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AvailableHARRY SAYS'
This is a set of articles I have written over the years on various Porsche subjects
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Catch me if you can!
Maybe that should read-catch me if you want to work your car that hard. It is really quite simple. The harder you work the car the more you will need to do in the way of maintenance dollars. I can speak with certainty here; your local Porsche shop loves those maintenance dollars. Driving in a track event does not equal a broken car, but it will find the next weak part quicker than normal point A to point B driving.
You do not have to “race” your car to enjoy our PCA driving events. Our Driver’s Education event is a great example. The event provides the opportunity for some really first class story telling and entertainment. It seems the participants, for the most part are not out for their first exciting weekend. The stories alone are worth the trip.
The social may be all you desire. The extreme is also available as the only speed limits are the limits of your driving skills and the limits of your machine. There are many levels in between. You can drive your car without damage by following as few suggestions. Have the car pre-teched so any needs may be addressed. Pay attention at the driver’s meeting. Talk to other drivers. On track do not “spank” your car. Take the first laps slow. Do not get in a hurry, but gradually build speed. Do not speed shift. You will not go fast by gear change alone. Never allow the clutch to slip. There is no need to red line the engine. I find that when I take my time shifting, accelerate smoothly, do my heavy braking in a straight line, and be gentle with the gearbox, the car remains settled and my laps improve. I find that when I run 2nd gear for instance near the rev limit on a section of track, I’ll be smoother and faster using 3rd gear. It’s not quite as noisy and entertaining, but is smoother and faster.
Driving Porsches fast is a dream come true for me. I enjoy extreme use of my 911. I will push my car and myself right up to the edge and maybe a little further. I love the challenge and the experience and I am willing to deal with the added expense brought on by rapid tire wear, brake wear, and the like.
Sonnenschein PCA driving events are unique. We have use of the Bronson Field airport. The surface is a little tough on tires, but there are no concrete retaining walls to hit if you get out of sorts in a turn. The number of drivers is usually less than 15. This gives each participant the opportunity for lots of seat time.
Drivers are coupled with an instructor until the instructor gives them the solo clearance.
Most drivers have the chance to benefit from more than one instructor. You’ll be encouraged to drive within you level of comfort, if you get a bit too aggressive and spin out twice you have to have a talk with Mr. Mitchell and he may give you a little quite time.
Feel free to send question or comment to hwimports@cox.netHarry Williams
Synthetic vs. Conventional motor oils.
The questions come fairly often. What is the best oil to use for my Porsche? Should I use synthetics? Will synthetics leak more than conventional oils? Is synthetic oil worth the money? These are all good questions.
I know you’ve heard it from me before, but here we go again…read the owners manual. The types and weights for a given vehicle and climate are listed there.
Porsches built in recent years like Boxsters and 996’s were built for synthetic oils. This means that the design tolerances of the engine such as bearing clearances (like the space between the connecting rod bearing and the crankshaft) is smaller than it would be for say a 1975 911 which was not designed for synthetic oils. The synthetic oils act like a thinner liquid. They will pour through an opening much quicker than a conventional oil of the same weight or viscosity. What all this means to you is this. If your engine was built for synthetics, use synthetics. If your Porsche was built for conventional oils then the synthetics will not provide the cushion needed to fill the additional clearance designed into the engine. The result of this loss of cushion can be a hammering effect. We have seen this result in broken ring and pinion teeth (read big bucks) in transmissions where we ran synthetic gear oil in place of conventional 90w gear oil. The synthetic gear oils we use now have a particulate built in to protect against this. Sorry to wonder off on gear oils, but it really proves the point of what is likely happening to some degree in the engine as well.
I bet you noticed the statement in the above paragraph about the synthetic oil going through smaller places than conventional oil. Yes, that means it is more likely to leak oil compared to conventional dinosaur oil.
Bottom line. Synthetic oils are superior to dinosaur oil in friction reduction and handling severe heat. They are however better suited in my opinion to the vehicles designed for their use. Are they worth the money? If your car calls for a synthetic they are definitely worth every penny. If you have an older car, I feel you are much better off to increase the frequency of your oil and filter changes and stay with conventional oil.
What about synthetic blends? I’ll have to study up a bit to see.
Harry Williams
Feel free to send question or comment to hwimports@cox.net
Spring-cleaning
This time of year I really look forward to spring. I have by now forgotten the extreme heat of summer past and look forward to light breezes, sunny blue skies with just a wisp of cloud gently moving by and of course the Cobia migration. This is the time of year for some great Porsche cruising.
The sad thing is that those conditions are a few weeks away yet. This does however give us a little time to get the ole Porsche ready for max enjoyment by doing a little springtime prep/ cleaning.
