Notices
968 Forum 1992-1995

Track guys, would love to hear from you.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 11-18-2005, 11:09 AM
  #1  
RajDatta
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
 
RajDatta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NJ
Posts: 9,732
Likes: 0
Received 22 Likes on 14 Posts
Default Track guys, would love to hear from you.

Damian and I have decided to take the plunge and do DE and track events. I would love to hear opinions on what I should be looking out for and how you guys handle a few items. So far our weapon of choice is a 951/951S.
Some of the questions I have in mind are:
Is it better to register a car for street and drive it to tracks? or is it better to get a trailer ($$) and tow it ($$/wear/tear).
Also, what kind of insurance works best for this setup?
What are typical yearly expenses in doing this?
The car will only be used for this purpose and will not be driven otherwise.
Any items that I should specifically be checking for?
I am checking a 951 S this weekend and would love to hear about anything in particular that I should be focusing on.
I am sure I will have more questions as the topic advances.
I would love to hear from Jim and anyone else who has plenty of experience doing this.
Regards.
Raj
Old 11-18-2005, 02:24 PM
  #2  
Lemming
Nordschleife Master
 
Lemming's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Altered States of America (B'ham)
Posts: 6,426
Received 87 Likes on 73 Posts
Default

My 924S? was originally streetable and has a plate and insurance which I continue to renew. Why, some DE events demand that you show proof of insurance. I drove my car to the first few events, and sometimes still do when I go to Barber Motorsports (5 miles from my house). However, as time has progressed I've removed soooooo much from the car that it is not practical to drive to the track (no lights, no signals, no driver and passenger window, no AC/heat or blowers of any kind). Plus, I run Dot-R tires and don't want to induce wear due to highway use. So, it's pretty much load the car on the trailer and go.

I still have State Farm Ins., there is a DE insurance that you can purchase (I can't remember the name), but it's not in force in AL I don't carry insurance on the car itself, just liability.

One thing to be aware of, it's a slippery slope: I've dumped a lot more money into driving DE's than I ever imagined. However, it's a blast and worth it IMO.
Old 11-18-2005, 02:32 PM
  #3  
Clem
Racer
 
Clem's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 326
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Aha! You guys are finally getting out to the track!

There are certainly a number of much more experienced drivers out there than myself, but here are my thoughts for the measly amount they are worth:

In all honesty, I think that majority of your questions can be answered by the rate at which you feel you will progress the car. Assuming you start with a stock 951, street tires, etc. then I think driving to the track is no doubt the way to go. Put plates on, register as normal, make sure your insurance will cover non-timed/competitve events (eg State Farm) and you are on your way.
A stock car on the track shouldn't need much more maintenance than a stock car on the street. Just more regular brake fluid bleeds, oil changes, etc.

As you progress the car, you can figure out saftey items, performace mods etc. and at some point you will probably rather tow than drive just from a comfort, saftey standpoint. For example, I have driven to the track the last 3 years (on street tires and track rubber) but will be towing next year only because I am putting a cage in the car. I have found it is difficult to build a compromise car - and most of what works on the track isn't the best on the street and vice versa.

My recommendation would be to get the car and start enjoying it as is. There are a ton of choices to be made with respect to almost every aspect of driving on the track, and your thoughts will almost surely change with your experience - so why rush?

Great news. Look forward to seeing you guys out there next year!
Old 11-18-2005, 03:36 PM
  #4  
Jason Judd
Three Wheelin'
 
Jason Judd's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: New York
Posts: 1,635
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

OMIGOD!!!

Jason
Old 11-18-2005, 04:38 PM
  #5  
Jim Child
Three Wheelin'
 
Jim Child's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 1,708
Received 11 Likes on 6 Posts
Default

I drove to the track for DE events for 7 years before buying a trailer when I decided to go racing. There's nothing at all wrong with driving to the track, and I'd say that's what the great majority of novices do. That said, I'm really glad to be trailering the car now. A trailer buys you tremendous peace of mind, and convenience. Back when I was driving to the track, I was always worrying about how I would get home if something on the car broke and I was unable to fix it at the track. I was lucky and never got stuck at the track, although one time I did drive all the way from Mid Ohio to Dayton on a broken hub, something I wouldn't recommend to anyone. Trailering also gives you the flexibility to bring anything you want to the track with you. I used to cram an amazing amount of stuff in the 968 when I was driving it to the track, but in hindsight it was a real hassle. Now its really nice to throw everything I need in the tow vehicle, and not have to worry about what to leave at home. If you decide to drive the car to the track I can provide tips on how to pack the car to maximize the amount of usable space.

