We all know the 944 has a reputation as being fairly forgiving as RWD Sports Cars go, I havent had any issues yet but I tend to drive like a wuss, especially in the wet, when I have provoked it it seems fairly easy to gather back up. Someone on Pistonheads I think described them as forgiving but like a Dumbell with the transaxle and if they do get badly out of shape they will spin.
Has your 944 ever "Bitten" you ?
- Thread starter J4CKO
- Start date
Yes. I've unintentionally lost it in my 944 on three occasions. Two of them at (mercifully) very low speeds; once on a roundabout outside a large lorry refilling yard in the wet (diesel on the road, I'm sure), one of them on a bit of road with a smooth brick surface on an industrial estate, on a sharp corner while braking hard.
The most scary one was about 2 months ago in the snow, when I pretty much spun it at around 40mph. That I didn't hit anything or anyone was VERY lucky, and reminded me that while 944's are lovely and stable, they can (and do) have a sting in the tail. It bit me, and bit me hard.
http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=678554&mpage=1&key=snow򥪚
Oli.
The most scary one was about 2 months ago in the snow, when I pretty much spun it at around 40mph. That I didn't hit anything or anyone was VERY lucky, and reminded me that while 944's are lovely and stable, they can (and do) have a sting in the tail. It bit me, and bit me hard.
http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=678554&mpage=1&key=snow򥪚
Oli.
VanhireBoys
Member
I just tip along nice and easy like a big girls blouse.....! She has a bigger limit than you give her credit for !
My brother had a big scare in my car 12 years ago in the wet coming off a roundabout . He was acting the hero and floored it - she boosted hard and broke away - No LSD fitted so it just went into one long tail out, He lifted off sharply and it went the other side ... He was black cat luck to have gotton away with it !
After I heard that I said it was time the toys was taken off him
My brother had a big scare in my car 12 years ago in the wet coming off a roundabout . He was acting the hero and floored it - she boosted hard and broke away - No LSD fitted so it just went into one long tail out, He lifted off sharply and it went the other side ... He was black cat luck to have gotton away with it !
After I heard that I said it was time the toys was taken off him
In the 2.5 after just a couple of months of RWD ownership in the wet , large roundabout, ended up taking , the exit before the one I wanted! No traffic and no harm done, except to my wallet as I went and bought 4 new tyres.
Still 4 years on, am not fully at home with RWD having had 1,000,0000 ish miles of FWD!
Still 4 years on, am not fully at home with RWD having had 1,000,0000 ish miles of FWD!
Neil Haughey
New member
Had a few big moments over the years, the biggest one I drove out of by tapping the throttle to keep the slide going. Was pretty lucky that one, had the idea to try that and luckily it paid off certainly won't claim it was skill as I would probably muck it up if tried again. When the car bites it really is vicious, I will put a clip together sometime of one of the spins I had at Silverstone, got out OK by letting go of the steering wheel then grabbing it again when the car slapped the other way. Tbh though I would have struggled to hold on to the wheel anyway as the kick was massively strong.
It is very much my opinion that the cars give a false sense of security, the MX-5 we had for example could be driven like a nutter with the back end sliding around all over the place with very little worry. Try that in a 44 or 68 and see how long you can last before a big smash.
It is very much my opinion that the cars give a false sense of security, the MX-5 we had for example could be driven like a nutter with the back end sliding around all over the place with very little worry. Try that in a 44 or 68 and see how long you can last before a big smash.
944 man
Active member
Ive never been caught out by a 944 or 968, but in 1996/1997 I restored an early five speed base model 924 and used it every day for a year. This car regularly stepped out around roundabouts and sometimes pulling away from junctions, but it was always easy to tell what was happening and to get it back.
My old 944 didnt bite me, but in the February 2009 snow it was difficult/interesting to drive, with no weight at all in the back and 235 section tyres all round. In the end I fitted a pair of conventional space savers to make it drivable and to stop the endless tailshaking down the road.
On the other hand, my MX-5 slides everywhere with just a hint of damp in the air...
My old 944 didnt bite me, but in the February 2009 snow it was difficult/interesting to drive, with no weight at all in the back and 235 section tyres all round. In the end I fitted a pair of conventional space savers to make it drivable and to stop the endless tailshaking down the road.
On the other hand, my MX-5 slides everywhere with just a hint of damp in the air...
Had the 944 turbo do a 270 degree spin and reverse park onto a local roundabout about 12 years ago, a combination of worn tyres, heavy rain, no LSD, a touch too much throttle as boost came on and diesel as it was close to a petrol station. But years later, same roundabout in an MX 5 not going quickly I had a real spin, road was damp and the petrol station had been closed for years. Used to wag the tail of the turbo for fun it only caught me out once, MX 5 too risky!
About 8 years ago ,outbraking a GTV fast into a sweeping bend , hit a section of track which had lost it's grit (smooth tarmac) right on the apex, the back snapped out violently and I went into a 360 degree spin, didn't hit anything but the forces wrenched my torso big time, my insides hurt for several days afterwards (as did the GTV drivers but in his case it would be from laughing).
PS I don't race anymore I was obviously no good at it.
PS I don't race anymore I was obviously no good at it.
Not really had any moments on the road. When I first tracked the car on standard (old) suspension, it would spin out very easily on left handers as the off side rear dug in and offoaded the nearside. Fitting coilover suspension radically improves this although she will still go round if provoked. I'm not a good enough driver to catch it but maybe later, with practise? Best one was a full 360 at the top of Eau Rouge when I lifted to avoid a car stopped on circuit just as suspension was rebounding from the compression at the bottom of the hill........vicious!
