Not keen on using my car on the track

[TomK]

i'm pretty confident any 997 or 981 would be fine on any average track day just as it left the factory :wink:

I think you'll find quite a few porsche owners who might not agree with you there :lol:

i'm clearly not getting my point over with this one :| i simply have absolutely no interest whatsoever in any part of the trackday scene & your difficulty understanding why i don't because i like performance cars is a little baffling :?

No you're not, you're right. It seems to me that you're convinced your way is the right way and won't entertain any other way,.
Maybe you won't like driving on track or the 'track day scene' as you eloquently put it, but until you actually try it why be so derogatory about it? It all seems weirdly defensive. I think we all get the premise that you don't like the idea of driving on track, but to suggest to someone else that is thinking about it that they're better off going on a 'hoon' on 'empty' roads is disingenuous at best imo. :thumbsdown:

Anyhows, I'm off to drive this guy tomorrow, sadly no track but we're heading out of the cotswolds I might just have some non track related fun would you believe...

 

[mr wilks]

i'm pretty confident any 997 or 981 would be fine on any average track day just as it left the factory :wink:

I think you'll find quite a few porsche owners who might not agree with you there :lol:

i'm clearly not getting my point over with this one :| i simply have absolutely no interest whatsoever in any part of the trackday scene & your difficulty understanding why i don't because i like performance cars is a little baffling :?

No you're not, you're right. It seems to me that you're convinced your way is the right way and won't entertain any other way,.
Maybe you won't like driving on track or the 'track day scene' as you eloquently put it, but until you actually try it why be so derogatory about it? It all seems weirdly defensive. I think we all get the premise that you don't like the idea of driving on track, but to suggest to someone else that is thinking about it that they're better off going on a 'hoon' on 'empty' roads is disingenuous at best imo. :thumbsdown:

Anyhows, I'm off to drive this guy tomorrow, sadly no track but we're heading out of the cotswolds I might just have some non track related fun would you believe...
WhatsApp Image 2019-11-09 at 10.01.21.jpeg

Ok Tom lets clarify at this point for those who haven't read the thread or replies thoroughly ( yourself included )

The OP wrote

" I’d love to be able to really drive my car hard as only an M likes however, I would never in a million years take it on a track, "
I replied on the roadtrip suggestion that may prove a answer to his quandary , at no time have i been disingenuous or derogatory towards trackdays ( feel free to find those & highlight) i simply replied to the constant snide remarks you added throughout over why i should try one or why you can't understand anyone with a interest in cars would not want to do one
I also suggested any stock 997 or 981 would be fine for a "average" track day :? you say they won't ? i presume they are equally specced in terms of handling , cooling , braking than say a stock Si E85 E86 / ZM ? so in effect you are implying that no owner of these should consider any track day unless they have upgraded their car from stock ?

Hope you enjoyed the day out in the Cotswolds , looks a nice car but to get anything from it surely better off on a track :?
Driving it on the roads might be a little dull for you unless of course ( your words ) you are either a hot shoe , Walter Rohl or a total c### . . . . i'l hedge my bets on that one ( your words too )
I'm off out with the dogs now , my misanthropy has flared up , might take the car out for a blatt around the Ribble valley later when i'm in the mood

 

[MrPT]

Bet you’re glad you asked eh, Simon?

 

[Ed Doe]

Yep bet you're glad you asked for an extensive missive on why Mr Wilks prefers a Sunday bumble over a trackday.....

Wait that wasn't the question was it....? :roll:

 

[mr wilks]

Yep bet you're glad you asked for an extensive missive on why Mr Wilks prefers a Sunday bumble over a trackday.....

Wait that wasn't the question was it....? :roll:

No it was solely in reply to Tom's indignation as to why I wouldn't be interested in a track day experience & intended solely to convey why it could be that I have so little interest in taking any car I owned onto a track
Clearly wasted on you too
You both seem to be convinced it's something every owner should be onto yet reality of this forum suggests its a minority who do so.

 

[mr wilks]

Bet you’re glad you asked eh, Simon?

Not as much as me bothering to reply
There aren't many threads i wished I never bothered with but this is certainly one.
I rarely if ever comment on any track day content for obvious reasons :roll:

 

[Z4M-2006]

Come on....

We all know about track days dont we,its not how fast you can go its how big your wang is in the pit lane..

 

[mr wilks]

Come on....

