My turn! What car?

93EXCivic wrote: Goat

Wait for the BR-Z or FR-S? Lancer EVO?

I have driven both a GTO and an RX8 on the track. The RX8 felt a lot like a miata... That is both a good and bad thing, its handling was great but it did not "feel" like it had the horse power it has (no torque).

That is not a problem with the GTO you definitely feel the power! It was TONS of fun on the track, especially rolling on the throttle coming out of the corner. The car carried its weight surprisingly well, but I felt like braking could be problematic. After pushing it hard for a couple of laps I could smell them, and these were with good pads and fluid. Since the GTO is fairly heavy and it has a lot of power I would be concerned that keeping up with the consumables would be expensive.

Still I had more fun in it than I did in the RX-8.

Thanks for all the feedback so far folks! keep it coming!

Capt. Slow: what kind of pads did the GTO have? Any other mods?

Anybody in the AA area have any of these cars I could take for a spin?

It had hawk HP+'s. It was my friends car, he tracks it pretty frequently. I am pretty sure it was mostly stock. He has a scary story about going off at turn 11 of Laguna Seca because of brake fade (he upgraded to the hawk pads and better fluids after that experience).

HP+'s are NOT track pads. Not be any stretch of imagination and certainly NOT for a car like the GTO, which is heavy and has lots of power.

A car like that needs to be running real track pads, like the Hawk DTC70's. Your friend has a death wish using those pads on the track, they're auto-x pads at best.

Just budget in a set of Stoptech BBK for the GTO and a real set of track pads and you'll be fine.

For a car that is almost entirely stock they are a nice upgrade.

If it were my car... well actually, I would strip the engine out of it and dump it in the miata...

The stock 05-06 GTO calipers are fine, actually (PBR units). The most common track day upgrades involve heat management (2-piece DBA rotors, pads like the DTC70's, DOT4 fluid, SS lines, cooling ducts). If you pull the foglights you can rig dryer vent straight to the front discs nicely.

A nice upgrade if you're auto-xing the car, not if you're taking it to the track. To DD on those pads sucks, they make tons of noise and tons of dust. Come to think of it, they just suck period.

I would vote Mustang GT.

I test drove a 2010 Mustang GT this week. i was impressed, but there was enough about it that it is not the car for me. I HATED the steering wheel. I understand controls on the wheel, but why do the spokes need to be so freakin' big. Why can't they make them like Momo wheels for the hand grip area, and then fatten the spoke for the controls? I was impressed with the power and the steering.

I also checked out a GTO and there was just enough about it that I wouldn't feel comfortable buying one.

I'd like to check out a WRX but no dealers near me have a any to test drive. Anyone near Ann Arbor have one I can check out? There are a couple of STI's but I think they are different enough that I wouldn't be able to make a final decision.

Thanks!

Sure an rx8 may feel slow to a lot of people but if youve been driving miatas for ten years there's a decent chance it may feel fast in that context.

Welp, I test drove a '12 WRX and '12 STi, and '08 STi. Also drove a '09 370z.

The '12 Subies I only got 1 mile in each (lame), but it was enough to feel some differences and tell me I wanted the STi. I can't justify the price though for a new STi.

Then I drove the '08 STi without a sales guy. WOW, that car has massive attachments. However this one had been modified (intake, BOV, and unknown tune), and I was uncomfortable making an offer due to that and the fact it was the first year of that generation which has some known issues. But it's nice and docile under 4k RPM, but after that hold on! Buying a used STi though is an unknown due to the nature of the tuners. I need a car that is dead reliable but track worthy.

The dealer also had a 370z, so I gave that a drive and really liked it. However, it still just wasn't for me.

The search goes on...

On a side note, I did get to sit in a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti :)

Any luck on the 2012 V6 Mustang with Track Pack? Or is the steering wheel issue just too much?

Don't buy an '08 STI unless you have documentation that it was properly tuned very soon after break-in. They have a lean condition in boost where the boost increases and the AFR hangs at really high levels before it dumps more fuel into the mix.

Here's a good example on a reputable tuner's Spec-B (basically a Legacy with the STI drivetrain):

AFR vs. Boost

On the stock tune, at over 10 psi, the AFR is still above 14:1

In reply to FlightService:

Steering wheel issue is that much to me, and I'm not a Mustang guy. I told a co-worker about it though and he was going to check it out.

Yes, I am that picky. Its a curse :)

Test drove a '10 EVO X today. It didn't do anything for me. It also felt like i was driving a bus because the seating position was so vertical. I was stepping down on the pedals. Nothing like an EVO VIII that I worked on when I worked for Mitsubishi.

The Miata really is a perfect car for me. Now I'm looking for a MSM that I can throw the Flyin' Miata catalog at or an RX-8 (R3 preferably). Why am I so picky about cars?

You know I have to agree with you about the steering wheel in the Mustang. Unfortunately it's certainly form over function. And the form is retro and a bit of a weak point IMO. Have you thought about the Genesis coupe? I personally can't get into the styling. The rest of Hyundai's cars look good though. Except the Veloster.

OH! Or check out an S2000.

Did you try a CTS-V or was this ruled out when the GTO was ruled out?

Well, I'm flying to VA this afternoon to pick up my new to me car. If all goes well, I'll have it tomorrow and be driving back to MI Sunday :) I'm not saying what it is yet, but it was mentioned in this list and not one of my original choices. I'll post pictures.

Did you recently require a schematic for it?

In reply to jrw1621:

No, that was work related...

And the answer is:

2009 Mazda RX-8 R3 with 13,204 miles on it! I picked it up this afternoon. Driving back to MI tomorrow.

Sweet

CGLockRacer wrote: And the answer is: 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3 with 13,204 miles on it! I picked it up this afternoon. Driving back to MI tomorrow.

Sharpest looking RX-8 I have seen in awhile.

Nice buy,

See you at Nationals I take it?