◆ SNAIL [Spec] Racing - Join now to win a Digit Racing EDGE Masterclass enrollment!!Open 

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CoachMK21
Attention all car loving Snails. I'm looking for some advice / feedback / suggestions. Sorry it's kind of a long post.

Here is my situation. As many of you know, I own a 2003 Nissan 350z. I love the car a lot and it's great to drive in the summerish months (Mid March - Late October). The other months of the year and during the summer sometimes I drive my other car, a 2014 Chrysler Town & Country. It's good for transportimg people, stuff, etc but not much fun for driving. Only positives are heated seats, heated steering wheel and remote start :)

I talked with the wife and she gave me the go ahead to look for something else, with one caveat. The new car will replace both the van and the 350z so I could drive it year round. I figure I can sell the 350z in the $5k range, with just a couple thousand of equity in the van to get one car I will enjoy. As an aside, my wife drives a 2008 Pontiac Vibe which our oldest son will inherit later this year as he turns 16 in July. She'll be getting a new car as well (leaning towards a Subaru Impreza hatchback or Mazda 3 hatchback).

Max price:
$30,000 (before cash from 350z and van trade in)

Uses:
Autocross
Rare track day
Daily driving - I'm not afraid of a stiff ride (insert childish comment here)

Requirements:
Manual
4 seats
Fun to drive

Preferences:
Rear wheel drive
Newer (2012-)

Absolutely not:
Convertible

Cars I'm considering, in no particular order:
Scion FR-S - But not the BRZ
Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Infiniti G37 Coupe - Similar to 370z, but weighs nearly 2 ton.
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Ford Focus ST
Ford Mustang - Not really a fan, but I'll consider it
Chevrolet Camaro - Not really a fan, but I'll consider it
BMW 3 series - Not sure I want to be a BMW owner
Mini Cooper S JCW - Too small?


Cars I'm not considering:
Ford Focus RS - Price
Volkswagen Golf R - Price
Subaru WRX/STi - I'm not completed against these, but they aren't on my short list
Mazda RX-8 - Not big on the rotary and wouldn't want one pre-2010. 2012 is last year.


I'm looking for feedback, both personal and observatory in nature. Please be specific if you can to your pro's and con's. Thanks!
Click to expand...

How important is it to you to be competitive with the car in solo?

On that list, the Focus ST and FRS are the easy-button cars for stock/street class. The ST likes to bicycle, and then some. Everything else on the list going to be an also-ran in base trim(i.e. unless you're talking 1LE Camaros and Shelby Rustangs) in street class at the national level, but probably better as a daily driver than the above two.
 
Marcus Garvey
How important is it to you to be competitive with the car in solo?

On that list, the Focus ST and FRS are the easy-button cars for stock/street class. The ST likes to bicycle, and then some. Everything else on the list going to be an also-ran in base trim(i.e. unless you're talking 1LE Camaros and Shelby Rustangs) in street class at the national level, but probably better as a daily driver than the above two.
Click to expand...

I want to be able to be competitive locally. I do too much other racing at this point to try to do national events, but it's something I'd like to do. I'd be looking for whatever trim is the best for autocrossing. Such as the R-Spec in the Genesis. Base models are no good unless the biggest difference is weight loss. I'm not really a fan of the Camaro or Mustang, unless it's a model I can't afford, ie Z28 or Boss 302.
 
@CoachMK21 FR-S would be a hoot at autocross, good on gas, cheap tires. Ones I've seen here are competitive in STX, at our events and has space to carry a set of track tires and a jack as a design requirement. I still haven't gotten to drive one, but sitting in it just feels "right", wonderful driving position and forward visibility/low hood. 200hp can't be as bad as people say if I can enjoy 80hp in my car. Gearing seems pretty good for autocross watching the STX cars go by. Can carry passengers in a pinch, but not great at it. If I was going to get a new car for myself, it would be an FR-S. As close to an MX-5 as you can get with 4 seats and a real roof (and a real trunk).

