Confessions of a Former (and potentially future) HP Junkie
09-02-2005, 11:32 AM
#47
Originally Posted by }{arlequin
td, you gonna be driving the sled all the way there or what?
09-02-2005, 11:36 AM
#48
Race Director
Guys,
you are forgetting a major points. TD's 944 is set-up as a pure race car. I have two 944 (not incuding my 951) that while having the same power are very different.
my 83 944... Stock with street tires, stock springs, basic shocks, stock weight.
my 84 944 ... race preped. similar to TD's car possibly a little more tweaked and more radial aligment. Both with the same manual steering racks.
Anway the 83 is fun car, but it pitches and rolls alot. I autocross the car and to be fast I flog the snot out of it. It is sideways in most corners and in a slolom I have to react nearly one cone early just waiting for it to take set. Even so it is very well balanced and I can dance the at the limit.
My 84 944 spec car. I very very sharp. It is so much ligher 300 to 400 lbs and had 3x the spring rates with stocky stiff sidewall tires and an aggressive aligment. The feeling is night day in many respects, but both have a similar balance. Many of you seem to be surprized how Td feels about the 944. I am not. I will not say that you can't prep a 996 into a more responsive car than his 944. But a 996 that is nice for the street is no match for sharp feel of a stripped & stiffened 944.
you are forgetting a major points. TD's 944 is set-up as a pure race car. I have two 944 (not incuding my 951) that while having the same power are very different.
my 83 944... Stock with street tires, stock springs, basic shocks, stock weight.
my 84 944 ... race preped. similar to TD's car possibly a little more tweaked and more radial aligment. Both with the same manual steering racks.
Anway the 83 is fun car, but it pitches and rolls alot. I autocross the car and to be fast I flog the snot out of it. It is sideways in most corners and in a slolom I have to react nearly one cone early just waiting for it to take set. Even so it is very well balanced and I can dance the at the limit.
My 84 944 spec car. I very very sharp. It is so much ligher 300 to 400 lbs and had 3x the spring rates with stocky stiff sidewall tires and an aggressive aligment. The feeling is night day in many respects, but both have a similar balance. Many of you seem to be surprized how Td feels about the 944. I am not. I will not say that you can't prep a 996 into a more responsive car than his 944. But a 996 that is nice for the street is no match for sharp feel of a stripped & stiffened 944.
09-02-2005, 11:39 AM
#49
Race Car
Originally Posted by TD in DC
If you mean VIR, yup. It passed emissions today! I will be upgrading my headlights for the trip. I just hope it isn't raining the whole time.
09-02-2005, 11:40 AM
#50
Race Director
Originally Posted by TD in DC
You and others are spot on about the momentum driving thing. You can't help but learn it when you drive a 44. The car goes fast, but it doesn't get there quickly. As such, you start thinking about how to enter straights as fast as possible so that you don't lose that precious speed you for which you have fought. This was never a thought while driving the 996, at least not to me, since I had plenty of speed to handle anything in the green through white groups. Black or red might have been different.
I think my speedometer might be miscalibrated. I was hitting an indicated 120-125 mph on the front straight of Summit Point, but it didn't feel like I was going that fast.
I think my speedometer might be miscalibrated. I was hitting an indicated 120-125 mph on the front straight of Summit Point, but it didn't feel like I was going that fast.
120-125 is pretty good, but not accurate. You are running smaller diameter tires which make the speedo read high.
How many RPM in 5th were you. Tell me an I can calculate you speed.
You are uing 225/50 R15 rears and the shorter 0.83 ratio 5th gear right?
09-02-2005, 11:43 AM
#51
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Originally Posted by TD in DC
If you mean VIR, yup. It passed emissions today! I will be upgrading my headlights for the trip. I just hope it isn't raining the whole time.
, long distance trips was my excuse for the set LOL)oh, and bring a walkman or at least ear plugs
09-02-2005, 11:44 AM
#52
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Originally Posted by RJay
Simply put in my experience, 911's especially like to corner under power and don't particularly like to change direction when they are not. Perhaps those more knowlegeable can either refute this as being a figment of my vivid imagation or can support it with an reasonable explanation involving slip angles or weight xfer or ???.
