Keep my ITA MR2 or build ITS 240SX

P

pimpm3

New member
Me and my co-driver are having a hard time deciding what to do. We currently have a 1985 MR2 that we did the drivers school at roebling in and raced three times last year with in ITA. The car runs well and has a perfect body and cage but is in need of new shocks, and a serious weight reduction. We got the car as a first race car and it has served us well but I would like something that is a little newer with more aftermarket support and is larger inside (I am 6'3" and feel a little cramped in the MR2) We have a 1993 240SX coupe that we recently aquired and are thinking of building up for ITS. My question is am I crazy? Should I keep my perfectly good reliable MR2 or should I embark on another project and build up the 240SX.

Here is a pic of the MR2 in question

http://www.warehousemotors.com/store/viewe...=29-29-65-1.jpg
 
Do you want to spend all the money, and all the time to build, and have it win???

I have never seen an ITS 240 be really strong in a real field of quality cars...

A lot of $ and a difficult build for a questionable outcome.

Be positive of where you want to wind up, competitivness-wise.

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]
 
Nice MR2! If you are looking for something more competitive, an ITS 240 is not the answer. As for room, get a Kirkey Seat and mount it to the floor - my MR2 has tons of room inside.

www.racerjake.com
 
If you want to build a 240, do the ITA version. It should be a reasonable choice, whereas the S version is a steep uphill climb.

K
 
Thanks

My thinking with the 1993 240SX is that it is free. I bought it as a parts car for my street car (I needed the entire interior). It has a certificate of destruction, which means that it can't be sold or registered. It runs strong and only has 100K on it. I have the entire front end which is what was damaged on the car since I converted my street car to a Japenese front end. (The car needs a core support, a hood, and a left fender which I have left over.) I add the new brakes (which I removed from my street car when I converted it to a five lug), the JDM LSD that came with my front clip that I didn't use and I have a nice running car that cost me nothing but my time. I can get a bolt in autopower cage for 670.00 plus shipping, a Kirky seat and a new harness for another $350.00. Add another 1000.00 For Koni's and Ground controls and I have a fun yet non competitive ITS car.

I understand I will not be competitive but I will be on the track and improving my driving skills while having a good time which is what this is all about. I understand going fast costs money but I think I can pull this off and have a good time.

Also keep in mind I am used to driving my non competitive MR2 which isn't fast either...
smile.gif


[This message has been edited by pimpm3 (edited June 01, 2005).]
 
OK, as long as you are Ok with running mid pack at a competitive event....

But remember, this statement, "At least I'll be out there running for little money", is the trap that so many of us a have slipped into, but then years later we have poured a little here, a little there to make the car the best it can be, and we have a car that is worth as much as it is competitive.

Maybe the car fits the NASA class grouping better, or EMRA, and that would be cool.

Or maybe it would be a great sell to the drifter crowd, and allow you to invest in something that will give you better long term satisfaction and value.

It sounds though, that you are pretty set with the plan and are OK with the probable result, so thats cool. Keep us in the loop!

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]
 
Buy someone who's built a race car a beer or three and revisit your budget estimates. The initial cost of the box that all of the parts go in - the shell - typically disappears pretty quickly when building a racing car.

That said, I hadn't considered the drift answer. If you haven't seen one, try to catch the D1 events that are getting aired (someplace goofy, like the Outdoor channel?). Rhys Millen has discovered that it's easier to be a "pro racer" doing that than rallying, road racing, offroad, or Pike's Peak.

K
 
Sorry, but you have me a bit confused...

<font face=\"Verdana, Arial\" size=\"2\">My thinking with the 1993 240SX is that it is free.</font>
Click to expand...
You also state that the car is unbuilt and would need a bunch of things to make it IT legal.

<font face=\"Verdana, Arial\" size=\"2\">We currently have a 1985 MR2...</font>
Click to expand...
By the way, it does look very nice!

My feeling is that if you are o.k. with not being a front runner and these are your only two cars (versus buying a competitive already built car), why move away from the MR2? If costs are a concern at all, this holds true even more so. Just remember, typically the faster you go the more expensive it gets. Jake drives me absolutely nuts with his darn MR2!!! The MR2 is so well balanced and lite on tires, brakes and other parts. While I'm replacing tires after every 3 races, he does it after each season.
rolleyes.gif
The MR2 is so easy on tires he even switched to the autocross Hoosiers this year. Also, you already know what you have with the MR2. Weight reduction is cheap. Some good shocks isn't that bad as well as a used Kirkey seat.

The other thing...the ITS 240 is not competitive and doesn't have a shot of being so (no move to ITA). Now the MR2, who knows? I still feel that someday it just may move to ITB with some weight - less reduction work for ya
smile.gif
. Yes I know, that may be a long shot but it is still a shot.

Just some food for thought.

