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So your argument about not buying a low horsepower car is that you got held up in traffic in your ~200hp car. Pull into the pits if you want the space. Run with groups that don't try to cram 40 cars on a 2 mile long circuit. Realize that you're not doing w2w and focus on individual corners that need work.
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Jan 31, 2018 20:44
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BlackMK4 posted:You'll see me get held up a number of times in the video I posted above -- that was DE3. Diff cars and diff regions, just my experience vs yours  Who's the other org besides NASA? I really was serious about looking to move that way.
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Jan 31, 2018 20:45
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ProAutosports, avoid at all costs. Speedventures is good, but only comes as far west as Chuckwalla.
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Jan 31, 2018 20:47
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Phone posted:So your argument about not buying a low horsepower car is that you got held up in traffic in your ~200hp car. ... or just do w2w. 
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Jan 31, 2018 20:59
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Some day Seems like prep cost is an order of magnitude greater than HPDE/TA.
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Jan 31, 2018 21:06
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BlackMK4 posted:You gun be real frustrated with a Miata, unless you're planning on actually racing it and live in an area with a decent Miata crowd. Blaise posted:^^ You'll want one already track prepped. The costs add up QUICK and don't reflect upon resale. Example: Using your figures, car safety mods + tires should cost around $5600 at max. If I do any secondhand shopping I'll come in under that. That'll keep me under the mod cost for the BMW and still make a track-only car the financially smarter move. I can wait on shocks/springs/sways - maybe during the next offseason I'll do some work in the garage; I'll have more $ then.
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Jan 31, 2018 21:39
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The Prong Song posted:That's the most definitive and helpful info I've been able to find on track-prepping the 1er(thank you), and frankly, isn't that comforting. If you want the 135 to be a real track car you basically want to go full 1m conversion. There's a set of fenders/hood in the loft of our shop if your interested  The fenders allow a much larger tire, which, along with a proper alignment and a 29mm+ front swaybar, go a long way towards correcting the handling issues present in a short wheelbase high-torque car. If you want an LSD, you'll need a diff cooler and tilton pump or else you'll cook the fluid in a 20 minute session. Honestly, I could go on and on, but the best answer is option #2 or option #3 which is sell your 135 and buy a 1m. The 1m driveshaft and axles are different to accommodate the M3 diff, so a "1m conversion" is so expensive that it basically doesn't make sense which is why the hood and fenders are in the loft and not on the customer's car.
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Jan 31, 2018 21:41
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BlackMK4 posted:Some day Not if you buy a used Spec Miata! No, sorry, I'll stop. The Prong Song posted:I'm one of those people. I started off in an '02 NB and it taught me more about driving than any car I've owned since. I'm also not the sort of driver that gets frustrated at other drivers for holding me up, I'll just go sit in pit lane for 30 seconds. And I definitely LOVE running down "faster" cars in "slower" ones. The singular most fun experience I've had on track was outpacing a guy in a v8 Challenger who'd been legging it down the straights all day when the rain came out and power suddenly didn't make up for his poor cornering. There's always https://www.advanced-autosports.com/products/spec-miata-in-a-box if you're capable and willing of doing welding. http://mazdaracers.com/classifieds/item/1953-1997-miata-itaspec-miata/ doesn't look that bad - I'd email to ask what "needs refresh" means to him though. Sorry, I know I'm harping on this... I just really can't think of better bang per buck than SM for something that just works - you can run it in basically any organization, the parts support is there, it's not using any weird formula car bits, it just starts, etc. Dad and I built a T4 MX-5 (which is basically, prep-wise, the same idea applied to an NC) and it's a hoot, but if we didn't have the NC...
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Jan 31, 2018 21:58
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Hey, I've been looking to get a ride in one for a while. We generally have 4-5 out there, so it seems like fun. The one you linked there looks cheap as gently caress and pretty nice, seems like they are 10-12k when they do come up for sale around here (perhaps the ones I see are different?). Time to add a CL alert.
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Jan 31, 2018 22:03
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Mazdaracers is the defacto Spec Miata forum. I figure it's worth spectating at some wheel to wheel events, finding Spec Miata guys, making friends and trying to see if they know someone looking to get out of things... for every car that's posted on a forum or sales site, I'd wager that there's at least one more sitting in someone's garage that they're willing to sell but not quite eager yet.
