Dirt roads, anybody ? Options

[jsteele22]

Went for a ride yesterday, and decided to get away from all the foliage traffic. There's a highway up in the mountains (HWY 67) that has some pretty sweet twisties on it : speed limit is 20, and the advisory (yellow sign) speeds are 10 MPH ! Very little traffic. So basically, 914 heaven.

Now one little issue is that a stretch of it, maybe 5-10 miles, is unpaved, which is what keeps folks away from it. I had some major second thoughts, but when I thought of all the traffic I had come through (people who slow down and constipate the left lane anytime curves threaten. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/ar15.gif) ) I decided to try it. There were a few places with a little washboarding, which is no fun (I've got KYBs and no rear window gasket to speak of), but mostly the road was smooth.

MAN ! Talk about some fun. Plenty of driving right at (and past) the limits of traction. Easy to play with throttle steering, and I got a good feel for the front/rear brake bias. And the weight balance (like nobody ever noticed that before...) made it a blast. This was the kind of driving where 2 digits of HP was plenty, and I would bet that a 914 could beat damn near anything. Hard to say for sure about a WRX, but it would be fun to see if good weight distribution trumps the advantage of AWD.

The strange thing is, this kind of driving is so, so non-914. Of course, anything with bumps is right out. But does anybody drive 914s on dirt roads ? I wouldn't want to do a lot of it, just b/c of the vibration and dirt being hard on the car, but for a little out-of-the-ordinary fun, its an awesome way to kill a sunny Saturday afternoon !

[SpecialK]

I've seen vintage pics of Rally 914's, not sure how they finished, but it looked like a blast! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/driving.gif)

The only thing I'd be concerned about is if there is any oil leakage that the dirt could stick to and "f" the engine cooling up......short of that, I can't any problems that a car wash couldn't handle (keep the nozzle away from your back window though (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif) )

[jsteele22]

Actually, that's a great point. My engine is "a tad" on the oily side. I've been meaning to clean it up a bit....

[redshift]

If you frequent unpaved areas, and even if you don't, you should take a minute at a car wash to blast out your rockers, with the high-pressure wand.. water isn't a problem, if it has nothing to hold it in.

Fun!


M

[SpecialK]

QUOTE (jsteele22 @ Oct 16 2005, 02:47 PM)

Actually, that's a great point. My engine is "a tad" on the oily side. I've been meaning to clean it up a bit....

Sounds like a good winter project....just be careful not to fall into the "Well hell, while I've got it this far apart, I might as well...." trap! It's hard to resist!

[nebreitling]

i've always thought that a (heavily modified) 914 would make a nice rally/rally-cross/pikes-peak car. beef up the suspension, the chassis, get some good susp travel, put a turbo suby in the back and let it rip!

[Aaron Cox]

QUOTE (nebreitling @ Oct 16 2005, 02:13 PM)

i've always thought that a (heavily modified) 914 would make a nice rally/rally-cross/pikes-peak car. beef up the suspension, the chassis, get some good susp travel, put a turbo suby in the back and let it rip!

local guys down here, sean and herschell have a rally 914 that i hear is nearing completion. Has full coilover suspension and is sittin way up in the air (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif)

[Aaron Cox]

boom....

[jsteele22]

Okay, just as a followup, I should mention that I popped the engine cover yesterday. I had no idea that that much dirt could be stored in an engine bay. That thing is a friggin' vacuum cleaner ! (Not to mention the cooling system, which really is a vacuum cleaner...) Anyway, I can't say I regret the driving I did on Saturday -- b/c it was awesome -- but I'll definitely think carefully before getting crazy in the dirt again.

[tadink]

Hey All -

considering jumping back into the -teener pond- again - and am thinking about building a 'rally914' version to tackle my long and crappy county un-maintained road!

Is there a build thread anywhere that documents the basics for getting the car up in the air, creating longer suspension travel and a softer feel?

the 911 guys have a few build threads that I'll lean on for suggestions / ideas.

One question - the rear end of the teener has coilovers already, can my adjustable bilstien perch simply be moved to the right ride height or should we do something about modifying the springs along the way?

GOAL: a fun and somewhat more comfortable car that does not knock my fillings out when traversing the rough and bumpy paved road, while still having great handling and a porsche badge!

Thoughts? I think I have found a donor....so the party is almost ready to begin!!

Tom (tadink)
Napa (still here after the firestorm that started about a mile away and went the other way!!)

[914 Ranch]

Eric Shea is building one I believe. Search here, there is some posting on it.

[PlaysWithCars]

Eric's build thread:
PMB Performance - Project 914 ORV

[Rand]

Wow, flashback. Remembering Moggy.

[Shredhead]

I'm keeping my car in VT right now, and the cabin I have is 3 miles up a dirt road. Luckily, the town does an amazing job of grading and maintaining the road so there is little in the way of bumps to deal with. I had an awesome time driving on it this past fall (9 inches of snow today... 914 is staying put!) but I might as well be driving on ice with my Falken Azenis's. Touch the gas on a corner and you'll slide. Quite different from dry pavement, but fun!