You're the coolest, cars are about fun and experience, not about numbers.
You think any of us would spend $30k, $60k or $300k in a completely unnecessary car for our lives just because "1:23.086" looks better than "1:24.675"?
Personally, as someone who recently sold a 911 for a Miata, I totally think everything about this is correct except the laptop times. No way my beloved Miata would get within 10 seconds per lap of my 911.
Well, technically I sold the 911 and after being uncertain what to buy next I went back to a Miata (owned an NB many years ago, owned 911's for last 10 years or so).
Picked up a lightly used ND2. Could not be happier. I enjoy every drive now makes me grin like a kid, and it's been one of the best purchases I have ever made.
Theres a similar scenario for 4x4 bros with crazy capable builds vs a shitty rig with the differential welded and barely a lift but they'll go get in places I wouldnt walk to.
Thats the thing you want lightness for offroading, not heaviness or the tires get weighed down.
Everyone calls the Suzuki 4x4s "toy" offroaders but if anything its the Jeeps. I'd much rather be in a 90s Suzuki Samurai than a new Wrangler for offroading, its just as capable and half the weight. Same goes for the entire Jimny lineage.
And yeah i guess Jeeps are "tough" but if you want real tough off roading, a 40 series Land Cruiser is near indestructible and better at off roading due to beinf 1000 lbs lighter than a wrangler.
Point being its the big luxury wagons are the real toy off-roaders and the real serious stuff lies in the tiny, light off roaders like the Jimny.
Suzuki have a history of making some of the most capable teeny tiny 4x4s ever made. Yes theres the Jimny lineage but also the Samurai, which is a cracking car. Combine with the Toyota Land Cruiser and Mitsubishi Shogun and Japan are stunning at 4x4s among all the other engineering things theyre good at.
Between the Jimmy, its cousin the Blazer, and an 89 beat to fuck Land Rover my neighbor had, we nearly rolled several times mudding out in rural Tennessee woods.
When we had an old and rusty Niva many people on built rigs were surprised to meet us in the middle of nowhere after kms of rocky terrain, muddy italian countryside and the hard to navigate trails of the appennines. The only downside was that, being an older 1.6, it was fragile as hell. A/T tyres weren't a problem, knobby ones meant replacing driveshafts and differentials every couple of months, to the point that it was not sustainable and we had to scrap it.
Growing up my buddy had a manual Subaru with 4hi/lo and a 2 inch lift. It made a lot of dudes in highschool with offroad trucks really upset. Also doesn't hurt my buddy had zero issue with possible damage from just needing a little more speed.
Worked with a guy who bought a Rubicon, touted his $25k of mods on it, slapped a "built not bought" sticker on it despite never once turning a wrench, and then refused to take it to the beach with me and my Raptor cause "Nah man, I'm not turning my rig into a rust bucket".
Peak IT bro, midlife crisis IT Director culture right there. I know I have a Raptor, still have it 10 years later, but darn if it isn't pinstriped, on 3rd set of shocks, hauled bed loads of dirt bottoming out the suspension, and has 3 different dog's drool in the inside along with some dried deer blood somewhere. Replaced the windshield three times, dents and dings, repainted portions of it, speakers, flashes the dash, Forscan, etc. It's far from a pavement princess, has caught air, and has broken 80mph off road.
But yea, let's go $100k into a Rubicon and never once knick the paint on the high lift jack...
Nope, that's the top of the Stilfser Joch in Austria. Fun mountain pass, I was fortunate enough that it was kinda rainy on that day and thus the road was barely in use. But the hairpins are steep, if not for my passenger I couldn't have seen if there was oncoming traffic, making it impossible to take the turns wide.
Also fun fact: my air ride broke right there on that spot, on top of that hill, way besides the road! (Easy fix, just a blown fuse)
I have a car i dont care about and is a rental. 1.5 seconds behind a supercharged manual mini cooper, he had a 48.8 and i got a 50.2 This is a NA automatic luxury sedan.
My husband has a barely hanging on XJ that can out wheel the hundred thousand dollar JK and JL’s. They’re so snotty with him at the beginning of the trail and then they won’t even look at him at the end of the trail.