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Jan 31, 2018 22:10
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BlackMK4 posted:It's a compromise. Makes sense. I only really do the occasional track night event so I'm not all that experienced yet and feel the need for more serious setups.
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Jan 31, 2018 22:35
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DJ Commie posted:I guess this is the best place to ask, but I'm looking for the best rallycross tire in near stock size (185-60-14) for my Stock-4WD class 323 GTX. I've seen the General Altimaxx Arctic mentioned as the one of the best options, really just looking for the best place to buy them. I'm in sandy (DG soil) with little actual gravel content, and would like some streetability since there's lots of well groomed dirt roads around. I'm in sunny California in the coastal mountains so they'll never see ice or snow, or likely even sub 50degF pavement. Firestone winterforce v1 is THE rallyx tire if you can get your hands on them. Lots of void space and the sidewall is sharp so they have good lateral dig. Can you not run gravel tires though?
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Jan 31, 2018 23:29
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Crustashio posted:Firestone winterforce v1 is THE rallyx tire if you can get your hands on them. Lots of void space and the sidewall is sharp so they have good lateral dig. Can you not run gravel tires though? Looks cheap! I haven't heard of them, is there a second version to avoid? Gravel tires as in real rally tires? I've never seen decently priced ones, and $200 a pop for Maxxis ones are a bit steep for something that likely couldn't utilize the benefits
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Jan 31, 2018 23:38
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At the same time, you can occasionally track your daily driver and a few things like an oil cooler, brake pads, and possibly some suspension would make that 135 more fun and more reliable without having it suck on the road. The NT01s are fine to just drive the track with as well so you don't really have to worry about getting them there and swapping wheels/tires. You can even put the pads in ahead of time.DJ Commie posted:Looks cheap! I haven't heard of them, is there a second version to avoid? Gravel tires as in real rally tires? I've never seen decently priced ones, and $200 a pop for Maxxis ones are a bit steep for something that likely couldn't utilize the benefits Don't have to buy them new. Do people still use special stage or do you need to find facebook groups to buy used rally tires and parts? jamal fucked around with this message at 00:04 on Feb 1, 2018 |
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Feb 1, 2018 00:00
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DJ Commie posted:Looks cheap! I haven't heard of them, is there a second version to avoid? Gravel tires as in real rally tires? I've never seen decently priced ones, and $200 a pop for Maxxis ones are a bit steep for something that likely couldn't utilize the benefits There's a "Version 2" which has a different tread pattern and doesn't have the cuts in the sidewall. This is what you want:  All separate tread blocks and the sidewall has the sharp angles. Our regional is basically all gravel but I understand that a lot of americans use them too for mud.
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Feb 1, 2018 00:10
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mekilljoydammit posted:http://mazdaracers.com/classifieds/item/1953-1997-miata-itaspec-miata/ doesn't look that bad - I'd email to ask what "needs refresh" means to him though. "A compression leak down test indicated 30% bypass of the rings on three cylinders. " EDIT: Dude told me it was more-than-likely sold this coming Saturday. The Prong Song fucked around with this message at 00:56 on Feb 1, 2018 |
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Feb 1, 2018 00:29
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Ha, welp. Wonder how much a junkyard shortblock is
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Feb 1, 2018 00:45
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1.8's can be had for as low as $600 for the whole thing.
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Feb 1, 2018 00:49
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One thing to note. The suspension package on the Spec Miata is what non-spec racers would call 'bad.' If you're buying a spec car so you don't have to deal with cage/harness/seat/fire system/steering wheel stuff that's great. But unless you plan on actually running in SM there are significantly better options for suspension. SM runs 700/400 springs, the current open suspension hotness is 1000/500 as shock development has increased and there are shocks that can control those rates for the Miata now.
