Taking a 964 onto the track

[Masher]

I've had my 1992 964 for 4 years but never tracked it. It's a lovely original car (except the teardrops and cup wheels) and I've been reluctant to change that originality. However, I have a strong desire to do track days. Having looked at possibly selling my 964 and buying something more modern (Exige, Cayman...) friends and family really want me to keep the 964.

So, if I want to track the 964 what would be the recommendations for altering it so that it feels stable, safe and fast. Suspension upgrades? Engine enhancements? Brake upgrades? Seats... I'm sure the list is endless but I'd be interested in opinions and also an opinion on whether spending money on upgrades for the track will ultimately make the car worth more or less.

 

[andrew_churcher]

Hi Masher - nice car...they are best in GR I think your friends and family are right in saying "keep it"!!!

I bought my C2 just over 12mths ago and did my first track day in it at Donington this year. I did do some mods to the car....KWV3's and I put the RS brakes on the front...but...IMO....this is not a "must do" as you can drive within your own personal limits (both car and driving). I would just make sure you discs and pads are of a decent standard as well as all fluids etc. Safety should be paramount.

I dont think my mods have subtracted any value....but i doubt they have added value.

Donington was great and i doubt there are many classics of the same vintage you can drive hard around a track and then commute home in. Felt indestructible.

Just do it I say...then decide whether you want to get a more focused car for the track and leave the 964 for a weekender. I only want to do may 2-3 per year....which the 964 is perfect for I think.

Good luck with it all.

 

[Gordon Attar]

Take the car on the track as it is and see how it goes. If you are only going to do the odd one or two enjoy it as it was meant to be driven.

If you havent got sports seats you will slide about unless you get a belt tensioner.

To keep it cheap and not effect its value, you could probably upgrade the suspension to bilsteins and lower a touch and have it chipped to suit the track a bit more.

Otherwise your talking about stripping it down to lose weight and heading the RS route and you wont get much of your money back.

 

[Hacki]

Keep it original and track it as it is - i. e. have the brakes checked (pads ok?, discs ok? and NEW fluid.) That´s how I tracked my C 2 in the early 1990s.
As said above a bucket seat is a good idea, also lower the tyre pressures!

Then you´ll be ready for a few track days per year. The faster you get and the more you learn on track the earlier you´ll look for a different track toy.
But keep that lovely 964 original, drive it on track from time to time and it´ll be fun forever. Track upgrades for sure will not add value on the car - it´ll be the other way round probably.

Today -after more than 20 years- I have a Cup car as track toy and enjoy a 993 Cabriolet. It began with the first track day in 964 C 2.


Have fun on track and good luck!


Rgds,

Hacki

 

[Steve Brookes]

Fully agree with the recommendations to go out and try it as it is. This will give you a baseline and you'll find out if 'track' is your thing or not (I'm not sure if you have tracked already).

If you find you like it and get the bug (like many of us have) then in my opinion the order of best value for money performance upgrades are:

Driver training
Suspension (KWV3 or Bilstein PSS10)
Simple weight loss (remove undertray, rear seats. RS copy door cards)
RS clutch and flywheel
Rear brake upgrade to 4 pots (your 92 should have this already though)
Uprated brake pads and fluid
Separate set of track wheels with trackday tyres
Cat bypass
Front brake cooling
RS engine mounts
Recaro (PP or SPG) seats
Strut brace
Adjustable ARBs
Big brake upgrade
Complete strip out and cage

Personally I think that although these things cost money, they won't affect the base value of the car because the C2 has become a very popular track car. If anything, a nicely modified car will sell very quickly at the moment.

P.s. You missed our trip to Donington in the summer (9 x 964s) but we're at Curborough at the end of this month []

 

[Masher]

Many thanks for the responses. Clear concensus - have a go and if you like it then think about mods.

I've only done 'driving experiences' on track before and track days on my own motorbike. For interest, how often do cars suffer breakdowns on the track i.e. an older car is pushed too far and something breaks? Whilst I believe my car is well maintained (the bills from Autostrasse suggest it ought to be!) I need to consider the budget to have in reserve.

On the motorbike you also got lunatics on the track but mostly hightly skilled lunatics and I never saw anyone caught up in someone elses accident. Is this reflective of car track days too or is there a realistic risk that someone elses accident can become yours too?

 

[MarkK]

Just do evenings if you dont want to wear it all out,Goldtrack do them,more than enough track time but not enough to ruin your brakes and tyres,they are great value i reckon.Then go from there.Book some instruction and they teach you how to get round swiftly without wearing out your lovely car..
Have fun.

 

[RLambert]

I'd just get 4 wheel alignment and a check over with someone like Jaz (they do my race car), spray all the suspension bolts with WD40 before you go! Then at least you know the car is set up correctly otherwise you could do your track day and think it's awful just because the rear toe is out for example. If it's all set up right and still feels awful that's when you need to think about new shocks etc. You can spend a fortune on mods but I don't think you need to to enjoy the car on a track day.

 

[Masher]

An early problem - I don't fit in my car with a crash helmet on [&:] Car currently has the standard sports seats which I think are great but clearly something has to change!

I'm 6'3" tall so my questions are:
1. What has anyone else of this height or more done?
2. Can the standard seat be lowered in some way (new seat subframe?)
3. Has anyone put in replacement seats and if so can they confirm an increase in head room?
Thanks
Mike

 

[asjasj]

Andrew Churcher is your sort of height.....he managed OK at Donington earlier with std seats and a crash helmet.

I did the Donington day in my car. I have done lots of trackdays in my other cars but this was the first in the 964.

It is on std (original even?) dampers and springs.
The tyres are simply Continental road tyres not in their first flush of youth.
Brakes are std 964 C4 with whatever pads....assuming std sort of compound.
Geometry has not been setup and even by eye looks 'wrong' to me.

The car is less composed on track than my other cars - but there are more focused and I am more familiar with driving them in these conditions. Car ran faultlessly, brakes did not fade, tyres did not wear dramatically and we had a pleasant 130 odd mile journey home afterwards all on one tank of fuel.

Go for it as you are.....