So You Want to Drag Race Your Porsche 944
So You Want to Drag Race Your Porsche 944
When most people think of Porsche and motorsport, they associate the brand with road racing. As much as we love hitting our apexes, and boy do we, there is something to be said for catching a perfect light, cutting a hot 60-foot time and seeing what the car will do down the 1320. There are a subset of 944 owners, especially you crazy 944 Turbo people, who love to hit the drag strip. Here are their insights on what the 944 needs to be a fun street and strip ride.
1. Practice
Just like any form of motorsport, you have to learn by doing. Hit up a Test ‘N’ Tune night at your local strip and see how it’s done. This will get you used to filling out tech forms and passing the technical inspection, learning how to stage at the tree, reading the lights and, ultimately, getting used to launching your car and banging those gear changes. Indeed, the hardest part for most people is getting used to launching off the line and reading the tree. After a handful of passes, you will understand when to leave the line to nail a good reaction time, and how high of an RPM to drop the clutch to get the best launch.
2. Tires
The more grip those rear tires have, the higher the RPM you can launch from while still having traction. This will net you better 60’ times and, ultimately, much better ET’s once you cross the 1320. They say for every tenth you pick up in the 60’, you drop about two-tenths by the finish. Slicks are too much for a beginning driver, but DOT-legal drag radials are a common stepping stone for street-driven drag folks. They can see some street use and still help drop your 60’.
3. Spare Axles
Sadly, as all too many 944 owners have found out, stock rear-end 944s, especially the 951S Turbos, love to munch their CV axles during hard launches. Think about it: when the car is at a standstill, and launched very hard on a very sticky surface like the drag strip, all that force has to go somewhere, right? Usually it results in the axles shearing off and popping out of the transaxle. Whoops.
Fortunately, all things considered, replacing a bad CV axle isn’t too hard, so consider budgeting for a spare set and bringing them with you to the track, especially if you plan on launching the car hard with those drag radials. Stiffening up the transaxle can help limit this issue, which brings us to our next point.
4. Transmission Brace and Motor Mounts
The 944 transaxle has mounts to prevent excess movement; however, under the shock loading that drag launches provide, the bushings allow for entirely too much movement, compromising the integrity of the axles, and possibly popping the shifter out of gear.
The remedy is to either reinforce it with the trans brace, or to fit much stiffer polyurethane bushings to limit deflection and excess movement. Engine mounts are much the same deal: they bolt the engine into the subframe. However, the rubber bushings wear with age and can fail. If all of the mounts fail, it is actually possible for the engine to fall out of the engine cradle, which is bad news. Inspect your motor mounts for tears or aging and replace as necessary, preferably with aftermarket stiffer mounts.
5. Stronger Clutch
All those 4,000 RPM clutch drops really wear out the clutch disc. It’s unavoidable that repeated drag launches prematurely wear the clutch, so if your 944 is higher mileage and on the original clutch, you should budget for a replacement unit sooner rather than later. A beefier, aftermarket clutch will be better suited for taking the abuse of high RPM launches with less wear and tear.
6. Two Step/Launch Control
A two-step launch control system is an ingenious, simple and effective tool to optimize your 944’s launch. With a two-step, you set your designated launch RPM, and when you stage your car at the tree, come to a stop and floor the accelerator. The two-step will hold the engine at your specified RPM by cutting ignition. The effect is two-fold, as it allows for consistent, repeatable launches and on a turbocharged car, puts enough load on the turbocharger to build boost before you set off. This means you launch the car and there is no turbo lag as the two-step has already built up your boost.
Many two-step devices also come with a provision for flat-foot shifting, wherein you keep the accelerator pedal to the floor and as you clutch it in, it cuts spark for the gear change. This is beneficial because, again, keeping your foot flat to the floor keeps the turbo spooled, resulting in much faster, lag-free shifts.
The folks over here at Rennlist will be praying that you don't blow out those puny, stock axles. Good luck, and have fun!
Want to talk shop with fellow 944 and 951 people? Head on over to the Rennlist forums for more info.
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