Hi Guys/Gals,
I finally broke down and signed onto Rennlist. This class of racing has me more excited than I can remember. I'm like a kid in the candy store. It looks like Dave Marguglio has the looks dept down and has raised the bar for the rest of us. I hope to have my car on the track for a shakedown with the POC in June at the big track and then make the NASA race clinic in July. Paint will come this summer so long as I keep schmoozing Chris Hukill. I'm thinking now I may have to pony up a couple of extra dollars and get multiple colors on my car. (We can't have Dave showing us all up!!) I figure even if I come in last I can at least look good. That is until the rest of you show me how to drive!! I have met Tim, Neal and John and look forward to meeting the rest of you. The smack talk is almost as good as the racing.
I will best dynoing my car stock and again after adding air filter, headers, exhaust and chip. Any ideas on lightening the car up as I have a 944 compared to Tim's 924S and I outweigh him by 60 lbs. (Don't say diet!!)
See you all soon. I'll be at the POC "Tribute" at the end of the month. POC TT June and NASA Clinic in July. Then watch out for the "R" on the track with you.
Eric

 

944Specracer,
What does your car weight? Is it a early or late car?
I didn't see a difference in my lap times after adding 60lbs, but you couldn't of told me that a year ago.
The Az region of NASA has been weighing cars after qualifying and the race along with random tech inspections.
It is a good idea!
My early car weighs about 2630 including driver and with less than a 1/4 tank.
I have all of the interior removed except for the stock gauge pod, passenger seat and spare tire.

It will be interesting to see some dynojet results on your car. My new motor made 131 on the first pull then got up to 135.1 after some tweeks but ended up at 132 maybe due to the motor getting warm but it was brand new. I have seen 3 or 4 of the same legal motors and flywheel make about the same hp.
They seem pretty consistant!
Let us know...
Paul
#51 944-Spec

 

I have an 84 that I am stripping. It's in the shop getting water pump, belts and steering rack. I will then put on Kokeln front and rear sway bars, Bilstein Sport rear shock and 30mm torsion bars. Still undecided on the front. I will also be putting in a header (any suggestions), air filter and chip (again suggestions). I am a rules nut so I follow them exactly as when/if I ever get competitive with you guys I don't want to think I did it by cheating. It takes the fun out of it. I'm on Tim's email list and am following the antics. I was sorry to hear about the "power struggle" between the 2 groups and I'm pretty sure I have hooked up with the right crowd.
After I get my car done it'll be time to sort it out and finish it's diet (maybe driver too! as I weigh 220 at 6'3") then off to the paint shop hopefully this summer as I would be by far the ugliest 944 there. (Can't have that)
Looking forward to running with you guys at "The Show"
Eric

 

Welcome 944specRacer,
Honestly don't worry about how the car looks. I actually have one the ugliest cars in 944 spec yet is actually quite fast.

<img src="http://az.pca.org/photogallery/flight25//g0328_1986_944.jpg" alt=" - " />

Those streaks are from the spray can paint job on the car. Yep.. A few $0.95 cans of red spray paint is what covers the car. It is better than before and actually looks ok from a distance as you can see here. Nice thing is that it very easy to repaint after the nose gets sand/rock blasted at the track
<img src="http://az.pca.org/photogallery/clubrace2003//P2230104lr.jpg" alt=" - " />

Car lightening..
Simple just take out everthing that does not make the car go. Absolutly everything. Weight should not be an issue. Also 20-30 lbs difference is not noticable for these car with our current driver skill levels. Maybe if we were all pros fighting for hundreths of seconds it would mater, but most if use think of time times in seconds and may be tenths. Driver skills are not there to worry about less... At least not yet <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

Headers... Stock late model tubulars work nicely.
Chips. There are many out there. Less for Early DME's but they give you only about 2-4 hp. Right now seat time and suspension settings will be much bigger factor than that 2-3 hp. So sit tight right now. Air filter.. I use stock air box and paper filter. It actually works quite well.

Front springs??
Well both Paul I use the same suspension
Front
350lbs coilovers, Camberplates, Koni yellows, Weltmeister 28mm sway bar
Rear
30 mm t-bars, koni yellows, Weltmeister 19mm sway bar.

