Carthik

Hi there all, i just recently came into pocession of an S5, It is in need of quite some work so instead of putting oem parts on the ones that need to be replaced im gonna try to make the car as track worthy as possible. I am referring to road racing by the way. What should I start with?

wrankin

Do a search of the forum - this has been discussed quite a bit in the past.

Do you want/need to keep the car street legal? Do you have a specific competetive class in mind, or are you just thinking about a "track day car"?

Here are my thoughts on the process:

0) Get the car in good running order - flush all your fluids - oil, coolant, brakes, tranny, diff. take care of all your leaks and rattles. make sure your brakes are in good condition. Essentially, make sure that the car would "pass tech" at a track. Check for any rust and deal with that. Check suspenstion bushings, wheel bearings, etc. Do you have some decent tires with good tread?

1-99) Read Crispy's pages: http://www.negative-camber.org/crispyrx7/fc/fcpart1.htm

Good luck,

-bill

Carthik

the car has to be street legal for now, might consider changing that later. Not sure of what class, are there even any racing series in canada? I am in ontario.

im getting reading on that link you gave me, lol, this could take a while.

Turbo23

iTrader: (4)

gut the car, I assume NA, keep it NA, no forced induction, and get yourself a nice set of wheel and tires, and maybe some suspension work, and start learning.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Have you done any road racing yet? If not, just get the car "street worthy", then try a Driving Event at your closest track (maybe Mosport). Get a few events under your belt with the car in stock form, then start modifying it as you begin to be able to outdrive the car in stock form.

Carthik

Mahjik i would love to do that, but the thing is i have 8 months untill i get my g2 lisence (unless i tow the car to shannonville or mosport, which i am consider to an extent), so i cant get the car on the track till then, so i wanna get the car to spec as much as i can b4 then. I dont want to gut the car just yet, for now im thinking just get a good suspension setup and some decent tires and rims.

any suggestions on what suspension I should go with? I dont want money to be an issue here beause i want the best possible setup, but im no bill gates now.

and suggestions for tires and rims?

only thing that worries me is the car is old and rusted, is it worth it to build it up as a race car? I am also considering buying a trueno and making that my race car, which would be better?

wrankin

Okay, if you are a current G1 driver (to US folks: think "learners permit"), then I would highly recommend that you actually spend a few years learning how to drive before putting your car on a track. Auto-X and other low(er) impact events are good sources of this. I'm not sure what the carting scene is like in Ontario, but defintely check into that. This will also provide you with good contacts for getting into tracking and road-racing later in your career

You need more experience. I am not talking down to you, just letting you know that at your age and experience level, there are better and cheaper ways to get into the sport.

-b

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Oh good heavens......

Tanjo

Start autocrossing. Go to every event, even if your car isnt running. Talk to everone. Ask about theyre setups, theyre experiacne, how they got into it, if you can give a hand changing wheels or pads, anything. Just be really nice and polite. And NEVER turn down any seattime or ridealongs. My first couple of events, I had a few guys ask if I wanted to ride along with them. It was awesome. Watch everybody. Look at whos going fast, and whos not, and try to figure out what theyre doing diffrently. After you get a season or so of autox under your belt, youll qualify fo an actual track day (at least thats how it was in my local club. No track days for newbs.) and get your first taste of real racing. As for you car, keep it simple. Tires, are a huge one. You dont even neccasarily need new wheels. Falken RT-615s, Advan Neovas, if you can afford them, Poenteza RE01Rs, these are all tires you can drive on the street and still be decent on the track. Good brake pads, and fluid, SS lines if you can afford them. Start with a simple susp., like the RB kit maybe, or just stiffer shocks, springs, and swaybars. Maybe header and exahust or something. Just dont go blow a bunch of money on new wheels and slicks and coilovers and crap when you dont even have your licsence. spend a few Gs getting your car competetive at your level of driving, and as you get better, get better parts that suit your experiance level.

Carthik

Mahjik, the way I look at it, the kart scence is pretty expensive, gt2 (or 1 i forget) is not that expensive when compared to kart (considering my rx7 cost me lower than a kart). All i need is tires, a decent suspension setup and the safety equipment. Basically, when compared to Kart I would rather start investing in the car than later having to re save funds for the car.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

If you basically have a learners permit, there is LOT to learn about 'driving' in general before you even think about racing. First you need to learn how to get around a track without killing yourself. Then you need to learn how to 'read' the car which helps you learn how to 'find the line' on tracks when you can't just follow someone else. Then there is learning how to pass without taking out another car and learning how to gain the advantage on a car that has the exact same power as you.

