2009 GT for street/track? Pease stop me if bad idea.
 

Folks,

I am considering getting a 2009 GT without sunroof for street/track use, and would like to get a heads-up if I am about to make a mistake. I am thinking GT over R3 because:
a) GT has some convenient street-use features
b) R3's main selling points are seats, suspension, and 19" wheels, and I will almost certainly be going with aftermarket options for all of the above

The plan is to use it as DD as well as 24-32 track days per year. No racing plans of any kind, though.

Many thanks,
sergey

go for it.

wow that's a lot of track days in a year!

Look into getting some race tyres and some cooling mods to reduce stress on the engine, then go from there.

You will enjoy it!

If you plan that many track days, almost every summer weekend, it is hard to believe you will not want more. You will acquire skills which will have you going quite fast. Which means you will begin to want to time trial at a minimum. It also means you will want to add safety equipment like a roll cage and seats. After you watch a few wrecks, you will know why. Many people, including me, started saying "I will never race."

There's nothing wrong with the car you are choosing. But make all your modifications as though you are going to race. I wasted alot of money along the way. Start first with safety with an eye towards the NASA and SCCA rules. That will keep you legal and safe. Remember, all classing starts with Base Trim Model. No harm done if you choose not to race, and money saved if you do.

If I can help in any way, don't hesitate to ask.

Racing community taught me this order of priorities:


Be safe
Be comfortable (Skill and mods makes you comfortable)
Have fun (You can't have fun if you are nervous or uncomfortable)
Win

Buying any RX8 as a street vehicle is a mistake.

Could you kindly elaborate?

Huge thanks for all replies! I guess it would help if I elaborated my plans a bit:

- Being very lucky with the weather in SF Bay Area, I plan to track it around the year, so it's not going to be primarily in the summer. That said, there will be plenty of very hot days it will see on track.
- I plan to install a roll bar ASAP (not full cage so as to keep it street legal) with 6 point harness and bucket seats
- Having read the modding FAQ, etc., I plan to do no power-boosting mods of any kind
- I definitely plan to install all the cooling mods possible ASAP, after many cooling issues with several other vehicles at track
- The following mods are planned:
* Ohlins Road and Track suspension coilover kit
* camber plates, if needed, to set optimal negative camber
* SS brake lines, Motul 600, street/track pads
* 17" wheels with top end street tires, e.g., Michelin Pilot Super Sport or Yokohama AD08
(if 17" don't fit over the brake calipers, 18" it will be)
* Gut all the useless and easy to remove weight-adding stuff, e.g., rear seats, spare tire, etc.
- I pretty much have to drive (rather than tow) the car to/from the track, so non-street-legal mods are out (I do realize buckets are borderline).
- Having 3 kids, racing is not really an option, now or in the future -- it's not a matter of desire.

Any comments/suggestions/criticism are hugely appreciated!

Huge thanks for a very helpful and informative reply! Just to confirm I understood this part of what you said correctly -- are you saying that if I were to time trial in the future, it would be smarter to get R3 and NOT do any, say, suspension mods, rather than getting GT and swapping out the suspension, because unmodified R3 would be classed lower/weaker/easier to compete in than a modified GT? Or is it something else?