Daily Driver by Weekday, Racer by Weekend

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JohnBM01

JohnBM01

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This is a bit more of a "Cars in General" deal than a "Drifting and Other Motorsports" deal because we're not discussing racing in general here. Anyhow, I just got through watching "Sports Car Revolution," and I seen the Acura RSX and Kia Rio 5-door be converted from street cars to semi-racing cars. They been converted with bodykits, performance parts, and are basically tuner cars that can do more than be "show, no go" performance. They don't have walls of stereos, suicide doors, nothing to be showy. They can be street cars, but also race cars on the track. The most important feature is the "racing on a budget" deal. It isn't like tuning a Toyota Supra in Gran Turismo with more than $200,000 in tuning to make it perform 2 to 3 times much better than stock. Now sure, you can tune an RSX or Rio (don't know any Kia tuners) to be on Sport Compact Car, Import Tuner, Super Street, or whatever. But SCR is teaching you that if you want to race and you don't have a capable machine, you can still race your compact to the limit.

So, how do take a car from daily driver to racer, that can go back to being a regular driver? I remember seeing a Lancer Evo... I want to say 5, this past Saturday that had a driver plate with SCCA Pro Rally on it. This dude took it to the streets, and can race any given race day or night. How are you going to handle racing and street driving with one car? You know, given the fact you may wipe out on track (sometimes a BIG wipeout), you obviosuly take chances on the track. You lose your race car, you lost a daily driver. But, how do you make the transistion and then go back to having it as a daily driver at day's end? Reply now.
 
I've been doing this for a long time, and I plan on doing it for as long as I can drive. There's nothing more fun than taking the car you drive pretty much everyday to a racetrack. Brings a whole lot of confidence into the said car, IMO, when you know how it reacts when you push it near its limits and yours. If you crash, too bad, buy yourself a beater to drive around while this car's getting fixed, or better yet, rebuild your car, and take that beater to the track!

I can tell you, there's nothing more fun than driving to the track, then simply switching tires so you still have some rubber left when you go home (it's usually a good idea to have another vehicle, a pit crew, if you want, to haul stuff around like an extra set of tires) and whoop some trailer queen racecar ass, then put the street tires on, and go home with the same car.
 
You have to mess up really bad in order to screw your car bad enough to where you total it. I've seen a BMW go off road at the local race course and the car was just fine, needless to say he didn't flip it. It's especially hard to do it at just normal autocrosses. You would almost have to try and hit signs or light poles the way the courses are set up.

And I agree with PunkRock.
 
My car is my Daily Driver and my Race Car. It is my only car infact. I drive my Talon to work every day and than on Friday night Test n' Tunes and Sport Compact drags on Saturday I go and run 12's. My brother has a trailer for backup but every time so far, my reliable 4G63 has drove home. This car has even been threw TSD rallies wich are very hard on any car. My brother has an SCCA ProRally built Galant VR-4 that gets street driven on occasion. If my Talon was ever to break at a race, we have a couple other 1G DSM's I could drive during the rebuild. In my life, Ive always had the money for racing, and never the money for another car. Like my brother says, "If I werent racing, I'd be wealthy."
 
Originally posted by JohnBM01

So, how do take a car from daily driver to racer, that can go back to being a regular driver?
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Just buy this - stock, it was faster than probably 60% of its class:

MJ88_pioneer.jpg
 
-Spare set of wheels, preferably light, with R-comp tires mounted on them. Shaved DOT legal or pure slicks if budget and/or rules allow.
-Adjustable height coilover suspension with compromise track/street use springs.
-Adjustable shocks.
-Adjustable sways.
-A good helmet.
-Track shoes/clothing if applicable.
-Spare parts, tools, fluids, etc.
-A Friday night prep routine like swapping comfy daily driver seats with lightweight race seats. Removing rear seats, stereo stuff if you have any. Installing and/or adjusting harness belts if applicable.
-Check/bleed brake fluid and coolant. In fact, double check the whole car. Tech it or it will be teched for you. We stopped a guy once for a missing lug bolt.
-At the track if you drive there; replace street brake pads with track pads.
-If they don't feed you at the track, food and lots of water for the most important part of the car: the nut holding the wheel. You get very hot doing this sort of thing. Last thing you want to do is pass out.

