Spec Boxster Build

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Topless

Yay, those boys were quick! Does Tyson oversee all the engine rebuilds?

Cory Barker does the engine rebuilds now with the key decisions made by Mark Hergesheimer and Eric Oviatt. Tyson has been working on the Cup cars of late.

I'll get another dyno next week on the same machine that I used previously so I have an apples-to-apples comparison to quote the increase.

Originally Posted by Topless

295 hp at the wheels?

Much more. Much, much more.

Because I drive flat out. That is the only way I know how to drive. Flat out.

[Topless]

I know, I've seen you drive.

[jaykay]

Originally Posted by thstone

Dyno runs last night showed that this new engine is pretty darn strong for a 2.5L base!

What a beauty!

[Topless]

Nice finish Tom and those times are screamin' when considering the ambient temps. Bravo!

[TeamOxford]

Congrats on the podium finish, Tom. Only one more step to go!

I know what you mean about being spent after racing in the heat. How much weight did you lose during the race?

Just wonderin'...........

TO

[thstone]

Originally Posted by TeamOxford

I know what you mean about being spent after racing in the heat. How much weight did you lose during the race?

Just wonderin'...........TO

I didn't weigh myself but I woke up Sunday morning with a screaming headache and was probably still somewhat dehydrated despite drinking water and Gatorade all day and evening on Saturday. I finally felt back to normal around noon on Sunday. Glad that I took the day off because it was even hotter on Sunday.

[thstone]

With the mid-summer racing break just about over, I'm gearing up for a busy racing schedule this fall. First in line are two events at Willow Springs in September. Stay tuned for results and video.

Also, in a week or so, I'll be posting a dyno comparison of my old 136,000 engine vs the new rebuild. Same car, same dyno, same dyno operator, data corrected for temp. I've always wondered how they might compare and now I have the actual data.

[thstone]

Speaking of summer and my continuing goal to keep cool in the car on a hot day (it stays hot here in SoCal until Halloween), I recently upgraded from a standard cool shirt to the hooded type.

Results? This is HUGE improvement in comfort! Cooling your head, neck, and torso is 10x better than just cooling your torso. The hood fits fine under my helmet and only takes a few seconds to put on.

Thinking about getting a newer driving suit also.

[thstone]

New shoes for the weekend - the male equivalent of 5" heels.

You might want to save this pic to that "special" folder on your hard drive...

[jsceash]

Originally Posted by thstone

New shoes for the weekend - the male equivalent of 5" heels.

You might want to save this pic to that "special" folder on your hard drive...

Do you have a report on how they run yet?

[thstone]

Originally Posted by jsceash

Do you have a report on how they run yet?

Yes, I've done several races and a few practice days on the Toyo RR's and they work quite well. They have a little more grip than the Toyo RA-1's or Toyo R888's and give slightly faster lap times as a result (not huge but every few tenths count!).

The handling is very good with incredible feel during turn-in but it took me some time to adapt to the sliding characteristics. What I mean is that when they start to slide, they seem to so very quickly so you need to have an heightened sense of sideslip motion and quick hands to catch it. The RA-1's were more forgiving in this sense. At least this is my experience with my style of driving (everyone is slightly different).

On the downside, (and no surprise!) they heat cycle out faster and don't last as long. Some R-compound tires, like the Nitto NT-1, never really heat cycle out and provide fairly consistent lap times for up to 30+ sessions. Instead, most of the Spec Boxster drivers are getting 6-8 heat cycles (sessions) from the RR's before lap times drop off noticeably. Everything is a tradeoff!

But this means that if you want to run near the front, you need a new set of tires for every race weekend. If you're ok with running mid-to-back of the pack, then you can run them until they cord.

I'll post up some pic's and results over the weekend.

[Topless]

Teaser!

We did a lot of nose-to-tail with RRs vs NT-01s last year and at Chuckwalla and WSIR the RRs were good for about 2-3 seconds when fresh. They fall off very quickly after about 8 sessions though.

I can usually get 40-50 sessions on NT-01s until they cord. My brother gets 30-40 sessions on NT-01s. Same cars with same setup but different driving styles.

[thstone]

I had a great day yesterday at Willow Springs!

The day started out warm (it was 75F at 6am) and was up around 100F by late morning. The rule of thumb is that hot days do not produce fast lap times but I was able to post up a personal best time of 1:34.7 during the second practice session! With the POC Spec Boxster track record of 1:33.2, my PR in hot weather is not too shabby. We'll see what happens this winter when the weather cools.

During qualifying it was difficult to get a clean lap due to traffic and then when I had a good one going, Little "t" spun in front of me coming out of Turn 9. No big drama but I had to lift for a moment to decide whether to go in front of him or behind him (went behind and he did a good job of stopping the car and not rolling forwards or backwards). When all was said and done, I qualified 2nd behind Little "t".

