Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBonus
How do the 105s compare to driving a 911?
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i had 3 105 alfas... still have a 69 gtv today in which ive owned for about 25yrs.
i used to have a 930 and now a M491 that is slowly becoming a more focus track car.
my 69 is slightly mod street mod, lowered, 160hp, 205-14, suspension work, no brake boosters.
the alfa feels a lot lighter, turn in is sharper than the porsche and can get real tail happy which u can use to toss it around. u can rotated to your advantage since the grip and traction is much lower in the rear than a 911.
same geometry issues if you slam the front end in which the roll center drop subterranean. much more complicated on the double arms than just to raise the spindles on a strut. I have hubs that were band in vintage racing. "drop spindles" is what old alfa guys call them drop rather than raised spindles here on pelican since they drop the car body closer to the ground. you can tell who was cheating in the paddocks since you can see the lower arm parallel to the ground peering out of the front valance.
it moves around alot on the track so you can play with the slip angles really easy. it will spin like a top with a stiff rear bar. I ended up down sizing to stock rear bar and removing it all together years ago before it was fashionable to do so now. funny that "fast road" alfaholics spring rates are the same as the ones i custom spec'd out 15 years ago with christian at ebiach who is now doing 911 bars.
brakes are good for a 40-50yr old car but not as good as 911 especially with the 930 brakes (no other car of the vintage comes close to 930 binders imo). 69 gtv in the usa are wonderfully unique that they made only a handful for one year, twin boosters, floor pedals,spica MFI pump, idle circuit, flying buttress seats, bumpers, lamps and a ton of other details that sets it apart from the earlier and later cars. i removed the twin boosters and for manual brakes.
the motor architecture is ancient. classic hemi head combustion chambers similar to the 911 but even taller with more volume. they can be high flow for decent peak power with huge valves but are slow burning and timing sensitive. street driveablity falls off a cliff if you port them too much or over carb and cam them.
like the 911, early motors are smaller in displacement, sweeter running and rev nicer. But the later longer stroke motors of a 1800 or 2000 have much more punch. all the presmog 105 to some extend came with ITB's in weber, dellortos or spica MFI from the factory. they sound wonderful and are stunning to look at with nearly everything in casted alloy even the oil filter as in my 69. if there is a leak, you can see it immediately because engine accessibility is great. I could never see my 930 motor under all those hoses and plumbing.
gearbox there is no comparisons. alfa box is much nicer shifting and smoother. not a quick box but positive in feel,shifting in 915's are terrible. some folks cut down on the long throw buy using a remote shifter base. like the 911 there are plethora short gear ratios to mix and match.
LSD pumpkins will make the car handle drastically differently in tight corners. they are usually worn out now and not all cars came with them.
both cars have a upright windshield and tiny pillars so visibility is great and adds to unique driving experience. imo the styling is just as striking as the early 911's. you can outlaw them too with gr2 gta flares or gtam flares and tiny 10x13 campys.
i have a couple spare motors in the wings and twinspark to boot. one of these days i may find the time to build a TS up.
my 2 cents
pf