Thread: Upgrades
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Old May 11, 2011 | 03:25 PM
  #37 (permalink)  
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JHM2K
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,349
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From: Murfreesboro, TN
Default Re: Upgrades
Originally Posted by BoilerUpXFire
I can understand your desire, but I want it all LOL. Will I have to give up some 'practicality'? Sure, but its a sports car that I would like to get all I can out of. I am not trying to be an ***, but someone with all seasons saying you can't straddle the fence LOL you have one foot on each side (and for the record, my mom has Pilot Sports on her crossie) I am sure the all season tires are great, but as with your reference about cameras and phones, they don't do anything amazingly well. They are not performance tires nor are they snow tires - personally I would rather have both, so I do. To each their own.

Is there anywhere around you that offers a proper road course that you get on regularly? We do not have anything like this in Indy, but we are not 'parking lot racers' either. Obviously, if Brock Yates One Lap of America used our regular facilities with 800+ hp vipers and GTRs, it can not be too bad, but still no road course. I would prefer this as well, but with higher speeds come more chance for a catastrophic failure or something worse.

Mine will not be a daily very much longer, the more and more one off parts I get on her. She is never going to be an interior stripped race car, because I care about aesthetics too much, but when I am complete (probably never) she will be able to win a show, drive across the country in style and relative comfort, and tear up a race track on the same week. We'll see if I ever get there LOL

And I like your comment about an M killer, apparently the M coupe came with progessive rate springs was originally terrible as an autoX car, but after a $6,000 ground control complete adjustable setup, it behaves a little better on the track. We also have a wide body miata that finished 2 seconds faster than any of the one lap guys on the same course, destroying vette's, S2000s, M3s, SCed Jags, etc.

Fun stuff, I love the discussion
Again, I beg to differ that the Crossie is a true sports car… grand-touring coupe is where it has its niche in the auto world… I’d rather work with the car’s attributes than against it. It doesn’t mean I’m not going to enhance certain areas (braking, handling, acceleration) but it does mean I’m not going to go nuts about it. As you pointed out, a Miata can do the same for MUCH less $$$ and effort.

And I see you’re still picking on my tires, LOL…As I said earlier, different goals altogether. I previously had Michelin PS2 tires on my car and while the grip was rewarding, the life was horrible. And let’s face it – the amount of time I spend in traffic and on the highway (in – wait for it – ALL seasons ), versus the amount of time I spend on the track -- is staggering. So, while you may think I’m “on the fence” by running a lowered suspension, lighter wheels, and eventually lighter brakes on all-season tires, keep in mind that by doing so, my daily drive is rewarding at all times... not just if I’m trying to keep up with the cone-dodging Bimmers on Saturday.

And while I applaud the concept of rotating between OEM wheels/boring rubber and lightweight wheels/grippy tires, it’s not at all practical for me for a host of reasons. First, I don’t have a garage. Second, I don’t have the inclement weather for the same duration that you do… we don’t have months of snow, we have days of it. I simply don’t have the time OR interest to constantly be rotating between summer/snow tires every time the weather gets moody down here. Therefore, the mileage and practicality of all season tires means that they get a permanent place on my car. The lighter wheels and better-performing suspension components guarantee that the “boring” tires can perform at their top potential. I never have a dull drive to work. I simply can’t justify the cost of being equipped with two sets to drive 15% faster 1% of the time. I also don’t have to wrestle with multiple sets of tires all the time. Win-win.

As for road-courses, within a short drive we have TGPR, VIR, Road Atlanta, to name a few. And Indy is a great city for racing, not sure why you took offense. The Brickyard has a wonderful road course. The SCCA lot-racing has never been my cup of tea, but that’s simply my personal choice. Many folks eat it up with a spoon. And you don’t have to be going super fast to have a catastrophic failure… I won’t state the obvious so as not to step on any toes.

In the end, it appears our goals are much more similar than you’d expect, only we use a different way of describing the goal. I plan to make the car accelerate faster, stop harder, look better, and last longer than your average Crossfire. If it sees track time, it’s a cherry on top, but not the whole cake. The cake for me is driving a vehicle every day that turns heads and earns respect, all while keeping me comfy with as few rattles and squeaks as possible.

I love the direction you’ve taken yours, and I’m excited to watch it further develop.
 
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