S15 Or 34gtt? For Circuit Club Day!

[alexliu]

S15 Or 34gtt? For Circuit Club Day?

I just had 30k ready to spend, looking for a car which intentionally run weekend circuit club day.

never had any SILIVA OR SKYLINE, or even any nissan.

so hard to choose due their price are very close.

any suggestion will be helpful, thanks!

remember not for drag, not for show off, and not for curising.

just for sharp time attack on circuit! B)

Edited November 1, 2005 by alexliu

[Count Grantleyish]

For Time attack, go for S15 due to weight as it's lighter than 34 GT-T.

Do a search for these cars in comparisons, as theres a thread about these somewhere.

If you want raw power, why don't you consider R32 GT-R? Just a tought

Cheers

Grant

[Beer Baron]

time attack lol.

S15 no doubt.

[Maxx]

if u only have 30k to spend i will say s14 + mod

if it has to be between gtt & s15, s15 for sure

[Big Rizza]

Of those two, I would go an S15. But there are numerous cars outside the S15 and R34 GTT in that price range for circuit racing. Also consider modified earlier nissans (S13/S14, R32 GTR etc) as well as Series 6+ Mazda RX7, and even the 2JZGTE Toyota Supras (although that may be a bit heavy).

[scathing]

As everyone else has said, S15. Less weight, easy to extract power from, and a wealth of aftermarket parts.

But if you could score a Series 6 RX-7 in that price range, take the rotor.

Otherwise, there's always WRX's. You can set up the handling for tarmac and remove the stock understeer. They do a great job at the club level supersprints I marshall at.

[alexliu]

i am thinking that would RB25DET is easier to mod for extra power than SR20DET due it has a six cilyder and bigger engine, right ??

another point is, decreasing GTT weight is much cheaper way to mod than increasing S15 power, is that right ?

by the way, WRX will not be included in consideration, because its very smart 4wd system will hide human error,and kill or stop my driving skill from growing! and by its 4wd nature, wrx is not born to suit high speed, right? i have heard that drive a little FR is always a good way to start practise, am i right?

[scathing]

Are you sure we're talking about the same WRX?

Any non-'05 STi model has a, by peer standards, retarded 4WD system.

"Symmetric AWD" is a marketingspeak euphamism for "we don't have the know-how to build a car with active torque splits like the Evolution or GT-R".

I find it so laughable that Subaru has made "symmetric AWD" a cornerstone of their marketing push for its performance and safety.....until their new top-of-the-line sports car's best handling modification is its asymmetric, adaptive, AWD setup. Notice how they don't have it as a slogan this year?

Anyway, WRX's run open diffs in the front, and the older ones run open rear diffs too (the STi's of old do run front and rear LSDs), so it also tends to spin the inside front wheel under power. Not particularly smart.

As for skills, it just requires a different technique to drive a 4WD quickly. They are easier to drive than a FR car, but that doesn't mean it makes it easy. If you've got no skill you'll still have no pace. I've cleaned up plenty of badly driven modified WRXs in my NA Z, and one of my friends has run down R32 GT-Rs in the wet in his Elantra.

Some driving craft is portable between drivetrain configurations, but others aren't. For example, 4WDers have a mantra: "when in doubt, power out" which works great if the nose pulls as well as the tail pushing...but try that in a RWD car and you'll spin.

WRX's are not geared for high speed, but you'll have to make mad power to hit redline in top gear on most Australian racetracks.

Oh, and if you're after the "ultimate" drivetrain for learning racing skills, then go grab a MR car. Preferably NA. The MR car's weight distribution and balance tends to be the best, and having instant throttle response and a linear power delivery is much better for learning than the variable ramp-up rates for a FI car when trying to balance on the throttle, that also lets you use excess power to hide your deficiencies in handling your car.

Edited November 4, 2005 by scathing

[scathing]

i am thinking that would RB25DET is easier to mod for extra power than SR20DET due it has a six cilyder and bigger engine, right ??

another point is, decreasing GTT weight is much cheaper way to mod than increasing S15 power, is that right ?

Depends on how far you want to go. If you're willing to strip out the interior then its quite cheap to drop weight. It costs nothing aside from time. But you can also do that to a S15, and drop the weight of that too.

As for making power, you can get an S15 from 125rwkW to 180rwkW with your standard bolt-ons (exhaust, FMIC, ECU and boost control). If you start going invasive and start doing internals, its always cheaper to modify a 4 pot than a 6 pot.

Don't forget that the non-R Skyline coupes are also set up from the factory as more of a GT car. GT's are cars that are sporty, but still have a modicum of comfort and luxury rather than being an out-and-out sports racer. That niche is filled by the Silvia, after all. A much cheaper but a lot more direct and focused sports car. As such, I'd bet on a Silvia's handling for track work over a Skyline GT's.

For track work, all else being equal (suspension setup, power / weight etc), you'd always take the lighter car. It should accelerate about the same, given the similar power to weight, and unless one car has a much better suspension setup the lower weight means it'll handle better as well as tax your brakes and tyres a lot less.

[aussie_tul]

Personally, i prefer s15

[Deluxe]

Dude run with the S15, You can get just as much power out of an SR as apposed to the RB and prob a bit more sharper also. My opinoin is if it's only gonna be a Track Car and not to be registered or complied, check with some importers to purchase a car that already has race mods and is ready to go, with no comliencing it makes it heaps affordable.

[KamikazeR33]

the only prob with the sr is the alloy block which cracks under heat, so ull need to make sure shes well cooled first

[predator]

these days, r34 might be even a bit cheaper.. have to consider that as well..

[scathing]

I'm on a couple of Silvia-oriented forums, and I've never heard of any amateur racer cracking an SR block while sprint racing due to heat issues.

I know that some of the GT-P guys had issues with their engines, but then they run them pretty damned hard for quite a length of time.

If he's only after a time attack (which isn't exactly endurance) then the lighter engine and car would still be a better choice.

Mind you he might also be able to get a second hand PRB for that kind of money, which will defecate all over a S15 or R34 on the track.

[alexliu]

all goes to SILVIA , 12:0 for now.hehe.

now i have a very clear idea.

but one more worrying which is silvia's head room!

been sitting in my friend silvia, its headroom is really pain for me, as i am 186cm guy. then image put one more helmet on at circuit ???

can silvia seat be lowed ???

any experience and suggestions from you guys with 185cm plus height about the leg room???

and one more question, how about silvia brake and accelator setting??

are they easy to do "head and toe"? i have found out that it must be easier if that two padels are not too far apart each other.

thank you all !

you skyline guys are very kind, informative,and helpful~!

[m&m]

Well,I also own an S15 as well as my GTR.My S15 made 242rwkw last time on a dyno,a bit more now,with standard internals.I have fitted Cusco and Khazama rose jointed suspension arms everywhere and A048 tyres.I have reduced the weight a little.It is razor sharp,I imagine you would have to get over 320rwkw in an R34 to match the power to weight,but I doubt you could match the sharpness.

S15 gets my vote.

But I'd still get an R32 GTR for track only use.

[scathing]

I've driven a couple of different Nissans (Pulsar, Silvia, Z, Skylines), and all of them have had excellent pedal placement for heel-toeing. They all feel pretty similar, and its as if Nissan did their pedal placement just for people like us.

But yes, head room can be an issue for taller drivers in a Silvia. If you're going to set it up as a dedicated track car you'd replace the seats, which means replacing the seat rails. That might help a bit.