mic_VR

definitely some interesting responses chaps and I can see why people would prefer one or the other. Unfortunately I've not had the pleasure of owning/driving a decent RWD car (had a few aircooled vw's but it's not the same) so all my driving experience is either FWD or 4WD vehicles. I do want to stick with the C really rather than getting something else mainly because I can't think of a realistic RWD car that I'd want to own, but that said I'm worried about having 350bhp and little chance of really using it. Maybe I'll get back into motorbikes for weekend fun! :lol:

Evenin' chaps and chapess', thought I'd ask a little question as I appear to be fighting a losing battle with my father so I want a bit more info. (please bear in mind I'm no race engineer or Lewis Hamilton) What's going to be quicker, a front wheel drive car or a rear wheel drive car or does it not really make much difference? (assume similar power, weight, and handling properties and driven on the same roads etc and similar driver skill) Reason I ask is that I'm planning on spending a small fortune this year on making my VR fairly powerful and it's been commented that if I want to go quick I should just be buying a RWD car and modding that (basically people seem to think it's a waste of money in a FWD). But I've been thinking about it and these are my thoughts on the matter. Yes a RWD will have better traction away from a standing start and up to a certain speed but once rolling it surely doesn't make much difference whether your high powered car is spinning up the front or rear tyres? Also, to actually drive fast in any car surely you want to minimise any lose of traction be it front or rear wheels? Understeer in a FWD is considered safer and more predictable than oversteer? Now I've seen a few BTCC/WTCC races and those things really shift, and the FWD cars often beat the RWD cars...... and I've seen some pretty quick FWD track cars that make mincemeat of BMW's and the like.... Sorry if I'm being thick but am I missing something about RWD that makes it better other than the fun factor? Is it the weight distribution? All help/info apprecated, as usual. :salute: Mic

bloody 'ell is there anyone not going R32? I'm starting to feel all inadequate now..... :( Good luck with it Rob, if you need a spare pair of hands you know I'm only down the road mate. :salute:

Nice one Jim, those old Mercs are built like tanks so 200K is nothing. One corrado not expensive enough for you John? :lol:

Haha!!!! You're just upset that you had a 'moment' chasing that M5! Crazy man :notworthy: I wouldn't suggest a VR would make the perfect trackcar by any means. It's a little heavy in standard trim and expensive in general to fix. To put it this way, standard VR6 = 157bhp per ton, track Gti cup car = 160bhp per ton. VR would probably have the edge on the straight because of the gearing but the mk2'll be quicker in the corners. But I'll definitely be taking mine back on track, but I'm happy to take a bit of a risk.

Mr Riot, I see what you're saying mate, and if I hadn't already been out in the C on track I'd probably agree but I was so impressed with the VR the other week I'll definitely be taking back out again..... only it'll be quicker next time! :lol: pete-griff, definitely looking forward to seeing your motor out on track as I suspect it'll be surprising almost everyone else on track.

So far this is looking awesome mate, just a little bit more and it'll all be worth it. Don't forget you gave yourself a very short time frame to do it, hats off to you I say!

Well I'm not sure when I'll be back out on track in mine as I've got plans for a few mods which will take it off the road from May, although I might do one more session before then....... hmmm As for a corrado on track, get your G60 out there Mr Riot?!? :wink:

Ooooh I like those as well.

They seem pretty straight forward don't they, and should be easy to maintain etc. Just need to find a good base car. And I've obviously still got the Corrado that I want to fettle with next year as well. I've only done about 3/4hrs max on track so far so no competitive racing next year, just trackdays which anyone is more than welcome to join me at and I'll let them take the car for a spin (minimal crashing please John! :wink: ) and we'll have to see where we go from there. :lol: Team CF! Nice one! Although if people want to race a corrado we could just enter the pre-93 touring car championship which is pretty much the same costs as the gti cup but we'd be able to enter a C?

Nice one, were they novices? 3rd is a good result. Not sure I'll be that competitive but hopefully I'll do ok. And I'm not sure how I'll get on with sponsorship, might be able to get a bit out of the company I work for as they love it when Staff do these kind of things. By the sounds of it next year will need to involve a bit of research, buy a suitable car and do a few trackdays. Then see how I get on. Those that are interested in joining in, or just coming along to laugh will be more welcome (including Toad!) Pretty excited about it all now!

Gutted, so what series are you hoping to race in?

Cheers for the replies so far guys, all good stuff to think about. Leonard, hadn't really thought about Hill Climbs and tbh I think I'd prefer a good battle with a fellow competitor than a 1min dash up the hill. G60_edge, good link there, interesting to read up on some of the other series. That Locost series looks good but probably for someone with a lot more time to do car setups and stuff. Half the appeal of a standard-ish series like the gti cup has to be the fact that the modifications your allowed to do are so small that it should be easier to just get in the car and race. Also liking the look of that stock hatch series as I used to have a 205 gti and I bet one of those would make a great race car. Nice one! We'll definitely have to meet up when I get myself sorted, have to had a look on the forum on here http://www.golfgti-racing.co.uk/ ? They seem like a nice enough bunch and the regulations etc seem pretty straight forward.... Keep the ideas coming guys, especially anyone who's already done it. Also how many people have already got race licences?

Yeah I have thought about Karting, and I've got a friend who already does that, and I don't think it's much cheaper. I know my friend is always moaning about the cost of tyres being really bad as they're a specific slick compound and last no time what so ever. ATM The golf gti cup is top of my list as the cars are almost standard, and costs for a year of racing (not including crash repair and travel to/from each venue) is roughly £2500-3000. Which is a lot less than I was expecting and something I can cover myself without the need for anything like sponsors etc, plus I'd probably build up to a full season as no doubt my first few races will end with repairs needed etc. It's more a case of if I went for something like the golf cup am I kidding myself that people are able to do it themselves when everyone else is spending a fortune on almost professional outfits?

