My passenger seat is a possibility as well, I'm taking spare tyres so have taken the seat out. The window of opportunity is narrow though as I won't be here Friday on.

 

Thanks for the offers guys. I might make contact with Dave.

Doug - are you just going to run your stock seats for track days?
.

 

Good to see you out there flying the 996 turbo flag. If they work out what is causing the ABS fail on your one, let me know. As mentioned mine normally does it within a few corners so at least it doesn't catch me by surprise.

I'm sure you'll have them looking into it but some potential suspects could be an inlet/boost leak (can pressure test) or unbalanced/sticky wastegates (can pressure test and balance). Was also going to suggest that the upgraded map may have pushed your exhaust O2 sensor readings out of bounds or a dirty MAF (eg from oiled air filter) but these should throw a check engine light instead.

Nice one Chris. You're setting the bar fairly high there on the lap times but it bodes well I guess, with mine also having had a power upgrade and some used r-comps thrown its way since running a mid-18.

 

guys what websites are you using to see the cyclone progress? Jason posted one with detailed imagery called metvuw.com with imagery under forecasts.

 

I'm watching the 996TT thread with interest. Right now I'm focussed on getting the fuel pump replaced and am not in a mind to track it again but you are getting some great times that are attractive considering I already have the base car.

 

I've been using weatherwatch.

I've spent 13 years in cyclone zones. Experience taught me to take mind of forecasts but not rely on them to much, either to increase or allay fears.

This weekend could be a complete non event, a difficult time to drive or something in between. It's very unlikely to stop anyone reaching their destination, just impact on the enjoyment.

I think so far everyone bar Doug and I are keeping to their schedules. We have chosen to go early, because we prefer flexibility for events and because we have no other commitments.

 

This is what my sailing buddies recommend. It has an animation feature which is very useful. Weve used it in the islands over the last 5 years along with other sources and its seems the most reliable of teh bunch. Select NZ location square and hit animate. Add 12 hrs to UTC time for local time. Last time I checked showed the front coming in Friday afternoon with most of the drama over by Sunday morning. I havent been watching teh news but those that have tell me its teh end of teh world. Like John I dont subscribe to hysteria owning property and business in a high risk zone Ive learnt these things are more often that not over hyped by drama merchants/queens. My wife just experienced Lusi 24 hours ago but managed to get off the runway in the middle of it so by her admission it was a fairly mild event (cat 2 rated). It looks like its building some wind speed as it heads south to NZ. They say cat 3 but thats still only "moderate" in our experience. Once it hits decent land mass it tends to die. In NZ case the skinny tip of the island tends to take the brunt as its doesnt hold enough mass to shift the front. By the time you get to Waikato you are in the big land mass area and its usually all over by then. Coastal areas tend to feel it more. Auckland should have alot of wind and rain but by the time you drive 2 hours South on Sunday according to current forecasts the effects should be much reduced to what would amount to a typical summer low/storm.

http://passageweather.com/

 

Having said all of that my wife still goes on about putting up cyclone shutters at 11:30 pm after we decided not to worry and let the staff go home.

They were big pieces of plywood that caught the wind, almost blowing her off her feet. Still that was not the biggest fear as there were huge centipedes in between the stored shutters. Those beggars can sting.

 

You must have lived in town. We have never seen one of those centipedes on the coast. No hissing bugs neither. We just have sharks. Make you smolsik if they bite apparently but I never tried it. We dispensed with cyclone shutters as we have no cyclone insurance (nutengura roof substrate is not able to be tested in the lab LOL) and instead fitted toughened glass and wooden window louvres (David Gerado did all the joinery). We cross figures during a cyclone warning but have devised a number of strategies over the years to manage these events by remote control as they typically occur when we are travelling! Luckily have never experienced anything more than a car 3-3.5

 

Rue Colardeau, overlooking whatever the hotel is now called. These are the beasties.

 

Can't find the email re indemnity for SITT. What day was it sent?

 

26 Feb - have e-mailed you a copy. Reminder to everyone on the tour - there is a lot of paperwork and we will be expected to hand it over completed first thing next Friday at Invercargill.

 

Thanks. Not many printers once I get on the road.

 

Good point - I will bring extra copies!!

 

Walter, thanks for the ideas on this one. I've left it with Dan and Steve to do some thinking on the boost issue and talk to the guy that chipped it. Dan can reset it with his laptop and as Steve pointed out, I'm still doing reasonable times and it will be easier on the car at lower boost, so frustrating, but not urgent fix before the SITT. At this stage we are treating the ABS issue as a one off and put it in to monitor status. Its a common Porsche problem on the race cars, to the point that my 944 has a button to reset the ABS while driving during a race. ABS disengaging is normally invoked by aggressive kerb hopping, which I wasn't doing in the 996tt.