Anyone looking to get into trackdays next year?

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Anyone looking to get into trackdays next year?

by Chavtastic » Sun Nov 30, 2014 5:54 pm

As some of you may know I'm really into my UK trackdays and trips over to the Nurburgring.

Although I've been racing all sorts of performance cars and karts since I was 12, I still remember all those that helped me learn my skills and learn about how to build and set up a car to be quick. So, I'd like to give something back. Do a good deed as it were.

So I'm basically offering two things:

Firstly - if anyone has a Calibra they are looking to modify for track useage I'm happy to provide as much help as I can, from sourcing parts to advice on setup and fitting etc. If I have enough free time I may even be able to lend a practical hand as well. If not I have a lot of contacts for all aspects of chassis and engine preparation

Secondly - I'll be doing half a dozen trackdays next year which I am happy to give tuition for, free of charge. The same goes for passenger rides, you are welcome to join me for sighting laps, warm-up laps and perhaps even a hot lap (depends how fat you are).

There is also a week in Germany at the Nurburgring where again I'm happy to give unlimited (within reason) circuit tuition. I am by no means an expert, but feel my lap times show at least a reasonable understanding of what is a very complex and demanding track.

Costs
I firmly believe it's possible to track a Calibra on a very minimal budget. It really is a law of diminishing returns - eg a £5000 Calibra will only be a few seconds a lap quicker than a £1000 Calibra. I think you could turn a normal Calibra (except maybe an 8v!) into an enjoyable and reasonably quick track car for £500 at a push, although £1000 would be a comfortable budget. This could be spread over several months, and the car can be improved between track events to suit your driving style.

In my opinion, the key areas are:
1) Tyres (ideally semi slicks of a decent width)
2) Brakes - not just braking power but durability. If you drive quickly your standard brakes will fade quickly
3) Weight loss - It's free, and gives benefits to acceleration, braking, handling and fuel economy
4) Suspension - Not just stiffness, but the condition of bushes and your wheel alignment
5) Safety! A motorcycle helmet (£30 new) is the minimum requirement for most UK trackdays

To cover the above points using good quality parts I think you could do it on a budget of £500-£1000

If any of you would buy a second Calibra just for this, I would recommend buying one as cheap as possible due to engine failure, cosmetic issues or MOT failings on items you are due to replace. I would then suggest using the Saab B204 engine, a very cheap (£150) and powerful unit that is reliable and easy to fit. Failing this, given that Calibra Turbos are rare, my next choice would be a Calibra V6 - with the caveat of the gearbox and flywheel being binned for something more performance orientated, eg a lighter fly and a shorter ratio box. You don't need a 160mph Calibra on track, you need something that is punchy through the gears. Given that a V6 isn't any dearer than a 16v Calibra, I would not consider one of these. In short I recommend a B204 or modified V6.

Moving on to the key points for modification outlined above

1) Tyres - If you're on a shoestring budget - the minimum I'd recommend for tyres is 205 or 215/40/17 Toyo Proxes T1-R. On a moderate budget, go for Federal RS-R (road legal semi slick) in as wide a possible size that will fit on your wheels. 17" wheels are the best compromise here. Choose something light if funds allow (2nd hand set of Team Dynamics is ideal)

2) Brakes - On a budget - you want 288mm discs. Use standard late turbo/v6 discs if you're on 5-stud, or Lotus Elise 4x100 288mm discs if you're on 4 stud. Either way with late V6/turbo calipers to suit. Vectra B 288 calipers also work. The key here, even on a budget is the pads. As a bare minimum some fast road pads are sorely needed. Ideally you want track pads such as Ferodo DS2500. If funds allow, the next step is the same as the above but 308mm, or ideally an aftermarket 4-pot brake kit. ATE super blue brake fluid is cheap, and a must for any budget.

