Hi there! I'm on the hunt for a Porsche to be my SCCA autox ride starting in 2010, and my order of preference for vehicle based on competitiveness and desire quotient is the 993 (probably C4 for rainy edge here in Portland Oregon), a 40th Anniversary 996, or the Cayman S. But, my car won't be a trailer queen and so I'm wondering how people transport competition wheels/tires to events without getting into a trailer/tow deal.

- Can 4 17" wheels/tires fit into the 911 (2 in back, 2 in passenger seat) the way I first did with my Miata? (Leaving aside 17" vs 18" competitiveness, OK)

- Does the C4 take to a trailer hitch better than a C2?

- WTH would I do with the Cayman S?

Any thoughts & tips greatly appreciated; I've searched the Rennlist forums and Googled around but haven't found anything helpful other than a trailer hitch made for Porsches.

Cheers,
Liz

 

Four in a 993 might be a close call; may depend on wheel and tire sizes. I was able to carry all 4 wheels/tires in a '88 911; one front in the trunk, two behind the seats, and one rear in the passenger seat, but the widest tires I had were 245s. That left very little room for other gear. My tire hauling days ended when my next 911 had a roll bar. Since then I've driven to and from events on R-comps with tread patterns (e.g., VictoRacers, Michelin Cups, RA-1s, and R888s).

A roof rack is another alternative. I've seen several Porsches with roof racks, but there must be about 200# up there. One could also put two on the roof rack and two inside. You'd need to fabricate a flat surface for the roof rack; I've seen several with thick ply-board.

 

Well, here was my solution pre-trailer: I could fit two in the trunk and two on the roof. I used to be able to get two int he car before the roll bar went in.....

 

BTW - I did see a Cayman S at LimeRock last week with 4x 18" wheels on his roof. You just have to get creative on your rack engineering.

 

While I don't have a 911, if you can't work a solution of driving on the tires to/from the event (i.e. if you do events "out of range" or aren't using street-safe r-comps), I would STRONGLY suggest looking into some sort of trailer. Either trailer the car, or the much cheaper option is to just get a 4'x4' harbor freight trailer & to it behind the 911. These work great for holding four tires and a tool chest, and can be had for a very reasonable price.

 

Cayman S is actually pretty easy. You have two choices:

1) Get the roof rack system and put the 4 wheels/tires on the roof
2) Buy a tire trailer (lots of used ones on line or build your own form Harbor Freight kit) Then get a hitch. http://www.willwoodsystem.com/hitch.htm has one that works great. Takes an evening or two to hook up. It's pricey but I happen to no longer be using mine and I'd sell at half his price.

 

I prefer to drive to the event on my NT-01s over hauling them, but sometimes the weather forces me to haul.
I put the rears on the roof on my Yakima, and the fronts in the back "seats".

 

Where the heck are you auto-xing with 5 inches of snow on the ground??

 

Thank you all so much for the inputs! On my '99 Miata, I ended up installing a trailer hitch and towing a Harbor Freight trailer. It wasn't the most fun way to get to events. Here in Portland, Oregon, our best venue is a 2 hour drive northeast of town and I'd prefer to lug the wheels/tires inside the car & on the roof rack.

I'm presuming that the roof rack is removable for the event, right? I'm Googling around and just can't seem to find the right product for a 911. Any brand name tips? TIA!!

Cheers,
Liz

 

The nice thing about the older 911s is they have good ol' fashioned rain gutters, so fitting (and removing) a rack is easy. Do 993s not have rain gutters? It does look like Yakima has towers for Caymans.

Driving from Montana to Utah for a DE.

 

I don't know about 17's, but I can confirm that you can't put 4 18's inside a 993. I can put 2 fronts on the front seat and 1 rear behind the passenger seat, but that's it. I use a small trailer to haul tires behind my 993. Thought I had a picture but can't seem to find one.

Towing a small tire trailer behind a 993 isn't a problem- I've towed mine from Albuquerque to both Keystone and Vail,CO over the mountains. Fortunately, for Nationals in Lincoln I had a friend who brought them in a truck, but if that option hadn't been available I would have towed the trailer to Lincoln without worrying about it.

 

I'm interested in the hitch and trailer.

Please email me: derek.s.brown@alum.dartmouth.org

Thanks,
Derek

 

using a trailer seems like a good solution.
keep in mind that many states have a reduced speed limit for someone towing ANY trailer.

i know a guy that got busted for 59mph, (in a 70 / 55 zone), while towing his tires.

Craig

 

Hi folks,

Well, I bought a 2006 Cayman S for autocross competition and life is awesome. Now I have just procured all the parts of the Willwood hidden hitch system. But, I need to get my local mechanic educated on the wiring harness side of things before they'll undertake its installation.

So, can anybody offer insights about installing the wiring harness in the Cayman (or Boxster) to tow a small trailer? I've heard that sometimes warning lights are seen, although Will (of Willwood) thought that a 5-wire to 4-wire converter was all that's needed. Ideally, if you're game, I can give your name to the mechanics for possible consultation during the installation process.

I really appreciate any help folks here might provide!

Cheers,
Liz

 

I feel like I won the lottery!
I just came back from an autox in my 996 anniversary where I fit all 4 R compounds, all my tools, and my wife!
So for those with a 996, no roof rack or tire trailer needed...
At least for people under 5'8"...
And only use 2 x 245s and 2 x 285s (245 in the trunk, 285 behind driver and passenger, 245 between the 285s)