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Dave Gran
NER ITB #13
'87 Honda Prelude si
 
Keep that MR2 and put the time into the track! A lengthy build for a car that you won't be able to sell and will not move you up to the front is a bad outcome for a large time investment. MR2 to ITB would be a very cool outcome.
biggrin.gif
 
Another vote for keeping the MR2. Take the money you would use to build the 240 and do the needed work on the MR2 and buy a bunch of track time and you will be better off in the long run.

But that is just my opinion.
 
You guys putting down the 240SX for ITS need to go back and really read the rules...

First, no one has REALLY made an all out attempt to make the car competitive.

Second, if you look at the stock specs for the cars, the earlier models ('91-'94) have a curb weight that is MUCH more condusive to actually making the minimum weight. Additionally, these earlier cars have the option of running the longer duration cam from the '91 model.

There is no way that an S14 will be competitive at the top level against a BMW or an RX-7, but it otherwise has the mechanical ability to be competive... AND, it's a hell of a lot better looking than either of those cars!
wink.gif


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Darin E. Jordan
SCCA #273080, OR/NW Regions
Renton, WA
ITS '97 240SX
DJ_AV1.jpg
 
The DOHC S13 is lighter if you find a coupe - the hatchback still weighs an awful lot for ITS racing.

Other than bumper covers and the motor the chasis is the same for the S13 DOHC and SOHC. If someone had a 91 shell could it be legally built as an ITA car? (I doubt it in an absolute technical sense, but was wondering about this until I finally found a couple '89 coupe shells and was thinking about a '91 coupe shell briefly.)
 
Originally posted by turboICE:
The DOHC S13 is lighter if you find a coupe - the hatchback still weighs an awful lot for ITS racing.
Click to expand...

Sorry for the slight highjack, but I've seen this comment numerous times from different sources, and was just wondering if anyone has verifiable numbers for the weight difference between the HB & coupe. The only thing I've ever found was a FAQ section on the 240SX.org website, which shows approx. 25 - 30 lbs. between the two (in both the SOHC & DOHC versions), which I don't consider to be significant.

Cheers
Earl
 
I have the Manufactures specification sheets for the '91-'94 and the '95-'98 cars, and the curb weight listed for the earlier models is around 2650lbs, vs. over 2800lbs for the later models...

My car in race trim is 2750lbs with me in it (I'm 225lbs), and I think I might be able to shave another 60lbs or so from it with some work... perhaps a bit more with a really well thought out fuel cell installation... so I suppose it IS possible to make the 2650lbs minimum weight... It would be a LOT easier if you were starting from that weight in the first place...

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Darin E. Jordan
SCCA #273080, OR/NW Regions
Renton, WA
ITS '97 240SX
DJ_AV1.jpg
 
I talked with my co driver today and I think we are going to keep the MR2. I need to make a few changes to the cage (put the rear bars throuh the rear window to the rear strut mounts, and convert the drivers side impact bar to a NASCAR Bar to get a little more impact protection) and we are going to buy new Tokicos and a set of Ground Control Coilovers. I figure that I can sell the 1993 240SX to some one who wants a drift/ITS car and rcoupe some of the new MR2 Suspension cost.

It is a Coupe by the way with no sunroof if anyone is intrested... Make me an offer
smile.gif
 
I have an S14 for sale that IS an all out ITS racecar. It is very competitive in the southeast and I have it at minimum weight no problem.
Darin, you have mentioned the weight thing before but my 95 base model that I began with has no weight issues and I'm 190lbs. The last time weight of these cars was discussed on these forums you were talking about your car being heavy then shortly after that you were posting questions about which header and exhaust was recommended. That is misleading to people that are considering these cars a racecar in my opinion. I have also spent many hours on a chassi dyno, scales, test days and races with my car to get it competitive, that's just what it takes, not just some bolt ons. In the last four SARRC races I have competed in, the car did not qualify out of the top 7 and did not finish out of the top three. I really don't see where everyone has this idea that the S14 isn't competitive in ITS. No, it's not dominant like a top E36 or maybe a small handful of RX7s but it is fun, dependable, handles well and runs in the front if driven hard enough. The only thing my car is lacking is an expensive shock package, currently running Koni Yellows, and still very competitive. The more I read these forums the more I see the line between competitive and dominant blurred.
 
Is that the black one with green flames? If so, that car is quite fast and I've watched it numerous times, pulling for it to put a BMW behind it, which has happened on occassion. Finishes have been good and it looks like the car is close to being very well sorted and on top of the game. ITS 240sx is definitely competitive, at least that one is!


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Ron Earp
NC Region
Ford Lightning
RF GT40 Replica
White Jensen-Healey ITS
Silver "Skull" 260Z ITS
Email: "rlearp at gt40s.com"

[This message has been edited by rlearp (edited June 02, 2005).]
 
I forgot - PimpM3 - can you e-mail some pics and specifics to me - newby211<at>bellsouth<dot>net or call me at 404.314.5042
I'm interested in it
 
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