Phoenix from the flames - Porsche Boxster with an Audi 2.7T
Discussion
The track day didn't start off great, I discovered a bolt in my front tyre and had to go and get it repaired after I'd done the check in.
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Then after my first lap I got a vibration. My wishbone was moving in the subframe. This defiantly wasn't happing on the road, just goes to show the extra load on it on track. The bolt was still tight even though it was moving. We tightened it up, marked it, I drove around the car park, checked it and it had moved. We managed to get it tight enough so it didn't move any more. I'll need to replace the bolt, it must be stretch or a damaged thread.. My alignment was now out, it drove fine but the steering wheel wasn't central anymore. Luckily others had tools I could borrow as I didn't have enough with me to sort that out.
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Not the best start. I got it out on track and got a few laps in. The ABS was kicking in all the time, it's been alright on the road but it couldn't handle the track. In the end I turned off a canbus message which put the ABS into an error state, so it was basically off but I still had all the vehicle speed sensors working.
I've decided track days aren't my thing. I'm not truly in the moment as I know I need to drive it home. After a few laps I'd get into a rhythm go a bit faster and start to feel like I'm pushing my luck and come in. I wasn't good enough or brave enough get anywhere near the limit of the car, most of my time I was on the wastegate pressure or the low boost setting, I never use those maps on the road.
Glad I've done it but that's probably it. I think I'd be better off in a cheap and cheerful hot hatch that's trailered in.
Opentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 0209 by Opentrack Track Days, on Flickr
Opentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 1043 by Opentrack Track Days, on Flickr
Opentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 1002 by Opentrack Track Days, on Flickr
Opentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 0904 by Opentrack Track Days, on Flickr
IMG_20240416_090650602Then after my first lap I got a vibration. My wishbone was moving in the subframe. This defiantly wasn't happing on the road, just goes to show the extra load on it on track. The bolt was still tight even though it was moving. We tightened it up, marked it, I drove around the car park, checked it and it had moved. We managed to get it tight enough so it didn't move any more. I'll need to replace the bolt, it must be stretch or a damaged thread.. My alignment was now out, it drove fine but the steering wheel wasn't central anymore. Luckily others had tools I could borrow as I didn't have enough with me to sort that out.
IMG_20240416_103413519Not the best start. I got it out on track and got a few laps in. The ABS was kicking in all the time, it's been alright on the road but it couldn't handle the track. In the end I turned off a canbus message which put the ABS into an error state, so it was basically off but I still had all the vehicle speed sensors working.
I've decided track days aren't my thing. I'm not truly in the moment as I know I need to drive it home. After a few laps I'd get into a rhythm go a bit faster and start to feel like I'm pushing my luck and come in. I wasn't good enough or brave enough get anywhere near the limit of the car, most of my time I was on the wastegate pressure or the low boost setting, I never use those maps on the road.
Glad I've done it but that's probably it. I think I'd be better off in a cheap and cheerful hot hatch that's trailered in.
Opentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 0209 by Opentrack Track Days, on FlickrOpentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 1043 by Opentrack Track Days, on FlickrOpentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 1002 by Opentrack Track Days, on FlickrOpentrack Castle Combe 16.4.24 - 0904 by Opentrack Track Days, on FlickrLooking good!
I know exactly where you are coming from re trackdays.
I used to have an RX8 that was purely for track days and so even though it was road legal (just) and I drove it there and back I didn’t use it on the road much as it was a spare car so if it broke it broke and stayed broke until I had the time/money/inclination to fix it. I drove it hard on track and didn’t really worry about its longevity.
Now with my Boxster it is completely different as my wife uses it to get from A to B occasionally and we use it it as a weekend fun car. I have done track days in it but was far to careful as if I broke it we would then be inconvenienced afterwards and I would be under pressure both for time and financially to fix it.
This took away the enjoyment of trackdays for me so I don’t do them any more. Like you suggest I may well get a dedicated track car for that purpose.
I know exactly where you are coming from re trackdays.
I used to have an RX8 that was purely for track days and so even though it was road legal (just) and I drove it there and back I didn’t use it on the road much as it was a spare car so if it broke it broke and stayed broke until I had the time/money/inclination to fix it. I drove it hard on track and didn’t really worry about its longevity.
