SR3 Advice on purchase
Discussion
Well as the title really and thought you guys would be the best for some advice on a SR3 1500 ,
Was on a budget of 15k and wanted a great track car that would keep up with my R500 Cat friends but was a little diff,
I will be tracking in Spain on slicks with no noise restrictions, and want something reliable that will do more than 3 hot laps before needing to cool down, which my Noble does.
All advice welcome
TIA
Sundance002
Was on a budget of 15k and wanted a great track car that would keep up with my R500 Cat friends but was a little diff,
I will be tracking in Spain on slicks with no noise restrictions, and want something reliable that will do more than 3 hot laps before needing to cool down, which my Noble does.
All advice welcome
TIA
Sundance002
You might do it, but you'll have to work hard to get a good reliable 1500 SR3 for 15k I'm afraid.
The good thing is that in the main, the car's condition is very obvious. You can look at the chassis, suspension, brakes, bushes etc to check. The area you have to be careful of on a tight budget are the big refresh items. Engine, box and reversing diff.
You'll need to check you have a well looked after car, not one that's been run into the ground.
I'm afraid I would never believe the run hours quoted in ads. Make sure you see the evidence from the ecu itself.
Do other models do the trick at all? PR6, or even prosport or SR4.
Bert
The good thing is that in the main, the car's condition is very obvious. You can look at the chassis, suspension, brakes, bushes etc to check. The area you have to be careful of on a tight budget are the big refresh items. Engine, box and reversing diff.
You'll need to check you have a well looked after car, not one that's been run into the ground.
I'm afraid I would never believe the run hours quoted in ads. Make sure you see the evidence from the ecu itself.
Do other models do the trick at all? PR6, or even prosport or SR4.
Bert
Or a 1300 SR3? http://www.radicalsportscars.com/uk/showroom/infor...
You'll get that for 15k and you should be able to get it with refreshed engine and box. You should get quite a few hours out of a 1300 on trackdays starting from fresh.
BErt
You'll get that for 15k and you should be able to get it with refreshed engine and box. You should get quite a few hours out of a 1300 on trackdays starting from fresh.
BErt
BertBert said:
You might do it, but you'll have to work hard to get a good reliable 1500 SR3 for 15k I'm afraid.
The good thing is that in the main, the car's condition is very obvious. You can look at the chassis, suspension, brakes, bushes etc to check. The area you have to be careful of on a tight budget are the big refresh items. Engine, box and reversing diff.
You'll need to check you have a well looked after car, not one that's been run into the ground.
I'm afraid I would never believe the run hours quoted in ads. Make sure you see the evidence from the ecu itself.
Do other models do the trick at all? PR6, or even prosport or SR4.
Bert
Hi Bert,The good thing is that in the main, the car's condition is very obvious. You can look at the chassis, suspension, brakes, bushes etc to check. The area you have to be careful of on a tight budget are the big refresh items. Engine, box and reversing diff.
You'll need to check you have a well looked after car, not one that's been run into the ground.
I'm afraid I would never believe the run hours quoted in ads. Make sure you see the evidence from the ecu itself.
Do other models do the trick at all? PR6, or even prosport or SR4.
Bert
Thanks for the response, looked at the PR6 but wanted 2 seats SR4 looks great to but want that little extra .
My budget can be larger but would like to spend 15k and after a little homework it seems a wee bit tight but was allowing 5k to spend on any work needed so would spend 20k on a ready to go car.
What is a gen cost of a full refresh?
BertBert said:
Or a 1300 SR3? http://www.radicalsportscars.com/uk/showroom/infor...
You'll get that for 15k and you should be able to get it with refreshed engine and box. You should get quite a few hours out of a 1300 on trackdays starting from fresh.
BErt
Had a read of the add on paper looks a good car last owner a certain mr Hill,You'll get that for 15k and you should be able to get it with refreshed engine and box. You should get quite a few hours out of a 1300 on trackdays starting from fresh.
BErt
Going to give them a call and found out some more info.
Thanks for the heads up, anything else I should consider?
splitpin said:
Personally, as a trackday car, if I could find a good 'un and was not a big chap, I'd take a 1300SR4 over a 1300SR3. More fun and much easier to handle solo.
Hi Splitpin,Do you mean balance and weight when you mention solo ie single seater.?
Logical less weight, middle position seat will be better balanced.
I'm not thinking of racing just track days,
Though I do march on And test myself,
So want a quick one.
My noble is super quick and I have spent a large fortune on her she is being re built at this moment and looking for 600+ bhp but she suffers from heat soak so needs to cool every few laps which can become a little tiresome,
I was looking ideally for a 1500 SR3
sundance002 said:
Hi Splitpin,
Do you mean balance and weight when you mention solo ie single seater.?
