I just signed up for one day on track locally -- Summit Point Raceway, West Virginia. This will be my second track event in the 944, but my first event since "refreshing" the suspension. I ditched the 20 year old stuff and installed Bilstein coilovers.

Up front I have 400 lb springs (on the firm side) and in the back, I added 250 lb springs to act as "helpers" to the torsion bar setup. I lowered the car a bit. I did the installation myself and while I had a few pucker moments, it was very rewarding to get it done. I still have the stock sway bars, and if I think I need more rotation, I'll upgrade the rear bar. There are SO many aftermarket and OEM upgrade options for the 944, and so far I've found it relatively easy to work on.

COOL Fifth:

I have to wait until April for my first event here in PA. Beaverun on a Saturday, so no work hookie, ha, ha.

By the way, your springs are girly, I ran 800 lb linear up front on my stang, and 350 lb linear on the rear, ha, ha, just kidding my friend. Enjoy, I would love to make it back to summit point, just a little too far these days I'm afraid.

Good luck, and HAVE FUN!!!!

see yeah

Oh yeah, a bigger rear bar ALWAYS helps a stock car for some more oversteer, MY FAVORITE MOD!!

I thought of doing the rear bar (it would have been easy since I had to remove the OEM bar to do the coilovers), but I want to make one change at a time.

I have a list of future mods in my head that would make my wife kill me in my sleep. Seats, harnesses, roll bar, bushings, sway bars, steering wheel. The good news is that the engine is feeble (<160HP at the crank) and there is nothing I can do to improve it.

Excellent. Seems you’ve refrained from the serious wrenching on your C, although your brakes and vital fluids have never been left wanting. IIRC, you shared an anti-roll bar/chest foible during an Audi garage session. It’s all good. The sense of well-being received from working on my cars is something I hope I’ll never have to forego.

Prudent to make just one change at a time. I’ll always do that when tweaking the engine, but it’s unreasonable when upgrading flaccid dampers and the like. After your first session, you’ll know which end is lacking in its ultimate adhesion, and then know better the next spring rate/roll couple adjustment to pursue.

Ironic how the Porsche/BMW/Audi aftermarket is teeming with myriad choices for go-fast hardware. Few such purveyors for the MB faithful, but some of us have come to know those worthy concerns that serve our micro-niche market.

Hadn’t heard from you in a long while. Pleased to know you were merely fiddling with your other toy. Kindly keep us updated with its progress. Most importantly, enjoy your event.

Hey fifth:

I hear you my friend, if wifey only knew what I wanted to due, I would be a dead man walking. Honestly, I am only going to change the brake rotors and pads up front, and go through another set of tires I am sure. My C was VERY neutral, with 38 PSI front, and 30 in the rear. I MIGHT change the rear bar for a little more steering, just not sure yet. I REALLY want to see if the new pulley/HE works, ie NO BLOWER CUT OUT. I feel it will, as even stock, I was NEVER down on power in a 30 mintue sesion. Atleast I was still passing the same BMW's, Mustangs, stc, at the begining and end of the sesion. I'll let you know.

OH YEAH HAVE SOME FUN DAMM IT

See yeah

PS: Almost forgot, Harnesses are a MUST HAVE IMHO. You just move around WAY too much with only a seat belt to really get in the groove, so to speak.

Absolutely, but it's a real slippery slope. To use a harness in Porsche Club, it needs to be a five-point setup. That means new seats since you can't run a sub-belt on OEM seats. PCA doesn't let you modify OEM seats to run the sub belt.

And to run a harness correctly, you'll need a harness bar; but you might as well go all the way to a roll bar and get some safety benefit. So, the idea of adding harnesses escalates to a $2,500 job very quickly.

I hear you:

I always HATED my sub-belt, heck I would SELDOM even use it. And of course your dead on about the Club rules, seats, and price for a cage. Hey, as the old saying goes, speed is only a question of money, How fast do you want to go?

See yeah, and have a great time, with NO RAIN!!!

LS2 swap


$2500??? In your dreams - unless you know how to weld and bend tube.

i just ordered rotors, stainless lines, bars, headers exhaust for the m3. need rims and have left over tires.....may not be ready but march 28 i'd like to be at pocono north for the pda advanced track day. i can always use the amg. i plan on doing one event a month as far as possible. lime rock in april, pocono north in may......one must do event i've schuduled vacation for is summit point with trackdaze in july.


fifth if you like i'll include you in a loose email group of track guys. MRAMG pm me your email as well if you want. OPM and bud4ya are part of the group.

last nite i made arrangements with a friend for use of garage space at her house outside miami. so this coming winter i should not be starving for track events.

fifth- e36 m3s are going to get even cheaper! very nice car for the track.

HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE FIFTH

Had to cancel. Torrential rains.

On the plus side, I placed an order for my wife's next car. Mercedes GL320CDI.

You win some you lose some. AWDman was considering CDI. Great minds think alike.

OPM-Fifth for some reason the ml320 cdi was not approved for sale in CT in 2008. i need to put place an order later in year. Or buy a 2007 MY.

on a very positive note- a recent magazine test of the gl320 cdi yeilded 27 mpg highway despite the brisk driving of the testers. the figure was higher than official MPG of 24, which is pretty rare as far as magazine tests go..... maybe the ml 320 cdi will be even better. dunno if the impending MLK will be able to tow as much as ML or GL. it will have a 170 hp diesel.

good luck with the GL fifth. i figure we're thinking the same thing, give the gl/ml to the wife but borrow it when needed! my prob is that i made a mistake with the jeep- i got into a lease when i thought i would be dollying a 2000 lb fwd track car. don't know if i can get out of it without too much financial pain.

My wife wants the Ml320CDI, or maybe a R. Oh well, great engine from what I have read. How do you like the torque?

See yeah

I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to be my wife's kid-mover, and she was really against a diesel, until she drove it. What won her over was that she really could not tell that there was anything unusual under the hood. Quiet, smooth, strong. That plus 24+MPG on the highway (not to mention 18MPG city) really sealed it.

I didn't tell the wife that it could also be my tow vehicle!

We also tested the new Lexus (LX570) and while it was a technological tour de force, it felt HUGE and the pricing was RIDICULOUS. If we got what we got in the GL, we would be over $85,000. That's more than $20K more than the GL (320 or 450). I suspect they'll be discounting the **** out of those things; especially when gas goes to $4/gallon this Spring.

motorweek is aring their test of gl320cdi this week- think fri or sat- check speed's program guide.

and...f1 season is on......australian GP the weekend........GO KIMI!

When I was buying C55 I was told that in MA dealers are not allowed to sell new diesels, only pre-owned. Some new retarded “green” law. Maybe CT has similar law.

GL will make a slightly better tow rig, but for everyday I would rather drive ML.

I am planning to test the track this summer, I think I would need a set of sway bars. I assume you all them in your cars, can anyone recommend where to get the best deals on sway bars?

h&r bars are available at tire rack. the rear bar alone makes a nice diff to balance for street driving. the front bar will add a bit of harshness over bumps.

i just came from a bmw dealer passed by to see the m3- they had 2 a coupe and sedan as demo vehicles. i may take up the salesman on the offer to drive but he has to drive my c32 as well!

picked up brochures on X5. the x5 35d coming in fall looks very very promising. 400+ ft lbs torque, 25+ mpg, free maintainance. price may be around the X5 V8 level that is to say about $55-60K

the new diesels (2009 320 cdi as well) will come with urea injection which is why the current non urea injected vehicles aren't for sale in certain states (like CT). too much nox.