did my 1st AX with the 914 GT clone today Options

[rfuerst911sc]

Today I took the 914 GT clone to her first autocross. I posted here rather than the paddock as I'm just getting my feet wet with the 914. Overall for the first time out I think I did good. I was 5 seconds off TTOD and this was on 5 year old Yoko ES100's. Here's a little rundown on the car before I ask some questions.
3.0 stock 911 engine with Weber 40 carbs.
911 Front struts with 3 inch ear calipers. Standard Boge inserts.
911 M calipers on all four corners. 20mm vented rotors all the way around.
Rear Koni shocks set to hard with 140 lb. springs.
Stock 901 transmission with stock 4 cylinder gearing.
Front 19mm sway bar no rear bar. Standard torsion bars.
Car corner balanced at 2100 lbs.
16x7 + 16x8 Fuchs with 205/55 + 245/45 tires.
19mm master cylinder.

Now the questions. The car seemed to be well balanced but I really struggled with rear traction. Coming out of turns it was very easy to spin the tires. And launching from the start was either spinning in 1st gear or a slight bog starting in second gear. And I quickly found out that stock street brake pads are not up to snuff for aggressive driving. I have some Porterfield R4S that I'm going to try. So you guys that have more power than me how are you putting it down ? I know better tires will make a big difference along with me learning how to drive the 914 vs. my 911SC but any tips to pass along ?
Overall I had a blast as I always do (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) .

[BMXerror]

Agreed about the tires, though all I could really find for the rears (size wise) is DOT-Rs on a quick search. You can figure on about a grand for R-Comps, and you still WILL have wheelspin. Lucky 914s come equipped with traction control. It's really easy to find. It's where your right foot rests. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif) Just kiddin' ya. I had the same problem in JP's (now Britain's) car. I can work with you on tires if ya like.
The one thing that I notice on your setup is that the rear seems a bit unbalanced. 140 lb springs probably don't warrant full hard on the Konis. All I can tell you is what I'm running, which is medium hard setting with 200 lb springs. This is on a 4-banger 914, which is lighter in the rear, and it seems to work well. You may try going softer on the shocks to allow the rears to dig in a bit more. And if it were me, I'd consider going a bit harder on the springs as well. That being said, if you stuff a 3.0 too quickly in a 2100 lb car, you're lighting them up. My $.02
LSD would be great for making wheelspin more controllable, but it will not make it go away. I've heard nothing but great things about the R4S pads, but I've never had the privilege of using them. Other than that, have fun! The car sounds like it'd be a blast. BTW, how much AX experience do you have in the SC?
Mark D.

[rfuerst911sc]

Agreed about the tires, though all I could really find for the rears (size wise) is DOT-Rs on a quick search. You can figure on about a grand for R-Comps, and you still WILL have wheelspin. Lucky 914s come equipped with traction control. It's really easy to find. It's where your right foot rests. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif) Just kiddin' ya. I had the same problem in JP's (now Britain's) car. I can work with you on tires if ya like.
The one thing that I notice on your setup is that the rear seems a bit unbalanced. 140 lb springs probably don't warrant full hard on the Konis. All I can tell you is what I'm running, which is medium hard setting with 200 lb springs. This is on a 4-banger 914, which is lighter in the rear, and it seems to work well. You may try going softer on the shocks to allow the rears to dig in a bit more. And if it were me, I'd consider going a bit harder on the springs as well. That being said, if you stuff a 3.0 too quickly in a 2100 lb car, you're lighting them up. My $.02
LSD would be great for making wheelspin more controllable, but it will not make it go away. I've heard nothing but great things about the R4S pads, but I've never had the privilege of using them. Other than that, have fun! The car sounds like it'd be a blast. BTW, how much AX experience do you have in the SC?
Mark D.

Mark thanks for the reply. Actually thanks to everyone that replied. I don't think I'm ready for R spec tires yet as I want to take it in stages. So I think I'll go with some Dunlop Direzza Star Spec tires as my next step in the right direction. I'm thinking 205/55 + 225/50 or possibly 225/50 all the way around any thoughts on that ? The Koni's came to me ( used ) with the hard setting already adjusted and with the 140 lb. springs. To adjust the shocks I have to take them off and compress/turn. I have another pair of Bilsteins that I think I'll add height adjustable coil overs to. I'm a fan of Bilsteins. And I'm thinking of going with 200 lb. springs what do you think ? At some point in time I'll probably have to go with sportier strut inserts up front and maybe a little stiffer torsion bars. I'm definately going to pop in the Porterfield pads. In regards to my AX experience I've only been doing it for 5 years now with the local PCA chapter. The past two years I've either been 1st or 2nd overall for the year in my class but I'm no expert, just a 52 year old guy having fun (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) .