Noob Intro

#1

I have been trying to work up to W2W for the past couple years. This year I have been HPDEing an almost Spec Miata pretty heavily. Orginally, I thought SM was the way to go but talking with some BMW guys it seems like se30 is more of a “Spec” class. This appeals to me since I just want to go out and have fun driving.

I have no desire to build my own car and I have been pleasently surprised how many are for sale in the Southeast. The biggest things stopping me from jumping in is I dont have a tow vehicle or place to put a trailor yet.

I look forward to meeting alot of you. I will be at CMS with NASA this weekend. Ill be poking around the SE30 area hoping to meet some new people.

Cheers,

Matt Henry

#2

cool, just find the se30 area in the paddock and say hello this weekend. where do you live?

#3

I live in Charlotte. Looking forward to meeting some of you guys. Ill be in a Dark Green Miata in HPDE 3.

#4

Re. finding a place to put a trailer. I had the same problem. So I looked around the area to see who might have spare parking spots and one possible answer was a local O’Reilly Autoparts store. So I went in and made a terrific sponsorship spiel promising them exposure all over the SE if I could just park my trailer somewhere in their lot.

So now I have big “O’Reilly Autoparts Racing” signs on my trailer and decals on my car. I made the signs and they got me the decals from corporate. Surprisingly, they like for me to park the trailer right in front.

#5

Thats a great idea. I will definately try and market that idea once I get a trailor!

#6

Yeah don’t let not having a place to put the trailor stop you. I actually found a small antique shop with a large gated area behind the shop that had a sign for parking. I called them up and $10 a month I get to store my trailer there and it is less than a mile from my house. I’m sure you can find a local business that wouldn’t mind making a few extra bucks a month otherwise many storage/mini warehouses have spots to store trailers but will probably be pricey.

#7

If you have a garage, don’t discount putting the trailer in it with he car on. It actually works for me. Now, backing it in requires a spotter so I don’t tear the doorjamb off, but it’s not difficult to get it in. The limiting factor may be length, not width. My trailer bay is a bit deeper than the average garage. Measure and check it out.

#8

I’m not sure that I recall old “what trailer should I buy” threads here, but there’s lots of them at Bf.c. I bought my trailer used and it’s really small. If I had it to do over again I’d a bought a new one and it’d be larger. The year 1 trailer maintenance bill was a grand to replace tires, hubs and brakes. The year 3 trailer maint bill was another grand to replace the tires again, and the bent axles that were causing the excessive tire wear.

Trailers don’t seem to depreciate much. A used one in good condition costs darn close to what a new one does. One is “supposed to be” in good condition and one has a warranty.

#9

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I definately cant do a trailor in the garage. I have a one car garage that barely fits my Miata.
I know eveyone has different thoughts on this topic but is a street legal Spec E30 feasible? Any have any experience. The Miata I have now doesnt have AC and has a race suspension. I would guess the se30 would be the same just with a cage.

I ask be cause I dont have a comp liscense at this point and I am still messing around in HPDE until next year.

#10

[quote=“Hank24” post=58073]Thanks for the suggestions guys. I definately cant do a trailor in the garage. I have a one car garage that barely fits my Miata.
I know eveyone has different thoughts on this topic but is a street legal Spec E30 feasible? Any have any experience. The Miata I have now doesnt have AC and has a race suspension. I would guess the se30 would be the same just with a cage.

I ask be cause I dont have a comp liscense at this point and I am still messing around in HPDE until next year.[/quote]
It’s a bad idea. But sometimes necessity forces bad ideas upon us. It prevents you from bringing a decent amount of gear, if something breaks you have to walk home, and if you smack your unprotected head against a cage-bar it’s all over.

I rented a Hertz trailer for my last half-dozen DE’s because towards the end of my DE career I’d killed my DE car’s engine 7hrs away from home. That made $100 for a rental trailer seem like a bargain compared to the goatscrew I went thru getting my DE car home.

