New Here - Looking for Some Car Selection Advice

Hi all.

I am new here and am really looking forward to getting started with the series. I know I am late for Series 8, but let’s consider this a half-season for development.  Anyway, I am going to register today or tomorrow for GTC, but I am having a hard time deciding between a pair of cars. The funny part is, I was not even considering either when I first started testing earlier in the week. I have always thought of myself as a small, light car kind of guy, and my initial tests revolved around that principle. However, the stopwatch never lies, and it turns out I am significantly faster with some of the larger iron out there. They were even more fun to drive than the smaller cars as well.

So it comes down to this: I and basically down to the 06 Pontiac GTO and the 00 Mustang Cobra R. I see the Goat being potentially faster with time and development, as well as on some of the faster tracks (Le Mans, anyone?). However, it is not as much “fun” and it does not feel as racecar-like as the Cobra. The other advantage is that no-one is running one this season, so it would be unique, which is cool. The Mustang is a bit faster out-of-the box (about .3 per lap), but I am thinking it does not have as much potential as the GTO. However, it DOES sound and feel much more racecar-like, so that is a big plus. It is also nicer to look at, because, let’s face it, the GTO is bland.

What would you guys choose? The potentially faster car or the car that is a bit more fun? To throw another wrench into the mix, I was doing my testing at Road Atlanta, and still need to shave a few seconds off my pace in order to be competitive. I honestly think both cars have that in them, as it is probably the nut behind the wheel that is the issue.

For technical/nerdy reference, here are some basic specs:

Both cars have full race suspension, trans, diff, weight redux, cage, etc. Tires are max width for both models (I believe they both run 305 rears and 275 fronts).

GTO:
500 hp
440 tq
3100 lbs.

Cobra R:
430 hp
420 tq (I think)
2950 lbs.

Thanks for any input!

GS/EoN

Both are cars for Sally's...tryout for NEIN SHIZA AUTOSPORTS IN TH E CADDY we got one seat open

Errrr..... Sally?

go for the 00 mustang

Sally is a term ...like powder puff!!!

Cobra r. You yourself said its fun to drive, fun is important in endurance racing. If the car isn't fun to race you won't want to race.

Do you have the 13 Ford Mustang Boss 302! Or 10 Chevrolet Camaro SS , or as a import try the 10 Nissan 370. All of those cars are pretty good and balanced cars.

Hmmmm.... I have not tried any of those, Pred. I may need to test them out tonight.

Actually, if I want to get to the Road Atlanta race (I am not going to qualify, I just want to get a race under my belt before Le Mans), can I decide and register tomorrow, or will that be too late?

Also, why no Challenger SRT8? Just curious. I thought it would be kind of cool to run one with the shaker hood and retro paint job. That thing is a beast, though.

GS

if your going to race, you need to have a car picked out with a number. You don't need to rush yourself to choose a car with the race 3 days away.

Thanks Fender, good to know.

I am leaning toward the Cobra R as of now. My first car was an old CHP Mustang LX coupe. Loved that damned thing, so I kind of have a Ford bias. However, this thing just feels "racy." It sounds right and the high-revving V8 is awesome. Granted, I like just about every manufacturer on some level. :-)

Now, to get a good retro Trans-Am racer inspired livery....

GS

Now before you go deciding some questions. American preferably? You mentioned Fords but what about foreign cars? Preferred engine placement?

You said that you like your lighter is better idea, while enjoying the awesome power of a V8.
-Pontiac Solstice with a V8 swap. 2600~lbs (i think) and it looks nothing like it sounds.
-135i BMW with the v8 swap is an intense little car as well, can be tough to control though.
-An Rx8 with a Furai swap is a 11,000rpm monster contained in a wee little racecar.
-S2000 is an excellent choice, high revving V-tech power.
-Vauxhall Monaro is a different version of the 06 GTO might be worth looking at
-Holden's arent too far off from a GTO as its a Aussie muscle car. (dont let the extra doors confuse you lol)

Welcome to the league hope you have a great time racing.

Sainted, you were supposed to help make the decision easier, not harder!

It's gonna be a late night of testing and tuning and deciding.

SaintedPlacebo4 wrote:

Now before you go deciding some questions. American preferably? You mentioned Fords but what about foreign cars? Preferred engine placement?

