I want a high powered FWD Supermini for track use... eek!

[fourwheeler]

Hello team,

I am pretty new to posting here, but have been a lurker for quite some time.

Anyway, I was bitten by the track day bug late last year and now mad to get something myself to get back on the track.

With rentals starting at around £650 odd I reckon a few K, won't go a miss on my own machine, if I ran it for a handful of days a year for the next couple years or so.

My current thought process is that I should be starting off on an FWD drive car as RWD would be a step too far when it comes to driver complexity and learning curve.

I also would like to get something that can go pretty fast when straight i.e. More power. I have settled on looking for a Small turbocharged car and have spotted the 9n3 Polo GTI as a contender and not many people get it to the 250/300 BHP mark.

Is this a a bit crazy or too much power? I would plan on getting an LSD fitted which should help.

Interested to hear from people running small cars with high FWD power on track..

Thanks

[Turn7]

I was at Abingdon a few months back and a guy was running a 250hp Fiat 500...... great little thing, cute too as it flashed its hazards in every braking zone lol

[ging84]

Your current thought process is wrong
MX5

[Weekendrebuild]

ging84 said:

Your current thought process is wrong
MX5

He’s going to the track not for a perm or to get his arse bleached .

[Zetec-S]

You’re ruling out RWD because of the learning curve but then want a 250-300bhp FWD supermini?

Get yourself a cheap mx5 or Clio 172 and enjoy that for a bit, get some practice knowing if you bin it you won’t take a big financial hit. Then once you’re more confident find something with a bit more power. Or you might find that driving one of the above on the limit is just as enjoyable, if not more so, than driving a faster car at 70% of its capability.

[WonkeyDonkey]

Weekendrebuild said:

He’s going to the track not for a perm or to get his arse bleached .

I agree, doing laps of a McDonalds drive through is a lot more suited to a fwd hatch than an mx5.

[braddo]

ging84 said:

Your current thought process is wrong
MX5

Ignore the weekendrebuild poster - he stores his dad's cars and hasn't learned to drive anything properly yet.

[SAS Tom]

I wouldn’t worry about horsepower. I’d worry about brakes that will last more than a few laps.

[fourwheeler]

Hey guys, thanks for the input.

What I am kinda hearing is that FWD is good but if you hit high power then it becomes equally tricky?

If I was going for RWD, I like the look of the BMW 125/30i (Same engine).

I keep hearing from people is that I should probably start off on a Clio and run that for a while.. it does seem like good advice.

Afterall, what got me hooked on the track was a Clio 197 and that was great fun!

[E-bmw]

Don't even consider a BM 1er as they are far too heavy & no-one makes bits for them.

Stay within the Renault brand where you are heading & there are many of them, everyone makes bits for them, they are good fun "out of the box" and relatively simple to work with.

Agree with others in the "don't chase power" thoughts at least to start with, you can get much more out of handling/weight/braking improvements.

[ecsrobin]

Turn7 said:

I was at Abingdon a few months back and a guy was running a 250hp Fiat 500...... great little thing, cute too as it flashed its hazards in every braking zone lol

Very cheap and easy to get the newer models to 250bhp it’s around 220bhp with just a remap and filter.

The hazards are so annoying but can be coded out.

[CaptainMorgan]

I was in a similar position a while back, I decided to avoid turbo to start with, in my head it was one more thing to give me grief, particularly when I was looking more at the budget end of the market.

I narrowed it down to a Clio 182 and and BMW 325ti, in the end I went with the latter, it might not be quite so focused standard but a few tweaks and it's pretty good. Plus I wanted something RWD and after having a go in one I felt the Compact would be a decent motor to start with.

Parts are cheap and plentiful, the engine is fairly solid and it's a reasonably simple car overall. There's also a massive amount of aftermarket parts for it and a 3.0 drops in without anything else when I want a bit more power.

[SeanyD]

If you want linear delivery, mx5
If you want cam lift, clio 182
If you want turbo, megane f1/r26

[fourwheeler]

OK guys,

Sounds like the Clio is the one.. in all honesty i've chatted about this in various places and to various people. Anybody (except 1) who is properly into tracking has says Renault is the way to go.. I believe this is in part due to their motorsport pedigree.

My gut feeling was always that a 172/182 was the way to go. I just couldn't do it as I wasn't attracted to it aesthetically.. i'm about to swallow my pride on that front.

If I bought a Clio for 1800/2000 on 110k miles, what would be considered the minimum requirements to get to track spec? I am thinking:

• I think primarily, I would like to add a half cage for safety reasons. How much for one of these fitted?

• Braided lines
• Race brake fluid
• Service (Oil / Filter)
• Pads
• Heat management/shielding (??)
• Tires

• That one person has said never to touch a french car that they would be a pain to work on and special tools needed etc. It wasn't clear if they ever owned one, though.

Any time I see the engine bay of a Clio (or most 4 pots) I get a bit excited.. I look forward to working on one of these. I currently own a V6 and V8 mercs and they are a bit of a pain due to lack of working space.

I'm not sure that the clio could be any more difficult to work on than my E350 CGI engine, which requires two special OEM tools to replace the spark plugs.

Thanks guys

[anonymous-user]

You could always pick up a half sorted 172 cup that has had most of the work done but your list is pretty good.

A decent steering wheel on the clio is important. The standard one is fit for a bus only. Maybe get some cooksport springs and some cup dampers if it's a standard 172 model. You'll get a decent ride on track with that lot and it's relatively cheap.

Make sure the car has had it's belts and dephaser done in the past year or so by a reputable place and that there is documented evidence to prove it. If there is only word of mouth assume it hasn't been done.

[SAS Tom]

I know it’s boring but concentrate on brakes first. What you’ve mentioned above is good. Standard brakes on most cars aren’t up to much after a few laps but pads, lines and fluid makes a big difference to how long they will last as well as their power.

[Krikkit]

SAS Tom said:

I know it’s boring but concentrate on brakes first. What you’ve mentioned above is good. Standard brakes on most cars aren’t up to much after a few laps but pads, lines and fluid makes a big difference to how long they will last as well as their power.

With a Clio 1x2 you can open out the fog lights for brake cooling too.

I'd recommend 15" wheels as well - 195/50/15 AD08's are about 70 quid each which is a bargain.

A neighbor of mine has a caged 182 Cup in blue, looks absolutely immense.

[fourwheeler]

Yea ideally I would pick up a sorted 172/182.. but they seem thin on the ground. And to be honest, I have a bad gut feeling about buying a pre-tracked car. I fear that the goodness has already been squeezed out of it and all that remains is a hankering for major work.

With that in mind.. I did find this on on FB Marketplace:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/23968620...

£2200

Copy/Paste for non FB users

Renault Clio 182 black gold 
12 months mot 
110k
Cambelt dephaser less than 100 miles ago 
New rear pads less than 20 miles ago 
The car has been stripped out and built for road/ track purpose
Car has the following aftermarket parts:
Sparco 345 steering wheel 
Cobra Monaco pro seats
4 point harnesses 
Roll cage ( finished in yellow )
15” Corse speedlines 
Yokohama neova AD08RS all round like new 
Full k tec exhaust system ( de cat )
Bms short shifter 
Uprated cams 
Eibach lowering springs 
May have missed a few bits 
Car suffers from the common problems like rust bubbles, stone chipped front end and a few scuffs here and there but it’s fit for purpose 
Door has a dent in it with a scrape never bothered me
£2200

[TheMuu]

I'd buy tracked car if it's got all the right bits in it.

[Kaveney]

A Fiesta ST 180 is a good shout and i run one as my track car and fits your bill of FWD .

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...