Bigpower

We're selling the MR2 as although it corners like its on rails it just doesn't have enough straight line speed.

I run the car with my father so we both need to be happy with what we run, he has it in his head that a 360 Ish+ bhp Soarer or monaro as a track toy but I can't help but feel they would be extremely lardy in the corners and they both aren't well known for great handling.

Has anyone any experience of running either on track?

The other option is an R32 GT-R but although love the cars not sure 4wd is the way to go...

Opinions?

I've owned an R32 GTR, as quite a few others have on here, and they don't drive like a 4wd at any point. If you love rwd and I presume you do, they are a revelation.

As for the Soarer, John B, ran one was a fast road/track car and liked it. Intrinsically heavy in weight and feel though whatever you do I would have thought.

The Monaro's would be very similar based on road driving (not tried a 6.2 yet)

What kind of power is your MR2? My old 32 was about 470bhp and that felt ordinary after a while, and I think that most cars this side of 400bhp per tonne will do the same.

The two is only pushing about 225 so a real lightweight but not a heavy car and on sticky tyres very chuck able...

Straight line speed is so tricky though. Short of cars like APT's Evo with well over 600hp (700+ on race fuel) I'm sure that most people would get used to just about anything in a straight line. Yeah the hugely increased torque of a bigger engined car would be great on straights, but then you'd be paying a massive price into, through and out of bends..........that can't be worth it? Surely........

I've been in your shoes before but I'm not sure that either of your suggestions would scratch the itch.

You'd best ask Christian (Monster) re the R32 GTR - I was running 430 but for track time I'd say you'd need 500 but you'll also need to spend big money - GTR's are amazing but for track time they really need some big improvements for example either a baffled sump or an accusump, standard brakes do not last long, you need uprated suspension for a definite. As Stu has said, it doesn't drive like a 4wd - you can add an aftermarket torque splitr and really customise how it handles.

The GTR is amazing, at low speed it's like a punch drunk boxer, at high speed it becomes a feather weight - far more fun on the edge.

Its always a problem when you are sharing a track toy over generations.
My father-inlaw harry (on here) and i always shared a track toy and started off in a 944 then bought a MR2. Ours was not turbo`d and i realy didn`t like it. So i went solo and bought the scoob which quickly became the track hack even though it wasn`t rwd! (Harry had a lot more track experience than me having tracked everything from ferrari`s to caterhams) Three years later he had warmed so much to 4wd that he bought his own.
Maybe i was just lucky? But if i were you i would have to sway towards a gtr. Then enjoy the next wet track day.

If you really like the MR2 how about boosting its power a little?

A friend of mine sold his VXR8 (LS3 6.2ltr) last year after owning it for little over a year. The engine was beautifully smooth, sounded stunning and pulled like a train, however in stock trim it got un-deniably trounced in a straight line by my old SWB z32 TT (running its current engine at the early stages of my zed build)




In the dry on B roads the VXR8 was very predictable despite it seeming to grip the camber, whereas in the wet it was too much to drive comfortably

The LS3 (as a base) is a fantastic engine but we both felt the car itself really let it down. He lost

Not sure you can compare a 32GTR with a soarer ( I have no experience of Monaro but again, very different kettle of fish).

All 3 will give you straight line speed, although if stock surely only monaro quicker than the MR2 really. GTR on the other hand will drive round the outside (to coin a phrase) of all 3 in a corner.

I "owned" a few soarer TTs when I was doing the Jap Imports years back and although they are funny fast on the road it would never have crossed my mind to use one one track - although I know people do. Big,, heavy, steering v light and no feel. Dont get me wrong, great cars but a track hack I'm not convinced.

End of the day it's a personal choice and as said above you will never be disapointed with a GTR in terms of it's 4wd as they drive like no other 4wd in my exp, you'd never know they were. However, if it really worries you, spend half an hour wiring in a simple switch mounted to the dash which will switch it 2-4wd - I did, and love it even more

Again, as said above straight line speed is easy to get used to. My one's doing well over 600 but i'm "used" to it so it doesn't feel so mega to me anymore. So again, I suppose it points to GTR as you can keep upping the power as you get bored.....

Monster wrote:Not sure you can compare a 32GTR with a soarer ( I have no experience of Monaro but again, very different kettle of fish).

All 3 will give you straight line speed, although if stock surely only monaro quicker than the MR2 really. GTR on the other hand will drive round the outside (to coin a phrase) of all 3 in a corner.

I "owned" a few soarer TTs when I was doing the Jap Imports years back and although they are funny fast on the road it would never have crossed my mind to use one one track - although I know people do. Big,, heavy, steering v light and no feel. Dont get me wrong, great cars but a track hack I'm not convinced.

End of the day it's a personal choice and as said above you will never be disapointed with a GTR in terms of it's 4wd as they drive like no other 4wd in my exp, you'd never know they were. However, if it really worries you, spend half an hour wiring in a simple switch mounted to the dash which will switch it 2-4wd - I did, and love it even more

Again, as said above straight line speed is easy to get used to. My one's doing well over 600 but i'm "used" to it so it doesn't feel so mega to me anymore. So again, I suppose it points to GTR as you can keep upping the power as you get bored.....

Damn you man, I want one now!!