Genesis Coupe is not really my style, I test drove one and didn't really like it very much. It was an automatic, though. The only one on the lot at the time. Driving around at normal speeds it felt about as engaging as any rental car you could name. Really wide, too. Maybe that's why they're not used for autocross much. About 2" wider than your 350z, I think. Might be good on a track on paper though. Manual might make it more engaging if they did a good job on it (but I haven't heard good things) Engine was responsive, smooth (3.8 V6). Everything else was uninspiring.

The new mustang seems seriously quick, an FS class mustang had the fastest overall time of the day in my region's SOLO event yesterday. It was just a plain white GT. I beat an (overly) aggressively driven R32 GT-R by ~2 seconds, the Mustang beat me by almost 8 seconds. (Driven by one of the region's best drivers, though.)


What about the Fiesta ST? Those seem to kill it pretty well at autocross, and are fairly practical to boot. Weigh about what an FR-S weighs, but FWD and a real hatch instead of just a trunk. I get the feeling Ford looked into what kinds of motorsports people actually do when they were building the Fiesta ST. They also use Fiestas at O'neil rally school, and according to ACP they actually put their factory-engine-powered 2WD fiestas on overall podiums occasionally, so they can't be too bad haha :)


No experience with most of the other new cars.
 
CoachMK21
I want to be able to be competitive locally. I do too much other racing at this point to try to do national events, but it's something I'd like to do. I'd be looking for whatever trim is the best for autocrossing. Such as the R-Spec in the Genesis. Base models are no good unless the biggest difference is weight loss. I'm not really a fan of the Camaro or Mustang, unless it's a model I can't afford, ie Z28 or Boss 302.
Click to expand...

The Genesis Turbo has done well at times in the past, and I recall one being rather dominant day 1 at a national event a few years ago but they struggled with reliability and the car broke a lot. Went into day 2 with a lead but DNS(pre-2012 model). This was prior to Focus ST, though. The Focus ST, GTi, and pre2012 Genesis Turbo are all GS cars. GS is a big time course dependent class with varying layouts and everything from lighter FWDs(Celica, Neon, etc) and powerful but heavy FWDs(Focus ST, Speed3, SRT4) to heavy RWD(Genesis) and AWD(Volvo) models. The GTi is going to have the nicest interior and will be a great daily, but it's neither a rowdy RWD or a nimble sports car. The GTi will also be the best car in the winter months and have the most interior space between it, the Genesis, and the FRS.

I don't recall the 3.8 doing particularly well at solo, but they've got a lot of straight line talent for the track and I would imagine make a better daily than the Turbo. In Solo the 3.8 is an FS car which leaves it against the 1LE Camaros, M3s, and Mustangs. At a TT last year I was lapping a second or so ahead of a 3.8R while it was running over 20mph faster at the end of the longest straight. More than double the power will do that haha, but it's heavy. The shifter feel and placement is not great for some people. Go drive one and see if it works for you. Interior quality is not on the same level as some of the others, but what can you expect with 350hp for the price? It's a big car compared to the Z, both in dimension and heft. The Genesis is notoriously poor in winter driving. A set of narrower wheels for your snow tyres can help.

The FRS is a good option all around. It is a great car for CS and STX and trackdays. Compared to your 350, and everything else on your list; it's a dog. It's not like LeCar slow, but it's like Toyota Camry slow. Actually, a V6 Camry will murder it in a straight line. You're going to need to take it near redline to keep ahead of the minivans at stoplights. 0-60 is a few tenths faster than my 17 year old Civic, and the quarter mile is within a couple of tenths. The fact that the car makes its power a bit differently than the typical 4 cylinder sports car(torquier, but without the top end power and mad dash to the fuel cut) and the famous dip from 3000-4500rpm makes it feel slower than it actually is. This may, or may not be important to you. As well, you can always take it STX or beyond and fix some of that. The upside to this, in my opinion, is that the car is a better and more forgiving platform to learn on. It also means that your on-track speeds will be lower which of course provides you more time to react and it will build better habits than a car that you're afraid of or constantly having to pedal. It will be the smallest interior of these, though, and the least powerful on the highway. If you look for a new car you will want to add the legal TRD parts, or if buying used you could perhaps look for an existing CS car for sale. The FRS would be my vote, assigning equal weight to solo/track/daily use.

