My First Track Car (a learn me thread)

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to go racing. The closest I've come is a couple of autocross events and some idiocy on the street.

What I've learned so far is that I'm probably not the next Mario Andretti and that, in my wrong-wheel-drive VW anyway, autocrossing with power steering is better than without. I also learned that if you launch a 944 Turbo by revving it to 3500rpm and dumping the clutch, it will beat a 5.0 fox-body Mustang off the line, and replacing a clutch in said 944 is both expensive and a real pain in the ass.

All that being said, I just dragged home a 1984 Porsche 944 that I want to build into my first real, dedicated track toy. I have to keep it cheap so that if I wreck it, I don't cry and my wife doesn't beat me up

I intend to start out with some Porsche Club HPDE events before going full-on wheel to wheel racing.

My question is: where would my (very limited) 'upgrade money' be best / most effectively spent?

Seriously, seat time. Leave the car alone.

I'll elaborate further when I am near a real keyboard. Phones are awful.

Seat time, seat time, seat time.

Also, decide what racing class before buying upgrades. I'd say Spec 944 is probably your best bet.

Congrats!

Safety equipment and seat time. Don't waste money on sticky tires until you're actually racing. Get lots of rides with instructors, and have lots of instructors ride with you. You'll learn faster which will save you tons of money on tires and entries.

David

Maintenance, brakes, shocks/suspension, tires - that is a good start in my book and gives you a reliable foundation to get you seat time.

Spec 944 is a good option as prep is limited and therefore cheap.

Safety equipment and seat time. If you want to drop a bunch of money to make significant improvements, spend the money on some high-level instruction like Skip Barber, Bob Bondurant, etc.

When you do get to the point of building up the car, check out 944Spec and build your car up to those rules so that you'll have a good series to race in when you're ready. It's also a good template for a competent track car, and building within a rulebook will make the car easier to sell if you do so later. http://944spec.org/944SPEC/

And what was that thing they said to me...

Oh yeah BUY a ready to go race car.

In reply to AndreGT6:

Absolutely, except that he already has the car.

And it was cheap!

Good start, I am looking at one this afternoon. Mine will be a basic weekend and whatever car.

Tires

Go through the car, fix anything that is broken/worn out. Treat the car to new pads/rotors, fluids (rear, trans, oil, coolant, brake), and look closely at the tires. (if bad, replace, but NOT R-comps)

Got a helmet? go get one (with current Snell SA rating)

See what other equipment the people your going to run with require.

After an event, check for new failures.

If it is cheaper to upgrade, go right ahead. Just dont snowball.

I would run like that for a year or so to start.

Going from HPDE to full race is a big difference.

Involving many dollars.

I want to know about the old truck in the background.

Just as everyone else has said, seat time, and I would start a collection of replacement parts in case you bin it.

iceracer wrote: Going from HPDE to full race is a big difference.

Yeah, if you're just now starting HPDE for the first time, you've got a long way to go. Probably a couple years. You need to reach the point where you are fast, smooth, consistent, and TOTALLY AWARE OF EVERY FLAGGER before adding in the variable of dealing with competitors. Adding competitors into the mix multiplies the complexity of what you're doing. Car control and awareness should be reflexive.

Find good instructors. Keep your ears open and your mouth shut. Read books. Watch videos. Set your ego aside an accept how much you have to learn.

If you really do want to get into spec racing, start hanging out with guys who race in series you'd like to eventually join. Get advice and coaching from them.

And did I mention find good instructors and listen to what they tell you?

You'll have tons of fun in HPDE while gaining valuable experience. It should take you several years before you're ready to begin W2W racing. There is nothing more terrifying than starting your first race, racing into T1 with 30+ other people who all want that same tiny patch of pavement...nor is there anything more exhilarating.

Be forewarned...everything they say about racing being expensive is true. If you find yourself happy with HPDE, stay there. Enjoy it for as long as you can. Lots of people race for a year or three and then quit because it's simply so expensive. And yes, head towards Spec944; they've generally got pretty full fields most races I've been at and the prep level isn't ridiculous. Just try not to block the E30's when we are lapping you.

In reply to mguar:

I will respectfully disagree about the importance of adding more power. Don't worry about it. If your goal is W2W racing, don't do anything to your car that you will need to undo if you convert it to a spec racer. For a 944Spec, that means you can't touch anything from the MAF sensor through the header. You can change the intake and the muffler, and that's about it for power.

