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lawren · 03-21-2020, 06:41 AM

I've had both my first autocross and track day weekends in the Boxster. My setup is as mentioned below in previous post but i thought i would include the following:

SPC LCAs in front. Front camber is set at about -3 each side. Camber is set to max stock setting in rear. No adjustable anti-roll bars (yet). No toe links in rear (yet).

Here are my initial impressions:

Autocross
Positive: Balance was awesome!! I just kept ramping up the speed in the longer sweepers until I started to get a four wheel drift. They also had a skid pad element set up in the course and I didn't get as much understeer there as i was expecting. I'm sure that was the result of the increased camber in the front. Kept lowering the pressures in the RE71Rs until i was rolling over to the tips of the triangles on all four tires. Not surprisingly, when i got there i was getting my fastest times - that occurred right at about 30psi. That will be the pressures i am shooting for from now on. This car will be competitive at the local (and regional?) level in STR class.
Negative: Started to get a roaring noise in the turns (both directions) at the end of the first of the two-day weekend. Noise continued through second day. At first I suspected tire rub but quickly eliminated that. Suspected it was a wheel bearing but those checked out OK later by mechanic. Mechanic said he heard some noise in the gearbox/diff and changed the fluid (no debris). That certainly seemed to help with the noise (see below).

Track Day at Hallett the Next Weekend
Positive: Not much i can say here. The only positive was that the roaring noise did not reappear. It appears that the fluid change helped. However, I never really stressed the car like i did on the autocross day because of the conditions (rain).
Negative: The day was fun but it rained and the track was wet all day. I had no grip and had lost a lot of confidence in the car by the end of the day!! Tried both the new R888Rs and RE71Rs but neither was better than the other in the wet. The rear end was squirrely, especially if the rear became unweighted cresting a hill and going into a corner. Rear end also felt unstable under heavy braking just before turn in. It seemed like the car was going to come around on me under heavy braking.

Question: Did the rainy conditions expose an issue with the car? Could it be a bad rear toe setting? Could the roaring noise be a problem with the diff that is creating traction issues? I've done quite a few track days (dry and wet) in the past in my 997 and never had any issues like this.

Also, I find it a lot harder to heel-toe in this car. The bite in the brakes occurs very high in the brake pedal travel and I'm having difficulty rolling my foot far enough for the throttle blip. The throttle pedal is quite a ways below the brake pedal (even when really standing on it) and the result is unsteady brake pressure as i am trying to roll my foot way over. Are there adjustments that can be made?

03-21-2020, 06:41 AM	#27
lawren Registered User Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Arkansas Posts: 35	I've had both my first autocross and track day weekends in the Boxster. My setup is as mentioned below in previous post but i thought i would include the following: SPC LCAs in front. Front camber is set at about -3 each side. Camber is set to max stock setting in rear. No adjustable anti-roll bars (yet). No toe links in rear (yet). Here are my initial impressions: Autocross Positive: Balance was awesome!! I just kept ramping up the speed in the longer sweepers until I started to get a four wheel drift. They also had a skid pad element set up in the course and I didn't get as much understeer there as i was expecting. I'm sure that was the result of the increased camber in the front. Kept lowering the pressures in the RE71Rs until i was rolling over to the tips of the triangles on all four tires. Not surprisingly, when i got there i was getting my fastest times - that occurred right at about 30psi. That will be the pressures i am shooting for from now on. This car will be competitive at the local (and regional?) level in STR class. Negative: Started to get a roaring noise in the turns (both directions) at the end of the first of the two-day weekend. Noise continued through second day. At first I suspected tire rub but quickly eliminated that. Suspected it was a wheel bearing but those checked out OK later by mechanic. Mechanic said he heard some noise in the gearbox/diff and changed the fluid (no debris). That certainly seemed to help with the noise (see below). Track Day at Hallett the Next Weekend Positive: Not much i can say here. The only positive was that the roaring noise did not reappear. It appears that the fluid change helped. However, I never really stressed the car like i did on the autocross day because of the conditions (rain). Negative: The day was fun but it rained and the track was wet all day. I had no grip and had lost a lot of confidence in the car by the end of the day!! Tried both the new R888Rs and RE71Rs but neither was better than the other in the wet. The rear end was squirrely, especially if the rear became unweighted cresting a hill and going into a corner. Rear end also felt unstable under heavy braking just before turn in. It seemed like the car was going to come around on me under heavy braking. Question: Did the rainy conditions expose an issue with the car? Could it be a bad rear toe setting? Could the roaring noise be a problem with the diff that is creating traction issues? I've done quite a few track days (dry and wet) in the past in my 997 and never had any issues like this. Also, I find it a lot harder to heel-toe in this car. The bite in the brakes occurs very high in the brake pedal travel and I'm having difficulty rolling my foot far enough for the throttle blip. The throttle pedal is quite a ways below the brake pedal (even when really standing on it) and the result is unsteady brake pressure as i am trying to roll my foot way over. Are there adjustments that can be made?