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Feb 1, 2018 02:11
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The Prong Song posted:If you are aware of any sorted, decently track-prepped Miatas for sale for under 8K, let me know. I haven't found any on any sites I've searched; I see ones with "tired engine, needs refreshed" and "car hasn't run in three years" at 10K.  That's mine, and it would be well under $8k. I'm in Philly now and as I'm looking at jobs out west, I can't reasonably relocate all four of my cars if/when I get a job. '92 Sunburst: mine since 2009 2365lb with 210lb driver (street legal btw) 4.3 Torsen from '99 Sport 110k miles, 190psi compression, 105whp, new clutch/flywheel/etc Kirkey 15" Halo seat, Corbeau Passenger seat, 6pt x 2 Blackbird SD Rollbar Hard top (duh) FM suspension, ELBJs, RB front bar RB exhaust (not yet installed!), tuned AFM Removable Wheel Two sets of wheels, Yoko AD08 and Maxxis RC-1 Hawk Pads, SS lines, all calipers replaced in 2017 V8Roadsters Frame Rails It's not actually for sale... but if you'd be interested let's chat. Would cut you a nice deal if we could close on a moment's notice if I have to move. It's very nicely setup as is, I'm planning to add an aggressive front air dam, install the exhaust, and drive the wheels off of it some more in 2018 if I'm still on the east coast 
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Feb 1, 2018 02:18
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FatCow posted:One thing to note. The suspension package on the Spec Miata is what non-spec racers would call 'bad.' If you're buying a spec car so you don't have to deal with cage/harness/seat/fire system/steering wheel stuff that's great. But unless you plan on actually running in SM there are significantly better options for suspension. I'm not buying SM cars, I'm buying track-prepped Miatas If HPDE ever turns out to be not enough I'll look at converting whatever I get at that time.
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Feb 1, 2018 02:44
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FatCow posted:One thing to note. The suspension package on the Spec Miata is what non-spec racers would call 'bad.' If you're buying a spec car so you don't have to deal with cage/harness/seat/fire system/steering wheel stuff that's great. But unless you plan on actually running in SM there are significantly better options for suspension. I actually agree with this, though note that there have been shocks that could cope with those sorts of spring rates on Miatas for as long as there's been Miatas. Similarly, 205 DOT-Rs (including SM tires) are faster on wider wheels, and the cars go faster with more power. My view however is, "so what?" If one is doing HPDE... last I checked there isn't an HPDE championship, so it seems to me that going down the rabbit hole of open suspension is a lot of money spent with no gain. And, this is going to expose my biases but whatever, when one stops loving around with HPDE and tries W2W, you're not stuck with either A: pulling a bunch of stuff off your car and trying to sell it, B: being a backmarker in a class with people who spent more on their open suspension and every other part of car prep than you did, or C: having 4 people in your run group. Even if sticking to HPDE and poo poo, wouldn't it be nice to have a nice concrete benchmark for how you're doing? Not "OK, there's this guy that has sort of similar mods but more power and he's faster but this other guy with less mods is slower... uh... hm." but "OK, I'm within 5% of lap record of these guys with cars capable of the same lap times as mine within a couple percent." But that's me, who spent most of last year wondering why I didn't beg/borrow/steal my way into a W2W ride 10 years ago. Chalk this up to arrogant dickery if you want, but at this point I literally cannot understand why someone would spend an equivalent amount of money doing track days as they would running an SM.
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Feb 1, 2018 15:26
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The Prong Song posted:I'm not buying SM cars, I'm buying track-prepped Miatas Speaking of: https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/track-prepped-2000-miata/6454362942.html
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Feb 1, 2018 19:51
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I should get my G Force harness back from him...
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Feb 1, 2018 19:53
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Hey let’s not forget Honda Challenge exists and is definitely cheaper than spec Miata! Though finding an unmolested or actually track prepped Honda is a bitch.
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Feb 2, 2018 00:15
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HPD has nothing on Mazdaspeed last time I checked.
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Feb 2, 2018 01:02
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If you actually race doesn't Mazda's contingency program poo poo on everyone elses, AKA parts pretty much at cost?
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Feb 2, 2018 04:18
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mekilljoydammit posted:I actually agree with this, though note that there have been shocks that could cope with those sorts of spring rates on Miatas for as long as there's been Miatas. Similarly, 205 DOT-Rs (including SM tires) are faster on wider wheels, and the cars go faster with more power. All excellent points. I feel largely the same way too but I have heard one good reason to stay hpde. A friend of mine does hpde and could easily afford to w2w anytime. I asked him why, he told me he was a sore loser. Track days were his vacation / hobby and he knew that if he added competition he would get pissed if he wasn't winning even if he went out and did the best driving of his life. He said it would suck the fun out and be frustrating. Personally I would have the best time fighting tooth and nail to not be dead last so long as I was racing someone of similar skill. But I can see the other perspective.
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Feb 2, 2018 04:43
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I do Time Attack, which (I feel) is a good compromise. W2W would be great but in Street Time Attack you don't need a cage.