We all know about track days dont we,its not how fast you can go its how big your wang is in the pit lane..

Not being down with the track lingo "wang" :? presume that translates to wallet or ego

 

[Tinker15]

Well round here wang means to throw as in welly wanging. Apparently it can have other meanings. https://www.internetslang.com/WANG-meaning-definition.asp

In the past I’ve done one or three track days and quite enjoyed them. A little too old for them now though. Photo below was over 9 years ago. :driving:

 

[RedUn]

i'm pretty confident any 997 or 981 would be fine on any average track day just as it left the factory :wink:

I think you'll find quite a few porsche owners who might not agree with you there :lol:

i'm clearly not getting my point over with this one :| i simply have absolutely no interest whatsoever in any part of the trackday scene & your difficulty understanding why i don't because i like performance cars is a little baffling :?

No you're not, you're right. It seems to me that you're convinced your way is the right way and won't entertain any other way,.
Maybe you won't like driving on track or the 'track day scene' as you eloquently put it, but until you actually try it why be so derogatory about it? It all seems weirdly defensive. I think we all get the premise that you don't like the idea of driving on track, but to suggest to someone else that is thinking about it that they're better off going on a 'hoon' on 'empty' roads is disingenuous at best imo. :thumbsdown:

Anyhows, I'm off to drive this guy tomorrow, sadly no track but we're heading out of the cotswolds I might just have some non track related fun would you believe...
WhatsApp Image 2019-11-09 at 10.01.21.jpeg

Ok Tom lets clarify at this point for those who haven't read the thread or replies thoroughly ( yourself included )

The OP wrote

" I’d love to be able to really drive my car hard as only an M likes however, I would never in a million years take it on a track, "
I replied on the roadtrip suggestion that may prove a answer to his quandary , at no time have i been disingenuous or derogatory towards trackdays ( feel free to find those & highlight) i simply replied to the constant snide remarks you added throughout over why i should try one or why you can't understand anyone with a interest in cars would not want to do one
I also suggested any stock 997 or 981 would be fine for a "average" track day :? you say they won't ? i presume they are equally specced in terms of handling , cooling , braking than say a stock Si E85 E86 / ZM ? so in effect you are implying that no owner of these should consider any track day unless they have upgraded their car from stock ?

Hope you enjoyed the day out in the Cotswolds , looks a nice car but to get anything from it surely better off on a track :?
Driving it on the roads might be a little dull for you unless of course ( your words ) you are either a hot shoe , Walter Rohl or a total c### . . . . i'l hedge my bets on that one ( your words too )
I'm off out with the dogs now , my misanthropy has flared up , might take the car out for a blatt around the Ribble valley later when i'm in the mood

Do I dare dip my toe into this...

I think the ultimately the point here is, some people like going for a blast on an empty road in a nice car, nothing wrong with that.

Essentially though with the cars we're talking about and infact most modern cars, you'll never get to feel the engineering of the car on the road. The roads aren't good enough and the cars are just too fast with too much grip to explore them.

Hence the track comments, same car, different envelope, it really is eye opening.

I guess the argument is, if you've never experienced it you'll never understand and that's not to say that everyone is interested in finding out either, horses for courses and all that.

Ref a standard car going on track, they are all capable, just depends how much you want to push it, go steady and there will be no issues. Start going quicker and all cars have their limitations...

 

[enuff_zed]

I think, for the sake of the OP, this thread should be got back on track oke:

 

[RedUn]

I agree :rofl:

 

[brillomaster]

right, bringing this back on track... if I had a nice Z4M coupe, I would not consider a cheap £3k 3.0i as a track toy, as it'd be just too similar to the Z4M - fundamentally the same car, 'cept one is worth way more, and is a bit quicker.

however, I've have long been an advocate of buying a cheap second car for trackdays - but it has to be substantially different to my daily driver. I bought my cheap £3k zed as a track toy only, since its considerably more suitable than my daily - an automatic 330d.

Personally, I would just man up and take the Z4M to Bedford autodrome - its long, wide, flat, with acres of run off, so you can actually drive it properly with very minimal risk - probably less risky that trying to drive quickly along a bumpy, narrow, hedge lined b road. And entire days can be had for as little as £120, which is the same as a couple of tanks of petrol. brakes and tyres wear is actually pretty minimal if you're sensible.

