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Hello!

Hi Peter, welcome back...

Tyres - If you want a tyre to drive to & from trackdays and use in wet or dry, l'd check out Yoko AD08R. Road tyres with 8mm tread, but track tyre performance.. Wear rates are amazingly good on track & grip is akin to 888 / A048. They were the list 1a choice as AD08's - I believe the R's are 1b. Cheaper than 888's also
FWIW, rent4ring have switched their fleet of Swifts to AD08R's from 888's and are getting huge improvements in tyre life.

Trafficators - I like that idea very much [:D]

Wheel weights here: http://www.944racing.de/felgengewichte.php
Cup 1's a bit heavy, Cup 2's not bad really. Box II or Cayman 17 rears are good (I like a square setup & have them all round on 225/45/17)

Will pop in to see you and buy some vinyl one day....got a few new records this year and half the pleasure is just the experience of opening them... Re-mastered (analogue) Talking Heads second album a particular delight..

 
Peter Empson said:
Thanks Peter, do let me know how you get on with the bodyshop, it's difficult to find a good one.



The bodyshop is well known to me, the car has been there a few times including a complete 'glass out' respray more than 15 years ago. I was hoping to get my son's body man to do it, he's seen it and offered to do it FOC but it would need to be done at my son's work and he's far too busy to fit my car in. Now that the cold weather is returning I've decided waiting any longer isn't a good idea and thus it's booked in for the 18th. It's the only bit of corrosion left on the car so will be nice to have that piece of mind for hopefully another decade ......

Pete
 
edh said:
Tyres - If you want a tyre to drive to & from trackdays and use in wet or dry, l'd check out Yoko AD08R.
Road tyres with 8mm tread, but track tyre performance.. Wear rates are amazingly good on track & grip is akin to 888 / A048.

Yes, they could be be a good choice for an all rounder (Road & track) , more grooves for water dissipation, and a rubber compound almost twice as hard as the R888's (100 treadwear) @ (180) for more longevity.

A friend fitted them on his GT3 after numerous sets of R888's and said they were almost as good on track but lasted much longer and
hence were worth buying to half the amount of sets (And costs) he previously used annually!

R
 
Peter,

Great to see you back here! We noticed your absence and it's good to see (!) you again. I hope all is well and that the new business is now thriving!

I can't help with any of your problems other than to offer the details of someone who always used to do MOT's by post. I think he does them by eMail now but I'm sure he won't notice the presence or absence of some side indicators ... in all seriousness, I know that MOT standards are being tightened up which may explain why you are finding it harder now.


Oli.

pauljmcnulty said:



Deliberate mis-type? [:D]
 
944Turbo said:
[h5]However, some vehicles are fitted with a wraparound lens with no European approval markings. These can be tested by standing approximately 1000mm to the side of the vehicle’s rear bumper with the indicator on. If amber light can be seen coming through the front lens (not a reflection) this is acceptable.[/h5]
Thanks Tony. I will have to try that. My gut feeling is that that probably wouldn't work on the 944, but I can't try till the weekend as getting the car in and out of the garage in the dark is nigh on impossible. I ordered the LEDs anyway, I'll tie them onto the rear indicators and put them in the rear quarters, can't hurt and should be pretty unobtrusive. Wheel bearing should be with me tomorrow, so should be ready to book it in for the retest shortly.

How's your car coming along? Had much track time recently?
 
924Srr27l said:
Cup 1 Genuine wheels are heavy, approx. 88kg for the set which is why I got rid of them (Sold) and fitted a Gen BBS Boxster lattice style 17" set which were 66kg on a 3.0 968 I had, the difference was amazing.
Hmm, that's a big saving on unsprung weight. I've never weighed mine, but those figures do seem quite a bit higher than I've seen published before, but if I've learnt anything it's that most weights shown on the net are inaccurate.

Apart from BBS split rims wheels there's not many that I really like the look of, although something with turbofans on could be cool. I know, I am shallow...

 
Sorry for all the posts, will try to cover everything else in one.

Hi Ed, I'll definitely look at the AD08 then, 8mm tread would be good. You're always very welcome to visit the shop (as is everyone else of course), we spent 14 months converting an old industrial unit (a Unipart branch, so it's almost on topic [;)]) to make it suitable for our uses. It was a stupid idea, to be honest, much more work than anticipated (over 12 tonnes of plasterboard used, well over a mile of timber, somewhere in the region of 250 lights etc etc). But we've got space and our own parking outside, which makes it all worthwhile. We haven't got much vinyl out at the moment, but that will change shortly - we have circa 15,000 ready to be processed, which is a bit depressing, just glad it's not me that has to clean them all.

