Should I track my Mustang or...(long)

[sean858]

First off I know this isn't tech but I figured I'd get better opinions on my situation in this sub-forum.

My longish story made kind of short: I started doing HPDE in 2008 and I was hooked. I had a Mazdaspeed3 that saw all but two of the road courses NASA Midwest goes to. In 2010 I bought my 5.0 and began hitting the HPDEs again along with a bit of SCCA autocross. I enjoy autocross but would rather do HPDE. Last July I had an off track excursion at an HPDE in my Mustang that resulted in some minor but surprisingly expensive damage to my Mustang and ego.

After the accident I pretty much decided I was done with HPDE and once the car was fixed it was just autocross for me. I eventually got kinda bored with autocross and needing to save for a wedding I just quit "racing" all together.

I got married this past June and bought a Roushcharger for the Mustang as a post wedding present to myself in July. All has been well but I'm REALLY starting to miss HPDE. Understandably I have qualms about getting back on track with the Mustang cause of the accident and the extra power/wear from the blower is also a concern. Last month I got a steal on 2000 Civic EX 5 speed with 143,000 miles that I intend to use for a winter beater. A friend of mine mentioned that since I'm worried about tracking the Mustang I should use the Civic as a winter beater and a track rat. Interesting.

I like that idea but I'm really not sure I want to have two cars I dump money into. The Mustang would be arguably more fun as an HPDE car but the Civic is a cheap cash car that I could drive off a cliff and not really think twice about. I figure both cars would need a good amount of money put into them to make them track worthy. The Civic this would be mostly maintenance, the Mustang would probably be cooling stuff due the extra heat from the blower. I'd like to avoid a situation where I blow the civic up and end up having two project type cars. That said I'd like to not blow my mustang up either or god forbid crash again.

So I'm looking for opinions on which car I should start prepping for some HPDE action next year. Sorry for the super long post but I'm open to all opinions. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[DILYSI Dave]

I am strictly on the side of "don't put anything on track that you aren't willing to wad up".

 

[jayel579]

The answer is Miata

 

[sean858]

I was pretty close to buying a Miata actually but that would put me at 3 cars and I'm not sure I'm up to that when I have a solid track rat sitting here as it is.

 

[SoundGuyDave]

Sean, run the Civic! As you know, all you really need is a basic, solid car, IF/UNTIL it becomes a dedicated "track rat." Your Mustang is gorgeous, and an absolute BLAST to run on track, but as you said, not a car you'd be willing to take a chance with.

Civic: Freshen the suspension bushings, make sure the shocks aren't blown, solid brakes, good tires (StarSpec would be my vote), and make sure the engine and trans hold fluids, and that's all you need. IF you have a hankering for spending money on track-goodies, go for safety gear, like a rollbar, seats and harnesses before "upgrading" anything else. That's my vote, anyway!

 

[sean858]

Thanks for your input Dave, you know I value it. The Civic is surprisingly mechanically solid considering the mileage. I've been daily driving it since I picked it up intentionally beating it pretty hard to see what'll break. So far so good. It was in a pretty major front end hit at some point but it doesn't look like the frame is messed up at all. Going with the Civic seems like the best path. I just have to figure out a game plan to get it ready for next season. Good thing Honda parts are CHEAP. You don't mind riding shotgun in a Civic do you Dave?

 

[SoundGuyDave]

Any time, Sean, any time! I'll also need to introduce you to my buddy Joe, who I co-own the CMC car with... He placed 3rd at Nationals in TTE with a Civic...

 

[OkieSnuffBox]

I am strictly on the side of "don't put anything on track that you aren't willing to wad up".

This

The answer is Miata

....and this.

I went overboard prepping my Miata to address all weak points like front hubs, etc.

 

[jsbumed]

Dave beat me to the punch, but his advice is dead on. I have two track cars in my garage at the moment. One of course is a Mustang (why else would I be here?) and the other is a Civic Si. Both are fun on the track, but in different ways. Obviously the Civic won't be as fast on the track as your Mustang, but that doesn't mean it has to be any less fun. Like Dave mentioned, be sure to look everything over, but you will have to work pretty hard to make something break on that car. My engine has been bulletproof the entire time I have had it and it has been driven hard as a dual purpose DD/track rat from day one. The biggest thing is to keep up on the scheduled maintenance.

Personally I would say take the Civic to the track and see what you think. If nothing else, use it to learn until you have all the basics down. From that point, if you want to bring the Mustang out from time to time you have the skill level to ease your mind a bit. You may also decide at that point that you want to get into it more a look for a dedicated toy at that point.

I'm pretty sure that I met you when you had your "incident" but always feel free to look me up next time you come out to an event. If you find Dave I'm probably not too far away. I would be glad to share any knowledge I have about getting a FWD (evil word on this forum I know..) around a track.

 

[OkieSnuffBox]

Obviously the Civic won't be as fast on the track as your Mustang, but that doesn't mean it has to be any less fun.

Total laptime? No, probably not.

But there is something very satisfying about hounding a "fast" car a la Viper/Vette/BOSS on slicks through a tight section of the track in a car with less HP than modern economy car.

Bonus is scaring your wife following a Viper into a heavy braking zone.