For local solo, any of your choices will do, really. I still occasionally run with a car that has been obsolete for about 15 years and it can still dominate a regional season and win national events. You can always hop a ride for the big events. Keeping this in mind, if you add greater weight to the daily driver portion of your requirements the GTi looks like a better choice. As well; if the powerful RWD, and potential HPDE FTD Random Hero award winner are weighed greater the Genesis looks much better. If you take a day and hit the dealers to drive the ones you haven't yet, you might be able to knock a few off of your list straight away for various reasons and narrow your choices a bit.
 
Quite offtopic but here it goes.

Me and @pinki_19123 have started a kik group chat to all Snail racers. If you are interested in joining, just tell me or him your kik id, via message or conversation and we will add you!

o/
 
CoachMK21
Attention all car loving Snails. I'm looking for some advice / feedback / suggestions. Sorry it's kind of a long post.

Here is my situation. As many of you know, I own a 2003 Nissan 350z. I love the car a lot and it's great to drive in the summerish months (Mid March - Late October). The other months of the year and during the summer sometimes I drive my other car, a 2014 Chrysler Town & Country. It's good for transportimg people, stuff, etc but not much fun for driving. Only positives are heated seats, heated steering wheel and remote start :)

I talked with the wife and she gave me the go ahead to look for something else, with one caveat. The new car will replace both the van and the 350z so I could drive it year round. I figure I can sell the 350z in the $5k range, with just a couple thousand of equity in the van to get one car I will enjoy. As an aside, my wife drives a 2008 Pontiac Vibe which our oldest son will inherit later this year as he turns 16 in July. She'll be getting a new car as well (leaning towards a Subaru Impreza hatchback or Mazda 3 hatchback).

Max price:
$30,000 (before cash from 350z and van trade in)

Uses:
Autocross
Rare track day
Daily driving - I'm not afraid of a stiff ride (insert childish comment here)

Requirements:
Manual
4 seats
Fun to drive

Preferences:
Rear wheel drive
Newer (2012-)

Absolutely not:
Convertible

Cars I'm considering, in no particular order:
Scion FR-S - But not the BRZ
Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Infiniti G37 Coupe - Similar to 370z, but weighs nearly 2 ton.
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Ford Focus ST
Ford Mustang - Not really a fan, but I'll consider it
Chevrolet Camaro - Not really a fan, but I'll consider it
BMW 3 series - Not sure I want to be a BMW owner
Mini Cooper S JCW - Too small?


Cars I'm not considering:
Ford Focus RS - Price
Volkswagen Golf R - Price
Subaru WRX/STi - I'm not completed against these, but they aren't on my short list
Mazda RX-8 - Not big on the rotary and wouldn't want one pre-2010. 2012 is last year.


I'm looking for feedback, both personal and observatory in nature. Please be specific if you can to your pro's and con's. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Keep the van, buy a Vee! Will go a weekend on less than 5 gallons of fuel and brakes last a full season, two if you like more rear brake!
 
CONGRATS TO DIV 5 WINNER

image.jpeg


A GREAT WAY TO CELEBRATE 3 YRS IN THE LEAGUE​
 
CoachMK21
Attention all car loving Snails. I'm looking for some advice / feedback / suggestions. Sorry it's kind of a long post.

Here is my situation. As many of you know, I own a 2003 Nissan 350z. I love the car a lot and it's great to drive in the summerish months (Mid March - Late October). The other months of the year and during the summer sometimes I drive my other car, a 2014 Chrysler Town & Country. It's good for transportimg people, stuff, etc but not much fun for driving. Only positives are heated seats, heated steering wheel and remote start :)

I talked with the wife and she gave me the go ahead to look for something else, with one caveat. The new car will replace both the van and the 350z so I could drive it year round. I figure I can sell the 350z in the $5k range, with just a couple thousand of equity in the van to get one car I will enjoy. As an aside, my wife drives a 2008 Pontiac Vibe which our oldest son will inherit later this year as he turns 16 in July. She'll be getting a new car as well (leaning towards a Subaru Impreza hatchback or Mazda 3 hatchback).