I guess I would tell you that if you don't want to tow, then don't let that stop you from doing DE's. Just go ahead and drive to the track. On the other hand if you already have access to a tow vehicle, you might as well use it. Buy a cheap trailer and tow the car to the track.

If you're driving to the track you'll obviously need regular car insurance, but its getting harder and harder to get DE damage covered under these kind of policies. If you're expecting to have DE damage covered then make sure you read your policy extremely carefully, and be prepared for a fight if you have a claim. I still have my race car covered as a street car, as I still occasionally drive it on the street. My policy won't cover track damage, but I am covered for theft, damage while towing, etc. I consider myself self-insured on the track. There are policies that cover you while on the track but they're fairly expensive. I'm not an expert on these, so do a Rennlist search in the Racing & DE forum for details.

As far as yearly expenses go, it depends entirely on how many track events you go to. Here are some rough estimates on the expenses per weekend:

Entry Fees: $250-$300

Hotel: $160 - $80 per night for two nights

Tires: Assume 10% of a set of tires, roughly $100, but its highly variable depending on the tires you choose, and the way you drive

Brakes: Assume 10% of a set of $200 race pads, roughly $20

Gas: About 30 gallons of premium ==> $75 plus whatever it takes to get you to the track.

That comes to around $600-$650 per weekend. In addition to that on an annual basis you would have to assume an accelerated maintenance schedule due to the extra wear and tear on the car. This shouldn't be too expensive for you as I expect you'll be doing all the work yourself.

Regarding the items you should check for on the 951S, its really just the normal stuff, like all of the regular maintenance items and when they were done. If its been tracked have the rod bearings and head gasket been taken care of recently? Desirable items on a track car to look for include roll bar or cage, racing harnesses, racing seats, after market control arms, adjustable shocks and bars, and extra sets of wheels.

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask more questions.

Last edited by Jim Child; 11-18-2005 at 05:41 PM.
Old 11-18-2005, 06:42 PM
  #6  
User 41221
Banned
 
User 41221's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 9,017
Received 173 Likes on 108 Posts
Default

951's are a blast on the track, but IMHO, if you really want to learn how to drive, start in a stock '83 944. Too much hp can be a liability, especially when starting out. When you start passing the guys driving 951's in your 944, then its time to move up to a 951. You'll learn better driving habits, and get to focus more on driving rather than wrenching, and its just as much fun (again, thats my opinion) and less than half the cost.

No matter what you go with, resist the urge to do upgrades until you get some good seat time in it. Way too many folks think they have to start out with all sorts of mods and whatnot to go fast, but I will promise you, the best upgrades will happen in the drivers head. If you are always changing your car, you will never learn to go fast. BTDT.

Regards,
Old 11-18-2005, 09:54 PM
  #7  
mikew968
Rennlist Member
 
mikew968's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,212
Received 41 Likes on 35 Posts
Default

Welcome to the club of hopeless track addicts!!!!!

The first year with the 968 I did 2 DE's. The car was basically stock and I learned a lot. I decided to trailer after that as I had 2 incidents that worried me about how to get home if the car broke.

The 2nd year I did 5 de's and had upgraded to a roll bar, 6 point belts,LSD, M030 bars, koni yellows, strut brace and 18" wheels with MPSC's. I really enjoyed the 968 and was getting progressively faster with every event and all the great PCA instructors including Jim Child. The amount I learned and the progression from event to event was great and a lot of fun.

The 3rd year I started thinking about racing. I added SA Leda shocks, a full roll bar, 2nd set of 18" wheels, PFC 97 pads, recaro pole postion seats, etc. I did 1 DE and then my first race in July and did well enough to finish 3rd in a top gun race. Racing was like nothing I had ever done.

Jim covered the expenses pretty well. I didn't find DE to be overly maintenance intensive but racing is quite a bit more wear and tear.

Good luck and have fun


Mike
Old 11-19-2005, 12:58 AM
  #8  
Dave in Chicago
Rennlist Member
 
Dave in Chicago's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Chicago Area
Posts: 2,883
Received 263 Likes on 172 Posts
Default

It's been covered above, but I would restate the importance of resisting the urge to run out and start modifying the car right away. Every time you do, it's a different car... makes it very difficult to gauge your progression as a driver.

I DE'd the stock 944 NA for about 4 years or so, on street tires, driving it to/from events. Loved it, never got stuck, drove home each time with the A/C blasting, tunes blaring, and a HUGE smile on my face.