Now with my Boxster it is completely different as my wife uses it to get from A to B occasionally and we use it it as a weekend fun car. I have done track days in it but was far to careful as if I broke it we would then be inconvenienced afterwards and I would be under pressure both for time and financially to fix it.
This took away the enjoyment of trackdays for me so I don’t do them any more. Like you suggest I may well get a dedicated track car for that purpose.
Delighted that it went well! (Especially in light of your other thread) and any trackday you can drive home from is a good one.
I’ve done both (a dedicated track car ‘beater’ or a road car you can track) and there’s positives and negatives on both sides of that argument. However, I would suggest that your car, with so many unique modifications and hours invested, just isn’t really the right tool for the job as it’s really the worst of both worlds.
Enjoy it as a road car and a tinkering hobby and if you really want to do trackdays then you’ve more than enough capability to build yourself something appropriate.
Personally, just delighted you and the car are in one piece!
I’ve done both (a dedicated track car ‘beater’ or a road car you can track) and there’s positives and negatives on both sides of that argument. However, I would suggest that your car, with so many unique modifications and hours invested, just isn’t really the right tool for the job as it’s really the worst of both worlds.
Enjoy it as a road car and a tinkering hobby and if you really want to do trackdays then you’ve more than enough capability to build yourself something appropriate.
Personally, just delighted you and the car are in one piece!
Thanks guys. I was pleased with those photos they take, a nice touch.
MDifficult said:
Delighted that it went well! (Especially in light of your other thread) and any trackday you can drive home from is a good one.
Yeah, I was about to go back out on track when I got the phone call about the breakdown, I thought better of it! 
Not much has happened since the track day, I've been driving it a bit but didn't want to use it too much with the wheel alignment off. I had a chance a couple of weeks ago to look at it.
I bought new bolts for the front wishbones. Typically I'd dig through the pile of spare bolts I keep but I always do things properly on the Porsche. It helps that the dealer posts out orders.
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Comparison with the old bolt. You can see the design has changed, no longer threaded all the way up.
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I decided to remove my Powerflex wishbones to make some changes (everything ends up looking shabby so quickly).
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I originally fitted them how they came in the box, they had the eccentric adjuster for the toe on the same side for both wishbones which meant one was easier to adjust on the car than the other so I changed one side around so they were both facing towards the rear of the car. I also flipped the adjusters for the caster (in the middle of the wishbone) upside down so they are easier to adjust on the car.
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Then another alignment, it's already paid for itself. I'd be looking at £150-200 a go if I was taking it somewhere.
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I checked over the rest of it this weekend. I'm really pleased to report the engine is all nice and clean, no oil leaks. That's been a constant battle all the way along this project, the fact it's done a track day and loads of pulls on the street while I was tuning it and I'm still leak free makes me think I'd cracked it. It also didn't use much oil, it took maybe 200ml to top it up and that was a concern I had when I'd scoped the bores and the pistons looked wet.
The headlights were looking a bit cloudy. I bought one of those vapour restoration kits. You still need to sand them so it's not the time saver I thought it would be but the results are better than I can manage with polishing so I guess it was worth it.
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Then protected them with these, hopefully I won't need to do it again for a while.
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Then a couple of shots of it out in the wild.
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I bought new bolts for the front wishbones. Typically I'd dig through the pile of spare bolts I keep but I always do things properly on the Porsche. It helps that the dealer posts out orders.
IMG_20240508_194403217_HDRComparison with the old bolt. You can see the design has changed, no longer threaded all the way up.
IMG_20240508_204545325_HDRI decided to remove my Powerflex wishbones to make some changes (everything ends up looking shabby so quickly).
IMG_20240509_195843319I originally fitted them how they came in the box, they had the eccentric adjuster for the toe on the same side for both wishbones which meant one was easier to adjust on the car than the other so I changed one side around so they were both facing towards the rear of the car. I also flipped the adjusters for the caster (in the middle of the wishbone) upside down so they are easier to adjust on the car.
IMG_20240509_200500231Then another alignment, it's already paid for itself. I'd be looking at £150-200 a go if I was taking it somewhere.
IMG_20240514_192259180I checked over the rest of it this weekend. I'm really pleased to report the engine is all nice and clean, no oil leaks. That's been a constant battle all the way along this project, the fact it's done a track day and loads of pulls on the street while I was tuning it and I'm still leak free makes me think I'd cracked it. It also didn't use much oil, it took maybe 200ml to top it up and that was a concern I had when I'd scoped the bores and the pistons looked wet.
