Van

Just keep the revs up -- stay in the 3500 to 6000 rpm range.

Another trick is to not trail brake much -- if you get your braking done early, you can have your foot back on the gas pedal as you transition into the turn, so you can start accelerating to the apex and be on full boost by the apex.

5speed300

I did my first ever track day in my 951 and honestly theturbo was not a big deal at all. I noticed very little lag due to the wide powerband. There was always plenty of torque to propel me out of corners. As long as your over 3000rpm you should be golden

Tms951

I had a my car on the track with a Lindsey Racing Super 75 T4. I had no lag problems because of always keeping the revs in the power band. The turbo had imediate transiant response above about 5200rpm. I kept it at 5200-7000rpm the whole time I was on the track.

2bridges

stock setup has significant understeer "built in" - keep that in the back of your mind

ausgeflippt951

I agree with what some others have said: drive like you're comfortable. The 951 is suuuuch a well balanced car that you've really got to be blind or have the worst *** on the planet not to get trumped (AKA spinning out). Basically, drive it like your bmmer, but always be prepared for the turbo.

The second you stop anticipating what's to come is the second you lose control. Know the car and understand every one of its quirks.

Oh, and yes: if you can LFB while heel-toe downshifting, you've either got size 24 feet (US size) or have an extra leg. LFB is mainly to be used when downshifting is a nonissue or has already happened -- never to be used while heel-toeing. When driving around town, LFB and heel-toe as often as possible so that it becomes second nature. [if you already knew this, then awesome, and I apologize if i might've offended you at all]

Also, just as is the case in any kind of racing -- smoothness is key.

Jeff N.

Yeah, I'd love to be able to LFB while down shifting. That would be quite a trick eh?

The tips have been good and I really appreciate it.

RKD in OKC

Duke

I agree on keeping the revs in the powerband of the engine, but your 1800 rpm powerband is too narrow to stay in.

Shifting at 7000 rpm will land on around 4100 rpm, 4750 rpm, 5150 rpm, 5600 rpm on the 2,3,4,5 gears.

I would aim to have a 3000 rpm powerband for good track use.

333pg333

Well unless you've got a crash box with no syncro and don't bother to use the clutch then you can't lfb while downshifting. You obviously heel and toe with the right foot while using the left for the clutch. The old idea of lfb to keep up the rev's so as not to induce lag is really not needed at all and you will find that as the others have said on the track it will be of little importance. You will be in the rev band generally. Lfb is ok for getting the tail around or trail braking when you're in the right gear. The only thing is that our gearing is long and you can find yourself in what feels like the wrong gear depending on the circuit. We have changed our final drive ratio to that of the shorter s2 by using it's crown wheel and pinion. This is a big plus for most of our tracks which are quite tight. Really unless you're going to be hitting 260kmh on a regular basis it is a very worthwhile change to make.

xsboost90

im still mastering the turbo on the track but this is what i was thinking too. I have had no problems with the turbo smacking hard in a corner because i never slow down enough for it to unspool. IM surprised no one suggested getting rid of your cycling valve. That made the biggest difference on my car as far as spool up time, but still controllable on the track. I have RA1's, no lsd and had no problem w/ breaking loose around a corner after adjusting my rear sway - remember- what works for 225/295's doesnt necessarily work for 245/245's- doah!

lee101315

I know this is an old thread, but what do you mean you cant downshift and lfb? Many do it. It is very easy to screw up though....

xsboost90

i thought my first DE in my turbo would be very hard to get used to after driving an n/a for a few years. In fact it wasnt bad. The thing i learned was to be much more careful with your GO pedal. The n/a you could "blip" the throttle here and there to over under steer the car around and keep speed. With the turbo in my experience i'll get the car settled going into the corner and hold the pedal in one spot very carefully not to get the turbo too excited but maintain rpm. Then as the car is touching the apex i'll roll on slowly depending on the corner and as you roll out of the corner the car is achieving full boost and maybe a slight oversteer with the throttle. We'll see how i like it w/ the LSD in my car this season as i had alot of oversteer last year and this time i'll have different spring ratios, LSD and more power.

edit- hey wow i already posted- how things change in 8months.

Gator_86_951

I have never found either the 930 or my 951 to be very difficult to drive because of the boost. One issue you will run into is being forced into lower RPMs by drivers not wanting to give you a pass signal on the exit of a turn or if you are getting too close to the end of a passing zone. That gets irritating.

Chris White

Hmmmm....do you use your right foot on the clutch to downshift?

I can't think of a sitation where you would want to left foot brake while downshifting.

To answer the original question - find a good instructor with 944 turbo experience.

Ski

see how it reacts before throwing $$ at it, Chris hit on a key point - a guy who has driven a 944 turbo and can offer basics of managing the car(everyone is different) and how your own car reacts compared to others and what you want it to that it doesn't do after several weekends at the track. And if you get passed by other people, they'll come over and BS, tell them you're getting to know the car before you upgrade and I bet most of them say "yeah, wish I had done that, would've saved myself some money".

rpm management, knowing the boost threshhold of the car is important. This is where I think upgraded valve springs are a nice option if you redo the head at any given time, therefore you can comfortably run the car in the 6500-7000 range, which offers good rpm/boost levels on most downshifts - again based on the tracks that I visit and the setup that we have on the car.

I like the pedals with the tab at the top and bottom. I'm not a toe/heel person but I am a person who brakes with the ball of his foot, while the other part of the foot is on the throttle matching revs. I like braking in a straight line, downshifting, and getting ready to set the car in and out - to me this keeps the weight transfer under control and you don't load one corner or unload one, you have full load on at least the loaded side until you get the car straight again. Once you learn the car, with the suspension setup, then you can see how the throttle inputs make the car react - where your boost will hit, how hard and what will break it loose; and an instructor at the track who has 944T experience can offer some great pointers here. good luck, be safe, and have fun.