944/924 VS 911.........
09-18-2008, 09:17 PM
#3
Nordschleife Master
The 924/944 is a budget racer, and very forgiving car to drive at the limit.
Comparable 911s are more expensive to get into, but are capable of faster lap times once driven properly.
Comparable 911s are more expensive to get into, but are capable of faster lap times once driven properly.
09-18-2008, 10:25 PM
#5
Team Owner
09-18-2008, 10:26 PM
#6
I learned to drive in a 911, then decided to run in a race series for the 944T. The first time I took it on the track was the first time I had driver a 944 of any kind - ever!
Inital impressions were that you could do things in the 944T that would have had you [OK, me] snake bit in a 911. Pitch it into corners, slide it, no problem. Much more neutrally balanced than I'd been used to with the 911.
That said, there's no question that the historical success of the 911 was due to the fact that you could put the front end of the car where you wanted, so long as you had the talent to manage the weight at the other end. The FEWC cars carry a lot more weight in front [doh!] and it takes a different driving style to manage that fact.
As for 'a is faster than b' claims, the basis for any such comparison is badly flawed. They are different cars, and its hard to find an truly equivalent pair on which to make that kind of comparison. And the 'cheaper racing' claim won't carry a lot of water either. I suspect that a well prepared F car capable of running at the front of the PCA CR field will cost about the same in the long run whether its a 994TS or a 911.
Inital impressions were that you could do things in the 944T that would have had you [OK, me] snake bit in a 911. Pitch it into corners, slide it, no problem. Much more neutrally balanced than I'd been used to with the 911.
That said, there's no question that the historical success of the 911 was due to the fact that you could put the front end of the car where you wanted, so long as you had the talent to manage the weight at the other end. The FEWC cars carry a lot more weight in front [doh!] and it takes a different driving style to manage that fact.
As for 'a is faster than b' claims, the basis for any such comparison is badly flawed. They are different cars, and its hard to find an truly equivalent pair on which to make that kind of comparison. And the 'cheaper racing' claim won't carry a lot of water either. I suspect that a well prepared F car capable of running at the front of the PCA CR field will cost about the same in the long run whether its a 994TS or a 911.
Last edited by APKhaos; 09-18-2008 at 11:34 PM.
09-18-2008, 10:28 PM
#7
Team Owner
Trending Topics
09-18-2008, 10:35 PM
#8
Nordschleife Master
As for 'a is faster than b' claims, the basis for any such comparison is badly flawed. They are different cars, and its hard to find an truly equivalent pair on which to make that kind of comparison.
09-18-2008, 10:41 PM
#9
Three Wheelin'
The 924/44 is going to have a lower polar moment of inertia due to the placement of the weight versus the 911, therefore, the 924/44 will drive more forgivable and be easier to correct versus a 911 at the same prep level. It is possible to tune a 911 to the point where the inertia will not be quite as noticable, but the 924/44 will always be the better starting point.
Otherwise I think the bigger issue is that the flat six is a far stronger motor. There is far more aftermarket support, but with the extra displacement it should have a better torque curve giving it an edge on the front engined cars.
Otherwise I think the bigger issue is that the flat six is a far stronger motor. There is far more aftermarket support, but with the extra displacement it should have a better torque curve giving it an edge on the front engined cars.
09-18-2008, 11:13 PM
#12
Advantage for these cars they are less likely to spin (it takes a while to get the cars to rotate). Disadvantage is they'll take a little bit more work to get turning, thus APK's comment about "Pitching it into a corner".
09-18-2008, 11:32 PM
#13
Three Wheelin'
I have the '88 high-compression 2.5L and the car feels dog slow in the straights. The car is 2410#, minus driver. I'm about 150 lbs.
That being said, at the PCA Streets of Willow (Willow Springs Int'l Raceway) events, I can keep up with some of the older 911's down the straights and can usually catch them in the corners.
That's just a couple of them, however. Most of them are blindingly faster than me. They don't really seem to be out of shape as I'm following them either. Maybe they're really good, or maybe it's a combination of good setup and good driver.
I can't comment on driving a 911, but I really don't regret building my 924S into a track car. It only cost me $1100 for the car (it was somebodies daily driver) and I probably only have another $3000 into it. You can't touch a race-prepped 911 for that.
That being said, at the PCA Streets of Willow (Willow Springs Int'l Raceway) events, I can keep up with some of the older 911's down the straights and can usually catch them in the corners.
That's just a couple of them, however. Most of them are blindingly faster than me. They don't really seem to be out of shape as I'm following them either. Maybe they're really good, or maybe it's a combination of good setup and good driver.
I can't comment on driving a 911, but I really don't regret building my 924S into a track car. It only cost me $1100 for the car (it was somebodies daily driver) and I probably only have another $3000 into it. You can't touch a race-prepped 911 for that.
09-18-2008, 11:45 PM
#14
Three Wheelin'
I'm pretty confident that the moment of inertia in the 911 will be higher. Yes, the 944 has the trans and engine split front and rear, but that should be the advantage. With the 911 having the engine and trans both at the rear that amount of mass at one location is going to have a significant effect on the moment of inertia when compared with the corresponding cg. If someone wants to provide the exact some cornering weighting specs for each car I'll go thru and calcuate the moments, but I'm confident that the 944 will be lower.
