Are there universal measurements that can tell how trackable a car is?

I think you can buy a game console and racing game then test all of the cars available.  Who ever made those games must have the answer that you are looking for.

akylekoz said:

I think you can buy a game console and racing game then test all of the cars available.  Who ever made those games must have the answer that you are looking for.

Well that's probably the most cost effective way for a layman like me, huh? Way to keep it simple :)

In reply to akylekoz :

It raises an interesting question though. How do they calculate those PI numbers for cars in Forza?

Ransom said:

Can you afford to walk away from the wadded-up remains?

Can you extricate yourself more or less in one piece from the wadded-up remains?

The standard hpde/track day formula is a half-dozen-ish 20 minute sessions. If you can go as hard as you can for all of that time without worrying about anything mechanical, tires or brakes, then it's a good car.

My ungood fox chassis mustang went on its first track day with a pad upgrade and front cooling ducts on old all season tires.  Still had a lot of fun, a few grand in upgrades later it is faster and stiff fun.  Half of the fun for me is making the car better at being sporty.   I have shaved four seconds off of my lap times in the last two years with no upgrades and the same old tires, the best upgrade you can make is seat time. 

I would think before you could answer that question, you would have to ask "which track?"

Cooter said:

I would think before you could answer that question, you would have to ask "which track?"

I'm entirely novice but I think that's a good point.

I kinda got on this kick thinking about how so many cars are tested on the Nürburgring -- except not the ones I'll be buying. I suppose a Fox or two has made a pass though. Well, that and a delivery truck, courtesy of Sabine Schmitz, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KiC03_wVjc "GET OUT OF ZEE WAY!!!!"

Anyway, with the exception of tire tech, I assume times there are permanently comparable to other cars

There are no fast cars, just fast drivers.  I would propose this hypothesis.  These five independent variables count for more than all the other variables combined, as they impact all aspect of driving and lap times.

- the driver

- the track

- the tires

- vehicle weight

- durability (you can’t race a car that’s on jack stands in the paddock)

If my hypothesis were correct, than the answer would be to get any light, durable car, put great wheels and tires on it, and turn lots and lots of laps with good instruction at your favorite track.  For most practical purposes, the rest is details.

Case in point: I did a HPDE event this weekend.  In my session, there were a couple GT-R’s, a 911 GT3 RS, several Corvettes, a GT350 Mustang, etc.  Some were faster than me, some were slower... but nobody was touching typical Spec Miata lap times at that track.  It ain’t the arrow, it’s the indian.  (with great respect to any Native American readers who may be on this thread).

There's another factor to complicate it: Some cars are easy to drive right up to their limits, some are not.  And some may have behaviors that just don't jive with a given driver's style and skills.  So a car that is theoretically faster around a given track may not actually be faster in practice (assuming you keep the driver constant).  

Does it have 4 wheels, an engine, trans and brakes? It's trackable. How fast you want to go all depends on how much money you want to spend

You want a trackable car?  Yea, there are specs for that.

Ahh! I follow you now!

oh. Dodge Dakotas are apparently NOT trackable...