The sunshine at this latitude gets a little brutal on finish and interior, so a good leather conditioner is definitely in order. This is a great time to do the annual above average wax and detail job. I know that every time I take the time to do a really good wax job I spot all areas of concern on the cars finish. If any are severe enough it may be time to let the paint man have a look and make recommendations. A good rain-x type treatment for the windows, and new wiper blades are always nice.
The mechanicals on the car may be due for some maintenance also. If you’ve done the annual maintenance recently you should be in great shape. If you do your own maintenance and it’s been awhile then you will want to look at things like brake fluid, the battery and it’s connections, oil change, and fuel filter, belts, and hoses. This is also a good time for a fresh tune of the engine if it has been awhile. Brake fluid, fuel filter, and coolant should be changed every 2 years for normal conditions. Make sure all the lights are in good working order.
Safety items should be inspected also. The fire extinguisher should be checked. You do have a fire extinguisher don’t you? The tool kit, spare tire, and the compressor to inflate the spare should be checked. If you have a first aid kit check it and freshen it up as needed.
Thanks and have a great spring !
Harry Williams
Feel free to send question or comment to hwimports@cox.net
DONT GIVE ME WHAT I ASK FOR!
Don’t give me what I ask for…give me what I need. This is what I tell my parts man when I receive the wrong part even if it is the exact part number I gave him. This happens when I tell him the number of the part I think I want instead of telling him the description of the part I want and letting him do his job.
I have had this happen in the shop as well. I may have a customer come in and tell me to do a tune-up on his car. I do the requested tune-up. He pays the bill, picks up the car, and drives away. I get a nasty phone call the next day. He then tells me how the car STILL goes sputter, sputter, bang bang-pow when it is a wet cold morning and he is accelerating hard to pull out into traffic! “ I nearly got killed this morning! You didn’t fix my car.
The problem begins when he assumes a tune-up will fix his car. The problem does not show up when I drive the car because it is a sunny afternoon and the engine is warm from running it and checking the basic settings. The root of the problem is that I don’t know the problem is even happening because the customer asked for what he thought he needed instead of telling us what the car was doing.
I don’t want to get into gender bashing…but…this almost never happens with our female customers. The ladies come in and say exactly how and when the car acts up. Every now and then we even get some pretty cool sound effects. The result is that we get all the information so we stand a much better chance of finding and correcting the real problem.
The truth is that this has not happened in our shop for a long time. We try to take the time to talk about such possibilities with our customers. I would like to think most shops would do the same. I write this not to pick on the guys, but to make people aware of the possibility. This may be more of a problem at a dealership where you talk with a Service Writer instead of the Technician. The Service Writer wants to get your car fixed right the first time and will likely ask for all related info, but you can do yourself a great service by giving all the information as opposed to a diagnosis.
Thanks for reading!
P.S. If you have questions or a subject you would like to have covered please send me an e-mail at hwimports@cox.net
Were these Porsches built to be driven or what?
It’s just a weekend drive, with a Porsche twist. Saturday morning I load the old 911 with cooler, lawn chair, ect. I check the tire pressure and oil level. It’s time to head to the gas station to top up the fuel tank and grab a bag of ice for the cooler. I head west toward Bronson Field. I take Lillian Hwy along Perdido bay. The air is nice, the sun shinning, and I think…hum…this cant be an Al Mitchell event. It’s not raining. The ride along the bay is beautiful. The old 911 is purring. I arrive at Bronson just a little late for someone who is supposed to tech the cars for the day’s event. The sight I see upon arrival is a pleasure. Multiple Porsches and their drivers, all well prepared for the day. Al explains the track and the 2 spin rule, and I have the good fortune to get a ride with Hal Jackson in his 75-911. We ease out onto the course, slowly build speed, and begin to get the feel for just why we spend all that money on these cars.
What a pleasure it is to go quickly through a corner with just a hint of tire slip and the confidence of knowing the car and driver are up to the task.