Once you've reached the point where you are truly convinced that cannot get any more out of the car, you're faced with staring down the slippery slope of mods/trailers/racing. It's VERY steep. Don't start the slide too early. It has a tendency to just pick up $peed on the way down
Old 11-19-2005, 01:44 AM
  #9  
flash968
Banned
 
flash968's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 703
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

i agree about resisting the urge to modify right away - get the car reliable and inexpensive to keep that way, and get the seat time in and have fun first - the exceptions might be a good seat and harness - you'll learn a lot more quickly if you aren't sloshing around in your seat

as for towing or not, if you have a tow vehicle (and we just did this with a V8 grand cherokee all the way to denver and back), u-haul rents car transporters for very little - nice peace of mind and a much easier drive home when you are beat from a long day at the track - you can also carry a lot more stuff
Old 11-19-2005, 03:01 AM
  #10  
Eric_k
Rennlist Member
 
Eric_k's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Woodinville, WA
Posts: 396
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Default

Somehow I doubt you guys are going to be satisfied tootling around the track in a 'stock' car. As a counter point to the don't modify, I would suggest getting a car that already has all the track goodies and go fast parts. You'll pay a lot less by buying a car with all the stuff, rather than adding it later. If this is purely a track toy, just bypass most of the slippery slope and buy a race car now. Seriously, a race car with the proper safety equipment is safer for you and your family. Buy a trailer, skip the insurance and start saving money for tires (and more tires).

If you guys are going in together, be sure to have the nuts and bolts of how this relationship is going to work figured out ahead of time. You don't want to lose a friendship over this 'fun'. Think about how you are going to deal with maintenance costs, accidents, mechanical failures, percentage of use, etc...

Eric
Old 11-19-2005, 05:46 AM
  #11  
BruceWard
Three Wheelin'
 
BruceWard's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Hot Springs, Arkansas
Posts: 1,574
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Default

Dear Flash,

If you read the first post you would have seen that Raj specifically asked for information from those with experience. Someday after you have driven your 968 in a DE or at least an Autocross please share your experience.

Raj, Damian, I hope you guys have a great time with your soon to be track car. Although I suspect you will have as much fun working on it as driving it


Originally Posted by flash968
i agree about resisting the urge to modify right away - get the car reliable and inexpensive to keep that way, and get the seat time in and have fun first - the exceptions might be a good seat and harness - you'll learn a lot more quickly if you aren't sloshing around in your seat

as for towing or not, if you have a tow vehicle (and we just did this with a V8 grand cherokee all the way to denver and back), u-haul rents car transporters for very little - nice peace of mind and a much easier drive home when you are beat from a long day at the track - you can also carry a lot more stuff
Old 11-19-2005, 08:38 AM
  #12  
ltc
Super Moderator
Needs More Cowbell

Lifetime Rennlist
Member
 
ltc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 29,323
Likes: 0
Received 10 Likes on 10 Posts
Post

I'll go along with the majority of what's been said and add a few items. Of course, please feel free to wander over to the Racing and DE forum, there are some real experts who are always willing to help, on the forum or at the track.
If you've got a question, it's likely already been discussed and if not, post it and you'll get an answer.

From a financial standpoint, it's always better to buy someone else's track car, as for every dollar you invest in your upgrades, you will likely recover 0.30 - 0.40 when you sell it.
The exception to this rule is PAG factory race cars, which by their nature, don't really depreciate (so as long as you keep it off the roof) and were built to be track ready.
Here's my track appliance and aluminum trailer and tow vehicle (back after everyone had a bath.....long day):
https://rennlist.com/forums/attachme...chmentid=74260

From a modification standpoint, assuming you don't buy a prepared car, the first modificaitons should be safety....PERIOD. There was a death this year in Green group at WGI in a Boxster unfortunately. Watch a sled test at 35mph, and after you change your shorts, you will understand what's involved (and hopefully never going to happen).
Personal safety first (and these items are NOT a la carte...they all go together at the same time): racing shells, 6-7 point (not 5 point) harnesses, rollcage and a H&N restraint (HANS, ISAAC, R3).
Next would be onboard fire system (unless you can reach the bottle while fully strapped in and upside down....so no putting it in front of the passenger seat), interior and exterior electrical kill switches and a Nomex suit.
After that, if so inclined, brakes and suspension upgrades. I would not do HP upgrades at all.

This will quickly bring you to a point where assuming you started with a 'streetable' car, you cross the line into 'non streetable' car. Your pace and improvement on track will determine when you reach this point.

