lfish

Nice to know that the GT3 is meant for the track. Too bad Porsche doesn't see it that way, in terms of the warranty

MileHigh911

Porsche does provide warranty coverage for the GT3, and has a different maintenance schedule listed in the manual. If you are referring to the "no slicks" portion of the manual, that is due to the fact that running race slicks puts tremendous stress on a multitude of components. No street car is designed to run on slicks. PERIOD. No manufacturer would ever warranty a car against component damage due to racing. Just ask a race team. They spend a lot more money to get a raw, race ready, properly beefed up car, made specially for racing and reliability, but they don't expect a warranty from wear and tear during racing. Imagine a CUP team asking Porsche to replace a hub or LCA, etc under a warranty claim. Any honest guy on this forum that has run race rubber on various cars knows this.

ipse dixit

So true.

Someone feel free to correct me, but I believe that the Camaro Z/28, which has a "track warranty," still will not be covered by GM if run with slicks.

sgroer

I was at Road A last week. The GT3 can hit 155+ on the back stretch - I believe I hit 150 and I'm sure a better driver would carry more speed into the straightaway. Once on the straight, I was amazed at how the GT3 pulled on pretty much every car out there.

My driving left much to be desired - a very humbling experience as I moved up to a more advanced group and had to point by more people than I'm willing to admit. Better than trying to outdrive myself and get in trouble though!

Wichard20

great times we live in with the performance these street cars can provide for the cost

Manifold

Please just keep in mind that, while these cars are becoming race car fast, their safety equipment isn't at race car level.

I myself will be putting harnesses, roll bar, etc. in my GT3, but I really wonder if I want to hit the top speeds the car is capable of at my tracks (150+ at nearly all of them).

I've seen a 996 turbo roll multiple times due to blowing a tire on a straight at about 150. The car was totaled, passenger side A-pillar caved in (fortunately, no passenger), and driver was very lucky to escape with only minor injuries. If the specifics of the crash dynamics had been different, and the A-pillar on his side caved , the driver could have been fatally injured (and his head did hit the roof despite tight harnesses, roll bar, and not being tall).

I don't mean to overly scare people, but we do sometimes need a reality check to balance our zeal for driving fast.

CAlexio

Watched the senna documentary again last night, and was sickening to see how driver's heads flopped around. While I track motorcycles and so my danger factor is exponentially higher, i think I'll end up getting some kind of HANS device for my track machine... The spinal cord is so delicate with a heavy head to attach to.

sgroer

Agree and point well taken. Especially at my height (6'7") there is little room between the top of my helmet and the roof. With 2 kids and a wife who express their worries every time I go to the track , I've been debating internally if it's a bit selfish and if it's worth it all. I find myself driving 7/10 most of the time and wondering if that's even too much. But that's a discussion for another thread.

Manifold

Doesn't have to be all or nothing. You can certainly reduce risk by carefully choosing the clubs you go to the track with, dialing it back to 7/10ths (or whatever leaves a good safety margin for you), having good safety equipment in the car (including head/neck restraint), knowing the runoff areas at your tracks and handling each corner accordingly (and mentally rehearsing how you'll handle each corner if you have a problem in the corner), doing diligent tech and maintenance of the car, etc. With these measures, risk of injury on track isn't necessarily higher than on the road, per mile driven.

But it's still a good idea to get track insurance for the car if you can't comfortably afford to write it off, since the risk of crashing a car on track is definitely much higher than on the road, per mile driven (though that risk can also reduced by the kinds of measures noted above).

kfmcmahon

damn, how do you fit in the GT3 with a helmet on at your height?!?!

CAlexio

What is 7/10 though? If you hit a wall at 60mph, your head gets a pretty severe deceleration compared to your body which is strapped in no?

Manifold

The steering wheel airbag will help, but better to have harnesses and head/neck restraint. Side impact protection for head/neck (halo seat) is desirable too, but note that the track seats for the GT3 don't provide that protection, so you'll be relying on the upward-inflating side airbags in the doors for that protection.

Definitions will vary, but for me 7/10 means driving considerably faster than sane road speeds, but slow enough on track to leave several seconds (per lap) on the table compared to the capability of the car. A challenging pace for a track novice, a somewhat easy pace for an 'advanced' driver (as judged by a competent CI). 7/10 is about the pace I take good students for demo rides, but slower than that for some students.

neanicu

It depends on how heavy your head is...if you have a brain,it will be heavy...If you're like me,you don't have anything to worry about...

sgroer

Amazingly, I fit quite comfortably. No other car at this level was an option. And that's just fine by me!

Jooyoung99

"Considering the capability of the optional tires, brakes, and aerodynamics, we were surprised to hear that when Pobst pulled back into the pits after his fourth lap, it wasn't because he wanted to stop. The car had flashed an oil-temperature warning on the back straight. "So I stuck it in neutral and let it idle even though we're going 140 mph," he said. It's something to be aware of if you hold wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona or SCCA World Challenge GT series and plan on tracking your Z06 on a warm, humid day. For the rest of us, the extreme level of performance available leaves plenty of headroom

Did you guys noticed that on the Motortrend article, the car had a oil temperature warning light on after 4 laps. That's pretty pathetic. That happened to my GTR with both Transmission fluid and oil in around 5~6 laps.