Stunning 944 S2 in Cornwall - anyone know it?

[peanut]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp

...

(You may have a job and a half keeping us on topic tho'! [] )


Oli.

can I just tell you about my cats ??[][][][]

seriously though well done Dave. How did you find the car on your first drive? I found it simply awesome. I will never forget my first drive in my own Porsche

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: peanut
I will never forget my first drive in my own Porsche

Neither will I ... it was late at night, I was recovering from some nasty food poisoning and I was terrified of damaging the car - it was much lower than anything I had driven before, and I percieved it as a LOT wider.

I was also being followed by my wife in my old Mk2 Golf GTi (we were picking the S2 up from the seller, about 9 miles away), and she is not the most confident driver at the best of times. I was more worried for her safety than mine ... as it was, when I stopped, she very nearly drove into me, which would have made for a particuarly fine insurance claim (Car#1 belonging to Mr zcacogp was driven into Car#2 belonging to Mr zcacogp by Mrs zcacogp.)

So, no, I won't forget my first drive in my own Porsche either!

(Then, to cap it all, it was vandalised on the first night I owned it. Not a good start.)

To the OP - hope your first drive was better than that!


Oli.

 

[DaveB]

I had a 30 minute drive after collecting the car along dark, rainy and very wet Cornish B roads which was exciting. I stopped after a while cos I thought the lights weren't working, but that's just the way things are (see my other post). Managed to open it up on Sunday and it just confirmed I'd made the right decision. I'm still experimenting with the limits on roundabouts, but it's very predicable so far.

 

[peanut]

Dave I wouldn't want you to be dissapointed a few weeks down the line and facing a £1000 bill so a word of warning.

I'm not trying to teach my Grandmother to suck eggs but .....

Wouldn't advise you dropping the clutch or try doing any wheelies or do-nuts because chances are your clutch has a rubber centre and just won't stand up to it. If you do a search on here under clutch you'll see what I mean.

Roundabouts are lethal. I spun my Lux on one at 20mph and completly wrote it off.[&o]
Be careful flooring it when cornering in the wet or you'll lose the back end for sure .

Quick arn't they !

 

[Diver944]

Congratulations Dave, we'll be expecting fresh pics at some point []

Regarding the lights, make sure they are actually clean and then that they are aligned properly and not chipped so badly they are opaque after 17 years. Next thing is to check the voltage receievd to the back of the bulb, it is probably well below 12 volts so the bulbs don't have a chance. New wiring will help and a local motor electrician could help by rigging the lights to use a switched relay from the alternator instead of the stock wiring which goes through the dash switch and loses a lot of juice on the way

 

[peanut]

another thing to check with the S2 is the earth fixing point which is down underneath the pass side headlamp . It is also the earthing point for the twin tone horns which are buried beneath the lamp and wheel arch.There are three heavy brown wires. Don't pull the electrical leads off the horns its a nightmare getting them back on again
The headlamp motor is extremly powerful If it were to go off while your hands are in there you could easily lose your hand.
Remove the fuses or the relays first which are in rubber pods attached to the headlights before you go in to the earthing point.

 

[944psi]

ORIGINAL: peanut
Wouldn't advise you dropping the clutch or try doing any wheelies or do-nuts because chances are your clutch has a rubber centre and just won't stand up to it. If you do a search on here under clutch you'll see what I mean.

Don't scare the chap with his nice and shiny S2 - according to the advert "11/12/04 - New Clutch" (of course it could have been replaced with a new rubber centered clutch)

Excellent choice and a nice looking example to boot. On the downside it makes my S2 about as valuable as a primark top! Ah well, good job I'm not in it for the money!

Phil

 

[DaveB]

Thanks for the info, I'll look into it before splashing out on a Xenon conversion.

It is quick, although not as quick as my tricked up Saab 9-5 Aero Estate in a straight line. However, it's got loads of torque and the handling and driving experience are what it's all about. The turn in is particularly good.

 

[zcacogp]

Ahh, but what you will find different between the Saab and the S2 is that the S2 doesn't fall off the road when it ceases to be arrow-straight, and returns some real feeling through the controls. After all, everyone knows that the the Romans were an advance party for Saab dealerships - they made roads straight enough to allow Saabs to really perform well ... []

(If you think the turn-in on a 944 is good, you should try something mid-engined. I happen to think that lack of nimbleness and poor turn-in are some of the worst bits of the 944 handling package ... )

Glad you're enjoying the car tho!


Oli.

 

[Black_JPN]

ORIGINAL: DaveB

It is quick, although not as quick as my tricked up Saab 9-5 Aero Estate in a straight line.

Funny you should say that as I think Andrew Mais who owned it when it appeared in 911 & World (do you have the copy btw?) actually sold this car and replaced it with no less than a Saab all be it a turbo charged one (I think - if memory serves me right).

 

[DaveB]

(If you think the turn-in on a 944 is good, you should try something mid-engined. I happen to think that lack of nimbleness and poor turn-in are some of the worst bits of the 944 handling package ... )

The best thing I've owned for turn in was this. Yours truely at the British Kart Grand Prix slicing down the inside at Copse.

 

[zcacogp]

Let me guess ... it handled like a go-kart, perhaps? []


Oli.

 

[appletonn]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp


( I happen to think that lack of nimbleness and poor turn-in are some of the worst bits of the 944 handling package ... )



Oli.

Ah, what you need is some negative camber on the front and you'll soon be turning in before you meant to.....


...like me, until I got used to it![]

 

[zcacogp]

Yes, the turn-in can be improved, significantly, but the layout of the car means it will never turn-in as quickly as a boxster/elise, or similar.

Big weight at each end (engine one end, gearbox the other) means the polar moment of intertia is huge, hence slow turn-in. (It also means huge stability and very well balanced handling, which is great in my book!)


Oli.

 

[Hilux]

If you think the turn-in on a 944 is good, you should try something mid-engined. I happen to think that lack of nimbleness and poor turn-in are some of the worst bits of the 944 handling package ...

If its well damped and importantly has decent ARB`s and all the bushes are good etc the weight transfer is not so marked and the turn in is excellent in my book.