Throttle Lift

Hello Rennlisters. This is my first post so I thought an intro might be in order. I've driven a few water-cooled 911s but never an air-cooled. Like many of you here, however, I was teenager for the majority of the '80s and adored 911s. I'm now in a position to buy a weekend warrior but haven't had any luck with local sellers here in the Tampa Bay area. There just aren't any around that I can find. I did manage to at least sit in an'86 SC and '89 25th Anniversary model, neither of which were for sale.

One thing I noticed is that I apparently have clown feet when it comes to an air-cooled 911. The pedal offset and the tight space was a little disconcerting for me and my size 12s. Does the offset angle of the pedals give anyone back problems? And any suggestions for my clown feet?

Thanks in advance and I'm looking to spend a lot of time here.

TerrySmith

I recently started driving my '88 Carrera after two years driving a water-cooled Cayman with MT and I have size 12 shoes also.

The Cayman arrangement is better but the bottom line is you get used to the 911 Carrera arrangement pretty quickly.

I have to remember to place my foot on the Carrera's clutch correctly else the left side of my shoe catches the carpeted kick panel to the right of the clutch and stops me from pushing the clutch all the way down. Also, if my foot is too far up on the throttle, the tips of my shoe catches on something up above the throttle. So I have to remember to place my feet more precisely on the peddles, but I get used to doing that pretty quickly and I've not had any back problems.

Beyond that, In the Carrera, I miss the dead pedal on the far left (place to put my left foot when not on the clutch) and also the brake and throttle are too far apart for heel-to-toe. My heel-to-toe technique is mediocre at best but I find I miss not being able to do it in the 911. Actually if I wear my widest-soled shoes, I can almost do a heel-to-toe, so clown feet might almost be an advantage. I understand that some people have the pedal arrangement changed to allow heel-to-toe.

BTW, the last year for an SC (Super Carrera) was 1983, so the '86 you drove was a 3.2 Carrera not an SC.

Throttle Lift

Thanks Terry. Glad to hear it's something that I'll get used to. And also thanks for the '86 SC error. I still have a lot to learn.

Amber Gramps

My 11.5 size feet fit just fine. Drove the car for years without messing with the pedals. Usually wear hiking type shoes while driving.

I did score a really cool gas pedal, but that was more cosmetics that need.

However, a few months ago I swapped in 930 brakes. This included a new master cylinder so I was in there. I adjusted the clutch pedal outward towards me, and it has made a world of difference. I now never brush the wheel well, know for sure I am throwing the clutch all the way open, and can sit in a better driving position.

Going one further i brought the brake flush with my fancy gas pedal and all is right with the world.

All adjustments are made at the pedal cluster behind the foot board. Easy work.

Throttle Lift

Great info amber lamps, thanks! Good to know that I can make some adjustments if necessary.

Chris M.

I'm 6'3" with size 15s and there are a couple things that can help. One is making sure the seat rails are bolted to the rearmost set of holes. This helps my knees clear the steering wheel while turning and generally keeps them less bent. Also, the kind of shoes you wear makes a big difference. Running shoes or similar with a wide track aren't the best for me. Driving shoes are the best but anything a little more narrow really helps.

Reddy Kilowatt

Size 13 here

+1 on driving shoes for something narrower
Also consider the Rennline pedal kits for those that want to "heel/toe" from side to side

Charles Freeborn

Size 15's. Driving shoes, or bare feet is a must. Zappos carries Puma shoes - reasonably priced.
-C

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

You might recheck that link; size 13 is tops.

(I wear the same size as you)

Throttle Lift

Looks like some driving shoes are in order...along with some conscious effort to hit the correct pedals in the right spot.

Amber Gramps

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg1.htm#item0

Make sure your pedal pads are nice and soft. They are only a couple dollars each at Pelican.

PelicanParts.com

Welcome to Rennlist! Be sure to update us if/when you do pick up a weekend warrior.

Throttle Lift

Will do. Going to see another '86 tomorrow Guards Red/black w/ 88k miles. Asking $45,000.

Amber Gramps

Crazy money. I like it.

Throttle Lift

I drove the '86 yesterday and very few of my preconceptions were confirmed. After all the reading, I expected that it would take some time to adjust to the pedal layout, the lack of power steering and brakes, the quirky 915 tranny, and the lack of creature comforts, etc. However, none of those were of any concern after only about 10 minutes of driving.

After all the reading, I was determined to keep the revs high to experience all the wonderfulness of the 3.2 north of 4k RPMS. Unfortunately, that was another expectation not met. There was no extra thrill to be had as the revs climbed. I expected it to keep pulling well into the 6k range. The engine got louder but there was no kick in the butt. I've owned or driven several N/A performance cars and I just loved the way those engines kept pulling to the redline. That's what I thought I would get here but didn't. Perhaps this particular car was a poor example or I'm just used to having an additional 200 HP...don't know?

The one expectation that was met was the go-kart handling. After about 30 minutes I was finally able to find a high speed turn and I was floored by the balance. Very little roll with no awkward weight transfer. The entire car moved as one throughout the corner. It's hard to articlulate but you probably understand. It's not hype, it's real.

So that's my first experience and I'm glad I did it. But overall, I've concluded that Florida's roads suck for real sports cars. They are long, flat and devoid of any good curves. For me to really enjoy the car and its wonderful handling, i'd have to go out on the road at night like the Midnight Rambler. The local gendarmes would likely disapprove. This car was made to be a canyon carving, road course eating machine. It would be a blast for those and I'm jealous of you guys that have these available to you. But there's nothing around me like that. As much as I love the look of 80's Carreras, I wouldn't be able to enjoy its charms. I will probably stick with my modern boulevard cruisers with crazy high limits I'll never enjoy .