How much are you willing to race you daily driver?

[Leigh]

Question; I know the bulk of the people that run my SCCA region in Solo2 use their street cars. I'm among this group and don't think this is particularly worse on a car than some of the street driving I do with it (hello 6ft pothole, hello new wheel & tires, goodbye nice paint).

But I've been interested in trying some other forms of motorsport in the next year or so and I'm wondering what the opinion is on how much you can reasonably expect to put your daily driver through and still have it working for you day to day.

Some things I've got a slight interest in are RallyX, Solo1 Hillclimbs or Time Trails and possibly going out for some track days. Some of that I don't have much access to right now (solo1) but might in the nearish(8-12months) future.

RallyX doesn't seem like it would be significantly more damaging to the car than AutoX overall(except possibly to the paint)... am I wrong on this?

The others I would expect to be harder on some parts, but being as I've never done them I'm not sure how much so or what specifically I'd have to look at maintaining more carefully.

Can you have a car that is safe(not nessecarily competative - but fun to drive & liable to be in one piece at the end of the day) for these kind of events and still expect to drive it on the streets?

I think if I found myself interested enough in any of them I'd consider a second car so I could really compete, but right now all I want is some spare seat time and a bit of fun trying out some new things. I can sort of justify the expense of adding safety equipment(though I'm more than a bit confused on what I'd need for these kind of things... do you need a full cage for solo1 or just a 4pt bar?), but I can't really justify buying a second car & its insurance when its something I've never even done before.

 

[DistantTea]

If I only had one car I'd probably only autocross... but since we have an MPV and an MSP I'll thrash the MSP to my will with the knowledge that a minivan can always get me to work. For any real daily driver I wouldn't do much more than autocross, maybe a few rallycrosses and a couple track days... not really limiting what motorsports I'd do, just moderating the frequency at which I flog the vehicle.

 

[jaje]

stuff wears out fast! currently i'm running my daily driver for competition school license as my wife and i are saving up for a bigger house

i used to run a 120hp crx...bumped to 190hp with a 14b and some good tuning...this was at road courses...but it is funn that a little crx will embarass several sports cars out there...and in autox they are even better performing (closest thing to a go kart)

currently in the garage...b18b with a major overhaul (p&p head, built, balanced, blueprinted block and rotating assembly and a t04 turbo)...maybe going into an '88 sleeper 4g civic sedan

 

[Ceej]

Life is to short to worry about thrashing on a car.

 

[Lt. Dan]

Can you afford to right a check for 15,000 dollars? If not, I'd seriously consider buying another car for track days/ Solo I, etc... Autocross, rallycross, smaller things like that are fine. But when the speeds go up, things can go wrong VERY QUICKLY. 100 mph down the straight, you miss your braking point, go off into the kitty litter a little sideways... Car ends up on it's side... get out the checkbook. Going into a slightly off camber left hand kink, and some twit in front of you gets scared and hits his brakes. You have to slam on yours, upsetting the balance of the car. you spin, sliding across the grass... you kiss the tire wall with every single corner of the car. Get out your check book... That's why I like my RX-7... It's CHEAP...

Dan

 

[DistantTea]

Thats not entirely true though. Most insurances cover driver schools, but NOT competition. Thats why I'd stay away from Solo I but track days that are HPDE kinds are usually covered by insurance. NASA has a thing on their webpage saying that there hasn't been a denied claim yet on an insured car that has an accident during an HPDE. Solo I though... thats timed competition and your checkbook better be pretty padded.

 

[Lt. Dan]

Thats not entirely true though. Most insurances cover driver schools, but NOT competition. Thats why I'd stay away from Solo I but track days that are HPDE kinds are usually covered by insurance. NASA has a thing on their webpage saying that there hasn't been a denied claim yet on an insured car that has an accident during an HPDE. Solo I though... thats timed competition and your checkbook better be pretty padded.

True, unless stated in your policy, most insurance companies will cover an accident at an HPDE. What NASA fails to mention on their website is what the insurance company does AFTER they pay your claim. First, they drop you. Almost immediatly. Then, when you try to sign up with another provider, you have to pay increased rates, because that accident will be on your file. That's why it's better to have a car you can afford to repair out of pocket, or, worse case scenario, write off completely, this way the insurance company doesn't get involved.

Dan

 

[charles]

Yeah, that's why I like my old Proteges. Not fast enough to do any serious damage, great cars to learn on -- and cheap. Never had any problems, except the automatic transmission on my DX. I now race a 5-speed LX, but I've only taken it out once to Buttonwillow.

 

[kcbhiw]

You guys are correct on insurance claims. Anyway, that's why I have my Miata as a racer. And a second one to boot, hehe. I've been stranded once already at an event due to a broken daily driver (my old Escort). Even though auto-x wasn't the cause, it certainly sucks to be without a backup method of transportation in the unlikely (auto-x wise) event that your car becomes disabled. Just this past event, a guy put his Integra Type-R backwards into a wall. The rear was pretty badly mangled, yet still drivable. That's the second mishap I've witnessed in my 1.5 years of auto-x. Not to scare anyone away, but things do happen. Be prepared for it and think long and hard of what you, as a driver, will do while sitting in the hot seat to prevent such an incedent. (long story short, the course was reset further from the wall and 1.5 run groups of 4 groups had to start all over again. We just about were driving into the night. weeeeeeeee).