Cool thread guys. I also recommend giving the 911 a chance before jumping to the next car. I doubt you'll be much slower in a 911 compared to an Elise once you learn how to drive. I would always measure myself against similar cars, not something with twice the HP or half as old. And even then, I have been running track events with GT3s and Z06 that I would pass in my SC. Their owners were new to track events and only were fast on the straights. My SC had a bit of weight taken out, suspension, exhaust, cams and some good tires. Maybe $5k of DIY. Very respectable ride - it was definitely one of the faster cars in the mid level groups. I spent about 20 track days before getting there. Always driving to and from ...

G

Can you be more specific about your SC? What weight reduction have you done? What cams did you use? Still stock CIS?

I drove the SC into work today, ironically passing an Evora on the way. I do love this car. I glance back after exiting the car until I can't see it anymore and I can't wait to walk back to the parking deck to see it again. I really just wish it had more power so that's going to be my focus.

The other revelation I came to this morning was I would get bored fast of the entry / / exit of the Elise. I have a hard enough time in the SC with the GT3 seats (stiff hamstrings and hips). I fell in love with the idea of the Lotus but the reality is I could never live with it long term. I'd probably end up driving it less than the SC.

Someone mentioned a muscle car, I've been eyeing up C5 Z06's around here. For 16k gets you a decent base for DE. Can't really beat that.

Now, bite the bullet and do a 3.6 swap?

No offense, but I would spend time on the nut behind the wheel first. More power just gets you into trouble faster.

Yep.

Link to my old SC specs are in my signature line. I got faster and built up the car at the same time. I went from noob to being asked to becoming a driving instructor. Very satisfying activity building the car and skill at the same time!

Have fun!

George

Exactly.

No offense, but some of you guys need to turn off the "I'm a dick" switch when you leave the paddock. That a-hole attitude doesn't play when you are not at the race track.

I respect the fact that some people, although a car enthusiast, may be very new to the automobile hobby, and others may forever lack the mechanical inclination to understand them as much as others. But that is not a reason to put someone down.

Not sure I'm following.

I'm saying that even though you have a point, you can find a nicer way of saying it.

<shrug> Whatever. I thought it was clear and respectful. I speak from experience when I say that 2-4 track days a year is likely not enough to justify HP upgrades, and is more likely to cause bad things than good things for any inexperienced driver. That's not personal.

Easy there tigger. Just call 'em as we see's em. And to raise a point, a-hole attitude doesn't play at the track for one second. Behave badly on hot laps and you're out - no refund. Anyone who's spent time at the track has seen endless lines of cars with much more power than driver has skill get into trouble. I was instructing a very nice fellow in a positively fabulous Rausch Mustang. Put it sideways - I mean all the way sideways on the first lap. Recovered luckily and we had a great rest of the day, but he needed that little slap.

Yep. There was very little a-hole attitude on the track. It's elsewhere.

My son's '79 might serve as an example of a moderately "track prepped" SC, done on a pretty minimal budget.

He is running 23mm front and 31 mm rear torsion bars. Stock sway bars. Bilstein Sport shocks all around. Only engine upgrades are SSI's and a single out Dansk sport muffler. It puts about 190 hp to the wheels. He's running 16x7's and 9's and has used a variety of DOT legal track tires on it over the years. The only other change he is planning is to remove the CIS and go with a set of PMO's ($$$$).

This is a wonderful track day car; satisfying to drive, bullet proof, and fast enough to have a lot of fun. The carbs will add some power and change its character more than anything else, but it's still a lot of fun with the CIS. He has been tracking this car for darn near ten years now (since an early in his ownership engine rebuild) with zero issues, and his driving continues to improve, despite having a relatively "slow" car. He does manage to hang with the newer cars being driven by less experienced drivers, which he finds eminently satisfying.

You have a great car right now. Not that the Lotus wouldn't be as well, but I think you might go farther and learn more with the 911. In the long run, I think it's probably cheaper to keep it around as well. Too bad there's not room for both...
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Sounds like an awesome journey.

I don't know anything about the Elise but I would say the 911 is the far better car for building up to however much power one desires, not to say that's a good idea unless driving skills improve accordingly.

BTW why is this thread in Off-topic ?

Thanks for this. I have 21/29 t bars with Weltmeister (sp?) bars. Running 17x9&11 with 245/275 tires. It also has SSI, m&k muffler, a little weight reduction, and some other odds and ends. Don't get me wrong, it holds its own but as I said it could use some extra ponies. I'm not talking 200 more, but 50 would be appreciated.

Carbs really change the character of the 3.0, while adding a bit of power. Good sets of Webers are not all that expensive, really. Plus they open up the possibilities for camshafts, but you would have to change pistons for a really significant increase in lift.

If you can do all of the work yourself, new cams from one of the recognized grinders, along with refurbished nickasil cylinders stuffed with JE pistons, would add very worthwhile power. With some Webers, you are looking at somewhere in the $3-4k range for parts cost. Someone else doing the work, figure double that.

With our host's "How to Rebuild Your 911 Engine" book and a few hundred bucks worth of special tools (all outlined in the book and available here), any rank amateur with average mechanical acumen can do a very good job of rebuilding their own engine. That is exactly what I did about ten years ago, and now have several more under my belt. It's kind of fun, too. Plus, when you surprise the newer car drivers, and they inevitably ask who built that motor, well... it's tough not to show a little pride and say "why, as a matter of fact, I did...". That's some fun stuff there.

What kind of tires? You want to go R compound.

I don't think you need to drop the CIS to have some good power - CIS with 964 cams and SSI was a very good combo on my car without having to get into the FI or bottom end.

Also, has it been properly aligned and corner balanced? An aggressive alignment and corner balance make a huge difference.

If you feel slow in the car with tires, cams and proper align / corner balance, it definitely is you. Go to 5+ track events a season and see how you progress. Take EVERY instructor, on track and off track, that you can get. Every instructor will have a different approach and different tips. I also always found classroom instruction very valuable. Also get a camera for self-analysis of your laps.

G

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