Cost of tracking a Radical vs Spec Miata vs Spec Boxter
03-13-2018, 05:37 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Cost of tracking a Radical vs Spec Miata vs Spec Boxter
Thinking about tracking a dedicated car and budgeting.
For those who own a Radical SR3 or the above spec cars, how expensive is it to track them ?
Exploring options here.
Thanks
For those who own a Radical SR3 or the above spec cars, how expensive is it to track them ?
Exploring options here.
Thanks
Last edited by fabe32; 03-13-2018 at 09:30 PM.
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aryork (10-22-2023)
03-13-2018, 08:48 PM
#4
For the SR3 there are many factors that can impact the operating cost. Two of the main variables are the starting condition of the car, and how hard you drive the car. The largest cost is the periodic overhauls of the engine and Quaife. Radical recommends overhauling the engine every 40 hours if you Race the car or use the car in “race like” conditions. These cars are very sensitive to how much time they spend at high RPMs. If you intend to use it as a track day car Radical says that the engines are typically good for 90 or more hours between overhauls. I have been told that you can have a good race shop that specializes in these engines do an overhaul for about $3k. If you are racing in a series that requires a sealed engine the overhauls are more in the$8k to $10k + range. The consumables are pretty reasonable for a race car. For track day use brake rotors and pads last for years and tires can last for 8 to 10 days.... but if you are constantly going for the track record you can burn through a set of tires in a day. The car runs on 100 octane fuel which cost ~$10 per gallon but the burn rate is very reasonable. The car burns about 1 gallon for every ten track minutes. Oil for the engine and Quaife need to be changed every 10 hours and I would always do an oil analysis at each oil change. Another thing to know is that Some Radicals have metal fuel tanks and some have fuel cells. The metal tanks technically are not allowed to be used in many race series. The fuel cells are only certified for 5 years and mine began leaking around 7 years. Other than that the car was very solid and gave me no problems.
I highly recommend SR3s. They provide an amazing experience for a very reasonable cost. They can go 0 to 60 in about 3 seconds, can corner at 2.5 G’s and can brake at 2 G’s. Another great thing about the car is that lots of people come up to you at the track to ask about the car. I have always enjoyed sharing the Radical experience with people and it was a great way to meet a lot of really great people.
Let me me know if you have any other questions.
Charley
I highly recommend SR3s. They provide an amazing experience for a very reasonable cost. They can go 0 to 60 in about 3 seconds, can corner at 2.5 G’s and can brake at 2 G’s. Another great thing about the car is that lots of people come up to you at the track to ask about the car. I have always enjoyed sharing the Radical experience with people and it was a great way to meet a lot of really great people.
Let me me know if you have any other questions.
Charley
03-13-2018, 09:29 PM
#5
Instructor
Thread Starter
For the SR3 there are many factors that can impact the operating cost. Two of the main variables are the starting condition of the car, and how hard you drive the car. The largest cost is the periodic overhauls of the engine and Quaife. Radical recommends overhauling the engine every 40 hours if you Race the car or use the car in “race like” conditions. These cars are very sensitive to how much time they spend at high RPMs. If you intend to use it as a track day car Radical says that the engines are typically good for 90 or more hours between overhauls. I have been told that you can have a good race shop that specializes in these engines do an overhaul for about $3k. If you are racing in a series that requires a sealed engine the overhauls are more in the$8k to $10k + range. The consumables are pretty reasonable for a race car. For track day use brake rotors and pads last for years and tires can last for 8 to 10 days.... but if you are constantly going for the track record you can burn through a set of tires in a day. The car runs on 100 octane fuel which cost ~$10 per gallon but the burn rate is very reasonable. The car burns about 1 gallon for every ten track minutes. Oil for the engine and Quaife need to be changed every 10 hours and I would always do an oil analysis at each oil change. Another thing to know is that Some Radicals have metal fuel tanks and some have fuel cells. The metal tanks technically are not allowed to be used in many race series. The fuel cells are only certified for 5 years and mine began leaking around 7 years. Other than that the car was very solid and gave me no problems.
I highly recommend SR3s. They provide an amazing experience for a very reasonable cost. They can go 0 to 60 in about 3 seconds, can corner at 2.5 G’s and can brake at 2 G’s. Another great thing about the car is that lots of people come up to you at the track to ask about the car. I have always enjoyed sharing the Radical experience with people and it was a great way to meet a lot of really great people.
Let me me know if you have any other questions.
Charley
I highly recommend SR3s. They provide an amazing experience for a very reasonable cost. They can go 0 to 60 in about 3 seconds, can corner at 2.5 G’s and can brake at 2 G’s. Another great thing about the car is that lots of people come up to you at the track to ask about the car. I have always enjoyed sharing the Radical experience with people and it was a great way to meet a lot of really great people.
Let me me know if you have any other questions.
Charley
03-13-2018, 09:35 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
Power to wieght on each of these cars is very very different.
Driving experience Miata vs Boxter cant be compared.
Expense yes enjoyment not close.
Driving experience Miata vs Boxter cant be compared.
Expense yes enjoyment not close.
03-13-2018, 09:53 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
I have run both the SPB and now the Radical, and the Radical is very reliable as Charley H points out above.
The SPB transmission is very weak (everyone carries a spare in the trailer).
Both are rewarding to drive in very different ways.
The SPB transmission is very weak (everyone carries a spare in the trailer).
Both are rewarding to drive in very different ways.
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03-14-2018, 09:35 AM
#8
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I'll throw another perspective; which moves you? Which one would you feel is the one you want to race?
