Notices
911 Forum 1964-1989
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: Intercity Lines, LLC

Driveway Help

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 03:50 PM
  #1  
murfysflaw's Avatar
murfysflaw
Thread Starter
Wallflower
Rennlist Member
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,552
Likes: 3
From: NW Arkansas
Default Driveway Help

I sold my 84 Targa before we bought our new house. Unfortunately, the new house has a very steep driveway leading to the garage. It doesn't just go directly to the full-incline, but tapers for the first several feet.

My challenge is I know I want another 911 again someday (perhaps sooner rather than later) and am keeping my eyes out for one that suits me, but before I get too far along, or stumble into a good deal on a solid car, I need to see if I can even get one up the hill and into the garage.

A friend of mine does have a 912, but I don't know anyone with a 911 locally. Any other suggestions for checking this out? I suspect the geometry I learned back in school could be used, but I'd need some help getting the measurements from the front and rear of someone else's 911.

Alternatively, anyone else on here close to Little Rock, AR and wouldn't mind swinging my the house someday so we could check it out?
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 04:01 PM
  #2  
jester911's Avatar
jester911
Drifting
 
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 2,064
Likes: 0
From: a slippery slope...
Default

Pretty simple I would think. Measure the from the lip of the front spoiler to the ground. Then measure the distance from the front of the spoiler to the front tires. Then measure vertically and horizontally on the driveway the same way.
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 04:27 PM
  #3  
murfysflaw's Avatar
murfysflaw
Thread Starter
Wallflower
Rennlist Member
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,552
Likes: 3
From: NW Arkansas
Default

Originally Posted by jester911
Pretty simple I would think. Measure the from the lip of the front spoiler to the ground. Then measure the distance from the front of the spoiler to the front tires. Then measure vertically and horizontally on the driveway the same way.
Yep... rise and run.

I may try to run by my old mechanics tomorrow and see if he has any 911s in I can measure. If anyone has a few spare minutes on a stock height car, it would be great if they could take those measurements for me.
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 05:22 PM
  #4  
Amber Gramps's Avatar
Amber Gramps
Addict
 
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 37,754
Likes: 15
From: Alta Loma Alone
Default

My A/C is about 5 1/2 inches off the ground about 24 inches in front of where the leading edge of the tread is on the ground.
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 06:21 PM
  #5  
jester911's Avatar
jester911
Drifting
 
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 2,064
Likes: 0
From: a slippery slope...
Default

I track my car so it is quite a bit lower than stock and I have an aftermarket front valance that is really low.I have to be very careful. Even speed bumps can rub me the wrong way.

Is the entry to your new driveway 90 deg. to the street or is it angled a bit? Coming in at an angle sometimes alleviate the problem.
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 07:03 PM
  #6  
theiceman's Avatar
theiceman
Team Owner
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,408
Likes: 1,610
From: Cambridge Ontario Canada
Default

how about just backing it in ?
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 07:04 PM
  #7  
porsche930dude's Avatar
porsche930dude
Instructor
 
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 215
Likes: 1
From: vestal ny
Default

once you had some measurements you could make a cardboad template of the car It would have to be a pretty big arc to high center the car you would have more of a problem with the front valance hitting on an up slope. I thnk my car is about 6 inches to the floorboard between the wheels
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 07:53 PM
  #8  
murfysflaw's Avatar
murfysflaw
Thread Starter
Wallflower
Rennlist Member
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,552
Likes: 3
From: NW Arkansas
Default

The driveway is pretty wide, so I can get an angle on it and would almost certainly have to do that. It starts out at the same incline as the road itself, then over the course of several feet angles up to what is ultimately a really steep incline... steep enough that kids on Halloween look at it and often pass on by instead of walking up.

I'm not really concerned w/ high-centering as it levels out more gradually, but more scraping the front and dragging the rear going in and out down at the street.

Douglas, are you stock height or have you lowered at all?
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 07:56 PM
  #9  
Amber Gramps's Avatar
Amber Gramps
Addict
 
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 37,754
Likes: 15
From: Alta Loma Alone
Default

bone stock u s
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 08:43 PM
  #10  
murfysflaw's Avatar
murfysflaw
Thread Starter
Wallflower
Rennlist Member
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,552
Likes: 3
From: NW Arkansas
Default

Originally Posted by douglas bray
bone stock u s
Very cool. That helps a bunch!
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 10:57 PM
  #11  
JABSEA's Avatar
JABSEA
Instructor
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 227
Likes: 3
From: Pacific Northwest
Default

Murf:

I have a stock '89 coupe and I can measure tomorrow when it's light if you need additional numbers to consider...
Reply
Old Nov 20, 2007 | 11:16 PM
  #12  
Amber Gramps's Avatar
Amber Gramps
Addict
 
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 37,754
Likes: 15
From: Alta Loma Alone
Default

Now all you have to do is make a corrugated cut out of a 911 front end and stick it on your WJ bumper and drive in the driveway. You may want to pre-warn (no not a Warn winch) your neighbors that you have not lost your mind, but that you are doing top secret research... the wheel base is perfect on that thing to duplicate both the front and the rear end. You may have issues out back too.
Reply
Old Nov 21, 2007 | 09:01 AM
  #13  
KC911's Avatar
KC911
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 918
Likes: 1
From: Greensboro, NC
Default

Get the car you want and move ? Mine's euro height, and I hit the front tow hooks a couple of times (but not on my driveway) before I figured it out. I now use a "slow, angled" approach on anything that's close, and haven't had an issue since.

Keith
'88 CE coupe

Last edited by KC911; Nov 21, 2007 at 09:53 AM.
Reply
Old Nov 21, 2007 | 09:27 AM
  #14  
David 23's Avatar
David 23
Burning Brakes
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 936
Likes: 4
From: San Pedro, CA
Default

I couldn't get any of our cars in or out of the driveway in our new house, so the first thing we did was have 30 feet all torn out, 2 ft. of elevation lowered and the slope regraded, then 2 ft retaining walls, and pour a new drive. One $5k mod that fixed 4 cars at once!
Reply
Old Nov 21, 2007 | 09:54 AM
  #15  
KC911's Avatar
KC911
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 918
Likes: 1
From: Greensboro, NC
Default

David's solution is better than mine (moving) ...
Reply



All times are GMT -3. The time now is 01:37 AM.