How much do you spend on this DE/racing hobby ?
05-16-2018, 09:48 AM
#33
Race Director
I believe the OP has a base boxster and is fairly new with DE, hence the lower anticipated costs and higher life.
I try to do this as frugally as possible, but to do it right and have a reliable setup, you have to spend some money.
for me, its:
Registration= $300 to $600 depending on event
Hotel= usually no more than $150, often share with a buddy
Pads, every 2 or three events, $400
Tires, NT01s last a while but I'm also slow. At least a set or 2 per year
I forgo insurance because the shell of my car ain't worth diddly
gas is like $100 a weekend
oil changes and brake fluid are maybe $200 per year, not a huge issue
I feel like the hobby gets expensive once you get into at the least the white group and you really start picking up the pace. At that point, you start realizing most street tires won't cut it, compromise brake pads start wearing out fast, you identify some weaknesses in your setup, etc.
The bottom line is that you could spend your last dollar on doing this if you really want to go fast, want a well setup car, and want to do a lot of events while in the lap of luxury. You could also buy a stripped miata, camp at the track, never touch the brakes, etc and have a lot of fun on a pretty minimal budget.
My method has been to hunt for deals on parts, buy used parts from higher end porsche models to upgrade my car, and to stay realistic with how much upgrading I really want to do.
I try to do this as frugally as possible, but to do it right and have a reliable setup, you have to spend some money.
for me, its:
Registration= $300 to $600 depending on event
Hotel= usually no more than $150, often share with a buddy
Pads, every 2 or three events, $400
Tires, NT01s last a while but I'm also slow. At least a set or 2 per year
I forgo insurance because the shell of my car ain't worth diddly
gas is like $100 a weekend
oil changes and brake fluid are maybe $200 per year, not a huge issue
I feel like the hobby gets expensive once you get into at the least the white group and you really start picking up the pace. At that point, you start realizing most street tires won't cut it, compromise brake pads start wearing out fast, you identify some weaknesses in your setup, etc.
The bottom line is that you could spend your last dollar on doing this if you really want to go fast, want a well setup car, and want to do a lot of events while in the lap of luxury. You could also buy a stripped miata, camp at the track, never touch the brakes, etc and have a lot of fun on a pretty minimal budget.
My method has been to hunt for deals on parts, buy used parts from higher end porsche models to upgrade my car, and to stay realistic with how much upgrading I really want to do.
05-16-2018, 10:26 AM
#34
OP
I 've been doing about 20-30 track days/15+ events a year for the past 3 years in a SpecMiata.
I end up spending about $1000-1200 per wknd despite an instructor discounted registration.
Most of the cost is toward travel and lodging.
Tires and brake pads can add up quickly, as can wear and tear repairs.
Annually this has translated to 15-18K per year.
Of course, if my spouse ever asks, I'm truthful all about the general numbers and costs.
But I married an intelligent person, so the question rarely arises. :-)
Good luck!
A.
I 've been doing about 20-30 track days/15+ events a year for the past 3 years in a SpecMiata.
I end up spending about $1000-1200 per wknd despite an instructor discounted registration.
Most of the cost is toward travel and lodging.
Tires and brake pads can add up quickly, as can wear and tear repairs.
Annually this has translated to 15-18K per year.
Of course, if my spouse ever asks, I'm truthful all about the general numbers and costs.
But I married an intelligent person, so the question rarely arises. :-)
Good luck!
A.
05-16-2018, 10:35 AM
#35
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I would guess all the lower numbers don't amortize engine rebuilds, trans rebuild, shock updates, etc.
I know budgets from a couple hundred a weekend to folks spending north of 35k a weekend.
I know budgets from a couple hundred a weekend to folks spending north of 35k a weekend.
05-16-2018, 10:37 AM
#36
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05-16-2018, 10:53 AM
#37
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Wise words from someone who knows. I’ll just add that sometimes we....er.....people spend what they cannot afford. Thanks for the cheap money Uncle Sam. Hah
05-16-2018, 11:44 AM
#39
Rennlist Member
I think rental rates give a very good idea of real total costs (including storage and all labor). It’s a touch conservative, but guys renting out race cars aren’t getting rich on margins.
For a SPB in advanced DE, locally they ask about $1k/day plus registration. A touch less for SM. In theory street tires would cut that back quite a bit as tires are a big part of the total cost. It doesn’t get much cheaper for sedan based race cars.