Pete, whereabouts is this bodyshop, I'm guessing not very local to me. At some point I need to sort the ledge behind the rear tyres and one of the boot latches is going again too.

Hi Oli, I like the ideas of MOTs by post [:D]
On a tangent, I was surprised to learn that vintage cars are exempt, I'd have thought there would at least be a basic road worthiness test, but I suppose it would be too difficult to cover such a variety of designs and abilities in a prescribed manner.
 
Peter Empson said:
Hmm, that's a big saving on unsprung weight. I've never weighed mine, but those figures do seem quite a bit higher than I've seen published before, but if I've learnt anything it's that most weights shown on the net are inaccurate.

Apart from BBS split rims wheels there's not many that I really like the look of, although something with turbofans on could be cool. I know, I am shallow...


Yes weights in general quoted on cars especially are way out....from my research!

This 88kg Cup 1's is for the set Wheels & Tyres (225/45/17 & 255/40/17 Uniroyals).

Different brands of Tyres are quite a difference too... Michelin's seem to be the lightest.. some Tyres can be 1-2kg heavier than others exactly the same size!

One of the lightest 17" wheels are the 7J & 8.5J Boxster one piece classic lattice style, I could guarantee if you put a set on your car
that were 22+ kg lighter you'd be so impressed how much better and different the car drives!

You can feel less effort when turning (even with power steering), you would feel how much quicker the car "turns in" & accelerates better, braking also
is not as dramatic...

Once I discovered this with the change on my 968 (4 years ago) I've pretty much been obsessed with saving overall saving weight, and also unsprung weight! I had to sell the 968 but once I got a little 924S I found myself considering lightening it, but never did I suspect I would continue to the degree
I did and spend 3.5 years building this car and losing a total of shaving 250kg! ....but it's been well worth it!

R




 
ah, wheels and tyres that makes sense. I know tyres do vary a lot, yet manufacturers never seem to quote it.

I will have to get my car on the scales one day, it has quite a few heavy bits compared to yours though. Still lots more to do, the dash and side windows are on the list and I want to investigate options for alternators and starter motors at some point, if they exist.

It was a bit of a shock to drive my car to the MOT the other day, thought the power steering had packed up, too used to driving more modern (boring) cars. Only took a moment to adjust, actually took much longer to get used to the light controls on my everyday car afterwards...
 
Peter Empson said:
ah, wheels and tyres that makes sense. I know tyres do vary a lot, yet manufacturers never seem to quote it.

I will have to get my car on the scales one day, it has quite a few heavy bits compared to yours though. Still lots more to do, the dash and side windows are on the list and I want to investigate options for alternators and starter motors at some point, if they exist.

It was a bit of a shock to drive my car to the MOT the other day, thought the power steering had packed up, too used to driving more modern (boring) cars. Only took a moment to adjust, actually took much longer to get used to the light controls on my everyday car afterwards...


Yes just looking at your Website and the spec etc...you've deffo got a track machine...

400Lbs front springs! I'm on 190 Lb's and they are too stiff for bumpy lumpy public roads! , to be replaced soon with 160's!

I have got a full carpeted / original door cards interior etc.. 2 seats and a full dash and heater etc..
I'm not taking any of this out as it's for Road use, which I think has been a harder project
because it's much easier to strip everything out and put up with the discomfort, but my objective was to have the lightest but most comfortable, compliant and long journey quick car I could build..

I ditched the stock alternator and bracket (Approx 8kg) with a Brise unit and a chopped down bracket which halved the weight!
Every modification is illustrated on the entire car on it's dedicated site:

www.924srr27l.co.uk

I've got an Excel sheet with every Standard and the replaced part's weight !
I keep thinking about Fibre doors, but they are so Paper Mache I'm not sure I dare fit them...for safety reasons!

R
 
Hi Pete

I can't remember where you are, I suspect far away...just in case here's the details

911 Bodyshop Wembley North London 0208 900 0572, ask for Chris

cheers

Pete
 
Just different smokes for different folks I guess, Roger. I like the way the car is absolutely hard wired and uncompromising to drive - always produces a huge grin, even at low speeds. The only change I want to make to improve comfort is to get the interior blower working properly again (I mounted a gauge where the right hand air vent was and now there's insufficient air pressure, so it gets rather hot in there). I don't miss the windows not opening though, except on the hottest days, so plastic windows with catflaps will be fine when I'm feeling more flush.

