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Trackday cars for tall newbie


Mondrian

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Been toying with the idea of tracking. Problem with taking the IB is that I am not able to wear a helmet due to my height (6'4) & sunroof. I could probably find a lightweight seat that sits lower (with some modding) and delete the sunroof .... and the slippery slope starts! So just looking at alternative solutions such a different trackday car!

 

I haven't come up with a budget as such so just trying to figure out what car & costs involved. Looking at the RWD cars in the 5-10k range I see 2 that seem to appeal - E36 M3 (or 325/8) & 944 S2. I do appreciate that lighter cars such as MX5 or 7's would be cheaper to buy & run but I doubt I'd fit in either one so interested to hear opinions on M3 vs 944S2 or indeed other cars that I should be looking at.

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Good point Les, I haven't tried a 944 for size but been in E36 and from what I remember had a bit more headroom anyway regardless of car I expect some chopping/changing might be necessary to make it work (if possible) but not sure if I am willing to go down the same road with a perfectly good IB.

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I have begun to track an MX5 and without exception most are driven with the roof down, so height isn't an issue.

 

I'm 6 foot and with the roof up and on standard seats the helmet is just touching the soft bar, so with a lower seat (pole position, etc) I could probably get away with the soft top being up.

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What about a Boxster S? Im 6'2 and never had headroom issues with mine. Great value now and plenty to play with in your budget.

 

Not sure about with a helmet though.

 

You could even get into a 996 for that money.

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I have had the seat rails removed on the drivers side and new fixings welded to the floor as I had the same issue re lack of headroom , I'm also 6ft4.

I currently have a set of Recaro SPG's in it , only the drivers one is on runners , I also have a set of square tubes with the original seat fixings inserted that can be bolted to the floor mountings if I wish to put the original seat back in.... I've also had a sunroof delete..... :)

you can see the difference in seat height between pax and drivers in this pic..

P1010718.jpg

Edited by longman
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you can see the difference in seat height between pax and drivers in this pic..

 

Drivers seat looks right: pax seat looks too high... :rolleyes:

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Drivers seat looks right: pax seat looks too high... :rolleyes:

you've sat in it round Spa Fraser , did you feel too high :whistling:

the Recaro sidemounts make the seat higher than the standard ones , so went extra low on the drivers side..

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the Recaro sidemounts make the seat higher than the standard ones , so went extra low on the drivers side..

go with the bespoke mounts from k300.co.uk which also remove the need for the 964rs belt hoop. Lower than standard recaro mounts
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go with the bespoke mounts from k300.co.uk which also remove the need for the 964rs belt hoop. Lower than standard recaro mounts

 

Good call Shirish, forgot this is what I fitted to my IB based on your experience/recommendation.

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go with the bespoke mounts from k300.co.uk which also remove the need for the 964rs belt hoop. Lower than standard recaro mounts

 

 

 

Good call Shirish, forgot this is what I fitted to my IB based on your experience/recommendation.

np Chris, thank my brother Anil for that one :)
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go with the bespoke mounts from k300.co.uk which also remove the need for the 964rs belt hoop. Lower than standard recaro mounts

I have a thumb width between the bottom of the seat and the floor mount now , I reckon if I had these I would have to cut a hole in the floor ... :homersimpson:

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Curve ball time; I'm 6'2" and can comfortably fit in either a wide body Westfield, a narrow body GBS Zero and also Fury. The Westfield and Fury both race with us, are equipped with full cages and are driven by people of similar height.

 

So, what do you end up with?

 

Light, so will fit on a small trailer easily. That means you don't have on the road costs and you get to play with slicks.

Easy to maintain. Bike or car engined, they are both easy to work with. Parts are available and simple means there is little to go wrong.

Light again, but nimble. Very little can live with one around a circuit; in fact, probably nothing can live with a elk driven one.

Cheap to run. Think a season of heavy use out of brakes, they don't use tyres and they don't use much fuel.

 

Sorry to be a bit blunt and please bear in mind that I've tracked a 3.2, a 993, I currently have a GT3 and I race an Impreza. If I had my time again, I'd be doing things very differently ;-)

Edited by oliverjamesthomas
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probably nothing can live with a elk driven one.

 

 

Is that like the Mercedes test?

 

I have a 944, I am 5' 11' and struggle to sit upright with a helmet on. But I do have shortish legs and a long body. But they are bloody great track cars. Not that fast but really well balanced.

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It would appear that quite a few of our readers are from middle earth...................................................................... :angel-smiley-004::ninja:

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  • 8 months later...

I'm 6'6" and have modified a few cars for a better fit.

Of course aftermarket seats mounted as low and far back as possible.

A longer shift lever with a greater bend will put it in your hand and not under your knee.

A 2 or 3 inch steering wheel spacer helps too.

Sometimes you just have to act small too.

post-3241-0-73623600-1482592326_thumb.jpg

Edited by Michael
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