Car setup questions for DE
 

I am heading out to my first DE with my 930 and I need to get it ready to go out on the track. (Motorsports Ranch in Dallas/Ft. Worth with the local PCA) I want to keep my 911 streetable but am not afraid to mod it so it performs better on the track. I have a few quesitons for y'all.


1. Brakes: I have a 930 so they are pretty beefy. I think the only thing I need to do here are stainless steel lines and put in some fresh hi-temp fluid. Any other thoughts here?


2. Belts: My last car had a roll cage and 5 pt belts. I really loved how connected I felt to the car and am a big believer in them over regular seat belts for track events. I think this is sometihng I want to do but am not sure the best route. I have seen a "harness bar" but have never been able to determine if they are a worthwhile solution. I don't know where I would start for a cage, belts, or racing seats so I am totally open here and would love your thoughts.

Any other suggestions about car setup are welcome as well.

Thanks in advance.

Texas- I'm signed up for the same event, looking forward to seeing you there.

From my vast track experience (three days total ;) ), plus a couple auto-x's, I can attest to the massive improvement in 'connectedness' and comfort from racing seats and a harness. I did the DE's and the first auto-x with 3-point belts and a stock '73 comfort seat, and did my last auto-x with Cobra racing seats and a 4-point harness.

Your seats are much more supportive than my old comfort seats, I'm sure, but I would definitely recommend getting the harness bar and a harness. My guess is you don't need a racing seat or the 5th point on the harness unless you really want your car to be a track car.

One more though on brakes- I changed pads to Hawk street/track pads, made a big difference. Just make sure you get 100-200 miles on them first.

Go with stock rubber hoses. While the newer DOT approved SS brakes lines don't seem to fail like the old ones, they don't really confer an advantage.
-Chris

Yeah, other than making sure the brakes are functioning correctly, you probably don't need to do much more for your first time out.

A harness bar and more straps is a good idea, though. There's no benefit to sliding around.

Other than that, clean everything loose out of the car, make sure everything's torqued and happy, and bring more of an 'I want to learn' attitude than an 'I am THE MAN' attitude.

The fast guys go slow at first. The slow guys are always at their 'limit,' and never learn much of anything.

I might highly recommend you get in touch with Scott Mattison or Clark Grigsby at Scotts ******** there in Austin 930-1238. He does the Tech Inspections for the DE's and is extremely helpful on cars for the track/De's and Club Racing.He usually has some very nice track cars in the shop as this is the majority of his business, He and Clark both are PCA instructors and know their business around the track !
Scott is usually at the track at TWS and Motorsport Ranch with their customers cars providing support and assistance as needed.

Jack, I hear ya. I have my SCCA license and have been to the track before, just never in the Porsche. Nothing worse than a dumbass out there on the track spoiling the fun for everyone. http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/nono.gif I am looking forward to learning how to really drive a 911. We have some really good instructors in our area so I hope to get a ton of pointers.

Anyone have suggestions for a cage and/or seats?

I'm set to make this event too-my first one ever.

Is anyone planning to camp?