Kev@tkl s14a now and out and out track car

kev@tga · Post by **kev@tga** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:49 am

just recently had the car prep by apt :-D for the snett track evening it need a full fluid changed, new paddle clutch and a new set off toyo r888 plus the arches rolling to take the slightly wider rubber, I have had the rest of the roll cage fitted and it completely stripped out so was looking forward to see what differences that made at snett, i was a little nervous as i had not driven the car on track in anger for over a year and not even driven it anywhere for over 6 months lol, Once i got settled in and scrub the new tyres in (i got bored after one warm up lap and just decided to go for it lol) the car felt alot more balanced ,ridged and seemed alot more responsive than what it did (bare in mind it was over a year ago i last drove it lol) i felt pretty comfortable with it and it didnt seem to get that much unsettled even with my erractic driving lol all in all it went well :-D

Post by **Stuart** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:01 am

I'll agree Kev, the car seemed far better as a package. The tyres took the grip to new levels, the brakes have always been impressive and the weight reduction obviously helped with both of these areas.

I was very impressed with the car overall and it highlighted to me just how good a well balanced 200 could be. The car has quite modest levels of power but more than enough to be quick and satisfying to drive.

I would prefer a lower seating position as the feeling of being close to the cage was noticeable but that's more for my benefit as a 6'5" chap, with you Kev I would imagine that's not such an issue. The thing I loved, the thing about the car that amazed me was the whole acoustic experience. If anyone on here has been in or near Kevs car when it's running you'll know what I mean. The fuel pump buzzes away, the noise of the turbo spooling up, the dump valve doing its thing. All very unecessary I know but still an enjoyable facet of owning and driving a car because you can get the fun from this whether you're driving 'A to B' style or bombing along on a track.

If you are genuinely going track only Kev, are you going to keep this road legal? If so, there are only a few more things you can do short of rebuilding the engine, bigger turbo (s) etc. If you decide to go more hardcore dropping the legality so it becomes a trailer queen, the options are endless. I would leave it road legal in honesty, I think it's that good :thumb:

kev@tga · Post by **kev@tga** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:23 am

stuart wrote:I'll agree Kev, the car seemed far better as a package. The tyres took the grip to new levels, the brakes have always been impressive and the weight reduction obviously helped with both of these areas.

I was very impressed with the car overall and it highlighted to me just how good a well balanced 200 could be. The car has quite modest levels of power but more than enough to be quick and satisfying to drive.

I would prefer a lower seating position as the feeling of being close to the cage was noticeable but that's more for my benefit as a 6'5" chap, with you Kev I would imagine that's not such an issue. The thing I loved, the thing about the car that amazed me was the whole acoustic experience. If anyone on here has been in or near Kevs car when it's running you'll know what I mean. The fuel pump buzzes away, the noise of the turbo spooling up, the dump valve doing its thing. All very unecessary I know but still an enjoyable facet of owning and driving a car because you can get the fun from this whether you're driving 'A to B' style or bombing along on a track.

If you are genuinely going track only Kev, are you going to keep this road legal? If so, there are only a few more things you can do short of rebuilding the engine, bigger turbo (s) etc. If you decide to go more hardcore dropping the legality so it becomes a trailer queen, the options are endless. I would leave it road legal in honesty, I think it's that good :thumb:

Thanks for the good points stu, i do feel a little trapped in the car now with the front cage in as when i have the crash hat on i have to tilt my head ever so slightly to the left to stop it touching on the top right of the cage we have lowered the seat as much as possible with the mounts supplied and even removed the padding from the bucket seats to sit that little bit lower bit imo they need to sit a good 30mm lower or be bolted directly to the floor which would be a chore if some one else wanted to have a go as the wouldnt move backwards or forward lol, i have decided to take it of the road for the following reasons, it costs me

Post by **Stuart** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:27 am

Did you type that response without taking a breath? :lol:

Sounds like you need a traders policy or just an 'ocassional use' supplement on one of your other policies then? Bolting the seat to the floor is fine in reality. The pros of moving the seat down 30mm far outweigh the cons of splitting your head upon like a melon and the very slim need to cater for other drivers convenience.

kev@tga · Post by **kev@tga** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:37 am

stuart wrote:Did you type that response without taking a breath? :lol:

Sounds like you need a traders policy or just an 'ocassional use' supplement on one of your other policies then? Bolting the seat to the floor is fine in reality. The pros of moving the seat down 30mm far outweigh the cons of splitting your head upon like a melon and the very slim need to cater for other drivers convenience.

lol yes sorry mate writting and grammer are not on of my strong points lol, i will have to look into this traders policy thing i will have another chat with gary when he comes back

kev@tga · Post by **kev@tga** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:37 am

so what other things would you do to it mate if it was going to be a tralier queen? :-D

Post by **Stuart** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:00 am

Lightened doors and boot
Ditch the heater system and buy a heated front screen
Drop the drivers seat as low as possible
Get an accusump
Get a plumbed in fire extinguisher system

Get some driver training
Get your non-race National B license
Go sprinting and get some experience

Trailers are available to hire, as you know, for not a lot of money. You can buy decent ones like Ross' for sub

kev@tga · Post by **kev@tga** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:02 pm

[quote="stuart"]Lightened doors and boot , done
Ditch the heater system and buy a heated front screen, done
Drop the drivers seat as low as possible, not done
Get an accusump, not done
Get a plumbed in fire extinguisher system, not done

Get some driver training, agreed lol
Get your non-race National B license
Go sprinting and get some experience

Trailers are available to hire, as you know, for not a lot of money. You can buy decent ones like Ross' for sub

Bladerider · Post by **Bladerider** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:19 pm

Oh and dont forget,

A Sparco racing pie holder !!!!

RX7 · Post by **RX7** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:20 pm

Yeah certainly worth doing the trailer route for piece of mind.
Especially if you are thinking of taking it to the Nurburgring !!!!!!

Car looks good mate, I think you need to have an overall plan of where you want the car to be in the next year or so and work to that. Deciding it should be a trailer queen is a big decision in my opinion if you arent going to mod it much further.