KS's hillclimbing odyssey

[911hillclimber]

Love it!
All good hill climb stuff and things we all have been through.
Gears, getting them right and having the most suitable for a given hill is always in the way of a good time.
It will need addressing for each hill of course...

More driving and less spending sounds right, hard to do, don't I know it.

Good luck for the next hill.

[sladey]

Nice report Keith. Looks great fun

[jb]

I love your reports Keith, especially the videos as they give a real insight into the hillclimbs.
The car sounds wonderful

[KS]

Well, lookie here, it's another episode of that long running saga about an old bloke trying to drive like a young bloke...

So, here we are again, this time right on my doorstep at Lostwithiel's very own event, the Castle hillclimb, held on a private road owned by South West Water which happens to be less than five minutes drive from my house. It's regarded as a 'power hill', where sheer grunt is almost as important as driving skills – naturally, I fall short on both accounts!



I hadn't needed to touch the car since the last run at Wiscombe a week ago other than to add a couple of gallons of fuel and check the oil/tyre pressures. Needless to say, the weather forecast didn't look great – it is summer in Cornwall after all – and Saturday was indeed gloomy and damp. The course consists of an uphill start, curving to the right, followed by a short straight over a brow into a right/left esses. This leads into another short straight(-ish), through barriers alongside a cattle grid and then turn abruptly right up a fairly steep hill, which curves to the right before entering a long left-hander (the exit of which isn't obvious until the last moment), into a short straight then half right across the finish line. Single-seaters do it around 24 seconds, faster road cars are in the mid- to high-20s, while the also rans like me are in the 30s. Or 40s if you're not very brave...

It is in a beautiful setting, though:



Getting off the line can be a dark art, as it's all too easy to haze the tyres in a display of bravado. The 914's weight distribution, along with my drag racing experience, mean that I usually get a decent launch time and I ended the weekend with the fourth quickest 64ft time in my class behind a couple of Audi S3s and a well sorted TT. All-wheel drive is definitely an advantage here.

jwhillracer knows the course well and he might understand when I say that the esses are Castle's equivalent of Wiscombe's Bunnies Leap, as in 'can I take it flat out, or not?'. Standing by and watching, very few cars do take them flat out and try as I might, I couldn't quite bring myself to do it – my tyres (the same Toyo R888Rs as ever) are showing their age and are due for replacement. Maybe then I'll close my eyes and go for it... I'm also painfully slow on applying power round the long left-hander at the top of the hill.

Saturday was, as I said, damp and gloomy, so a best of 36.86 was all I could manage before the clerk of the course pulled the plug due to conditions in the paddock. A very average time, but hey-ho, it is what it is... Sunday started off with a 34.42, followed by a disappointing 35.17. Then, after getting my head together, I managed a PB of 34.00, almost two-tenths quicker than last year when I had fresher tyres (and engine). I psyched myself up for the final run of the day, promising myself that I wouldn't lift for the esses, and would feed power in sooner at the top but, of course, over-thought everything and ran slower... Oh well. There were 17 cars in my class, and I ended the weekend 11th overall, but more telling was my split time (roughly halfway up the course before the steep climb). There I was 8th quickest overall, showing that my lack of grunt definitely slowed me on the second half of the course compared to the 300+ bhp of the class leaders. Those Audi S3s are quick – even the turbo'd MX-5s make around 250bhp, compared to the 914's 185 (or probably less by now) bhp.

Here's the PB run – eagle-eyed viewers will notice that I ran with the roof off, something I rarely ever do on the road!

https://youtu.be/HVU2K51Huio

(just added - through the screen view of the same run...):

https://youtu.be/kITlV3k2eDo

So, a bit of a rest now until the first weekend of September. New tyres are on the horizon, I feel...

[911hillclimber]

Looks a quick hill Keith, and the car sounds strong.
So, a great run and all in one piece, success!
Is it an event for tin tops only? Certainly looks most suited to a grunty 4x4 saloon rather than a frail single seater.

Good going, you are having a good year.

Shelsley Walsh for us this weekend, now there is a power hill too and a need to be very brave all the way up....

[stevenery]

I have plenty of plans for the winter, involving a partial engine teardown to change the rods, cylinders and pistons, plus a few other mods. More of that at a later date...

I would likely be interested in these bits when the time comes!

