buying exige.

[maxgas]

Hi Everyone,

Thinking of buying a exige, but I have a few questions to fellow owners before I take the plunge, I am looking to take the car on trackdays a lot, I am not interested in road comfort as it is a second car and I already have a comfortable road car . :-

1. How long approx do the tyres last when used on track.
2. Are the cars reliable for track use, or do they need modifying.
3. I would be looking at maybe getting a supercharged 220 and then increasing the power to 260, as anyone done this and if so our much did it cost and where did you have it done.
4. How would the lap times compare with say a caterham R400.

Thanks

[Sammyturbo]

The answer to no.3 is Christopher Niels upgrade about 2k I think

Or buy this its already had it done http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2042362.htm

[Grinnders]

I cannot comment on tyre wear if it's mainly track days. Any figure I could offer would be based on road use which is sure to be less extreme.

I had one mainly for road use and given the chance to buy another Exige S I would definitely ensure it had traction control. It may not be so high on your list, but if you drive it to and from circuits (and don't have TCS) in mildly damp conditions go careful....

Listen to one that knows.

[zebra]

OP - Answers/Questions after your questions

1. How long approx do the tyres last when used on track. _ extensive track use used to leave me with 4k miles only but anything up to 8k subject to number of track days and driving style
2. Are the cars reliable for track use, or do they need modifying. _ In the main, cars are reliable and don't need much in the way of mods.
3. I would be looking at maybe getting a supercharged 220 and then increasing the power to 260, as anyone done this and if so our much did it cost and where did you have it done. _ Why would you need 260bhp as it will not make you go round corners any faster.
4. How would the lap times compare with say a caterham R400. _ Are you comparing for racing or thinking about alternatives to an exige?

[zebra]

Actually, it might be easier to ask _ what are you actually going to buy [based on your other threads and when they were posted; Radical, Caterham, Lotus or some other marque? And when you say shortly, do you mean weeks, months or years?

Do you mind me asking, how old are you?

Edited by zebra on Monday 27th September 14:42

[21TonyK]

maxgas said:

Hi Everyone,

Thinking of buying a exige, but I have a few questions to fellow owners before I take the plunge, I am looking to take the car on trackdays a lot, I am not interested in road comfort as it is a second car and I already have a comfortable road car . :-

1. How long approx do the tyres last when used on track.
2. Are the cars reliable for track use, or do they need modifying.
3. I would be looking at maybe getting a supercharged 220 and then increasing the power to 260, as anyone done this and if so our much did it cost and where did you have it done.
4. How would the lap times compare with say a caterham R400.

Thanks

Tyre wear is going to be largely down to driving style and just how hard you are pushing on track. I get 4-5 days from a set of 888's plus the mileage too and from. The other day my total mileage was 410, 160 of which was on track and thats about average for me. So at a guess maybe 800 track miles if I'm lucky. Did kill a set in 2 days once but that was me being silly. Other people can get more and if you run multiple sets you can get more as a tyre thats under the legal limit is ideal for dry days.

Only essential mod for track is decent brake pads. After that you are into a whole world of things you *can* do if you want. The list is pretty endless but one thing that I found makes a real difference is uprated engine mounts. They're only £40 a set and make a real difference to the cars balance on track. Personally I'd just get used to the car before thinking about modifying too far.

As for engine mods the CN 260 kit as mentioned is the way to go if you buy an S. Or get a really cheap NA car and supercharge that, can get more than 260 that way and probably work out a bit less.

R400 laptimes? No idea at all. But, I'm in a 190 NA exige and an R500 goes round the outside of me like I'm standing still.

[maxgas]

Thanks for the info guys,

The reason I am asking these questions is that I had a Westfield Megablade for 9 years, did 8 trackdays and 9000 miles and the tyres just about needed changing, it was very , very cheap to run. But on the way to Bedford my wife and I got frozen stiff, so we wanted a more comfortable car. The mistake was to buy a 400 + hp Impreza, as it costs a fortune to run on track and the tyres will not last a day, and the oil temp goes through the roof after 5 laps.

So I have just taken depsoit for it and am now looking at alternatives, either I go back to a westfield/caterham, with a heater and screen this time! and maybe a trailer or a exige. I had a problem trying to find out the laps times for the exige s, but did find some info on the evo website and they had a standard 218 bhp exige, which was lapping about 2 seconds slower at bedford west circuit than a r500. so that seems fine by me, but since I am used to 400 hp, the more power the better, but of course, brakes, suspension, engine
brackets are also important. I do not want to buy a exige only to have the same probs as the impreza. So do I look for a car with all the mods carried out, are the ohlins dampers worth it? I have thought about a n/a exige , but if you add the cost of the supercharger, it all starts adding up and then you need to look at the resale value.

So I guess what I am after is a very fast track car that is also cheap to run and reliable, and I am not going to freeze to death in.

Thanks. As regards to my age , not sure what that as to do with it.

