better chassis? 90 FWD or 95 awd

[92tsiawd84]

Yeah, if I remember right, they can't leak, you need a helmet, and they have to say your ready. Personally i got a few leaks to chase down myself before I can get to a track and stuff.

I will be busy gutting, making a few changes and doing some maintenance.

 

[kainam00]

+1 million to what Tim is saying. Car is a VERY small part of the equation.

You need to get on the track as cheaply as possible. If you are serious about racing, you will need to save money on the things that would be 'nice to have' (turbos, intercoolers, expensive cars) so you can spend it on things you 'need to have' - such as basic maintenance, brakes, tires, and seat time.

Honestly, this is what separates people who make it somewhere in racing, and who don't. If you start racing by getting seat time, you'll learn a ton where it matters, and come out with a some great experiences. If you start racing by building a race car, like many do, you won't be able to afford to race it.

Here is what I'd do -
- Do some track days / autocross / time trials in a stock-ish FWD 1g. Take care of safety (brakes and tires) and regular maintenance before spending a dime on performance.
- After you get some experience, buy a pre-built race car. It will save you thousands of dollars that you can use on paying for events.

 

[92tsiawd84]

+1 million to what Tim is saying. Car is a VERY small part of the equation.

You need to get on the track as cheaply as possible. If you are serious about racing, you will need to save money on the things that would be 'nice to have' (turbos, intercoolers, expensive cars) so you can spend it on things you 'need to have' - such as basic maintenance, brakes, tires, and seat time.

Honestly, this is what separates people who make it somewhere in racing, and who don't. If you start racing by getting seat time, you'll learn a ton where it matters, and come out with a some great experiences. If you start racing by building a race car, like many do, you won't be able to afford to race it.

Here is what I'd do -
- Do some track days / autocross / time trials in a stock-ish FWD 1g. Take care of safety (brakes and tires) and regular maintenance before spending a dime on performance.
- After you get some experience, buy a pre-built race car. It will save you thousands of dollars that you can use on paying for events.

Sounds like a good plan. I think I might start using the 95 instead though. If it will save me from needing to upgrade the brakes and might handle better from the start, it seems like a better option. I have been looking at SCCA and NASA built cars, but if I buy one, I don't want to buy a slower ITS (or comparable)car.

Any big reason why I should use the FWD ocer the AWD aside from it being older?

 

[eltoshan]

Sounds like a good plan. I think I might start using the 95 instead though. If it will save me from needing to upgrade the brakes and might handle better from the start, it seems like a better option. I have been looking at SCCA and NASA built cars, but if I buy one, I don't want to buy a slower ITS (or comparable)car.

Any big reason why I should use the FWD ocer the AWD aside from it being older?

Slower car, easier to drive on the limit, teaches you not to over drive. Though I've always wondered if you can learn more quickly by starting out with a fast car, therefore the steeper learning curve.

 

[92tsiawd84]

Slower car, easier to drive on the limit, teaches you not to over drive. Though I've always wondered if you can learn more quickly by starting out with a fast car, therefore the steeper learning curve.

Probably just be easier to test the limits of the slower car. I have been told I am smooth with my viper (by HPDE instructors anyways) and I have only had 4-5 track days with it. The reason I initially wanted to start with some mods is because I don't want to be bored with the speed of a stock dsm. We will see what happens though.

 

[xloki77x]

YOU MOST DEFINITELY WILL NOT LEARN TO DRIVE BETTER IN A FASTER CAR. Starting out with a fast car is going to hide your mistakes as a driver. Look at the new GTR for example; any jerk with two feet could pilot that thing to a win.

The reason I mention the miata is that it doesn't need to have a lot of power to win races. The suspension geometry is great, it's lightweight, and you can get into one for peanuts. On the road or autox course a stock Miata will handle its own against a stock 350z even though it has half the power of the 350. The lower the power level the less stress you are putting on engine and drivetrain components which will keep operating cost low. There are soooo many pros and very few cons when it comes to miata's. Again, ask anyone that has road racing experience and they will tell you the best thing you can do for yourself is seat time. The miata will give you the more seat time than any other car you could buy because of it's extremely low operating costs and high reliability. Do it once, do it right.

Now, if you are going to use one of your cars I would say go with the 1g gst. With a FWD you will be in an easier class than AWD (STi's and EVO's are your enemy...). Your goal should not be power level, it should be first and foremost RELIABILITY. Then, when you have everything in tip top shape your focus should be suspension setup and getting everything as light a possible.

This is the fun part, but depending on what class/series you run in, you can only do so much:
Gut the car - remove EVERYTHING you do not need (HVAC, stereo misc., carpet/sound dead., door panels, etc.)
Get Koni shocks and Ground Controls coilovers with camber/caster plates (run as much caster as possible)
Get a larger rear sway bar
Replace all the bushings in the car with polyurethane and use heim joints/spherical bearings in as many places as possible
You should look into the Cobra Big Brake Kit as a low buck alternative. I have used them on my AWD 1g and now on my Evo1 and they work great. While the 2g dual piston calipers are good for a street car, they suffer severe fade under race conditions.
And last, but certainly not least, wheels and tires. You should consider what tire size and brake setup you will be using before making a decision on wheel size because with big brakes you will need larger than 16" and what size and compound tire you use will determine your class. Tires are going to be the single most important suspension upgrade you make. Don't go right for R comps either. You will want to learn to find the limit on some good street tires so you can keep costs down.

Sorry if I jumped around a little bit, but I hope this helps.

Pete

 

[92tsiawd84]

Thanks for the response. I plan on keeping it simple to start. I didn't really have any plans on doing any auto-x, but might try that out a little bit also to help with seat time.