IMO, start by doing some normal driving events as well as AutoX. Get the video by Skip Barber Racing School called "Going Faster". After a year or two of practce, try for your racing license.

Instead of "investing" right now, why not start "saving" and "practicing". Its extremely doubtful you would be able to get your competition license right away unless you are a child driving prodigy.

Turbo23

iTrader: (4)

I think everyone thinks they are a great driver when they first start. Until you have a moment where your life flashes before your eyes. I think its good that he wants to learn properly and stay track side, but assuming your young, track costs, tires, safety equipment add up quite a bit, where as autox is pretty cheap. Listen to the experienced guys in this section ^ they have all been through the cycle.

RacerJason

iTrader: (5)

Carthik - come out to the next event I attend and I will give you a lifetime of racing advice in about 30 mins. starting with don't build your own car...

Turbo23

iTrader: (4)

^ da then whats the point of racing! I guess however in his case, for someone younger it would be cheaper to rent a car at the track, and pay for track time then to build your own. I know Ive spent much more then the car is worth and she is just getting ready for time trial events!

wrankin

I thint that Jason's point is that if you choose to build your own, you end up spending twice the money and perhaps more importantly, all you time building when you should be investing that money and all that time in actually learning how to drive.

I started down the same road (building up a '91 FC from a shell) but came to my senses and bought a pretty much fully built track car. Saved several thousand dollars, which I can now spend on more track time, since I'm not buried in the garage every weekend trying to build a car.

-b

Balzz

There are a couple of other local racers in the Canadian forum along with racerjason who have been great and generous with advice to a wannabe like myself. 23racer and myself will be out at Mosport on the 21st at a lapping day so come on by.

Turbo23

iTrader: (4)

My reason for building my own car is knowledge for future reference. If something breaks, or needs to be rebuilt, I will have the know how to do so. Not saying the other guys who have bought their prepped cars dont have the know how. I just know of some people who pay to have their work done, but havent a cule when something breaks. I also think its kinda a love for motorsports in general, I could sit around all day and rebuild engines. Though that being said, I dont have as much track time, but Im still a younger guy, plenty of time!

ccanepa50

iTrader: (1)

do canadians have the same access to the mazdamotorsports team parts purchasing program?
I think it is great to build your own ride, it is a real commitment to create a realistic budget for time and $$ and get thru to a completed project.....(I have done it 3 times (and gave up on one other project too) as we all know the cost of the car is only the start in road racing.....autocross as a goal at first might be best as the parts break less often and the fun factor is way big...and you learn really quickly to toss a car around too..........in any case go for it!

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

You underestimate the significance, joy, and challenge of Driving. Learn to drive, really drive, and you'll see that for the vast majority of drivers and budgets, equipment is simply the means to an end (driving and seat time).

Most people end up with much more desire to drive than to spend all of their free time and money wrenching. Even if racecar engineering is your passion, it's rare to not prefer seat time.

Dave

Turbo23

iTrader: (4)

Of course seat time is the goal, and the "want" of all car enthauists. For a young learner, learning the mechanics of a car can become a great asset in future driving experience. Know what to tune, how to tune, and the effects are a important role in becoming a top notch driver. As people get older, I can see the need for wanting a already prepped car, but while he is young, he should take advantage of his youth.

Black91n/a

My semi-random thoughts on this:

Buying a race car to learn track driving may not be such a good idea, they can be difficult to drive well. Starting with your street car is good, because if you find that you're not enjoying it, or are horrible at it then you can quit with not much lost, rather than have wasted time and money buying the race car that you won't use.

As a young enthusiast without much money I'm unable to buy a race car and can't afford racing (I want to). I've been learning to drive by autocrossing and attending driving schools. I've also been modding the car as I go. My plan's a little unorthodox, I want to be at an advanced skill level and get a race licence before taking the plunge and getting or building a race car. I suspect many race cars start out this way, the driver gets more and more serious about track driving, and the car gets modded in accordance with that, and sooner or later it's 75% of a race car. You spread the costs of building the car over many years as you develop as a driver, and the car's abilities advance along with your own, and you end up with a setup that's very well suited to you.

My car may or may not get turned into a full track car or race car, but it's been fun to mod it and track drive it. It also teaches you a lot about the car. I'd rather drive than wrench on the car, but wrenching on the car is required in order to drive. Buying a prebuilt car is cheaper, but there's definetely a sense of satisfaction and fun to be had building it yourself.