Budget 172 cup track day car

[Drooster]

Hi All,

New to the forum and new to the land of clio.

Recently purchased a 172 cup as a second car and occasional track day car. I want to carry out a few upgrades on a budget as I will not be attending many track days per year and only intend to have a bit of fun.

Ideas so far and advise on my thoughts please:

Brakes

Either Brembo HC discs + Carbone Lorraine RC5 pads
or Brembo HC discs + DS2500 pads

Suspension

Either KTR coilovers
or VMAXX coilovers

and maybe another set of rims with Toyo R888 tyres.

Which of these setups will be best? and are there any other cheaper mods to do as I really dont want to chuck a fortune at the car.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Nick172Cup]

Brakes - Brembo HC discs + Carbone Lorraine RC5 pads
Suspension - Standard shock absorbers are better than the two poor coilovers kits you've listed. A whiteline rear anti-roll bar and new standard shocks will drive far better, and be cheaper.
Wheels - Anything 15" wheel with a stickier tyre is good.

Nick

 

[Akay]

As Nick said, I had sportlines and new cup dampers and it rode better then my mates on Ktec coilies and handled a damnsight better in my opinion.

I had Brembo discs, DS25000s, braided lines and ATE superblue fluid and it was more then enough.

 

[Cupman29]

Brakes - Brembo HC discs + Carbone Lorraine RC5 pads
Suspension - Standard shock absorbers are better than the two poor coilovers kits you've listed. A whiteline rear anti-roll bar and new standard shocks will drive far better, and be cheaper.
Wheels - Anything 15" wheel with a stickier tyre is good.

Nick

This!

 

[Drooster]

Thanks for the responses guys.

Couple of questions.

Ive heard that the standard dampers dont last very long, is this true? would aftermarket ones be better?

Car runs 16" wheels as standard, would there be any issue moving to 15" for track use?

 

[Coops Mk1]

15" is recommended for track really, more feel, less unsprung weight and greater/cheap tyre choice. no issues with fitment provided brakes are standard diameter and the offset/pdc etc of the wheel is correct. theres loads of 172/182's on here on 15's, mine included.

never heard that about standard dampers, so i'd take it with a pinch of salt

 

[Drooster]

15" is recommended for track really, more feel, less unsprung weight and greater/cheap tyre choice. no issues with fitment provided brakes are standard diameter and the offset/pdc etc of the wheel is correct. theres loads of 172/182's on here on 15's, mine included.

never heard that about standard dampers, so i'd take it with a pinch of salt

Standard dampers it is then

Im hoping someone will pop on and let me know they have a set of 15's for sale

Are solid top mounts worth the money?

 

[Nick172Cup]

Standard dampers it is then

Im hoping someone will pop on and let me know they have a set of 15's for sale

Are solid top mounts worth the money?

Go for a set of Oz F1's matey, readily available on here in the for sale section for under £200 with tyres.

Solid topmounts aren't worth the money for a road car, makes the ride crashy.

 

[MG cup]

Iv got a set of william's wheels with tyres in white that could do with a repaint, strong and light track wheels.

PM if youre interested.

Standard dampers it is then

Im hoping someone will pop on and let me know they have a set of 15's for sale

Are solid top mounts worth the money?

 

[chillbill]

Standard dampers it is then

Are solid top mounts worth the money?

My 172 just had all of its 4 worn out dampers replaced with OEM Bilstein items as well as new OEM top mounts. The parts cost 363 EUR altogether which is about 290 GBP.

Handling has improved massively, yet it is more comfortable (less crashy) than before. IMO cheap coilies (which I've used in the past) are only good for slamming and/or cornering on glass-like smooth tarmac but not really for anything else. Std 172, 182, etc. dampers do last as long as you don't get too harsh springs (read: lowering 35mm+). Eibach prolines or sportlines are a safe bet.

P.S. You might also benefit from changing the brake fluid to a race-spec one and get stainless steel brake lines. Other than that and the 15'' wheel + tire combo it's just practice-practice-practice.