I'm interested in getting a 911 as a dedicated track car (DE's for now). Anyone drive to and from DE's in a 911 with a set of wheels and tires, tools, etc in the car (no tow vehicle and trailer)? Also, would it be possible with a roll cage (I realize this may be a loaded question due to design of cage)...

 

People have fabricated roof racks to carry their tires. You can do a search and get your answer on this one.

 

This link should provide you with more information:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showt...0&pagenumber=1

 

Just look up Jack Olsen. He has a full cage (Not just a bar) and transports tires on his roof and everything else in the car. He has also driven some long distances full loaded.

You might also want to check out the possibility of using a small tire trailer with a utility box. I used to use one with my old 300ZX track car and it worked great, but I don't use race tires anymore so I don't need it now.

Good luck.

Noel

 

This roof rack is a little ghetto for my taste although functional.

Any more info on the trailer? Specifically how the hitch would be fabricated?

I've seen corvettes with this.

 

No problem... did it for years. 911 is very reliable car, and I have actually gotten two sets of tires on my roof. I simply use Yakima roof bars ($100+ per pair) and ratchet straps... works great.

Two problems with a roll bar... first it greatly restricts access to rear seat area... (cleaning the rear window is a super B*TCH!!!)... but use soft luggage and you can slip it through. Also, having a big piece of metal next to your head is a bit scary on the street.... if you are doing a primarily street car... stick with a roll bar vs a cage... the cage will really reduce street usability IMHO.

 

Slate, it's done all the time. If you're new to DE's, then I wouldn't worry about a mini trailer or a roof rack right away. You'll learn quicker if you do your first dozen or so events on street tires, and then you can move up to Toyo RA-1's, or another R-compound tire that you can put on and drive to the track.

At the track, a good roll bar offers far more safety gains than hazards, in that it will allow your harness to be more effective in a collision, and it could save you from a compressed spine or snapped neck in a rollover.

The dangers of head impacts with a roll bar or full cage in street driving are open to debate. All safety devices are a compromise of one sort or another. In my opinion, liberal use of SFI-rated high-density padding will make a round bar at least as 'head safe' as the hard steel A-pillar, B-pillar and rolled steel roof line that your head is normally free to collide with in an accident.

A roof rack is not pretty. If I didn't live in California, then I'd probably get a small trailer for wheels and tools. But out here, the speed limits are 10-15 mph lower for vehicles with trailers. For drives to the track in the 400-500 mile range, the lower speed limit is a pill I just can't swallow.

But again, you don't need to start out with too much 'apparatus.' The 911 is a remarkably reliable car, capable of long drives to the track, long sessions spent passing other cars, followed by a short trophy ceremony and a long drive home.

Next week, I have five track days in one week, which will involve 2000 highway miles, all of which will be covered in my 1972 911. My biggest fear is that my iPod will break.

 

I run my basically stock '69 911E daily driver in the P.O.C. short track series at Streets of Willow. No roll bar or cage. I drive to the track with the four track tires + jack + tools + helmet + cooler + other crap in the car. Three tires go inside the car (in tire totes) in the back seats with the fourth in my spare tire spot under the hood. When I unload, it's a bit "GRAPES OF WRATH" but it is impressive how much stuff you can jam in a 36 year old 911 and then have a great day at the track.

 

I use my 911 as a DE car. I drive it to/from the track. You'll find you can easily get a race jack, tools, a small sun canopy, and more in a 911. Toting another set of tires can be a trick if you have a bar or cage.

But fear not. Here is my sage, yet unsolicited, advice. Skip the extra tire for DE. Just buy a set of really sticky street tires. You'll run 85% as fast, and your budget will thank you. Plus, you'll enjoy not having to swap pads and tires. (And if you're good, you'll be as fast as some comparable cars with better tires.)

OTOH, if the track is over a couple hours away, I'll load it on a trailer, even if its on street tires. I know it's goofy, but it makes me more comfortable knowing I can definitely get the car home.

• A final parting thought...

I've seen people rent U-haul trailers to get their cars to the track. Makes sense if you only tow once or twice a year.

 

Then it don't matter. I'll be all around in the paddock. I'll be everywhere, wherever you look. Wherever they build a track so fast guys can race, I'll be there. Wherever there's a scrutineer givin' a fella trouble for the number of bends in his cage, I'll be there, too. I'll be in the way the crew yells on their pit radios, and in the sound of drivers when they've set a personal best time and know their transponders are working. Wherever people are racin' the machines they built and beatin' the Corvettes and the Vipers with only six cylinders. I'll be there, too, Ma.

Oh, wait, I think that's actually from "The Brakes of Wrath."

Here's what we had to pack and unpack every day all week during the Open Track Challenge:

 

There are enough of us in the Atlanta area that you could probably find someone to take the tires in their truck or trailer. I usually end up hauling someones tires to the track when I go. If you are looking for a 911 track car, I have a 1983 SC for sale. Send me a message if you are interested.

Dave

 

Hitch just bolts to the bumper. Trailer carries:
- 4 wheels/tires
- camping gear (I camp at the track)
- 10/10' EZ-up
- Mtn Bike
- Tools/jack/spares/oil etc.

 

My car has a full cage so you can't stuff too much big stuff in there.

 

Any close ups to how the hitch mounts/ hitch itself?

 

I posted a couple of pics and a description of the hitch on and off in this thread: https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...=trailer+hitch

A few of my buddies use the same solution.