I definately got more understeer when I switched to the widah teyeahs.

But they look cool!

 

No kidding, now I feel guilty for having even considered modifying it!

 

Ummm . . . so Louie, how was Thunderhill on Sunday? I'd be interested to hear a track report! How short are the straights w/ 585 rwhp?

And so I don't hijack this thread too far, you can fit 275's on 10's on the front and 315's on 11's in the back w/ some fender rolling:

It used to be $4k for a set of 3 pc wheels but these days CCW one-piece wheels are around $2600. You can get them in custom widths and offsets.

 

my tire/wheel sizes (those who were at 3rd Coast on Sunday have seen them):

front
19 X 8 235/35/19

rear
19 x 11 315/25/19

I am told you can go to a 18 X 10 on the front, but you may need some fender work. (a 19 X 9.5 in the 997 lobster claw has the wrong offset, so it can't be used on the front)

I did my combination using Carrera 997 lobster claw wheels, as they are easily available (but not cheap), and cost maybe 75% less than an exotic 3 piece wheel.

(just don't crash them into the trailer fender like I did Sunday----crap-o that hurt.....)

---Russ

 

Louie's right and left rear fenders look different. Why? Unfinished or undecided work?

Keep the cost/benefit comments going concerning wider tires. I can remember when people were very hesitant to put 18s on their 928s. Times have chnaged.

 

Maybe a cooler on one side and the gas fill on the other?

 

Just the angle of the picture. There is no unfinished business with that Beast.

 

so what were these pics at thunderhill.
Dennis? was that a recent pic?

The wide tires look pretty good, and i do believe, race or street that 305s in the rear and 275s in the front make the 928 one very balanced car. Having raced a car with 245s and 275s last weekend. it pushed as bad as it was loose! actually, it was more loose than pushy now that i think about my laps in the enduro, so i had quite a few laps to determine what i thought of the handling

mk

 

Hi Dennis,
Wish you were there... It was a DE day and I got educated. I found the car somewhat difficult to control. More power does not make a car faster around a track. Some of this I already knew, but it got reinforced. It was cool and those large rear tires don't heat up as much as they should for good grip. Sometimes lots of oversteer, sometimes not. It had been 5 or 6 years since I had been to TH so I spent some time getting familiar with the track. I had forgotten how odd it feels to go into the blind, slightly uphill and totally off camber turn 3. Or zooming up the approach to turn 9 with nothing but sky in the windshield frantically searching for the shack on the hill a mile away to aim the car at so you'd come over the top more or less aligned with the road. After lunch we were routed past the uphill kink at turn 5a and that's a whole different experience with another blind uphill off camber turn entry. About the time I was getting the track sorted out, it began to rain hard. I did two sessions in the rain. Near the end of the first rain session after successfully getting through the S's, turns 11, 12, 13 and gingerly accelerating down the back straight (4th gear), the car completely, without warning, broke the rear tires loose and did a nice 360 degree pivot around the front wheels. It was extremely rapid, almost violent, and I ended up going in the same direction I had been. The car stayed on the track, so I continued on. I completed the last rain session without incident. I did learn a few things. Wide tires don't heat very well when it's cold. Wide tires are handy if you have a lot of torque and the road is dry. Wide tires suck in the rain. I think I was the slowest of all in the intermediate group of mostly Miatas, WRXs, M3s, Audis, and 911s. I did drive the car home while one guy stuffed his in the wall and several spun off into the mud and gravel. Other than the driver, the car did fine. No lost oil (in the catch can) while on the track or entire 1300+ mile round trip. The GTS brakes are great. The engine is very smooth and it's a satisfying machine on a long trip. Overall 17 mpg. One person was wondering why one rear fender looks different than the other. The drivers side has an air inlet for the engine oil cooler that's mounted where the rear muffler usually fits. The right side has no air inlet.

 

louies flares look great, i really like the vent in the drivers side - it adds some aggression!

 

Has the vent actually a function or is it there just to look cool : )

 

Reading Louie's post reveals:

 

Wish i could have seen the beast with near 600hp!! wow, that front would be a lot of fun, especially with the brakes and tires to slow you down!

Actually, there is no problem with size of tires as far as warming them up. if you warm them up properly, and have a hot lap, they will be more than sticky, no matter what the out door temp. (we race at thunderhill all year long, in fact, my last test day was Jan 1)

If the car feels a little un easy, it could be due to a pinned rear suspension (will induce a lot of oversteer if you are not used to it ), an alignment (you could have too much toe out under hard braking, ) or you just might be getting on the throttle too hard, too early. Heck, you have 230more HP than me!!
It could just be due to the 928 being a pretty heavy car, and if you havent set up the suspension for the weight and track use, it could be a handful.
Also, It could be the tires. what are you using???
However, once you are straight, that should never be an issue. Ive driven Andersons and Fan's, and actually raced Fan's. The power was never an issue with grip or handling. In fact, Joe's car just felt like mine with more HP

I run 335s and 275s, and usually 305s and 275s. the only change i would make would be to make room for the 305s up front and run a more balanced set up like Joe and Mark A. runs. the front fenders are a little harder to deal with in this area.

sorry to hear about the spin on the back straight! that is scary and probaby was just due to those big tires in the rain, like you say. when it rained, in the last part of our race last year, i had almost no control of the light 928 rear end due to the rear hydroplaning tires!

T-hill is a fun track, glad you had some dry laps to run on ! Drving the car there? thats the spirit.

Mk

edit: by the way, love the flares!
also, any car can push, and oversteer. Most of the time, its driver style (emphasis on "most"), especially on street cars.

 

Any consensus as to what are the largest standard (ie genuine porsche, or replica) wheels and tyres that fit under rear arches without any need for arch rolling. I like the "stock" look, but really need a bit more grip at the rear. I want to stick with 18" at the largest to keep the costs of tyres down - lobster claw?

 

stock wheels were 265s on a S4, you could maybe get a 285 in there without rolling, 295, no way. I had to roll and flare a little bit