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I recently sold my 997.1 and am searching for a 987.2 or 981. I want a nice street car that I can also use for HPDE events. I prefer the manual transmission over the PDK for really one primary reason. I'm not the kind of guy that usually likes going all the way to the redline and if I get what I want, (Sport Plus) then the PDK will always go to redline. Am I overthinking this? I know at the time of resale the DME report is the determining factor. As an additional question I'm also going to purchase a trailer to transport the car the events so I welcome comments on that as well. Thanks for any guidance provided. Budget is around 70K combined for both.
30 years ago when I went to Sturgis for the first time on my Harley I rode the whole way. Lots of folks wearing patches there saying, “I Rode Mine”, a jab at those that trailered their bikes.
I rode mine there with lots of road stories (getting literally cut up on my shoulders and back by hail in northern Nebraska, getting my faring bent by shear winds and a 18 wheeler carrying bales of hay across the Wyoming plains) are great in hindsight, not so much at the time. I was younger and dumber then.
I think you are smart to trailer it. Chewing up miles on interstates is neither fun nor interesting. Trailer it, drive it when it matters.
I recently sold my 997.1 and am searching for a 987.2 or 981. I want a nice street car that I can also use for HPDE events. I prefer the manual transmission over the PDK for really one primary reason. I'm not the kind of guy that usually likes going all the way to the redline and if I get what I want, (Sport Plus) then the PDK will always go to redline. Am I overthinking this? I know at the time of resale the DME report is the determining factor.
Manual vs PDK is a big question, I believe the default suggestion is to try driving both and see which you like. I have never driven one so I can't offer any real help.
What I can tell you is that with a PDK you generally ignore the DME over rev report. It will either read 0s or it will have erroneous numbers. DME over rev is to show if it has been 'money-shifted' in the past. You can't money-shift a PDK.
Your mileage may vary, but I quite enjoyed driving my car to my track events. Loved running it all day; then loading my tools, chair, and cooler back up… and driving it back home, rinsing it off and going out to dinner in it.
I even did this in my earliest days in Club racing, with a roof rack and a set of wheels and tires added to the mix. Call me crazy, but I just had a perverse enjoyment from being able to use the car this way.
What other car can you do that with?
That said, it’s certainly up to your personal preference. I see folks happily do DE’s both ways.
Your mileage may vary, but I quite enjoyed driving my car to my track events. Loved running it all day; then loading my tools, chair, and cooler back up… and driving it back home, rinsing it off and going out to dinner in it.
I even did this in my earliest days in Club racing, with a roof rack and a set of wheels and tires added to the mix. Call me crazy, but I just had a perverse enjoyment from being able to use the car this way.
What other car can you do that with?
That said, it’s certainly up to your personal preference. I see folks happily do DE’s both ways.
I certainly appreciate your view point. My beef is when rain is involved on the last day or any day for that matter and you have to have everything outside. I prefer using the garage if I'm lucky enough to get a stall. I have a truck so pulling the trailer seems like the best option as I can carry cargo in the bed.
I certainly appreciate your view point. My beef is when rain is involved on the last day or any day for that matter and you have to have everything outside. I prefer using the garage if I'm lucky enough to get a stall. I have a truck so pulling the trailer seems like the best option as I can carry cargo in the bed.
Yup, makes sense. I was also a bit spoiled in that I was running 944 and 968, and could pack my EZ-Up along with tools, coolers, chairs, and such.
i did just what you are looking to do, but a hair more. picked up a 987.2 for a dedicated track car and love it, but it has been modified quite a bit and no longer a street car. for a trailer i suggest looking into futura. i recently sold my aluminum open trailer and picked one up and love it. so nice not having to deal with ramps, and it looks pretty cool too. there is a side effect though - adding a trailer tends to lead to packing more stuff when i started out in de everything fit inside my 1983 targa. now i have 3 tubs of 'stuff', tie downs, extra chairs, tire rack on the trailer, fuel rack with 4 jugs, cooler(s), electric scooter, etc. etc.
