User 52121

Well... to me... it's not JUST about "tearing ***."

Yeah, going fast is fun... but I also like the competitive aspect of it. I'm TRYING to set a fast time, I'm TRYING to beat the guy ahead of me (who is usually my sh*t talking 993 driving friend). It's a VERY different mindset from a DE (if you are driving a DE with the same mindset as if it was a race then you're doing it wrong). There is pressure involved at an AX that isn't there at a DE - you only get a handful of chances to get it right.

Plus driving around an empty parking lot would get boring. Part of what adds to the intensity is that the gates you need to try to thread your car through are only a few inches wider than the car. It makes it FEEL faster when you're trying to get through a gate at 40mph that only leaves you 6" on either side...

black944 turbo

I am by no means an expert. I have only done one event in my 951, but it was either no power and bogging or hanging the tail out. There was not much in between. Now my setup has changed a lot since then, but I would imagine the car would still react in a similar fashion.

User 52121

I mean this with the utmost respect: you aren't driving it right

333pg333

How about some of you guys showing us some video???

odb812

http://youtu.be/YBQ5bJYraTs

http://youtu.be/4R6NGzVM4Gw

black944 turbo

Omni, I agree with you 100%. No insult taken.

95ONE

I can tell you, there is MUCH to be learned in an AutoX. Discipline is very hard to come by. You have to use it to win. Technically sound knowledge is greatly enhanced. By the time I got out to the Road race circuit, I was way ahead of the game. Behind of course in many ways that are obvious with higher speed issues. But as the experience in that eventually evolved, I always found my track times get shorter when I start using that autocross discipline and technical knowledge I had learned so long ago.

Richgreenster

Another area that I kind of like about Auto-Xing is getting the chance to talk to people. It is kind of like a car show where you get to drive.

944hal

I've got a 951 and an S2. I've auto crossed both extensively. The S2 is generally better unless the course is more open. However, I think a 951 with an S2 trans would do well.

Droops83

I 100% agree with this. I did 1 autoX before I started tracking my 951 4-5 years ago, and would do them here and there, but I was soon slightly looking down on autoX because of the lack of seat time issue. On an average track day you get 4-5 20-30 minute sessions, and continuous feedback from an instructor, not to mention the thrill of higher speeds, etc. I steadily improved my track driving and got pretty damn good at driving my near-stock '86 951.

I started autocrossing a bit more about 2 years ago, mainly because my they are hosted by the local PCA chapter, I do the tech inspections, it was a good way to get new Porsche customers and so on. But, I found that those few autoX events a year dramatically improved my on-the-limit car control skills and honed my reactions. I credit this rediscovery of autoX with being able to take my driving to the next level.

I still agree that at an autoX you do spend a lot of time waiting around, but the discipline and car control skills that are gained are more than worth it. You will be able to excel at learning new tracks more quickly, and will be more comfortable at the limit of your car at the higher speeds of a racetrack if this has been amply experienced at the lower speeds/limits of the auto X course. Plus, the risk on your car and wear and tear are minimal compared to full-blown track days!

ausgeflippt951

Oh no he's bled into another forum...

lee101315

Well I can see how it might be if you dress up with your pink dress and high heels for your events, but for the rest of us, its definitely a good way to explore your car at its limits.

User 52121

A *large* majority of our participants are Boxsters, Caymans, and 996's. We get 1 regular 914, one 944 N/A, me (951), 1-2 mid-80s Carreras, 1 993, and the rest are 986s and 996s. We usually have ~40 cars. So while it kinda stinks for the 914 guys, we gotta go with what keeps the majority happy. And so far, the only real major complaint I've had from the 914 guys (actually a 914/6 driver) was that we made the stop box too short. His complaint being that since he didn't have ABS like the rest of the participants, it wasn't fair that he had to brake so much earlier. He whined until I reminded him that my car doesn't have ABS either and I had to "make do".

User 52121

Yeah I think that an S2 trans will be my next mod. Was originally thinking about a 968 trans but after laying out all the ratios and doing some analysis, I think a S2 trans is a better way to go for AX.

As for videos, I think I posted 4-5 videos in the Auto-X section.... here's a couple from last year:

This was our tightest course of the year, and the first time I successfully pulled off a 2-1 downshift (which saved my ***, I picked up a solid .75s with it). We rented the lot without seeing it in person and it turned out to be a LOT tighter than we expected.

At Tire Rack's facility:

black944 turbo

Jim, Your first video is how all of our auto xs are around here, they are extremely tight and no where to stretch the cars legs.