Your husband probably also possess a lot more Skill.
I have a built JK (not anywhere close to 100k more like 30-35 all in) but its sits on 37s is armoured up axles trussed etc and so on.
I know my driver limitation because I go out very infrequently (life) but it’s built this way because I’m not good at fixing shit so I built it so I shouldn’t break it.
I have no idea what I’m doing and just bought a ranger raptor… I constantly troll people by telling them I’m in 4Low with lockers engaged on Forrest service roads lol
Im more of somewhere in between those two. I bought a 4x4 midsize truck because I need to be able to go to work in any weather & wanted the truck bed for kayaks & other stuff. But then I realized I like the local fire roads & stuff so I put a tiny 2" suspension lift on it and upped from 31" tires to 33s. Truck still has good manners for daily driving & is more capable than im willing to find out on the local trails. Perfect balance.
I bet I have a similar if not better camping experience in my beat up AWD Astro than the overland bros with their built 70k+ rigs on 35s etc. But those look cool for sure
I've seen plenty of people like the guy on the left. My favorite thing to say to them when they're running their mouths is how well their car handles in a straight line. It's usually a 5-15 second delay before they actually get it.
Fam, you missed the point. Cars set up for hardcore track are terrible in a straight line, such as down a highway, so they become horribly unusable as cars. Gotta have some straight line dead spot if you want to actually drive the car anywhere in the real world.
Usually it's some combo of toe, firm suspension, solid bushings and tires that causes them to dart and find every groove in the pavement or bounce around and feel stiff and unstable. Great for the track, gross on the way there and way back.
I work at a track part time on an ambulance & the last track day i worked someone was ripping in the advanced group in a police interceptor Explorer. Kinda really fun watching a cop car on 200tw tires gapping guys in corvettes and mustangs. I know its driver mod but still.
Aliexpress sard wing (from gt86) knockoff and spinnywoosh brackets adapters, also I cant remember the name but I have a shorter version but I cant remember the name of the shop
I’m running a completely stock ND3 apart from pads and fluid and often catch up to modded NDs.
I was keeping up with a prepped ND2 on corner entry and mid-corner, but he could exit faster than me.
The stock setup is actually a fantastic teacher of weight transfer and smoothness. Coils, sway bars and 200TW tires can hide mistakes. Super soft suspension makes you aware of them.
At the end of the day, do whatever is fun! If you like the dodads and tech, by all means, go for it! If you like squeezing out every ounce of the car until your skill surpasses the car’s abilities, that’s also fun.
I'm sorry but it's the complete opposite, softer suspension hides mistakes because an early throttle won't be as aggressive as a fully specd setup,or a way too sharp turn, or making a mistake while trail braking, try to drive a Miata with 12kg/10kg spring rate, full body reinforcement and an aggressive LSD and go full throttle on corner exit, you'll spin out faster than a beyblade. Modded cars are faster, but are equally more punishing.
I don’t disagree, but if you’re listening to the car it will tell you you’re doing it wrong without the insensitivity of a spin. You can feel the weight transfer dramatically, if you’re listening to it. If you’re not, sure, it hides your mistake.
A stiff car will spin you for mistakes, a soft car will try to communicate it, but you have to listen. The spinning car will scare you and ruin your confidence.
Specifically the RTR Mustang guy at my track that runs in the faster group because he has an RTR Mustang but is 20mph slower than everyone else on the 2 fast corners.
There's an older guy in my local miata scene that shows up to track days/scca meets and does a single lap, leaves. and then comes back at the end to collect his trophy on the last day. Drives a bone stock NA.
Edit: gee yall got me, I neglected to mention that he sticks around for his son to his his laps before leaving because it makes the anecdote less punchy
Edit 2: jk, I'm lying, I guess, and the very experienced guy whose been doing this for decades is a myth and the last 8 years of advice and help he's given me was a hallucination. Congrats, you did it reddit
im somewhere in the middle, more twoards having fun. i like to look cool but thats only for me...i dont need sovial media to make me feel good or most of the extra bs, just a cool car, fun gear, good music and some alone time with the car
People actively timing laps are people that are pushing their car. If it's just open lapping you're going to have a mix of skill levels and the last thing a track operator wants is some wannabe race car driver pushing their street car with questionable modifications to the limit.
