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"Personal Preference" — Ed Hyman
A 356 curmudgeon's setup for street, vintage racing, and touring
By Ed Hyman
[Editors note: Ed Hyman is 356 Registry member # 57, and has extensive experience in a variety of 356 models, including his current cars: 356A T1 coupe, T1 Speedster, and 356C (SC with electric sunroof) coupe. He is a long time member of The Vintage Sports Car Club of America (VSCCA).]
While I am told that I am now a full fledged 356 curmudgeon, I have been
driving a Porsche 356 (A, B C) most every day (non-snow season) since
1979. By and large, my set up is all simple bolt on. I drive my 356s relatively
hard, but have learned that if I set up a 356 too firmly, I will not have the
company of my spouse.
Please keep in mind that this is just how I set up a 356 for street, vintage race,
hillclimbs and vintage touring — your goals and results may vary accordingly. I am not a scientist or chassis engineer, but I know what I like. Nor do I often run at the front of my group — the VSCCA (like the 356 Registry) is a preservation society, we run on the track to maintain a tradition. My racing group is the most conservative in the country: we frown upon swapping paint, but run some wonderful venues including Mt Equinox and Pittsburgh on city streets. Please come on one of our tours which are open to non-members and their 356s.
Tires
To run in a VSCCA speed event I must use a stock type 4.5" wheel and drum brakes, and either radial 165/15 tires or bias tires such as Dunlop 5.00 x 15.
I have used 5.00/15 (Dunlop bias race), 165/15 (Michelin, Cooper, Dunlop street), 185/65/15 (P6), 195/60/15 (also Pirelli) and even 205/60/15 (Yokohama).
By and large, beyond 185 I find steering comfort suffers (loss of that
special 356 feeling) and as the 356 is rather light there is only limited
usable additional grip (hydroplaning become a real issue) also again there
is the safety issue too wide a tire puts stress on the suspension arms and
bearings that a 356 was never meant to suffer — that is why I also own an
early 911 and a 930.
Wheels
I do not use Fuchs wheels on my 356C, as I do not like the look. They look fine on my targa and my turbo, but silly on a 356.
I have no problem with using 5.5" steel wheels on an early car (except as
noted above) as they generally enhance the handling by providing a wider
base (read: foundation) for the tire while preserving the vintage look.
Check offsets before using wider wheels.
Seats
For track use I use a proper seat, a 911R one piece Recaro which looks an awful lot like a Speedster seat but with much more side bolster. I believe these are being reproduced by Torino in Italy and by Peter Zwinakis in Northern California. I also use a roll bar, 6-point harness, fuel cell, and of course a good helmet!
Brakes
My three 356s all have dual circuit braking and stock type brake systems appropriate to their respective chassis.
Although you are welcome to use disc brakes on an early 356 I never do. The
356 drums, if set up and adjusted properly always work better than most
anything that competed in period.The only exception I can think of would be an event such as the current Carrera where the 356s are being converted to near 911 or 912 spec for a grueling event, effectively off road, personally I have no desire nor
intention of perverting a 356 in this manner.
Suspension
My goals are safety, fun, and control and comfort not necessarily in that order but in equal parts. My set up usually uses stock torsion bars and stock alignment settings — maybe a small amount of rear de-camber but no more than 1/2 a degree (unless you own a tire company)
I replace the front sway bar with a 19mm bar this is considerably firmer than the 15mm or 16mm stock bar As I remember from the charts something like 400 pounds resistance at its softest setting vs. 260 for the 16mm. I don't remember for sure but H & H Specialties, Inc., Chelmsford, Massachusetts has the charts. Phone Lee Houseman at 978-256-9465. I prefer the H&H bar for its quality & simplicity but own 3 or 4 19mm bars. The most popular name is Weltmeister but I have not used their bar on a 356.
In the rear I always use Vic Skirmants' bar. Unlike a factory camber compensator, which was only to keep a softer sprung car from bottoming out, the Skirmants bar controls camber range.
I have used the H&H Z-bar but feel that any advantage it may have in control is offset with fussy installation. The Skirmants bar does basically the same thing: control variance in camber and force the upgraded front bar to do its job.
I use the single bar installation which only takes 15 to 20 minutes (really) and is totally undoable. The H&H Z-bar requires drilling into the underbody to mount chassis parts, something I prefer not to do.
I have used Boge, Koni and Bilstein shocks and have a distinct preference for the latter two. I use adjustable Konis for a car that will see track time (both As) and Bilsteins are my preference for a street driven 356 that will also be used for high-speed tours such as the NE Tour 1000.
My understanding is that control at the steering end is enhanced by setting the front shocks at their firmest setting or one click down while comfort dictates running the rear at about 1/2 (hard / soft) setting.
If a 356 will be used exclusively for track then firming up the rear might be in order. Vic offers a second reinforcing bar for full track use.
With the above settings I find that my 356s are near neutral and that I can fine tune the understeer/oversteer relationship by raising or lowering tire pressure front and rear. Pressures: with a street radial I start at 32 all around, track radial 40 all around, track bias 22 to 24 all around.
Also this set up requires the chassis be checked and be in good condition else there are safety issues. My Speedster has had a complete new chassis fabricated by KAM Motorsports of Waterbury CT done on a Celete Bench – chassis jig. My coupes are in strong, no rust condition.
Those of us who race use the B spindle on early As. I do not box the trailing arms — if hit they would cause the chassis to bend instead of sacrificing themselves as intended. There have been instances of the trailing arms bending on the street but to my knowledge only in over tired 356s.
Engine and Transmission
My 356As have somewhat upgraded motors: basically SC/912 guts for reliability and 741-2C transmissions with 644 nose so that the shift linkage is stock. With a steep driveway, and track and hillclimb goals, BBAD gearing gives me the versatility I desire. (Stock 1st and 2nd, lower 3rd and the SC's 4th: this set up fills the gaping hole between 2nd and 3rd)
Bars, shocks, wheels, tires: no miracles, just simple upgrades, in balance, to enhance the safety and control of this 75-year old suspension*.
Ed Hyman in Western Conneticut, 356 curmudgeon
Registry #57, VSCCA race # 540
356A T1 coupe, T1 Speedster, 356C (SC) ESR Coupe
Evolution Ps - E series Targa & 930 MkII
* The twin trailing arms are a direct descendant of the Auto Union (& KDF) design from the Silver Arrow period of 75 years ago.