I would definitely learn for the first year or two (depending on how many events you attend) on street tires, NOT R compounds. Street tires give you lots of feedback (re: squeal like hell) BEFORE you exceed their grip and Isaac Newton takes over; R compounds grip right up to the limit (quiet) and then, without a lot of warning, lose grip.
If you are still in a 'streetable' car when you decide to try R compounds, I would suggest something like a tow behind 'tire totter trailer'. Southsport tire trailers are very nice (carry 4 tires and has a diamondplate tool box mounted to the frame....very lightweight, popular. I have one down in Atlanta (family) just sitting there, like new, leftover from the great "trailer upgrade"...long story....if you're interested). Simple tow hitch to the rear bumperettes (Boxster/996 style...they're a DIY on 968.net IIRC) and you're in business.

As for choice of car, I would agree with the others and NOT go with a turbocharged/high HP car. Too many problems with leaks, overheating, reliability and besides, you don't need horsepower, especially when starting out. You don't want to get into the habit of 'point and squeeze' that some high HP drivers can fall into early on....flat out on the straights, leaving lower HP people behind, then slowing WAY down, causing everyone to catch up/line up, then they squirt away again, and the whole thing repeats...no one is learning anything.
I was once told that a good suspension setup and driver techique is worth 100hp.....and I belive it. I can keep up on track with 996Turbos, not on the straights, but coming out of turns I'm waiting for the pass by.

A 968 would be an ideal track car, N/A, good power, great balance. An instructor friend has a 968 Firehawk car which is a fantastic ride. I've seen some fully prepped 968's in the classifieds/PCA Mart recently.
Any of the 964's (89-94) would be good and reliable as well, if you're so inclined to drive with the engine hanging off behind the rear wheels!

For DE insurance, www.laurelde.com (started by a former PCA executive IIRC) is very good and is 50 state available. Buy as many days as you will need in a year (groups of 10 IIRC) and a 10% deductible, you can over insure to cover your deductible if you chose. I know quite a few drivers with it and everyone has been very happy. Your 'on road' iinsurance is a gamble and after your first claim, you will likely be cancelled. My sister in law is an insurance agent...there are some things that I do as a hobby that we just don't talk about!

Lastly, you will need to find a good plastic surgeon in your area....to have the permanent grin removed from your face after you come off the track

Have fun and be safe.
Old 11-19-2005, 10:04 AM
  #13  
Damian in NJ
Race Director
 
Damian in NJ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 10,195
Likes: 0
Received 7 Likes on 7 Posts
Default

Great info from just about everyone, Raj is off this morning looking at a silberossa as I write this. I haven't done a DE in years, and have been itching-with college coming up for two kids I've been busy saving for that-got most of it covered and don't want to wait any longer. With my travel schedule next year being very busy it seemed a good opportunity to share a car, since I'll miss plenty of events just by being away. With so many Rennlisters, .net friends, and NNJR guys it should be fun to get to the Glen, Lime Rock, Pocono, and do some autox's just for fun.
Old 11-19-2005, 12:32 PM
  #14  
flash968
Banned
 
flash968's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 703
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

bruce -

"Damian and I have decided to take the plunge and do DE and track events. I would love to hear opinions on what I should be looking out for and how you guys handle a few items. So far our weapon of choice is a 951/951S.
Some of the questions I have in mind are:
Is it better to register a car for street and drive it to tracks? or is it better to get a trailer ($$) and tow it ($$/wear/tear).
Also, what kind of insurance works best for this setup?
What are typical yearly expenses in doing this?
The car will only be used for this purpose and will not be driven otherwise.
Any items that I should specifically be checking for?
I am checking a 951 S this weekend and would love to hear about anything in particular that I should be focusing on.
I am sure I will have more questions as the topic advances.
I would love to hear from Jim and anyone else who has plenty of experience doing this.
Regards.
Raj

in fact, i have plenty of experience doing this - i just haven't done it in a 968 yet - it doesn't matter what car you do this kind of thing with - i have plenty of experience in plenty of other cars, so the two things to which i limited my comments are completely valid
Old 11-19-2005, 02:45 PM
  #15  
ltc
Super Moderator
Needs More Cowbell

Lifetime Rennlist
Member
 
ltc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 29,323
Likes: 0
Received 10 Likes on 10 Posts
Post

Look forward to seeing you at the Glen or LRP sometime.


Quick Reply: Track guys, would love to hear from you.



All times are GMT -3. The time now is 06:48 AM.