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Feb 2, 2018 07:48
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Can't argue with much that's been said here, but being 6'1" I would not get a miata again to try and fit the rollbar/helmet height situation. It's a great car for people who are 5'7". Otherwise you move too much from street car to forced track car (thin race seats directly mounted to the floor with no adjustment).
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Feb 2, 2018 13:29
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Larrymer posted:Can't argue with much that's been said here, but being 6'1" I would not get a miata again to try and fit the rollbar/helmet height situation. It's a great car for people who are 5'7". Otherwise you move too much from street car to forced track car (thin race seats directly mounted to the floor with no adjustment). This is my 944. It's caged but my helmet often bumps the bar padding on track. Not good.
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Feb 2, 2018 13:49
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Larrymer posted:Can't argue with much that's been said here, but being 6'1" I would not get a miata again to try and fit the rollbar/helmet height situation. It's a great car for people who are 5'7". Otherwise you move too much from street car to forced track car (thin race seats directly mounted to the floor with no adjustment). For what it's worth, I'm 6'2 and I fit with a helmet with foamectomy + removed rear seat mounts. I'd still strongly recommend the paper thin seat. I'm so glad I moved to that.
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Feb 2, 2018 13:53
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http://mazdaracers.com/topic/5507-floor-modification/#entry85115 https://www.advanced-autosports.com/products/spec-miata-floor-drop Just sayin'...
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Feb 2, 2018 15:11
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The floor drop is SUPER legit. My future race car will definitely have one.
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Feb 2, 2018 15:40
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Blaise posted:For what it's worth, I'm 6'2 and I fit with a helmet with foamectomy + removed rear seat mounts. I'm all torso, baby. Do you actually pass a broomstick test? mekilljoydammit posted:http://mazdaracers.com/topic/5507-floor-modification/#entry85115  I instead put uncomfortable and thin bottomed race seats in mine, cut off the rear seat humps and the floor pan was touching my rear end while driving. It took it from "fun daily driver" to "craiglist" in a couple months time.  Not worth it to go to all that trouble dropping the floor when you can just buy a different car. All cars have their own issues to sort out for track duty but there are easier paths and options is all I'm saying (if you're tall).
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Feb 2, 2018 15:48
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... it's non-visible-quality sheetmetal work, that's not a heck of a lot of work. But whatever. I can get low enough in the NC by taking the foam cover off of the Ultrashield aluminum seat so haven't bothered. If I didn't have the NC I'd definitely do the floor drop to an NA or NB. I guess I just look at it as... the Miata, almost everything is a solved problem already, the suspension geometry is basically uncompromised, parts are cheap, and there's even manufacturer support and contingency programs, plus the most popular wheel to wheel class in the country. Unless you want to go faster than that doing W2W (which is why I'm building RX-7s, that and I actually like making solutions rather than relying on buying them) it seems like a fuckload of positive points.
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Feb 2, 2018 16:05
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Larrymer posted:I'm all torso, baby. Do you actually pass a broomstick test? There's no broomstick test for DE. My helmet is below the rollbar.
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Feb 2, 2018 16:16
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mekilljoydammit posted:... it's non-visible-quality sheetmetal work, that's not a heck of a lot of work. But whatever. Cutting out the floor of a unibody vehicle and welding in another panel even if it looks lovely afterwards is above what most people would be up for I'd venture to guess for a "fun daily/track car." I didn't have a welder at the time or the skill to feel ok that my bird poo poo welds would be safe. Blaise posted:There's no broomstick test for DE. My helmet is below the rollbar. It's a requirement generally, but nobody actually does it. Suburban Dad fucked around with this message at 16:45 on Feb 2, 2018 |
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Feb 2, 2018 16:41
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This just inspired me to buy the proper seat rails for my cobra suzuka (the sparcos were cheaper and I was foolish  ). Maybe it'll fit better.Is removing bottom seat cushioning allowed with all seats or just some? It seems like it would really change the belt position with mine.
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Feb 2, 2018 17:20
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Ever race seat I've seen has had replaceable cushions. I wouldn't be surprised if many models had the same shell but different sized cushions for small/medium and large/xl. Whatever seat we had in the endurance car we'd remove the bottom cushion for our tallest driver ~6.5 and put two in for me at 5.6...I also stuck an extra back cushion behind me. Not having to share a car means I finally will have a seat that fits me. Downside is no one else will fit
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Feb 2, 2018 18:32
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