Hmm, I find that the 911 (the older cars at least) don't want to turn at all if you try the enter the corner on the throttle. For tighter corners, a little (or a lot) of trail braking is very useful in getting the car to rotate, but even in the faster corners, I don't complete the brake release until I'm starting to turn the wheel. This keeps some weight on the nose of the car to help it change direction. There are very few corners that I can think of where I'm fully off the brake and on the gas while still in a straight line. Now once the car has started to turn, the throttle is needed to settle the back end.
09-02-2005, 11:51 AM
#53
Race Director
Originally Posted by joseph mitro
are you saying that the car is street legal with a stripped interior, full roll cage, and such? cool
Such a car is leagal in Arizona too. As long as you pass emissions. But they only have required checks in the phoenix & Tucson metro areas.
I know of many street legal 944-spec cars here and in california.
09-02-2005, 11:53 AM
#54
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Originally Posted by TD in DC
You and others are spot on about the momentum driving thing. You can't help but learn it when you drive a 44. The car goes fast, but it doesn't get there quickly. As such, you start thinking about how to enter straights as fast as possible so that you don't lose that precious speed you for which you have fought. This was never a thought while driving the 996....
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Larry Herman
2016 Ford Transit Connect Titanium LWB
2018 Tesla Model 3 - Electricity can be fun!
Retired Club Racer & National PCA Instructor
Past Flames:
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1974 914/4 2.0 Track Car
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Larry Herman
2016 Ford Transit Connect Titanium LWB
2018 Tesla Model 3 - Electricity can be fun!
Retired Club Racer & National PCA Instructor
Past Flames:
1994 RS America Club Racer
2004 GT3 Track Car
1984 911 Carrera Club Racer
1974 914/4 2.0 Track Car
CLICK HERE to see some of my ancient racing videos.
09-02-2005, 12:03 PM
#55
Originally Posted by joseph mitro
are you saying that the car is street legal with a stripped interior, full roll cage, and such? cool
I will say it has all the necessary tags and stickers so that I can drive it in the Commonwealth of Virginia! I want to buy a tow vehicle and trailer, but I have exhausted my fun budget for the year and the patience of my better half. My fall into this addiction has been particularly swift and ungraceful. My first DE ever was last November at VIR . . . As such, I want to try to drive the 44 to the last few events this year, and wait until my bonus next year to get a tow vehicle and trailer.
09-02-2005, 12:05 PM
#56
Originally Posted by }{arlequin
don't worry, rain is good for you... embrace it and learn to love what others hate (unless you're talking about the commute, which is why i dropped off 4 cookies at radial today and will be picking up a set of rains on tuesday , long distance trips was my excuse for the set LOL)
oh, and bring a walkman or at least ear plugs
, long distance trips was my excuse for the set LOL)oh, and bring a walkman or at least ear plugs
As you saw last weekend, I didn't avoid the track even in the worst conditions. I promise you that I will be ready to play next weekend. No more waving off your invitations. 
09-02-2005, 12:08 PM
#57
Originally Posted by Larry Herman
It will be the next time you take it back on the track. That is what makes the fast cars go faster.
The good thing about starting with the 996 is that I am not afraid to go pretty fast into corners (although I am sure I can enter much, much faster). I am not sure that I would have felt as confident at speed if I has started from day one in a 20 year old car. I guess I will never really know.
09-02-2005, 12:13 PM
#59
Originally Posted by }{arlequin
yes... i felt like i was discarded... a used up play toy....
The only reason I waved you off last time was concern about belching up more of the green stuff. I think I have that problem solved. First, I now know how to bleed the air out of the system, and I think that solved most everything. Second, I need to start remembering to turn on the fans on the cool down lap (and in town) so I don't overheat after the run group. It is amazing how rapidly you can overheat without the fans turned on, going from the first mark on the water temp gauge to overheated in just a few minutes. Luckily, oil temp never exceeded 180.
09-02-2005, 12:26 PM
#60
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Originally Posted by TD in DC
That's what I am counting on, and why I followed your advice. You personally are to blame for my foray into the low HP realm
