Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

LO, I had my driveout today and deliberately decided to test the car on damp roads. I have never really had my car on the road in damp weather as both of my 944 Turbo's have been owbed in good weather and then locked up in the snow !

Anyway , I'm no fool so it was all a case of push it gradually and see , especially on the backwater twisting roads out of my village.

Everyone says how balanced 944's are and in the dry I too have been impressed with the handling but today it all fealt 'very' different. I have driven plenty of fairly powerfull cars and currently own one with almost identical horsepower to the 944 but it is a far larger heavier and front wheel drive car. I fealt the back end had very little ability to put the power down coming out of bends but to my surprise it was very keen on spinning the wheels and shaking the rear on a straight as well.
When I tried to boot an overtake at 45 to 50 on a long major country road. I quickly learned that despite a quick overtake being a safe one in the right place , third was the gear and second was a total no no unless you were very gentle.
I know some may say , your 944 cant be right is the suspension knackered etc but it really handles fine round bends roundabouts tight corners anything in the dry, it just can't put tons of power down.

Question , is this normal , does it sound very familiar ?

I have come to the conclusion that unless I truly want to track the car then it has more than enough power for me. Being my second 944 Turbo , I have one to compare it with and I am genuinely starting to think the car is not standard. It has minor anti lag mods like dump valve boost enhancer etc and I have to say I never feel any real lag at all but though I'm really not keen to tinker , I am tempted to whip the ECU out and check the EPROMS for starters.

Had an interesting morning anyway.

Cheers

Mas

Had that when I first had my car Mas but can't say I've noticed anything like that since I've had the castor mounts changed to 968 type and the wheel alignment done. What rubber are you using? Do you have LSD (the differential not the drugs ) Could upgrade to that if you haven't

Andy

I think its a traction issue not a handling issue.

My previous turbo was exactly the same, what tyres have you got on the rear?

Rich

I think you may have hit the nail on the head for 2 reasons. One you are right the handling relly is quite good and two , they are brand new but cheep and nasty brand tyres.
I would never put such tyres on any car I assure you but I bought it with 364 days MOT and they clearly put the tyres on to pass the MOT. Since Im changing the wheels when the right ones come along , I refuse to change two tyres that have done around 1,000 miles.

I am shocked if tyres can really make that much difference to straight line traction , I really am but like I said you may well have hit spot on. I will live with it until I find the wheels I want but will happily put brand new ones on the new wheels straight away.

Any recommendations for best grip per buck would be appreciated ?

Cheers Mas

Falken FK452 all round on mine Mas. Can't find fault with them yet, I'll keep trying
Come to think of it I did have 10 year+ old rubber on mine when I changed the wheels etc which suddenly improved everything.

Take it easy mate

Andy

I have heard a lot of folk big up those tyres on the forums , the trouble is finding a tyre place that does them as they arent keen on ' fit only' round my way. I will almost certainly give them a try if I can I think.

I lied , just checked and Protyre who I use for th T5 and the D5 do them , funny how I have NEVER been offered Falken as an option isnt it ? , maybe not enough profit on them or am I a synic.

Cheers

I put Uniroyal Rainsport 2 on my S2 and it sorted out the rear end issues in the dry and wet. Rubbish in snow though. My only issue is that they have max psi of 40 when the handbook says the rears should be 44psi. But they work good. Hardly any wheel spin and I dont think I have fishtailed at all since changing. Used to be common in 1st and 2nd.

Paid £400 for all 4 tyres. Thats £80 each fronts and £120 each rears, supplied, fitted, disposal of old etc etc and that's for 18" wheels so you should be able to come in well under this.

Andy

Event Tyres are competitive for FK452s and will come to you to fit.

Just a thought, but how waht was the temperature down your way today?

Summer tyres don't work well below about 7C as the rubber is not compounded to work below this temperature and goes very stiff, with the corresponding reduction in grip. Also factor in a layer of salt on a damp road and the grip at this time of the year is never going to be brilliant.

Hi

Bought my Falken's from Black Circles fully fitted at a local gararge. If I remember correctly less than £150 for the pair. As I'm a boring old fart this was for standard size rears for 944S2, (225/50 x16). The price was less than the fitting garage could supply. Worth a try.

Eric

I had to replace my rear tyres recently due to a non repairable puncture.

Went for Falken. They were about £200 for the pair and have and are performing very well.

I have read quite good reports about them, they are the best of the cheaper tyre.

Take it easy Mas, when the back end starts going it can be hard to get back............

It's not just the make of tyres you have but the age of them. Had good Contis on my lux (6mm tread minimum) Could wheel spin in 3rd. Any welly at all in 2nd caused major problems. New rubber cured it straight away for me. But on cold roads & especially in the damp the back will step out if provoked in 2nd. This is in a car with currently 140 at the wheels! It gathers itself up no trouble. But I get some funny looks sometimes. Not surprised your having some moments in your turbo. Will be a lot more grip when it warms up a bit.

I have always thought condition was more important than make etc i must admit but I'm genuinely ready to learn otherwise.

Trust me Rav I was genuinely trying to learn how the car handles, I am no boy racer and have a very low opinion of people who race on public roads. This was a way to find out how the car is in the wet and to be honest may well save me some embarrasment ( and danger) in the future. I fealt the need to know the car I was driving if that makes sense. I have had training on and off of the race track and on a skid pan with both front and rear wheel drive cars so know the difference but have never fealt the need to talk about that here as it sounds a bit 'showy'. I have a great respect for cars.

If I'm to be doing silly speeds etc it will be on a track or an airfield nowhere else.
You can rest assured that I spend most of my time behind the wheel taking it pretty easy

Cheers Mas

Our motorways are being increasingly covered in average speed cameras. The limit on a large section of the M62 near Leeds is down 50 mph. I came back on the A road as the limit is 60 so it's quicker! Thats a silly speed limit in my book. 50 on the motorway. At peak times you will be lucky to average 20. I don't do boy racing don't get me wrong. (Many of them came to grief in the snow & ice.) But if you use the modest power of even my 944 the back end will step out of line occasionally. It only takes a patch of derv & theres enough of that on our roads. I like to drive my '44 as it was intended to be used. Quickly & safely. Well with in it's limits. These days I have a long queue behind me going past schools. But when the day comes that I start driving it like an old granny I will sell it & give up driving for good. I had to drive one day in the snow. The car was going sideways more than it was going straight. But it never spun & was easy to control. Saw some real idiots that day. Our premiums are going to rocket next year for sure. Speed is not the cause of most accidents but the appalling driving standards I see all the time on our roads.