DE - Carrera 3.2 prep

socal911 · 10-24-2007, 08:34 PM

I have a clean, stock 1989 3.2 Carrera w/G50 (except M&K exhaust, Steve Wong chip and low restriction Cat) with 60K miles and Kuomho tires with around 5K on them. It is a Friday / weekend car. I am considering a PCA basic Driver Education and non-competitive autocross. Assuming no incidents (unplanned impacts), what are the wear and tear considerations? If I like the event and want to pursue further non-competitive driving, what are suggested modifications for a budget of $3K - 5K?

Thanks for comments. I tried some searchs to get answers on these points, but not many useful hits. I'm open to any key word suggestions.

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

Good for you. I started with a pretty much bone stock 87 too. Great car.

For the first days, you want fresh brake pads and fluids. Otherwise the car is fine. Wear and tear is rubber, pads and tires. And a big grin you won't be able to wipe off your face.

If you really like it, the decisions get tougher. For me, I started to slide in my seat. Which meant a seat and harness. Which means a roll bar. You might want fresh/stiffer shocks and and a good ride height/corner balance. Spend most your money on seat time.

Enjoy!!

chris.817 · chris.817's Garage

Four DE events for me. New "starter" competition pads and brake flush (required every 3 months at PCA). Definitely seats especially for autox I'd assume. A harness bar can be a thrifty option in place of a roll bar.

Go do it. AWESOME!

pdqcarrera · pdqcarrera's Garage

...just to add, go easy on the trans. Even with the tougher G50 I've had my share of student drivers thinking they could slam gears and that's an expense you don't want. A proper alignment and corner balance aside, adjustable sway bars are my #1 recommendation for performance mod, then torsion bars.

hcoles · 10-25-2007, 05:44 AM

fresh brake fluid and thick pads... also see what other cars like yours are doing for air pressure... maybe start with 35/32 or something like that... inspect tires after first session and adjust if needed... listen to your instructor, keep the thing on the track, as mentioned above, no need to shift fast ... take it easy. The best thing I did for my car is to get decent seats... the stock seats are worthless at holding you in the car. If you track the car much consider sport shocks... the everyday ride will be bumpy... but the car will be much more settled on the track as you learn to drive it....the more I go to the track the more I think I have to learn...

JeremyD · JeremyD's Garage

I'll second or third the brake focus. Go with a decent race pad (hawk blues, porterfield r4)- at the minimum I'd do a flush with Super Blue (ATE) although these days I prefer Motul 600 or castrol srf.

Keep an eye on the tires, I know a few folks that have chunked the kuhmos -

Resist the urge to start upgrading the car until you start moving up in the run groups. The stock carrera is so much better than the stock street driver

North Coast Cab · North Coast Cab's Garage

Seine or Wevo shifter. Next to an impact the most damaging thing you can do is overrev the motor.
Go have fun for a few events before you spend money on anything other than the maintenenace items mentioned. Also, check all of your suspension bolts and CV bolts before and after.