ROW M030 on the track

I finally got the opportunity to try out my new ROW M030 suspension at a track event this past weekend. It was my first full event where I would go solo as I was "promoted" halfway through my last DE. I tell you it was a bit strange not having to answer to an instructor but I took everything I had learned previously and tried to apply it on the track. This was my first opportunity to test the suspension at high speeds since previous to this all I've done with it is an autocross. The first few laps I took it relatively easy but as time went on my confidence increased and I found myself pushing the car to levels I had not previously reached. Now I don't know if it was the combination of new new suspension and tires or me improving on my skills but the car felt very balanced and stable throughout the weekend. It wasn't as stiff as the GT3s I've ridden in as I still felt a little of body roll on long sweeping turns but I tell you if I pointed the front in any direction it would go without hesitation. I also felt less brake dive and faster transitions in the corners compared to times past. The few times I did find myself losing a bit of control the car would stabilize and allow me to get control again and continue. I did have a little mishap on one high speed corner but all I did was end up with all four wheels off the track and once the car settled down I got back on course with nothing more than dirty tires. Most of the weekend I was playing around with a Z06 and a 997 C4S in my group. They obviously had more power than I did but we seemed to be pretty evenly matched up until the straights. Oh and on day 2 there was a caution flag up on one corner and as I round the bend I see three dogs playing on the sidelines in the middle of the track! Where did they come from?!? Even after beating up on it all weekend I still don't think the ride height has changed so I guess I'm stuck with what I have. I haven't measured it yet but based on what I can see it doesn't appear to be much different. I also got some comments on the sound of the exhaust so I guess the combo of PSE and Fabspeed cats was appealing to a few of the observers. Finally I got around to purchasing a GoPro camera so I was able to see how things went and view them at home. It appears faster on camera than it does in real life! Overall a great experience and fun weekend. I think I need to start doing more than 2-3 of these per year...

Great post please post vids. Im still trying to decide between the row m030 and the pss9/10.

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I have to edit the videos to make them shorter. Each one is as long as session. Plus I don't know if I'm ready to put my driving skills (or lack of) out there for the public to critique! As for the suspension recommendation. Well as happy as I am with my ROW M030 if you have the funds to do so, I would go for the PSS9/10 suspension. Why? Because you have more options to customize it to your liking. For example I'm not satisfied with the ride height but with the Bilstein setup I could have that modified. You can also adjust the stiffness of the shocks which isn't the case with my suspension. I primarily went with the Porsche option because it was a complete kit for only $1k. The Bilstein combinations are either double or triple the cost and still don't include new sway bars. I guess it depends on what you're after as to which is better for you.

Sounds fun! What track?

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Carolina Motorsports Park in the middle of Nowhere, SC: http://www.carolinamotorsportspark.com/ It was a PCA-sponsored event so a really good showing of all types of P-cars and several other makes.

Thanks for sharing, Fernando. Sounds like you had a blast! I'm going to ask my indy about those spring compensator plates when I go in for service in a few weeks. I'll let you know what he says.

I've got a blend of PSS10s and the R0W30 sways; nice general package and the car is happy. I moved to these sways from other bars that were way too stiff for the Bilstein dampers and springs. I'll stick with these bars and move to somewhat stiffer springs and dial in a sweet spot. The mantra here is balance, and matching components in terms of their specs. So, in addition to price point, you did the "right" thing for matching and balancing. And, sounds like you're appreciating the range and timing of response and communication you're getting from the car. We learn the hard way that a tighter/stiffer car ususally means less time to communicate and respond to what is happening. What did you do for alignment and corner weighting?

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Yes I'm real curious as to whether those plates really make a difference. I mean we're talking a max of 6 mm, right? That's what I thought by going with this suspension. That it would be balanced and although not necessarily the most aggressive or responsive on the track, it would probably suit my needs for now. As for the alignment and corner weighing, I had the shop align it to the ROW M030 specs which I found are actually close to the stock specs. I didn't have it corner weighed/balanced because I thought you can only make changes to it if using coilovers. Coincidentally though our instructor during our classroom sessions mentioned corner balancing as a necessity for an effective track alignment. So maybe my shop missed something? Is it possible to make any adjustments on this setup?

Nice to see that others play with their Porsches at the track. I'm taking mine to its first trackday at Thunderhill raceway. I use to have a 81 SC that I tracked regularly so I'm eager to see what the 996 will do. I have PSS9s, M30 bars, a limited slip. Tires are too great but the first outing will be a carefull run each session. I'm instructing too so maybe the first sessions will be in grp 1 and 2. I can terrorize the newbies. :-)

I think you're right; you can only corner balance if your shocks/springs are adjustable.

