Track car choice 3 options

[marky68]

What are peoples thoughts on these 3 options I've been considering, I wouldn't really need the car for road use but a blast every now and then would be nice.

Supercharged VX220 = raw, quick, great handling
Series 1 Elise = raw,great handling, not the fastest of the group but good investment
Supercharged Civic Type R(stripped,caged,coilovers etc etc)= raw, good handling, easy to re-shell should the worst happen.
Renault Sport Megane 250 Cup- Left as standard would be a compromise between road and track but capable car from what I gather

Ps, I've had my days with open top kit cars car so it needs a heater and a roof I'm afraid, also the budget has not to exceed 10k

Are there any others I may have missed that will match the performance and handling of these?

[loggyboy]

If the heater and roof is must then the Elise may fall foul, IME it leans towards kit more than tintop.
If 10k was my budget for a track orientated road car I would be looking at M3s.

[marky68]

loggyboy said:

If the heater and roof is must then the Elise may fall foul, IME it leans towards kit more than tintop.
If 10k was my budget for a track orientated road car I would be looking at M3s.

I sold an E46 M3 a couple of months ago, to be really good on the track they need to go on a diet and have the crappy brakes upgraded. Anything M badged is expensive parts wise, I know it cost me a 3k engine rebuild

[mpit]

You're not going to go very far in as far as getting a track capable M3 for £10k.

That said, you might struggle to get a decent 'charged VX220 for that money, too.

With your budget, I would personally start with finding the most track capable VX220 NA you can for the money - suspension, brakes, seats, harnesses are all more important than the extra power IMO.

I'd be looking for a VX220 with Nitrons and decent brakes/pads, harnesses at the very least. Find a well used track car, and you'll likely find most of the inevitable track gremlins will have been ironed out already, too!

[james_gt3rs]

You won't get a VX220SC or Elise S1 for 10k...

[R8Steve]

mpit said:

You're not going to go very far in as far as getting a track capable M3 for £10k.

E36 M3?

Lighter and arguably better on track?

[mpit]

R8Steve said:

E36 M3?

Lighter and arguably better on track?

Depends how you define better.

A good E36 track car seems to fetch £12k+ these days

Hell, a good E36 road car seem to fetch £10k+ these days.

I'd suggest an E46 is probably a cheaper prospect than an E36 these days and a faster track car, despite a little extra weight.

[ikarl]

there's a reason why you see so many Elise's at trackdays! also, an Elise with track mods isn't seen as a bad thing.

coupled with the strong residuals, I know which direction I'd stretch my budget

[JayK12]

My old Civic Type R Supercharged is for sale i believe, my friend is selling it. Its had in excess of 20k spent on it and the spec is awesome for track work, it is a low mileage, very clean, straight car too. I have had VX220 N/A and Turbo but i still ended up going Honda, there engines are amazing, handling is on point to, had M3 too, if you buy a standard one, modifications are expensive, and so are consumables.

This is the spec of the Honda.

Engine

Jrsc 8 psi,sprayed wrinkle black with CPL support brace fitted,
Jackson racing exhaust manifold,
Toda dolphin tip exhaust,
Gruppe M air intake,
K pro ecu,
TGM baffled sump,
SFS intake hose,
Koyo aluminium race radiator,
Samco radiator hoses,
Energy suspension engine mount inserts,
Powerflex gearbox mount insert,
FN2 cam cover sprayed wrinkle black,
AEM billet plug cover sprayed candy red,
CPL fuel rail sprayed candy red,
RC 650 injectors,
Greddy oil catch tank sprayed wrinkle black /candy red,
AEM billet oil cap sprayed candy red,
Tegiwa battery tie bar,
Mocal setrab 25 row oil cooler with thermostatic plate.

Transmission

Wavetrack lsd
Lightweight flywheel
Buddy club short shifter assembly

Brakes

Fronts
Stoptech BBK, 4 pot billet callipers,
328 mm slotted 2 piece rotors,
Pagid RS 4.2 blue pads,
Stoptech braided hoses,

Rears
Stoptech slotted discs,
Ferrodo DS 2500 pads,
HEL braided hoses,
Mogul RBF 600 fluid.

