Tips for prepping new 2002 C4 for 1st season of autocross/DE ?

Hi gurus, Back in May 2013, I was thrilled to join your ranks by picking up 2002 C4 Cabrio (with 38K miles). I know there's something up with the clutch and I have to work it into 2nd sometimes. After enjoying a summer of driving around with the top down, I'd like to have a bit more fun and plan on trying an Autocross and DE this summer. But before I do that, I'm going to take the car into a shop to have it reviewed. So, my questions: - I know that they'll need to look at the clutch and if they do the clutch, I'll probably do the IMS bearing. What other key areas of the car should I focus on ? I'm sure the shop will find minor items throughout the car, but I want to focus on the areas that could give me the biggest headaches since I'll be driving the car a bit harder. BTW - I'm not looking to race professionally, I just want to see what the car can do - I'm sure I'll look like a grandmother compared to many of you on the track - Are there some minor upgrades that I should look at that might be beneficial ? I've seen articles on replacing the motor mounts. If I had $1K extra to spend, is there anything interesting that I should look at ? Again, in general, I'm happy (for now) with a relatively stock car. Thanks for all your thoughts ! This board and all the wonderful members here have already helped me out greatly through the dozens of questions that I've been able to answer thanks to search ! Ward

Start with tires and brakes, and the clutch, RMS and IMSB as mentioned. 2003 Carrera 4S Speed Yellow / 1955 356 Continental 1500 Rust Red

The most cost-effective autocross upgrade is alignment. You'll want maximum camber up front (which will probably be in the -.5 to -1.0 degrees range) with as close to zero toe as possible within the factory alignment specifications, which any good shop with a hunter machine will have on hand. In the rear, adding camber is much easier but I wouldn't go for any more than -2.0 degrees, probably more like -1.7 if you're driving on the street a lot. Again, getting closer to zero toe will reduce your tire wear but the less toe-in you have, the more unstable the rear of the car will be. Toe-out in the rear is to be avoided if you like not crashing. Proper tire pressures is the other thing; all autocrossers punish their tires, but new ones in particular tend to overdrive them and get lots of tire rollover onto the tire sidewall, which is why increased tire pressures are sometimes used. A brake fluid flush will help. Street pads are just fine for autocross as they make good cold grip. New motor mounts and transmission mounts (I guess maybe front diff mount too in your case?) can definitely help stabilize shifting under high g-forces, but in autocross you're going to shift into 2nd once and then leave it there. You could remove the front diff, cv axles, and driveshaft... Ultimately, most folks worry about the car too much in the beginning and not enough about the driver. Get ahold of a good instructor. As long as your battery is secured, the brake and clutch are working, it isn't leaking, and the tires are in good shape and properly inflated, you will gain much more from focusing on your driving and not setting up the car.

Deep-sump oil pan . Oil starvation is BAD.

Check the water pump to see if there is any shaft play, and replace it if there is. If your radiator cap is original, order one of the updated caps. My Boxster's old, dried out cap was fine for daily driving but couldn't deal with autocross and puked up some coolant after waiting at start/finish after a hard run. Consider an underdrive crank pulley to avoid burning up the power steering pump. You mentioned that you're getting a new clutch. I personally would recommend that you stick with the dual-mass flywheel if the FW needs replacing - using a lightweight flywheel has resulted in some broken cranks ( http://www.flat6innovations.com/index.php/broken-crank ).

I drove a car with the same set-up -- C4 cabrio. First thing to recognize is this is a heavy car so look for improvements on your own vs. how you're doing against other cars/drivers. Aside from the basics of IMS/RMS/clutch (you'd probably want to do these anyway, regardless of AX/DE), it seems tires, suspension, and driver will have the most impact. I don't believe there's enough you can do to this engine to make up for the extra 500 lbs of AWD & soft-top so might as well focus on grip, roll, & hands on the wheel. Someone suggested Dunlop Direzza to me as a nice street-friendly but sticky tire. Might be worth considering. Other suggestions here seem worthwhile (oil pan, water pump, etc). I'm going to heed them myself. Have fun --

The 996 is a very capable car in stock form. If you are a beginner to AX/DE, I'd recommend keeping the car stock as it will help you learn HP driving more quickly. You can always upgrade the car later as your skills improve. High performance upgrades are usually lost on a beginner and as I said earlier, the upgrades usually only hinder the learning process. As far as reliability upgrades are concerned(oiling upgrades, etc.), most beginners do not push their cars even close to the point of needing these, at least not on street tires. As someone who has AXed/DEed stock 996s, I can assure you that your stock car will be tons of fun. Good luck, you are going to have a blast...

^^^^^What he said.....you don't need to upgrade a thing....just make sure your oil and brake fluid levels are good. Each run on an AX course will be a little over a minute give or take. Get a helmet and keep your eyes and ears open. If you are start to like the AX/DE than slowly upgrade. Brakes, suspension, tires and then the slippery slope starts.

If your a first timer, just remember the five S's of racing, Seats, Slicks, Shocks, Struts, and Seats... Honestly, just have the thing mechanically sound and get a good alignment and tires with life on them.

Since the C4 aspect is useless, even for "normal" use, remove it entirely and lose the weight handicap.

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This is your best advice, OP. At this point YOU are the biggest variable -- go with a learning mindset and you'll have a great first day out. Just have fun.

I'd recommend you invest in a good quality tire pressure gauge. Get some miles on the car and you'll know what your next mods will be.

This is exactly what I like about this board - a massive amount of great caring members ! THANKS ! I appreciate all the time you took to give me your thoughts ! So, to DaveCarrera4, knfeparty, 5CHN3LL, CarlosCA, DreamCarrera, Sneaky Pete, NineEreven, wwest, 996_C4S, and 9964runner - Thank you - you epitomize what's so amazing about the Porsche "brotherhood" ! I'm going to an "Intro to Performance Driving" class in 2 weeks and with all the information you've provided and the overview of a DE, I should be set. I have to say that while exciting, it's a bit scary as I know I'm quite the noobie, but I look forward to the opportunity to learn ! Thanks Again, Ward

Like others have said, set the car up for reliability and find some good instructors. If you are in the Carolinas let me know and I can get you in touch with some good instructors.