Definitely brakes, then tires, than suspension. Again, stick to doing things legal for 944Spec. That means you're only playing with brake pads. Don't go to race compound pads until you also switch to DOT-R compound tires. Don't go to r-compounds until you've gotten pretty good on street tires. Street tires will communicate more of your bad habits to you at first, and will make it harder for you to get in over your head. When you do eventually jump up to DOT-R tires, that will also substantially change how your suspension and brakes perform too.

I will also disagree with mguar re: the suspension. Not that the advice isn't sound - it is just too soon.

For a beginner putting his first wheels on a track - body roll gives them time to react to things they didn't really feel developing until too late. It lets them practice the correct responses and to build muscle memory in an envelope that is comfortable. When people show up with well built cars and no seat time they tend to progress to competence a bit slower., If they are very aggressively pursuing speed thru better hardware before they have the tools (consistent , aware, recovery and exit strategy) - often they are on their second car before too long.

I always tell people who ask "What should I do to my car" that if they cannot answer it for themselves they don't have enough seat time. You know pretty quickly what needs to be addressed as you climb the learning curve. If you do not, O.S.B. (Other Sports Beckon).

Make it safe - drive the hell out of it.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I will also disagree with mguar re: the suspension. Not that the advice isn't sound - it is just too soon. For a beginner putting his first wheels on a track - body roll gives them time to react to things they didn't really feel developing until too late. It lets them practice the correct responses and to build muscle memory in an envelope that is comfortable. When people show up with well built cars and no seat time they tend to progress to competence a bit slower., If they are very aggressively pursuing speed thru better hardware before they have the tools (consistent , aware, recovery and exit strategy) - often they are on their second car before too long. I always tell people who ask "What should I do to my car" that if they cannot answer it for themselves they don't have enough seat time. You know pretty quickly what needs to be addressed as you climb the learning curve. If you do not, O.S.B. (Other Sports Beckon). Make it safe - drive the hell out of it.

This^^^ Safety equipment and seat time, seat time, seat time. The theory that you need to buy performance parts to start doing track days is really silly. As stated, you will learn what it needs as you go along and you will learn car control much quicker as it sits.

Only thing I would go out with that wasn't stock would be maybe some better brake fluid and maybe some better brake pads. I would even just put new OEM fluid and pads in before going to the track.

Go have fun, you are doing it the right way with a car you can afford to wad up.

As far as lap times... there is no timed laps in DE, you are still learning car control and smoothness. Its not a race, its still learning.

In reply to mguar:

His stated goal is to start racing. I'm keeping my advice to things that won't need to be undone later if he does decide that he wants to use it in a spec series.

When I talk about improving brakes, I'm not talking about doing some sort of fancy rotor upgrade or anything like that. I should clarify that I simply mean he should upgrade the pad compound to something that will better handle the heat and abuse of being on the track. So more of a safety issue than a performance one. Just starting out, that probably just means a pad that can handle at least as much heat as OEM, but not a crazy race pad that needs lots of heat to work. Something like a Hawk HPS.

And the 944 has one significant issue with the brakes: it has rear braking bias. Yes. Rear. You can argue how much front bias a car should have, or if it should be totally uniform, but I've never heard of rear bias being good. You get good at threshold braking in a strait line with a 944. Other options are to install a brake bias controller if you can find one (not legal for all series) or use different pad compounds front to rear to shift the bias a bit (what the 944Spec guys do).

Anti-stance wrote: Only thing I would go out with that wasn't stock would be maybe some better brake fluid and maybe some better brake pads. I would even just put new OEM fluid and pads in before going to the track. Go have fun, you are doing it the right way with a car you can afford to wad up. As far as lap times... there is no timed laps in DE, you are still learning car control and smoothness. Its not a race, its still learning.

Yep. Bleed the brakes, be sure it has good pads, change the oil, and give it a little bit of tune up.

Not only don't worry about lap times, don't worry about anyone being any faster than you. You are not competing yet! Your goal is not to be faster than the other guy. Your goal is not even to be as fast as you possibly can. Your goal is to learn proper technique and habits. You will learn these things better at a more moderate pace.

Happens all the time wit beginner groups at HPDEs that the slower guys in the morning become the faster guys in the afternoon.