Paul and I have the two fastest cars at our new home track AMP. Some of that is car set-up and rest is driver so we knew a few things about these cars.

 

Thanks,
Since my car is in the shop now I figure it's cheaper to do most of the work now that I can't do myself. I'll have the car track ready by June and should have the roll cage in by the July event. I have been told and stories change depending on who you talk to but is a 15-20 HP increase possible with chips, headers and air filter? A 10-15% increase in power would be noticable but if my money and time is better spent elsewhere that's good info to know. I was running 1:38's at the big track at Willow in my Turbo and feel I should be at 1:42-44 in the NA fairly soon. I know some of the drivers are capable of 1:38's in NA's but I'm still a rookie. I'm just looking to have fun and LEARN. I can't wait to get back out there. I'm going to try a visit WS in May to say Hi to everyone and check out the cars. We'll see as the wife is having a wedding shower at the house and it may be my queue to load up my boys and get OUT!
Either way I'll see ya'll soon,
Eric

 

15-20 easy hp is a joke. It does not happen. Most spec cars here are between 130-140 hp and the 140 hp cars are bit suspect in legalty. 100% stock cars often have 120-125 rwhp. If your car shows 130-135 rear wheel hp on the dyno you will be A-ok on power. You can spend alot more money and still have 136 rwhp. La de fricking da!
Just remember to ditch the cat. 2 reasons 1) Little hp gain will get you to 130 rwhp, 2) one less thing to break at the track. I broke 2 cat pipes on the track due vibration before I finally ditched it. (I still run a stock muffer however)

Save the money for saftey gear, suspension, and most importantly SEAT TIME.

 

I'm sure grateful to you guys in the Phoenix group for sharing your knowledge and experience with us newer guys. It really helps us avoid the costly and frustrating "trial by error method." I mean, you could be secretive about what you've learned, but you're not. We appreciate that. Your info sharing will result in more cars coming up to speed sooner, which will mean better, closer racing for all of us. Thanks. I'm working full time at a 944 race shop now. You'd think I have it made working there, but we've been so busy readying our race cars for the "Tribute " weekend that I haven't had time to get my car on the lift!

 

I couldn't agree more. There seems to be two camps on mods. Engine work (headers, chip intake =15-20HP) others say 10 max with all of the stuff. I feel with parting over my "legal" suspension peices from my other car and getting it "setup" that I should be spending more time on the track than "on" the car. I WILL be racing with you guys as soon as I can. I'll bring my passenger seat with me for those of you brave enough to offer in car driving tips. (I have a helmet/helmet intercom for use if anyone needs it). I'll take the seat out for actual runs. It sounds to me like most of the group is on the same page and is willing to help us "newbies" get up to speed so you will have more "traffic" to deal with. (front and rear) I totally understand about the "Tribute" as my car sits while the shop prepares the "other" cars.
See ya real soon,
Eric

 

Thanks Tim

From the begining of this Series here in Phoenix in March of last year I have been trying to help and give out information on car set-up as I have been learning it. In driving and developing my car since sept 2000 I have come to realize that while set-up is important the real speed from these cars comes from the driver.

Between May 2001 and April 2002 I learn the value of this in DE at a nice little local track here called Firebird East. It is nice little 1.1 mile track with a few really intersting technical corners. I spend many days out there driving and instructing. I feel it was there that I learned about the value of momentum and keeping speed while chasing the big hp DE cars. I used Autocross at this time to learn and refine car control skills.

Suspension set-up came over time and by giving out the information I just help people pick the right things and quickly be able to have a competitive car.

I really like to thing of this series as a Poor Man's Carrera Cup series. Equal cars where the driver makes the difference. Follow with that idea I'd rather have all the cars pretty much the same. This way I can get a real understanding of my driving skill.

One of things I don't like about PCA espeically the GT groups is that I can't tell who is good and who bought their way into good lap times. At Las Vegas I often wonder how I would do in GT3 Cup car or how those guys would do in a Spec car. I have to think that I could hold my own against these guys.

