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'Fast road car'



  Lotus Elise
I see loads of people refer to their cars as 'fast road' or 'fast road spec', now what is a fast road car? Is a standard Clio not already a fast road car?

Genuine question.
 
  330i. E30 Touring.
It's not half track spec but no comforts removed IMO.

Mine basically.

Bilsteins,
Whiteline
2118's
DS2500's
Full interior.
 
  RB 182 195bhp
Grey area as its generally an opinion, I'd say as above, a car with updated suspension and light engine mods (just breathing maybe) but still all the interior in place. Not a track **** but not standard basically
 
One of my least liked terminologies as well. It's either a road car or a track car.

I suppose it bridges the gap for people that want a roll cage for show!
 

sbridgey

ClioSport Club Member
  disco 4, 182, Meglio
Don't see the point in the phrase "fast road" either track or road for me, its a bit like DS2500's, overkill for road but pretty crap on track, whats the point?
 
  Pearl Black Ph2 172
Fast road to me is Sensible/tasteful modifications. Breathing/braking/steering/safety.
I would consider a car that was part stripped inside to be more of the fast road style than a car with full interior, but not everyone is young enough not to look a t**t with a stripped car, or its a weekend toy for the more middle aged gentlemen.. and thus not a daily.

When your young you dont care about rattles, just free/easy power.
When your a little older your more likely to have the spare cash to build a track car but keep it road legal for travelling Aka fast road again i suppose.


Thinking about it from a different view, Isn't fast road just 'Boy racer'?
Or is it just those with an IQ under 65 or so that are 'Boy Racers'?
 

BoatNonce

ClioSport Club Member
One of my least liked terminologies as well. It's either a road car or a track car.

I suppose it bridges the gap for people that want a roll cage for show!

This. Basically it's saying you want to pull out on people at 140, blud. Take it to the track and do it properly or get rid of the plastic rollcage and sparco steering wheel and just use it normally ffs.
 
  WRX
I'm with Budgie. Having said that though, I also believe that a standard Clio is plenty fast enough for road use. So any mods at all are realistically unnecessary. However the mods I have bridge the gap between a road and a track car. Bridgey no pad is available to suit you mate lol.
 
  Lotus Elise
Glad I'm not the only one.

It seems to be a phase used by some to justify the bits they are bolting to their car. Curious.
 
  Turbo 182 Alfa 159
Yeah annoying phrase really. Along with all this car is stage 1 tuned, stage 2 etc. That annoys me too.
 

adamlstr

ClioSport Club Member
A road car that has upgrades that make it faster on the road.

Not everyone has a budget for 'racecar'.

Not exactly rocket science.
 

rctempire

ClioSport Moderator
OEM+ = OEM & all the bits that didn't come with the car but on higher spec models it did.

Manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon for "fast road" - EBC and likes enjoy the term fast road, or did previously.
 

Adamm.

ClioSport Club Member
There are two different terms here.

'Fast Road' Car, and a Fast 'Road Car'.

I am talking about the former.

And I was saying the clio is fast 'road car' as standard, so a modified one would be a "faster than a fast road car, car" ;)
 
  S4 Avant
My Clio is coilovered and exhausted and has 15" wheels, so that must make it a fast road car?

My Audi is completely standard though, but faster? Not sure what that classes as?
 
There are two different terms here.

'Fast Road' Car, and a Fast 'Road Car'.

I am talking about the former.

You wouldn't call a sports car a 'fast road' car because it's obvious it's a road car. Term only needs to be used IMO when a car has visible modifications suitable for track driving but is still road legal?

I'd call my Clio a 'fast road' car because it has plenty of visible mods (cage, buckets etc) but it's still road legal.

I wouldn't even use the term at all when talking about my BMW because it's just a road car, which is the norm. Even if it is faster than the Clio.

All a bit gay if you ask me though.
 
  Turbo 182 Alfa 159
My Clio is coilovered and exhausted and has 15" wheels, so that must make it a fast road car?

My Audi is completely standard though, but faster? Not sure what that classes as?

That would be a faster fastroad car.
 

