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Evolution Porsche 912 Stage 2

If you remember from stage 1 there were several things we needed to attend to to get the car performing better. The first was an alignment. We make an appointment with Chuck at Auto SS. After Chuck got it on his rack it was determined that we were desperately in need of an alignment. The left rear had 'toe out' and the right rear had 'toe in'. Wonderful.. This means that the car was crabbing around the track previously. In fact the alignment was off in every aspect. Straightening this was money well spent.     The second thing we needed to do to improve the car was to update the brakes. The brakes are stock 912 brakes. This means that it has solid rotors front and rear. This is adequate for the original anemic 912 4 cylinder but does not suit the increased weight and power of our 2.5. Fortunately the Porsche 911S front brakes will bolt on directly to the front and an updated vented rear is available. To accomplish this we order some new ATE slotted front rotors from Carquip and send 4 calipers off to be rebuilt. Since we are redoing the brake system we also decide to change out all the brakes lines with stainless steel and replace the present master cylinder with a dual chambered master.

The 912 in the air during the brake upgrade

Once all the parts arrive we begin the transplant. Swapping the front brakes and master cylinder is quite painless. The rotors bolt on directly and the calipers match nicely. The rears however prove temperamental. The rotors we selected do not seem have the correct offset to accommodate the calipers. Unfortunately the ears on the trailing arm used to attach the caliper are closer together on the early cars. This limits the selection of rotor / caliper sets we have to choose from. This limitation prompted us to stay with the current solid rotor configuration on the back and just add the stainless steel brake lines. After reconnecting everything and flushing the system with ATE Super Blue brake fluid we head out to test the new setup and to break in the new pads. The pedal feel is good and the car stops significantly better than before. The real test, however, will be the track.

The new Sparcos

During these modification we were presented with an option to change out our Recaro sport seats we had with a set of Sparco EVO II race seats. The seats are available from B & D Components, a Denver based Porsche shop (The same company that built the awesome yellow 911 racecar Carquip has for sale). The Recaros that we have weigh 45lbs each, including mounting hardware. The new seats would only weigh 12lbs each. The math is quite simple. 90lbs - 24lbs = 66lbs. We can remove 66lbs from the car by adding a better (for our needs), more comfortable and safer seat. Ummmm?? Sold! As with everything there are always problems. The mounting hardware that is designed for the seat pushes the occupant so close to the roof of the car that, unless you are a midget, your helmet is pushed firmly into the head liner. Our solution is to remove the slides. This gives us the 2 necessary inches of headroom but removes any easy adjustment. It now takes an Allen wrench to adjust the driver and passenger position. Fortunately, due to our similar sizes, Tim and I were able to find a comfortable common driving position. One added and unanticipated benefit to the new seat is the new angle the seatbelts came through. The seats forced the belts to come through in a lower and more comfortable position. This is not only more comfortable but safer.

The updated fiberglass rear end caught fire at the Last event. We changed it out for a piece of aluminum

After all the work and changes we put into the car we finally get to test. Our second day at Second Creek at first looks questionable as it is getting late in the season. The event is scheduled for Sunday. The weather, unfortunately, does not seem to be cooperating. There is snow on Friday and it appeared that no sun was to appear on Saturday to melt it away. Our luck prevailed though as the sun appeared late in the day on Saturday and was strong enough to dry out the road down and the track. The road conditions are actually crucial as it is not fun to drive with race tires in nasty weather. Awaking early on Sunday morning to a blistering 25 degrees Fahrenheit, Tim and myself load the car with necessary tools and drive down to the track. We leave early with the idea that the support vehicle, driven by Amy, would meet us at the track if the event is on. Typical to Colorado the sky is a brilliant blue, the sun just beginning to show its head. For those of you who are not familiar with Colorado, this type of weather is typical. Almost immediately after a good storm the sun reappears and burns away the moisture. Colorado generally has more than 300 days of sun a year.

Jonathan doing an oil change before the Track.

When we arrive at the track there are very few people. We drive over to Paul Prigge and ask if the event is still going to happen. With a big affirmative he tells us that due to low turnout it is an open track. We pay and proceed to ready the car. After a quick call to Amy to let her know, we torque the wheels, suite up and head out onto the track. The weather proves to be perfect for our car. If you recall from our last experience at Second Creek we had overheating problems with both the engine and the brakes. Because of the bitterly cold air the engine is staying cool and the brakes are feeling great. Tim again drove the first time out with me as passenger. The track is clear of snow and water and is beginning to warm from the touch of the sun. This, however, did not seem to warm the tires very quickly and it takes several fairly quick laps to bring the Kuhmos up to temperature. The new brakes are a big improvement with a much more solid pedal and, in the cold temperature, seem to resist fade.     As we return to the paddock we notice that Amy had arrived in the M3. We have discovered that the M3 work well as a support vehicle. Due to the 4 doors and the trunk we can haul most of the necessary tools and spare parts down to the track. The benefit of the M3 is that, once unloaded, it makes a fun track car as well.

Moving quickly around Second Creek

Through the day Tim and I alternate driving the Porsche. This time on the track we are more conscious of recording our track times. As the day progressed our times steadily improved. During my last session of the day I decide to try something rather unique. Due to the broad torque curve of the Porsche's engine I thought I might leave the car in 3rd gear around the track and focus on my line. This made several corners slightly slower on the exits as 2nd gear would have pulled better and during the 2 straits I found myself backing off to avoid the rev-limiter. To my surprise I found that my times did not degrade and in fact they became more consistent. I manage to drive 4 laps at 1:25 each with less than 1/10th of a second variation. This is without hammering the brakes in each corner or beating on the tires. Tim, of course, manages a 1:22. This, however, is not a pace he could maintain as the car and brakes get very hot at this pace and he is only be able to follow it with a 1:26. As you may remember from our last event at Second Creek, these times are significantly better. The only changes were an alignment, seats, and bigger brakes. I am attributing most of this to the alignment, as due to the alignment before, I am sure that we moved through the corners much faster.     There were, of course, problems that we encountered that I have not yet mentioned. Towards the end of the day the brakes began to go off. The brake pedal began to go soft and require a pump before applying pressure. To try an alleviate this we quickly bleed the brakes, or try to. Once we pulled the front wheels off it becomes apparent that the front left caliper is frozen. After working it for a while we are able to free it sufficiently to run again. Unfortunately when we went to put the wheels on again after the bleed we can not find our torque wrench. After searching everywhere we end up borrowing our neighbor's, assuming ours had been lost. Returning to the track results in a rapidly overheating front brake as the front caliper froze again. It is now about 5pm and time to call it a day. We quickly load the M3, unfreeze the front caliper, thank Paul for the wonderful day, and head for home.     After arriving home we find a message on our answering machine. Tim's friend Kurt who had been driving his Nissan 240SX with us at the track, had accidentally packed our torque wrench with his things when he left. What a Bozo! At least we found it.

The Porsche returning from the track and The infamous Kurt

What we learned: 1) The Alignment made a huge difference ---- Maybe we need more negative camber? 2) We need to replace the front left caliper. ---- Hopefully it did not damage the new rotor 3) Maybe we need bigger brakes still? 4) We will still need a front oil cooler if we are to run on warmer days. 5) We love the seats. They hold you in place and are comfortable. 6) The tires are lasting really well. 7) Never lend your tools to Kurt.