Does anyone ever autocross their 930?

Pauli33 · 03-28-2005, 01:25 PM

for those of you following the drama, i think i've finally decided to keep my 930... i wrestled back and forth with it for a while, but after a long hard easter sunday drive i've decided i'd be miserable without her...

along with my decision, i've made a resolution to really drive her harder, faster, and more often... this obviously means more DE events, but i suddenly thought why not give autocrossing a try?

obviously the 930 isn't well suited for it (4 spd trans, serious turbo lag, and extremely heavy steering), but has anyone ever tried it? i'm not looking to set any records, just wanted to go out have some fun and maybe improve my car control.

is this a total fools errand? will i be embarrassingly slow? will i possibily even damage my car (i'm sure i'll have to run most of the course in first gear)?

just curious if anyone has any thoughts or experience in the matter. thanks in advance for the help.

-Paul

cantdrv55 · 03-28-2005, 01:44 PM

Is a 993 trubo considered a 930? If yes, then I've seen one at an autocross kick some a$$.

cbeers · 03-28-2005, 01:53 PM

I don't know about your car in particular, but I can say that I see ALL levels of skill and speed at the AX events. If you feel comfortable staying at 25 mph it's OK. If you'd rather push the limits and maybe throw in a spin or two, that's OK too, although not desirable

So, if it's about fun and learning your car, go do it!

I'm in the slow end of the spectrum but still have a blast and get my heart pumping everytime!

-Chris

Emission · Emission's Garage

I think it would work, and it would be fun... but I don't think you'd be very competitive (so don't go planning to win).

81 930 · 03-28-2005, 02:16 PM

Paul,

I suggest you give autocrossing a shot to see if you like it. Remember, it's really all about having fun and learning to drive your car at the limit. You will become a better driver for it, no doubt. And don't knock a properly setup 930 on an autocross track. True, they can be a bit clumsy at times on an extremely tight track, but you will have a blast regardless. I managed to set the fastest lap in my class at a PCA autocross at California Speedway in my '81 930 over the weekend. Even with a 4 speed. An entirely gratuitous pic follows:

Congratulations on deciding to keep her and best of luck to you.

Pauli33 · 03-28-2005, 02:44 PM

thanks for the advice everyone...

Brian, that's a great pic, and a gorgeous car!

quick question... what gear do you spend most of your time in? i'm sure it depends on the course layout, but are you usually in 1rst or 2nd? i've always found downshifting into 1rst to be a little dicey...

81 930 · 03-28-2005, 03:07 PM

Hey Paul,

Generally speaking, most autocrosses are primarily a 2nd gear course in a 930. But it all depends on the track layout. It is not very often that one needs to downshift into 1st gear, but it can be necessary on a tight course. I experimented on Saturday with a section of particularly tight 90° turns taken at around 30 MPH. I tried downshifting into 1st on two laps and it was so difficult to put the power down due to wheelspin, I ended up leaving it in 2nd gear for the remainder of my laps and instead concentrated on carrying as much speed as I could thru the turn. Then, I started getting on the throttle a little earlier to get the turbo spooled up and was able to rocket out of the corner. On the other end of the spectrum, I have been on big autocross tracks where I was hitting 3rd gear and speeds over 100 MPH as well. Those tracks are a lot of fun in a 930.

Ciao!

BOOMER · 03-28-2005, 03:49 PM

Paul,
Metro has an autox this sunday 4/3 at Jones Beach. Come on down.

David · David's Garage

I autocrossed my 930 when I first got it. It was a bit slow compared to the Emod car I usually drive but it did OK.

I used first gear and I was bouncing off the rev limiter alot. I'm probably lucky to have not bent a valve. I'm planning to change the R&P so second gear will be more usefull.

The car understeered badly. At the time I didn't realize I had adjustable swaybars and PO had them set for serious understeer. I've set the rear to max stiffness and the front to max soft and that helped alot.

Other drivers commented that they were glad to see a 930 driven the way it was meant to be driven and that it threw big flames out the dual exhaust.

I'll autocross it more when the current mods are complete. Obviously it's not the same as a DE, but it's still fun and you improve your low speed car handling skill.

TerryH · TerryH's Garage

I was a spectator at Fontana Saturday. Happened to get a pic of a nice 930 in the pit area. Coincidence?

