I've done a couple of track days recently and I find that although the car is fast it is also a heavy vehicle that really stresses tyres and brakes. It feels like a good road car on track but not one that is suited to the track. Now I know many people do track RS250s etc but for me I ended up not doing that many laps because it felt too big, and tbh, too nice to use on track. I come from Elise/Evora's so its perhaps predictable that the RS is my least track capable car but I wondered if anyone else had found the same. Also, with a few R26s running round I wondered if one of those may make a better track car? My RS has 300bhp, MPSS tyres and race pads/brake fluid btw.
An R26 is only about 40 kg lighter than a 265, so you are not moving to a lightweight option. The R26 is obviously a cheaper option but spec for spec less capable on track.
I'm biased but having driven both on track the 250 feels heavier on track. I've always found my R26 to be just as capable. I would try a more trackday focused tyre as road tyres on hot trackdays just don't work for me.
The only way to avoid the weight issue is to move to something significantly lighter stock. The odd 40kg difference between an R26 and a 265 is not significant on track wrt endurance and feel. Going for a cheaper, easier on the mind, more thrashable and expendable track car is a different scenario. However, Frimley has been toying with a track slag for a while. I remember his MG ZS option a while ago. Good car btw. Much depends on if you just want a decent daily doubling up for the odd Trackday or something more dedicated. A £1000 can get a lot of decent, low mileage cheap to run base cars, worth stripping and hammering with cheap consumables. Citroen C2 VTS, 125 bhp, NA 1.6, easy sub 1000 kg and cheap performance discs, pads and tyres. Bollock the nuts off it. Just an example and a bit different from the usual herd.
Old age problem of a road car used as a track car. It's a bit of a compromise... I find the compromise acceptable as I don't want to run a dedicated track car but I agree, it can be frustrating at times. Semi-slicks will indeed help a little both in terms of resilience and feel, as MPSS melt very quickly, which is to be expected.
This is why Meganes are not really 'track cars'. They're 'ring cars - where the average speed is beyond 80mph and you carry a lot of speed For UK tracks you get the most fun from things like Atoms, Caterhams etc. Boxes geared for acceleration, lightweight vehicles, easy on pads, tyres and so on. Nurburgring - Porsches ftw. Even the boxster is geared for something like 80mph in 2nd The Megane is about as close as you can get to a practical ring car, at fairly affordable costs
Only frustration I had with my R26 on track is rubbish standard brakes. Handling more than sharp enough and the thing people like about the R26 is the mobile rear end, its a pretty lively car when thrown about a bit. Road tyres are a limitation on all cars fitted with them, just have to keep each session really short say 10 minutes total and keep going out often. Don't know about the mk3 RS.
Forgot to add, mk2 RS Meg gearing is perfect for the track, any shorter and you will be running into real traction and making those changes issue with engine mods. The ratios are very similar to those in my old 968, a car the same sort of weight without the torque of a turbo motor to punt it along. Agree that something like a race prepped Caterham with their proper cages including side impact protection seems pretty much the ideal track day car for UK tracks.
MPSS didn't last long at all at Bedford in the heat. Its a great car but just a bit big and heavy on track. Heavy braking and on the limit cornering really do feel like I'm taking it beyond what it was really designed to do. Still, can't have everything I guess!
If you're not fussed about power then get a 172 cup. Easy to get them sub 1000kg and dirt cheap to run as track cars. Keep the megane for your daily ;-) Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
not driving quickly enough then, Matt Main issues for me on UK tracks are the poor heat management from engine bay and brake areas. But, to be fair, that's the same with any car that isn't "track focused" - i.e. atom / caterham / radical / juno Any road-going car on track is pretty useless because of the ~1.5tonnes you have to chuck around Porsches are the only true 'fit for purpose' car I've experienced that need no changes for a track day, other than geo adjustment
Hahaha Neil she does ok. I'm modding my air filter and battery re location along with my spare headlight being used as an intake. Brake cooling is something I'm looking in to as well
I find my Megane great on track, it's modified yes but they seem unstoppable in terms of pace especially for the actually costs of them. When your pushing much more exotic machinery along in a 7 year old R26 it's quite rewarding. Tyres and brakes are the weak spot though, I'm eventually going to switch to Performance Friction setup as it seems to handle the heat so much better. Maybe some tuition would do you some good, learning about weight transfer etc can do you the world of good. Example if I was to suddenly shove you you'd stumble but if I gently lent on your you'd be able to react Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Only did a trackday in mondello park on Friday in the 250 cup, absolutely loved it and monstered past M3s, lotus elises, skylines and RS4s. Mainly put down to cl rc6 pads, good fluid and braided lines. Federal rsr tyres on the front and a remap. Massive difference from 6 months ago when it was just a remap. It also took me a few track days to get a real feel to how the car behaved coming into , around and coming out of the corners. A very rewarding car to track, and very forgiving too.
The brake calipers and pads on my R26 are more than big enough, on the mk3 they are even bigger? I don't think the issue is there at all but rather the complete lack of any form of cooling ducting. Pretty much all the modern Porsches have deflectors on the lower arm and sometimes cowling around the inside of the disk as well to direct cool air into the back of the disk, google gt3 brake duct to get the pictures. Porsche started doing this in the 80s with deflector plates mounted on the strut ala 944 turbo. Don't know why RS didn't do something like this on the Megane as its always going to overheat if driven hard for extended periods, and yet the disks and calipers are way more than anyone should ever need on the road.
I agree with the OP and Neil, They are heavy old cars for UK stuff. Good for the Ring but to be a proper quick UK track car you need to ditch significant weight and give it a good bit more power. Mine goes through brakes and tyres like nothing else, Even with ~100kgs out of it. the 365bhp helps hide it a bit but you do feel it still, Hence a well peddled and setup 1*2 can still give a Mk3 Megane a hard time on our tighter, slower tracks.
Ah cool, what battery you opting for? I'm moving mine to be under the false floor where my rear seats used to be... Slightly concerned it'll upset the balance of the car but I guess we shall see "Spare" headlight? Confused! What is spare mate?
Not sure yet but I'm looking to put mine in spare wheel well but I don't think having a tiny bit more weight over the rear will be a bad thing on megane. I've got a passenger side xenon sat in a box in the shed so that will be used
I always enjoyed the 250 on track, but I know what you mean. If you want to be able to do extended sessions out on track and not ruin a set of tyres every (other) trackday, then the only option is a lightweight car. In my 7 I can stay out twice as long as the Megane just based on tyre temperatures alone. The limiting factor is actually the squishy part behind the wheel since driving a 7 is a much more physical experience and you need to take breaks more often as everything is more effort - but equally more rewarding. The advantage of a car like the Megane is that you can carry a spare set of wheels with you (without need for a trailer) and sit in comfort between sessions, and have a nice air conditioned drive home! I went through 2 sets of brake pads on the Megane when I was tracking it (over a period of 2 years) and 3 full sets of tyres. The Caterham would still be on it's original pads if I hadn't swapped them to try a different brand, tyres last probably 3 times longer too. Though a hot day will still wear them heavily. Oh, and if it's hot (think very high 20's) you'll have your feet and legs cooked by heat from the engine/exhaust and will absolutely need brakes every 10-15 minutes to cool them down! (definitely not a problem in most cars!). Pros and cons to each, but you can't beat the feel of a lightweight car on a trackday.