All to soon the session is over and we return to the pit area to discuss the details of our ride. The next session I take my old 70-911 out for a little exercise. This is one of the real joys of life. I take a few laps to build speed and get a bit of a rhythm going. Now this is what many dream of and few get to do. The old 911 comes quickly up to speed, I brake hard and early for turn one point the 911 at the apex cone and accelerate as hard as traction will permit. The car slides just enough to clear the cone and we are on the back straight with a moment to check the gauges. The brake markers come up quick and as soon as the car is in a straight line I hit the brakes hard, a little late and am quite busy making the 90 degree left hander. I accelerate hard out of the left turn, go a little deep, jab the brake and point the car into the increasing radius right hander leadind to the passing area. Now this is a beautiful turn…when done correctly…It is kinda like that golf shot when you lay the ball smartly on the green near the cup and all your friends were watching. You know…the stuff that keeps you coming back. Third gear, all the throttle the rear tires can hold, add 10%, slide out as you accelerate, all the way out to the cone that marks the beginning of the passing zone, fourth gear, fifth gear, check the gauges, brake markers coming up really fast, hard on the brakes. Wow, just writing this is exciting. The old 911 likes to go deep into this brake zone, turn in at the marker cone and wind her up for a pass through the gentle left bend onto the front straight. Check the flags to make sure Al didn’t see me goof up and request my presence by displaying the dreaded black flag, and head into another lap.
I cant thank the Porsche club, and all involved enough for making such an experience possible. Hats off to Al Mitchell, and Karl Lawley for organizing our driving events.
This may not seem much like a technical article but here is the tie-in. The time I’ve spent learning to drive my 911 in events like these is by far the most productive performance modification I have ever done to my Porsche.
Harry
For technical questions or assistance please e-mail Harry or Dave. mailto:hwimports@home.com
It can’t be the battery…the lights still work!
This is the standard response I get when a car wont start and I ask about the battery condition.
Looks can be deceiving! The battery may have enough power to shine the headlights, which draw only a few amps, and still be way short of having enough power to run the starter motor, which may draw 100 amps or more.
Should I “jump” start it? Not if you have other options. A small battery charger is a fine addition to any home. Battery chargers come in small sizes so as not to take up that valuable space in the garage, are inexpensive, and fairly easy to use. I recommend something like a 10 amp, automatic shut-off unit available at any local parts or home improvement store. Be sure and take the time to read the manual for proper use and safety precautions as batteries have the potential to be really nasty.
Why not just jump start it? If the battery is so low that it wont start the engine then it is too low for the alternator to recharge it in a timely fashion. What this boils down to is that the alternator is designed only to keep a battery fully charged, not recharge a heavily discharged one. The alternator will do it, but at a price. Each time you use the alternator to recharge a dead battery you get a lot closer to replacing the alternator. Battery chargers are a lot less expensive, but if you must…then…well…my kid needs new shoes so feel free.
A discharged battery is potentially a sign of additional problems. If your battery is discharged we need to find out why. Batteries can be checked for problems at most of the chain type parts stores, free of charge. If the battery is found to be good it is time to take a look at the car. If the car has sat unused for a few weeks and the battery is low I would consider this normal. If it has been only a few days, or only overnight I would suspect an abnormally high parasitic draw. The normal parasitic draw, (the drain normally present on a battery to keep the clock, radio station presets, ect.) is around 30ma. Without getting too technical, for reference, leaving the interior light on which pulls about 500ma, will drain a battery in a bout 24 hours, or less. Alternator problems can leave you in the same fix, but usually show up when driving. The alternator should be checked with a good, fully charged battery.
Older cars have the potential for a few other problems like corrosion at various wiring connections, most likely near the battery, and the good ole faulty ground connection.
Any questions? Feel free to e-mail me at: hwimports@cox.net
Harry
So you want a racecar do you?
I love my Porsche. Each year Porsche does the seemingly impossible…they improve yet again. Those guys and gals at Porsche really do their homework to design and build what I feel is one of the best sports cars in the world. They have experience gained from the most grueling testing, like selling to us-the general public of sports car owners, to the rather controlled environment of endurance racing.
Porsche makes available to us a variety of well-balanced machines, at home on the street as well as the track. What I tend to want is more, more horsepower, more suspension, more brakes. What I fail to realize is I must give up something else to get these.
In the case of the brakes I must part with my hard earned money. Brake kits are a bit expensive, but very nice.
The suspension improvements will also result in a lightening of the wallet as well as a harsh ride; squeaks and rattles usually show up as well. These are small prices to pay for passing someone who once passed you.
I save the best for last, Horsepower. I must admit, more horsepower sounds like the easy way to get around faster. Al Mitchell once told me “ horsepower simply speeds up the mess”. He’s pulling my leg…Right? Experience has proven him right. This is the least expensive of the reasons to leave the engine stock. The easy way to get a little improvement is to change the air filter to a K&N. This provides a little better airflow and therefore a performance increase. The factory accountants dictate that the cars don’t get these in production, which you will see when you pay for the K&N, which is around $60.00 on average as opposed to $10.00 to $20.00 for a stock filter. This I consider to be worth doing in most cases. The next area often considered is the engine management computer chips, or e-proms. The money gets a little higher here as well as the potential drawbacks. You can buy chips for $300.00 on up. They do provide some performance gains. Gains are realized by raising the ignition timing, injector opening times, and the RPM redline.