The headlights were looking a bit cloudy. I bought one of those vapour restoration kits. You still need to sand them so it's not the time saver I thought it would be but the results are better than I can manage with polishing so I guess it was worth it.
20240608_10573020240608_105737Then protected them with these, hopefully I won't need to do it again for a while.
20240608_105749Then a couple of shots of it out in the wild.
20240608_20313520240608_20314620240608_203201For a while there's been a noise coming from the gearbox that's started getting a bit louder. Probably best described as a low grumbling whir with some scrapey overtones. I'd notice it when I'd slowly accelerate from a roundabout, high gear low revs (this is when the exhaust is quiet). It's always made this noise a bit, it didn't see it as particularly out of the ordinary, a fairly normal transmission sound as you load it up and my stiff gearbox mounts amplify it. It's defiantly getting louder now so it is something that will need addressing. It also seems to get louder as it warms up.
I'm trying to work it out. It only does it when I've got some steering lock on, it's silent in a straight line so that points to the differential. I've got a Quaife ATB in it.
I've got no clunks as I come on and off the power and it's silent in a straight line (accelerating or decelerating) which makes me think no issues with backlash or pre-load. If the pre-load was wrong and the bearings were worn I'd expect to hear a whine in a straight line also. So I'm wondering if the Quaife itself is the issue.
If anyone has some suggestions I'd like to hear them.
I'm trying to work it out. It only does it when I've got some steering lock on, it's silent in a straight line so that points to the differential. I've got a Quaife ATB in it.
I've got no clunks as I come on and off the power and it's silent in a straight line (accelerating or decelerating) which makes me think no issues with backlash or pre-load. If the pre-load was wrong and the bearings were worn I'd expect to hear a whine in a straight line also. So I'm wondering if the Quaife itself is the issue.
If anyone has some suggestions I'd like to hear them.
I'm off to Santa Pod on Monday. It's a test day rather than a RWYB, think there's about 60 of us so should get plenty of runs in.
There's a few slots left if anyone fancies it. Search for Yam Yam Racing Drag Club on Facebook.
I'm not sure what I'm expecting time wise. I guess something in the 11's. I'm struggling to get it off the line on the street. I'm using a rev limiter based on wheel speed to try and keep it from spinning. My best 0-60 so far is 4.4 seconds. I figure I should be able to get it into the high 3's if I get the ecu set up right.
There's a few slots left if anyone fancies it. Search for Yam Yam Racing Drag Club on Facebook.
I'm not sure what I'm expecting time wise. I guess something in the 11's. I'm struggling to get it off the line on the street. I'm using a rev limiter based on wheel speed to try and keep it from spinning. My best 0-60 so far is 4.4 seconds. I figure I should be able to get it into the high 3's if I get the ecu set up right.
Shadow R1 said:
Good luck at the pod. 
Thanks, I'm really looking forward to it.Since fitting the RS4 inlet manifold it's not really panned out like I expected, there isn't much difference on my 100-200km time (done all in 4th gear so fairly consistent for a performance comparison). I'd noticed the boost was dropping off a bit at high RPM I added more duty cycle on my boost solenoid which was then hitting 100%. This all suggests I'm flowing more air but it's not making much difference in times.
I thought I'd upgrade the actuators, I previously had 0.8 bar actuators. I bought some Mamba ones where I can change the springs. I've put some 1 bar springs in. They are Audi RS4 fitment but I have RS6 turbos so I needed to modify one of them (cut the arm in half and extend it) to get it to fit.
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20240626_212054When fitted them, I discovered that all the pre-load had gone off the old actuators (springs must have weakened) so I was thinking maybe they weren't holding closed and it was hurting the spool up.
Much like the inlet manifold changes, it's not gone how I thought and I've been left underwhelmed. My boost threshold seems to be 1000rpm later than before. I've connected them up to an air line and they do open at 1 bar of pressure, both move at the same time and seem to move freely. It doesn't make sense why there's such a difference.
I've added more pre-load onto them but haven't tested since. I figure it shouldn't be an issue on the drag strip, I plan on leaving line making decent boost.
I've got the Sports Design steering wheel, it's nice but occasionally when driving around I'd find it feels a bit bus like in the hands. It's quite large and a bit thin.
20240630_092904I've also rubbed the badge with the back of the laptop and that bothers me.
