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To track or not to track (HPDE) ?

ANGST

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I'm fishing for encouragement to track the S550. A friend of mine says I should not . Currently I am tracking a shared e36 . I've done 2 track days so far, and 2 more this weekend .

The question is , do I track the (daily driver) Mustang ? Or get my own track car (Miata or e36) ?

Looking for your opinions .

Track insurance is ~250 I already have a spare set of PP wheels with the PZeros I realistically think I could do 2 weekends and possibly 1 or 2 single day events a year.
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ANGST

ANGST

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Competition Orange

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Wear and tear on a DD.
More expensive in consumables and insurance over time vs e36 or miata .
Yes it'll cost more than those to run. Tires and brakes mainly.

Yes try it. Only way you'll know if you enjoy it. I love tracking mine. Daily driver, 25k miles.
 

EFI

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More expensive in consumables and insurance over time vs e36 or miata .
It will take a while for you to recoup the expense of a new track car.

Say you spend 10k on a Miata and you save $300 per track day over the Mustang in consumables and you do 3 track days a year. It will take you over 10 years for you to finally come out ahead financially by buying a separate dedicated track car. And that does not include major work to do on said track car. If you blow the engine of the Miata, there goes 3k or more right there out of pocket and another 3+ years to break even. If you blow the engine of the Mustang, assuming you still have a warranty, it's nothing out of pocket.

Besides the wear and tear on the Mustang (which is minimal with 3 track days a year) you are MUCH better off financially tracking the car you already have a sunk cost in rather than buying a separate one.

Of course there are other benefits of having a separate track car, but financially is not on of those (at least for the foreseeable future).
 

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firestarter2

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With a GT PP and some good tires you have a solid track car. Fast enough that you will pass more then you are passed. The other cars you mentioned will have consumables and potential failures. Id start there and see.

If you didnt already have the GT PP I might feel differently. Does Ford warranty the GTPP on the track?
 

Grafanton

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"Why wouldn't you?"

I've tracked my DD ecoboost mustang 12 times since new. It currently has 40K miles on it, no more squeaks or rattles than when new. Still get 30+mpg on the highway.
It does exactly what I ask it to do on the track and doesn't seem to exhibit any bad handling characteristics. Tracking the car let's me experience the rather deep limits of this car without endangering children or other peoples pets and keeps me away from the far side of the law.

I'm on my third set of brake pads and my third set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports. I keep cording the outside edge of the tires. I'm looking to switch tire brands or find a way to add significantly more negative camber than I can get with the camber bolts.

I am no expert, but at least with this car I can post competitive lap times.
 

chain

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Track it! Have fun with it. Financially I agree it will be cheaper than having another car. Also will be more fun knowing how bad ass your daily driver is.
 

wildcatgoal

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I know of a fully prepped but never tracked yet E36 for sale in GA, PM me for info.

Tracking the Mustang is fun, but I would have little interest in doing so on stock suspension.
 

Grintch

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Wear and tear on a DD.
More expensive in consumables and insurance over time vs e36 or miata .

Why buy a fast car then never drive it fast?

Driving fast on track is a lot safer than doing it on the street.

Now if we were talking about racing, yeah, you want a dedicated and cheaper car.
 

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Competition Orange

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I know of a fully prepped but never tracked yet E36 for sale in GA, PM me for info.

Tracking the Mustang is fun, but I would have little interest in doing so on stock suspension.
Stock is more capable then most drivers so...

The sensation of Roll, squat and dive do not mean poor performance.

But then again, even those who track their car, some are good, others just think they are...
 

wildcatgoal

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Stock is more capable then most drivers so...

The sensation of Roll, squat and dive do not mean poor performance.

But then again, even those who track their car, some are good, others just think they are...
I'm proudly in the "I know I'm not very good" category, thank you very much. :lol:
 

ddozier

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I'm fishing for encouragement to track the S550. A friend of mine says I should not . Currently I am tracking a shared e36 . I've done 2 track days so far, and 2 more this weekend .

The question is , do I track the (daily driver) Mustang ? Or get my own track car (Miata or e36) ?

Looking for your opinions .

Track insurance is ~250 I already have a spare set of PP wheels with the PZeros I realistically think I could do 2 weekends and possibly 1 or 2 single day events a year.
What are your goals when you head to the track?

If you are trying to have fun and play with your toys, then track the Mustang and resist the urge to modify the car and you will be rewarded with a reliable track tool that in the right hands can be very competitive. Stay on street tires to keep cost and max performance levels down(safer). Add some simple reliability based upgrades like front brake cooling duct, proper oil and fluids, better brake pads and a set of track wheels and tires. It will take you a day to prep the car for track duty and a day to clean it and turn it back into a street machine. As you progress and get faster you will need to make some more aggressive alignment changes to make better use of your track tires, but that may cost you some life on your street tires so you will have to compromise on the alignment or have the car aligned before and after events.

If your goal is to be a better driver and someday progress beyond the HPDE track days into something more competitive then you would want to learn to drive with the least powerful car possible, like a Miata or a E36. Learn the limits of a well prepped Miata and you will be a very good driver in the end and be ready to move on to a more powerful track car. There is a reason Spec Miata is the largest competitive class, they are inexpensive to build and run, and there are lots of experienced drivers and shop that can guide you to a setup that will be quick (just not fast).

Just so you know, this is an expensive hobby, there is nothing cheap about it. Looking at it from a cost savings point of view is always going to be hard because tracking your daily driver can be get you in trouble quickly if you have a major mechanical issue or an accident that puts the car out of commission for a while. Then again having a dedicated track car has other costly issues outside of just the cost of the car like storing the car, a trailer to get the car to a track, and a truck to pull the trailer.

I have been tracking a car for 20+ years and I could have easily put $250k in the bank if I never started this hobby but I would not have met all the great track guys, their wives and families. The track guys I run with are a very good group of friends that I feel my life is better for knowing them. Its hard to put a price on that.

Dave
 
 




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