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Hello All,
I recently ran my 964 at Road Atlanta and came to the conclusion that if I would continue to track it then I would need to make some safety upgrades. However, the unique issue I've found is that most cages remove the ability to have functional backseats. I have a son who I am hoping to have grow up with memories of being in the backseat for road trips and school runs. My end goal for building out the car would be to have a GT3 RS style build with it being as light as possible without affecting safety or driveability. This is where I would love some advice. Should I
A. Keep the car as it is currently and pursue another vehicle to track
B. Build out the car to track and making the necessary upgrades for safety while doing everything possible to keep the driveability
C. Another option that I haven't thought of.
I’m kind of in the same boat and interested in answers. My initial plan was A, but now I think I want to do the reverse of A. Keep the current car track focused and get a second car for daily things, kid in the back.
Hard part is finding a good compliment to the 964. I’ve been leaning towards a 993 or 996tt. But would a 993 be too similar? I see others that have one of each.
If you plan on continuing at the track and enjoying HPDE, then safety upgrades are a must. As most would say, it becomes a question of time, of when you will continue to add parts, and modifications that make you faster. The most important part of that is safety, not just the car, but your own protective gear. A rollbar should be a basic addition if you plan on going anything more than 6/10ths on the track and even then I would add it even if you were doing less than that but doing many many track days a year. Any rollbar is not necessarily a cage, and if it isn't bolted to the chassis may be limited in its protection, but at least it's something. Many more could debate this issue for the ages. My opinion (since you asked) is: if your plan is sustained trackdays with a focus on getting faster and better then put the rollbar/cage in and enjoy. If its just occasional fun, then don't push it on the track, keep the back seats intact and enjoy it more on the road.
If you can afford it, then by all means by a dedicated track car is best.
Cheers
Last edited by GentlemanRacer; 10-07-2019 at 06:02 PM.
Reason: add
A dedicated car is really what I was leaning towards. I traded a heavily tracked 01 Boxster S for the 964 and don't regret it for a second. Just the safety aspect because of it being 30 years old now. I just really didn't want to hear the reality of having another car . So I guess 6/10ths it is until I source a built streetable track car!
A. Keep the car as it is currently and pursue another vehicle to track
B. Build out the car to track and making the necessary upgrades for safety while doing everything possible to keep the driveability
C. Another option that I haven't thought of.
DE can be pretty addictive, huh?
A and B are both good options. A is the sensible approach, but I’m a Plan B kind of guy, and run with street legal roll bars.
But Plan B is not an option for you. You can’t have your son in the back seat with a roll bar. And the DAS roll bar is too much of a PIA to pull in and out each time you track the car.
Making a track car out of your 964 is also not a good investment. You’ll put $20,000 into the car and it will typical be worth $20,000 less. Better to find a car someone has already prepped for track. Like this RS America
I went with Option A in the same situation as you, allbeit I went really back to basics and bought a track prepared Clio 172 Cup for peanuts. I fancied something cheaper, safer and more accessible. I suspect I'll change it in the new year for something a bit quicker but for a few track days this year its been a lot of fun. And it makes my 964 feel much faster when I jump back in to it for weekend driving!
Pros and cons to each alternative. To me it really depends on your goals, if you have any. If you want to just do DE and have fun, buying a fully caged car, a trailer, a truck and finding somewhere to keep all that stuff can be a pain in the ***. I have all that crap and I am enjoying it currently, but I often look longingly as my friends load their few items into their street car and drive off in 10 min while I am sweating my *** off getting my track car loaded up. Not to mention the additional time to unload, drop the trailer off at storage, etc. If you want to race or compete in some way, I would recommend buying a dedicated car. Some aren't into the miata thing, but I have a slow as ***** spec na miata and it is just as fun as my very fast 300 whp e36 m3. Both are caged, so I feel comfortable pushing hard and finding the limits of the car without risking my safety or too much dough. Cost to run is about 1/4 as much as my e36 m3.
As previously mentioned, once a car has the front half of a true cage, it ceases to be a road car in my mind. Others will disagree with that, but I would never drive a caged car on the road.
I have a safety devices cage from a friends car I am trying to sell. It can be bolted in and removed in sections for when you're not tracking the car. A bit of work to install and remove but might be a consideration. I have a fully dedicated 964 with fully welded in cage. I think without proper safety equipment having a cage on the street is a bad idea. Lots of hard metal to come in contact with in that hope it never happens moment.
PCA is changing the rules regarding cages and IIRC if you have a cage and harnesses you must also use a hans device. IMO a great idea as even these older cars can hit speeds that can hurt if an impact happens.
10-07-2019, 02:43 PM
964 Track Safety and Driveability
. So I guess 6/10ths it is until I source a built streetable track car!
