Well you know this was going to happen. Finally took Stewie out for its first autocross. I wasn't really sure what to expect other than I was sure to have a blast again but also knowing I was going to be rusty since it's been 9 whole months since I last autocrossed.
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| NNJR SCCA Autocross 5-11-2024 Photo by: Perry Aidelbaum |
I had on 225/50R16 RE71RS all around and Koni shocks with ground control springs so I felt that it was the very least not going to suck. My first run was a terrible mess, less so because of the car but from me being rusty. I lost count of how many cones I must've smacked but it wasn't pretty. This car isn't exactly something that accelerates very quickly so it was almost like autocrossing in slow motion. I had a bit of time to think before each corner which felt a bit weird. I started with even pressures all around at 30psi cold but after feeling the car was a hair pushy I changed it to 29 front and 30 rear. That helped the balance quite a bit but allowing the front to work better.
The balance of the car was actually really neutral. I had no problems getting the car turning and the rear was so easy to manage. The diff was working perfectly and at the limit, it was a dream to control. Even when the rear wanted to kick out, I had plenty of time to correct and I didn't even have to lift. That said, the turn in speed wasn't there. I had to adjust my timing to turn in way earlier than I normally would but if I did, I could get on the throttle much sooner and the car just did it's thing. Honestly, other than the acceleration, I'd argue this car outhandles both my 911 and Cayman. It's just so well balanced.
After a few runs, I noticed some powersteering fluid coming out of the reservoir. I was carefully monitoring it and wiping it off before it got onto the ground between each run. When I got home I checked the fill level and it was definitely overfilled. I took some fluid out and now it's where it should be based on the dip stick so that problem should be gone next time. I also noticed the same around the brake fluid reservoir. That too was a hair over max so I took some fluid out so it'll be sorted next time.
I definitely enjoyed autocrossing this car. Sure it's not really going to be as fast as the other cars in its class (it is classed as STR as it stands right now) but I'm curious to see how I can improve this with more events under my belt. Each run I was already picking up more time so with only 6 runs and being a rusty driver, I left a ton of time on the table that I'm sure I could easy get back. I've got some alignment tweaks coming up that I think will make a big difference at the next outing. Overall the car worked really well and I really understand why these were so popular as track cars. Porsche really did a great job on the driving dynamics of these cars and it's a shame they are so under appreciated.
Was too lazy to run a mic inside the car so excuse the wind noise
