Best handling....lightness vs. distribution vs....?

[haycait911]

Originally Posted by al lkosmal

Although I am getting sidetracked by absolutely great SC's and 964's....I am primarily focused on a long wheelbase longhood.

Happy New Year,

Al

I know that feeling. there's a '90 964 in Hope BC right now, at $11k. very tempting. an '84- '86 carrera would work better, cheap insurance here that way. BTW, tb's are on the way.

[esotoracing]

i was a instructor for a racing school in sebring and the most fun i had in a students car was a simpe 87 carrera, lowered on stock torsion bars and that was it ! Great fun around the track and i can only imagine that on curvy mountain roads. I would add to that set up some koni adjustables, light weight wheels, sticky tires and no more. As for the light weight part if you change from bumper to FG also change rear to even things out. There is also something to point out that is just so detailed and complex that a forum isnt the place to discuss. Thats suspension and weight dynamics, physics, the effect weight has on how a spring acts, the effect that weight has on grip, as you know a tire needs weight to stick to the road but how much or how little can you get away with. Rotating mass and unsprung weight is more important than the other type of weight. Camber caster toe settings bump and rebound and other more complex systems that just arent meant to be road driven so i wont get into that.

A 911 is a fantastic car as is. . . .add a little to that and it will keep you smiling all the way home.

[Steve@Rennsport]

Originally Posted by winders

Steve,

This can be hard to do without causing problems with axle life. It's bad enough at typical street ride heights. Lower the car for racing and it gets really bad.

What do you use for axles on your race cars? Stock? Aftermarket?

Scott

We use custom-made axles to ensure that the CV's don't run out of plunge travel.

Ultimate CV life is shortened when the powertrain is relocated, however thats moot for street cars as they tend to last a very long time, anyway.

For race cars, its well worth the effort when its legal to do so and the use of Krytox extends the life of the CV joints.

[davidbir]

Steve, have you, or anybody, tried moving the rear wheels back?

[Steve@Rennsport]

Originally Posted by davidbir

Steve, have you, or anybody, tried moving the rear wheels back?

I've not done that due to the effort & expense of fabricating new trailing arms, spring plates, and relocating the fender openings.

[RWebb]

Black Beauty II Jack Olson car – modified 1972 911 with 3.6L 964 engine (only mods are the B&B exhaust and the NBD chip); 2,389 lbs. with 243 hp at rear wheels; wt. distribution, F/R 39/61; torque tube cut and engine shifted forward 1.25” for wt. balance; very wide flares, has A/C, carpet, and some ext. trim; prepared by Tyson Schmidt (TRE Motorsports); Goal was to combine high grip of wide tired RSR type cars with nimble handling of narrower RS cars; LRX custom F. spindles, front A-arms have been lengthened by about 1 1/3 inches and mounting points have also been changed; Hamlin Fabrication R. camber boxes that modify the mounting points for non-turbo 911 pivot boxes to allow easy at-track camber and roll center adjustment (cheaper than 930 trailing arms). Also claimed to dramatically improve rear suspension geometry to decrease squat tendencies, accommodate very low ride heights but no change to toe settings. R. Bilstein coil-overs and 935 type spring plates. Tyson tied the center tunnel in with the torque tube, and added diagonal braces between the inner rockers and the center tunnel, which no doubt help as well.

Excellence # 125, December 2003; and Pelican Forum threads: Excellence magazine arrived today. - Pelican Parts Technical BBS
BB2 -- Jack/Tyson/other Evil members - Pelican Parts Technical BBS

[al lkosmal]

Thanks to everyone who participated in the "best handling/street rod debate". One of the examples that appealed to me the most and seemed to exemplify what was going on in my tiny mind.............was Dantilla's beautiful 73 911...............which , by a fantastic twist of fate and meeting of the minds, is now residing in my garage...........I am a happy camper. thanks Dan, It's like you were reading my mind. The Hooligan is in good hands...............kind of.

Originally Posted by al lkosmal

That's more like it. That is very, very nice. Very clean machine. I'm thinking that a 3.2 may be a great choice for an early car,. I.E. more go, but relatively easy to install. Your torsion bars seem a bit heavy for a street rod, more focused on the auto crossing side., but do they work well on the street too? I have to say that your car, from the power/handling details to the understated aspect of your car........no graphics, etc. is well thought out. i like it a lot.

Regards,
Al