race911

Oops..........that was supposed to be a new topic..............

mark kibort

I have to agree there. You certainly dont need big bucks to run fast and safe.
A miata can run close to the times below for near the same costs too, but if you want something a little more exotic, the 928 for the same costs below can run 2:01s at Thunderhill, 1:47s at Sears and 1:38.s at Laguna with only a set of racing headers as the only engine modification on RA1s. Sure, any car you put together will have to have the basics (i.e. wheels, tires, suspension, cage safety stuff). To reinforce the point, the difference between what Ken has as a back up car, as I have as a primary racer, and what you would get if you bought the best of the best of the bolt ons is a few seconds at a cost of probably near $50k extra. You dont need to go down that path for club or DE, time trial fun at all. Its not just the 928 that can be a bargan, its probably is the 964, an M3 or many other high end, older cars out there.

va122

Buy an already prepared race car and get the mods for pennies on the dollar. Spend the money actually racing. The money I spent on my GT3 I could have easily bought a cup car.

333pg333

I just got to the last post and you encapsulated exactly what I was going to say and thought everyone was too close to the forest to see the trees or whatever...
It is a very sad testament to the facts of life that you can always profit on another guy's loss. He's spent the money, set the car up etc, you just turn up and drive so to speak. All the heartache in doing it yourself can be avoided. So long as you have a good PPI. Check out the classifieds in here and elsewhere and you'll find something that fits the bill. Sorta wish I'd done the same because one day someone is going to get a steal.

Bill Verburg

That's true, but it's still nicer to
not worry about overheating the engine est~$1500 for a second oil cooler
not worry about overcooking the brakes est ~$2700 for RS brakes, ~$400 for pads
be held in the seats est ~$2000 seats, ~$600 harness, ~$600 used roll bar
not have a car wallowing on soft springs and worn shocks est ~$2500
not have wheels deflecting from soft bushes est ~$600 -$3000 depending
etc.
all these little things add to the enjoyment, they are certainly not needs, just wanst because thy're nice to have

Lou L

And don't forget the money needed for other items if you don't have like, Gloves, Shoes, Transponder, Racing Suit, Hans Device, Cool Suit, Radios, Trailer, Tow Vehicle, Spares etc etc.....

TrackdayRSA.

Thanks for all the feedback; its interesting to read the different ways to approach this. I think I should stress that I am looking to keep this fairly simple and economical as possible to develop my 964 into something that will be capable enough to enjoy 10 or 12 track days a year (remember I'm in Canada where we have to put our cars to sleep for 5 months a year!). I have already done rotors & pads and have Advan A048 rubber.

cheers
Chris

kurt M

Wow, am I glad I am a DIY guy. I an finishing up on an entire car that costs less than some of the list sub groups.

race911

Well I suppose. But I go to the opposite extreme with my comments because sometimes a guy just wants to participate with what he's got. There are LIGHT YEARS between the RSA and yellow car. But when it's all said and done, it amounts to 3 sec/min of lap time. I've been doing this long enough that if I never ran a car on track again it really wouldn't matter. For a new guy, I think the enjoyment of participating trumps what's nice to have.

Ultimately, I'm glad we have the ability to embrace all who come out, as long as the cars are safe (God knows, one of the biggest pains is to send someone home for that......), and the drivers behave themselves.

I've said it many times, that we don't appreciate how good we have it in the US v. elsewhere on the low cost of entry. If my *** were nearly anywhere else in the world, I'd be lucky to have and run a 924 2.0 with the amount I've spent to purchase and maintain my whole fleet.

jscott82

I fully agree, you don’t have to spend a gazillion dollars to go out and have fun.... Just get a car, basic safety gear, get out and have fun..... But every single person I know (I don’t know too many people on this board personally.... but ill bet you all fall in to the same boat) can't leave well enough alone and have to start tinkering around with the car....

So Let me clarify my previous post..... The worst thing you can do is make conflicting changes or changes that you have to go back and undo. The point of my post, was start with the end in mind and build towards one goal. if you have a map when you get started its harder to get lost/caught up. It also sobering (at least for me anyway) to see how much “pie in the sky” can cost. The list I posted is a good tickler for things you should be thinking about.

Jeff

Bill Verburg

Sure you can track a total stocker, the point is it's like kissing your sister.

mark kibort

In that respect, the 928 has been pretty amazing. 2:01.xx at Thunderhill with a car that I can build in a weekend or two, with metwrench and no tuning. Just give me a set of headers, bolt on stock replacement Konis (cut one spring coil off each corner)), wheels and tires ( Used toyo RA1s for near free), a set of race brake pads up front, and then your choice of racing seat and belts. The only gotcha is the cage, usually a decent SCCA grade 6 point cage can be welded in in a day for pretty cheap. (no need for chassis stiffening or strengthening)

Base car for a good 928, $8000
wheels and tires $3000, (tires $100 each used)
headers $1000
cage $1500
suspension $800
sway bar $400
safety stuff (seat, belts, fire ext, etc ) $1000
Gut the car $ free $ (one day of labor)

If you are bold enough, you can even drive the car to the track!

There you have a ton of fun for DE and club racing with little expense. A 2:01.xx at Thunderhill is fast enough to have a good time, be competitive in most races, and certainly be one of the fastest cars in any DE group Ive ever seen in 15 years of doing this stuff. Its more important to have a dependable car that is safe and fast, then to buy something to try and find 2-3 seconds faster than what I have shown here. That last 2-3 seconds is going to cost you a LOT, and as was mentioned, it wont buy you that much on the track.

mk

Veloce Raptor

You act like that's a bad thing.







Professional Racing and Driving Coach

mark kibort

I dont think we are talking about total stocker, but gutting most any top models of porsches, yields some pretty good performance. If you are going to commit to this sport, no need to have a dual purpose car. I only do it because I enjoy it and its easier for me to drive the car to the track most of the time.

I remember Chris with POC, and his stock 330fwhp 993 powered tin can 993.
at 2200lbs it ripped! always right up there at the front. sure, it was a very built up car, but the motor was a fairly stock 993 engine.

mk

Larry Herman

If that's how you roll down there!