13 replies to this topic

[justcallmemac]

Hi, Am new to the forum and need some advice. I've got a nicely sorted 220bhp Westfield, which I currently track but she only comes out in the dry (And I can't use a roof / wet weather gear, as it has a full roll cage). So for when it's cold, damp and wet, (or if the other half fancies joining me on track), I'm looking for a lightweight, well-balanced track-focused car, with a roof, which will also give me a few smiles per miles on the road, on occasion. I've done the modified Evo and Impreza thing to death in the past but based on the huge enjoyment I get from my 550kg Westy, I'm looking for something lightweight, which has great handling and driver involvement and is hopefully fairly wallet-friendly in terms of overall mechanical and electrical reliability and also maintenance, i.e does it eat tyres / disks / pads or does the light weight counter wear and tear? Was therefore looking at Elise and Exige (too serious / expensive for my needs) but keep getting drawn to the VX220 (Turbo or SC) and preferably a track-focused one, in terms of mods. What would you recommend I look out for, in terms of a wish list and what sort of budget should I set aside. Have obviously looked at various cars in the For Sale section and also on PH, so have some idea but I always prefer to hear it from those in the know first and foremost. Can prevent a lot of heartache later. Fully appreciate that buying an already well-sorted and maintained car will save me considerably in the future, although they will probably be more difficult to find. Also, do you guys ever strengthen your engines or upgrade your turbos / sc, or are they pretty bullet proof and more than capable, respectfully, as is, if serviced regularly and safely mapped? Just that I've always forged any engine that I've tracked and ensured that the turbo is safeguared and all cooling up to scratch to do the job. Look forward to receiving your replies. Cheers, Mac

[Lumberjack]

http://www.pistonhea...les/3129567.htm This is the best track car on the site and all recently refurbed and upto top spec ... best power braking system in the country with the extra large discs ... price is very attractive for what you get ...

[Boombang]

Out of interest, are you keeping the Westy too? I personally don't see tyres, discs or pads as anywhere near expensive for the VX. Full set of pads and discs is sub £200 (for decent stuff!). Out of the box a VXT is quick, 'Stage 2' makes a huge difference and is mechanically bomb proof - the odd sensor may play up but again they are all sensible money (sub £100). You'll probably want one with a good afermarket rad, some decent suspension, and aftermarket wheels (to give decent tyre choice).

[justcallmemac]

Out of interest, are you keeping the Westy too?

I personally don't see tyres, discs or pads as anywhere near expensive for the VX. Full set of pads and discs is sub £200 (for decent stuff!).

Out of the box a VXT is quick, 'Stage 2' makes a huge difference and is mechanically bomb proof - the odd sensor may play up but again they are all sensible money (sub £100).

You'll probably want one with a good afermarket rad, some decent suspension, and aftermarket wheels (to give decent tyre choice).

Thanks for the reply and yes, I'll be keeping the Westy.

Is there any consensus that an SC conversion is more suited to the track than a turbo, stock or upgraded?

[rob999]

General consensus on best track car would be to go down the SC route. This is only my opinion but due to the more linear delivery it's easier to get the power down sooner. I will say that this can depend on the circuit obviously. You can't go wrong with a turbo or SC but I would suggest a SC'd VX for what you're after

[MAXR]

In essence, A well sorted NA, SC or tubby will probably lap in similar times on track. It probably depends on how you like your power delivery.... There's pros & cons for all. My opinion is to get to around 265 HP, on standard internals & enjoy your track time without paying big money for not a lot more fun! Max

[WrightStuff]

Joe and Lee on here do the supercharger conversions. I think its about £3.2k for a stage 2 (~250bhp). Thats parts, labour, the whole shibbang. Versus £5k if you took it to Courtenays. Can you go to sc stage 2 on the std na exhaust ? Anyone ?