Max price:
$30,000 (before cash from 350z and van trade in)

Uses:
Autocross
Rare track day
Daily driving - I'm not afraid of a stiff ride (insert childish comment here)

Requirements:
Manual
4 seats
Fun to drive

Preferences:
Rear wheel drive
Newer (2012-)

Absolutely not:
Convertible

Cars I'm considering, in no particular order:
Scion FR-S - But not the BRZ
Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Infiniti G37 Coupe - Similar to 370z, but weighs nearly 2 ton.
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Ford Focus ST
Ford Mustang - Not really a fan, but I'll consider it
Chevrolet Camaro - Not really a fan, but I'll consider it
BMW 3 series - Not sure I want to be a BMW owner
Mini Cooper S JCW - Too small?


Cars I'm not considering:
Ford Focus RS - Price
Volkswagen Golf R - Price
Subaru WRX/STi - I'm not completed against these, but they aren't on my short list
Mazda RX-8 - Not big on the rotary and wouldn't want one pre-2010. 2012 is last year.


I'm looking for feedback, both personal and observatory in nature. Please be specific if you can to your pro's and con's. Thanks!
Click to expand...


I have driven all but the FRS/brz on an autocross. The fiesta was a blast. All were fun
 
Snail Data for Division 2 is in the books!!

3 podiums, 1 fastest lap of the race for the winner of the night @Wolfsatz
9 out of 11 drivers on the podium in 6 races
@socalnatv the only driver with 2 race wins

Race Results for Sunday:

- Round 1 - Race 1 -

First - @socalnatv
Second - @Jonesman59
Third - @turnupdaheat

Fastest Lap of the race - @socalnatv - 1:37.607

Pole lap honors - @socalnatv - 1:37.350

- Round 1 - Race 2 -

First - @Kgffy
Second - @Wolfsatz
Third - @pakicote

Fastest Lap of the race - @Wolfsatz - 1:37.130

- Round 2 - Race 1 -

First - @pakicote
Second - @Dark_ZR1
Third - @socalnatv

Fastest Lap of the race - @pakicote- 2:07.477

Pole lap honors - @pakicote - 2:07.904

- Round 2 - Race 2 -

First - @Jonesman59
Second - @Kgffy
Third - @Wolfsatz

Fastest Lap of the race - @Jonesman59 - 2:07.402

- Round 3 - Race 1 -

First - @MSgtGunny
Second - @Dark_ZR1
Third - @Kgffy

Fastest Lap of the race - @pakicote - 1:32.870

Pole lap honors - @pakicote - 1:33.083

- Round 3 - Race 2 -

First - @socalnatv
Second - @Wolfsatz
Third - @Whitey093

Fastest Lap of the race - @pakicote - 1:32.752

:cheers:
 
CoachMK21
Attention all car loving Snails. I'm looking for some advice / feedback / suggestions. Sorry it's kind of a long post.

Here is my situation. As many of you know, I own a 2003 Nissan 350z. I love the car a lot and it's great to drive in the summerish months (Mid March - Late October). The other months of the year and during the summer sometimes I drive my other car, a 2014 Chrysler Town & Country. It's good for transportimg people, stuff, etc but not much fun for driving. Only positives are heated seats, heated steering wheel and remote start :)

I talked with the wife and she gave me the go ahead to look for something else, with one caveat. The new car will replace both the van and the 350z so I could drive it year round. I figure I can sell the 350z in the $5k range, with just a couple thousand of equity in the van to get one car I will enjoy. As an aside, my wife drives a 2008 Pontiac Vibe which our oldest son will inherit later this year as he turns 16 in July. She'll be getting a new car as well (leaning towards a Subaru Impreza hatchback or Mazda 3 hatchback).