Probably a bit of a long shot but anyone been involved in some form lower level competitive motorsport? Either as a driver or as a crew helper etc? Reason I ask is that I've recently been getting more and more interested in various types of motorsport, and I've been on a rally driving day, driven round the Nurburgring, and recently done a trackday and I've really enjoyed it all (and received quite a few positive comments about my driving) so people have been suggesting that if I like it so much why not do it as a hobby. Now obviously I need to do a few more trackdays etc and that'll be my plan for next year, but I like the idea of a bit of competition! So with that in mind I've been looking into what cheap, accessible and relatively straight forward racing I can get into. I know all about what I need to get my race licence but I can't decided what kind of stuff to start with. I've been looking at the golf cup and mini 7's series as they seem the most accessible on a low budget, but even then most racers seem to have a full pit crew and team winnebago! Now I can probably get a few very knowledgable mates to help me out, and I might even be able to get access to a trailer, But paying for a 'pit crew' will be a little beyond my means. So anyone got any experience with this stuff? I know a few people have done work for bigger race teams etc so any advice/comments/suggestions welcome as it'll give me stuff to think about over Christmas. Cheers in advance Mic :salute:

Who told you about my latest project!?! :(

Well not sure if this comment is linked to reliability.... maybe..... but as an example of how good the old corrado can be. Last night I filled mine up with fuel, did the usual calculations and it's done 25.6mpg over the last tank. Not overly impressive but not bad for a car with 135k on the clock, original chains, dodgy clutch, a fondness for oil consumption, and included in the last tank was a 60mile blast, at pace, around Snetterton a few weeks ago.

The Stoke Mandeville run? Funny you should say that as I was looking at doing something similar next Easter for Gt. Ordmond Street... Think I should bother? That could be it there, I'd have to double check with him though. It's definitely a good/worthy idea, and I think it would be possible in a local clubs that were open minded enough and able to organise themselves. Not sure how well it would be received if you put it on E38 though. Not like the bike runs where people come from all over country to join in.

Agree with you there mate, but the bike scene is completely different kettle of fish. It's all about ride out and meeting up to go on a trip somewhere. I've been without a bike for the past 6-12 months and I do keep thinking about getting back into it but my missus is not 100% about riding pillion and I we don't do enough things together at the moment without me buggering off to go riding all day on a sunday! My Dad has been riding for over 40 years and every single year he does a easter egg run with his bike club in aid of a childrens hospital. Imagine if you suggested a car club did that? You'd be beaten to death with a pack of wheel whores stickers!

I half feel sorry for some of these people who just have to have the latest 'mod' on their cars to feel like they fit in but if they want to pay those kind of prices then so be it, and I feel sorry for myself when I have to read about it all the time in PVW! I think Kev and swiftkid, very concisely, make a good point about people attitudes rather than how their cars look. Go back in time and we've always had periods of different 'looks', I used to have a Cal-look beetle and had all the usual mods to get it looking that way and I loved it. But the attitude now is one which I personally can't stand. Unfortunately it's not just the VW scene, it's all of them. Doesn't matter what you drive, the guy next to you thinks his car is better, faster, more individual, or 'rarer', and the reality is that his opinion is just as valid as ours (even though we know he's wrong!) and people tend to get to try a bit more 'one-up-manship' than people used to. Its a shame because I like cars in general but very rarely go to as many car shows as I used to for fear of being shot down because I don't have the correct RS-003's with gold bolts and a massive wheel whores sticker if I even dare to go over and talk to someone about their car. Plus I can't stand those f**king truckers baseball caps being on a slightly jaunty angle so there is no way i'll ever be a 'scene-hero'! :lol: If anything, the more 'scene' related something is the less I'd want to pay for it!

From the posts so far it would appear the corrado is taking a little bit of a bashing so I'm here to defend it's honour! :lol: Have to say the key, I think, is that there is a difference between reliability and maintenance. It would seem some people are confusing the two. I would say that my corrado is pretty reliable, in the sense that it's never broken down on me or not made it to a destination etc etc...... but..... It certainly isn't the most hassle free motoring ever. Weekend odd jobs are a reality for most of us no doubt and that's just part and parcel of owning any old car, just buy any classic british car and you'll know the true meaning of car maintenance! :cuckoo: I'm always happy that when I turn the key my car will start, and I spend a fair bit of time and money making sure it does. If I wanted a car that started first time everytime and that I never had to touch I'd just buy something brand new, they're pretty much all the same and made in the same factories these days but I think that kind of maintenance free reliability only lasts for about 3 years then you'll be back to doing some form of maintenance on it. e.g - My missus' mk5 Golf Tdi is just over 3 years old now and is starting to need a little more love and care than she used to treat it to. But it is still 100% reliable and has never failed to start/stop/corner/retain vital fluids/etc etc Just my opinion..... :camp:

wow, that's quite an accolade for the lowly corrado!

Worst car I ever had, for reliability, was a Pug 205 1.9 GTi. Not a week seemed to go by when it didn't self destruct just a little bit all on its own. Although not the most reliable car I've ever had the Corrado is definitely a close 2nd best. Did 1200 miles to the Nurburgring and back in september, including 4 laps of the ring and just done a track day at snetterton, is my daily driver and has never let me down. If you're interested, the most reliable car I've ever had was a 1967 1200 Beetle which I restored from the floorpans upwards. That thing ran no matter what you tried to put it through. Even when I got shunted in the rear by a drunk driver which pushed the crankshaft backwards in the engine it still started and ran, although it didn't sound as good anymore! :lol:

Yeah got mine this morning, Merry Christmas everybody!

Here's mine. 2.5" straight through, plain cut.