KiwiSean

You're overseas? Where abouts?

I agree on the roads, suspension, weight etc. Actually contemplating softening and getting some 17" cup 1s to settle things down for this type of use.

Also, I see you're on RE11s. Nice. How'd you get your hands on them?!

We can start at the back of the group and work our way up. They change the running order, I believe, each stage. For me, 90% of the fun is not having to do the speed limit and being able to use the whole road irrespective of what everyone else is doing.

Have I talked you in to it yet?

Macca

Hi Sean.

If you have the adjustable sway bars I would advise softening them up. I ran mine slightly firmer than middle settings and on 18's it was ok. I needed to dial out some over steer from the LSD. If you have adjustable coilovers and LSD then I would advise softening up the front shocks too. I think overall my settings were very good but it was hard to tell with so much weight in the car. I would imagine for a closed stage you could run half a tank of gas and as little weight on board as possible. You have a great weight advantage - however after the first 100km we braked for lunch and my "tour guides" asked me if we were finding it too hard on the road. Actually and surprisingly we weren't with little bump steer and the car was staying well planted not like my old 993RS which often wanted to skip alot at the front. They said friends with 996 GT3s found those roads we travelled very hard with their factory settings. I think standard cars like the GTR and 997TT would find those roads easier on the driver due to generous suspension travel and compliance but with the closed road as you say you get the benefit of having both lanes to get your lines right for the corners and also use the center of the road to avoid the cracking tarmac on the shoulders. Id think with the 17s given your configuration it would be a good compromise (not to mention less change of rim damage and lower cost for tyres).

The RE11s have indeed pleased me very much especially on the Gymkahna and Taupo A1 track. I specially ordered them through Bridgestone NZ 24 months ago via a contact there. They said they would become a standard line within 12 months but I dont think they are in the rear sizes I have for the 911 (265/35) so now Im conscious if I rip a sidewall Im very likely out of the game (unless someone can tell me otherwise regards availability). I understand they are this years Bridgestone series control tyre but I believe the tyre being used is a different compund than the street version I have. If I were running targa I would likely order a set of the new Michelin Pilot Sports that have just been released. They are writing up very well for a road tyre. A mate just landed a set for 2200 nzd including GST and customs via Tirerack.com. Us kiwis get ripped on rubber!

Interestingly we didnt seem to have a speed limit on our trip down those roads. No one I noticed anyway ;-). Seriously though im with you on the closed road, full use of width, etc. Realistically i probably couldn't go much faster on the straights on those B and C roads without throwing myself into the weeds, it would be the corners where time was saved. I think the idea is to have some fun and come back in one piece. I dont get enough real world fast road drive time to become an instant hero so Id be happy just to take part and get finished in one piece.

I'm definitely getting more comfortable with the idea. Wife says no to co pilot tho!

PS is your 964 race car hethringtons old one?

Cheers

KiwiSean

Thanks for the set up tips. I'm going to get the geo-redone anyway as it's still as I bought it and not ideal for what it's going to be used for long term. She does look to hop around at the front a bit on rougher roads but it's not too bad. I didn't like jumping into the other lane over a bump going through the Hunuas though (will save the story for over a beer).

I tried to get RE11s back in December but no stock, didn't know when they were coming. Have RE002s on it which work ok. Will look into the Michelins but I'm tempted by the Toyo R888s as well. No way on earth I'm running the Targa control tires when I compete next year (Federals?!).

Yes, it's Tony's old car. Although it's in a million pieces at Steve's right now getting what's turned into a complete overhaul. I'm really looking forward to the result though.

Macca

Yes Tony's car needed a bit of work but Im sure when Steve gets it back to you it will be just as you asked for. Ok, inevitably, except for the bill of course LOL!

Looking at the pictures that car is going to come back to you looking so nice and new you might think twice about racing it!

The RE11s were relatively cheap at around $1500 a set. They seem to wear well to. They are ok for noise, not the best or thee worst. they are heavier than the euro tyres 9which are twice the price in NZ). No good if they aren't in stock. Ill inquire tomorrow - might be worth me picking up some spare rears. The R888s I hear are excellent and great value.

My 993RS tried to throw me across the road a few times too. I've learnt shock technology and suspension components have moved on a way since the early 90s. With a few tweaks you can address these wayward habits for NZ roads. NZ roads are really tricky to set up for IMHO. They vary so much in quality and camber...

Cheers

KiwiSean

Lol. That's exactly what Steve said.

Agree on our roads, a real handful. Just need to get as much seat time with it as possible and make small changes as I go along I guess.

GeorgeNZ

Macca - doing the Targa Tour is definitely a good way to get the mechanics of targa understood. We did it for 3 years before competing - really made a difference in terms of all the procedural stuff; the steering is the easy bit. Easiest way to do the tour is to to book accommodation at the official hotels, do the evening functions although the tour does a pretty good job of organising its own stuff. Car prep-wise, good brake fluid and pads makes sense - semi-slicks are a bit over the top for the tour as it does rain and it can be hard getting the tyres up to temp so would recommend hi-perf road tyres - what you ran at Taupo would be more than excellent. Fitting a rally meter like a Monit is not necessary but adds to the experience - co-driver can feel more useful - easy discrete install.