81 930 · 03-28-2005, 04:50 PM

Hey Terry,

That's myself on the right and my good friend Chris (rcwaldo here on PPBBS) on the left! That must have been after the morning session when I was letting the intercooler cool off a bit.

Did you stop by and say hello? I don't recall meeting you at the track. Next time you must bring your 911 for sure! We had a great time battling with the Corvette guys.

ncoder · ncoder's Garage

I tried it with my 930 a few weeks ago... I had a blast!

I think it's the safest way to truely get to know the limits of the car.

The car is not well suited for those slow speeds, though. The track as it was setup reportedly reached 60mph in a few sections. I decided to stay in 1st, I did not mind topping at 50. Being in first meant I did not notice the turbo lag too much. But I was told I should have been in second, and also that the turbo lag put me at a disadvantage relative to the NA porsches of similar design.

The car is amazing, though. There's no other event where you don't hesistate to push the car to it's limits. It's at it's limits that you really appreciate what this car is capable of. (And how much you need to learn!)

jyl · jyl's Garage

I watched some 930s at an AX last year. I was shagging cones at a tight squarish section of the course, left-right-right-left. One 930 driver seemed to wait until he had cleared the last turn before getting on the gas, and sort of trickled down the straight before getting boost just in time to brake for the next turn. Another 930 driver seemed to be getting on the gas in the middle of the turn-y section, and was boosting when he exited the turns. The impression I got was that it would take a lot of skill to AX a 930, but that second guy was doing great.

david c. · 03-28-2005, 05:51 PM

Brian, that 930 is awesome. Did they post the times from Saturday somewhere? I'd love to see the breakdowns b/w the Vettes and the P-car guys.

That second gear course for your 930 was redlining third for me in the 912.

Pauli33 · 03-28-2005, 06:19 PM

alright, now i'm getting really psyched - thanks for all your advice and support.

i have no doubt that i'll be slow as hell, but i gotta start sometime! the car is off to the shop this saturday for some spring maintenance and it looks like my first autocross will be April 24th at the Meadowlands in NJ. wish me luck...

350HP930 · 07:28 PM

I have acquired a decent collection of trophies from the SCCA, PCA and MSSC with my 930. An even dozen to be exact from a little over 20 events I have attended in the last several years.

I usually ruled the ASP and DS classes with a tweaked and well worn 930. I look forward to getting back out there again with a modified motor, tranny and suspension.

As the poster above mentioned one of the knacks for doing it well is leading your throttle.

81 930 · 08:49 PM

Dave - It was great to meet you on Saturday. I don't believe any times have been posted yet, but I am curious to see them as well!

Paul - I'm glad to hear you're getting psyched. Believe me, you're going to have an absolute blast.

BTW, you might have noticed from the picture above that I was running a lipstick camera under my right fog light for the event.

You can view a little video of my fast lap here:

OCR PCA auto-x at California Speedway (2005-03-26) - 62.471 sec lap (lo-res).avi

(Right-click on the link and select "Save Target as...")

bigrubberjeep · 03-28-2005, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 81 930
Dave - It was great to meet you on Saturday. I don't believe any times have been posted yet, but I am curious to see them as well!

Paul - I'm glad to hear you're getting psyched. Believe me, you're going to have an absolute blast.

BTW, you might have noticed from the picture above that I was running a lipstick camera under my right fog light for the event.

You can view a little video of my fast lap here:

OCR PCA auto-x at California Speedway (2005-03-26) - 62.471 sec lap (lo-res).avi

(Right-click on the link and select "Save Target as...")

Now that folks, was BAD ASS!!!!

david c. · 03-30-2005, 04:54 PM

Any times posted yet?

350HP930 · 03-30-2005, 05:43 PM

Here is a vid of me winning first place in ASP at a SCCA event, and I had taken along a passenger to boot.

http://anthonyrawson.com/Cars/Videos/0714-4.wmv

And one of me trying to get around a really tight course set up by the area miata club.

http://anthonyrawson.com/Cars/Videos/0720-2.wmv

And this is my first attempt at the same small track that included a little accidental windsheild wiper action.

http://anthonyrawson.com/Cars/Videos/0720-1.wmv