Fernando, My experience after installing the M030 ROW kit and new tires on my car in the summer of 2010 has been very similar to yours in that I expected the car to sit a bit lower than it actually does, at the track it was far more balanced and controllable, and no, there is nothing to be done about coner balancing because you have nothing to adjust. In my case, I came from stock struts, stock sway bars, and some very short Techart performance springs. All of this worked OK at the track, but sucked big time on the street. After 8 years I was sick and tired of treating cigarette butts like speed bumps. And real speed bumps beat the living crap out of my protection plate under the crankcase. So I removed the protection plate before it cracked my block (the thing is bolted into the crankcase and if hit hard enough can actually destroy the very thing it is supposed to protect. But that is for another popcorn filled thread...) At the same time, I installed the M030 ROW (thus actually RAISING the car). The difference and improvement was instantly noticeable. And, when parked next to any 996 or 997, my car is still substantially lower than stock suspensions. And I don't bottom out on speed bumps anymore (front or rear). I do 2-3 DE events a year, now. Seems like a reasonable suspension set up for the frequency of events vs street driving. I have too often gone a bridge too far with suspension and other track-type mods on previous Porsches, and have ended up unhappy with those cars as a daily driver. The M030 ROW seems to strike a very nice compromise. In a year and a half, I have not felt I should have done anything else. And now that you have graduated to Solo, spend your money on more track events, more seat time, and perhaps a quality 2 or 3-day school like Skip Barber or similar. Skill and practice will take you around the track faster than a set of trick shocks.

Glad to see that the 996 guys are tracking still... these cars really do come alive at these conditions. I'm extremely happy with my pss9 and h&r arb setup. Need to hit the track soon, its been awhile.

I am still looking into the compensator plates, I will post what I find. I am holding off on getting into my M030 install until I can get this straight.

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There were actually quite a few 996s at this last event. A few of them were even in the more advanced groups which shows that you don't necessarily need a GTx car to do well on the track. Have fun scaring newbies! See that story is exactly why I chose the ROW M030. I still use my car daily so considering it spends maybe 10 days total yearly time on an autocross or DE track, I still wanted it to be relatively comfortable for my commutes to work. For upgrades the next one I HAVE to do is the rollbar. Unfortunately mine is convertible, I know that is strange to want to track it but why not have the best of both worlds? So in order to try it out on other tracks the rollbar is needed. After that though you are correct, the experience is what I need to upgrade and not the car. I've seen several instances where a car that doesn't appear to be anything much more than stock can still keep up with the big boys given the right driver. I gave up on having my car be anything more than a 10-footer from this point on. It's a great commuting vehicle but on the track it really comes into it's own. If I'm going to own a car with these capabilities, why not exploit them on the track? As I mentioned earlier in the thread, there were quite a few 996s out there at this event. Surprisingly about 3/4s of them were the MK1 models too. Yeah that one is the big unknown. Well even if the plates are incorrectly installed for my suspension it does handle quite well. It just looks like it's stock ride height. Let us know though when you do find out!

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I love CMP! I show up on Saturday, phone loses reception. I leave Sunday, my phone lights up like a Xmas tree!! Awesome to hear you did well! I'm sure I'll see you at a track soon!

Fernando, I fully understand your need for the roll bar for the cab. I agree, it gives you the best of all worlds to have a convertible that is your fun cruiser, daily driver, errand runner, and track car. Yep, most PCA track events will require you to have the roll bar to run at their tracks (all four PCA Regions that use Roebling Road in Savannah require the roll bar). Might also look good with the top down... say early October... on the Tail of the Dragon... Bad ***! And your new M030 ROW will be just exactly the right ticket for getting there and back, and running it. Ask me how I know. LOL! May I recommend that you get a bolt-in roll bar, not a weld-in. Also look around for one that still allows you to use the back seats for storage. That mandatory cross brace may preclude backseaters of any age, and you may also be forced to decide to permanently put the rear seat-backs up or down or out. Go down if you can because it still gives you a flat surface to put things. Be certain to put very thick padding on the bar where bare heads or helmets may come in contact. Safety over visuals or windage. If your cab looks a little funky with the roll bar in and the top down, just remember that YOU don't have to look at it when you are driving. LOL! And you now have a great interior camera mount!