When I started racing seriously most racers would say that the 914 was a better platform than the 911 (that is a different discussion). But to me, I always wanted to race a 911.
I looked into the Radicals and they are super neat. The intervals that Charley lists are reasonable and if you are handy, those are cars that you can wrench pretty successfully.
Race what moves you!
When I started racing seriously most racers would say that the 914 was a better platform than the 911 (that is a different discussion). But to me, I always wanted to race a 911.
I looked into the Radicals and they are super neat. The intervals that Charley lists are reasonable and if you are handy, those are cars that you can wrench pretty successfully.
Race what moves you!
03-14-2018, 10:00 AM
#9
The Penguin King
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Spec Miata -- Brake pads need replacement once or twice at the most per year. ~ $275 for the set. Toyo RR's -- Drive the to the cord. ~ $700 for the set. Transmissions are fragile but are $1100 new from Mazda. Junkyard transmissions ~$250. Running junkyard engine $300 - $800. Pro-built engine is ~ $5000. A typical rebuild is ~$2500. Engines are pretty robust.
03-14-2018, 10:09 AM
#10
Rennlist Member
Spec Miata -- Brake pads need replacement once or twice at the most per year. ~ $275 for the set. Toyo RR's -- Drive the to the cord. ~ $700 for the set. Transmissions are fragile but are $1100 new from Mazda. Junkyard transmissions ~$250. Running junkyard engine $300 - $800. Pro-built engine is ~ $5000. A typical rebuild is ~$2500. Engines are pretty robust.
03-14-2018, 01:48 PM
#11
Rennlist Member
I understand Spec Miata and Spec Boxster have some cost overlap - an uncompetitive SM will be cheaper to run than a SPB but a nationals level SM is more expensive. With SPB to be competitive you essentially just make weight and use the go fast bits allowed in the rules. At higher levels, the fastest SMs will spend a lot to get a very small edge (specific engine rebuilder who goes to the limits of the rules for instance) and stay in front of a similarly skilled driver.
For SPB I hear estimates on the order of $1k per race weekend but there is a lot of variation due to questions like how fresh you keep your tires. DE can be quite a bit cheaper. SPB is slightly faster than SM but both are on the slower and cheaper end.
I expect the radical will cost somewhat more to run than SPB/SM but it is loads faster and the cost to speed ratio is good.
The biggest thing to decide is the long term goal: do you want to race in a large class or do you want to track (DE/TT) a fast car? A radical is a great track car but racing is sparse. SM and SPB offer a lot of close racing across most of the country.
If you want to race a formula or prototype in large groups you’ll want to also look into apexspeed and the SCCA. I was quite interested but there’s no activity in my state.
For SPB I hear estimates on the order of $1k per race weekend but there is a lot of variation due to questions like how fresh you keep your tires. DE can be quite a bit cheaper. SPB is slightly faster than SM but both are on the slower and cheaper end.
I expect the radical will cost somewhat more to run than SPB/SM but it is loads faster and the cost to speed ratio is good.
The biggest thing to decide is the long term goal: do you want to race in a large class or do you want to track (DE/TT) a fast car? A radical is a great track car but racing is sparse. SM and SPB offer a lot of close racing across most of the country.
If you want to race a formula or prototype in large groups you’ll want to also look into apexspeed and the SCCA. I was quite interested but there’s no activity in my state.
03-14-2018, 04:35 PM
#13
Drifting
chalk and cheese..
in the SF bay area you should have no trouble finding both Spec Miata and Boxsters to rent for a race weekend, would be a great way to compare them first hand
in the SF bay area you should have no trouble finding both Spec Miata and Boxsters to rent for a race weekend, would be a great way to compare them first hand
03-14-2018, 04:51 PM
#14
Rennlist Member
I understand Spec Miata and Spec Boxster have some cost overlap - an uncompetitive SM will be cheaper to run than a SPB but a nationals level SM is more expensive. With SPB to be competitive you essentially just make weight and use the go fast bits allowed in the rules. At higher levels, the fastest SMs will spend a lot to get a very small edge (specific engine rebuilder who goes to the limits of the rules for instance) and stay in front of a similarly skilled driver.
For SPB I hear estimates on the order of $1k per race weekend but there is a lot of variation due to questions like how fresh you keep your tires. DE can be quite a bit cheaper. SPB is slightly faster than SM but both are on the slower and cheaper end.
I expect the radical will cost somewhat more to run than SPB/SM but it is loads faster and the cost to speed ratio is good.
The biggest thing to decide is the long term goal: do you want to race in a large class or do you want to track (DE/TT) a fast car? A radical is a great track car but racing is sparse. SM and SPB offer a lot of close racing across most of the country.
If you want to race a formula or prototype in large groups you’ll want to also look into apexspeed and the SCCA. I was quite interested but there’s no activity in my state.
For SPB I hear estimates on the order of $1k per race weekend but there is a lot of variation due to questions like how fresh you keep your tires. DE can be quite a bit cheaper. SPB is slightly faster than SM but both are on the slower and cheaper end.
I expect the radical will cost somewhat more to run than SPB/SM but it is loads faster and the cost to speed ratio is good.
The biggest thing to decide is the long term goal: do you want to race in a large class or do you want to track (DE/TT) a fast car? A radical is a great track car but racing is sparse. SM and SPB offer a lot of close racing across most of the country.
If you want to race a formula or prototype in large groups you’ll want to also look into apexspeed and the SCCA. I was quite interested but there’s no activity in my state.
03-14-2018, 04:54 PM
#15
Rennlist Member