Logical less weight, middle position seat will be better balanced.
I'm not thinking of racing just track days,
Though I do march on And test myself,
So want a quick one.
My noble is super quick and I have spent a large fortune on her she is being re built at this moment and looking for 600+ bhp but she suffers from heat soak so needs to cool every few laps which can become a little tiresome,
I was looking ideally for a 1500 SR3
Not balance/weight no, what Trev means is actually loading/unloading and removing Front/rear bodywork. alone isnt very easy altho if you are tracking with friends there is usually someone about to assist. Do you mean balance and weight when you mention solo ie single seater.?
Logical less weight, middle position seat will be better balanced.
I'm not thinking of racing just track days,
Though I do march on And test myself,
So want a quick one.
My noble is super quick and I have spent a large fortune on her she is being re built at this moment and looking for 600+ bhp but she suffers from heat soak so needs to cool every few laps which can become a little tiresome,
I was looking ideally for a 1500 SR3
BTW welcome from an EX-Noble owner.
sundance002 said:
Hi Splitpin,
Do you mean balance and weight when you mention solo ie single seater.?
Logical less weight, middle position seat will be better balanced.
I'm not thinking of racing just track days,
Though I do march on And test myself,
So want a quick one.
My noble is super quick and I have spent a large fortune on her she is being re built at this moment and looking for 600+ bhp but she suffers from heat soak so needs to cool every few laps which can become a little tiresome,
I was looking ideally for a 1500 SR3
No, I meant easier to do practical stuff (and there is quite a bit of this with a Radicsal) like getting it on/off the trailer, handling bodywork etc if you happen to be on your own some of the time.Do you mean balance and weight when you mention solo ie single seater.?
Logical less weight, middle position seat will be better balanced.
I'm not thinking of racing just track days,
Though I do march on And test myself,
So want a quick one.
My noble is super quick and I have spent a large fortune on her she is being re built at this moment and looking for 600+ bhp but she suffers from heat soak so needs to cool every few laps which can become a little tiresome,
I was looking ideally for a 1500 SR3
Everything is relative, but general concensus seems to be the 1299 is a bit short of puff in the SR3 (the latest 1340s are a different ball game), but (as I can personally vouch) same engine is excellent in the fair bit lighter SR4, especially when it's got the full puff ECU rather than the restricted one that is supposed to level it (down) to an SR4 1200.
The SR4 is a two seater, full size driver's seat exactly as per the 3, but roughly a 2/3rds size passenger seat whereas the 3 has a full size passenger seat. If you're say upto thirteen stone-ish and you don't have gigantic passengers, it's just fine.
So said on the power front, once you've got the hang of them, both will leave your Noble for dead on virtually every track in terms of outright lap times, even if it finishes up with 600bhp; world of difference between trying to turn a road car into a racing car and starting out with a racing car; power is only a small (and for trackdays a relatively insignificant) part of the overall equation.
PS Sorry Steve, we just 'crossed' - agree with what I say relative to souped up road car v racing car?
Edited by splitpin on Monday 8th August 16:15
Most definately Trev, the noble only did one 15 min session in my hands but compared to the RS which was running 400bhp my lowly 1300 busa clubsport is a completely different level that I need to get used to now. I reckon I might have used half of the circuit when slowing down too much for corners on the first outting.
splitpin said:
No, I meant easier to do practical stuff (and there is quite a bit of this with a Radicsal) like getting it on/off the trailer, handling bodywork etc if you happen to be on your own some of the time
Understood ,
There are norm 5 or 6 of us so always someone on hand to help they all drive Caterham lights R500s .
Completely agree with both you guys it's better to start with a racing car, the noble was going to be a track and road car and was already running 550 and is great fun, I have just tried to make it a great track car but it seems that it's prob best kept as a fantastic road car so that left me with my delema what track car?
Being an ex kart man 7 years in a national it seems a Radical will fit the job perfectly it's just which one?
And I keep coming back to a S3 1500 would love the RS but as I'm keeping the nob my budget is20k for a good car.
Hey SPlitpin nice to know you were a fellow nobler,
Have booked a session at Ascari in a SR3 1300 just to get a feel for them.
Everything is relative, but general concensus seems to be the 1299 is a bit short of puff in the SR3 (the latest 1340s are a different ball game), but (as I can personally vouch) same engine is excellent in the fair bit lighter SR4, especially when it's got the full puff ECU rather than the restricted one that is supposed to level it (down) to an SR4 1200.
