Hello,

How would these car fare as a dedicated track car? I know its supposed to be a performance/luxury sedan, but I was really curious. Would it ever be worth it to strip it out and roll cage and all the good stuff for track only use, or would it be better to just buy a more track-focused car? Or would it be better to purchase say an e46 M3 and work from there? Just hypothetical.

 

Out of the box, it's a pretty heavy car, but rather well balanced with enough power to get itself out of trouble.

If you strip+cage, i'd think it'd end up being a pretty decent car. Still won't be a miata, but certainly more capable than OEM.

 

That is interesting that you brought up the Miata. My previous car was a 1990 NA with 33k miles when I purchased it a few years ago. I do miss that car from time to time. Maybe I should go back to that platform one day for a project car.

 

Miata with 1.8 swap...or turboed 1.6 Ftw....

 

There is a reason why you don't ever see them modded for racing, and it's not just because of the weight or value...heck they race 3 series BMW's all the time. As I have been told by a race prep tuner/builder in the past, the G sedan platform, while sufficient for aggresive street handling, has significant fatal flaws in its suspension configuration that just cannot be overcome for full-on (competitive) track duty. So, enjoy her for all she's worth on the street, but if you ever decide to get serious, you best plan on starting with a different platform.

.02

 

Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.

 

Your welcome . . . just don't tell anyone I told you so, it's not exactly what your average owner wants to hear.

 

I am perfectly happy with the G35S being a double duty vehicle.

Its fun on the track and its a great DD

I would imagine would get a 350z/370z for stripped/caged track car, verses getting a sports sedan and strip it down to a track car

 

Could you list the mods you have done to your car for when it is needed for track duty?

 

Hawk HPS pads + ATE brake fluid ... LOL

The last time I went to the dealer for oil change (they had an special, and might as well have them look over the car while they are at it), they did called me up and said: "You know you have blue brake fluid, right? Just want to make sure ..." haha

When its time for new pads, I would probably go with HP+. And probably go for different tires too, current running Falkin 912. oh and change the clutch fluid as well.

I only have one set up, for track, DD, whatever ..

I am doing "high performance driving school" , and not planning on winning any SCCA events any time soon. Your competitive level may vary ... haha

 

Hahaha, I may just follow your path and not mod my car. Just use it stock for track and track school and stuff. Seems like its cheaper on the wallet

 

With decent pads and fluid, it's a good weekend track toy. For the most part, i ran mine OEM then slowly upgraded from there.

Oddly enough, now that all the upgrades i felt were beneficial are installed, i've only taken the car in its current form once.

 

I want to keep the car DD, baby and "wallet" friendly, so nothing too extreme for me.

In the perfect world, I would have a dedicated track toy on the side. But the G35S is as close to the perfect reasonably-priced dual purpose car as it can get (in terms of price, being family-friendly, performance, reliability and comfort).

I am thinking another set of track wheels and a set of coilover will be all I can think of to do with the car. But I am not in a hurry for either one of them.

I say just make sure everything is in good working order, attend a few track events and see where that takes you. If you want to mod the car for go (not for show), then what mod to do for you has something to do with how often you go to the track (worth the money?), your skill level, your goal (education vs. competition) and the track that's closest to you (that you would go most often).

 

PRECISELY!

 

The V36 shares the same chassis/subframes/suspension/drivetrain as the Z34. Other than weight/size, I don't quite understand what "significant fatal flaws" exist that renders this car absolutely useless as a track car? Would this builder care to share his thoughts on these flaws?