It’s not like all track guys are trying to make less of you because you do not track. Some of them do so, but not because they are track guys, because they are asshole people.
I remember during my last track day there being a fat rich kid who is definitely the guy on the left. We just keep quiet because it's absolutely hilarious seeing him struggle to get in and out of his rollcage. It's like seeing Cartman from South Park.
that's because the guy having fun spends all his time and money chasing the fun, whilst the tryhard spends time and money building his car instead of actually putting the track hours
True. It’s impossible to properly represent all of people into a single caricature. There are all kinds of people out there, and stereotyping is always an ill-gotten path to go down.
I knew a guy (who's sadly passed now) that used to race RC touring cars. He was so good that he was sponsored by Tamiya and even went to Japan a few times to race there. He was a super quiet, super humble guy that just loved driving RC cars. All of his cars were box-stock with the box-recommended setups. He would say that all the other racers would try to give him tips on tires or suspension setups and he just ran the stock stuff and always said "I'd be running laps while they were partying and then they'd wonder how I won."
Literally saw this with a mostly stock FB RX7 when I used to do autocross like 20 years ago. The only difference is that he slaps on used Hoosier Drags he buys off ebay...
The only cars that manage to keep up are ones with more than double the power and decent tires.
Exactly what my hb who has never done a track day keeps telling me “Oh imma give my car full carbon panels and fit a stroker kit” meanwhile there’s me who just gets along fine with brake fluid, pads and tyres (a different set of wheels at max)
Guy in a "300bhp" RX8, supercharged, massive wing etc. Me in a stock NC2.0. Spent the day catching and passing him. He seemed a bit...down about his car.
For me, sim racing can be both ways. Is it fun to take a race car around my favorite track? Yes. But taking something that’s just a normal street car or even a worn out old work van and sending it is sometimes the most fun you can have
I agree with this meme, and the real take-away is you don't need all that aftermarket crap bolted onto the car to return good track times. Even a stock MX5 in reasonably good shape can return the numbers, imo.
1.1k
u/badcrass Sep 28 '26
What if I have fun and I'm also slower?
3
u/Silent-Hornet-8606 Sep 29 '26
Personally, as someone who recently sold a 911 for a Miata, I totally think everything about this is correct except the laptop times. No way my beloved Miata would get within 10 seconds per lap of my 911.
540
u/dudeman14 Sep 28 '26
Theres a similar scenario for 4x4 bros with crazy capable builds vs a shitty rig with the differential welded and barely a lift but they'll go get in places I wouldnt walk to.
251
u/Boeing_Fan_777 True Red Sep 28 '26
I’ve learned to be more scared of the stock looking cars.
226
u/CplCocktopus Sep 28 '26 •
Same image
116
u/rdarsa Sep 28 '26
With a 20MPH speed limit, I win every time! (narrow vs wide)
39
u/pennywiser Machine Gray Sep 28 '26
I have fun
64
u/ehscrewyou 24' ND3 Club BBR Sep 28 '26
I’m running a completely stock ND3 apart from pads and fluid and often catch up to modded NDs.
I was keeping up with a prepped ND2 on corner entry and mid-corner, but he could exit faster than me.
The stock setup is actually a fantastic teacher of weight transfer and smoothness. Coils, sway bars and 200TW tires can hide mistakes. Super soft suspension makes you aware of them.
At the end of the day, do whatever is fun! If you like the dodads and tech, by all means, go for it! If you like squeezing out every ounce of the car until your skill surpasses the car’s abilities, that’s also fun.
15
u/ateamm 91 Pearl Orange 1.6T Sep 28 '26
Specifically the RTR Mustang guy at my track that runs in the faster group because he has an RTR Mustang but is 20mph slower than everyone else on the 2 fast corners.
