i track an s2000 for 3 years before the Evo. if i ever sell the Evo, i would get an s2000 again to track. it's a perfect balance between speed and cost for me. it's reliable and fairly cheap to run. get's 9 mph (almost double the evo), tires last twice as long and brakes are half the price. and my lap times are only a few seconds slower than a mildly moded evo.

 

I considered an e36 M3 as well, especially since they can be found so cheap. Anybody know how they hold up to track abuse?

I mean it would be great if the evo only went through tires, brake pads and fluids.. But in my experience many more, much more expensive things tend to go wrong...

s2000 is also not a bad option, only thing i've seen is that they hold there value annoyingly well and tend to be fairly expensive.

 

e36 M3's hold up very well and parts are easy to source. As with any car they will have their quirks and require the basic track mods/maintenance. The US spec models never came with an oil cooler from the factory, one will be needed for track abuse. Turner Motorsport is a great site to poke around to see what aftermarket and stock replacement items will cost for the e36.

 

stock c5 z06's are probably the best bang for buck track car. Base c5's go nicely too.

 

What were you doing that caused all of these issues?

Someone far wiser than I once said this little kernel of truth:

If it's cheap and fast, it's probably not reliable.
If it's cheap and reliable, it's probably not fast.
If it's fast and reliable, it's probably not cheap.

Get yourself a miata. All around they're great track cars for many reasons. They aren't "fast" in a straight line, but they have very impressive lap times and can teach you a lot about performance driving.

 

To buy and immediately track quickly; a C5 Vette is great yes. But it costs money to go quick; we all know that. Tires, brakes and gas are all burn't at about the same rate as the Evo though and that ain't cheap. Gas is pump though... And the LSx V8's seem to last forever which is great.

 

If you're just tracking for fun - get something fun. Whether you have access to a trailer or not will limit your choices. If you do, get something rare and light like an Atom then.

If you're looking for a specific series, find a car already built and buy it.

Or rent; renting seems expensive but if the car is prepped to the rules, an arrive-and-drive experience can actually be cheaper over the course of a year or even 1/2 year knowing the car will be there and ready and good-to-go w/o sweating underneath it during the week!
Renting as with everything else.... more speed costs more money. It might be $500 to get a 2hr stint in a chump or lemon's car, $1000 for a NASA/SCCA trackday in a Miata, or $2000 for a 300+hp AI/CMC/ST2/STO Mustang.

 

That is the best way I have ever seen it put!

 

That's a good point. Maybe its just me but when it comes to tracking a car the tire, gas, brakes, and fluids are really no issue compared to when the car breaks.

That is what I am trying to decide upon. Is it going to be more cost effective to break a c5, an e36, a evo, a mx-5, ect ect.

And so far, I have determined that evo's tend to break in spectacular and expensive ways, I could only imagine based on my friends c5 that it would also be a similar situation. Now how an older BMW or miata or s2000 would stack up i just don't know.

Or how tough any one of those cars would be.

Anyone have any experience with how well one of those cars takes abuse, and then once broken where it usually breaks at? And if it's weak point is expensive.

 

IMO

If i were to rebuild my evo from scratch again and were building it for track here is what i would do.

Most likely stock turbo
Run about 350-400whp MAX (upgrade turbo - if needed but stock framed)
Then i would just focus on handling characteristics, and then i'd spend countless hours making the car as aero dynamic and as light as i possibly could.

If you dont cross the 450-500+whp mark, you'll see a lot less repairs and strain on your drive train, and your parts will be a lot cheaper to replace. ie; replacing stock turbo vs a 30r or 35r

And if you build your motor, your internals will be a lot happier running 350-400whp for countless track days vs running 500+whp at the track.

It all comes down to, how much money do you have and how much of it are you willing to dump into your "track car", and "maintenance" on that car.

dave

 

Any 'racecar' built to a full competition car aiming for near lap record times around a track is going to grenade in a spectacular fashion. Any LSx motor will do the same. Seen it more than once first hand at our local track.

 

No car is bulletproof - even with a $20,000 built motor with all forged internals. **** happens.

But Evo's don't all break. Take mine for instance, I had nearly 95 track days on it - all at > 300whp; a majority at > 350whp. 100% stock motor. No issues. And judging by my laptimes and a slew of track records over the years; it wasn't slow and wasn't being driven slow.

Getting a good tuner and accelerating the maintenance intervals are you best bets. There's a ton of proven bolt-on parts and good well-known tuners out there. Don't reinvent the wheel, so with what works. When in doubt, stock turbo tune; AMS, Buschur, etc. Just my .02

 

E36 FTW or even cheaper a Miata , Honda s2000,or even better an E36 M3. To find out about building a reliable E36 race car goto turnermotorsports.com or bimmerworld.com

 

Just don't worry about the rear cross member that rips out of the frame. The roll cage should help keep the weak roof from collaspsing. Otherwise a fun car to drive.....

 

appreciate the info. thanks.