Best cheap mods to improve track performance

[GrahamS]

Hoping to get a track car soon. Thought this would be the place to post but also for people to get ideas from in the future. I want to do track days as cheap as possible and do a few mods to make a car better. By cheap I mean less than £100

Enlighten me on what's good these days. I haven't had a sport for a year now.

Planned to do epas and dogbone

 

[Jekyll]

Strip it!

 

[imprezaworks]

That.

 

[krappy]

Decent front pads and fluid

 

[JamesBryan]

Tuition.

 

[aucky]

Tuition then weight reduction. 2 for the price of one

 

[GrahamS]

Strip it!

I knew I'd forgotten to mention one of my plans!!

Decent front pads and fluid

Agree but that's more than £100 I'm a student!!

Tuition.

Any idea on rough rates matey? I've never really considered that

 

[JamesBryan]

The usual rate is £20 for 20 minutes on most trackdays.

 

[Tony Hunter]

Tuition
Tuition
Tuition
Tuition, and then some more tuition.
Best money you'll ever spend.

 

[imprezaworks]

Yeah forgot that. That too.

 

[Brett]

Joking aside mate if you can't afford to spend over £100 on brakes you can't afford a track car.

 

[imprezaworks]

Don't agree with that atall.

Get a car, make sure it's safe etc and have fun. No need to go mad whatsoever. Also I bought my car for reasonable money and its too a decent track spec. My advise is save what you can and get a car that's had most the important stuff done

 

[GrahamS]

Will have to get some tuition. Last time I was on a track was in 2013 and when I posted a video up I think we mentioned tuition; so long ago though!

Joking aside mate if you can't afford to spend over £100 on brakes you can't afford a track car.

I don't mind spending money on things really worth the while but wanted to create a thread for people getting started into track days on the cheap but want to get maximum enjoyment Had CL brakes before which were very good for the circuit but the cheaper the more smiles I have per £ spent

I just want some summer fun this year. Nothing permanent or serious. The car that is!

 

[krappy]

Agree but that's more than £100 :wink: I'm a student!!

Ah ok - I wasn't *quite* sure whether it was going to be over the £100 limit. Maybe upgrade the fluid at least?

The usual rate is £20 for 20 minutes on most trackdays.

Jeezus if it's that cheap then yeah - get some of that as well!

 

[coverman]

Do Autosolos instead.Usually £20-25 entry fee for a da of motorsport.Pit yourself against other drivers times so you can see if you are any good.No need for CL brakepads, any with good cold grab will do.No trailer needed, trailered cars are disqualified.Road tyres suffice, but you will easily get through front ones in a season.

 

[imprezaworks]

Where are the auto thingies?

 

[Goodj]

Tuition
Tuition
Tuition
Tuition, and then some more tuition.
Best money you'll ever spend.

This wont make you look any more badman as you stand in the pits, but it will help save you going nose-first into the armco.
Oh, and brakes. Lots of brakes.
Better to be able to stop, than to be able to go quicker

 

[coverman]

Autosolos are all over the country, almost weekly. No integrated list though unfortunately. There is one this Saturday, and Sunday at the services on the M65 ,probably run by CSMA North West. and Accrington Motorsport club. Knutsford Motor Club run some over your way. Coalville Motor Club run really good ones at Donington, but I think the next one March 7th may have a full entry list already, cos the one last Saturday was oversubscribed.Also check the BTRDA list cos they run a championship for novices.

 

[Tony Hunter]

This wont make you look any more badman as you stand in the pits, but it will help save you going nose-first into the armco.
Oh, and brakes. Lots of brakes.
Better to be able to stop, than to be able to go quicker

Ah yes, but if you don't go like a hero for 30 laps at a time, and do 4-5 then come in, brakes shouldn't really be a problem.
But some like to get their money's worth, and hammer the car from dawn to dusk. Strange really.

 

[Addicted]

Whiteline ARB
Decent Tyres
Decent Brakes
Tuition.


Probably that, but in reverse order.

 

[GrahamS]

Thanks for all the answers chaps.
Got an arb that I can swap over from the DCI. Tuition is definitely top of the list now. For under £100 it's pretty clear which mods people would choose! Will drop most of them onto the car over the coming months and have some chill thrills along the way.

 

[bertie basset]

Do Autosolos instead.Usually £20-25 entry fee for a da of motorsport.Pit yourself against other drivers times so you can see if you are any good.No need for CL brakepads, any with good cold grab will do.No trailer needed, trailered cars are disqualified.Road tyres suffice, but you will easily get through front ones in a season.

Totally agree on the auto solos or even auto tests, cheapest form of Motorsport, can do it in a bog standard 1.2 clio and real good laugh, everyone should try them atleast once.

As for tuition if you book with open track days you get free tuition and free doughnuts or if you want the best tuition around book a day with Andrew Walsh at North weald, best 250 you will ever spend an make you quicker than any mod you can do to the car

 

[coverman]

Is North Weald still as bumpy as it was?. I remember having all wheels off the ground at 90mph just where I needed to brake for at right angle bend during a sprint there in my Vindicator

 

[mgd]

I'd say a good wheel alignment will make all the difference

 

[FLOBALOB]

Graham ...having just sold you the car, and having done one or two trackdays myself. You have the basic's now ( pads and tyres ), I would invest in a set of Eibach sportline springs ( or similar , cooksport's etc ) . Apart from that the car is good to go. Stripping it out etc will obviously help but in reality it won't make that much difference. A rear ARB is a good idea , as are solid top mounts. Good luck, let me know if you need any help, and let me know when you're doing any trackdays, I'll come and chase you around. cheers D

 

[GrahamS]

Cheers Dean. I've got some sport lines on my dci at the moment so will probably swap the struts over when I go on a track day. Will do the same with the rear ARB to keep the costs down. Solid Mounts are something I forgot about but noticed it's had a pair on at somepoint so that reduces the labour if I get some!.

 

[BIFCAIDS]

I've just bought a track car and all I've done so far (before even going on track) is buy new brakes, fluid's, tyres, wheels, seats, harnesses and refreshed the standard suspension. Tuition is on the cards and I wont change anything else till Im not shitting myself before the car does.

 

[Tony Hunter]

Good man.

 

[Addicted]

I've just bought a track car and all I've done so far (before even going on track) is buy new brakes, fluid's, tyres, wheels, seats, harnesses and refreshed the standard suspension. Tuition is on the cards and I wont change anything else till Im not shitting myself before the car does.

Now teach the rest of CS to do that, pouring their money into it and potentially ruining a good setup as it was!

 

[Keevo]

Braided lines and decent fluid

 

[Steve]

Tuition
Tuition
Tuition
Tuition, and then some more tuition.
Best money you'll ever spend.

If you learn a circuit you won't need to be on the brakes as much :wink:

I've just bought a track car and all I've done so far (before even going on track) is buy new brakes, fluid's, tyres, wheels, seats, harnesses and refreshed the standard suspension. Tuition is on the cards and I wont change anything else till Im not shitting myself before the car does.

Good decision spend your money actually doing trackdays not talking about doing them :smiley: