I suspect "race car" and "low maintenance" don't ever go in the same sentence. You could shoot for a cheap car for cheap maintenance. Miata? Shove a LS1 in it if it's too pokey for you :)

Well Travis sounds like you still enjoyed the track some reguardless.

These episodes with heat makes me think LS1 motor more and more. I'd love to keep the VQ and run a mild Boost but.........

Glad to here about the SPL parts. I received my tow arms and must say I should of went with them first. Great quality. I'm ordering the camber arms today.

Miata's are the lowest cost and lowest maintenance track cars out there if they have the stock drivetrain. Perhaps not as challenging on one hand as on the straights and the wider corners you can nit a sweater, but everything is in the corners that matter.

Stock and spec miatas with rollcage, fire system etc go for cheap money. Modified miatas with alternate engines can be quick as stink - but, then you have to be prepared for the higher consumable rate and ready to deal with the gremlins.

As my corvette tuner told me, the only production car that is race ready and low maintenance is a GT3. Built from the factory for this stuff and all you need to change is brake pads and tires.

You didn't say cheap.

Yeah the Miata thing is what I keep going back to in my head from time to time. I mean, you could probably keep 2-3 Miatas ready to go just as backups for the cost of running a 370Z. But on the other hand, it's a Miata...

It's a consideration for down the road... at some point, the 997 GT3s will get cheaper and that'll be the time for me to jump in that pond... I do wonder if I will like the driving dynamics of the 911 though... the thought of a rear engine car has always been a turn off for me

Good point on the backups, but then that's 2-3 sets of brakes to bleed, oil to change etc. And good point on it being a Miata... have trouble imagining that being fun on a long track like VIR

Sticking with the Z for now, but thanks for entertaining the thought!

So, have any of you guys worked with CIN Motorsports out of Charlotte? I just talked with the owner Bobby and seems like a good guy - definitely understands thermal management on a race car.

Funny you ask. I was just coming back on line to suggest that now that you are up in GSO, you go talk to Bobby. They are a top notch shop. Do all the work on my friend Bryan Settle's 350z race car, and lots of other track and Nissan junkies that I know.

Was lapping a GT3 this weekend, the driver wasn't pushing it very hard, which with a car like that I can understand.

Cool- good to know, thanks. I did talk with Bobby directly. It's down to them and motionlabtuning, also in Charlotte. Will make a decision later this week. Both good shops from what I can tell.

A Radical. I talked to an owner of an SR8LM at my last trackday, he told me the car was pretty cheap to run mainly due to the low weight. I don't remember the exact figures, but his brake pads and tires lasted a loooong time. As in: multiple trackday seasons (!!) for the pads. And the tires are relatively small, which keeps cost down as well. Of course the SR8LM is the top of the line Radical, but the base model can be had used for 370Z money... Oh, yeah, I did get to ride along for a 20 minute session, in one word: Insane! What a machine, cornering and braking are out of this world. Acceleration as well of course, but that's to be expected with over 460hp. But I assume that an SR3 will offer the same cornering and braking thrills with slightly less maniacal acceleration at a more doable purchase price.

Ooh. DSR. Those suckers are cheap to operate and are blisteringly fast.

Yeah! The SR3 RS looks like an amazing ride with the right blend of performance and track reliability. Then there's the temptation of the street legal SR3 SL that is just a hair slower but powered by a Ford Ecoboost, which would be cheap to rebuild and maintain.

Both are going to be on my list as long-term (2 years out) replacements for the Z.

After much deliberation, I've decided to take the car to CIN Motorsports of Charlotte! Reputable, licensed UpRev tuner and talented crew! Dropping the car off tonight to get moving on the HG and improvements to radiator airflow.

http://www.cinmotorsports.com/index.php

Awesome. Travis if you get a chance could you take a pic of your deleted AC and PM it to me? I'd very much appreciate it.