# Track my 330 or a "beater"?



## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

Uh-oh... don't get me started. 

Shifter karts are amazingly fun. About 4 grand can get you into a well-maintaned, decent used kart with some extras like kart stands, etc.

It's basically a racing kart with a 125cc, 2-stroke engine and a 6-speed gearbox. A total blast. For example, in my first autocross in the kart, I was about 4 seconds faster than a nationally competitive Z06. They are a hoot.

Here's a few links:

http://www.ekartingnews.com/
There's a forum here with tons of info, as well as a bunch of other articles.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/F125/ 
This is primarily a site for autocrossers.

http://www.jimrussellusa.com/karting/shiftercourses.php
A kart school

http://www.badgerkartclub.com/
My local club (I just practice there)

Basically, the kart is more fun than I've ever had before in a 4-wheeled racing vehicle. Nothing else is a "raw" and as challenging as trying to go fast in one of these things. And unless you start doing some weightlifting neck exercises, your head will flop over like a rag doll after about 15 laps at the type of G's you pull in one.

Way cool.

As for maintenence costs, they're not bad, but it depends on if you go wheel-to-wheel (W2W) or autocross. With autocrossing, since you accumulate track time at a much slower rate than in W2W, you can extend major maintenance intervals (like changing the piston, etc) longer. Tires are probably the biggest expense, but at $170 a set (note, not per tire like some cars) it's still ok.

So yeah, sell the GTI and get one!


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## Lscman (Aug 5, 2003)

OBS3SSION said:


> Well, like I said... I'll be waiting for a while then. It would be quite a while for me to get the GTI on the road. Of course, I could sell it to make the room in the garage and get back a few hundred bucks, and then just buy another when I have the money. Perhaps buy something that was actually drivable from the get-go. Then I'd just need to worry about modding it... not getting it drivable.
> 
> What exactly is a shifter kart? Sounds like fun? Are they "cheap" to run (as compared to regularly tracking/autocrossing a car?


I've been running open track and Driver's Ed days for 20 years and 45K on-track miles. I never had a significant mishap yet & my typical track car is worth $20K. I've been off the track with wheels in grass twice, when I ran out of brakes. There is definitely risk in this venue (imagine if you lose a wheel bearing going 100 MPH), but there are plenty of folks out there running street cars valued at $50K-$100K with a clean record. Worst that happened to me was I blew a brake hose on the downhill entering the toe of the boot at Watkins Glen going 90MPH, but with some puckering and skill, I kept it off the wall!

You should investigate whether you can obtain street collision insurance coverage that will also cover you at non-competitive track events. This is done by anyone smart. Last I checked, Allstate is worthless and Erie or State Farm are good. It's my understanding that Erie & State Farm will cover your car at a non-competitive Driver's Ed event if you hit a tirewall at 90 MPH...although they will drop you afterwards.

The problem I would forsee for you is wearing out brake pads or cording a tire and being unable to get to work on Monday morning. A cheap backup car is nice to keep things flowing smoothly. A broken GTI...well, that's worthless. Why, again, did you buy a car that can't be used?? Maybe sell it and get a functional $750 car? I think a 330i makes an excellent, occasional DE track car.


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

Lscman said:


> I've been running open track and Driver's Ed days for 20 years and 45K on-track miles. I never had a significant mishap yet & my typical track car is worth $20K. I've been off the track with wheels in grass twice, when I ran out of brakes. There is definitely risk in this venue (imagine if you lose a wheel bearing going 100 MPH), but there are plenty of folks out there running street cars valued at $50K-$100K with a clean record. Worst that happened to me was I blew a brake hose on the downhill entering the toe of the boot at Watkins Glen going 90MPH, but with some puckering and skill, I kept it off the wall!
> 
> You should investigate whether you can obtain street collision insurance coverage that will also cover you at non-competitive track events. This is done by anyone smart. Last I checked, Allstate is worthless and Erie or State Farm are good. It's my understanding that Erie & State Farm will cover your car at a non-competitive Driver's Ed event if you hit a tirewall at 90 MPH...although they will drop you afterwards.
> 
> The problem I would forsee for you is wearing out brake pads or cording a tire and being unable to get to work on Monday morning. A cheap backup car is nice to keep things flowing smoothly. A broken GTI...well, that's worthless. Why, again, did you buy a car that can't be used?? Maybe sell it and get a functional $750 car? I think a 330i makes an excellent, occasional DE track car.


Great post. 

and if you check your tires and brakes DURING the weekend, you shouldn't run into running out of pads or tread to get to work.

Or do like many people do, and swap pads and tires for the track. not to start, but a lot of people end up there later.


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## OBS3SSION (Oct 1, 2002)

Lscman said:


> A broken GTI...well, that's worthless. Why, again, did you buy a car that can't be used?? Maybe sell it and get a functional $750 car? I think a 330i makes an excellent, occasional DE track car.


Well, the GTI was purchased as a project car. I've been a VW enthusiast since 16, and purchasing the 330 got me away from that group. The GTI was going to be my project car... modded for track and autocross use, as well as VW shows... and allow me to still be part of the great VW community.

The problem is... when I bought it, we had no idea that within a few months we'd sell our house and build a new one. Now, with the new house, I have lost the use of the extra "disposable" income that was going to be used to rebuild the GTI.

Had we stayed in the old house, I'd be halfway done with a complete rebuild of the GTI. That, or I'd have sold it and taken advantage of the great deals on Z4's... But I can't do either right now.


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