Cheers.

[JACK6284]

Just a few points on the Exige and track days. All of which you may be well aware of as shown by your previous car. Toyota Engine needs to be topped up at all times and a baffled sump is good. Some include the Accusump option too. After a few /many hot laps on a track day leave the hand brake off. again as you are probaly aware, many people use Toyo R888 tyres instead of the AO48 tyres. These used to be cheaper but the strength of the YEN has increased their cost. Pound for pound the Exige is quite cheap to run for track days.

[The Pits]

Yokohama tyres last exceptionally well compared to a normal heavy car. You will be surprised. You'll likely get at least six trackdays out of a set, unless you have the time to do much over ten trackdays in a year, you're looking at a whole year's worth. The yokos aren't great in the wet though. Not very fast but lots of fun.

Laptimes compare with the Caterham R300. The R400 should be quicker.

260 upgrade makes a noticeable difference over the 240, so should be a big difference over the 220. And will help you keep up with the R400s!

A 260 Exige I was in at Spa this year was very nearly as quick as the Porsche GT3s on the straight bits, so it's well worth having in my opinion.

[zebra]

maxgas said:

As regards to my age , not sure what that as to do with it.

Cheers.

Sorry Max _ just getting cynical in my old age. I made that comment based upon the fact you were thinking of changing your car in April for a Radical and now seven months on you're considering a Lotus or a Caterham. We sometimes get fantasist talking but not buying who pop up on multiple forums saying they'll be buying a ferrari, lambo etc and they turn out to be 15. So sorry if I came across as obtuse.

[maxgas]

It has taken me a while to decide whether to sell my car or not, it is difficult because the car is brilliant on the road, but not so good on a track. so one week I am selling it and then the next I am keeping it, but finally I have sold it. Tried a caterham R400 which was good, but did not seem any quicker then my Megablade, but I know that they should be, tried a radical, fantastic but I have no room for a trailer. So the sensible thing is the exige.
I am confused by all the different options, do all the supercharged models have baffled sumps, or only certain models? which model has the best track setup?
Do I go for a cup car or a 240 r or a standard s and bolt on all the extras??

So many choices, and also does anyone know where I can hire a exige s for a day.

Thanks

[TIPPER]

Just remember tyres in track use go 'off' long before they reach the wear markers: theres only so many heat cycles a tyre can stand and you can tell the difference. Not a problem (unless you're intent on being a 'hero') but be aware.
Pop over to Seloc as there is a wealth of technical information on there and you'll get a whole host of views on how to achieve best track performance. (Look up posts by Ronin for an example of what can be done).
Ahead of more power I'd be looking at brakes and suspension mods.

[21TonyK]

maxgas said:

It has taken me a while to decide whether to sell my car or not, it is difficult because the car is brilliant on the road, but not so good on a track. so one week I am selling it and then the next I am keeping it, but finally I have sold it. Tried a caterham R400 which was good, but did not seem any quicker then my Megablade, but I know that they should be, tried a radical, fantastic but I have no room for a trailer. So the sensible thing is the exige.
I am confused by all the different options, do all the supercharged models have baffled sumps, or only certain models? which model has the best track setup?
Do I go for a cup car or a 240 r or a standard s and bolt on all the extras??

So many choices, and also does anyone know where I can hire a exige s for a day.

Thanks

Not sure if any cars come with baffled sumps (Moroso is the main one). Lotus do offer the Accusump but that doesn't seem to be particularly brilliant. As for track setup you are looking at adjustable suspension, essentially adjustable blistiens or Ohlins from Lotus. No doubt the ohlins are good but they are damn expensive and there is a plethora of other well respected options available. But thats a whole other thread (or forum)

AP Brakes favoured by some but many ET racers still use standard calipers so not convinced about big brake kits, look good though!

I was at Combe recently and there was a company there that does driver training in an Exige S. I'll try and dig out a photo which had their website on it.

I'd et yourself over to Seloc and start trawling through the wiki, that will give you a lot of factual info.

[maxgas]

Thanks Tipper and Tony K and everyone else for the info, I shall have a look at seloc.

Cheers

and happy motoring!

[21TonyK]

Found it...

http://www.trackfocused.co.uk/

[maxgas]

Thanks Tony, I will give them a call. I managed to get a ride in a 240r at Silverstone yesterday in the wet, and was very impressed. (thanks james).
It is actually much better then I thought it would be, the chap was running on par with a 911 gt3, which is good for me. So looks like my mind is made up, maybe I will try driving it myself with track focused first, but hopefully will be on track soon with my own exgie.

I thank you.

[chip*]

maxgas said:

So looks like my mind is made up, maybe I will try driving it myself with track focused first, but hopefully will be on track soon with my own exgie.

you can hire from Track Club too, both the 220S and 260 Cup available:
http://www.track-club.com/products/129093/1/Track-...
(disclaimer, absolutely no connection with them!)