Great to hear about the alternator, I'll do some reading, I'd seen the name discussed on 911 threads but didn't know they did something suitable for our cars. I guess we're stuck with the heavy starter though?

Peter, I'm in Aylesbury, so Wembley is not too bad at all. I've never looked at places near London, always guessed the rates would be higher, but at the end of the day finding someone who does a good job is well worth paying for.

Wheel bearing arrived today (good service, Design 911) but the lights are delayed for an unknown time, the ebay seller (not the one I linked to, the firm I used was a little more expensive but promised a quicker delivery) did not have stock, so the listing and delivery date were misleading to say the least. Didn't even get an apology, but I suppose I should be grateful for them informing me (a day and a half after they were ordered though). I work my socks off to keep my mail order customers happy (and I only sell things I actually have), so it's a pet hate (as you can probably tell! :ROFLMAO:).
 
Peter Empson said:
944Turbo said:
[h5]However, some vehicles are fitted with a wraparound lens with no European approval markings. These can be tested by standing approximately 1000mm to the side of the vehicle’s rear bumper with the indicator on. If amber light can be seen coming through the front lens (not a reflection) this is acceptable.[/h5]
Thanks Tony. I will have to try that. My gut feeling is that that probably wouldn't work on the 944, but I can't try till the weekend as getting the car in and out of the garage in the dark is nigh on impossible. I ordered the LEDs anyway, I'll tie them onto the rear indicators and put them in the rear quarters, can't hurt and should be pretty unobtrusive. Wheel bearing should be with me tomorrow, so should be ready to book it in for the retest shortly.

How's your car coming along? Had much track time recently?
I have done nothing to my coupe, last ran properly at the Bedford 944 day a few years ago, I blew the HG on the cab as well, that is now fixed (thanks Simon), just need to MOT it, back on the road in time for the winter! Good luck with yours., be great to see it out and about again.
Tony

 
Peter Empson said:
-Just different smokes for different folks I guess,

- I like the way the car is absolutely hard wired and uncompromising to drive

- The only change I want to make to improve comfort is to get the interior blower working properly again
- I don't miss the windows not opening though, except on the hottest days, so plastic windows with catflaps will be fine when I'm feeling more flush.

- Great to hear about the alternator, I'll do some reading, I'd seen the name discussed on 911 threads but didn't know they did something suitable for our cars. I guess we're stuck with the heavy starter though?


Yes deffo, there's many more people who like an ultra stiff ride than not! It's just not as quick as a more compliant setup
on the road and I think this is often confused when people go down a route of stiffening everything like a Track set up.

Dramatics also play a big part in what people want and like with cars, and many a time Porsche's have been labelled boring because they do everything really well and some people prefer a car that moves about more, makes whoosh noises and understeers or oversteers etc..!

I used 5mm Lexan which is the same thickness as the orig glass so they fit all the standard rubbers and for the door windows
I removed the heavy motors, and got wind up mechanisms from ebay.de!

It can get so hot inside even with the window down! I've disconnected the heater valve and it's on cold permanent!

The Brise Alternator is a Universal Racing unit, which can easily be made to fit by any competent Mechanic, which can be tricky to
find sometimes! It needs brackets and spacers making but this is no big deal if you know or have somebody with a little patience
and expertise.

R
 
Thanks Tony. Great that you've still got both, shame its not seen more track action though.

My engine still needs a rebuild, I'm not quite ready to commit to the expense of getting the full monty done at the moment (much though I'd love to), so am toying with the idea of getting another stock S2 engine to get it mobile again temporarily whilst I put money aside for a more serious job. However the prices for engines seem to have shot up in the last few years, which makes it much less of a spur of the moment decision. I suppose I could get the weeping head gasket sorted and see how long I can keep it running for, but it has so many issues that it's probably not a clever idea!

Cheers Roger. Had a quick look at your site, some very useful stuff there, it has reminded me I must look at the light flywheels again (I got as far as getting a standard one machined down, but from memory it didn't turn out very well). Is there any lighter torque tube option out there that you're aware of? I've heard of CF ones being discussed, but the thought of a failure would put me off all but the best engineered design.

