The Miata is driving me nuts again so I figured I'll look into getting a backup trackable car, simply because I keep missing events due to last minute issues with the Miata. At this point it looks like I'm in a little too deep to jettison the Miata until I sort out the various issues, but I don't want to miss as many events as I keep missing either.
I went through my likes and dislikes but I also realise that my knowledge of parts availability is still coloured by what I knew was available in the UK.
So, the idea is to get either an N/A MR2 (SW20, as they seem to have slightly better support in the aftermarket than the AW11 and having slightly more interior room would also be a good thing) or an FC3S, probably an N/A unless I can find an unabused TII. I loves me some spinning magic doritos (I've already owned one of each generation of RX-7) but unfortunately atm the budget won't stretch to an FD and I'm not sure how well a high-mileage first year RX8 will hold up.
The basic idea is to do brakes, suspension (probably yellow Konis or similar with good springs, not necessarily coilovers), seats (bonus points if I can get Bride rails so I can just swap over the seats I have in the Miata) and tires. Leave the car mostly alone otherwise so it's still streetable, but tweaked enough to make sure it'd work on the track.
What does GRM say?
PS: I don't want a 944, 924S or a BMW, for various reasons. And whatever I try to track would have to be RWD, too.
SW20 aftermarket support is only slightly better than for the AW11...which I think will be the most reliable on the track, but will probably also be the slowest.
FCs are in a different league of aftermarket support, much better than any of the MR2s.
OK, that'll at least suggest my Google-fu isn't completely broken.
Of course finding a nice FC might be an issue, so far everything I have found out here is rather non-nice but I can always pretend I'm not in a hurry.
I wouldn't mind a nice AW11 - especially not a supercharged one - but finding a nice one seems to be even more of a challenge than finding a nice FC.
Keep in mind there is virtually no aftermarket for the SC AW11, as they have fueling issues when you start adding the power and nobody has come up with a good standalone solution yet. Meanwhile, guys have been building NA 20V 6-speed AW11s for a while now. Also remember that the 5S motor in the NA SW20 is kind of a dog.
Thanks for mentioning the lack of aftermarket for the S/C. Not sure that I'd want to mod the engine on one of those anyway.
That said, I've seen one or two 20V AW11s for sale but with stuff like that I'm always concerned about the quality of the conversion. Guess I've been burnt a few times by the work of "forum egg spurts".
... and of course after categorically stating that I didn't want a 944, I just sent an email to someone who is selling a road legal 944 with track mods.
I love being consistent.
BoxheadTim wrote:
I love being consistent.
Well, you're consistently looking for a new car on a seemingly weekly basis. 
Welcome to automotive-ADD!
SlickDizzy wrote:
Keep in mind there is virtually no aftermarket for the SC AW11, as they have fueling issues when you start adding the power and nobody has come up with a good standalone solution yet. Meanwhile, guys have been building NA 20V 6-speed AW11s for a while now. Also remember that the 5S motor in the NA SW20 is kind of a dog.
We've considered cooking up a plug and play setup for the SC AW11 - a group buy of 10 would definitely get the ball rolling (see the MSPNP On Demand page for details), or we might build one just to collect the whole set sometime, since we already have MSPNPs for the NA 4AGE and the 3SGTE.
GameboyRMH wrote:
SW20 aftermarket support is only *slightly* better than for the AW11...which I think will be the most reliable on the track, but will probably also be the slowest.
There are a bajillion upgrades for the SW20, but most of those are junk. All MR2s are old now, and are going to pop at a track day unless you find one that has been freshened up. I love them for a track day car, but buying another 25 year old sports car to address Miata reliability issues probably doesn't compute.
petegossett wrote:
BoxheadTim wrote:
I love being consistent.
Well, you're consistently looking for a new car on a seemingly weekly basis. Welcome to automotive-ADD!
I say.
It's only about once a month that I entertain the thoughts of another car 
.
Actually, the "it's illegal to sell more than three vehicles a year without a dealer license"[1] is seriously cramping my AADD.
[1] Sez the DMV. Not that I'm paranoid or anything, but you could get the impression the car dealer lobby would have something to do with that.
Tyler H wrote:
GameboyRMH wrote:
SW20 aftermarket support is only *slightly* better than for the AW11...which I think will be the most reliable on the track, but will probably also be the slowest.
There are a bajillion upgrades for the SW20, but most of those are junk. All MR2s are old now, and are going to pop at a track day unless you find one that has been freshened up. I love them for a track day car, but buying another 25 year old sports car to address Miata reliability issues probably doesn't compute.
Part of it is a budgetary issue. I don't really like tracking cars that have a replacement value of more than $5k-$6k in case I end up making an unwanted impression on the scenery. That limits my choice somewhat as there aren't that many sporty RWD cars in that price range.
I hear what you're saying about older cars and tracking them; I might have to rethink that approach a bit but at the moment I figured if I have two cars that break regularly, what's the chance of both being broken at the same time?
