John G.

Had a wonderful PCA meeting today and one hell of a time driving. However, I noticed my car isn't quite as stable as I would like it to be up around the century mark on the speedo.

Would simply adding a ducktail solve this in any way? I know the areodynamics of a targa are somewhat different from a coupe, and thus my title. Also, if the answer is "maybe," would it also require a rework of the front end at all?

Or maybe I should just admit my old 911 can't keep up with those damn kids and their newfangled Boxsters...

And get off my lawn!

-JG

Paul K

Have you had a corner balance done?

Amber Gramps

the following picture is of my '88 cab with top down on a sunday drive at the beach. it is as stable at 125 as it is at 80. why, I don't know....I think because it is stock. you may just want to change the stance.



ya, ya, I know it's crazy going that fast but after four pacemakers and more thorasic surgery than I can count, being dead is been there, done that.

ked

JG, has the car always been less stable than you would like at high speed or is this recent behavior (like chasing Boxsters)? If it is recent, checking the tires, shocks & suspension system (wear and failures), then getting an alignment and corner balancing is indicated. If it has always exhibited instability-at-speed, then frt & rear spoilers are worth considering - they do work on Targas.

As to keeping up w/ Boxsters, the high speed aero-stability of the Boxster (w/ the top up or on) is evolved quite a bit from that of old 911s. It is probably bravery-dependent in any case, just like playing on your lawn. Good luck!

GothingNC

So thats' how fast 5000 RPM in 5th gear is.
My speedo needle stops at 80 MPH and last month i was crusing in 5th at 4,600 RPM and the car felt firmly planted to the road. Nice 4 mile stretch 3 lanes, no cars, hills, billboards, helicoptors, etc.....

Do you have a front valance spoiler?

Jay Gratton

When was the last time you replaced the shocks in the car? Also, if you going to ad a rear spoiler then you need to ad a front or it becomes dangerous.

John G.

The car has always been a tad on the loose side at higher speeds. Nothing noticable, but after driving a Carrera with a tail on it at similar speeds, I really notice how much more stability some later cars have. It's not to say the car is "unstable," but more like it isn't as planeted as I'd like it to be. I don't want to go adding a full spoiler, and I think targas with a duck look pretty neat.

And yes, I've recently had a full alignment and new shocks and balance and whatever else they charged me for. It might not help too much on rough pavement that I have Koni shocks because they're considerably stiffer than the other ones.

Otherwise, the car is a stock-body 1977 911S Targa. How much would a ducktail deck lid cost?

That, or I'll just slow it down a bit and stick to mountain roads.

-JG

Jay Gratton

You will also have to figure in the fact that your going to have to get the tail painted and it will be hard to match if your car's paint is older. Good luck.

Jay Laifman

I have your answer - possibly. When I bought my 73 with front factory spoiler and no tail back in 88, I too found it getting a bit light and unnerving over 100. I'm very embarassed to say that since I didn't do it all that often, I just figured it was something these "old" cars did since they were rear engined. And I lived with it - for way too long. You see, my car also had this very slight rear end lower bias. I HATED those 911s I've seen with their rear ends up way high. So, again, I left it as is. Note, this was VERY slight. I had had the car aligned at least two times over the years from the same very high caliber place. Never changed anything.

Then one year, I read something somewhere and decided I had to lower the front end so that it was slightly lower than the rear. WOW what a difference! The faster the car went, the more glued it was. All those years of wasted time! It was only because the front end height was wrong relative to the rear.

Edgy01

If you are going to bother to replace the engine lid on your car (what year?) I would STRONGLY recommend you go to a larger tail than a duck tail. The 1977 RSR tail is quite nice, attractive, not overly large, but much more effective. Having a lot of miles under my belt without any sort of tail, my move to a car with an RSR tail put the stability back in in spades!

You can get the idea a little from this shot,--found on the web:



And another:

ked

I don't have the lift figures handy, but I believe a narrowbody '77Ss choppy Targa roofline & the ducktail work & look nicely together.

theiceman

someone posted some great info once about lift and the tails , wish I coul find it , it was a great grafic.

rbcsaver

I personally am "attached" to the look and handling/feel of the Turbo Tail AND a front air dam. The discussions here have been rather intense over the necessity to have both (or not). IMHO, a rear tail, deserves a front air dam. Consider that the stock 911 cross section resembles that of an airplane wing.
regards,
Steve

Amber Gramps

gothing, yes, 5,000 rpm=120 mph on yoyo's with top down (you should see 6,000 top up. it's wet your pants time at about 145 mph)

I say lower the front end 1/2 inch and be done with it. or read some of the longest and best threads on this board about this subject and come away with no more knowledge than you started with and love every minute of it. it's funner than air pres. or koni's.

JonH

I run a targa with the duck spoiler and a front spoiler with fresh shocks and ~1/2" lower, feels very solid at 100+, I also went with Elephant racing bushings which have made steering and handling very crisp! I would personally start with fresh shocks (if needed), lower car 1/2", and add front and rear spoiler. I personally don't care for the later rear spoilers on a targa narrow body, looks a little overpowering.