Really enjoying the development of this! The gearbox upgrades sound interesting, perhaps less so if I knew the costs, though wonder what the time differences would be.

[KS]

OK, here we are again. last time I hinted at some other plans, which manifested themselves in the form of a set of Group 4 Wheels' new 6 x 15 'Campy' (as in Campagnolo-inspired) wheels in gold. It's a new wheel which Group 4 owner Jonathan Sage and I have been discussing for several months – their larger diameter and width versions have become popular on a lot of hot rod 911s, as most will know. The new wheel is available in four colours and either four- or five-lug, with the regular 911 offset. I liked the look of them and Jonathan sent me a set which I then shod with a new set of Toyo R888Rs (my originals were getting a little hard...).

September is a busy month for me, with three Wiscombe hillclimbs, a much-needed holiday in France and finally a guest entry in the Ardennen Rennen 'gentleman drivers rally' near Liège, Belgium. I shall be knackered after all that but you only pass by this way once, so go for it I say.

It was a packed entry at Wiscombe, with 18 cars in my class (A3 - Production 1800-2600cc) of which eight were four-wheel drive. This is becoming a bit of a bone of contention in the class as, in most conditions, the 4WD turbo cars annihilate all comers. Considering some classes regularly run with no more than four cars, some people are suggesting splitting the A3 class in two, with a regular 7 or 8 in a 4WD class, the remaining 8-10 (or more) in a 2WD class. I'll still finish well down the field, but somehow it seems a little more fair. I suspect the class structures were drawn up before 4WD turbo cars were commonplace – or rather, affordable. £2000 on a Audi TT 225bhp quattro, a grand on some suspension, £600 on some Toyos, £400 on other bits and pieces and you'd have a pretty competitive car. £300 remap and you're away for a little over £4k. But I digress.

The first run was 'tentative', as new tyres, a track surface that's still settling in after its resurfacing and a desire not to stuff it on the first practice run netted an 'OK' 51.97, a time I'd have been pretty happy with last year. The weather looked promising, as it was dry and got warmer as the day went on. I was desperate to get back in the '49s' and I'm pleased to say it all came together on the first timed run, with a 49.01 – tantalisingly close to a '48' but no cigar. I was delighted with a new PB by almost 8/10th of a second. I'd chosen to run without the roof on as the roll-bar and door bars have helped stiffen the shell – the roof weighs 18lbs, so I figured losing that mass from the top of the car was worth a try. New tyres definitely made a difference, though...

The second timed run felt good, so I was a little disappointed when I 'only' had a 49.20 to show for my efforts. My second quickest time ever and I can't keep improving every time...

And then I screwed up. Third timed run, a lost it coming out of Wis Corner, the first left-hander about 100 feet out from the start. Understeer, catch the grass, shift hard left, back wheels on the grass back across the track, onto the grass again and then back to the tarmac. I carried on to record a 54.62 – again, a time I'd have been happy with once upon a time. But not now, unless it's chucking it down with rain!

Here's the view through the screen. Isn't the track supposed to grey in colour?



Anyway, the car survived to fight another day, I was roasting hot and a 95 mile drive home lay ahead of me. Time to go, but not without seeing jwhillracer win his class again. Well done Jonathan!.

Here's the 49.01...
https://youtu.be/AQ8hpc3_cxQ?si=ybTLwvjwxk0JRAXP

Next Saturday, back to Wiscombe, which promises to be warm and dry. More of that anon...

[911hillclimber]

We had exactly the situation of 2 we v 4 we some years ago here in the Midlands.
The class was split into several segments and in the end works well.
Worth further thought.
4x4 cars are here and cheap as you say, not much room left for light classic cars.
I stopped using my 911 and bought andmodified a Subaru Impreza which was very very enjoyable for 5 years.

[Hugo 356]

So a 914x4 is the next mod!

[KS]

So a 914x4 is the next mod!

Judging from my grass-cutting escapades on Sunday, not a bad idea!

