Alright Veeky Forums, let's talk about track cars. Advice, questions, ownership/track stories, lessons learned, and opinions. Bench racers permitted.
To start with, a friend and I are figuring out what kind of car we can get on the cheap, and I've come across a few Alfa Romeos that are dirt cheap; the 156 and the Spider.
Having owned a 156 a few years ago, I know that they'll stick like glue to the road and handle quite well for a stock car, but is the Spider a better handling vehicle? It's smaller than the 156 and possibly lighter depending on model years, but is a soft top so chassis flex might be an issue. I'm quite comfortable working on either Alfa, but getting an opinion on the 156 vs the Spider would be nice.
I drive an Alfa 156 2.5 V6 24v and can confirm the things you're saying about the handling. It gets even better if you upgrade the stock suspension. You can get 156's a lot cheaper than Spiders. But in the end it all depends on your preference and requirements. Just be sure to get a V6
Isaac Myers
Man I remember having a Quartett card game and the Alfa Romeo in your pic related had the highest rpm value I think it was something like 11800
Jackson Collins
My dad had a 1999 v6 166 a while back, that thing went like hell. It was apparently totaled after he sold it though, which is quite sad.
He has a 2005 166 now, but It's a 2.5 JTD. Still a great car but I wish it was a v6 as well, since I'm actually old enough to drive it now.
Joseph Bailey
I'd stick to 156 with a 2.5 V6. You can either go and drill it out to 3.0 or 3.2 and make a GTA type setup. Add a Ferrari 360 Modena throttle body (which fits by the way), remap the ECU, get some suspension work done, and you're golden. Spiders are somewhat lighter but you won't find nearly as many aftermarket parts for them. Just my 2 cents .
Jacob Anderson
What kind of racing are you going to do and at what level? What's your budget for race preparation, excluding the cost of the car?
Connor Long
>Be Alfa team >Participate in WTCC 2007 >Driver gets in accident >Front chassis is bent, can't fit new bumper >notaproblem.exe >Drill through the garage floor >Put metal rod in hole >Link chain to metal rod and car chassis >Put car on trolleys >Throw the car around until chassis is fixed >Fit new bumper >Proceed to race 2 youtu.be/8GQCu_0h5e8
>be Alfa driver >Participate in DTM 1994 >Race will decide if Alfa or Mercedes wins the championship >Mercedes suck for the whole race, most of them are lapped >Alfa seems to get an easy win >Enter cunt Merc driver, already lapped and not running for any relevant position in the championship >Hit Alfa at a slow turn, Alfa spins, championships is lost >Proceed to scream obscenities at the cunt Merc driver >Get car back on track >Get back to the pits >Ask for a tire change for no apparent reason >Get back on track at warp speed >drive like they are coming to check your tax reports >find cunt Merc driver >Crash car into cunt Merc driver >revenge is achieved >Alfa is on fire >Abandon car >Another normal day in the life of Alfa racing teams youtu.be/tTwYHY7mY8c
Bentley Evans
Do you mean the 90s 916 spider?
Those are way heavier (starting at 1460 kg) than a 156 (1300kg) with the same engine, with less body rigidity.
The 916 GTV (1370kg) or the GT (1365kg) are probably a better choices, but still just a little heavier than the 156.
147 is 1265kg and based on the 156, so any V6 would fit 155 is is just 1230kg, but only has a 12V V6
So if you don't want to swap engines around a 156 2.5 is probably the way to go.
>All weights are of the base models, the top-spec models with V6s are about an equal amount heavier though so you can still compare them using these numbers
Samuel Parker
There actually is a spider starting in the twin spark class of Alfa challenge. huh.
Brayden Ross
The second video...goose bumps.
What you see in the end is not fire, it's the car's soul.
Roland Asch, the Mercedes driver from the 2nd vid pretty much pulled off the exact same thing AGAIN when he tried to win the championship for his manufacturer in 1999. He used the same tactic, but waited for the very last corner this time.
Josiah Morales
Most exciting Rickroll I've ever seen.
David Hughes
What a cunt
Brody Carter
>What kind of racing are you going to do and at what level? Honestly, we're just starting out with this as a track car and seeing what it can do, get some track experience, and embarrass some Hondas. After we're confident on the track, we might see about entering whatever local time attack or autocross that would suit our car and level of skill.
>What's your budget for race preparation, excluding the cost of the car? Couple grand from each of us, plus whatever it costs for a full roll cage. Shoestring, to start with.
>Ferrari 360 Modena throttle body Good to know, not sure how available they'll be in Aus though. I was thinking of going with a Haltech ECU, as my boss has the tuning software and a dyno.
I was thinking about the GTV V6, yeah. Finding a 156 with a V6 in it within our budget is difficult, but I'm happy to wait for a V6 to come up.
The 156 will be stripped of anything not necessary for a track car, so I'm sure getting the weight down won't be an issue.
Kevin Gutierrez
You can get that throttle body from UK or US for around $160 US, but you have to be patient. Besides, the adapter plate is going to be more expensive than that unless you can build one yourself. As for the 2.5L 156, I'd wait for that. Having a good foundation for a proper roll bar is pretty important if you ask me.
Anthony Gomez
>Besides, the adapter plate is going to be more expensive than that unless you can build one yourself. I'll be able to fabricobble something together that'll work, no worries there.
My main concern will be improving handling and adding lightness. I'd be happy if I can get the whole car below 1100 kg and keep the 50/50 weight distribution.
Luis Robinson
Giving a bump because surely there's other people here with track cars?
Hunter Wright
The number one question is: parts, aftermarket and spares. Does a supply exist, or does somebody manufacture them on demand, or are they pixie dust?
Thomas Kelly
>parts Easy enough to get, I work in the industry.
>aftermarket Not a lot, but most of the stuff I'll need to get can be made to fit anyway - items like coilovers or exhausts, for example.
>spares Worst comes to worst, we can just buy another parts car.
Gabriel Taylor
Your typical German person.
Knights of social justice and rules above everything but when they're losing they become children... :^)
