Hello all,

 

With the great increase in petrol and road tax it is with sad news that I must take the ZX off the road.

The Mrs has agreed that I can keep the car but we must buy a :( diesel :( car.

So...

I am going to keep the Z and use it as a track day car. A few questions popped into my head:-

 

1) If I SORN the car, as I will be at end of April can I still use the car on track day events (I will be getting a road trailer for it)

2) What things do I need to do to it to make the car safe?

3) What things can I do to it to make it faster?

4) What about insurance?

5) Where can I race her?

 

Thanks in advance

ZX_Steve

 

PS There may be at some time in the future the possibility of having her back on the road so I wouldnt want to take her too far past road legal ;-)

Everything you need to know can probably be found out by doing a 'TRACKDAYS' Websearch...

 

Try these two...

 

http://www.motorsportvision.co.uk/trackdays/msv-trackdays.asp

 

^^^The venues on their site to tend to be the well known Circuits, and the vehicle requirements may be stricter.

(Give them a ring regarding car regulations and what you may require to participate)

 

The other 'TRACKDAY' company I know about is;

 

http://www.javelintrackdays.co.uk/

 

^^Tend to be the smaller/less well known circuits and airfields, this may be better if the car is SORN on the level of car requirements-But again they have a contact number where you can ask the questions you raised in your post.

NICE.

 

Thanks for info,

now what to do to the Z hmmm ;););)

 

thanks

ZX_Steve

NICE.

 

Thanks for info,

now what to do to the Z hmmm ;););)

 

thanks

ZX_Steve

 

No probs-Have fun if you do :) -And get ready for shredding tyres, everyone I know who gets into trackdays gets slightly hooked.

No probs-Have fun if you do :) -And get ready for shredding tyres, everyone I know who gets into trackdays gets slightly hooked.

 

I think I already am, went to the Ring of Nurburg in December, she was an amazing car to drive in. Just driving down there it was amazing.

 

Any tips on what to do first, safety wise??

 

Thanks

If its a dedicated track day car which will be trailored, appart from the insurance etc you can rip out the interior, and I mean everything, spare seat can go if you want.

 

You will need a roll cage, which is a requirement for most tracks.

You will need an internal safety fuel cell. Again another requirement.

You will need a fire system, requirement if you get into racing, but not sure of the complexity of this, they normaly have an activation point on teh outside of the car.

You can take out the grass and put Plexan in, im not sure, but i do know that is a requirement for my mate in the race series he is in.

Engine wise, well thats up to you.

Performance wise. Start with chassis and brake mods. The zed has got enough power for any track novice, but before you start boosting up the turbos, i would seriously sort out the chassis first. It will make your car soooooo much quicker through the majority of the circuit, be able to carry more speed through the corners, and when the desire for more power does come, you will already have an idea on how your car handles on the limit.

 

Speak to Legrath, hes on a similar mission.

 

All the best with the project

 

Nick

Thanks for tips.

Will start investigating.

 

ZX_Steve

would be better to know where your car is now as in spec

You will need a roll cage, which is a requirement for most tracks.

You will need an internal safety fuel cell. Again another requirement.

You will need a fire system, requirement if you get into racing, but not sure of the complexity of this, they normaly have an activation point on teh outside of the car.

 

I'm not aware of any track that requires roll cage or fuel cell for track days, the exception being that to use slicks you must have at least a half cage.

 

Again, never been required to have a fire system or even external ignition cut for trackdays.

 

One thing to be careful of - the car must be road legal, and different organisors have different interpretations of this... i.e. some say must be mot'd, whereas some will scrutineer the cars.

Car is stock at them moment, no upgrades or modifications.

UK Manual TT 1991

Any tips on what to do first, safety wise??

 

Thanks

 

Yes - get bigger brakes !!!

Yes - get bigger brakes !!!

Or A Heavier Foot! Lol:rofl:

Hello all,

 

With the great increase in petrol and road tax it is with sad news that I must take the ZX off the road.

The Mrs has agreed that I can keep the car but we must buy a :( diesel :( car.

So...

I am going to keep the Z and use it as a track day car. A few questions popped into my head:-

 

1) If I SORN the car, as I will be at end of April can I still use the car on track day events (I will be getting a road trailer for it)

2) What things do I need to do to it to make the car safe?

3) What things can I do to it to make it faster?

4) What about insurance?

5) Where can I race her?

 

Thanks in advance

ZX_Steve

 

PS There may be at some time in the future the possibility of having her back on the road so I wouldnt want to take her too far past road legal ;-)

 

 

Im guessing by the tone of your post that lowering your motoring costs is what you are looking to achieve.

Sadly running a track day 300ZX will be more expensive than having a stock road car.

also buying a diesel car doesnt save money unless you are doing huge annual mileages. modern petrol engines are almost as efficient as diesel ones. Remember diesel is more expensive to buy . diesel cars are more expensive to buy and also to service etc.

Track days are great fun... but they are not races .

the up side of them not being races means that expensive stuff like bag tanks, cages and built in fire systems are not needed.

The downside is that they are non competitive so after a few boredom will set in.

Thay are not cheap either. look at Bookatrack.com to see typical prices.

Buying a trailer will cost a fair bit. The 300ZX is a big car and needs a full pro spec 4 wheeltrailer . That means a decent size vehicle to tow with. you need to look at towing capacities and weights before buying a tow vehicle.

You can insure against damage on track but it is normally very very pricey.

At the very minimum you will need to seriously up grade the stock brakes. R33GTR or 350Z brembos are the minimum level.

the suspension too on an old car like the typical 300Zx will need a full rebuild/upgrade.

Track days wear up tyres at a high rate and ordinary road tyres dont stand up to that sort of abuse too well, so you may need to add a set of "track day tyres" to your list of stuff to buy.

I would guess an opening spend of £1500 to £2000 will get you up and running.

Im guessing by the tone of your post that lowering your motoring costs is what you are looking to achieve.

Sadly running a track day 300ZX will be more expensive than having a stock road car.

also buying a diesel car doesnt save money unless you are doing huge annual mileages. modern petrol engines are almost as efficient as diesel ones. Remember diesel is more expensive to buy . diesel cars are more expensive to buy and also to service etc.

Track days are great fun... but they are not races .

the up side of them not being races means that expensive stuff like bag tanks, cages and built in fire systems are not needed.

The downside is that they are non competitive so after a few boredom will set in.

Thay are not cheap either. look at Bookatrack.com to see typical prices.

Buying a trailer will cost a fair bit. The 300ZX is a big car and needs a full pro spec 4 wheeltrailer . That means a decent size vehicle to tow with. you need to look at towing capacities and weights before buying a tow vehicle.

You can insure against damage on track but it is normally very very pricey.

At the very minimum you will need to seriously up grade the stock brakes. R33GTR or 350Z brembos are the minimum level.

the suspension too on an old car like the typical 300Zx will need a full rebuild/upgrade.

Track days wear up tyres at a high rate and ordinary road tyres dont stand up to that sort of abuse too well, so you may need to add a set of "track day tyres" to your list of stuff to buy.

I would guess an opening spend of £1500 to £2000 will get you up and running.

More good advice from Pete.

Track days are not cheap...