OK, there is a reason that a friend of mine bestowed the honorary title of "Kaputtmeister" on me...
Why not fix the issues on the Miata and use it? You'll always run into stuff like this tracking any car. And you've already got a ton of work in this one.
How about a tow dolly, and an IT or spec-class car someone is casting off? Sure, it won't be streetable, but it'll probably hold up to track days better than a 20-25 year old street car, and it'll already be prepped. That would give you plenty of time to get the Miata sorted.
BoxheadTim wrote:
I hear what you're saying about older cars and tracking them; I might have to rethink that approach a bit but at the moment I figured if I have two cars that break regularly, what's the chance of both being broken at the same time?
OK, there is a reason that a friend of mine bestowed the honorary title of "Kaputtmeister" on me...
I only have 4 sports cars sitting around in various states of disrepair right now, so I'm not one to talk.
The FC is going to be tricky for buying off the shelf suspension. it seems all of the good struts are VERY hard to find now that drift fanbois have their coilover setups.
That being said, a set of RB springs on Tokiko Blues (or KYBs) is pretty good. That is what we run on our crap can race car and we do pretty well.
For the FC, get a GOOD exhaust include a header. This will really wake up the engine.
The widest front tires that I have seen on an FC are 225s. This will usually require some thin spacers. However, with about 150hp, this is plenty of tire.
The brakes are good stock. They are 4 piston front calipers. Everybody makes good pads for the calipers. We run Hawk Blues in teh front and HP+ in teh rear. The car stops VERY well!
Get the rearsteer eliminator bushings for the back of the car. It will make the car turn sooo much better. With the stock bushings, the car does not want to rotate. It is like it has too much rear grip.
I am sure there are more things I am forgetting. I will repost when I think of them.
Rob R.
z31maniac wrote:
Why not fix the issues on the Miata and use it? You'll always run into stuff like this tracking any car. And you've already got a ton of work in this one.
I am, slowly 'cos the honey-do list on the house is also growing. This car wouldn't be a replacement for the Miata, but more of a backup car that I can use whenever the Miata has its usual fits.
eastsidemav wrote:
How about a tow dolly, and an IT or spec-class car someone is casting off? Sure, it won't be streetable, but it'll probably hold up to track days better than a 20-25 year old street car, and it'll already be prepped. That would give you plenty of time to get the Miata sorted.
In the medium term, I'd actually like to get something like a non-competitive DSR (Diasio D962 comes to mind) and said medium term might actually arrive sooner than expected. Those are a little out of my budget right now though, plus I'll need something to tow them with. But yes, that's probably a better solution.
I had a chance to buy a track 510 last year for reasonable money, still kicking myself that I didn't 
.
BoxheadTim wrote:
z31maniac wrote:
Why not fix the issues on the Miata and use it? You'll always run into stuff like this tracking any car. And you've already got a ton of work in this one.
I am, slowly 'cos the honey-do list on the house is also growing. This car wouldn't be a replacement for the Miata, but more of a backup car that I can use whenever the Miata has its usual fits.
I wouldn't even bother with that, it will just be money taken away from getting the Miata reliable.
Deal with the lost track time (I'm doing the same), but once you come out on the other side and have addressed all the issues, you will be good to go.
So you're talking about buying an already-prepped-for-HPDE SW20?
It's not a bad idea, if you can find one. If you're going to buy a stock one, then you're even further behind on that one than the Miata.
So basically: Buying a ready-to-go car kindof makes sense. Buying another project doesn't.
Swank Force One wrote:
So basically: Buying a ready-to-go car kindof makes sense. Buying another project doesn't.
I know, and anything I can find so far would be a nicer starter project 
.
The "getting something that's already converted" reasoning was why I contacted the person with the track-prepped 944, but that one turned out to be a little more than I am willing to cough up right now.
Do i need to build another GRMer an MX6?
BoxheadTim wrote:
Swank Force One wrote:
So basically: Buying a ready-to-go car kindof makes sense. Buying another project doesn't.
I know, and anything I can find so far would be a nicer starter project .
The "getting something that's already converted" reasoning was why I contacted the person with the track-prepped 944, but that one turned out to be a little more than I am willing to cough up right now.
Exactly what problems are you having with the Miata?
Hell, you should be able to even swap in a VVT engine and standalone ECU for less than its going to cost to buy a halfway decent starter project.
I know many GRM'rs love to have tons of cars, but in this situation it doesn't seem to make sense.
Swank Force One wrote:
Do i need to build another GRMer an MX6?
No, you need to build a GRMer a FC with a an FT2.
Swank Force One wrote:
Do i need to build another GRMer an MX6?
Aren't those wrong wheel drive?
BoxheadTim wrote:
Swank Force One wrote:
Do i need to build another GRMer an MX6?
Aren't those wrong wheel drive?
Doesn't matter went fast.
