Thread: Considerations for building a Track use GTP?

I know there have been a few GP's Ive seen autocrossing but I just cannot imagine it doing well in those events with the wheel base length. I have a couple customers that are very AVID auto crossers and do very well but they are driving shorter wheel base cars.

Now, a road course, while a different driving style and set up I think the GP could be made to do well in. If the suspension were set up right, combine with its lower rpm power band with boost I think the GP could be very successful on a road course. Ive taken my GTP out to Eureka Springs before, approaching it from the north and I can tell you the road leading to that location, very long indeed, offers a good testing ground for proving out a set up provided you dont get stuck behind slow moving traffic. Ive drove through there and I promise you there was not one turn, one straight way that I did not try and push the limits of the car and it never left me thinking I could not trust it. In fact, my wife will no longer go there with me in the GP or has swore as much anyway. So my thoughts are that if it were set up with beefed up suspension components to handle the repeated stress and to reduce the body roll the GP would prove a worthy vehicle in such a course.

With it being front wheel drive I think there would be an added benefit in the way of predictability and managability. I dont see it as a disadvantage on a road course. I too prefer a road course type environment over a drag strip with my mom being a driver on dirt and road courses when I was growing up. But I also dated a girl for a number of years whose mom was a semi-pro funny car drag racer. So Ive learned a lot from both disciplines but prefer road courses because to me they are more technically challenging.

I think the major consideration between the coupes and sedans would not be the overall wheel base, rather weight distribution. Even that out, beef up the suspension some and have fun.

I used to be friends with a Sherrif out in a neighboring county from my storm chasing and it has some very windy and challenging roads there and I use to go out there and run frequently. He would not bother me if he were out there, but he has since either moved on or retired and so Im not as comfortable in going out there and testing. That used to be a great deal of fun. Very very low traffic and a few straight sections you could wind out on.

So overall I dont think it would make a huge difference in either trim, just find some roads you can safely test on or if you have access to a track then obviously that would be much better, but I think the key is going to lie in the weight distribution with the wheelbase the GP has.

you need beefy everything for these cars not to plow through cornors. good luck, i wish my car handled like it was on rails.

Now that I have mt GTP I need to start getting some suspension together

I'm wondering if the 4 door sedan would be better for what I want because of the slightly longer frame which could result in better stability. I know that many Honda and Mazda teams have been using the TSX and 4 Door Mazda 6's rather than the coupes. Does this sound like a legit consideration when looking for a track use GTP?

The 2 door and the 4 door are exactly the same size, so a longer frame wouldn't be a factor here. I'm not quite sure about the differences in structural rigidity between the two, though I would imagine there would be somewhat of a difference.

Wheelbase or vehicle length?

Originally Posted by TDCRacing

wheelbase i think. look in your car's manual and you will see it in the specifiations section...Actually i think it is vehicle length.

I've lined up my coupe up to my 4-door parts car so I know they are the same length.