[Winston Teague]

A Synchro.....hmmm

[neilbardsley]

Jeff Z pushing a 914 up a hill

https://youtu.be/gUtBdbzEKeA?si=i153JTtUOxhhHlVt

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[KS]

Well, here we are at what will be my final hillclimb of the year. I'd finished the last event on a high, but being just a couple of hundredths off a '48' at Wiscombe, I really, really wanted to end the season with another PB starting with '48...' But I realise I'm getting to that point where I can't keep on improving my times significantly and will have to accept that any future improvements will be minor – or as a result of major expense on the car! However, I was spurred on by a great Facebook post by Ian Harrison, who hillclimbs in a 1700 TVR Vixen – he and I record roughly similar times, with me usually just under a second quicker. So when I finished the last event with a 49.01, he was determined to go one better and get a '48'. He succeeded (at the expense of his exhaust manifold...) by recording a 48.88 on his final run. There followed all sorts of banter on Facebook, making me more determined than ever to achieve my season goal. This, I stated, is war!

I didn't need to touch the car since the previous weekend, so I didn't, just adding fuel to drive to Wiscombe and got myself ready. The practice run was exploratory, with a cool track and a touch of damp in the air. I was happy enough with a 51.27 and returned to the paddock to check tyre pressures as the air temp (and track temp) was on the rise. I'd had quite a chat with Jim Calvert of Stateside Tuning earlier in the week about tyre pressures. He used to circuit race a 914 so I guessed he'd have some thoughts. I'd ended up running 24 front and 27 rear but after last week's upset, I wasn't entirely sure I'd been heading in the right direction. Jim said they'd always run the same pressure back and front, 24 when cold, 28 when hot. As the hills don't really allow your tyres to get properly warm, he suggested I try 26 front and rear. The difference was incredible. The car felt so much more neutral and I knew I'd hit a sweet spot. The first timed 'event' run was a 50.12, but I'd made a bit of a mess at Sawbench, so knew I could do better.

Down here in the west country, we have a website which gives live timing for all our events, so while waiting at the top, I could take a look at my launch and split times. As I was doing so, a message came through from Ian Harrison, who was sitting at home in Cornwall 'watching' the event unfold. His message was to get my finger out and go like the wind to beat his 48.88, which was cool.



I dropped the tyre pressures to 25 front and rear for the second event run and it felt even better. The result was 49.19! Close, but no cigar. However, Ian instantly messaged me...



For the final run, I knew it was now or never and was determined not to cock up. Launch was good (I'm almost always in the 2.85-2.87sec bracket - this was a 2.87) and I almost managed to take the infamous Bunnies Leap flat, but still eased slightly then for some reason, lifted momentarily passing through 'the gate' before holding it for longer in second well into the Esses. That's what did the trick, for at the top I stopped the clocks with a 48.84! Not only had I achieved my '48 second goal' but beaten Ian's TVR time by four hundredths. Result!

Here's the in car of the final run:

https://youtu.be/04jn97VrIT8?si=DBcZuB-5JZ9EQkl_

So, that was it – I did have an entry for two weeks later, but decided to withdraw as we are off on a short holiday , returning home only a couple of days before the event, and then heading off to Belgium for the ArdennenRennen rally a few days after. The car needs some work ahead of that trip (oil change for sure, plus swapping wheels and tyres so I can drive to Belgium on some regular radials rather than the bone-jarring Toyos), so decided that four events and a trip to France all in the space of five weekends was too much for this old man to cope with. Incidentally, I'm in agony from the thumb on my left hand – I guess grasping the wheel hard has taken its toll on the joints!

So, what's next? Engine out, change the rods for some longer ones, install lighter 'stroker' pistons and change the cylinders. I'm also considering going to dry sump but would also love to change the gear ratios... And so the descent down the slippery slope begins...

[rhd racer]

Well done Keith - great end to the season! I used to run 25 psi cold all round on my 914, but to be honest was super relaxed about the frequency of my checks!

Running slicks I have had to be much more disciplined, and Avon only give a warm pressure of 30psi. I therefore carry a gauge in the car these days and jump out at the top of the hill to check them and adjust. I have found that 28psi cold gives me the target warm pressure, but I have to adjust a bit during the day if it is hot.

I am guessing you will have to import a dry sump from the US? Back in the day I ran the sister pump to Jim’s race car (he bought two in years ago) when mine was a 2.4 four pot (if you recall, you designed the spec for that engine)

Cheers
Wayne


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[Bruce M]

The bugpack one is NLA. CB Performance do one with small gears (21mm on the pressure side). There is a nice but expensive German pump from TP. Fitting them behind the stock cooling fan shroud might be a problem.

I think Jim C also had the original Salzburg rally pump remade but that was designed for a type1 engine & again might not fit (very nice design though - used 3 gears to double the scavenging capacity)