Max price:
$30,000 (before cash from 350z and van trade in)

Uses:
Autocross
Rare track day
Daily driving - I'm not afraid of a stiff ride (insert childish comment here)

Requirements:
Manual
4 seats
Fun to drive

Preferences:
Rear wheel drive
Newer (2012-)

Absolutely not:
Convertible

Cars I'm considering, in no particular order:
Scion FR-S - But not the BRZ
Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Infiniti G37 Coupe - Similar to 370z, but weighs nearly 2 ton.
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Ford Focus ST
Ford Mustang - Not really a fan, but I'll consider it
Chevrolet Camaro - Not really a fan, but I'll consider it
BMW 3 series - Not sure I want to be a BMW owner
Mini Cooper S JCW - Too small?


Cars I'm not considering:
Ford Focus RS - Price
Volkswagen Golf R - Price
Subaru WRX/STi - I'm not completed against these, but they aren't on my short list
Mazda RX-8 - Not big on the rotary and wouldn't want one pre-2010. 2012 is last year.


I'm looking for feedback, both personal and observatory in nature. Please be specific if you can to your pro's and con's. Thanks!
Click to expand...
If you are willing to buy an older car, the E46 M3 would be a pretty good choice. It meets all your parameters (besides age) and a low mileage manual gearbox example will appreciate a lot in the coming years. I have an E46 325ci and its a blast to drive around the track even though it only has ~200 hp. An E92 m3 would be a good choice too, but the E46 is more reliable. Good luck on finding a car - Andrew
 

Here are the unofficial results from our league night on March 13, 2016

Click here for this season's points standings and click a tab at the bottom for more detail.

Click here if the data linked above has already been archived and you would like to view it.

Division 1
  1. RayzaBlayz -------- voted to eliminate Round 2 - 86 (69.39 for prize purposes only)
  2. MikeGrove --------- voted to eliminate Round 3
  3. lllTrick ---------- voted to eliminate Round 1
  4. nmcp1 ------------- voted to eliminate Round 1
  5. ness24_O ---------- voted to eliminate Round 3
  6. carboneyes -------- voted to eliminate Round 3
  7. Xrad-11 ----------- voted to eliminate Round 1
Division 2
  1. Wolfsatz ---------- voted to eliminate Round 2 - 77 (98.78 for Prize B)
  2. turnupdaheat ------ voted to eliminate Round 3
  3. pakicote ---------- voted to eliminate Round 2
  4. kgffty ------------ voted to eliminate Round 3
  5. MSgtGunny --------- voted to eliminate Round 1
  6. Sand__68 ---------- voted to eliminate Round 3
  7. Jonesman59 -------- voted to eliminate Round 3
  8. Wsk96 ------------- voted to eliminate Round 3
  9. Whitey093 --------- voted to eliminate Round 3
  10. DarkAvengerZR1 ---- voted to eliminate Round 33
  11. quiltingchloe ----- did not submit a vote
Division 3
  1. II-NOVA-II -------- voted to eliminate Round 2 - 88 (101.96 for Prize A)
  2. Grandpas_Money ---- voted to eliminate Round 3
  3. jlbowler ---------- voted to eliminate Round 2
  4. dirkdiggler08121 -- voted to eliminate Round 3
  5. USERID_77a23 ------ voted to eliminate Round 3
  6. TomMang_68 -------- voted to eliminate Round 2
  7. John-Rambo_4g ----- voted to eliminate Round 1
  8. JJLopez_427 ------- did not submit a vote
  9. oharagbr19 -------- did not submit a vote
  10. GTMX-Oscar -------- did not submit a vote
Division 4
  1. Die_Birdy_Die ----- voted to eliminate Round 3 - 91 (73.43 for prize purposes only)
  2. CoachMK21 --------- voted to eliminate Round 3
  3. JamCar0ne --------- voted to eliminate Round 2
  4. terrordog1490 ----- voted to eliminate Round 3
  5. MajorBlixem ------- voted to eliminate Round 3
  6. JCH8r ------------- voted to eliminate Round 3
  7. Rpm1990 ----------- did not submit a vote
Division 5
  1. RacingChamp30 ----- voted to eliminate Round 1 - 82.1 (91.72 for Prize C)
  2. RPM_mrnascar2424 -- voted to eliminate Round 2
  3. canuckleheadII ---- voted to eliminate Round 3
  4. carguynv ---------- voted to eliminate Round 1
  5. whatbadgerseat ---- voted to eliminate Round 3
  6. singlepaddy ------- voted to eliminate Round 1
  7. Engmatic1 --------- voted to eliminate Round 1
  8. TEX-36 ------------ voted to eliminate Round 1
  9. Raw10_2u ---------- voted to eliminate Round 1
Division 6
  1. mbracer11 --------- voted to eliminate Round 3 - 95 (78.62 for prize purposes only)
  2. Drewspeed --------- voted to eliminate Round 1
  3. Hellbringer2m6 ---- voted to eliminate Round 3
  4. TBongX ------------ voted to eliminate Round 1
  5. basswerks1 -------- voted to eliminate Round 1
  6. sinna123sinna123 -- voted to eliminate Round 1
  7. BustedFoSho ------- voted to eliminate Round 2
The round that received the most elimination votes was:
Round 3 - Honda HSV-010 GT Base Model '12 (Racing: Hard) at Fuji Speedway GT (7 laps)
Therefore the entire combo has been dropped from next week's line-up. Since @llNovall wins Prize A, he gets to choose an entirely new car and track combo to replace it.