The SR4 is a two seater, full size driver's seat exactly as per the 3, but roughly a 2/3rds size passenger seat whereas the 3 has a full size passenger seat. If you're say upto thirteen stone-ish and you don't have gigantic passengers, it's just fine.
So said on the power front, once you've got the hang of them, both will leave your Noble for dead on virtually every track in terms of outright lap times, even if it finishes up with 600bhp; world of difference between trying to turn a road car into a racing car and starting out with a racing car; power is only a small (and for trackdays a relatively insignificant) part of the overall equation.
PS Sorry Steve, we just 'crossed' - agree with what I say relative to souped up road car v racing car?
Understood ,
There are norm 5 or 6 of us so always someone on hand to help they all drive Caterham lights R500s .
Completely agree with both you guys it's better to start with a racing car, the noble was going to be a track and road car and was already running 550 and is great fun, I have just tried to make it a great track car but it seems that it's prob best kept as a fantastic road car so that left me with my delema what track car?
Being an ex kart man 7 years in a national it seems a Radical will fit the job perfectly it's just which one?
And I keep coming back to a S3 1500 would love the RS but as I'm keeping the nob my budget is20k for a good car.
Hey SPlitpin nice to know you were a fellow nobler,
Have booked a session at Ascari in a SR3 1300 just to get a feel for them.
Everything is relative, but general concensus seems to be the 1299 is a bit short of puff in the SR3 (the latest 1340s are a different ball game), but (as I can personally vouch) same engine is excellent in the fair bit lighter SR4, especially when it's got the full puff ECU rather than the restricted one that is supposed to level it (down) to an SR4 1200.
The SR4 is a two seater, full size driver's seat exactly as per the 3, but roughly a 2/3rds size passenger seat whereas the 3 has a full size passenger seat. If you're say upto thirteen stone-ish and you don't have gigantic passengers, it's just fine.
So said on the power front, once you've got the hang of them, both will leave your Noble for dead on virtually every track in terms of outright lap times, even if it finishes up with 600bhp; world of difference between trying to turn a road car into a racing car and starting out with a racing car; power is only a small (and for trackdays a relatively insignificant) part of the overall equation.
PS Sorry Steve, we just 'crossed' - agree with what I say relative to souped up road car v racing car?
Edited by splitpin on Monday 8th August 16:15
well I'd agree that the SR4 is great to drive and on track will monster most things in terms of lap times (pain in the rear if you are stuck behind a faster accelerating car and can't use the corner speed). I think it is severely compromised as a two seater. I'm about average size, but I don't enjoy sitting in the pax seat. It's doable, but if you are taking a lot of people out, it's not brilliant.
Regarding the ease of single person running of the 4 versus the 3, I think it's the other way around. Both are ok for single use, but the 4's rear body can be a complete pain in the arse to get on. You kind of need to roll it over the rear wheels to get it to fit. Still doable, but no easier certainly than the 3.
And finally, on the 3 you don't have a chain. How good is that?
So for track day fun, overall, where am I coming down....clubsport, just brilliant, can't be beaten!
Bert
Regarding the ease of single person running of the 4 versus the 3, I think it's the other way around. Both are ok for single use, but the 4's rear body can be a complete pain in the arse to get on. You kind of need to roll it over the rear wheels to get it to fit. Still doable, but no easier certainly than the 3.
And finally, on the 3 you don't have a chain. How good is that?
So for track day fun, overall, where am I coming down....clubsport, just brilliant, can't be beaten!
Bert
Beware of late night posts? 
The OP wants to be able to do some passenger stuff.
To my mind, most passengers being happy to be squeezed in a 4 for a only few laps is darn good and positive news: I like giving folks a thrill ride, but I certainly don't want to spend the whole day carting them around. I see it as no different to the teeny pretty uncomfortable perch on a full-on sportsbike. "Doable but not brilliant" is great.
The OP wants to be able to do some passenger stuff.
To my mind, most passengers being happy to be squeezed in a 4 for a only few laps is darn good and positive news: I like giving folks a thrill ride, but I certainly don't want to spend the whole day carting them around. I see it as no different to the teeny pretty uncomfortable perch on a full-on sportsbike. "Doable but not brilliant" is great.
BertBert said:
...... clubsport, just brilliant, can't be beaten!
Bert
Love Clubbys, but I think it can, 1300 Prosport; a well maintained and competently driven one can still keep most anything honest for much less money (including PR6s and/or RSs)Bert
splitpin said:
Beware of late night posts?
The OP wants to be able to do some passenger stuff.