 
Peter Empson said:
Cheers Roger. Had a quick look at your site, some very useful stuff there, it has reminded me I must look at the light flywheels again (I got as far as getting a standard one machined down, but from memory it didn't turn out very well). Is there any lighter torque tube option out there that you're aware of? I've heard of CF ones being discussed, but the thought of a failure would put me off all but the best engineered design.


Yes I was Hell bent on having an Aluminium TT, but I stalled as no engineering company would risk making me one, especially
once I'd shown them it bolts to the engine and gearbox !

So I had to stay stock!

I think the best weight saving for the money was the Lithum battery at 3.5kg compared to the orig at 13.5kg, also the entire Exhaust system and manifold was a massive saving from a cast manifold & standard 2 silencer system @ 28.5kg to a tubular 944t manifold & a 1 rear silencer system at only 12.5kg !

R
 
Not done the manifold, but both exhaust and battery are lighter than standard. Battery is one of the dinky Powervamp AGM ones, I'm on my second (after about 10 years) and they're great bits of kit, will hold charge for months and weigh very little. Just have to be careful to remember to disconnect them when not in use as they don't like constant drain (mine is behind the passenger seat so this can be done from the driving seat). Bit borderline for multiple starts, but I don't think I've ever run out of juice even with a car that currently hates warm starting (although I've got close a few times, normally after refueling - surely the most embarrassing place to do it!).

Exhaust is a bit borderline for most track use nowadays, think I've blown or burnt most of the wadding out now, so that will be changed at some point (not been black flagged yet, but have over run static measurements a few times and been let on with discretion).
 
I need my battery...being in the back it helps with traction...:) iirc there's a racing carbon fibre exhaust available for the turbo....not my type of thing, though....


 
Peter Empson said:
Not done the manifold, but both exhaust and battery are lighter than standard. Battery is one of the dinky Powervamp AGM ones, I'm on my second (after about 10 years) and they're great bits of kit, will hold charge for months and weigh very little. Just have to be careful to remember to disconnect them when not in use as they don't like constant drain (mine is behind the passenger seat so this can be done from the driving seat). Bit borderline for multiple starts, but I don't think I've ever run out of juice even with a car that currently hates warm starting (although I've got close a few times, normally after refueling - surely the most embarrassing place to do it!).

Exhaust is a bit borderline for most track use nowadays, think I've blown or burnt most of the wadding out now, so that will be changed at some point (not been black flagged yet, but have over run static measurements a few times and been let on with discretion).


Yes my Lithiumax is only 3.5kg and so far I've had no issues with it and I don't have to disconnect it.
I have cold start problems with the starter motor which cranks slow, but fine when HOT !

My rear box Tune could be borderline, I did try an insert on the Rolling road and it reduced the power by 20bhp !

Are you doing any more Track days this year? I see there's one (Porsche Club Motorsport) at Oulton Park on Friday 11th November.
I'm attending Oulton this coming Saturday to see a friend who's competing with a 3.0 S2 in the CSCC Modern classics..

R
 
No track days for me for the foreseeable - long story short(ish), it has had low oil pressure for ages (well before the SC was fitted, as I though it would make more sense to grenade a worn engine than a fresh one). Not sure if it's rings or scoring but possibly both (although compression was pretty good last time it was checked).

I had been running the engine on treacle to keep oil consumption reasonable without problem but then due to poor communication my garage they put the normal stuff in. I thought it'd be ok, but in about 10 minutes on track the oil had run seriously low and the top end became noisy (which was recent and of very good quality). Shortly after the headgasket started to leak slightly - this was my fault I suspect, I was never happy with the transition between on and off throttle of the mapping, but given my DIY efforts I got a lot more track days out of it than I expected.

So I have to decide what to do next. A few years back a build of a new engine was started, but due to circumstances beyond my control I had to divert funds elsewhere. I plan to resume this one day, it'd be lower compression so we could increase the boost, with a dry sump and so on. For the time being a stock S2 lump may just be dropped in, it's a bit of a waste of money long term, but would get it mobile more quickly.

I'm at that slightly difficult point where a lot needs doing to recommission it properly for track use: engine build/swap, possible calipers refurb, tyres, professional remap (possibly with a move away from the Scivision MAF to something more accurate), geo setup and so on, so I'll aim to nibble away at them as I can. If it can be on the track next summer I will be very happy, it'd be a nice way to celebrate its 30th year (what's left of it anyway!).
 

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