 

[Z4M-2006]

I used to compete at Clubman level at motorsport,and agree that track driving can be fun.. That said i wouldnt take my road car on there,suspension and brakes just arent good enough on anything in standard form.

The last time i did a track day at Bruntingthorpe i killed a set of brand new Conti's and did £90 of fuel and that was years ago.

 

[Simon 3.2M]

I’m not a fan of hooning it on the open road, yes I appreciate those in the discussion would use sensible judgment about the time and place to open the throttle. I neither have the skill or desire to do that hence my thoughts on a second “cheaper” car. An interesting point raised was that of not needing a super powerful car to have fun so a 2.5 may even be an option.
Don’t get me wrong I do drive my M spiritedly on occasion but I feel as though the car really needs to be well above 5000rpm to get the most from it - not the area you sit in on the open road. Also when it comes to my cars I do tend to mollycoddle them. I’ve done everything to my car including the rod bearings to make her “right” so she can be enjoyed with peace of mind and with nothing but oil changes being carried out twice yearly regardless of mileage.
If I was to bin my M on the track I’d be gutted however, a £1500 2.5 would be much easier to stomach plus as a mechanic, I can fix most issues with the car and the M54 engine. I don’t have the money to put in to a Caterham or the like so for me I’d drive to the track, have fun and hopefully drive home.

 

[Vanne]

Awesome thread..

 

[brillomaster]

oh yeah any car is fun on track... I started out with an E36 328i that I bought for £410 off ebay. it was awesome fun, 190bhp is more than enough to swap ends in the wet if you're not careful, and the engine sounded great at maximum attack. with decent brakes and tyres it put shame to considerably more expensive machinery as well, but that may have been because we drove it like we stole it.

That lasted 12 trackdays before it had a slight meeting with a wall at rockingham, and we sold it on.

if you want do trackdays but don't want to risk your expensive car, I'd heartily recommend a track beater car if you can afford it - a £1500 2.5i will still be great fun on track.

 

[Haggisman]

I’m not a fan of hooning it on the open road, yes I appreciate those in the discussion would use sensible judgment about the time and place to open the throttle. I neither have the skill or desire to do that hence my thoughts on a second “cheaper” car. An interesting point raised was that of not needing a super powerful car to have fun so a 2.5 may even be an option.
Don’t get me wrong I do drive my M spiritedly on occasion but I feel as though the car really needs to be well above 5000rpm to get the most from it - not the area you sit in on the open road. Also when it comes to my cars I do tend to mollycoddle them. I’ve done everything to my car including the rod bearings to make her “right” so she can be enjoyed with peace of mind and with nothing but oil changes being carried out twice yearly regardless of mileage.
If I was to bin my M on the track I’d be gutted however, a £1500 2.5 would be much easier to stomach plus as a mechanic, I can fix most issues with the car and the M54 engine. I don’t have the money to put in to a Caterham or the like so for me I’d drive to the track, have fun and hopefully drive home.

I did exactly that in my 911 RS, drove to the track, did a sprint and drove home (luckily for me).Really just cost me normal consumables and more regular fluid changes. When it became too valuable I bought a much cheaper car to do the same and really improved my driving as I didn’t need the same restraint. By then I was bitten by the race bug and the law of diminishing returns on my wallet.

 

[Haggisman]

oh yeah any car is fun on track... I started out with an E36 328i that I bought for £410 off ebay. it was awesome fun, 190bhp is more than enough to swap ends in the wet if you're not careful, and the engine sounded great at maximum attack. with decent brakes and tyres it put shame to considerably more expensive machinery as well, but that may have been because we drove it like we stole it.

That lasted 12 trackdays before it had a slight meeting with a wall at rockingham, and we sold it on.

if you want do trackdays but don't want to risk your expensive car, I'd heartily recommend a track beater car if you can afford it - a £1500 2.5i will still be great fun on track.

Great engine ithat 2.5. Not much difference between the 2.5 and 2.8 E36 powerwise, the 2.8 benefited from a 2.5 inlet manifold.
One of the best cars for track work if you can get one at the right price, seem to go on forever. Quite a few guy’s over here have them, tyres, brakes and possibly suspension and you’re good to go.

 

[Simon 3.2M]

Bet you’re glad you asked eh, Simon?

Indeed!!! However, I did an open wheeled track day for my 50th last week - now I Definately have the bug!!!