944S Race car - what can be done

[Neil Haughey]

Pretty clear from following the fast guys that they make the lap times from carrying as much speed as possible into and through the corners so I would concentrate on getting the suspension and geo spot on then learning to fully exploit the cars cornering dynamics, and always on as fresh a set of tyres as one can afford. This isn't worth a small amount its several seconds a lap and at club level is IMHO at least 95% of the difference between the guys at the front and those at the back, regardless of what many say about super tuned cheater engines or any other mythical advantage the top guys are supposed to have.

Thus if one had X amount of money to spend in the car my advice would always be tyres/suspension, tyres/suspension, tyres/suspension like a mantra [].

 

[944 man]

Watching Fifth Gear a few years ago, they tested the new Mazda 2. I was semi-interested, as my girlfirend had an 05 reg and she was thinking about buying the new model.

They were making a big deal about it being 120kgs lighter than the outgoing model and the benefits that this gave. This did hold my attention, as you can imagine.

To demonstrate the difference they performed a number of handling and braking tests and then repeated them with a 120kg weight lifter in the passenger seat. The differences for such a relatively small percentage of the cars weight were shocking. In the braking test, which I remember most clearly, the car pulled up metres shorter without the extra 120kgs, even from the modest speeds that they were testing at and the slalom handling was equally handicapped when the weight was added.

I wish that Id knuckled down and read engineering at university, because Id now be able to work out how much extra corner speed -120kgs gives, but I preferred A&H, so I cant - I know its a large advantage thats frequently overlooked though. Extra accleration is only a small part of it...


Simon

 

[peanut2]

ORIGINAL: rsmithinfo



How can you reduce drag on a 944?

well the normal starting point is usually to lower a car to reduce frontal area which also lowers the centre of gravity and improves cornering as well .
You should also look at cleaning up the air flow under the car or modding the front spoiler to reduce the air flow under the car and cut down on high speed lift. This will improve downforce but unfortunately increase drag.
Also look at tweaks to the rear end to improve air flow.

I would study other 944 race cars and see how others have tackled this issue over the past 20+ years and use their research.[]

this might be a useful link
http://www.racelinecentral.com/RacingSetupGuide.html

 

[T3rra]

Would lighter wheels with a wider track help? 993 cups I think are quite light. But require spacers. 7" front 9" rear. Iv got a stainless de cat exsuat, made but longlife. Did make the car feel more responsive, but could just be the noise?

My S engine felt strong, with a promax chip would get 2 65/70 in 2nd gear and 90/100 in 3rd. Rubber spoiler is heavy, swap 4 a lighter 968 style. Don't think the car would get fast anoth 2 worry about down force.

 

[peanut2]

ORIGINAL: T3rra

Don't think the car would get fast anoth 2 worry about down force.

At what speed do you think that downforce might be a factor to consider in a race car ?[]

bearing in mind that the fastest average speed at Thruxton (our fastest circuit) is 111 mph av .God knows what the highest speed is on the straights []

 

[T3rra]

Sorry, it's not really something I have a huge exprences with. But that's generally the opion off on rennlist, with the v8 powered cars. But isn't downforce more effective in cornering?

I was referring to the difference between the 968/944 spoiler not no spoiler at all.

 

[Neil Haughey]

In reality the top speed these cars reach on UK tracks is in the 120's. I have seen over 130 on the dash but that is factory speedo speed not real speed. This was at a Caslte Combe track day last year when I was seeing just under 135 on the dash. At Silverstone for example one could just let the car rev out in 4th against the limiter and not bother shifting up into 5th, not something I have the confidence to do myself especially given how many gremlins I have had I have developed a level of mechanical sympathy (I am sure some who know me would laugh at that claim []).

 

[944 man]

You have to take what you read on RennList with a pinch of salt! I cant only stand the 'Merkins for about five minutes!

Instead of thinking about increasing downforce, I prefer to think about reducing lift, which is really all that we can hope for.