You said that you like your lighter is better idea, while enjoying the awesome power of a V8.
-Pontiac Solstice with a V8 swap. 2600~lbs (i think) and it looks nothing like it sounds.
-135i BMW with the v8 swap is an intense little car as well, can be tough to control though.
-An Rx8 with a Furai swap is a 11,000rpm monster contained in a wee little racecar.
-S2000 is an excellent choice, high revving V-tech power.
-Vauxhall Monaro is a different version of the 06 GTO might be worth looking at
-Holden's arent too far off from a GTO as its a Aussie muscle car. (dont let the extra doors confuse you lol)

Welcome to the league hope you have a great time racing.

Ehh rx8 with furai engine swap isnt possible, cant add any internals to the enging on a turbo, if you add a turbo, your well over the max HP limit for GTC and if you dont add a turbo theres no way youl even get into the S class. Sooo yea forget he even ever said mazda Rx8 with a furai swap cus well... You cant..

bLuEsMoKe305 wrote:

SaintedPlacebo4 wrote:

Now before you go deciding some questions. American preferably? You mentioned Fords but what about foreign cars? Preferred engine placement?

You said that you like your lighter is better idea, while enjoying the awesome power of a V8.
-Pontiac Solstice with a V8 swap. 2600~lbs (i think) and it looks nothing like it sounds.
-135i BMW with the v8 swap is an intense little car as well, can be tough to control though.
-An Rx8 with a Furai swap is a 11,000rpm monster contained in a wee little racecar.
-S2000 is an excellent choice, high revving V-tech power.
-Vauxhall Monaro is a different version of the 06 GTO might be worth looking at
-Holden's arent too far off from a GTO as its a Aussie muscle car. (dont let the extra doors confuse you lol)

Welcome to the league hope you have a great time racing.

Ehh rx8 with furai engine swap isnt possible, cant add any internals to the enging on a turbo, if you add a turbo, your well over the max HP limit for GTC and if you dont add a turbo theres no way youl even get into the S class. Sooo yea forget he even ever said mazda Rx8 with a furai swap cus well... You cant..

Oh damn wait your right its over the HP limit forgot about that. Nevermind xD. But somethign tells me to double check.

If you want i can send you those cars at their base PI (you would have to knock off some PI bc of the late start i believe but it wouldnt be anything to worry about bc of PI adjustments) Porsches are also great cars if you know how to tune them. (took me forever to get the formula down). I didnt mean to make it harder but i was thinking maybe you wanted suggestions since you seemed at a stalemate and kind of left missing something. but just to make things harder lol....
-Subaru's have incredible handling but they are *lacking* in the straights
-Skyline's have the same great handling and arent lacking. Also if your PI goes up it will be able to keep improving steadily, its not maxed out already at base PI

Thanks again Sainted. Haha. I actually registered a car, but I was not able to race yesterday. I am not sure why, but I couldn’t connect to the room.

Anyway, I registered the Ford Shelby GT500, but I am beginning to think that may not have been the best idea. I discovered through my rushed testing for Road Atlanta that it can rip off some fast laps in that monster. With the current tune, I believe it is putting down around 560hp, so speed is not a problem. HOWEVER, the handling can be tricky, and I found out that it is nigh impossible to put down consistently fast laps. Turn-in response is meh, and the rear gets unstable in fast sweepers. Don’t get me started on elevation changes. Granted, this probably has a lot to do with my suspension setup, but I have not been able to lock down any real improvements. I have fiddled with just about everything, and I have yet to get it to behave how I want. Essentially, I am understeering on entering a turn, and oversteering on exit. These issues will just be exacerbated at Le Mans, since you basically need to run no downforce…

I did test out a few cars that you suggested. I did try the RX8 (sans Furai engine). It was interesting, but not my cup of tea. I don’t like how rotarys sound. I am odd, I know. The Solstice GXP was an interesting little beast as well. It actually had no problem hitting the PI with the turbo four. It still had plenty of room to grow, too. The problem was that visibility was poor (I drive cockpit view) and top-end was non-existent. It seemed like I would hit a wall halfway down the straight. I reduced aero to try to help, but it didn’t do a whole lot. Not sure what is up with that. The Lotus Evora is a good car. It handles and stops like crazy, but is low on power. For something like Atlanta, it was not a big issue. At Le Mans it will be death. Lol.

After all of my testing fun, I actually liked the Ferrari 360 Modena the best. There was one huge issue, however, that made it not a viable option. The roll cage cuts right into the middle of the view out the windshield. I mean, to the point where you can’t really see much. I literally crashed into a couple of cars in my testing because I couldn’t see them going up or down the hill.

Anyway, these were my experiences, ymmv. If I am not locked into a GT500 because I didn’t race it yet, I may go for a change of car. If so, I will just have to find a way to make it work. Lol. Wish me luck.