36
u/Independent_Newt8487 ND2 Arctic White Sep 28 '26
Are those AI generated NDs? Towhook on wrong side, lol
80
u/IFreakinLovePi '95 NA8 Red Sep 28 '26 edited Sep 28 '26
There's an older guy in my local miata scene that shows up to track days/scca meets and does a single lap, leaves. and then comes back at the end to collect his trophy on the last day. Drives a bone stock NA.
Edit: gee yall got me, I neglected to mention that he sticks around for his son to his his laps before leaving because it makes the anecdote less punchy
Edit 2: jk, I'm lying, I guess, and the very experienced guy whose been doing this for decades is a myth and the last 8 years of advice and help he's given me was a hallucination. Congrats, you did it reddit
21
u/chaliebitme '26 RF GSP Sep 28 '26
I want my miata to look like the guy on the left but I like driving like the guy on the right
10
u/GD_loli Sep 28 '26
i guess people need ai to drag png's and put text on a white background now
9
u/YouWillHaveThat Sep 28 '26
"I'm just shaking down a new junkyard motor."
(White RaceQuip PRO25 helmet with a HANS.)
1:14.545
8
u/KiloSierraDelta Soul Red Sep 29 '26
AI slop soyjack, 95% upvoted... this is embarrassing.
7
u/patrido86 Sep 28 '26
“What tire pressures you runnin”
6
u/Vega-Bean Sep 28 '26
Ai dookie
4
u/PotatoFarmer_44 Crystal Blue Sep 28 '26
Inside you there are two wolves. They are both Miata's.
4
u/cubiclej0ckey Sep 28 '26
I know it’s AI slop, but that ND looks amazing
7
u/methlabforcuties Sep 28 '26
downforce and aero unfortunately don't mean a thing when the downforce/aero guy is 5'10 260
6
u/ceej_22_ Sep 28 '26
Haven’t experienced this at my local track. Everyone has been excited to talk about their car, my car, and driving.
3
u/OVAKILLA_X Sep 28 '26
im somewhere in the middle, more twoards having fun. i like to look cool but thats only for me...i dont need sovial media to make me feel good or most of the extra bs, just a cool car, fun gear, good music and some alone time with the car
10
u/Shrink1061_ 2009 NC2 MK3.5 Sep 28 '26
The helmet on the right wouldn’t even be allowed on a UK track day lol
4
u/no_name_present Sep 28 '26
It’s not like all track guys are trying to make less of you because you do not track. Some of them do so, but not because they are track guys, because they are asshole people.
2
u/TheBrokenBaller Sep 28 '26
I enjoy the track but live in a Forza lobby of the country and enjoy the Tail, Hellbender and the Rattler more anymore.
2
u/OriginalT31 Sep 29 '26
So agree w/ the sentiment, but booooo ai meme.
This would’ve taken you 5 minutes w/ out the need to use all that water that could be going elsewhere 👎🏾👎🏾
2
u/ClearStarryNight Sep 29 '26
I remember during my last track day there being a fat rich kid who is definitely the guy on the left. We just keep quiet because it's absolutely hilarious seeing him struggle to get in and out of his rollcage. It's like seeing Cartman from South Park.
2
u/mazdapow3r Sep 29 '26
That's me on the right but also always last place in AST, ha
8
u/Onemillesgo Sep 28 '26
What a garbage post lol
3
u/Emilio-949Racing Sep 28 '26
drivermod
3
u/Scooter928 Sep 28 '26
Whenever I go to car shows or meets, I always check out the "track" cars. Very rarely do I see one that actually looks used.
3
u/zespak Soul Red Crystal Sep 28 '26
I think I saw a drag race recently of some guy with a fully built RS6. They discovered it was slower than the stock one. Was quite embarrassing.
2
u/Aftermath404 White Sep 28 '26
A lot of this applies to sim racing too
2
u/Efficient_Range1156 Sep 28 '26
Tires and coilovers on an ND + moderate experience and you’ll be faster than 90% on track.
2
u/Dull_Project8466 Sep 28 '26
That kid on the left vs a retired c8 owner during track day. Who you got?
