I'm planning on taking the Rio out to Laguna next september. Drive it out, run GL CSC with all the other slow cars and drive it home. somewhere over 5k miles in a coil over shod Rio packed to the gills. It should be fun.
I'm planning on taking the Rio out to Laguna next september. Drive it out, run GL CSC with all the other slow cars and drive it home. somewhere over 5k miles in a coil over shod Rio packed to the gills. It should be fun.
Spoiler alert: Randy Pobst’s upcoming column discusses how to successfully be the slower driver out there.
David S. Wallens said:Spoiler alert: Randy Pobst’s upcoming column discusses how to successfully be the slower driver out there.
Randy?
You should be asking me; I'm the one who's been running in a 80whp car for the last 3 decades...........
It will be interesting to see Randy's take on this I will give mine for comparison.
A. Be predictable and stick to the designated line.
B. If you are going to be lapped, calculate what lap and approximately where on track it's likely to happen.
C. Lift early or short shift the car in order to help the passing car by.
D. Faster cars are heavier cars and be cognizant of the fact that if you're in a lighter car they may not be able to use the line you are pointing them to.
E. For track days grid up relative to your speed. Read don't line up first if you're one of the slower cars/drivers in the group.
F. Just as you check your gauges in certain places on the check set designated places to check your mirrors.
H. Learn to notice movement in the mirrors; you don't need to see what car is there just that there is a car.
I. If you're in an event/group with designated passing zones focus on driving, not the car in the mirror. They can't pass anyway so focus on your driving so you don't end up going even slower.
I've actually been on both ends of the equation and as a car lapping someone the things noted above work for both sides.
My .02
Hmm. One could almost get the impression I'm preparing for ... something.
With the issue around knowledge in forums slowly disappearing, I figured it was time to go back to the old ways. Of course this book isn't available at any old corner anymore. When I looked, this was the only copy I could find < $100, and it was in Oz. Cost more or less the same to ship than the book itself, but that was mostly because it was a very reasonable price for this book in the first place.
In reply to BoxheadTim :
You will not be disappointed.
Even in the most highly prepared Mini you'll be hard pressed to go faster than the Spec Miata lap record but it won't matter.
At 1400lbs they are just so tossable.
In reply to Tom1200 :
I've owned two when I lived in the UK, but that was before I discovered track days/HPDE/Time Trials. So I kinda know what I'd be getting myself into, albeit with another twenty years of corrossion, wear and tear.
I'd mentioned that I was watching another two Minis on BaT, ended up bidding on this one but dropped out pretty early:
Frankly, I think the price got up to roughly where I expected it to end up due to the condition of the body and the Clubman front not exactly being a fan favourite. It didn't meet reserve in the end, but that car would've needed bodywork fairly quickly in the damp Mid-Atlantic. Probably not a consideration if you live in the desert. Plus with this car, I had to factor in the shipping cost from CO on top of the cost of the vehicle. It had a rather hot engine going for it, but the rest needed work and especially bodywork.
The other car I was very much so-so about so I didn't even end up bidding, but my assistant watched the auction for me:
That car sold, a bit higher than I was willing to go but not by much. Still, both of them were at the "needs more work" end of the spectrum. Knowing how well these things corrode I'm a bit hesitant to buy a really nice one because I'll end up modifying it anyway, but I also don't want another one that has the money pit spidey sense twichting.
In reply to BoxheadTim :
I'd definitely hold out for a good one that fits your needs.
I know someone with an extra ed but not sure he would sell it.
In reply to Tom1200 :
Keeping an eye out for nice enough, but not too nice one is pretty much the plan at the moment. Another one just got posted on BaT - I think by the same dealer who sold the one kittee was watching - that looks like a better fit for what I'm looking for. Another one to keep an eye on.
So are you going to sell the Lotus? Or the race car? Or not use the 911? Or not use the miata?
In reply to docwyte :
Race car sold years ago. 997 doesn't go anywhere near a track for reasons I've discussed in the past, and the Lotus may be sold, especially if it keeps breaking something every time I look at it or the rodents found something else to nibble on. At the moment it's a perma building site, and has been for a while.
The ND might still go on the track, but it was always intended as the backup track vehicle, not the main one.
There are some other thoughts, and some include selling an even larger part of the fleet, but that would lead to me re-investing the money into fewer but more expensive vehicles and I wouldn't take those on the track either.
My Rabbit GTI got consistently bumped up to faster groups despite it's raging 100Whp. It was much faster thru all the twisties despite getting passed on the straights at Mid-Ohio. A buddy got a nice shot of me being pointed by an Exige S that the driver was clearly afraid to push. Run what you brung sir.
