Chad,

I think it's impossible to spot whether a Turbo frame is twisting or not from a pix unless something was seriously wrong. Even if it was twisting, we'd be talking about millimeters over the length of the entire car. I've been in situations where only two opposite wheels are on the ground (driveway situations), and look as I might, there's no visual cue.

I think what you are seeing is the articulations of the suspensions bits are referenced by the positions of the wheels. And in that case, one really can't tell what the car is doing because it is a static shot.

Ken may be sliding out of a turn, or the track may be banked at that moment, or he may have just transitioned from braking to wot, causing massive weight transfer to the loaded corner... way too many variables to consider to deduce any frame bending from the pix, which imo, is already virtually impossible to spot by the naked eye for a healthy Turbo frame.

Not to mention, there's no flat surface to use as a reference point that we can identify to be exactly flat on both the car and away from the car. To spot twisting, there'd have to be a 3-dimensional flat surface reference. And there's way too many shadows to even tell if spoting for under-the-car surfaces.

Again, we are talking about spoting something on the order of mm/meter on a pix taken at a distance. I think if one can actually see the bending just from this static pix, then there'd really be something amiss with the chassis... amiss as in broken. Just my thoughts, not intended to flame at all.

Also, I know you had previously mentioned that you had to heat-shape the wheel wells to fit those huge tire/wheel combos... can you explain more on exactly what you had to do to get it to work... the setup you have sounds like a killer combo!

Thanks,
Stephen

 

Ken,
Car looked great out there! I think I need more power.

 

Chad,
I took a look at the picture. That pic is taken just as you are exiting the infield and entering onto the front straight. It is a righthander wherein the left wheels are pretty heavily loaded. The turn is just to the right of the number 5 in the circle on the track map above. We were going clockwise around the track. It is a tough turn because you are trying to carry as much speed as possible onto the straight but it is more than 90 degrees. From the driver's seat, it didn't feel odd. Keep in mind, I was full on with the gas at that point upon exiting the turn.

Britt,
It feels right at home on the track.

David,
It was great to see and talk to you and Frank again!! My specific combination is the B&M console shifter ad the TechArt transmission shifter set at 30%. B&M, Ruf and TA make the tranny shifter so any one of them will suffice. I understand B&M is selling them as a package now.
I purchased mine from Mike at AWE.

Stephen,
Thank you and I agree. As I stated above. I am undergoing a brutal transition from braking to full power for the front straight. I described where it occurred and we were going clockwise for reference.

Tony,

It is so funny driving with you!!! On the straights, you turn into a speck in my mirror and then, as soon as we get into the infield you are on my rear bumper again!!! Great day!!! Great seeing you!!! Oh, and as usual.....great driving partner!!

 

What are those things between the straightaways???

Looking good Ken!!
Evan

 

Nice pics KPV!! Cars look beautiful on the track..

 

Thanks for your info on the shifter.
1. Rereading some of your old posts, I note that you also have the EVO's ShiftLink. Is this just for durability and not for better shift feel?
2. How about some of the posts that I read stating that Porsche does not recommend reducing shift throws more than 40% because of the brass syncro gears, and that this would void warranty?
3. I tried to e-mail Mike at AWE at sales@awe-tuning.com but the e-mail comes back undeliverable. Anyone - Mike - what is the correct address?

 

David,

1. The shift link is purely for durability. If the factory link breaks (and they have been known to break), you will be stranded on the side of the road. It is good insurance if you are in there anyway.
2. I have read those as well. My take on it is this. I am not a drag racer. Drag racers are concerned with quick shifts. Quick shifts are the ones that place the synchros at risk due to the higher possibility of a missed shift. I was taught early on that quick shifts are not all that important in tracking the car. I have always been and continue to be very careful with my shifting. Unless you are slamming through the gears in a 1/4 mile shootout, I think you will be pretty safe.
3. Just call him tomorrow.

 

I can say without a doubt that the shift link offers more than durablility. Since I don't have or need the SSK and installed only the link on my GT3 gearbox, I can tell you that the shifts are much more deliberate and precise with the EVO link. It is one great mod whether you go all the way with the SSK or not...

