So what are these SWB 911's like to drive and live with ?

[Jerome damato]

Also 911MRP

“ The possibility to adjust the suspension was only built in after the customer service and the experimental department put in their hefty protest.”

Are we saying you don’t need the pig iron weights so long as you can make the adjustments??

[Nickelplated5s]

Thank you all so much for these great responses- Haasman I would love to learn to use the trailing throttle oversteer as you mention- any suggestions on how to get started with that?

Lift the throttle when you start to lose it. Had to drive mine in rain for the first time in 20+ years and, intentionally, pushed it into a 90 turn. Broke it, lifted and straightened. That said Chris and I probably have some of the better SWB setups. Fuel load alone changes the front for me. Essentially a 930 suspension but nowadays I would say stick with stock. 70MPH on a country road and it's twitchy, two hands.

[Jay Laifman]

Hi folks! I know this is an old post just really love what is being said above and hoping to get a little more insight from the masters

I am renovating a 66 swb and and just getting to the place where I need to commit to suspension.
I am not worried about originality as it was originally a 912 and I have preserved the original motor as insurance against current emotional thinking but basically- I’m trying to set this car up to be an early 911 that I can learn to drive with the tail hanging out and pointing the nose and all that. I am deeply drinking to koolade of the early days drivers and racers.
Important to me: 4.5” rims. All the poetic writing I see does involve skinny tires- what Kenikh is saying above makes the most sense to me- I want a car I can get to loosen the tail and point the nose at the slowest speed possible becuase that sounds fun to me. Not trying to die. Also I just like things in slow motion- less is more type of thing.
So my straight question is: since I can set this up any way I want and it’s all going to cost about the same would those experienced with swb please chime in as to whether the 65 normal setup is preferable or the 67S for my interests? (Basically no rear sway vs r sway-)
The motor if I go with 65 N would be a stock 65 911 moror with Weber carbs and sport exhaust otherwise stock.
If I went with 67s suspension I would probably increase compression to 9.5:1 and possibly go with the ‘67T heads which had the larger S ports just for a tiny boost of cool factor.

Planning to keep my original solex cam’s either way-

Wondering Kenikh if your ‘65/‘66 has any engine mods or if it’s stock-
I have this fantasy that the basically stock ‘65/66 car is kind of a perfect archetype if I just give it a chance-
But totally down to hear the ‘67 S is better from anyone whose spent a healthy time behind the wheel of both!

Any thoughts appreciated!

I don't know. From my perspective, one of the greatest things about the rear engine 911 I like so much is when I'm on the track, and early apex, shifting weight to the outside rear tire, then getting on it while that rear end stays planted and digs in. Nothing like that. So to me to increase rear slipperiness is a non-starter. When I want to hang out the rear end, I have a front engined V8 sports car for that.

[frederik]

I would love to learn to use the trailing throttle oversteer as you mention- any suggestions on how to get started with that?

I'm far from an expert, but here goes: go into a bend with some throttle applied so you have some G-forces building up. Now lift the throttle slightly and you'll immediately feel the car steering into the bend more. Apply the throttle again and you'll go straighter. That's it. Don't lift too abruptly in the beginning to avoid unsettling the car too much.

[uai]

at around 0:07 I lifted a tad - I don't think I could catch that in a SWB


I think to get started it's preferrable to start with a car that's easier to control in a drift. Usually all BMW with a LSD do that quite nice.
Start with a drift training and continue going on a track with enough runoff space on a wet day.
Spa for example is quite nice in the wet.

[72targa]

Jerome, get thee to an Autocross!

[Chuck Miller]

Good hands Jerome !!!

[Jerome damato]

at around 0:07 I lifted a tad - I don't think I could catch that in a SWB


I think to get started it's preferrable to start with a car that's easier to control in a drift. Usually all BMW with a LSD do that quite nice.
Start with a drift training and continue going on a track with enough runoff space on a wet day.
Spa for example is quite nice in the wet.

Well Jesus now I have to have whatever the car is too- I knew I shouldn’t have joined this forum. What is that?? Sounds marvelous. Was the lsd stock?

[Jay Laifman]

Before even going to an autocross, I'd first suggest some real karting lessons (like Jim Hall used to provide) and then a Porsche DE with some track pad experience. Don't start with a triple black diamond run! They teach you all about throttle steer there, as well as how and when to use the weight balance changes through the whole corner.

I will say that I've done all of it, with my 911 and my 912, on the track. The 912 is quite easy to control all wheels sliding. For the 911, it is a different animal and different skill set - and probably willingness to lay waste to a set of tires every race! And as I said, using that rear weight shift to power earlier out of a corner is pure magic.

I think the biggest thing to understand is that we're talking about race track applications here. It's amazing just how much performance a 911 has on a track. And once you get it, you understand that you simply can't wring that kind of performance out of a 911 on the street. It is too risky that something unexpected comes up and you have to lift or even worse, brake at the wrong time. Snap oversteer is real. You need to do this on a track where you know there will not be any bicycles, cross traffic, kids, jumping out around a corner.

[Jay Laifman]

No sense talking up a BMW on this board! But if you want to see 911s in action, this is surely one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ9V5M3aZ4c

However, these guys are in a whole other league in their racing craft (note direction of front wheels, going into a right hand turn), and have very skinny tires - 4.5" I believe.