheelie bin. The Greenstuff pad compound issue is widely documented and a friend of mine no longer trades in them due to the issues experienced by so many users.

fun & cheap !!! gota be a saxo vts all day long.... there was a y plate vts by me last week for sale 1 owner, only got £900 for it totally standard and mint so get a tatty one for half that... not much weight on a stripped out one set of cams and throttle bodys maybe will see you some serious fun, by the time a roll cage as gone in and some avo shocks, springs and torsion bars altered it would be a sick little track car.......even a 2ltr or 1.8 xsara conversion wouldnt break the piggy bank...

as for the EBC pads there shockingly crap and if your not getting them fading then you aint driving right lol had a set for a week in my 440hp impreza and they was crap swopped them for performance friction which at over three figures didnt get any fade however many times you hammered them to a stop expensive but second to none one of the best pads around

If your gonna go vts Id go pug gti, vts has torsion bar rear im sure.

Originally Posted by A3AH

If your gonna go vts Id go pug gti, vts has torsion bar rear im sure.

So does the GTi?

Originally Posted by Oranoco

So does the GTi?

My apologies I was unaware of this.

In that pick whichever lol.

Both silly amounts of fun to be fair.

Originally Posted by Oranoco

Both silly amounts of fun to be fair.

I agree, a vtr was my first motor and i loved it.

Just found a pic of my mates old 172 Cup track car from last Feb at Bedford Autodrome

Track Day Cars : Volvo 850 T5 Fast Road / Track car this..

That is so cool. I want it!

another shout for the clio. my neighbour picked up a cheap 182 last year, cat c if i remember correctly and coverted it to a full track car, goes like a rocket. and there wont be any problems for the taller gent, i'm 6'4' and fit in no problem with the buckets

i never had any problems with them.
were they bedded in before using them hard? rusty discs? old brake fluid?
reguarding them smoking like that. its more likely a binding brake.

Yes the brakes on my S2 twice were properly bedded in as were they on the Impreza and my brothers Fiesta. Discs were brand new on all the cars, on my S2 and the Impreza with the EBC Turbo Groove discs. Brake fluid was no older than 2 years in any of the cars and 2nd time round on my S2 it was all flushed through with brand new stuff at the same time as fitting the kit.

Brakes were absolutely not binding on any of the cars. I know this for fact as I'm anal about stripping them, cleaning them and lubing them correctly during any pad swap and changing the pad removed the problem

The fault absolutely lay with the beyond rubbish Green Stuff pads. As I have already said a friend of mine refuses to trade in the pads following on from the issues I found along with other customers and is now commonly known that the issue of the pad compound as being worse than useless.

The brakes on my S2 have since been changed for a Focus conversion using OEM pads and it stops better than ever (EBC could run out of stopping inside of the first lap at Bedford, The Focus brakes cope with a full session before even vaguely showing signs of weakening) and my brothers set up swapped for ST150 brakes which has also removed the issue completely. The Impreza had the pads swapped out for a set of Mintex pads until the fitment of a set of AP Racing 6 pots.