Big Bens non Clio

Great post. I feel very similar about chasing power. I'm in a position now where I've got a 200bhp car that handles quite well, and I'm content staying in that bracket and trying to improve myself as a driver and how quickly I can get that 200bhp car around compared to other 200bhp cars.

That means that I need to be content in conceding to 300bhp+ cars that are going to appear in my rear view mirror, and I need to recognise that my 'fight' is not with them, it is with myself and the car that I'm in, and maybe some others in my bracket. If I can keep up with the 300bhp+ club for a while, great, but I try not to get sucked in. Let them go, remove ego from the equation.

The temptation is to Meglio, or supercharge, and all of a sudden I've got 300bhp.

However, that doesn't solve my problem. All I've done is moved the goalposts. I'm now the one catching the 150bhp-200bhp group, so I've introduced another obstacle into the equation that I didn't have before. Now I can try and keep up with the 300bhp club, but I'm still having the same issue in that there'll be a 400bhp club. Again, I need to be content in conceding to 400bhp+ cars that are going to appear in my rear view mirror, and I need to recognise that my 'fight' is not with them, it is with myself and the car that I'm in, and maybe some others in my bracket.

It's the same problem but I'm now £5k down, and I've introduced a possible reliability issue in stepping up a bracket.

It's really never ending, especially these days when a well sorted M2/M3/M4 or GT3 seem quite common on even the most basic of track days. There will always be a bigger fish.
I agree with most of this but circumstances were slightly different in my case. I’d already had plenty of experience of 200hp trackdays and was getting a little bit bored when my gearbox and engine started playing up. Rather than spend a chunk of money fixing I went with a meglio setup and 280hp. Loved it but missed the Clio “battles”. Then my turbo played up and guess what a big one came up at a silly price so 370hp arrived! I love the extra power tbh but again I’m used to it now and therefore the gloss is wearing off again.
I don’t fancy more money into this car atm as it will really be a big step up to add anything better than what it’s got.
 
Not having a dig mate, fully understand how you've arrived at where you are.
Possibly sounded defensive lol.
As I’ve told most people I’ve met, if I could do it all again I’d stay standard power and do the tighter twistier circuits. But hindsight is a wonderful thing
 
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God stuff Iain.

I have always liked your approach of having a car that is capable of lapping for long sessions rather than having a car that can beat everything else on track.

I am content in the knowledge that no matter what upgrades I add to the Clio there will always be something faster or more powerful on track. I am also happy to go to a track day and and set a lap time in the morning and try to improve throughout the day. It is always more fun when you have other cars to chase or try to keep in front of. But my measure of success is just improving my own driving at this stage.
 
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FWIW moving up car power categories moves you up in braking/consumable/servicing/brand cost category, and it's not a linear cost line.

To move from a Clio to an E92 M3 (clubsport) you're talking more money for the M3 suspension and brakes alone than the entire clio + 'clubsport' equivalent mods (@R20BTG an edge case here where i suspect you're looking at similar cost, albeit there's much more than 'clubsport' on his clio than the equivalent M3 build cost). Meglio is actually a really cost effective (and probably more fun) option. bigger stuff is more 'serious', your meglio had me giggling like a child.

obviously if you're lucky you can offset some of the chore of a more track focussed car that Nick highlights with a trailer/towpig, but that has a cost too.

I'd be really interested to see how your meglio compares to @RSRowe's Meg. I really got the urge for one after riding in Alex's, but see all of the above as to reasons why i wont :smiley:

100% agree more than half of the fun comes from the social / group driving element. Sounds like you gotta force yourself to come and get on a group day!
 
God stuff Iain.

I have always liked your approach of having a car that is capable of lapping for long sessions rather than having a car that can beat everything else on track.

I am content in the knowledge that no matter what upgrades I add to the Clio there will always be something faster or more powerful on track. I am also happy to go to a track day and and set a lap time in the morning and try to improve throughout the day. It is always more fun when you have other cars to chase or try to keep in front of. But my measure of success is just improving my own driving at this stage.
This is good. Playing devils advocate here but what happens when you can’t break through that 2:18 barrier at Snetterton (plucked that number out my arse!).
You say you’re content with the pace of the Clio but you’ll then go and buy upgrades to make it ultimately faster. Why?
Because you want to see lower lap times?
Plus when you’re in a 200hp car you may be in your comfort/ability zone and be able to wring its neck. But without stepping up to the next horsepower bracket will you really know how good a driver you’ve become?
In a couple more years it wouldn’t surprise me if you or certainly young Ethan are ready for the next step. Look forward to seeing it all develop
 
FWIW moving up car power categories moves you up in braking/consumable/servicing/brand cost category, and it's not a linear cost line.

To move from a Clio to an E92 M3 (clubsport) you're talking more money for the M3 suspension and brakes alone than the entire clio + 'clubsport' equivalent mods (@R20BTG an edge case here where i suspect you're looking at similar cost, albeit there's much more than 'clubsport' on his clio than the equivalent M3 build cost). Meglio is actually a really cost effective (and probably more fun) option. bigger stuff is more 'serious', your meglio had me giggling like a child.

obviously if you're lucky you can offset some of the chore of a more track focussed car that Nick highlights with a trailer/towpig, but that has a cost too.

I'd be really interested to see how your meglio compares to @RSRowe's Meg. I really got the urge for one after riding in Alex's, but see all of the above as to reasons why i wont :smiley:

100% agree more than half of the fun comes from the social / group driving element. Sounds like you gotta force yourself to come and get on a group day!
Thruxton May 4th or Snetterton May 25th:thumb:
 
Plus when you’re in a 200hp car you may be in your comfort/ability zone and be able to wring its neck

This is definitely very true, and it's something I've only recently come to realise.

Going flat out everywhere turns out is quite easy in comparison to using the throttle as a progressive thing as opposed to an on/off switch :grimacing:
 
This is definitely very true, and it's something I've only recently come to realise.

Going flat out everywhere turns out is quite easy in comparison to using the throttle as a progressive thing as opposed to an on/off switch :grimacing:
That’s what I was trying to say but I’m shit with the old words:grimacing:
 
Thing is, power rarely gets you round corners faster than without power, it just gets you to the corners quicker with a bigger bill for fuel and brakes. Corners tend to be more fun that straights.
 
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Sad update
I’ve sold the Clio.
Had a terrible few weeks with my father in law dying quite quickly and my wife going mental.
Decided I’d had enough of the Clio and sold it cheap. I hate selling stuff so always err on the side of quick sale over maximum return but I think I was way low seeing the ridiculous amounts of messages I received off the hordes on Facebook!
I’m not going to lose sleep over a couple of grand. In the whole scheme of things it’s a drop in ocean.
I’ve had a great albeit expensive 8yrs of owning
the car but it was time to part ways. No regrets so far and currently don’t have an itch to get another car in any shape and size. Will bide my time, get my personal life sorted and then see where I’m at.
I’ll still be checking in regularly looking at all the nice threads and posts. Friends in here that I’ve made will still be friends.
I won’t close the thread as you never know but content will be reduced from now on!!
Thanks for everyone whose looked, replied and liked any of my posts. Appreciate your time.
Ben