The misson.. the mods.. the results

[rdane]

Like many of us here I bought a 911 and then found Pelican. Took me most of a year to decide just how I wanted to use my new found toy.

Between the bits that were worn out and needed replacing I started to make modifcations.

With two big ring binders full of Internet info in hand and driving schools, DE/Lap days and Autocross under my seat belt I started to develop a plan for rebuilding my car and its "mission".

A quick reality check told me auto cross was never going to be my forte. All I saw was cones and only through some real mental effort did I recognise a "track".

Track days on our local road course made me realize the car's potential was light years ahead of my own skills.

More skill was needed to really enjoy the car's potenial. And I found that our local tracks' road course was very similar to the local back roads, wet or dry.

It became easier to see recognize what my car's "mission" would be. It would need to be a fast, stable, sports car. Not a touring car with all the creature comforts of a 996 or even the SC. More like something that would be fun to pre run the Targa Florio.

I dropped some weight, added hp and stiffened the suspension while also making it more complaint. As a fun car that I didn't want to fuss with no adjustable sway bars. And for the wet roads we are so used to here a LS for car control and the track.

Really unaware of just how much the tranny would define my car in the future I added a ZF limited slip set at 80%. Then a set of gears based on our local track and a 3L engine, a longer 2nd and a short 3/4/5.

As I spent less time on the track and wanted to use my car more, I went back and added a standard 5th gear for long distance drives.

The car is a wonderfully fun ride on local back roads and the track. It is a surgical weapon on a hill climb.

The lack of a short gear box is the first thing I notice in any 911...SC to a 997. As many here have said before, it is the best bang for the buck that we can do to our cars.

Five years later I revisted the venue that I had first rejected, auto cross. Even with the help of a incredibly good instructor, again I was so far behind the curve mentally that all I saw was a field of cones. It will take some serious head pounding to get through that maze with any kind of clarity.

But the choice of a ZF and 80% on an autocross shows just why everyone else uses a torque biased LS there to eliminate much of the push and why a stock 2nd or even a short 2nd gear is the favorite of most competitve autocrossers.

A long 2nd and driving way below the optimum power band of a 3.6 is frustrating and makes a wonderfully well sorted car seemingly a pig.

The same 2nd that makes any local road, the track or hill climb so much more fun.

I'm happy with the way my car was built for its intended use. But, Oh, my! I had no idea just how far away I went went in the other direction. Any modification we make to these cars is generally going to be a compromise.

Choose carefully the first time

[Jack Olsen]

Good write-up.

It makes sense to try and define as specifically as possible what the focus of the car is going to be long before you start shopping for parts. Trying to make an all-purpose 911 is a lot harder than making one that's simply going to dominate the local autocross scene or lead the pack in a specific race class. Trying to make a car that does well in all situations invites all sorts of contradictory modifications and also the dreaded 'mission creep.'

For street driving, a more-or-less stock 911 makes a lot of sense -- and the newer the better, honestly. I've driven both the Cayman and the new 997 family, and they're awesome all-around performers.

I personally prefer the look and simplicity of the early models. For my 911, I wanted a car I could drive around town, then drive to the track and give the business to anyone in the sub-300-hp, over-2500-pound world. (While I was at it, I wanted to be able to beat up on just about any other street-driven cars that came calling.) But my car is not an all-purpose tool. It would be poorly suited to autocross, and its close-ratio gearing means 80-mph cruising in 5th has the engine singing at a steady 4000 rpm. (I wear earplugs for the really long drives.)

But your points are very well made. Spend a lot of time thinking about where you want to end up and you'll be able to spend a lot less money getting there.