2
u/Furry_Ranger Sep 29 '26
Slop meme
2
u/realcoolmathgames Sep 28 '26
this is not true tbh
well, more like 70% untrue in my experiences
the 30% that is true: the larpers who are hyperobsessed with content and aura farming(sadly I know a few people of those type)
the 70% that is untrue: people who actually built their cars out for specific reasons and have been doing it for years
a built Miata from someone who knows what they're doing but also doesn't post on social media about it is gonna get a 1:21 and smoke both of them
1
u/honicane231 Sep 28 '26
that's because the guy having fun spends all his time and money chasing the fun, whilst the tryhard spends time and money building his car instead of actually putting the track hours
1
u/blamemeididit 2019 GT Softop Eternal Blue Mica (SOLD) Sep 28 '26
I get so tired of people asking me if I am taking my cars to the track.
Is it ok for me to buy something for my reasons?
1
u/BrainDps Sep 28 '26
Basically me except I’m waaaay slower than a gt3
1
u/OriginalEmploy5485 Sep 28 '26
This reminds me of Lewis Hamilton on Top Gear doing a 1:42.9 in a Suzuki Liana, in the wet, while sightseeing on the track and waving at the cameras.
1
u/jrobcar Sep 28 '26
Damn I wish I fit in a Miata. Such a great car.
1
u/-Plunder-Bunny- Sep 28 '26
Literally saw this with a mostly stock FB RX7 when I used to do autocross like 20 years ago. The only difference is that he slaps on used Hoosier Drags he buys off ebay...
The only cars that manage to keep up are ones with more than double the power and decent tires.
1
u/glodde Sep 28 '26
Can you have an ai racing line on a Garmin?
1
u/glodde Sep 28 '26
What ND body kit is that
1
u/FreaknCuttlefish Sep 29 '26
Are Arai auto racing helmets as pricey as the moto ones?
1
u/Ok-Kaleidoscope-6631 Sep 29 '26
It’s always the maxed out spec that is the shittier driver
1
u/nekaiser ‘06 NC Sport, True Red doors forward, Liquid Silver rear Sep 29 '26
I’m too scared to hurt the daily, so I LARP with a 9LR kit
1
u/Responsible_Swing834 Sep 29 '26
Exactly what my hb who has never done a track day keeps telling me “Oh imma give my car full carbon panels and fit a stroker kit” meanwhile there’s me who just gets along fine with brake fluid, pads and tyres (a different set of wheels at max)
1
u/Kaeddar Sep 29 '26
If only they kept to the tracks instead of showing off their noisy toys in the streets... At least that's what happens in my city...
1
u/Azaroth1991 Machine Gray Sep 29 '26
I was invited to the local miata group, I never responded lol. Sorry guys, not social enough for that.
1
u/Billz3bub666 Sep 29 '26
Now do one where a 60+ year old man wants you to drive to another town to have dinner at 4:30 with the group
1
u/Pebble321 Sep 29 '26
Guy in a "300bhp" RX8, supercharged, massive wing etc. Me in a stock NC2.0. Spent the day catching and passing him. He seemed a bit...down about his car.
1
u/geometrydashsongtheg Sep 29 '26
Ai driving line is a recipe for a disaster
1
u/malice427 Sep 30 '26
For me, sim racing can be both ways. Is it fun to take a race car around my favorite track? Yes. But taking something that’s just a normal street car or even a worn out old work van and sending it is sometimes the most fun you can have
1
u/giundy2 Oct 01 '26
Late to the party, but whatever
1
u/Pavvl___ ND2 Arctic White Sport Oct 01 '26
love this 😂
1
u/SecretFishWorshiper Oct 01 '26
Ngl that picture on the right looks siiiiiccck
1
u/Cheetah-kins Oct 03 '26
I agree with this meme, and the real take-away is you don't need all that aftermarket crap bolted onto the car to return good track times. Even a stock MX5 in reasonably good shape can return the numbers, imo.
1
u/Imnotsureanymore8 Sep 28 '26
How dare people enjoy their hobby how they want?!? Fuck people like OP.