Finally got a chance to take the turbo out to the track this year. With school and work, it's been a tough year! It's also been a rough year for car expenses with the top end requiring rebuilding after only 40,000km. It all seems worth it though when you hear the rev limiter crackle in 2nd gear and you go into third and feel that hit of torque rock your world.

The track I went to was Toronto Motorsports Park (www.torontomotorsportspark.com), a 3km circuit that looks like an old navy base converted into a track. The surface is somewhat bumpy, but the RUF PSS-9 ate it right up and stayed hooked on-line regardless of the bumps. I found the car to be perfectly neutral with a slight oversteer bias if I was really crazy on the throttle. The pagid oranges were perfect in this relatively heavy braking circuit. They stayed consistent lap after lap and had very strong braking power throughout.

When going close to flat-out, I've always struggled to keep the tires consistent in the past. Courtney from Autowerks suggested bringing the pressures down to 36psi warm (lower than what Kumho recommends). Surprisingly, the lower pressures made the tires work much more consistently. I was able to push as hard as I wanted without the tires degrading, wear was great too.

I did 90mins of track time before 2pm, over 230km on the track! The best part of the day, and what we probably take most for granted with our 993 Turbos, was that I could go for as long as *I* wanted. The car never limited my time on the track. I did some sessions for 30mins straight and she just cranked out lap after lap, totally consistent power, torque and handling, amazing car! I was the one sweating and tired, the car only showing its heavy usage through high engine temps.

Overall, an excellent way to spend the weekend, it felt so good to be attacking corners again

 

Hey fc-racer,
Glad to hear that you had fun at the track. I am getting my tt delivered in 1 hour from DC! Do you ever run mosport with pca? I am planning on taking my 951 this weekend. I am also in Toronto, we should set up a time to meet with our cars. My pics will be up in the next few days...figures it is raining and forecast rain tomorrow. how long have you had your car?
turbodan

 

I find that Pagid oranges transfer to the rotors and create vibration and shudder, the Pagid Yellows eliminate this and last longer, just take a bit longer to heat up. The best thing I have heard about Kuhmos is that they are cheap that's about it. I hear much better reports from Michelin PSC and Hoosier R6's. That said the 993twins are great fun on the track. Commonly referred to as "fat pigs" by all the cup car owners and even some GT3 owners, but there are a bunch of ways to trim them down. The GT3 guys tend to quiet down after you fly past them though.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...30110563&hl=en

 

Hi Dan, congrats on the new twin! If it isn't already lowered, you may want to consider lowering it, the lower stance makes the car look much more modern and "right". I haven't run Mosport yet, but am hoping to make it out there on October 9th. I'm doing an exec MBA at U of Toronto right now and it sucks up every 2nd Friday and Saturday, not to mention all the homework time.

I've had the car for 2.5yrs now, but have been a 911 Turbo owner since 2001 and a Porsche owner since 1996. My first Porsche was a 944 Turbo S, an amazing car for the money.

Let me know when you're free and we'll meet up. There is also a sister car to mine that comes out to the track, his name is John, the car is lowered almost to the same height as mine, but in black. You may want to look into 996 Turbo wheels as well, fills the fenders out, Porsche quality and very low cost.

Good luck with the new car!

 

thanx for the kind words. I look forward to meeting up with you. I am taking my 951 to Mosport this weekend. My tt has 19"HRE wheels also 996tt wheels and tires and I just bought 18" BBS need tires.
the car has Gembala suspension. good luck with the MBA. what area of the city are you in?
turbodan

 

Thanks for the info on the Pagids, I'll give the yellows a try once the oranges wear out. I noticed the shudder, however I was able to get rid of it by applying some hard braking, without engaging ABS, on the way home from the track. It seemed to clear the material off and they were smooth again. They sure do make a racket though, I felt like a fool driving around town with them and was very happy to go back to stock!

In terms of the Kumhos, I've used them for several years now, probably almost 7 or 8 years. I've raced on BFG (R1), Pirelli (Type C, Corsa), Hoosier (R3S02, A3S02, Bias-ply slicks and radial slicks), Yokohama (A008R, A008RSII, A032R) and Kumho (V700, V70A) tires. I've found that all tires have their own pluses and minuses and characterstics that suit certain drivers and certain car setups. Hoosiers like lots of negative camber, Yokohama needs lots of heat, Kumho wants bizarre air pressures, BFG's worked with almost no negative camber, bias-ply slicks feel awful when you're going really fast, etc, etc.

In all the tires I've ran on, I've found something bad about each that would scare a potential driver away. There was the EGOD (Evil Groove of Doom) on the BFG's, the cords showing on your first brake lockup with the 1st gen radial hoosier road race tire and the Kumho ply separation problem on the V70's. There are so many variables at play that almost any combination of driver, car and luck can make a great tire turn into a bad one.

I wouldn't listen to what people tell you about a tire; the reality is that most tires these days are damn good and totally safe. Unless you are doing a top speed shootout, I wouldn't worry too much about the brand as long as it's coming from a well known company that has a lot to lose if they kill you. I've personally never had any major problems with any of the tire companies listed above. Any tire problems I've had were a result of my stupidity or mistakes on my part.

I actually took a hillclimb record on the Kumho V70A's in an event with 200ft drops off the side of the mountain while driving a 475hp Eagle Talon with brakes so poor they'd have a tough time matching our 993's emergency brake...

My favourite tire btw is the Pirello Corsa; it's a slow tire, you're not going to win a race on them, but they are great for casual track use and light city driving. They ride well, track straight, are quiet and wear pretty well too. Unfortunately, I believe they're discontinued now

Farzaan

 

FC racer, congrats and likewise, I came from 993TT and it is a hot beast in the summer!
I can remember the heat pouring off the bottom of the car after a few laps.
My 996TT: JIC Cross medium setting, medium springs, H&R rear sway bar (highly recommend),
Pagid oranges, and Hoosier R6's. (ECU & exhaust also). Car is amazingly capable and
beats many of the trailered race cars which are much lighter. Now my fear is speed itself.
The very thing I seek is now the enemy because these cars are so AMAZING!
Good luck, stay safe, get a roll bar hoop of some sort, and Yeah I cannot wait to get my
stock brembo pads back in after track weekend--they are so soft and quiet.
cheers from the "south"

Marty