I have been doing HPDEs for 15 years. I bought a trailer early on, already having a F150 to use as a tow vehicle. There are a number of things I like about trailering to an event. First and foremost is if you have an incident that causes the car to be undrivable, there are generally resources at the track that will get your damaged car back on the trailer so you can tow it home for repair. If you are coming out of Greenville, you will always be several hours from home (Road Atlanta, VIR, CMP). Options to get a damaged car rescued can get expensive in a hurry. I suspect that many have to drive at 8/10ths if in the back of their minds they know that they need the car to get them home. I also like the comfort that comes with a tow vehicle that you can load up with coolers, chairs, tools, tires, and all manner of stuff. Trailering your car also helps if you put good supportive track oriented seats in your car, which can become somewhat uncomfortable for long freeway drives. I would also recommend a 6 point harness. The stability of the harness and seats will allow you to concentrate on your driving versus holding yourself in position. So if you are already considering a trailer, I would say go for it.
Regarding "then the PDK will always go to redline", I guess in Sport Mode this is a true statement. There may be an intermediate mode where this is not the case? That said, these cars have strong engines. Going to redline, in my opinion, is not abusive. More importantly, is the PDK will give you some protection against "money shifts", where you inadvertantly select the wrong gear when downshifting. That said, both of my Caymans are manual and I love the interaction of shifting (except when in stop and go traffic!)
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Thanks. Not to brag (well, maybe, a little) but I sewed the custom seat inserts myself. I think they really dress up the look.
As I said above, they provide superlative support in a HPDE environment.
i did just what you are looking to do, but a hair more. picked up a 987.2 for a dedicated track car and love it, but it has been modified quite a bit and no longer a street car. for a trailer i suggest looking into futura. i recently sold my aluminum open trailer and picked one up and love it. so nice not having to deal with ramps, and it looks pretty cool too. there is a side effect though - adding a trailer tends to lead to packing more stuff when i started out in de everything fit inside my 1983 targa. now i have 3 tubs of 'stuff', tie downs, extra chairs, tire rack on the trailer, fuel rack with 4 jugs, cooler(s), electric scooter, etc. etc.
as others have said no dme worries on a pdk.
Thanks for the information but the Futura just isn’t in my price range.
Just to clarify, you know you can shift a PDK manually, right? Whether it's in standard, sport, or sport plus you can shift at whatever RPM you want. You just need to use your hands on the paddles or the stick to do the shifting. I was heel and toe shifting my 996 for a decade at tracks before I moved to the PDK. I love both, but the PDK offers the best of both worlds for me.
These days I track my 987.2 exclusively and trailer it as well. Nice peace of mind that I'll always have a way home and a more comforable vehicle to sit in during bad weather
Just to clarify, you know you can shift a PDK manually, right? Whether it's in standard, sport, or sport plus you can shift at whatever RPM you want. You just need to use your hands on the paddles or the stick to do the shifting. I was heel and toe shifting my 996 for a decade at tracks before I moved to the PDK. I love both, but the PDK offers the best of both worlds for me.
These days I track my 987.2 exclusively and trailer it as well. Nice peace of mind that I'll always have a way home and a more comfortable vehicle to sit in during bad weather
Yes, I was aware of that but I didn't know if I'd have the coordination to keep up with all of that while on the track. My instructor said the PDK would allow me to be able to focus on the line and not be worried about shifting. Good advice it seems.
I agree with your instructor. Particularly for new drivers, minimizing cognitive load makes it easier to perform well. Leave it in full auto while you learn the line and the basics (or want to set records), and manually shift when you want more control due to conditions or just a desire to be more connected. Honestly the only downside at is managing heat and the cost of repair if something breaks. I'm at 90k miles and many, many events, and I just had my first serious issues (position sensor failing). it's not cheap to fix, but thankfully these days there are options other than buying new or refurbished transmissions when something does wear out.
07-19-2024, 09:03 PM
New purchase questions, etc.
when i started out in de everything fit inside my 1983 targa. now i have 3 tubs of 'stuff', tie downs, extra chairs, tire rack on the trailer, fuel rack with 4 jugs, cooler(s), electric scooter, etc. etc.