In reply to BoxheadTim :
I know I've said it before and you've expressed your disinterest, but you really should just buy either an E36 or E46 M3, do the reliability mods and then just go enjoy your track days. This is the easy button for a car that works well, performs well and most importantly, is a very durable track runner.
Nothing wrong with buying a classic Mini, but that's a vintage car, which will lead to vintage problems...
In reply to docwyte :
My vintage car is very reliable. Of course I've set it up with reliability in mind.
In reply to Tom1200 :
The key is, how long did it take you to engineer your car and the driver operating it to get to reliability nirvana? To know that the transmission lasts longer if you do this, oil or coolant temps should go no higher than that, what is needed to keep wheel bearings alive, all of it.
As someone who has been competing with basically the same car for 20 years, it took me a while.
The nice thing about known factors is that you don't need to be the R&D department. Which makes $200 books downright reasonable.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:In reply to Tom1200 :
The key is, how long did it take you to engineer your car and the driver operating it to get to reliability nirvana?
The joy of the Datsun 1200 is keeping them reliable means not tuning them the the enth degree.
In 33 years of running the car I have had 3 breakdowns. One of those could have been avoided had I paid attention.
I trade performance for reliability. I build the engines to about 75-80% of a full race engine. The race engines need rebuilding every 6-8hrs; whereas I'm getting 6-7 seasons out of them.
Minis are a well known quantity; one could build a hot street / rally motor and end up with a super reliable car. BMC A-series engines are pretty sturdy.
In reply to BoxheadTim :
I went and looked on BAT and that one looks like it would do the trick.
Some easy mods would net you another 15-20hp.
In reply to Tom1200 :
This one, I presume?
Yes, I've got somewhat higher hopes for this one and I like it much better, although it looks like a bunch of other bidders have had the same idea.
In reply to BoxheadTim :
Yup.
A guy brought a Suzuki Cappuccino to one of out SCCA Time Trials this year and those are a 100lbs heavier than this with the power output.
If you land this one I'm thinking clean up the ports, maybe a mild cam and larger valves would add 10-15hp.
In reply to Tom1200 :
Yes, but do you have Tim's dark touch on cars? Let's remember that he has truly the worst luck of practically anyone on this board with cars. It's not even that an E36 or E46 is a "new" car, they're not. They're 20-30 years old, that said, they're going to be FAR more reliable than a vintage MINI. Easy to work on, easy to get parts for, very well established, and documented way for setting them up.
If Tim wants to run laps vs working on cars, or trying to find a shop to work on his car, picking up a truly vintage car is a bad idea.
In reply to docwyte :
Tim did at one point own the most cursed Toyobaru in existence, but he was lucky enough that it waited until 2 owners later to spontaneously lunch its replacement engine.
In reply to docwyte :
Tim's luck aside Minis can be very reliable.
The key, much like my Datsun, is to keep them tuned at a level that won't give you an issue.
I race with/against the Minis. The Minis that run about about 10-12 seconds slower than the Spec Miata lap record run all day long with out issue.
The Minis that are running a couple of seconds off the Spec Miata lap record need constant care and feeding.
With that said I would suggest a Datsun 1200. LOL
GameboyRMH said:In reply to docwyte :
Tim did at one point own the most cursed Toyobaru in existence, but he was lucky enough that it waited until 2 owners later to spontaneously lunch its replacement engine.
Wait... what? I must've missed that. And that was an engine that I bought all the bits for that were supposed to have all the goodies one needed to make it "reliable".
In reply to docwyte :
I was thinking that maybe I should just bite the bullet at get a Cayman for that, until I remembered what tends to happen when I buy a Porsche. So far the 997 is an exception, though.
And yes, I seem to have an "interesting" effect on machinery, at least the one that is supposed to be ultra reliable.
I think another reason for all of these thoughts is that modern machinery doesn't really appeal to me that much anymore, I seem to mostly have a hankering for 80s & 90s stuff and wouldn't kick 70s vintage Italian stuff out of the garage.
I'd say I should get my head examined if that wasn't already a pointless exercise.
In reply to BoxheadTim :
I know what you mean. I have a strong hankering a 3rd gen Supra Turbo or an RX-7 Turbo II. But, much like E30s I used to play with, clean ones are far more than I want to spend.
Yeah had an e30 (88 325is) and it seemed like it was more like 15 years older than my 92 miata. Just different to drive but fun in its own way. I've seen a couple classic mini's running at the track but probably can count them on just my fingers outside of vintage groups, I've also never seen a datsun roadster on track and probably only a handful in person, probably only 1 or 2 outside a museum or collection to be honest. Give'm hell.
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