944 Silverstone Track Evening 18th July

[Fen]

The Monster Turbo Track Slag Garage Queen will not be in attendance I'm afraid, and I have thought for all of 3 seconds and decided I'd rather not do it in the 306; it'll be far too slow for Silverstone and the last thing I need to do is break it. Can I persuade you guys to pick an additional day this year I can join you at?

 

[Diver944]

Don't worry Fen. I'll still be available to join you at another day. My new turbocharger isn't going to be fitted in time for Monday (and I can't fit the slicks on my van) so I won't be driving at Silverstone either []

I will pop along to say hello though (and eat Melindis sweeties)

 

[John Sims]

Fen - Sorry to hear you didn't finish the build.

Paul - You are a girl! Don't you have an S2?

RC and I have managed to secure our cars for Monday, Beaky has MOT [] and Baby WuF is together and running if not quite the final spec as intended.

 

[paulf968]

I am 25 miles east of Silverstone and it has just started to rain!! 15:20 pm

Could be fun.

paul f

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: legaleagleboy

I am 25 miles east of Silverstone and it has just started to rain!! 15:20 pm

Could be fun.

paul f

Gave me a bit of a thrill as I had put on my track tyres before leaving home. I'm not doing that again. I had so much vibration on the way back home, through picking up bits of rubber around the track, I thought the car would disassemble its self before I reached Essex.

Great evening and good to see so many old and new faces. Beaky may have been running like a complete dog -110 down Hanger Straight made it difficult to get past Rick - but, by the end of the evening there was very little I had to move over for. []

High points:-

Chasing blue 968 only to see it spin out at Copse (in 3.5 gear []). To be honest, it was only a high point because I saw it develop and, having seen it happen a good few times in the past, knew to back well off to allow room for when he came back across the track.

Complaining to the organisers about the appalling driving standards of some guy in a Radical. It was at the end of the event but Melindi said that they wouldn't have him on one of their track days again. Apparently, the driver was Martin Donggerly.

Having a great laugh with all the Porsche brigade, both those driving and those that arrived as pit teams.

Great dry, sticky and clear track for the last half hour.

Low Points (in no particular order):-

Rubber Chunks

Only being able to do 110 down Hanger with Beaky popping, banging, and behaving like a complete pig around the rest of the circuit. We still managed some reasonably quick laps though []

Seeing one 944 return from the Kitty Litter, one with lots of hot water coming out of it and one with a very evil sounding engine.

Discovering that, even with 968 M030 anti roll bars, Beaky still leans around corners - perhaps we were going quite fast [] I could cure this by putting on less sticky tyres I guess. []

A Radical that should have known better, a race prepared Golf that wouldn't get out of the way and a Smart that was anything but.

 

[Fen]

Hmmm, a smart and a Radical on the same track - two ends of the spectrum. I bet Silverstone isn't a lot of fun in a smart either. Keep the write-ups coming, but it does make it all the more frustrating not to have made it.

 

[944Turbo]

Lots of fun, I was very rusty and my lines were a bit random but I was enjoying more making the car work, mostly I managed to avoid on track traffic jams which was nice but it wasn't so empty I got bored! I did enjoy seeing the EVO rallycrossing through the gravel whilst trying to stay with the 996Turbo I had been following for a number of laps.
Also saw a 348 and the BMW CSL spin harmlessly but impressively. It was Good to see some old faces and meet some new ones, nice to have some S3 owners along too []. Baby WUF was very shiny and looked far too good to be out on track. I was also sad to see the 944 in the gravel (no harm done though?), the one overheating coolant and Simons terminally ill. Also very glad the rain held off it would have been very slippery out there if it had rained. Shame you couldn't make it Fen and Paul (Diver) could only be a passenger. Z4 was fast (was it an Alpina?) as was the dark blue GT3 and the radical (SR3). Didn't come across any quick caterfields although there were a lot of slow ones, but I think the Smart was slowest of all. Other intersting point was walking through the Paddock thinking "that Noble looks unusual" wandering round the back and spotting the Elise GT1 badges - I believe the only road going one in existence, don't think it went out on track though.
Tony

 

[Diver944]

You may be rusty but I don't recall you having to let anything past when I was passengering. Your car was obviously much more grunty than mine as I have never had to grab 5th on the start finish straight, and you were comfortably in it for a few seconds before braking for Copse []

Great to see everyone and I can't wait to get my own car back on track. I think I'll only be using it on track and weekends now I have changed job so I am currently trying to decide whether to turn it into a mea modified track monster, or sell it as its a pretty good example and then get a dedicated track car that has already been stripped (maybe even an ex race car for trailering). I just hate to think that LIL will get so little use sitting on my driveway []

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: Diver944

............I just hate to think that LIL will get so little use sitting on my driveway []

But just think how much fun you will have when you do use it.