This is my main reason for getting guys up to speed on car set-up. When anyone askes, I give them what I know. It may not always work for them, but should at least get them close. When working with Paul I have realized that each car and each driver is different so the fine tuning of set-up really needs to be done be the drivers themselves.

To me it is no fun to be faster than a guy with a really poorly set-up car. I also find it more fun and intersting to be slower that guy with the same stuff than to a guy with xx more hp and a really trick set-up. I like to know that what makes him faster is not the car, but the driver. Then my mission is to figure what about my driving that is causing me to be slower and what is it that makes him faster.

A few racs ago I got to race with Chris Cervelli driving a spec car. It was nice since he is normaly so much faster than me. Of course that is due to having a faster car. Seeing him in a spec car was nice. I leared two things.. 1) He is a real pro and understands how to drive and set-up a car very well. He can also translate what he feels in a car into fine adjustments to get that last few tenths from it. 2)I was not that much slower than him! While he was faster and a better racer I could actually stay with him for the most part. I have some in car video of a practice session at firebird main where I was able to stay with him for about 10-12 laps. When I got out I realized those were the fastest 10 laps I had run at the track. He beat me in the race, but I made him work for it! I really learned alot and enjoyed it. To me measuring driver skill is what spec is all about!

<img border="0" alt="[bigbye]" title="" src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" />

 

Thanks,
That is exactly the "attitude" I like about some of the guys in the POC. They really seem to want to help me become a better driver. I will push to have my car done by June and make the Clinic in July with my cage. After that I think I'll try as many events as my wife will let me go to. I'll even come out to AZ to partake in the knowledge transfer.
You guys ROCK,
See ya soon,
Eric

 

944Specracer,
I think M758 covered the "bits and pieces" pretty well.
I was really worried about hp when I got into the series even though a couple of veteran race car drivers would tell me don't worry about the HP just get seat time and learn to drive.
When the 944-spec series started we tried just about everything to see what legal combo of parts would make the most hp/trq. There really weren't any big gains from one thing. I have tried the early and late DME's, AFM's and I even put a chip/socket in the early DME, not to mention various "hard parts" from various 924s/944 models.
A late DME w/chip/AFM, valve job, late header would get you in the ballpark as far as the motor. Get the weight down it's free.
I would also put in the late model cooling fans with some manual switches w/new radiator if needed. Keep fresh oil in the motor : )
These really are "mometum cars". You couldn't have told me a year ago that the guy blowing by me half way down the straight didn't have "big power". I mean, I was on "my limit" on the preciding corner. Just the other guys limit with the same car,tires, ect was leaving the corner with a 10MPH head start. Flying by me like I was standing still. Man I need more power : )

Tim,
If you haven't bought the chips yet I have tested 4 different ones on a dynojet in the same day. At Technodyne we tested a FR W 's early "Euro", Autothority, Steve R(late), and Danno made me a couple- 32 degrees and 36 degrees. I think stock is 24 degrees at 6000k?. The AA , Steve R and the Guru 32 degree chip all made around 4-5WHP over stock. The 36 degree made 2-3 over stock. The early box with the FR ilK's chip made 2-3 over stock. I have the Guru racing chip in my car.
See you guys in couple of weeks,
Paul

 

BTW,
M758 is our Az 2002-2003 944-Spec Champion and one of the most helpful guys at the track.
Kudos,
Paul

 

I like the Analogy! Poor man's Carrera Cup Series! That's funny, and so true. Because it's so affordable, so many more drivers, guys AND girls alike, can come drive with us. Congrats M758! I hope you had fun winning because you're going home with a second place trophy when you come out here!
Let the smack talk begin!
Tim

 

Here's how the SoCal 944-spec group looks right now.
# 22 Tim Comeau
# 30 Jeff Grow
# 04 Trevor Myrus
# 70 Eric Sorensen
# 62 Dave Marguglio
# 56 Chris Benbow
# 83 Pete Nikolai
# 86 Sean Steele
# 57 Pete Yousko?
(No numbers duplicated with the Phoenix group because we'll be running together.)
Come join the fun. This program is for real.

 

I want in Soooooo bad Tim, but what is the deal? why can't the S enter the spec class? HSS has no competition here in SD... whats the deal?