Slipstream - April 2011

Tech Corner
Ed Mullenix, Tech Chair
The last two tech sessions have
been focused on brake system
maintenance and the tech
inspection sheet the club requires prior
to a DE. Our intent was to illuminate the
importance of a mechanically sound car
before it is taken to a track event. A DE
(Drivers’ Education) is high speed spirited
driving that puts stress on the brakes and suspension that are
not normally encountered in every-day driving.
I had the pleasure several years ago of driving a 3.2 liter
Carrera in Germany and down through the Italian Alps. At
that time there were several sections of the Autobahn that
didn’t have speed limits.
Spending most of my
time in the passing lane
was an experience like
no other. Here in the
“flatlands” where one
rarely gets to exceed
the posted speed statute,
it is still exciting to
“mash the right pedal
to the floor” even if
only briefly. Motoring
along on the Autobahn
at 250 kph (more than
140 mph!) was a joy and
knowing that any curves
were well marked and were designed to be taken at high
speed (no 40 kph hairpins) made it that much better.
I enjoy the thrill of driving fast, but I prefer to do it
somewhere where I stand a good chance of surviving the
event. Taking our Porsches to venues like Eagles Canyon
or MotorSport Ranch is absolutely the appropriate place
to experience the capabilities of our cars. Prior to my
“all expense paid vacation” to Iraq in 2003, my shop was
located in McKinney. I recall working on a customer’s 930
that would misfire at 140-150 mph. I performed the repairs
that I thought would cure the problem and took the car up
on Highway 380 to test the results. Then McKinney was
a pastoral setting with only the occasional State Trooper
running radar. I made a low speed run to check for local
DPS activity and after finding none, started my high speed
run. As I shifted through the gears with my right foot firmly
shoved to the floor, I reflected how the small rolling hills and
passing power line poles along the road took on a different
perspective at 140 mph! I also remembered having seen
humongous John Deere four wheel drive tractors pulling
twin 20 row harrows that took up both driving lanes and
Photo from Pelican Parts
the shoulder while motoring along at 25 mph. Were I to
encounter such, as I crested the next hill, I most certainly
would not have been able to stop in time. I lost my nerve
and slowed down. The goal in life is to be “seriously old
and wrinkled when you die.” My thoughts were that I was
neither old nor wrinkled enough yet! This brings us back to
the present AND our tech inspection sheet.
The club is experimenting with the “self-inspection”
concept for those drivers who would like to be able to
sign the “inspected by” line on the inspection sheet.
The program is still in work. At present, the Executive
Committee, Safety Committee, and the Tech Committee,
are all in agreement to permit those drivers in the “Yellow
or White” experience groups to selfinspect
should they feel competent to
do so. Several enthusiastic “Blue”
group drivers’ have expressed interest
in self-inspection as well. At present,
my suggestion would be to exercise
a little patience while we “work the
kinks out!” First and foremost is the
safety of all of the participants. One
of our members offered up the idea
of a “Tech Logbook” similar to the
drivers’ logbook. We’re considering
how to implement something like
that. Training someone about what to
look for and how to prepare or correct
discrepancies on one’s car is not
something that is achieved in one three hour tech session.
Several members have extensive experience working on
their own cars and have invested lots of money in tools
and equipment. Mark and Monda H, who at last count
have five Porsches, have an automotive lift in their garage.
James S, our current Zone 5 Rep, has no reservations
about disassembling his 915 transaxle trackside. For
those contemplating becoming qualified to self-inspect,
talk with other club members who share the enthusiasm
for greasy fingernails and the occasional loss of skin on
their knuckles. Obtain a repair manual and invest in some
tools that will allow you to perform the tasks required to
prepare your car for the track. Prepare your car as well as
you possibly can and then present it to a qualified repair
facility to see if you missed anything. All three Porsche
Dealers in the Metroplex, Autobahn, Boardwalk, and Park
Place, as well as RAC Performance, Zim’s, Mayo’s, Fifth
Gear, and Motorsport Engineering, perform complimentary
tech inspections. I would call one of these club supporters
to arrange an appointment.
Ed
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