Rob

ClioSport Moderator
I'm going to go against the grain here and say I don't actually mind the term. There's plenty of people out there who have no need for a practical car, if I'd taken my new job I'd have been one of them.

Personally I'd have bought a TVR, but I could have bought a Clio, removed the back seats, carpetted it, fitted some recaro's, a silly exhaust, cams, now, I wouldn't call that a track car, as I've not removed everything of weight, fitted super light wheels and 7 foot long shifter to help my lap times, but I would have built a car specifically to be driven fast, primarily on the road.
 
  S4 Avant
That would be a faster fastroad car.

Excellent. Now what if I got a Porsche... Would that be a faster than faster fast road car?

​...and if I made the Audi faster than the Porsche, would that then be a faster than faster than faster fast road car?
 
  182/RS2/ Turbo/Mk1
I use it as a term to say that I have a car where I do care about performance, but not as much as I care that I can use it on the road a lot without it feeling like a massive compromrise.


So for example it would typically have:
Better handling that standard
Better brakes than standard
More power than standard


But still have:
Electric windows so I can get in and out of a carpark without trying to get a ticket through a slider
A radio for long journeys
Plenty of sound deadening still

And ideally but not always:
Rear seats
Aircon
Diff but a quaiffe not a plate so road driving isnt compromised


And wouldnt normally have:
Hideous noisey exhaust
A roll cage (quite dangerous if you arent wearing a crash helment, even with padding on they are still able to cause increased head injuries in a crash)
Paddle clutch


So in terms of my 4 current clios my turbo I view as a fast road car just about (although its let down a little by the clutch), the rs2 one I view as a perfect example of fast road car in that it has no compromises at all when driven on the road slowly but is much better on trackdays or for spirited road driving than a standard car, but my caged up stripped out mk1 I view as a trackday car. And the 182 I just view as a standard road car with no "fast road" mods to it at all.
 
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  DON'T SEND ME PM'S!!
A road car that has upgrades that make it faster on the road.

Not everyone has a budget for 'racecar'.

Not exactly rocket science.
that's pretty much it IMO. You can mod a car well without it being for track use. Kind of what I build my own cars for as I actually use them daily. My 197 is now better on the road than it was, probably worse on track though, but I have other cars for that
 
  DON'T SEND ME PM'S!!
Fast road brake pads are a good example, usually work better than standard, require no warming up, but would struggle on track with temps.
 
I used to refer to my old 106 and clio as fast road cars
I didn't use them on track other than a couple of times a year - they still had stereos and comfy reclining recaros. Nothing removed to lose weight but good suspension/brakes etc... perfect for an empty B road hoon.

Building a fast road car doesn't mean you go racing about at 140 overtaking people like some idiots in this thread claim - you can have a lot of fun on twisty b roads in a good handling car without breaking speed limits.

IMO as soon as you start removing sound deadening/luxuries/comfort features - it isn't car built for road anymore.
 
  182/RS2/ Turbo/Mk1
IMO as soon as you start removing sound deadening/luxuries/comfort features - it isn't car built for road anymore.

I agree with this, although it does mean that westfields confuse me, as they break nearly all the rules in terms of the creature comforts I would normally say a fast road car needs and yet I still view them as a fast road car, strange but true.
 

Adamm.

ClioSport Club Member
I agree with this, although it does mean that westfields confuse me, as they break nearly all the rules in terms of the creature comforts I would normally say a fast road car needs and yet I still view them as a fast road car, strange but true.


I view westfields and the likes as track day toys tbh, I'd never buy one with the intention of a road car anyway.
 
Westfields really confuse me - they have virtually no comforts for the road - but 90% of them are s**t on track. Sick of pushing them out the way around cadwell lol
 
I agree with this, although it does mean that westfields confuse me, as they break nearly all the rules in terms of the creature comforts I would normally say a fast road car needs and yet I still view them as a fast road car, strange but true.


because without a few mods they aren't that great on track , less so caterhams


westfield building and caterham modifying usually makes them less and less road usable yet you ca n still don a helmet in extreme cases and use them on the road .

 


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