Total Westfield n00b..... Help!!

[Ben_w1987]

Hi all,

 

A bit of back story..... I've been doing track days, a few Motorsport series, fast road, car shows etc etc for YEARS, my last motor was a R32 GTR putting out 800hp at the hubs

I got bored very quickly of it always breaking and being an absolute chore to bring out on a hot day

So my attention was drawn to kit cars (also the Westfield factory is directly opposite my office)

 

I want something fast, really fast, on the track and not TOO fast for the road

 

What sort of configuration should I look for? What do you guys run? I've only just started my research so im literally looking for information a plenty 

 

I went down to toybox yesterday and I had my eye on a couple of their cars, but I want to know as much about these cars as I did about my skyline (I knew every bolt by the time it was sold last year)

 

 

[AdamR]

Welcome!

Anything really fast on track will be way too fast for the road (and IMO there is too fast for the track, too, unless it's a competition car).

Buy from an enthusiast rather than a dealer.

Spec and condition trumps chassis age.

Attention to detail in the build trumps spec.

Bike or car engine are the two main choices, and then decide if you want it more road focused or track focused. 300bhp/ton is plenty to have a lot of fun up to 100+mph. Don't forget our cars are geared to 140mph or under, rather than 180+ like a Skyline.

Get to local meetings and jump in a few cars! Enjoy

[Kingster]

Welcome. 

Agree with Adam. 

With our cars being light you don’t need massive power to have a fast track car. A bike engined car with “only” 180 bhp will be able (in the right hands) to trounce most cars on track unless there’s some very long straights. Indeed a similar powered car engined car will do likewise most of the time. 

On the road a 180bhp Westy will Feel very fast and unless you plan to do autobhans at 3 figure speeds then, again, not much will come close. Aero is akin to a brick, so we run out of top end quickly, but in tight twisty back roads our cars are superb.

But for a very fast track focussed car you will probably have a set up that feels very harsh on the road. For a great road car you will probably have it set up too soft to be Uber quick on track - although a good driver would be able to work around that no doubt. 

Generally (big broad strokes) a BEC will be a better track weapon and a CEC will be more useable on the road. But we had two busa engined cars tour the Alps with us and plenty of car engined Westies can fly around a track! So try a few passenger rides and see. 

[Onliest Smeg David]

As Adam n Chris said.

My experience is It's much more fun and rewarding having a slower car, then trying to keep up with and often / sometimes (depending on driver skills) being faster than the big cars.

Others have said it's no fun having fastest car and constantly coming up on road blocks without any clear runs. And if a 'slower' car keeps up it would be a downer.

I definitely learnt plenty more having a lower power Lardy One on non grippy tyres.