EDIT - Or bag everything and just buy a Jeep Comanche.

Most serious track junkies have a set up similar to this. Of course, you don't need all this if its a HPDE or a Solo II. In fact, all you need for a Solo II is a driver's license, a helmet and a car that passes tech.

If you are a real hardcore racer, you build a track car and drive a truck as a daily driver --to tow your racecar to the track with.


M
 
Originally posted by ///M-Spec
-Spare set of wheels, preferably light, with R-comp tires mounted on them. Shaved DOT legal or pure slicks if budget and/or rules allow.
-Adjustable height coilover suspension with compromise track/street use springs.
-Adjustable shocks.
-Adjustable sways.
-A good helmet.
-Track shoes/clothing if applicable.
-Spare parts, tools, fluids, etc.
-A Friday night prep routine like swapping comfy daily driver seats with lightweight race seats. Removing rear seats, stereo stuff if you have any. Installing and/or adjusting harness belts if applicable.
-Check/bleed brake fluid and coolant. In fact, double check the whole car.
-At the track if you drive there; replace street brake pads with track pads.
-If they don't feed you at the track, food and lots of water for the most important part of the car: the nut holding the wheel.
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How come I don't see "-1988 Jeep Comanche"?
 
Originally posted by retsmah
I think if you are buying a car for street/track use, you could do a lot better than a Commanche.
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Take out "for street/track use" and that sentence is probably still true.
 
Originally posted by 5LiterRiceEater
so you want to make your comanchee a strip/daily driver? is this what your asking? or how to do it?
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:odd: Do you have me confused with JohnBM01? Or have you just decided against reading?
 
Originally posted by M5Power
:odd: Do you have me confused with JohnBM01? Or have you just decided against reading?
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I was asking JohnBM01 that, cause he never said that he was going to make his comanchee a strip/daily driver. and i was asking that because ive done it and had a low 10 sec pass. and drove it home afterwards
 
yeah, believe it or not. who else do you know that has had a comanchee run a low 10 second quater mile and it still be street legal... and thats why i did it because no one else, (that I know of) had.
 
I have a buddy who has miata, few performance parts, a Koni suspension, and a hard top. All he does is trailer slick tires with him to the track...yes he pulls a small little trailer with his tires and his tools in it and yes its in a miata.

He switches his tires at the track, does his racing, puts his street tires back on and drives home. There you go a daily driver with track racing capibilties.
 
ya know... miatas are fun cars to drive. (havent driven newer one) because they are so light you can about throw them around anywhere. they do need a little engine, and suspension work to be a really fun track car.
 
Originally posted by 5LiterRiceEater
they do need a little engine, and suspension work to be a really fun track car.
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The same can be said for most cars. The Miata like the 3rd generation Rx-7, is very well known in SCCA circles.
 
At the autocrosses around here I see a lot of Fox body Mustangs, older Camaros, and a few C4 vettes. Although I will see the occansional Impeza, miata, rx-7 and some other cars. But for the most part its the older sports cars. Guess it must be the area.

I've actually tried to autocross in my Blazer...lets just say bad idea. But it was worth a shot.
 
Originally posted by BlazinXtreme

I've actually tried to autocross in my Blazer...lets just say bad idea. But it was worth a shot.
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You remember Magic069 by any chance? He autocrossed his Xtreme S-10 pickup and placed first in his catergory here in Orlando : )
 
Really? Well the S-10 Xtremes are 2-3 inches lower then the Blazer Xtreme, that might help a little bit. Plus I have really craptastic tires, so that might have added to the poor handling. Or the best possibility...I'm just not a good autocross driver.
 
Also the Blaze has a higher c.g. due to all that metal where there would be air above the bed on an S-10. Is the wheelbase also shorter?
 
I don't have a car, remember? Sure as crap wouldn't get a Comanche. Now, what about all of you that go for lightweight body parts, racing mufflers, racing tires, and the whole shebang when going to the track? Like, well... here is my thing.

