The 924S/944/240SX/I6 E30/E36/Hondas are all pretty close as far as tire needs. My 325i is just fine on 205/50R15 R-compounds (15x7s are stock). Sure, I have 225/50R15s for it now, and I am sure it would benefit from even wider tires than that, but they are hardly necessary.
I also ditto buying a proven, well setup car.
It is probably a good idea to add oil pan baffling to an E36 (and probably most street cars seeing sustained high Gs.) I haven't yet, which is stupid of me since I spun a bearing on my Saturn doing that.
out of curiosity would a hard top like this make the miata more palatable?
As far as the MR2 is concerned, I have really enjoyed co-driving my friends (against stinking miata's no less) yes we get spanked in the STS class, but I feel that if certain bolt on mods were allowed we could be a lot more competitive.
The MR2 I co-drive, before we adulterated it for the nationals:
Random sweet MR2:
And secure the oil pump nut on E36's...
In reply to Capt Slow:
Is that a custom miata hard top you made?
jonnyd330 wrote:
In reply to Capt Slow:
Is that a custom miata hard top you made?
http://www.autokonexion.com/index.php?cPath=22_31&osCsid=duj6ucsmsmjsqeppihqnt4gnl7
steronz wrote:
The world is awash in 4x100 15x7 wheels and 205/50s are super cheap.
Agreed. I was a dumbass and swapped to bigger brakes and 5x100 15x7 with 205/50/15s. If I could go back to 4x100 smaller brakes and stick with the 205/50/15s that would be the perfect wheel/tire combo. Finding 15x7 5x100 wheels limits your choices GREATLY from 15x7 4x100.
MG Bryan wrote:
jonnyd330 wrote:
In reply to Capt Slow:
Is that a custom miata hard top you made?
http://www.autokonexion.com/index.php?cPath=22_31&osCsid=duj6ucsmsmjsqeppihqnt4gnl7
I'm such a huge sucker for those fastback tops. They're awesome on S2000s too, but something about a Fastback Miata looks amazing in person. If I win the lotto someday I'm going to have one permanently installed and blended into the car by a bodyshop and daily drive it.
docwyte wrote:
And secure the oil pump nut on E36's...
I've done both that and the oil pan baffle in my M3. Hope to never find out how well the oil pump nut thing worked, but I can say that, at least for autocross use, the baffle didn't make much difference. My car still finishes it's last run sounding like a diesel. On the plus side, I know people that have put thousands of runs on these engines. They rattle away, but it doesn't seem to cause any long-term harm.
Max_Archer wrote:
MG Bryan wrote:
jonnyd330 wrote:
In reply to Capt Slow:
Is that a custom miata hard top you made?
http://www.autokonexion.com/index.php?cPath=22_31&osCsid=duj6ucsmsmjsqeppihqnt4gnl7
I'm such a huge sucker for those fastback tops. They're awesome on S2000s too, but something about a Fastback Miata looks amazing in person. If I win the lotto someday I'm going to have one permanently installed and blended into the car by a bodyshop and daily drive it.
That thing looks awesome! It makes a Miata look like a TVR
Rusnak_322 wrote:
I would want a RWD for the track. A BMW or Mustang would be good choices that would be able to cheaply leave the other cars in their dust.
Mustangs require a lot of work to handle and BMWs are pricey to maintain, espeically the newer ones.
If you just want speed and cheap, it's hard to beat a Honda. That said, in my experience, as long as you buy something with quasi decent suspension (not a fox body, in other words), and a quasi decent engine (not an Iron Duke, in other words) you can cheaply custom/adapt/bastardize any parts you need. So says the guy with the Daewoo Nubira track car.
DaewooOfDeath wrote:
Rusnak_322 wrote:
I would want a RWD for the track. A BMW or Mustang would be good choices that would be able to cheaply leave the other cars in their dust.
Mustangs require a lot of work to handle and BMWs are pricey to maintain, espeically the newer ones.
It's worth pointing out that if all you want to do is take to the track, you don't HAVE to do major suspension surgery on a Mustang. A set of springs, decent shocks, and some CC plates along with decent rubber can be done cheaply and the car will at least handle better than stock. If you want to be serious about it, by all means throw the MM catalog at it, but you don't HAVE to.
Now, the stock brakes and cooling system, on the other hand.......
Vigo
SuperDork
4/3/12 6:55 p.m.
so there's MILLIONS of wire
you accidentally the whole grammar, and i approve. 
