Nizer

Bob: I take all claimed weights with a grain of salt, including Porsche. Cheers.

tmg57

I'm not sure what the issue is here. Porsche will not warranty track related issues at all, as I understand it. Slicks are only used at the track, so any problems they might cause would already be excluded from coverage. Now, if you want to ride around your neighborhood on slicks...

BBMGT3

I have a strong suspicion its because the RWS can't handle the grip from a slick. The variable toe is electrically controlled...

Regardless, I strongly suspect there will be aftermarket attempts at RWS-delete.

That, coupled with near-certain weight saving opportunities (rear muffler anyone? still the 3 piece we know and love from the 997), a light battery, some suspension mods, ESC/TC/PSM/PASM deletes or whatever, lightweight wheels, and the 991gt3 can be whatever you want it to be.

wanna911

Slicks are R(race) compound competition tires. You may refer to the grooved tires as semi slicks, but then it's just a semantics game.

But either way, the point is that it's hard to consider a scenario where slicks will be ok'd and DOT Slicks are not. There are some DOT Semi Slicks that are as fast as Non-DOT slicks as well. So there is not likely to be an out because your tires had two grooves on an otherwise slick tire surface.

the_vetman

I hear your point, but there is a reason why no racer is running Hoosier R6s instead of true racing slicks unless mandated by the governing body. There is a big difference between Hoosier R6s and Michelin/Yokohama/Continental/Pirelli/whatever race slicks. The ONLY people who refer to R6s (or similar tires) as "slicks" is DE people (and such).

And, yes, I understand that different series mandate certain racing slicks be used. But that's not why they're not using Hoosier R6s. It's because there's a big difference between Hoosiers and slicks.

the_vetman

+1. Excellent post.

utkinpol

I suspect after such a 'success' with this car we will simply get 991 RS car without all this BS so nothing would have to be 'deleted'.

Or, those who want cars for track will simply have to skip 991 generation and keep building up on stock of remaining 997.x tubs.

track cars must be simple, repairable and reliable. 997.2 cars so far are quite there. 991 may or may not be there, who knows. time will tell. but I do not think it will be simple to just 'delete' RWS from that car due to the way how they integrated it. car probably will not be drivable after that.

kosmo

and Italian bikes. WTF

kosmo

i think youre right.

apparently it was a "shifting" of the bandwidth of customers rather than "increasing."

This really enforces my view that theres nothing wrong w/ this car, only the name.

utkinpol

reality is - they cater now for Asian market and most likely china will eat up all the stock Porsche makes and still eat up more so I am not sure if segment of NA sales related to track use is even a matter of concern for the factory now. even if all local customers will boycott this car it still not going to mean anything for VW.

to be realistic we are dealing with VW now, all that 'legacy' crap they do not care about anymore, it is all about sales and making all cars on the same conveyer belt to cut production costs. that was the only requirement for GT3 series in the 991 generation, to be made on same line with S and non-S cars. that is why we got what we got. and yet, it got a wing, a badge, a nice shiny 20" blings so Asian market will eat it all up and then ask for more, and for 2x price compared to our USA market, so, I would not expect much to happen.

old cup based GT3 is no more, and it is what it is.

0Q991

The Asian market may like "bling," but let's not kid ourselves--the US market likes bling as much as any other. Land of the H2s...

kosmo

i cant wait for the Long Wheelbase GT3 edition targeted at the Chinese mkt.

mooty

i think you move to CA and get a 6gt3, then the good ole days will start gain. IB should give you a position.

the_vetman

For the record, sports cars are not big at all in China/Asia. In China, Porsche is largely known as an "SUV company that also sells sports cars".

China is a major selling ground for Porsche/VW, but the vast majority of the sales are Cayennes. With some Panameras sprinkled in - Porsche's been trying to push its sales over there. Only a very tiny fraction of the sold cars will be GT3s.

wanna911

First of all, let's not get stuck on R6's. There are varying levels of grip between DOT R's and full slicks. And those grip levels do actually cross over, all slicks are not faster than all DOT Semi's.

R6 are not the fastest, nor the best. There are many people opting to run on A6 tires for races instead of slicks, especially the crappy hoosier slicks, and continental slicks (pretty much the same tire). Granted some of it's about points/weight/hp. But the rest is about race strategy. Slicks are not banned everywhere. Continental slicks are so slow, they weren't even charged points for a slick tire with NASA.

But still the ultimate point is that there are DOT tires as fast as slicks. Hankook C91's and Hoosier A6 for example. They get hotter faster, and for lighter weight, lower powered cars will last a whole race in good conditions. They produce as much grip as yokohamas and are preferred for time trials.

There are MANY people who have tried slicks and gone slower, to marginally faster than these DOT-R's. As long as such tires exist, it does not matter to Porsche if it's one of these or a slick. The bottom line is that the car has an issue with the high G's, so to Porsche, they might as well be equal. Including an R6. They aren't going to ask you which DOT tire you ran before denying coverage.