 

Ken: I always enjoy reading your posts and seeing your photos. that looks very fun I love to see how wide your wheels are from the rear

 

Ken, Tony,

Your cars look sweet on the track
Ken yours looks like a full blown race car and I know it now handles like one
I probably would have at least spectated but I was very busy that day, normal work load plus servicing Pete996TT and Contolit's (Mark) Turbo's

I feel we are becoming a tight knit group and thats what its all about, its an honor to be friends with you guys!

Now I am working hard on getting my suspension sorted out

 

It was my first time on the track and man do I need to learn. Street racing and being on the track are two different animals. I thought I knew how to drive until one of the instructors took me for a ride in my own car and pushed it to the limits I didn't know it had. I am hooked and all I can think about is the next track day and how much more I can learn. The Drivers Ed class was very educational and you learn and confirm alot of the things you thought you knew. I went in thinking I was the man and that the instructors were going to learn a thing or two from me lol, and it was the complete opposite. It takes swallowing your pride first and then wanting to learn the basics alot of us think we know.
I want to thank Ken (KPV) for helping me out at the track and S. Fla. crew beware, Ken is unbelievable at the track. I have done alot of meets with Ken and the street does not show your real skill. Ken can put alot of us to shame on the track including me, he even passed my instructor who was laying down some serious lap times in my car. I think giving credit where credit is due is very important and Ken deserves it.
Tony (PES) is also unbelievable in his Scirroco, if that car had a TT motor he would of blown me and my instructor off the track LOL!!!

 

blush........

But thanks Tony!

 

Ken,

I've heard people talking about R compound tires shaving 2-3 seconds off a 1 min lap. How much would you estimate the suspension would shave? More than the tires or less?

I am trying to decide the order of improvements to add to the car and would like to go with the larger improvement first.

The Big Bowl is definitely the most fun part of the track. Do you think you were near the top speed afforded by the car in the banking? How fast were you when you exited the bend? How much faster do you think you could achieve with sufficient practive on street tires?

 

Shan,
Lots of questions......
Suspension
I would have to say the suspension made a huge difference for me. Here is my reasoning. I was experiencing alot of pogoing, or porpoising, depending on your chosen vocabulary, with the stock suspension and then again with the PSS-9's. The amplitude and frequency were different but the overall effect was the same.....an uneasiness with the response of the car. That said, and I repeat, THAT SAID, the suspension revisions made the car's response much more predictable and managable. In general, tires are going to be predictable. Granted, some tires are better (broad term) but they each exhibit cold temperature response characteristics and hot temperature response characteristics. As long as you know whether they are cold or hot, you can estiamte their level of grip. The oscillating suspension, on the other hand, will not give consistent response characteristcs. You could go into a turn and the the suspension oscillates, thus causing weighting and unweighting of various tires. I am sure there will be those that will argur this point, but it is strictly my opinion based upon my personal experience with the stock suspension and PSS-9's subjected to track conditions.

The Bowl
The bowl was interesting. Not having run one before, I progressively pressed harder into it each time paying close attention to my line. I could have been a lot faster through the bowl. My entry speed was anywhere between 110 and 120mph and I quite frankly do not know my exit speed. Keep in mind, it was my first time on this particular Pocono course variation and we only ran the bowl in the afternoon for two sessions. I touched 157 at the end of the front straight if that helps.

Again, I personally only ran four sessions during the day. The course was new to me. I am more familiar with the east course. With sufficient practice on street tires though, I am sure I could shave a lot of time off. Very subjective answer....sorry.

 

YP, as Ken said, I think the suspension will make a bigger difference n the controllability of the car, which leads to increased confidence, which leads to faster lap times. The suspension normally doesn’t “give” faster lap times like tires do, the suspension lets the driver drive faster. Does that make any sense?

With R compound, you gain usually 0.1-0.2 g’s in traction capability. This directly translates into a faster car. How comfortable the driver is in using it is the suspensions job. The suspension may not equally a direct g improvement, but will usually allow the driver to achieve a higher average g sum (g sum = sqr [(lat g)^2 + (long g)^2, the best measure of driver performance/control] for the lap, and therefore drive faster.