Josh
Dork
4/3/12 7:58 p.m.
I know of a really nice E36 that would make a great part time track car/reliable DD that will probably be going on sale sometime this summer... (hint, just check my readers' rides page).
Josh wrote:
I know of a really nice E36 that would make a great part time track car/reliable DD that will probably be going on sale sometime this summer... (hint, just check my readers' rides page).
Took a look at it. Would you send me details please?
What about an alfa milano or GTV6? They are just as durable as a 944 or E30, and plenty of parts are available to prepare them for track use.
Lof8
New Reader
4/4/12 9:42 a.m.
Nice deal on a caged e30 track car with spare engine in SoCal!
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1816066
Lof8 wrote:
Nice deal on a caged e30 track car with spare engine in SoCal!
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1816066
does not have a title, only bill of sale. some states this is an issue when it comes to registering the car. Oh and it is a 325e which is somewhat less desirable.
I can see the logic in buying a car someone else has built, certainly it would save you money. But it seems like most people's idea of a "track car" is more pure than I would want. I'm going to do 2, maybe 3 track days a year. Having a gutted, fully caged, non-streetable car around for that is kind of a waste. Having a car with a full interior and maybe a 4-point bar with some performance mods makes a lot more sense to me, because then I can still drive it on the street. But those don't seem to be for sale all that often, so for me, building is the way to go. YMMV, of course.
I’m 100% on board with what Tom says about having a car with an interior. A pure race car doesn’t make much sense for many people, especially those with families. Yes I want to build a pure track car, but not until the kids are in collage and I can guiltlessly spend 1-2 weekends per month away from home. I’d say that until your planning on doing more than 6 track events per year, a dedicated non streetable track car doesn’t make sense. Now being GRM about 10,000,000 of you will now jump in and point out that you drive stripped out, caged cars with race seats, harnesses no stereo or A/C every day through a Texas summer, which other than proving how manly you are doesn’t apply to 99.99999999% of sane humans. BTW I’ve BTDT on a stripped out car with no heater, let alone AC for a couple of years myself, but that was when I was half my current age and therefore certifiably insane.
One more thing. I and many people I known have gone down the modifying the DD for better performance (autocross, track, drag etc.). Each mod made the car a little better in the owners chosen discipline and a little worse on the street. It was death by 1,000 cuts. One day we all woke up and realized we’d ruined a perfectly good car. With My Mustang I started pulling the supercharger and all the suspension mods off and went 90% of the way back to stock. Guess what, the car was 2-3% slower on track but 100% more usable. I’d say any car you go beyond mild springs, shocks and maybe camber plates if applicable soon starts going down a deep and unpleasant (for the street) rat hole.
Read the whole thread, and the OP's dislike, but I don't see how the answer for an affordable (to use) track beater isn't a Miata.
I was in the same position last fall. I don't particularly like Miata's, they are OK and all, but I went ahead and picked up a clean 1990 to build for track work.
Not because I like them, but because it's the best answer to the question.
Adrian_Thompson wrote:
One more thing. I and many people I known have gone down the modifying the DD for better performance (autocross, track, drag etc.). Each mod made the car a little better in the owners chosen discipline and a little worse on the street. It was death by 1,000 cuts. One day we all woke up and realized we’d ruined a perfectly good car. With My Mustang I started pulling the supercharger and all the suspension mods off and went 90% of the way back to stock. Guess what, the car was 2-3% slower on track but 100% more usable. I’d say any car you go beyond mild springs, shocks and maybe camber plates if applicable soon starts going down a deep and unpleasant (for the street) rat hole.
Motorswaps can be relatively painless for the street. Going from a 305 to a 350, or from a D15 to a B18, for example, makes everything better. The comfort penalty on poly bushings is so small as to be trivial. Better brakes, unless you go to track pads, are the same way. Chassis bracing can improve the ride and is neither seen nor heard. A high quality sports seat, provided it's not some HANS device monstrosity, will improve comfort over a lot of econo-box park benches. There's quite a bit you can do without making the car unstreetable.
I am insane, but I think tough guy springs at near stock ride height are well worth the comfort trade off. I become adamant on this point every time I drive on a twisty road. My 27 year old spine probably has a lot to do with that, though.
The other thing is that, as long as it's not a commuter car, it's kind of nice to have something that's a little crazy, a little anti-social. I don't mind if a street car is a little louder, a little rougher and a little more demanding pulling away from a red light. This probably applies a lot less to Mustangs than Hondas, but you get my drift.