You know everything about LIL, why part with a good car for an unknown quantity? Track/Race cars are built to such diametrically opposed standards that you may have little idea what you are getting in place of LIL and, either way, you can guarantee a track car hasn't been driven gently.

LIL (like Beaky) is a heap of tin. If you want a stripped out track car strip the interior out of LIL and sell it. I would think that, by the time you sell the unwanted bits you will spend/save no more than if you sell one car and get another. Like I said, you know all about LIL.

 

[Fen]

John talks sense, but then I sometimes look at the MTGQ and think it used to be a nice Turbo in a nice colour with the most desirable interior in good condition. Then again it's a toy now too and I'm sure that when I'm sitting in it in the sunshine sweating buckets with no a/c and having exercised my arms more than a powerlifter with the unassisted steering and shattered my nerves trying to thread it through traffic with a lightened bottom end, on/off switch clutch and nothing...WHOOSH! turbo it will all be worth it. It's certainly nice having to kneel down or get back ache working on the engine already.

 

[eastendr]

http://www.cannell.co.uk/G'track%200705.htm

[]

 

[944Turbo]

ORIGINAL: eastendr

http://www.cannell.co.uk/G'track%200705.htm

[]

Thanks [] & thanks to Fen / John for the clear lenses.

Tony

 

[paulf968]

Rick -- well done on the photos from me as well, especially as you were driving.

What did the 'orange clad' John have on his head? was it a fireproof balaclava? most fetching!

Could not help but smile with the shot of Paul in The Van -- did he pull 140 down hanger straight, or am I just dreaming of what might happen one day!!

paul f

 

[Diver944]

Could not help but smile with the shot of Paul in The Van -- did he pull 140 down hanger straight,

That van is a modern marvel and has been engineerd to produce a thumping 85 BHP

However.....its turbo is easily chipped to a dizzy 120bhp (by VW main dealer and keeps its warranty). However when we look at what happened to my last turbocharger I'll perhaps stay away from that for my 'works' vehicle []

 

[eastendr]

Thanks to Paul McNulty for the action pictures.

 

[Hilux]

Great evening, great to meet you all.

1st time on atrack for me in a 944 turbo. After 2.0 VX Westfield and Rover V8 Ginetta G27 the amount of roll was quite surprising (it has Mo30 also) However the level of grip was astounding on old tyres (different types front and rear)

Brakes definitely need an upgrade (928 blacks with Textar pads) as I got brake fade even with the front duct clear and the kidney bowl deflectors. methinks a dedicated duct right onto the inner disc will help and possibly different wheels to enlarge the free air volume (mind you I had similar brakes on the Westy and G27 which both stopped unbelievably well so I was probably leaving my braking late)

Handling was neutral but it felt as if there was an oversteer bias if anything so need to experiment with settings to edge towards understeer.

What do you all recommend. (Thicker ARB probably) but what damper clicks are you all using.

one with lots of hot water coming out of it

B*ll*x.................


[][][][][][][]

Ran warm (2/3 line on gauge) until I got to the pit lane when it went thermoneuclear [&:] and boile over when I stopped. I assumed I`d either stuffed the head gasket or the water/oil exchange cooler had burst.

let it cool, refilled with tap water and it seemed ok. My son was gutted about not going out again so I warmed it up all seeemed well and went out. Took it easy, didnt thrash it (concentrated on corner lines and handling instead) and it ran at just under 2/3 without drama. Had a cool down lap but it didnt cool a lot and went thermonuclear on the pit lane again.

Bleeding it this time was a b*st*rd, but said goodnight all and coasted home ok. Will sort out Sunday (I hope) and hope all is ol.

Andrew Sweetenham (thanks mate) was very encouraging and correctly predicted that it simply ran warm and then siphoned out. He warned me that it could be a weak mixture (very dangerous) but I dont believe so. It is probably a less than efficient cooling system (I hope) as all appears to be original.

He informed me that all his Porsches (racing or otherwise) do not really get much above the 1/3 mark and the fans only cut in when moving slow or in standing traffic.

Mine has been running at just under the 2/3 mark in the hot weather.

Anyone had any experiences of this? If so what were the remedies? Flush out or change rad etc etc?

 

[944Turbo]

Did you get some time on the track though? I think I saw you out there after the initial 'spillage'
Tony

 

[Hilux]

Yes thanks

About 12-15 laps 1st session and about the same the second.

Problem is that I wasnt able to maximise the performance potential due to heating issues. The amount of body roll was new to me (I know that the bushes are all old/worn) Brakes were not up to it in my opinion. Tyres were oldish and differed front to rear