3.2 G50 Driving Impressions & "heaviness"

[clutch-monkey]

Originally Posted by umfan866

Update to my original post.... 2 nights ago, I test drove a 1978 SC for sale. It had SSI headers, straight pipe muffler(?), A/C delete, rear seat delete, RSR door panels, and C2 wheels. MAN WHAT A DIFFERENCE versus the civilized but sluggish G50 I drove. This car had instant and ample throttle response. It SOUNDED loud, and rumbled I couldn't believe it, it sounded more like a corvette or 60's mustang or a Harley than a Porsche. It handled like a go-cart. The 915 was pretty tricky
shifting in 1st and 2nd (but didnt pop out of gear) and I had to learn to
bring the clutch out farther than I am used to on my bimmer. But alas,
this is what I thought a Porsche SHOULD drive like and feel like on the throttle.... life is good, now I just have to try to buy this car...

good to hear you foudn what you were after!
i 100% agree, i started looking at 3.2 G50 cars and i'm not sue if the gearing is different but they all felt sluggish and lazy. would need some mods to wake them up. also preferred a lighter 3.0 915 car, not quite as tractable for long trips etc but much more lively.
ended up in a stripped '78 Sc with a 3.6

[Tincanguy]

I had a 78SC Targa for 25 years and loved it. It was totaled in an accident (other guy's fault) and I replaced it with a low mileage 88 Targa. The 88 seemed a bit heavy and slower than the SC but I loved the G50. With a cat by-pass, Monty muffler and Steve Wong chip, it was transformed! It tested out at 206 RWHP on Alex Racz's Carb Connection Dyno in Kirkland WA and still passed WA emission tests (no longer required- 25years old). At 84 years of age, I still get a thrill when it hits 4K and pushes me back in my seat. I would recommend these three, low cost changes (by-pass, SW Chip, free-slow muffler) to anyone who has an 84-89 Carrera

[Eli W]

Umfan

discovered the solid argument for SC's as far as performance goes. The G-50 transmission was a solid improvement over the 915 but at the cost of about 100lbs of weight which would equal about 2-3% reduction in power to weight ratio.

Have to say I lucked out with my car. It is a 77 911 S with a 82 sc motor with larger pistons and cylinders with 3.2 liters. The car below 3,000 is fun to drive but nothing really overly exciting but start flogging it over 3,000 k like you have gone temporally insane and the car is a screaming beast. Once you get it to redline in first the engine stays in the meat of the engine like a switch has been thrown and never really comes down. Each shift of the gear you find the engine going 3k rpm after hitting redline.

The car also feels light and nimble like my old 1969 E but with a much more robust engine. The steering is more accurate and the suspension is better than my 2009 335I, the only time you feel the weight of the steering is under 5 mph. At speed the car is planted and with a quick drama free flick you can be in another lane if you like, snap your fingers quick.

And my AC works amazingly well in all kinds of heat, after I completed my garage floor mod on it

[JeremyD]

Originally Posted by Eli W

Umfan
discovered the solid argument for SC's as far as performance goes. The G-50 transmission was a solid improvement over the 915 but at the cost of about 100lbs of weight which would equal about 2-3% reduction in power to weight ratio.

Horse dukey - to quote Pete Zimmerman ~

Originally Posted by Peter Zimmermann

Let's look at this a little closer. The weight of a filled 915 RoW version 915/67 with cooler is approximately 60 kg (132 lbs). The cooler weighs almost nothing (I can testify to this because I've cleaned a number of them), so let's call the USA 915/68 at 130 lbs. The weight of a filled RoW G 50 version 950/00 is 66 kg (146 lbs), which is virtually identical to the USA version 950/01. So we have a weight difference between the two transmissions of 16 pounds.

The 915 flywheel weighs 12 lbs, and so does the G 50 flywheel, so that's even.

The stock 915 clutch weighs 18 lbs, the G 50 clutch weighs 29 lbs. So, in total, the G 50 package is approximately 27 lbs heavier, which was offset (in 1986) by an increase in rear torsion bar size from 24.1mm to 25mm. Something else comes into play here that contributes to the 915 car "feeling quicker" to some drivers. Back in the day of Hemi-Cudas, 427 Vettes, etc., the ticket to really quick quarter mile times was having a "short", 4.11 rear end (final drive) ratio, or an even shorter 4.56 ratio. Of course, the big compromise with a short ratio was having to run at much higher revs at freeway speeds. Cars with a taller, aka longer, 3.00, or 3.30 rear end (ring & pinion ratio) just wouldn't come out of the hole as quick, and the race was usually over in 2nd gear. In 1974, 911s were fitted with a 7:31 ring & pinion, which is a final drive ratio of 4.43 (remember, the bigger the number the shorter the ratio). Later SCs and early Carreras w/915s had an 8:31 (3.88) final drive ratio, BUT, G 50s are fitted with a 9:31 (3.44) final drive ratio. Yes, the factory fitted all new, "shorter" ratios to 1st-5th to try and make up for it, but, while striving for better mileage and reliability, couldn't overcome that "longer" ring and pinion, which can make, combined with the extra pounds, a G 50 car feel more sluggish than a 915 car. A lightweight clutch will help the G 50 car, but on a road course there should be very little difference between the two because the rpm drop between second and third, between third and fourth, and between fourth and fifth, is very similar when comparing a 915 to a G 50. Yes, the 915, in some situations, will "feel" quicker, but can it generate quicker lap times on a road racing course? I doubt it.

Originally Posted by Eli W

Umfan

... It is a 77 911 S with a 82 sc motor with larger pistons and cylinders with 3.2 liters...

actually the new swept volume of 3164 cc [3.2] was achieved using the 95 mm (3.7 in) bore (from the previous SC model) combined with the 1978 Turbo 3.3 crankshaft's 74.4 mm (2.9 in) stroke.

Not trying to be a dick - but I want to make sure what's discussed is accurate.