The round that received the second most elimination votes was:
Round 1 - Lotus Elise 111R '04 (Sports: Hard) at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (7 laps)
This means either the car or the track will be replaced for next week's line-up. Since @Wolfsatz gets Prize B, he has the option to freeze the car or the track, or he can give that option to the Prize C winner. If he gives the freeze away, then he gets to decide what car or track replaces the part of the combo that is left unfrozen by the Prize C winner.

Prize C goes to @racingchamp30 so he gets whichever option the Prize B winner does not select.

Preliminary prize winners, please don't announce your prize selection until all incident reports have been filed and it has been confirmed that you don't have any penalties. It's also recommended that you review the SNAIL combo history and other data on our car and track history so that you can get an idea how many times we've raced each car and track. Please remember that originality is always appreciated, so picking cars and tracks that we've never raced is a plus (but not required). What's more important is that you thoroughly test any combo that you are considering before making it your official selection. For example, any car you select should not hit its rev limiter at any point during a race (even in the draft).

IMPORTANT: When posting your Prize A or Prize B selection, please list the complete in-game name of the car and/or track you are selecting. For example, if you want to select the Amuse Superlegara for your car, post "Amuse Nismo 380 RS Superlagara". If you want to select Monza for a track, post "Autodromo Nazionale Monza". This makes it much easier for the lineup to be updated accurately and also prevents confusing other league members as to which car or track you are selecting. Also, please be sure to list the PP and HP (after oil change) of any car you select.

Car Selection Guidelines
See Section 3 of the SNAIL OLR, Policies and Guidelines.

Track Selection Guidelines
See Section 3.1 of the SNAIL OLR, Policies and Guidelines.
 
View media item 2540This week's prize winners are clear to make their selections. Good racing!
The IR Submission Form is now closed.​
We have 12 incidents on file. Target deadline for reviews is NLT 10PM Eastern on Friday, March 18, 2016.
Banner by @GamingPete​

The prize winners; @llNovall , @Wolfsatz , @racingchamp30 have been included in a conversation that notifies them and gives them a deadline to make choices.
 
llNovall
Prize A announcement:
Ferrari GTO '84
@ Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit
After oil change stats:
528pp (520pp before)
413hp
1160kg
Sport Soft tires
Price: 1,250,000 cr
Lap times were in the 2:12-2:13 range during trial laps.
Click to expand...

You need to have a back up track chosen just in case Mount Panorama is a cluster **** in Thursday night practice as it usually is online.
 

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