Yes that's right, I took it out on a race track yesterday!

The 340 just about to que up for a go


I bought this car just over a year ago completely standard with the intention of using it as a track car, mainly because of its classic RWD layout although the added bonus of the mechanical simplicity made it a good buy.
Soon after I discovered that some people on here don't like 340 interior being offered for sale on the forum, so it has remained in the car till this day.

Ive done everything I can to avoid putting this car on the track.
I bought a 106 as an alternative but it had a HG problem and broken rear beam, so I had to move it on and that was after I offered the up for sale on here without finding it a savior

So Im sure a few people on here will be disappointed to see another 340 has been spoiled but I decided to crack on and track it, cause that's why I bought it!

The car performed brilliantly!I drove 25 miles to the track where the engine, tires and brakes were used hard over numerous 3 lap sprints, then I drove home again, no drama (apart from needing new tires).

It was very rewarding, the manual rack felt great, kept me on the ball and the standard brakes with EBC ultimax pads (nearly a year old) were a perfect match for the cars modest power with no noticable fade on the Kames tight and twisty track. I locked up a few times

I'll be honest Its not a high speed track, unless you have one of these.


I couldn't get past 60, and for the most part was sitting at the top of 2nd gear occasionally hitting 6K . The track only has one straight long enough to really get in to third, and after about 5 seconds I had to get back down to second and attempt a corner, which at about 40 still has the poor little 155/80/13 tires squealing for mercy and once or twice a lot of under-steer, infact most corners provoked understeer on turn in but not enough to cause me to fall off the track.

This is a great track car, Im so proud of it, so much fun and its the perferct companion for a complete novice like myself,
although I knew it was a good car down to all the posts Ive read on here.

Here's a nice Imp

sounds fun i all so had my first time on tr4ack yesterday but drifting my little car
showed the big boys you dont need powerz lol

You're a better driver than me then, do you get any under-steer?

Nice to see it stretching it's legs man.
Doesn't look out of place at all lining up for a lap does it.

2. to 3. there is indeed too big gap, need more low end torque to solve that.

Then I have always had problems with inner rear lifting and spinning wildly on air, that is with 185/60/14 tires.

I just kept interior on place, sometimes had even toolset on boot when going around the track

Track I'm mostly driven has long straight so I get past 100 there, but some tracks are just plain horrible because of gears and rear lifting up, sure steering is slow, but enough fast for normal track driving, for rallying I think faster would be nice if there are lot of hairpins.

Big tracks are there perhaps tad expensive to enter? Few of yours are quite interesting with their elevation changes and corner combinations, that's what I have seen from times when RS500's were fighting door to door, doing lap after lap no more than newspaper between bumpers and still twitching tail at corners, last good days of racing

There is thin line between of trashing and racing, it is important not to cross that, even exact location of that line still has not been found, might be that it changes location daily too

Hopefully more people will do trackdays and less test limits on roads, it is indeed great days where you can really go all out, many tracks have really good safety areas too so spinning or falling off the track is not too dangerous, unlike on roads where it could kill car or some person.

Is that blue thing Chevelle?

jtbo wrote:2. to 3. there is indeed too big gap, need more low end torque to solve that.

Is that blue thing Chevelle?

I agree, even with my Valver the step between 2nd and 3rd i find to be a bit too far apart for my liking.


Close, but ni cigar,unless it was just a typo on your count? It's a Vauxhaul Chevette

magnumpi wrote: I agree, even with my Valver the step between 2nd and 3rd i find to be a bit too far apart for my liking.


Close, but ni cigar,unless it was just a typo on your count? It's a Vauxhaul Chevette

My brain, I have no idea what you are doing sometimes

That thing is bit oddball here, don't know if it was really imported, Opel Kadett (That was some Vauxhall there) was imported, but even that is quite like Kadett, it had different name and probably not imported. Haven't never seen one live.

Anyway I think that machine qualifies into same category as 300, nobody with sane mind would not get one

I really don't know why Volvo changed ratio of 3rd gear when they introduced these boxes (starting M45, which still had much better 1st gear ratio than later ones), older boxes had much better ratios for spirited driving. Sure M90 wins in this aspect too, even it still has bit of gap there, gap is bit smaller. Wikipage about M90 is actually pretty good I think:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_M90_transmission

Fitting one to 360 possible?

That is perhaps the most annoying issue of car when considering some spirited/track driving.

Excellent dude, regardless of how fast you went, how many cars you overtook or whatever, the main thing of the day is that you had fun!

Hell, I saw a 1.4 Vario going round the Nurburgring this weekend! Even though he wasn't going very fast at all, the guy looked like he was having the time of his life! You don't NEED power to have fun

griffo20022 wrote:
Hell, I saw a 1.4 Vario going round the Nurburgring this weekend! Even though he wasn't going very fast at all, the guy looked like he was having the time of his life! You don't NEED power to have fun

Thats a winner.
Vario on the Nurburgring. Quality.

But isn't vario still faster than the old Mini or the old VW Beetle?

Such things go there too and also buses

jtbo wrote: Such things go there too and also buses

Yeah, thats frightening.
A coach full of tourists going round a Race track at 35 mph.
surprise coach

Yer haha, it looked completely stock other than being COMPLETELY stripped out, to the point of only having the drivers half of the dashboard left in place and just an ally plate for the central part. Tyres and wheels etc. were still stock

Glad you had fun dude!

Oh yes, it was good, I will be back when work allows, but between then and now I'm going to see what I can improve on the car.

I like Kames its a good track, Its not all about 500bhp monsters, they like there old escorts and they didn't mind the Volvo either
http://www.eastayrshirecc.co.uk/

Ive been thinking a lot about the gear ratios and a vario would be a good solution but I'll stick with what Ive got.

Donington is bit similar in flow to track I have most used to here, there gear ratios would not be a problem, but all those Caterhams and Radical monsters would probably be bit too much to deal with in 300, speed difference on straight, braking, accelerating and corners would be massive, even at corners it is easiest to match speed of those, it still is impossible, Radical's ground effect and super sticky tires are providing insane grip compared to what 300 can offer, so I think going there would be bit of hazard really, might be silly expensive too, also probably far away and not lot of possible times available.

However 4th gear possibe there and real hard test on brakes at 3 places

I think Kames is bit like Alastaro here.