How Much Stress does AX'ing Put on your 914, Will it break a DD? Options

[ericread]

I have a nice little stock 74 914 2.0 that is my daily driver. Like I have mentioned many times before, I put about 15,000 miles a year of daily driving on her.

I have never AX'ed my 914, and I was wondering, how much stress does AX'ing put on your 914. And where are the main points of stress? I would imagine the transmission and rear CV joints would feel a lot of stress, along with the front suspension? And maybe some major tire scuffing?

So if I decided to casually AX, how much downtime should I expect to encounter? I would love to occasionally enter an AX just to learn more about my car, but at what expense and level of downtime would I encounter?

And how much wear would I place on my transmission/CV joints/suspension/etc???

My thanks.

[pcar916]

Glad to hear you're thinking about some track-time. It's a blast and it will completely transform the way you look at street driving.

I've had lots of fun with my 914 on AX's and on the track, and still drive her almost daily. Penelope isn't the most comfortable car on the road but... who cares. She's a converted 6 but the AX experience is the same from a wear perspective.

The key to quick driving and maintaining your car is smooth driving. Period. That includes accelerating, braking, steering and shifting. If you strive for that habitually, your car will love you and you'll be rewarded with faster times and long-lasting harware.

Street tires first may help get you smooth earlier because you'll have to plan your attack on the course with conservation of momentum rather than power-squirts.
The added benefit of street tires is 2-fold as I see it.

1. Unlike race tires, they tell you when they're on the verge of slipping bigtime by squealing. That's a good indicator for anyone, no matter how much experience they have.

2. They are kinder to your chassis. Racing tires grip like mad. As a result they will twist your frame more. Over time that will have an effect. Cracks will eventually appear and seams will split. But again, this takes time so at the beginning don't fret about it. Naturally, this assumes the car has no cracks or splits now.

I have run the 901 transmission since 1994. That includes both a 2.7L track motor, and most of that time with a 993 motor. I've rebuilt the 901 only twice. Once to re-gear and recently for wear. Again, "smooth" will your maintain machinery. Oh yes, I have always run synthetic tranny lube with no shifting issues.

I ran the stock 4-cyl CV's for many years with a 3.6L motor and they were fine. I only recently changed over to 911 axles because they came available. But regardless of the CV type, they were packed well and with synthetic grease.

Drive the heck out of your car! I do. It's best to get an instructor with mid-engine experience, even better if it's 914 experience, but one who will teach good lines and conservation of speed.

Oh yes, I agree wholeheartedly about harnesses. Your car has the harness anchor-points already. They will transform your driving experience by allowing you to drive instead of using the steering wheel to steady yourself. But keep your experience cheap at first. For a long time, you're the one who will make the car quick, not your hardware.

Good Luck, Ron