To my mind, most passengers being happy to be squeezed in a 4 for a only few laps is darn good and positive news: I like giving folks a thrill ride, but I certainly don't want to spend the whole day carting them around. I see it as no different to the teeny pretty uncomfortable perch on a full-on sportsbike. "Doable but not brilliant" is great.
Well I certainly won't be arguing with you Trev as I know how much you like to have the last word (but I'm a bit confused about the prosport comment!) The OP wants to be able to do some passenger stuff.
To my mind, most passengers being happy to be squeezed in a 4 for a only few laps is darn good and positive news: I like giving folks a thrill ride, but I certainly don't want to spend the whole day carting them around. I see it as no different to the teeny pretty uncomfortable perch on a full-on sportsbike. "Doable but not brilliant" is great.
BertBert said:
...... clubsport, just brilliant, can't be beaten!
Bert
Love Clubbys, but I think it can, 1300 Prosport; a well maintained and competently driven one can still keep most anything honest for much less money (including PR6s and/or RSs)Bert
My clubby comment was tongue in cheek of course as it doesn't have 2 seats!
But for out and out trackday fun for your money, the older clubbies and prosports are brilliant! The other thing is relative speed. When I drove my SR3 at a Donington track day earlier in the year, I said "never again". In any trackday car you want to be able to give it the beans up to wherever your personal limit is for track days, say 90%. At Dony, there was a huge mix of traffic speeds, it wasn't very enjoyable.
So if you are doing trackdays in a 1500 SR3, you need trackdays that you can go out and play with the really quick stuff (which is why RoC days are good in the UK).
Bert
I feel the way for me is a SR1500 255 bhp which I won't get bored with, carrying passengers on track is not a concern for me as many won't come out lol so would consider a single seat.
I have seen one on ph http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3095175.htm
Does anywone know this car?
It seems as though certain radicals have different fans and fav depending on the ability of the driver, ie Sr4 good for setting out and learning in SR 3 more for the exsperienced and SR8 for the hardcore that's if im reading you guys right.
I'm looking for the middle best of both worlds something fast around track but not to fast that you need to much track space
But so I won't get bored but also something easy to use ie not to much prep before getting out on track.
Really appreciate you're import guys I'm learning slowly but think that's something to do with my age,
Am still in 2minds if a radical is what I'm looking for I'm stuck between joining my mates with a caterham 500 simple and fast or being different but complicated ????
I will see and decide I think after my test at Ascari where I will exsperience the pro and the cons of the SR3 which to be honest I'm kinda expecting to be blown away and convinced it's worth the extra effort in preparing and tracking,, after the noble everything will prob seem simple, I've owned it for a year and a half and only managed 3track days due to constant probes and it spends more time being repaired that it does running. Just don't want the sme issues with the radical.
I will let you know how I get on next week,
Thais again
Sundance
I have seen one on ph http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3095175.htm
Does anywone know this car?
It seems as though certain radicals have different fans and fav depending on the ability of the driver, ie Sr4 good for setting out and learning in SR 3 more for the exsperienced and SR8 for the hardcore that's if im reading you guys right.
I'm looking for the middle best of both worlds something fast around track but not to fast that you need to much track space
But so I won't get bored but also something easy to use ie not to much prep before getting out on track.
Really appreciate you're import guys I'm learning slowly but think that's something to do with my age,
Am still in 2minds if a radical is what I'm looking for I'm stuck between joining my mates with a caterham 500 simple and fast or being different but complicated ????
I will see and decide I think after my test at Ascari where I will exsperience the pro and the cons of the SR3 which to be honest I'm kinda expecting to be blown away and convinced it's worth the extra effort in preparing and tracking,, after the noble everything will prob seem simple, I've owned it for a year and a half and only managed 3track days due to constant probes and it spends more time being repaired that it does running. Just don't want the sme issues with the radical.
I will let you know how I get on next week,
Thais again
Sundance
sundance002 said:
I feel the way for me is a SR1500 255 bhp which I won't get bored with, carrying passengers on track is not a concern for me as many won't come out lol so would consider a single seat.
I have seen one on ph http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3095175.htm
Does anywone know this car?
Never seen the car, but know the guy selling it and he is a very decent motorsports type chap!!I have seen one on ph http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3095175.htm
Does anywone know this car?
sundance002 said:
I feel the way for me is a SR1500 255 bhp which I won't get bored with, carrying passengers on track is not a concern for me as many won't come out lol so would consider a single seat.
So if you don't have a restriction needing seats for pax, the (radical) world is your oyster! There are a couple of refreshed PR06s on the Radical webby that are worth a look. I think they might be the answer to brilliant, R500 beating track day fun!Bert
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