Street and other less prepped cars can be cheaper but then you’re making other compromises on setup and such and/or you’re not paying for all of the labor. And that’s a hobby for some and great way to significantly reduce the out of pocket cost of the hobby, but dollars plus labor hours is not the same as dollars only.
For a SPB in advanced DE, locally they ask about $1k/day plus registration. A touch less for SM. In theory street tires would cut that back quite a bit as tires are a big part of the total cost. It doesn’t get much cheaper for sedan based race cars.
Street and other less prepped cars can be cheaper but then you’re making other compromises on setup and such and/or you’re not paying for all of the labor. And that’s a hobby for some and great way to significantly reduce the out of pocket cost of the hobby, but dollars plus labor hours is not the same as dollars only.
05-16-2018, 11:49 AM
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05-16-2018, 12:22 PM
#41
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05-16-2018, 12:54 PM
#42
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I also know a third guy that has been spending an arm and a leg to get his vintage 911 reliable so parts don’t fall off anymore. Other than the 110 octane fuel requirement it is a relatively cheap car to run. Two sets of tires and one set of brake pads per season. Car pretty much brakes by just turning the steering wheel. Couple of $100 per weekend on fuel and registration plus a couple of $1000 for track support and a coach to learn how to drive the darn thing without ABS or traction control and shift the 901 gearbox without destroying it. Yes, he needs all the help he can get but there is always a huge smile on his face.
That being said I am happy to know these guys because they make my racing sickness seem all the more reasonable!
I forgot the exact quote but it is something like "being addicted to racing makes a heroin addiction seem like a faint longing for something salty."
05-16-2018, 01:00 PM
#43
For my E36 track car, not including things that break and less routine maintenance, I calculated the running cost at a recent DE using street tires at $5/minute on track assuming I run the full ~88-90 mins per day. That includes presumed tire wear, event registration, insurance, gas, pro-rated oil change intervals, and a pad/rotor allocation. My car is not fully caged yet and fully gutted, so very light weight and very easy on consumables. Plus consumables are very cheap ($40 for rotors, $150/tire + mounting). Insurance is also cheap enough that it is a no-brainer. Registration + insurance is roughly half the cost of the event, not including hotel and other transportation costs. Also doesn't count things that break on track, like my windshield from a rock strike.
Once I throw in the trailer costs, tow vehicle costs, hotels, and time spent running back and forth to the shop getting tires mounted or buying random things like chicken wire to fix minor damage caused by other cars throwing up stones, the true costs really start to add up.
Once I throw in the trailer costs, tow vehicle costs, hotels, and time spent running back and forth to the shop getting tires mounted or buying random things like chicken wire to fix minor damage caused by other cars throwing up stones, the true costs really start to add up.
05-16-2018, 02:29 PM
#44
I'm not gonna start adding stuff up. It's already been mentioned what a terrible idea that is.
I'm just here to post my amusement that at least 2 people said $50/day for gas.
My PCA region runs track weekends. There's 4 20 minute sessions per day for the 2 days.
I have to go fill up at lunch each day or I'll run out.
So I'm easily in for $400+ in gas for the weekend, or over $200 per day. I was easily spending around $150/day to run my Boxster.
I am EXTREMELY jealous of y'all with your $50 in gas!!!
I'm just here to post my amusement that at least 2 people said $50/day for gas.
My PCA region runs track weekends. There's 4 20 minute sessions per day for the 2 days.
I have to go fill up at lunch each day or I'll run out.
So I'm easily in for $400+ in gas for the weekend, or over $200 per day. I was easily spending around $150/day to run my Boxster.
I am EXTREMELY jealous of y'all with your $50 in gas!!!
05-16-2018, 02:44 PM
#45
Rennlist Member
One theme here worth pointing out is that it's generally more expensive to run a Porsche DE or Race car than many other alternatives. Especially anything new(er). At my last DE weekend I hung out w/ a guy who was driving his '15 CaymanS with a for-sale sticker on it. He bought a SpecZ fully prepped race car with two extra wheels sets AND a trailer for $17K. Sadly that same $$ could be spent just to get extra wheels and tires on a new(er) Porsche alone.
I did get a chuckle out of the post above calculating operating costs down to $5/minute. That's pretty detailed.
I did get a chuckle out of the post above calculating operating costs down to $5/minute. That's pretty detailed.