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Post by rob15000492 on Oct 22, 2020 11:59:36 GMT
Hi Everyone,
I'm looking at getting rid of my subaru (its currently a daily and track car) to buy 2 cars, one being a economical daily driver and the other being a track car that I can also enter into a few events. It is becoming an issue relying on it getting me to work now i am working on and tracking the car more and a new house move means I have more car space.
The Subaru is too heavy on consumables as its pretty heavy, and also the AWD system means nearly everything is tripled over a 2wd car as it has more of everything component wise (diffs etc...) so i'm looking at getting back into a RWD car for track.
Currently I'm torn between a few cars, mainly a nissan 350z (as I've had one previously and know they are pretty nice to drive) and an MX-5, however I would like it to be boosted.
So my main questions are:
1. Has anyone who has driven both got a decent comparison between the 2 and which will be better (i am leaning towards an MX-5 in honesty for cheapness and ease of working on it)
2. Is FI same on these cars and which is better for the type of use i want?
3. If possible I would prefer to purchase a car already with FI, is this a bad idea?
4. If anyone else does TA with their car what class would this put me in and how do they perform?
5. What is the best model/year to get
Thanks for any input and info
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Post by howardb66 on Oct 22, 2020 12:58:53 GMT
Never driven a 350z but never been beaten by one in my SC MX5 that I’ve been sprinting for 3 years. Not in TA but another sprint/hillclimb competition & I’m generally in over 2L roadgoing.
It’s cheaper to buy a car that’s already been done but be prepared for some DIY to get it to where you want to be, no matter who has done it previously.
MX5 rust. But nothing is unfixable.
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Post by rob15000492 on Oct 22, 2020 13:34:38 GMT
Never driven a 350z but never been beaten by one in my SC MX5 that I’ve been sprinting for 3 years. Not in TA but another sprint/hillclimb competition & I’m generally in over 2L roadgoing. It’s cheaper to buy a car that’s already been done but be prepared for some DIY to get it to where you want to be, no matter who has done it previously. MX5 rust. But nothing is unfixable. Yeah i would assume the capabilities from sprint/hillclimb map over to TA pretty well as its a similar style of grip/time based driving so thats good to hear. It's definitely cheaper to buy one already done, however i was shocked at how cheap the kits are compared to my previous cars which were a 350z and gt86 as they were going on 8k for a decent kit. Would you prefer SC over turbo? I'm not too bothered about having to do welding etc... to replace the rust/issues, i would probably be looking to replace the arches anyway or cutting them with overfenders to allow for wider tyres anyway. How heavy on consumables is the car generally on an event or track day? The main things i would be looking to do othe rthen the FI and solving any rust issues would be an aero kit (wing, splitter, side skirts etc...) and there seem to be a few kits but not sure how many are functional than just aesthetic |
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Post by howardb66 on Oct 22, 2020 15:38:53 GMT
I’m probably just about to ruin mine & change it from SC to turbo...... The Eaton that I run is so linear that it feels that the car just has a bigger engine, however, the downside is that it doesn’t generate a massive amount of power. The rotrex SC does generate significantly more power (Up to 300hp) but not as much power as the equivalent costing turbo set up. I’m starting gently with a low spec turbo build that I’ve amassed over the past few months. Plus also my finances have been more than a bit tricky this year.... Here is as good place as any to start bofiracing.co.uk/turbocharging/However, big power is IMHO missing the point with these cars. The handling is simply amazing with an updated set of coilovers/geo etc - you can really carry a lot of speed & it takes a bit of bravery to realize that.. Consumables I measure by the season, not the day- but I am in a roadgoing class so I run list 1B tyres so nothing super soft. My last run from 2019 (championship was cancelled 2020) |
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Post by rob15000492 on Oct 22, 2020 18:58:38 GMT
I’m probably just about to ruin mine & change it from SC to turbo...... The Eaton that I run is so linear that it feels that the car just has a bigger engine, however, the downside is that it doesn’t generate a massive amount of power. The rotrex SC does generate significantly more power (Up to 300hp) but not as much power as the equivalent costing turbo set up. I’m starting gently with a low spec turbo build that I’ve amassed over the past few months. Plus also my finances have been more than a bit tricky this year.... Here is as good place as any to start bofiracing.co.uk/turbocharging/However, big power is IMHO missing the point with these cars. The handling is simply amazing with an updated set of coilovers/geo etc - you can really carry a lot of speed & it takes a bit of bravery to realize that.. Consumables I measure by the season, not the day- but I am in a roadgoing class so I run list 1B tyres so nothing super soft. My last run from 2019 (championship was cancelled 2020) I wouldn’t know which would be best to go with tbh 😂, my engineering mind says turbo but I could be wrong I personally wouldn’t be looking for more than 250bhp for a long while in all honesty and would probably aim to also be in a road going class (or equivalent in TA which i think is club 2wd) I would probably end up doing the full suspension setup tbh, that’s where I’ve started with all my cars, as well as braking, generally how are the brakes on the car, is it in need of a big brake kit or just stock with upgraded pads/rotors? Unless I found a car with everything done obviously I would do it myself 😂 |
