All my autocross experience is in rear engined Porsches. Do any of you mid-engined pilots have any suggestions for making the transition? Any experience with any driving schools geared toward mid-engines?

I've only autocrossed a few times but my main piece of advice would be not to 'fight' the car, but rather make your motions as fluid as possible and let the car go where it wants to go, particularly in something like a slalom section of a course. I found my times go much better after I relaxed and became more fluid in my motions, almost like a dance partner was needed.

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K-Man S

Though I have autocrossed my '73 914 since '73 several times a year, as well as a '98 Boxster similarIy, hesitate to give advice re the differences from a rear engine 911 as I did not autocross my '82 911 more than a few times. I also have some A/X time, and national wins,in 944's and a Birkiin (Lotus Super 7 clone).


In any case, the low polar moment of inertia inherent with mid-engine cars may be a factor initially. Essentially they will not spin as early as most cars, but when they do it tends to be more sudden and thus harder to catch. This may be less of a factor with Boxsters or I am just accustomed to it. Some seat time in a mid-engine car should clear that up quickly.


Since there is some understeer engineered into most Porsches I find that using lower psi in rear tires and more in front will help the car rotate. In the 914 I use 2 or 3 psi more in front than rear. With the Boxster just equalizing the pressure f-r seems to work well. I always run stock classes in SCCA and PCA so have not done anything with bars. Do have adjustable Konis on the 914 set to a half to 3/4 turnoff full hard usually.


Also use 'sticky' tires (R's) which offer a great improvement over street tires for autocross as I'm sure you know is a big help regardless of where the engine is. I think you will like the mid-engine configuration for autocrossing when you get accustomed to it and willfind it more balanced and easier to drive than a 911.


Maury

I agree with K-man S, he said it very well. My stock Boxster always felt poised and balanced, no leaning, no vices, wonderful surefooted braking (but then I really didn't have enough power with the 2.5L to get into any trouble). The car does not need to be bullied (which I think is true of the 911) to do what you want it to. I hate to say it, but it's possible to drive pretty well in the Boxster without that much concentration until the speeds become fairly serious or the road unusually demanding. I also think it's possible to become "bored" with the Boxster because it does its business without any drama. I think for AX the key is to spend a lot of time practicing the art of doing "just enough" if that makes any sense. Based on my experience with the Boxster I can only believe the Cayman will be awesome. Truthfully I don't have the skill to exploit the full potential of 295hp let alone 350hp or more.

Edited by - DaveC on 10/12/2005 9:40:55 PM

Mythoughts are that, in very general terms, you will need to brake noticeably later in corner enteries to be able to swing to rear end on the Cayman. Straight line braking will not be as much of a requirement, but keeping the momentum will be more of an issue past mid-corner. I believe you will be able to use more brute force with the Cayman than the 911, while compromising the corner exits in terms of speed. I would venture out to say that smooth inputs will actually not work with the Cayman or at least will not reward as much as it would with a 911.


Tire sizing will be even more critical on the Cayman, especially in stock classes. I do not think that the 235/265 f/r setup will work, I think we will see closer sections front and rear, may be 255/275 or even 255/265.


But then again, right now, anything goes LOL. I truly cannot wait until March for first test & tune days [img]/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/regular_smile.gif[/img]

Edited by - FT on 10/13/2005 09:21:35 AM

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FT

These are good thoughts. I believe that there will be a big learning curve for me coming from the rear engined cars.

There will be some getting accustomed to the new car and different weight distribution, but I think you'll find it a fairly easy transition and in addition you'll find the Cayman easier to drive than the 911.

I started out autocrossing a Toyota Spyder nationally in the SCCA. It wasn't my car and I didn't know anything about autocross...I just codrove with a friend. While the Spyder is considered a midengine car, it has a horrible weight balance (a little over 60% is in the rear). We had to do some incredible things to get the car to rotate on grippy surfaces...like 1/4' of total toe out in the rear. When we hit the setup, that car was wicket fast. When you missed, it could be heinous.

I then transitioned from that car to a 1999 Miata (same class, same allowed mods...shocks, front bar, and cat-back exhaust only). The Miata has a much closer to 50/50 weight balance. The biggest difference was that with the Spyder we could *only* brake the car in a straight line. Anything else was bad news. With the Miata, however, you want to trail brake it pretty much half way into every corner. I'm guessing you'll see and feel something fairly similar going from a 911 to a Cayman.

No, they aren't directly analogous scenarios, but my gut says it's fairly close. That said, it also depends on what 911 you are coming from. I have an '87 Carrera that to me feels great, but also feels incredibly tail heavy. I also owned a 996TT for a couple years and it didn't feel nearly as tail heavy. That's probably due to the AWD **** giving it a better overall balance (plus the suspension improvements). The 996TT launched like a banshee and definitely had better overall handling, but it didn't *feel* as fun as the '87 does to me. No communication. Can't wait for the Cayman...


--Donnie

Thanks. My last autocrosser was a C-4. I was able to get it into the topthree or four of the non-modified cars most days (blasted 914's always took FTD) but it was a real handfulto drive. Spins could happen as often as fast times. I'm really looking forward to something a bit more suited to my skills.