The tour would be very easy to do as an arrive and drive - happy to answer any questions you have and help where I can.

It would be rude not to do it

Macca

George. Sean. My interest is growing by the post! I have found the Targa site and downloading some information. I have slow internet here. Approximately how many days, how many stages (approx Kms) is the October Targa NZ tour? What is the cost? Are the places limited? They talk about Monit computer and TrackerGPS. Is the Monit easy to wire? Are there wireless versions or would one wire through the glove box to put the unit away and be discrete when not being used? Whats the GPS tracker and where can they be purchased/hired?

George would love your insights into prep for this. If it wer eto be done would be long distance prep and cant take any chances or change anything significant before the day unfortunately. Mt car had new discs and pads 10k km ago and teh brakes are well ventilated without backing plates and with the full plumbed in air vents and inner guard deflectors for the fronts so I think they should hold up fine. Im having the brake fluid changed this week. Anything else I need to think about..?

Thanks in advance guys...

Cheers

Macca

George. Sean. My interest is growing by the post! I have found the Targa site and downloading some information. I have slow internet here. Approximately how many days, how many stages (approx Kms) is the October Targa NZ tour? What is the cost? Are the places limited? They talk about Monit computer and TrackerGPS. Is the Monit easy to wire? Are there wireless versions or would one wire through the glove box to put the unit away and be discrete when not being used? Whats the GPS tracker and where can they be purchased/hired?

George would love your insights into prep for this. If it wer eto be done would be long distance prep and cant take any chances or change anything significant before the day unfortunately. Mt car had new discs and pads 10k km ago and teh brakes are well ventilated without backing plates and with the full plumbed in air vents and inner guard deflectors for the fronts so I think they should hold up fine. Im having the brake fluid changed this week. Anything else I need to think about..?

Thanks in advance guys...

Cheers

GeorgeNZ

car is going to be more than up to it - its a Porsche

The event runs over 5 days starting Labour weekend and covers ~750km of closed road stages and around 1200km touring and the Tour is around $3k plus accom, food etc

Monit wiring is single cable/ 3 wire so yeah, put a plug on it and hide it up under the dash.

The Trackit is the GPS tracking system they use to track the cars in stage for safety and for policing the 200kmh speed limit. You can purchase or I think Targa do rental - I'll talk to Peter Martin and let you know. The trackit does some nice stuff via web/ smartphone for geo-fencing and the like if you want to use it for vehicle security/ tracking etc so has application beyond Targa. Wiring is basic - typical radio installer stuff.

Places on the tour are limited by chequebook never known them to turn away money although in saying that, there are increases in the entry fee the closer to the start date.

If you were not around to do the car prep, I would drop it into somewhere like Conti's and get them to do the work - they've done enough P cars for the tour to know the drill - only other physical piece of gear requiring fitting is a fire extinguisher which must be in reach of the driver/ co-driver - safety triangle and tow rope can go in the trunk.

G

Macca

Thats great information George. Dean looks after my car so I will contact him at CCS and find out whats involved. Ill drop him a line.

I'm surprised there is a speed limit enforced/penalized. Having driven a couple of the ex targa roads at seed however I would say that they would be quite dangerous above 180kmph apart from the best condition and longest straights.

Thanks again for the info.

KiwiSean

All right! Sounds like we're making some progress Macca!

John McM

Hmmmm, Parade attendance (unintentionally) sabotaged by a colleagues work resignation, so there is an itch that still needs to be scratched. Is the tour suitable for a Turbo 3.6 driven at a modest pace? BTW by modest I mean nothing that will put me in the weeds over a bank. Not interested in anything where I've got people up my butt; I want to pace myself at speeds the car and I can comfortably finish in one piece without the eyes fixed on the V1.

KiwiSean

George is more experienced than me but the cars are well spaced and a running order established so there's no crowding and from what I've seen of previous years no one takes silly risks. Obviously some people have come off but that was more down to them rather than pressure to go at certain speeds.

John McM

I once went on an unofficial club run down Pukekohe way. The red mist clouded my senses and ended up in a convoy doing 170 km/hr plus down a narrow very wet country road. One mistake and we were all going to be likely headlines in the Herald or at least some of us featured in the obituary section. Not smart, but it taught me a lesson and I won't be repeating that. The Turbo is a beast in a straight line and a lot of fun in moderate curves, but it's 20 years old and needs to be driven accordingly.

KiwiSean

That gives me mental images of the recent Ferrari pile up in Japan, not cool.

It's a very personal thing, how you like to drive your car. For me, I like to drive hard but I don't like to go around in circles so this presents a unique opportunity.