Stavros
Active Member
As title really. Just out of interest as I been thinking the same.
Hindsight is 20-20, and no doubt most of us have done things, built cars, owned cars, that were nowhere near as good an idea as they seemed at the time, so after all your experiences with various cars and drifting, what car would/should you have built, and why?
I've had loads, from massive ones to tiny ones, from posh ones to hardcore ones, from powerful ones to slow as hell ones, from cheap shitters to big bucks money pits, and I think I know what I want now.
For me, it probably sounds shit to most people with their big ideas and dreams, but I'd have a 1.8 Mk1 MX5 with a turbo.
I had a Cossie powered MX5, which I'd prefer even more, but I bought that done, and the work to do that conversion would be a ballache, and engine conversions ALWAYS cause problems, even if the engine you putting in is WAY better than the original, so I'd use the original 1.8 BP engine rather than some badass V8 or whatever.
Reason I'd choose an MX5 is, with modified hubs especially, they're simply the most go-kart like car there is, nothing has turn-in like a MX5 with decent hubs. Even my FC, which is a very small light car, with like a massive barge compared to one.
Have always happily kept up with cars with 3+ times the power when drifting with shitbox 1.6 MX5s- They tick all the boxes for fun.
Another reason is they're basic, strong, and parts are ten a penny. Had more seat time in MX5s than everything else I've had put together I think, and with the mods I'd do I don't think that'd change.
I hate the looks, but I don't care about looks anymore really. As long as you don't modify a car to look shitter than standard like so many people do, keeping them standard looking is fine in my eyes. It will look like an MX5, just a bit lower.
I'd want it as a daily, so while creature comforts I don't care about, a carpet and trim I'd want- Not fully stripped.
I'd prefer not to have a cage, but for Pembrey GP track you need to, so a cage it is.
I'd have normal 7x15s or whatever with 195 or 205s on it- I don't want loads of grip.
Only thing that I've ever found lacking on MX5s was power. Not for drifting on track, never in fact, but for on the street generally going fast or smoking the place out. My Cossie one was 270bhp, and keeping up with superbikes to 160mph in it, and generally rinsing everything else on the road in a standardish looking car was ace fun, but one thing that car taught me was the chassis could easily handle a LOT more, 400bhp would do me I think in a car that light.
A built (pistons, rods, etc) 1.8 BP engine with a GTX28 could bash out 400bhp with good low down power and reliability too, so that'd be ideal. Anti-lag too. Gearboxes aren't too bad at that power either. Diffs maybe break, maybe not, but that's no big deal to sort on them.
I'd mod the cooling, mostly getting air in/out the car, like I did on the Cossie one, and that's reliability sorted.
The exhaust would be as quiet as I could make an unrestrictive 3in+ system be on one too- Noise is gay.
Engine management would be something good, and most importantly fitted and mapped by someone big time. No corners cut at all.
For the handling, they need cock all- Decent coilovers, rod ends, modified hubs, decent geometry, bushes, welded diff, done.
Inside just a smaller steering wheel and drivers bucket seat will do.
With the no weight and skinny tyres for the power (but not for the car) it will handle mint but on the power just be a smoke machine even at big big speeds.
The car should be fairly cheap, do everything I want, reliabile, subtle/sleeper. Done.
Could daily it, drive it to drift days and back, and as I'd not have spent a fortune I could afford a decent trailer to take it places too.
The end. TBH some of my thoughts/wants might sound odd, so if you wonder why I haven't gone for a turbo V8, or haven't done whatever, just ask.
Hopefully people have some interesting ones, as no doubt everyones had a few nightmares over time lol.
Hindsight is 20-20, and no doubt most of us have done things, built cars, owned cars, that were nowhere near as good an idea as they seemed at the time, so after all your experiences with various cars and drifting, what car would/should you have built, and why?
I've had loads, from massive ones to tiny ones, from posh ones to hardcore ones, from powerful ones to slow as hell ones, from cheap shitters to big bucks money pits, and I think I know what I want now.
For me, it probably sounds shit to most people with their big ideas and dreams, but I'd have a 1.8 Mk1 MX5 with a turbo.
I had a Cossie powered MX5, which I'd prefer even more, but I bought that done, and the work to do that conversion would be a ballache, and engine conversions ALWAYS cause problems, even if the engine you putting in is WAY better than the original, so I'd use the original 1.8 BP engine rather than some badass V8 or whatever.
Reason I'd choose an MX5 is, with modified hubs especially, they're simply the most go-kart like car there is, nothing has turn-in like a MX5 with decent hubs. Even my FC, which is a very small light car, with like a massive barge compared to one.
Have always happily kept up with cars with 3+ times the power when drifting with shitbox 1.6 MX5s- They tick all the boxes for fun.
Another reason is they're basic, strong, and parts are ten a penny. Had more seat time in MX5s than everything else I've had put together I think, and with the mods I'd do I don't think that'd change.
I hate the looks, but I don't care about looks anymore really. As long as you don't modify a car to look shitter than standard like so many people do, keeping them standard looking is fine in my eyes. It will look like an MX5, just a bit lower.
I'd want it as a daily, so while creature comforts I don't care about, a carpet and trim I'd want- Not fully stripped.
I'd prefer not to have a cage, but for Pembrey GP track you need to, so a cage it is.
I'd have normal 7x15s or whatever with 195 or 205s on it- I don't want loads of grip.
Only thing that I've ever found lacking on MX5s was power. Not for drifting on track, never in fact, but for on the street generally going fast or smoking the place out. My Cossie one was 270bhp, and keeping up with superbikes to 160mph in it, and generally rinsing everything else on the road in a standardish looking car was ace fun, but one thing that car taught me was the chassis could easily handle a LOT more, 400bhp would do me I think in a car that light.
A built (pistons, rods, etc) 1.8 BP engine with a GTX28 could bash out 400bhp with good low down power and reliability too, so that'd be ideal. Anti-lag too. Gearboxes aren't too bad at that power either. Diffs maybe break, maybe not, but that's no big deal to sort on them.
I'd mod the cooling, mostly getting air in/out the car, like I did on the Cossie one, and that's reliability sorted.
The exhaust would be as quiet as I could make an unrestrictive 3in+ system be on one too- Noise is gay.
Engine management would be something good, and most importantly fitted and mapped by someone big time. No corners cut at all.
For the handling, they need cock all- Decent coilovers, rod ends, modified hubs, decent geometry, bushes, welded diff, done.
Inside just a smaller steering wheel and drivers bucket seat will do.
With the no weight and skinny tyres for the power (but not for the car) it will handle mint but on the power just be a smoke machine even at big big speeds.
The car should be fairly cheap, do everything I want, reliabile, subtle/sleeper. Done.
Could daily it, drive it to drift days and back, and as I'd not have spent a fortune I could afford a decent trailer to take it places too.
The end. TBH some of my thoughts/wants might sound odd, so if you wonder why I haven't gone for a turbo V8, or haven't done whatever, just ask.
Hopefully people have some interesting ones, as no doubt everyones had a few nightmares over time lol.
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