3) Weight loss - lose as much as you can live with. A second hand bucket seat is not expensive, nor are harnesses. These have the added bonus of keeping you in position on track, which actually makes a major difference to your lap times. Lose the spare wheel, sound deadening and rear seats as a minimum. Relocating the battery to the boot is fairly straightforward too.

4) Suspension - As a minimum, some lowering springs are required. Ensure your balljoints and bushes are in good condition throughout the car. Pay attention to the rear subframe donut buishes, your track rod ends etc. Get your tracking set to toe-in to encourage a sharper turn-in. Another cheap modification is fitting thicker anti-roll bars from bigger engine'd / newer Calibras.

5) Safety - This is personal choice. I'm happy with just a helmet for UK trackdays, even when doing fast laps. Beyond this you can look into roll cages (Weichers Sport in Germany do them), HANS devices, fire extinguishers etc.

***

What I would love more than anything else is if the Calibra scene took a few steps forward, in the direction of making quick cars. We can keep note of various lap times and aim to improve our cars, our driving and most of all have a good time. You only live once! So maybe instead of that £35 a month phone contract for 2 years, you can spend that £840 preparing your Calibra for the track :) We all waste lots of money, I believe it is possible to fund things like this purely through not smoking, drinking, gambling etc and all the rest. I've just cut it down to the occasional hooker and I'm able to spend on cars instead.

Any feedback / questions welcome, let's do this :)
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Re: Anyone looking to get into trackdays next year?

by KERR_SE9 » Sun Nov 30, 2014 10:12 pm

I'll be up for it, if mine stays together long enough, we will just need to kiss and make up when the time comes, if our driving abilities are comparable, it would be good to compare a 2wd vs 4x4 on track.
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Re: Anyone looking to get into trackdays next year?

by KERR_SE9 » Sun Nov 30, 2014 10:18 pm

Oh also on the subject of tyres, Pirelli p zero corsa's are the stickiest tyres I've ever used, and can be picked up cheap second hand.

I've got most of the stuff you mention but looking for a hand with geometry/handling related stuff, as it's still quite vague compared to other cars on track.
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Re: Anyone looking to get into trackdays next year?

by Chavtastic » Mon Dec 01, 2014 12:24 am

No hard feelings at all :mrgreen:

I had the P zero Rossos on my Porsche and they are really good!
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Re: Anyone looking to get into trackdays next year?

by Chavtastic » Mon Dec 01, 2014 12:26 am

Is it the steering you feel is vague? If so then a steering rack brace and poly rack bushes / steering arm bushes will help. I'm going to look at changing the arm bushes for steel ones actually.

If the actual car itself feels a bit "floaty" then rear donut bushes would be a good place to start and some stiffer anti-roll bars / anti-roll bar bushes.

Are you happy with the rest of the handling - ie understeer / oversteer?
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Re: Anyone looking to get into trackdays next year?

by KERR_SE9 » Mon Dec 01, 2014 12:30 am

It's not really floaty as it's power flexed and has billies/eibachs, it's basically like free play in the steering compared to my mg, I'll try new steering arm bushes etc
There's a bit of understeer yeah although not shocking,need to go for adjustable strut tops and saab arms ,also been suggested to slot the balljoints,cheers
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Re: Anyone looking to get into trackdays next year?

by Chavtastic » Thu Dec 04, 2014 12:27 am

Steering rack brace would be a good mod for the vague steering and mounting the rack solidly or on poly bushes.

For understeer I'd go wider front tyres first as that will also give you more traction and better braking. What are you running at present?
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Re: Anyone looking to get into trackdays next year?

by Chavtastic » Wed Apr 29, 2015 12:04 pm

Quick bump with an offer of free tuition and passenger laps at the Nurburgring next month!
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Re: Anyone looking to get into trackdays next year?

by KERR_SE9 » Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:19 pm

What date you going Ben?
Got my stag do end if may but could be tempted, not a calibra sadly but it does have over 500bhp and a little lighter....
Do you have an idea of rough costs and an itinerary ?
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