20240630_092910I've bought this aftermarket steering wheel, It's made by Atiwe/Raid. It's the one all the tuners like RUF, Techart and Gemballa sell. Koenigsegg also used it on the CCX. As far as I'm aware it's the only option for an aftermarket steering wheel which has an airbag and that's something I wanted to retain.
20240630_092728It was on ebay in Ireland, after I bought it I realised shipping was a problem as ebay global shipping won't forward airbags. I found a company based in Northern Ireland that he could send it to and they forwarded it to me, it was cheap and also avoided the Brexit bonus.
It's 340mm.
20240630_094132First impressions are good, I like it. It feels nicer in the hands. I haven't driven it far yet though.
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20240630_203611Santa Pod was good fun.
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I'd said earlier I was aiming for an 11 second pass. My first run of the day I did 11.82 @ 125mph. I did a 3.95 0-60mph
There was some wheel spin, I hit the rev limiter in 4th before I crossed the line. I'd also driven through the water they put down and not around it and didn't do a burnout (on any run). I felt like there is more in it.
I then proceeded to have 9 more runs where I didn't manage to get close. I was tuning the launch control and engine rpm vs wheel speed limiter during the different runs but I wasn't getting anywhere.
If my first run was my last I'd have been happy but I ended up feeling a bit frustrated as I made no progress. The terminal speeds were pretty consistent during the day, it's not like it was getting slower or anything.
Boost is dropping off a bit at higher RPM and I'm pegged at 100% duty cycle on the solenoid. Along with the boost threshold being higher on these new actuators I'm thinking it's not 100% right, I need to look into these actuators. I also think maybe the turbos are giving all they've got.
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The only casualty of the day was my power steering. After the first run down the strip it just stopped working, that was a surprise when I went to turn off the track. No leaks, belt still on and the pump sounded alright beforehand but there isn't any flow in the system when I took the cap off. I'm guessing the pump has failed internally. That's the 3rd one it's had. That smaller diameter steering wheel felt like a mistake on the drive back.
FB_IMG_1719866053182I'd said earlier I was aiming for an 11 second pass. My first run of the day I did 11.82 @ 125mph. I did a 3.95 0-60mph
There was some wheel spin, I hit the rev limiter in 4th before I crossed the line. I'd also driven through the water they put down and not around it and didn't do a burnout (on any run). I felt like there is more in it.
I then proceeded to have 9 more runs where I didn't manage to get close. I was tuning the launch control and engine rpm vs wheel speed limiter during the different runs but I wasn't getting anywhere.
If my first run was my last I'd have been happy but I ended up feeling a bit frustrated as I made no progress. The terminal speeds were pretty consistent during the day, it's not like it was getting slower or anything.
Boost is dropping off a bit at higher RPM and I'm pegged at 100% duty cycle on the solenoid. Along with the boost threshold being higher on these new actuators I'm thinking it's not 100% right, I need to look into these actuators. I also think maybe the turbos are giving all they've got.
20240701_162721Screenshot_20240701-222052The only casualty of the day was my power steering. After the first run down the strip it just stopped working, that was a surprise when I went to turn off the track. No leaks, belt still on and the pump sounded alright beforehand but there isn't any flow in the system when I took the cap off. I'm guessing the pump has failed internally. That's the 3rd one it's had. That smaller diameter steering wheel felt like a mistake on the drive back.
Glad the only casualty was the power steering! - Sorry to hear you did not break the 11 second mark though.
I am probably reading it very wrong, but why does it appear your are slowing down while you change gears? - I would have expected you to stop accelerating and maintain zero G until the next gear is selected?
I am probably reading it very wrong, but why does it appear your are slowing down while you change gears? - I would have expected you to stop accelerating and maintain zero G until the next gear is selected?
Well done Escy! Properly quick car! 
Did the PAS fail just after hitting the rev limiter? Pas pumps don't tend to enjoy this and there are a few production roads cars where donuts will equal a failed PAS pump. Have you got room in the frunk for an electro-hydraulic pack? The TRW one has been used many times in Porsche applications with good results.
Did the PAS fail just after hitting the rev limiter? Pas pumps don't tend to enjoy this and there are a few production roads cars where donuts will equal a failed PAS pump. Have you got room in the frunk for an electro-hydraulic pack? The TRW one has been used many times in Porsche applications with good results.
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