forklift

In a few weeks I will be putting in Sparco's and a new 5 pt. harness. I will probably get some kind of helmet restraint system but not sure which one.

Also, I will be upgrading my suspension to a Carrera Cup suspension (depending on price, waiting on estimate).

I feel good about my brakes w/ Pagid Orange.

Now for acceleration, depending on my budget (and the suspension $), I may not do anything here, but would like any suggestions/comments on help in this area (I will have lost about 130# or so with the seats and tossing the sound insulation and storage box) for the future. So far I have the Autothority MAF w/ chip and primary by-pass, which in my opinion, made a HUGE difference. I guess the list would include:

LWF/RS clutch (I am aware of the stalling probems this may cause)

Close ratio gear box, possibly a 993 six-speed, $$$$$, I assume if I do this, I should do it w/ the LWF. Rennsport says equivilent of 50hp!

Exhaust/Headers (I have searched the archives on this and most have not found much HP here except for one for $3k).

Enlarge Throttle Body (Have not found much on this, and wonder if I am getting more air w/ the MAF, if this would be a good addition.

I am sure a 3.8 is not in the budget.

Any others?

I have done searches for all of these and wonder if there is any fresh advice out there. Also, I just got Adrian's book, which is phenomanal, although I don't think he cares too for any of the mods above. I respect his knowledge on these, and they weigh on whether or not I will do any of them, but would like some other opinions on any of these.

Also, I know the best upgrade is my driving skill, which I will be investing in by driving local carts until DE season. Car is 75% track 25% street. I don't mind, and actually like a rough riding loud car.

Thanks,

Jim

P.S. This place rocks! I will join in the next few days.

RSAErick

Jim,
Based on what I've seen from my track experiences, I would say that the best bang for your buck comes from track experience. Really. The differences between those that have it figured out, and those that don't is staggering. For those that think they are fast, but haven't been on the track? They need to quit dreaming and learn first hand how slow they are.

But I really like what you have done with your RSA, and think that you are on the right track.

FYI, last summer, I rode on our local track (Pacific Raceways) with a an experience DE'er in his RSA and was astounded at the acceleration difference between his car and mine. He had changed his gearing via the ring and pinion. Third gear acceleration was similar to what we know and love with our 2nd gears --> Ferocious acceleration - especially up the big hills at PR. The difference was night and day. Apparently you lose some top end, but methinks that even on longer straightaways, you more than make up for it by getting to the top speed so fast. The downside? I believe that the cost of the gear change is rather pricey.

Best of luck!

Erick

J.PELLEGRINO

Jim,I would strongly recomend regearing the trans.that is in your car.You can do much better than a 6speed.The 6 speed is heavier and I am not sure the gearing is any better for the track espically.I would also install a limited slip diff.if you do not already have one.Those and more seat time are where the resources should be spent.I always tell costomers"we can supply the power and performance,but the speed is up to the driver".Good luck,Jerry

joey bagadonuts

If you plan to PCA Club Race some day, you may want to review the approved changes for "Stock" and "Prepared" classes. By lightening your car, you'll probably be forced to run "Prepared" and can go as light as 2,760 lbs.

Here's a link to the 2004 Club Racing Rules.

I've heard good things about the ring and pinion swap, as Erick mentioned, and it's also allowed under "Prepared" modifications.

Christer

Yes, I think you have a lot to learn, but mainly about the characters in this forum.

Have a good weekend also.

Tom W

JIm, I can comment on a couple of the options you are asking about - it's just from a 993 perspective (which should be very similar). I had my transmission re-geared to shorter gearing and added the RS clutch and LWF. It makes a profound difference and is noticeable to folk who are just standing around and watching at an autocross. I had some stalling issues that were eliminated by adjusting the idle stabilizer valve (it's only an issue with '95 993s as the OBDII cars adapt to it without issue).

I also changed my 993's suspension from stock to PSS-9s (adjustable) with RS-sway bars. This also made a profound change. I was able to dial out the inherent understeer with sway bar adjustments and made the car much more neutral and fun to drive (it really helps in those tight turns). As my cab is a daily driver, I chose the PSS-9 so I could set them to soft for road use and firm for track use. It worked well.