Let's say that you own a 2004 Honda Accord 2-door. You have this lovely Honda as a daily driver with 240 horsepower and front-drive. When you decide to take this to the local road course or Autocross circuit, you think about modding this car. Now before you think I'm talking about "ricing out" this Accord, don't think that. Now let's say that this is what you equip your 2004 Accord two door with: GT Wing, racing muffler, sport tires, roll cage, urethane front bumper, lighter front hood, urethane rear bumper, and you may even put in a supercharger. You mod your car so that you get performance upgrades and not turning your car into a Lowrider or a tuner car. You have a stylish car to take around town and to work.

Some people have only a car they bought from a car dealer or used car lot and have basically no superior tuning done. But as I think, if you got the money to make a car perform much better than stock, then go for it. Get a good car for a bargain and do little to make it better, then that's good too. I mean, I'm sure some local racers have their own daily driver that subs as a race car over the weekends.

Now, if you own a car that is either exotic or somewhat expensive (for example, an Audi TT, BMW M3, Porsche Boxster, and up), then chances are, that's your weekend ride, since most of these cars don't really make them suitable for driving all through the week. But if you have an expensive car that performs well and doesn't consume gas like water, then you have your own weekend warrior in an already-capable machine.

Anyone else want to talk more on this?
 
Originally posted by JohnBM01
Now before you think I'm talking about "ricing out" this Accord, don't think that. Now let's say that this is what you equip your 2004 Accord two door with: GT Wing, racing muffler, sport tires, roll cage, urethane front bumper, lighter front hood, urethane rear bumper, and you may even put in a supercharger. You mod your car so that you get performance upgrades and not turning your car into a Lowrider or a tuner car.
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Bodykits and racing mufflers won't make you go faster, you just contradicted yourself there, mate. That's what a "ricer" would go for in the first place. And an 04' Accord isn't a good car at all to go racing with. Too heavy, and poorly balanced.
 
I kind of wanted to go with the Accord because of the 240hp motor. And besides, I just chose any car. Just wanted to make an example.

With that said, I'm actually intrigued by the people who turn their daily driver into their race car. Nice topic I've created here. I was always curious about people who do that sort of thing. You know, take a daily driver into the risky world of racing. If you love your car so much to actually enter the world of racing, then obviously you have a heart for the race. Now if you just modify a car and mod it out and maybe go with a lighter car, then you are obviously DEDICATED to racing. Now it would be a little different if you have one car, then have another car of the same model to convert to racing.

As far as Speed World Challenge is concerned, does some other group convert a street car for racing, or are they actually built in shops? Now surely, they are pure race cars. That was off-topic, but I just wanted to bring that up.
 
You can sure as heck run an Accord coupe at a track event or autocross. Just don't expect to run very fast or have much fun doing it. The car is simply not designed to do that sort of thing very well, especially given its lack of an LSD. It is an okay handling street car, but I expect it would need some upgrades to cope with track/autocross.

If that's your bag, I'd start by looking at the suspension and the brakes, then see if there is an LSD application for it. By the time you're done though, you would have been better off getting an RSX-S or S2000 --which, short of an NSX, is the best Honda for this sort of thing.

World Challenge cars are built by teams from the ground up as pure race cars. Most teams buy a bare bodyshell from the factory and go from there.


M
 
Originally posted by skip0110
Also the Blaze has a higher c.g. due to all that metal where there would be air above the bed on an S-10. Is the wheelbase also shorter?
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The 2 door blazer has a 100 inch wheel base. It's built on the same frame as the non-extened cab S-10, its just that the S-10 is slightly longer with the body.
 
Originally posted by JohnBM01
urethane front bumper, lighter front hood, urethane rear bumper
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Hehe, sure you don't want a ligher rear hood to go along with that? :)

The front and rear bumpers, or at least the body panels that you would be replacing, weigh next to nothing. The bumper on my Civic, with the turn signals still in it, probably weighed three or four pounds at most.

In any case, my MR2 would have been a street/track car, except it decided to stop running right before the track event I was going to. I think the most important thing would be to just have a car that is fun to drive fast, unless it's really important to you that you win the local autox.
 

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