Body

Genuine J's racing vented front wings. ( 20 mm wider )
Mugen style rear adjustable spoiler with blade sprayed black
Mugen style front splitter
Cooling vents drilled behind number plate
JDM wind deflectors with Tenzo R clips
Seperate custom made twin vented bonnet for track use 

Suspension

Meister R GT1 coilovers
Shorter steering arms
Buddy club roll centre adjusters
Steering rack raiser bracket
Super pro castor increase bushes 
Super pro roll bar bushes
25 mm Cusco rear anti roll bar with polybushed mounts
Polybushed rear hubs
Top camber arm mount replaced with sperical bearing
Eibach adjustable camber arms
Skunk 2 lower control arms
DC sports tie bar brace
ARP extended wheel studs on rear

Interior

Fully stripped out apart from front door cards
Inside fully sprayed gloss Milano red
Full safety devices MAS roll cage powdercoated in White
Pair of corbeau revolution seats
Buddy club low seat rails
TRS magnum 3 inch ,4 point harnesses
Flocked "A" post trims
OMP 330 mm targa alcantara steering wheel
Momo hub
D1 spec quick release boss
AEM digital oil temp gauge
Carbon fibre fuel pump cover
J's racing rear strut brace
Skunk 2 weighted gearknob
Shift I shifter lights

Wheelsk

Rota Grids in Matt black (Road Tyres)
Advan Racing with Dunlop Direzza and AO48R tyres.

Edited by JayK12 on Thursday 22 December 17:05

Edited by JayK12 on Thursday 22 December 17:06

[marky68]

james_gt3rs said:

You won't get a VX220SC or Elise S1 for 10k...

That's a very definitive statement James especially when there is an Elise for 10.5k and a SC VX220 for 11k on this very site for sale and we all know there is room for negotiation.

[marky68]

JayK12 said:

My old Civic Type R Supercharged is for sale i believe, my friend is selling it.

Thanks Jay,

[JayK12]

marky68 said:

JayK12 said:

My old Civic Type R Supercharged is for sale i believe, my friend is selling it.

Thanks Jay,

No problem, feel free to drop me a message if you want his details.

[git-r]

Supercharged VX220 = I'd probably go for this if you have no concerns over reliability and can fit with a helmet.

Series 1 Elise = you might get frustrated at not being able to get past all those that hold you up round the corners and braking zones!

Supercharged Civic Type R(stripped,caged,coilovers etc etc)= The one listed looks like a fantastic tool for the job. Everything needed for a reliable track car provided no issues with the SC. I've no connection with the seller but that looks to have had some really well thought out prep and serious money spent.

Renault Sport Megane 250 Cup - I recently bought one of these. In standard form it does consistent 57's at Brands Indy so is pretty quick out the box. The brakes are amazing for a road car and cheap to replace, it doesn't overheat even in 32 degree heat with aircon and generally feels indestructible on track. Mine runs different geometry but is otherwise completely standard. Everything on the standard car works brilliantly for track stuff. It's reliable, really fun to drive if you like a mobile rear end and quick enough to play with most things on track. You can use it on the road too.

E46 M3's are massively handicapped by the brakes. Comparing to something like the megane the suspension is much softer too so you'd need to do a lot to be at the same level. I'd rather a track M3 than a track megane though lol and in the wet the M3 is way more fun.

Keep us posted, such a difficult but fun choice

[smiles1]

marky68 said:

james_gt3rs said:

You won't get a VX220SC or Elise S1 for 10k...

That's a very definitive statement James especially when there is an Elise for 10.5k and a SC VX220 for 11k on this very site for sale and we all know there is room for negotiation.

Having owned (and still own) a number of S1 Elise's over the last 9 years I would say that whilst you may get an S1 for your budget you will need another circa 1-2k to make it reliable and usable on track. These days £12-13k is getting you a good track spec elise.

The only option might be a high mielage one that has been designed to be used on track.

Treat an Elise like a kitcar with a roof and a bit more comfort. But they are definitely worth it and I love mine

[marky68]

Some good answers chaps, although still making it difficult to decide, I think I could do with trying all 3 cars first.

[Altrezia]

Elise.

/bias

[git-r]

Do you use any other cars on track or will this be your only one?

[git-r]

Ps my old E46 was no quicker than the megane on track if that matters.

ETA Lol didn't realise it was OP that was talking about E46's!

Edited by git-r on Saturday 24th December 01:05

[marky68]

git-r said:

Ps my old E46 was no quicker than the megane on track if that matters.

ETA Lol didn't realise it was OP that was talking about E46's!

Edited by git-r on Saturday 24th December 01:05

It wasn't me that started the Old M3 debate, been there and done that one and it isn't going to happen again.

[MR2_SC]

Elise s1 vs vx220 SC - if speed is important then the vx220 is obviously a lot quicker, probably more reliable too even with the SC added (uses oem GM parts). If you go vx220 and looking at the cheaper cars just check what charge cooling it has. You really need a front mounted rad for track work. Most have a pro-alloy rad up front but some use an engine bay rad which doesn't have the air flow for track work.

Here's how a vx220 sc compares to various lotus: https://youtu.be/zWi_XVSoI8k

A relatively standard vx220 NA will be every bit as quick as an s1 Elise for much less £ and will get round brands in 57s, similar to the Megan RS mentioned above but will do it all day long with little wear to tyres and brakes but also less comfort and usability if that's important.