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Post by howardb66 on Oct 23, 2020 9:33:23 GMT
This is useful- mighty5s.proboards.com/thread/252/mk2-limited-slip-differentialsTurbo 250ish hp is attainable with a more ‘economical’ kit & you shouldn’t kill the con rods if you limit torque to 200lbft. The MK2.5 (separate dipped & main beam head lights) Sport have a bigger front brake set up, 6speed (mostly) & LSD. I use Carbon Lorraine RC6 pads & although have turned the Brembo discs blue, they’ve never failed. Bleeding takes a couple of goes though. I’ve had various coilovers- MeisterR CRDs (which I maxed out), HSD Monopros (which I maxed out) & now on BC racing DS which seem much better than the previous 2 sets. Hope that helps. |
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Post by rob15000492 on Oct 23, 2020 12:02:04 GMT
This is useful- mighty5s.proboards.com/thread/252/mk2-limited-slip-differentialsTurbo 250ish hp is attainable with a more ‘economical’ kit & you shouldn’t kill the con rods if you limit torque to 200lbft. The MK2.5 (separate dipped & main beam head lights) Sport have a bigger front brake set up, 6speed (mostly) & LSD. I use Carbon Lorraine RC6 pads & although have turned the Brembo discs blue, they’ve never failed. Bleeding takes a couple of goes though. I’ve had various coilovers- MeisterR CRDs (which I maxed out), HSD Monopros (which I maxed out) & now on BC racing DS which seem much better than the previous 2 sets. Hope that helps. Cheers, I will take a proper read of that when i get 2 minutes, how expensive is it to upgrade the conrods etc... on these cars (just thinking for future reference) i have heard the MK2.5 is better so that might be the best option as i have seen those cheaper and in better condition than MK1's for reference, the TA class guide is linked below if anyone can interpret where a boosted mx5 would end up www.timeattack.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ClassSpecSheet.pdf |
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jon
Chats A Lot
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Post by jon on Oct 23, 2020 13:08:26 GMT
You may be better off with starting with an NC as a base for a focused track car - they are getting very cheap now and supposedly the chassis is a fair bit stiffer / geometry better / space for much wider rubber etc etc
They also have scope for upgrades, 2.5L conversions etc as well as turbo'ing, although the aftermarket is smaller.
I found a write up from someone (probably one of the racers on miataturbo) that drove an NC with mild handling mods (xida coilovers, sticky tyres etc) back to back with a full spec miata car (fully caged, stripped etc) and the NC was several seconds a lap faster
A lot of the mk2 / 2.5s suffer from very bad chassis rot, which is why a fair few of them are dirt cheap.
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Post by howardb66 on Oct 23, 2020 13:34:32 GMT
Good point Jon about the NC, but they rot too (a friend has just bought a cheap one & it’s going to need quite a bit of work to get it to where it needs to be). There are some proper rotters out there..... NA/NB/NC.... For me, the vast availability of bits for the NA/NB swings it. Plus I’ve never been beaten by a NC...  Here’s some forged engine kits- bofiracing.co.uk/engine-parts/forged-engine-kits/BTW- I’m nothing to do with BOFI but they do sell a lot of stuff that I lust after. |
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jon
Chats A Lot
Posts: 270
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Post by jon on Oct 23, 2020 13:38:07 GMT
Yep - the NCs rot as well, and some of them suffer from engine issues...
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Post by rob15000492 on Oct 23, 2020 15:53:39 GMT
I havent seen any NC's at a good price yet tbh but can confirm these do rot as my mate has had to have a lot of welding done to sort his out
either way i would like a 6 speed box so would be looking for that, i assume they are slightly stronger also?
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jon
Chats A Lot
Posts: 270
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Post by jon on Oct 23, 2020 17:12:59 GMT
6 speed box is stronger, but has a different final drive to the 5 speeds so you will need the diff to match as well.
I've had both in mine, 5 speed is much nicer than the 6, and unless you are chasing 300HP the 5 will be strong enough. You can also pick them up for pennies, 6 speeds fetch more of a premium.
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le sigh