In the end I decided the 964 to work on the driver and my skills and to conseed the fight between daily use and track use. Now if I have a problem at the track, I can still get to work.

forklift

Hi Tom,

Thanks,

I spoke to my mechanic this morning and were debating H&Rs (two types of coil overs, one ok for street/track, the other for track, I think the Supercups) vs. the factory Carrera Cup suspension, which was highly recommend by someone here who seemed to have a lot of knowledge. From what I understand the PSS9s need to be modified for 964s, I think 9meister is offering these. We decided on the factory Carrera Cup although from what I remember the sway bars are 24f 18r, which should be interesting. I am not really worried too much about ride and want it primarily for track, although I won't be racing it.

I decided my budget will only allow for the suspension, Sparco's and harnesses (susp. and safety) this year. I could probably afford doing the LWF also, but want to do re-gearing also (will stay with the 5 speed, thanks Jerry), which is not in the budget.

My mechanic also wants to look at the motor mounts and possibly change those out.

Thanks again, hopefully this thread will be lost soon.....

Erick you have a PM.

ian c - u.k

hi footlift ,
i think your laps will be improved if you stay calm at all times , respect your fellow track users , and leave a little time between thought and action .

on a serious note , i found a guy selling 3.8 p+c's with new rings , pretty cheap (less than 2k if i remember) if you want me to find the details let me know

i'm no expert , but from what i've been told , stalling issue on rs/lwf is not rare , but not guaranteed !! and if i was building a track car , it wouldn't worry me having to blip the throttle every now and then when at standstill .

tonytaylor

As far as trackdays/DE`s are concerened the greatest benefits per £/$ spent as far as I was concerned were, in order,

1) uprate suspension
2) MPSC`s
3) race brake pads
4) lost weight with Recaro SPG seats,spare wheel, tools,exhaust
5) LWF
6) RS 6spd gearbox

As an aside one of the F1 team owners ( Frank Williams I think) once said that his budget was basicly split into 4 equal portions; driver, tyres, chassis and powertrain, which is something I keep in mind budgeting for my trackdays.

ian c - u.k

hey tony ,
whats an mscp ??

Tom W

Jim, your approach sounds reasonable. Given the cost of removing the transmission to do the LWF/clutch, I'd want to plan on as many mods that require transmission removal as possible at that time. Someone else mentioned LSD - if you do the LWF do the LSD at the same time. I don't know about VA but it's about $1000 to pull and replace the transmission out here - don't want to pay that more often than necessary.

The stalling doesn't occur at idle, it occurs when you are slow to shift. If you are running at more than about 2k rpm and let the clutch out and do nothing or are slow, the rpms drop too low and the car dies. It can be restarted by popping the clutch, but it's a PITA.

tonytaylor

I have absolutly no idea.

Meant to say MPSC michelin pilot sport cup`s

RSAErick

Forklift,
I just saw your messages (and PM). I should be the one apologizing.

In my careless effort to agree with and over-emphasize your comment that "I know the best upgrade is my driving skill", I came across like an arrogant *** that was criticizing your own skill. After re-reading my post, I can easily see how you could take it the way you did. Sorry for the carelessness.

Erick

joey bagadonuts

Interesting. I didn't think twice about Erick's comments since I "know him" and knew he was just trying to be helpful. But to the new guy, I can see how it might've played differently.
Glad we're all still friends.

RSAErick

While unintentional, it pains me that my comments could, understandably so, be misinterpreted. I'm usually irked by those that carelessly throw out negative comments or comments which could be interpreted negatively. I will take more care in the future.

But let's get back on topic!!!

I have the standard (non Super Cup) H&R coil overs on my car. While they work "adequately" on both the street and track, I would consider it only a marginal upgrade from the RSA M030 suspension that I started with. If you don't want to make a compromise in track performance, I think that you are wise to head towards the Carrera Cup suspension. I believe that H&R was trying to copy the Carrera Cup spring and shock rates, but I could be wrong about that. I also remember that someone who installed the Super Cups, reported here that the mounting plates for the front shock towers wouldn't work correctly as delivered from H&R - forcing him to fabricate his own mounting plates. Check the archives to confirm this, if you ever consider the Super Cups.

Another option, would be the route that Jeff Curtis took. He bought standard linear springs and helper/tender (?) springs - which are relatively cheap - and had his shocks revalved to match their spring rates. I don't recall the details, but I'm sure that the archives would!

Erick