alright...well with the purches of my e36 325.. im tryin to decide what direction in racing i want to go. i dont have the funding exaclty and the ability to make a full track car.. so its gonna be half track have steet ( lots of performance parts but maybe only a bolt on cage, seats ( no rears ) and harnesses for the interior . id rather not get into the window net, full cage welds, blah blah blah. . if it was you.. what sort of racing direciton would you go. I obviously know the advantages and losses of the e36. i more or less just want to see what everone else is thinkin. thanks.

you are backwards on your direction if you want to race. ditch the performance parts....the welded cage comes first...done to the rules of the kind of racing you want to do. after you have the safety equipment set for track use, then start adding go fast parts iaw the class you want to race in and your budget.

if you add perf parts first, you will quickly find yourself building a car that can't be raced anywhere....

or...<don't know your experience>....don't buy any perf parts, buy maint parts and entry fees to hpde's and auto-x's.

btdt.

if you "don't have the funding exactly" then don't go "racing". it costs way more than you think it might and you will be very uncompetitive. start off autocrossing instead.

thanks for your respons. to clear things up, when i say performace parts.. i dont mean the sickest turbo or sc system i can find ect ect. i know each form of racing has certain rules and all and depending on what class im in is goig to matter the modifications. like i said. im not going to be doing a full weld cage. im going to be using this car on almost a daily basis so it can only have a certain level of "sparten-ness" . im almost forced ( not in a bad way exactly ) in to solo since thats more street car oriented.

if you "don't have the funding exactly" then don't go "racing". it costs way more than you think it might and you will be very uncompetitive. start off autocrossing instead.

funding as in ...full race car.. trailer, and can pay for replacemnet parts or damaged parts on a usual racing basis. which is why im posting this really is cuz i want to club race.. but with my busy life atm and school and work and all that. like i just posted.. do you think solo is my best option then?

yes, it's cheap and you can learn the driving skills that help you become a better open track driver as your skills/money/life situation improves. i autocrossed for 5 years before ever getting on a track, and only raced for the first time last month after nearly 3 years on the track.

leave the car as-is and start with autocrossing and HPDE's. go play with NASA and BMW CCA and see which one has a series you would best be able to run. My guess is you'll go from Autocrossing and HPDE's to time trials. Then in a few years when school is out of the picture, you may be able to afford another car and make the car into a dedicated track car.

The priority though should be safety and maintenance. *upgrade* parts should be better replacement parts or wear parts. (good brake pads, trailing arm bushings, etc...)

iv done auto-x for a few years with other cars so im not unexperienced in that (which is why i wanted to start club). i guess i should have said that before.



The priority though should be safety and maintenance. *upgrade* parts should be better replacement parts or wear parts. (good brake pads, trailing arm bushings, etc...)

thats what i mean when i was saying upgrading. like i said.. not the hottest F/I set up

im enjoying the input.. im so crossed on what i wanna do.. i almost wanna make it a dedicated track car but i know its best not to right now.

So don't make it a dedicated track car. You said you need it streetable; make it streetable. If it's going to get more than very, very rare street use, don't put in a cage (welded or bolted). You may consider a 4-pt welded-in rollbar that can later be extended to a full cage (there are a few recent threads about this; it's not optimal but it works). Get track time, as much as you can afford. If you want to race wheel to wheel right away, buy a go-kart.

-tammer

lol yeah. i actually have shifter carts on tv right now.. but ... i wanna drive my e36 :)

maybe i should switch this to HPDE or Solo.. or maybe both

maybe i should switch this to HPDE or Solo.. or maybe both
You can (and should) use a mostly stock car for both HPDE and Solo, especially for the first couple years. You learn more, it's cheaper, and you learn more. And it's cheaper. Make it reliable, reinforce the subframe mounting points and rear sway bar tabs, pay attention to the cooling system, refresh the brakes, and go drive it.

-tammer

iv solo'd for a few years already. just not in this ride

The only time you might consider wheel-to-wheel racing is if you can write off your car at any time. Otherwise, there are other/cheaper ways to enjoy driving/racing.

there is a book every person thinking about racing needs to read.

dave gran's "go ahead, take the wheel". it is all about the details of getting started in racing in club level auto racing. it is available on amazon.com. buy it. read it. then decide how you want to approach the racing thing.

thanks everyone for their responses.. i might just go solo into solo pro if i can :P