#11

Call some local trailer dealers as well. I used to rent a car hauler that was much nicer than the U-Haul type trailers and cost a lot less. It ended up costing me about the same as what just my storage fee is now! If you’ve got a truck there are definitely options out there for getting a trailer when you need it.

#12

New trailer is the way to go. Everyone thinks their ten year old trailer is worth 1800. I bought a new leonard 16x7 trailer for 2100 with a 6 month warranty on everything and 3 year warranty on the axles. I think they are made in NC if that matters.

#13

Good info here!

Speaking of trailers, what do you guys use as a tow vehicle? I have a small truck with a towing capcity of 5000 lb, but I’m guessing a trailer plus a 2700+ lb car will get close to that limit.

#14

[quote=“Hank24” post=58040]Orginally, I thought SM was the way to go but talking with some BMW guys it seems like se30 is more of a “Spec” class. This appeals to me since I just want to go out and have fun driving.[/quote]Matt -

Come find me at Garage #17 at Charlotte. I have experience in both series and love them both. I wouldn’t say one is more spec than the other. There is a wide variety of budget and talent in each. Both can be a hell of a lot of fun.

#15

[quote=“MLC” post=58088]Good info here!

Speaking of trailers, what do you guys use as a tow vehicle? I have a small truck with a towing capcity of 5000 lb, but I’m guessing a trailer plus a 2700+ lb car will get close to that limit.[/quote]
This is not something to toy with. I’ve gone thru 4 tow vehicles, each one with more capacity than the last. You can never have enough towing capacity. And unless someone is pulling their car on a dolly, I probably have the lightest load in SpecE30 because my trailer is so small.

The trailer only has to wag your ass once on a descent before you start thinking about a dually with sway control and load levelers.

You can get a decent 1/2ton pickup for beer money these days. I don’t know much about GM trucks but older Dodge’s are garbage and Fords seem pretty good. Fish Bratton’s new Dodge is very nice but it didn’t come cheap.

#16

[quote=“MLC” post=58088]Good info here!

Speaking of trailers, what do you guys use as a tow vehicle? I have a small truck with a towing capcity of 5000 lb, but I’m guessing a trailer plus a 2700+ lb car will get close to that limit.[/quote]

My Dodge 3/4 ton diesel is my third tow vehicle as well. I was doing 500 mile pulls with a Jeep Commander that was rated to tow 8200 lbs. It got 4 MPG and was scary above 60 mph. My advice is to tow will something well over need capacity. If you get a truck, you might as well go with a diesel… My Dodge gets ~11 mpg towing around 80 mph and driving it is a breeze. I was literally worn out after long tows with the jeep. Getting too and from the track should not be the hardest part of the weekend and crappy tow vehicle makes it miserable.

#17

I have a dodge 1/2 ton with a 5.2 and a 5 speed. I get 10 mpg towing. The only good thing about it other than the 5 speed is that its not gm. I would have a powerstroke or cummins if i could find one with a manual in my price range.

Fish I don’t see how you get 11 mpg with the new dodge. The new diesels are supposed to get over twenty unless your trailer is much bigger than I’m imagining.

#18

:laugh: None of the newer diesels get near twenty mpg! I think the Ford and GM might get slightly better, but I prefer the Cummins. Without trailer, I get around 15 on the HWY and 12 in town. My trailer is 20 ft and weighs around 8500 loaded, but fuel mileage is the same when the trailer is empty. I guess it’s like pulling a big sail. For what it’s worth, I drive my tow vehicle like my race car. That’s right, fast!!!

#19

yeah, i really doubt the 20mpg number. i get 15 without trailer and around 11 with my 28’er with my 7.3 dually.

#20

unless you gotta have a late model truck it’s hard to beat a ford powerstroke 7.3 truck as a tow vehicle. my diesel excursion gets between 14 and 18 mpg (depending on speed and number of wheels on the rack) towing my car on an open trailer and is rock solid doing so. i’ve seen as high as 22 mpg unladen. and the 44 gal tank means a 700 mile tow range.