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3 series vs gti

G

GTiorBust

Ready to race!
I have about 8k to spend on a track car (car + mods)

I currently own a gti (look at my info <-- and Sig)

I've been looking for an e36 or e46 BMW for awhile now and having trouble findig a suitable one, also 46s have a lot of known issues.

I'm thinking it might make more sense to just mod my gti a bit more and use it.

Pros:

Already own
Already upgraded (parts in Sig plus hps pads and ss lines, stage 2 uni)

Cons:

Fwd
Its my dd (biggest issue)

What do y'all think??
 
ncsugray90

ncsugray90

Ready to race!
I track my GTI and it is more or less my DD. If you aren't going with super stiff coilovers and stripping the interior it is a very capable car for pulling dual duty. If you plan on competing in actual wheel to wheel racing, I would suggest finding a good e30 shell and building it up, but the GTI makes a great HPDE toy, especially if you want to invest some of that 8k into it (my suggestion would be clutch, sways, and an LSD)

Check out a few of my youtube vid's to see how it does on track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Vsa2HEwBk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLtQzyH5ooo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4j5goBVAFo
 
G

GTiorBust

Ready to race!
Hey thanks for the quick response.

The dd thing for me is more about downtime while swapping parts than anything. Stiffness doesnt bother me and I'd have no qualms about taking out the rear seats (weight distribution??)

I was thinking

Wheels
Tires
Sways
Clutch
Maybe new fmic

Did not think of lsd


Might be worth it to use the gti for awhile until I am a good enough driver to have a dedicated track car if I still want one in the future?? Ive only done autocross a few times in a loaner so I'm no pro.
 
SuperSkyline891

SuperSkyline891

Passed Driver's Ed
You can have a ton of fun in a GTI, especially autocrossing, but the BMW is just better period. With your mods I'd leave it as a daily and find a good BMW.

My GTI started as a daily and became a track car but if I had been looking for a track car from the start I would have bought an E46 M3.
 
SuperSkyline891

SuperSkyline891

Passed Driver's Ed
Or get a Miata. NA and NB Miata's are dirt cheap. Put RPF1's on it, Hankook R-S3's, upgraded rotors/pads/lines/fluid and you still have thousands of dollars left to add power if you want it.

A stock NB on R-S3's will obliterate a GTI in autocross. My friend is 1.5 seconds faster than me on a 50 second course and his car is literally worth less than my wheels. You can build an absolute monster of a track Miata with $8000
 
Tk_mkv1

Tk_mkv1

Go Kart Champion
e46 m3's are a pain in the ass to maintain and cost a shitton compared to e36 and e92


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
G

GTiorBust

Ready to race!
yah if i could find a decent e36 or e30 then i will

miata... nah

also cant really get an m3 with 8k....
 
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N

NorthVan1

Ready to race!
Get a RWD (or AWD) car for the track, yes a GTI can do OK for a beginner to intermediate level driver, but once you get to the advanced level, you will not want a FWD car.

Some of these cars may stretch your budget a little, but will be a lot more fun in the end.

BMW 3 series, Miata (although I am not a fan of them), Honda S2000, Subaru of some kind, Porsche 944 (turbos will eat a lot of oil), Nissan 350Z, Mustang, FRS/BRZ,
 
A

aw6141

Go Kart Champion
I think FWD is fine for a track car, I just don't think I would use a newer VW as a dedicated track car unless it was a mk1/mk2 car.
 
SuperSkyline891

SuperSkyline891

Passed Driver's Ed
NorthVan said:
Get a RWD (or AWD) car for the track, yes a GTI can do OK for a beginner to intermediate level driver, but once you get to the advanced level, you will not want a FWD car.
Click to expand...

That's not even close to true, an expert will do good in any car. I rode with my instructor in his FWD Nissan NX with 180 naturally aspirated horsepower, striped interior, sticky tires, and factory LSD at my last track day. On a soaking wet track at five celsius ambient, during an instructor only session, he terrorized M3's and STi's.

I agree RWD is preferred but unless you're at the pinical of professional motorsport the car isn't letting you down, you're letting it down. Take whatever you can get and track it.
 
corrado917

corrado917

Go Kart Champion
The E36 & E46 are monsters in autocross, however if you are in budget with that money: Miata or E30: RWD & lightweight.

 
G

GTiorBust

Ready to race!
How about a boxster??? any opnions on the last gen boxsters? theres a few decent ones around here


been looking for e30s too i really like , hard to find a nice one in New England

cant find a reasonably priced s2000
 
engineered2win

engineered2win

Ready to race!
You may want to look at an e46 330i/330ci. You can find them between $3-5k if you're not looking for a DD. They have all the typical e46 issues: cooling system, oil pump, unibody to subframe tearing. If you look at a spec E46, they are around 2850lbs and 215whp. Adding power will be difficult if you are looking for a TT car, but once you strip some weight out of them they are pretty quick. No need to upgrade the brakes; just add track pads and ducting. They have 50:50 weight distribution, so are able to run more rear brake bias. They are 10-15 years newer than an e30 and make 60-70hp more than a spec e30.
 
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