Turbo cars get boost improvements, which you really feel in the seat of the pants.
The drawbacks: high-octane fuel is a must, fuel consumption will increase, increased redline can result in higher revs and therefore increased risk of engine damage. The additional wear on the drive train is best seen by looking at the overall life expectancy of the engine.
If the engine would normally last 200,000 miles, the modifications may reduce that figure to 180,000 miles. I feel the need to qualify these figures. This is pure speculation on my part to show that you don’t get something for nothing. The engine does not bear the extra wear alone as the transmission, clutch, and axels, ECT. See additional stresses and therefore wear. The really serious may opt for mechanical modifications to the engine. The quote “ speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?” comes to mind. Racecars are expected to run for about 24 hours, or 500 miles. That’s it.
Harry
The effects of weather
The weather as I write is just perfect. Cool breeze, blue sky and oh so inviting for a Porsche drive.
The cool weather seems to make the old 911 feel a little frisky.
The temperature drop brings with it the need to change driving style a bit. I’m sure you have noticed some changes in the way your Porsche feels when cold. The most noticeable in the manual transmission cars is the “stiff” feel to the gear shifting, which improves as the temperature increases. The newer Porsches use synthetic gear oil and show very little of this. I suggest giving the car a little extra time to get up to temperature before asking too much from it. You will know by the feel of the car, the shift quality, and general disposition of the car when it is ready for more spirited driving.
Most people are amazed at the differences temperature makes in a mechanical environment. Here are two examples: a Porsche 944 engine grows 15 mm (5\8 inch) in height from cold to hot. A 911 engine grows 25mm (1 inch) in length from cold to hot.
I mention these examples to drive home the fact that a lot changes with temperature and therefore the need to warm up the vehicle is very real.
In the water-cooled cars I like to see normal operating temp before any high demand.
In the air-cooled cars I like to see some oil temp increase on the gauge.
The tires are also to be checked as the temp changes. Cooler weather drops tire pressure. Warmer weather increases tire pressure.
Batteries, which act weak in warmer weather, tend to fail with colder temps.
Brake fluid tends to absorb moisture from the air and the moisture settles to the lowest point in the system. An overnight freeze will often freeze this moisture in the system possibly causing damage to hydraulic components in the brake and or clutch systems.
The remedy here is to make sure the fluid is flushed at least every two years.
Thanks for reading!
Harry
For technical questions or assistance please e-mail Harry or Dave. mailto:hwimports@home.com
I sure do love our Driver’s education events.
I don’t have enough space here to describe how much of a positive experience my participation in these events has been. I really enjoy the people involved; the look on a new driver’s face when they get a corner just right is priceless. Taking a turn at high MPH and doing it right, or as right as my skill level permits, leaves no mental capacity available for cell phones, or any other of life’s little challenges. So you see it is a time for pure concentration and pushing one’s self and machine to new limits.
We as a club are very fortunate to have the Bronson Field facility. We are more fortunate yet to have people like Karl Lawley, and Al Mitchell who share freely with us their time and expertise on the track.
The facility we use does have one drawback…the surface is hard on tires. I have found that a high priced performance tire is not what I prefer on this surface. Al Mitchell can explain the technicalities of why, but I find the less expensive street tires to be well suited
for the task. This proves to be a bit of a bonus as it is much easier to enjoy running the event with tires costing less than half that of high quality street/performance tires. Using up a set of street tires for each event is enough to keep most of us from going and enjoying this really great opportunity to experience our Porsches as they were intended to be driven.
I find the solution to be an extra set of wheels fitted with a set of the absolute cheapest tires I can find in the size I need. This brings about the notion that the wheels used for events not only don’t have to be perfect cosmetically, but of a common size such as 16”.
This is another bonus as these are typically the least expensive to acquire and fit for tires.
Now that we have discussed the tire use and solutions we should look at the hard use of the rest of the vehicle. These cars were built to be driven in a spirited fashion. Running these events will not destroy your daily driver. It will however let you find a weak component sooner. If you brake hard as you will learn to do, then you will use brake pads and rotors faster than in street driving. We know you will not get something for nothing, when you use the vehicle harder it will accelerate wear on some items.
I have found that if I buy tires frugally, and shift smoothly without slipping the clutch, the payoff far exceeds the expense, and the experience is priceless. I hope some of you will read this and decide to give it a try, or another try.
Harry
E-mail questions to hwimports@cox.net
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