[justcallmemac]

In essence, A well sorted NA, SC or tubby will probably lap in similar times on track. It probably depends on how you like your power delivery.... There's pros & cons for all. My opinion is to get to around 265 HP, on standard internals & enjoy your track time without paying big money for not a lot more fun!

Max

Thanks Max.

Would you say then that around 265bhp is about the limit to 'safely' track an SC or Turbo, on std internals?

Have seen a few 290bhp+ turbos, which look good, but I'm concerned that both the turbo plus internals would be put under too much strain unless supported?

Like you say the difference on track between the various figures won't be too noticable and my emphasis is on having fun, which can be handled and enjoyed, not fun where I'm always having to be waryt!

Also, do you guys fit baffled sumps / oil coolers / uprated induction, or does the OEM spec cater for that?

What's the general opinion ?

Cheers.

[TheRealVXed]

On the 2.2 at least the internals have been vastly over engineered for the standard power. General concensus seems to be that the standard internals are good for 300bhp. Many people have been running 250/260bhp on SC conversions for a while with no issues. Me personally I would head down the linear power delivery route, especially if you are going to be using this predominantly when the weather is not good enough for the Westy. The turbo lag can catch you out easily and once these things start to swap ends they are much harder to recover than the front engined rear drive specimens you are used to. Driving style and technique will differ hugely from the Westy. I would recommend getting a really well sorted N/A do a few days in it and see how you get on with a view to going down the SC route later.

[justcallmemac]

On the 2.2 at least the internals have been vastly over engineered for the standard power. General concensus seems to be that the standard internals are good for 300bhp. Many people have been running 250/260bhp on SC conversions for a while with no issues.

Me personally I would head down the linear power delivery route, especially if you are going to be using this predominantly when the weather is not good enough for the Westy. The turbo lag can catch you out easily and once these things start to swap ends they are much harder to recover than the front engined rear drive specimens you are used to. Driving style and technique will differ hugely from the Westy. I would recommend getting a really well sorted N/A do a few days in it and see how you get on with a view to going down the SC route later.

Thanks for taking the time to reply mate.

Much appreciated and I agree 100%.

Think that an SC conversion is the way to go for me.

[The Batman]

Incorrect info, rods need changing at 265+ as the rods Then it's pistons at around 285ish to be safe. Stage 2 depending on exhaust will take you to the safe limit of 260ish if you want more than that then you might aswell go stage 3 and get 300bhp but this is full internals. Afterall no point changing the rods without doing the pistons etc as it's uneconomical in the long run

[The Batman]

The above info is for a sc Turbo internals are good for 300bhpish but the torque tends to kill gearboxes Have heard this happen a few times with stage 4 Overall stage 2 turbo or stage 2 sc is the most reliable stage

[Pidgeon]

If I was building a car for purely circuit use, I would start with an N/A as the weight of the Z20LET (turbo) engine is the factor that limits the enjoyment of the performance. It has a cast iron block, while the N/A is aluminium. On a tight circuit, there is little between the two cars in standard format (I'm thinking of the old Anglesey). On a faster circuit, Silverstone GP for example, the N/A would not see which way the Turbo had gone. Give me two modified cars and I would guess a committed entry into Copse would be significantly faster in the SCed NA than in the Turbo. Nothing to do with power delivery (pretty much a myth on well tuned cars), but everything to do with trying to control the lump of pig iron behind you.

[bunsenburner]

Significant modifications are common place in these cars, and many of the limitations have been tried and tested (some lessons learned the hard way). So you come to the scene benefitting from a few years of real life testing, and at a time when there are plenty of good cars to choose from. The VX forum is very active and there is plenty of guidance, group buys and advice to be had here. Most VXers are a friendly bunch and someone local would be happy to accompany you to view a potential purchase. I have been here less than a year buying into an SC with the intention of using it as a track focussed car. Like yourself I wanted a car that would require a lot of driver input free of any electronic aids, and one that I could drive to the circuit. So it had to have a roof and with some budget considerations the VX was perfect. I have done 9 different circuits in the last few months and have never regretted a moment