For the race, I got one of my best starts ever getting past three 911's from other classes before Turn 1. From there on, my race was pretty uneventful; Little "t" jumped out to a lead of 3-4 seconds which I was never able to whittle down much and I never had any pressure from behind so the 12 laps went by rather easily.

Thus, I finished 2nd for my very first podium! All cars that podium are required to be weighed immediately after the race to ensure weight compliance and I had to ask about how to do this since I had never been in this position before (what a goober!) I passed weight 20lbs over minimum of 2650 (including driver) which is right where I had calculated. So yes, that means that my car is around 2435 lbs with 1/4 tank of fuel or more than 400 lbs lighter than a stock 986.

The rebuilt engine ran great and had very good power. I plan to get it dyno'd this week and will post up a graph of the old 136,000 mile engine vs the new rebuild by next weekend.

Sorry but I don't have any race video since I suffered brain fade and forgot to turn it on!

Speaking of brain fade, I am skipping the race today because the heat from yesterday really took its toll on me - I am spent!

Pic's or it never happened? Here you go;

[BruceH]

Congrats on the podium finish, that is awesome

[rastta]

Congrats on the podium finish!

[thstone]

This morning I went to a local coffee meet with a bunch of fellow Porsche enthusiasts. This meet is put together and attended by mostly air cooled car owners with the early long hood 911 being the most popular.

One of the coolest cars at the meet is owned by a friend whose car happens to be the very first R Gruppe car (below). This car was featured in a story written by fellow 986Forum member Little "t" on Petrolicious (This Is the Car that Inspired the Porsche R-Gruppe).

If you're not familiar with the R Gruppe, it was founded about 15 years ago to celebrate early 911 cars built for what Porsche referred to as 'The Sports Purpose". It is popularized by owners hot rodding their early 911's using the Porsche Sport Manual as their bible - a catalog of factory early 911 rally and racing parts.

The R-Gruppe is invitation only and is highly polarizing within the greater Porsche community. Automobile Magazine said this:

"To the august Porsche Club of America, R Gruppe is populated by a bunch of yahoos with no respect for tradition. To the hard-core racers who dominate the Porsche Owners Club, R Gruppe is full of poseurs who'd rather look fast than go fast. To early 911 aficionados who haven't been invited to join the club, R Gruppe is a gated community reserved for arrogant snobs. To high-dollar collectors, R Gruppe provides a prescription for replicars and fakey-doos that cost more to build than they're worth on the open market."




As a card carrying POC/PCA hard-core racer, what do I show up in? Yep, you guessed it!

And by and large, they loved it. Porsche fanatics are Porsche fanatics regardless of the car.

Even a water-cooled hair dressers Boxster.

[jb92563]

Thats cool, but a bunch of folks celebrating the racing rally history of Porsche is fantastic.

I can't think of anything more Porsche like and traditional than to go rally or race one with what ever parts you can fit.

I think that the others are just jealous that its by invitation and they weren't invited.

Some folks buy a Porsche as a status symbol, but others buy them cause they are fun to rally and race.

Thats interesting trivia. Never heard of R-Gruppe or the Porsche Sport Manual.
I'll have to google and find out more.

Thanks

[thstone]

Here are a couple of pic's from my 2nd Place finish in the POC race at Willow Springs two weeks ago...

[thstone]

Its "brakes" time again before the PCA race at Willow Springs on the 27th/28th! I replace the brakes about twice a year with the schedule that I'm running.

I knew that the pads were about ready for replacement so I ordered all of the parts beforehand. It was also time for the yearly brake fluid flush and bleed.



This is one of the front pads - definitely ready for replacement! You can see where its worn through the hole for the brake wear sensor (which I do not use because they melt).



This picture shows the difference in thickness between the worn pad and the new one! This is the result of 12 track days. Another thing to note is that the old pad (greyish yellow green) started out the same bright yellow as the new pad! These pads literally get baked enough to change the pad paint color after being out on the racetrack!



Here is my set up for flushing the fluid and bleeding the brakes - the long lug posts make a handy holder for the catch can. The long lug posts are used on most race cars to make tire/wheel changes easier (no more holding the wheel on those 3 small hub tabs while you try to line up the lug holes). For the brake fluid, I use the Motive power bleeder and it works great.


Here is a pic of the old fluid (left) and the new fluid (right)! Wow, what a difference. I use ATE Type 200 Gold. It works great and is reasonably priced.
\


I think that I'll change the oil this weekend and then I'll be ready to race in two weeks!

[The Radium King]

hey - wondering what you spec guys use for a rear tow hook - a 996 rear or a 986 front? rennline doesn't list a rear 986 tow hook. thanks.