Anyway, the point of the ramble is that, if you want to improve your safety margins on the road, I'd seriously consider investing in coil over suspension.
Anyway, the point of the ramble is that, if you want to improve your safety margins on the road, I'd seriously consider investing in coil over suspension.
bennyboy
New member
Luckily for me, just this one time on track at Mallory....
My first track day in the 944. As some of you will know, Mallory is a little short and not so exciting, but the first corner 'Gerards' is a very long right hander and quite tricky to get right. Two or three laps into the day, I kept my toe in for a few seconds too long to pass a Caterfield, went in too quickly and initially got understeer, so backed off (too quickly) and it snapped into oversteer too quickly for me to catch.
By the end of the day, I was catching most stuff towards the exit of the same corner, the car was so flat and could be steered on the throttle (I'm not talking oversteer here, just balancing the car on the throttle), including my mate in his 964 on KW's and 888's, compared with my standard road tyres - he was not impressed!
http://rides.webshots.com/video/3044619320101768910uRtOzL
Had I ket the car longer, I would have played around with the rear end a little, because it did like to get a little loose under braking heavy braking[:-]
My first track day in the 944. As some of you will know, Mallory is a little short and not so exciting, but the first corner 'Gerards' is a very long right hander and quite tricky to get right. Two or three laps into the day, I kept my toe in for a few seconds too long to pass a Caterfield, went in too quickly and initially got understeer, so backed off (too quickly) and it snapped into oversteer too quickly for me to catch.
By the end of the day, I was catching most stuff towards the exit of the same corner, the car was so flat and could be steered on the throttle (I'm not talking oversteer here, just balancing the car on the throttle), including my mate in his 964 on KW's and 888's, compared with my standard road tyres - he was not impressed!
http://rides.webshots.com/video/3044619320101768910uRtOzL
Had I ket the car longer, I would have played around with the rear end a little, because it did like to get a little loose under braking heavy braking[:-]
Neil Haughey
New member
I had a spin in the same place for similar reasons, didn't get any understeer as I was trying to trail off the brakes in the way in, back end kicked up and out but without an LSD tapping the throttle at that point doesn't push the front so round I went at near enough 3 figures. Luckily the car stopped on the edge of the gravel trap and it was the end of the closed wheel test session so no one was too cross with me.
I had a 1 hr one-to-one at Brands last Tuesday, pretty much the first thing the instructor said to me was I was braking too heavily. Its something I realised right at the start of my racing but in trying to smooth it all out I have tended to brake far too early instead, well on Tuesday I think I cracked it. The guy reckoned that by the end of the session I was actually braking later than at the start even though much more smoothly and keeping the car composed. Its a much underrated skill and they reckon the last thing to perfect in a race drivers armoury. I wouldn't say I have reached that stage now but it is a massive moment of awakening for me to realise I can brake as late as I did before but keep the car stable and carry massively more speed on corner turn in than I used to whilst trail braking to maximise the tyres available grip at all points in the corner. OK everyone hopefully knows about the traction circle but actually doing it is like lifting a veil into a whole new world you didn't know existed until you take the first step into it. Its such a fine subtle feel as well, much much more subtle than the feeling on corner exists when the back end suddenly unloads a touch and kicks out. This for me was the biggest revelation because previously I just couldn't feel it, instead I was finding I would end up going into corners sideways because I was relying on a visual cue rather than a feeling for the grip. The problem then is that if one comes back from that you end up going a couple or 3 mph slower which doesn't sound much but will loose a good couple of seconds a lap on long tracks. Heel and Toe also helps enormously, the ABS should stop the back end from locking as long as the tyres don't lift of the track (painful experience for me that one [
]) but it won't stop the car from skipping all over the track. At Mallory in particular there is (or always was) a bump on the straight just at the turn in point to Gerrards. Most racers seem to angle the car across a touch just before it to avoid the bump unsettling the car on the way in.
Mine has - 3 times so far - 1 in the dry exiting a roundabout in Holyrood park - big tankslapper which ended in hitting a kerb and needing refurbishing of both nearside alloys, once on the way to Gleneagles in the wet - too quick coming off the motorway and had to brake hard leaving the slip road. Ended up facing the wrong way and very glad to not have anything coming the other direction. The most recent was a very wet day where I spun a full 360 on a slip road (no pun intended) having exited a roundabout too fast for the conditions. First one was caused by spilt oil - the other 2 were the fault of inappropriate driving for the conditions and perhaps tyres which need replaced and soon. Plenty tread left but they were on the car when I bought it and that was 7 years ago. Keen to keep to the same size and that seems to be the problem - they're 215/60 R15s and seem to be thin on the ground. Would really like Continental Sport Contacts but don't think they do this size. Still reckon the 944 is a wonderful drive but need to remember I'm more used to FWD and need to calm down. The girlfriend has always remained wonderfully calm and usually sleeps when we're in the Porsche so can't be too bad, I guess !
944 man
Active member
I did a 360 at the end of the straight at Bruntingthorpe - much to the surprise of my passenger, who was sat in a normal seat. He asked a question as we braked and I answered when I should have been concentrating on turning in. Id done three sighting laps earler, but this was the first with the weight of the passenger and my tyres were relatively cold too -all round fail.
Copperman05
New member
I did a 180 degree pirouette on a greasy roundabout on the way to Rutland this year, bit embarrassing really, assume diesel was to blame though.[] The 944, especially lowered and with harder springs seems to grip, grip and grip but when it does go, it goes and with some momentum.
Edd
] The 944, especially lowered and with harder springs seems to grip, grip and grip but when it does go, it goes and with some momentum.Edd
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