SamFromTX

If the RS is allowed to have slicks, wouldn't having a warranty for 40K miles offset some of the cost, including a possible engine replacement if needed? Do new Cup cars have any warranty?

hf1

Also to keep in mind when comparing the costs of Cup to GT3 for track/racing: Any body damage (non-tub/frame related) will be much "cheaper" in terms of depreciation with a Cup vs. a street-legal GT3. You can buy a used 6/7 Cup, race it for a few years, and still sell it at a similar price even if you kissed a wall or two, if it was well-maintained and assuming engine and consumables are in the same condition as when bought. With a GT3, not so much.

GrantG

Zero

hf1

Hmm, DFI lasts forever? As good as new after 200 hard-race hours?

mooty

not true, that's what a shop tells you and some not so smart newbie cup drivers would believe. a cup that's hit will be cheaper than a cup that is not hit. most cup guys are looking for race cars as clean as street cars. lets not beat around the bush. reter, myself and quite a few others i know want unicorns. basically a new cup. low hour, no hit, clean as queen. and they do exist and cost a lot more than one that's not. so to say a cup that contacted the wall is immune to dep'n is not true. i am talking about small hits, non frame related. if frame is bent, you can't give it away.

there is no cheap way around this.

neanicu

Well,I figured you guys realized it was a joke...

hf1

I agree, but a GT3 will depreciate more (%-wise) from a hit than a Cup. I also agree that some people (like yourself) prefer to pay a (hefty) premium for an almost new race car which is as clean as an almost new street car. Most racers I know don't. The odds simply don't make the premium worth paying. If you race long/hard enough, you will have contact. It's not a matter of skill -- only time.

Petevb

The 991 RS will presumably, like the 991 GT3, have a warranty that extends to the track. This throws all of this math off.

The RS isn't going to be as fast as a new Cup unless you're willing to void the warranty (by a lot). But if you're OK going slower, time trials and the fast group at DEs, you could put 50,000 track miles on the RS with coverage. It's possible, doing around 3 trackdays a month, call it around 500 hours of track time.

In this time, a GT3 Cup would require ~5 motor rebuilds , ~8 transmission rebuilds- you're in the $250k ballpark, and that's assuming you're reasonably mechanically sympathetic. Suspension parts time out and add to this total, etc, etc.

Now I have no doubt that if you did run an RS for 50k miles on the track something would break, even with the lower loads of the street tires, so how preventative maintenance is dealt with becomes a significant question. But there is an opportunity for the warranty to save $6 a mile simply in the timeout parts on the Cup, and that's before consumables. Tires probably last what, 3x as long?

I doubt anyone will exploit the warranty quite like this, but if they did I could see them saving ~$10 a mile over a Cup. Remember the Cup is a race car bought on a payment plan- low upfront costs, but they'll make their money back on rebuilds.

The new warranty seems to change the previous math dramatically.

Drifting

Does the new GT3 warranty explicitly state that Porsche will cover failures that occur while driving on the track? (as long as you kept with the maintenance schedule for track use)

Petevb

Yes, if you follow the prescribed track specific maintenance routine.

Mike in CA

As Pete stated, yes. FYI, before, the main warranty booklet stated that "components or parts that fail during racing or driving events (including Porsche sponsored events) WILL NOT be covered by the new car limited warranty".

Now, the main warranty booklet states that, "components or parts that fail during racing or driving events (including Porsche sponsored events) MAY NOT be covered by the new car limited warranty".

Additionally, the "Driving on a Race Circuit" supplement that comes with the 991 GT3 (shown below) says that, "under certain circumstances, the warranty MAY be voided IF these aspects (the additional maintenance items that follow) are not taken into consideration".

It's clear that Porsche will cover race circuit driving as long as the more rigorous maintenance schedule they outline is followed.

GrantG

Out of curiosity, how many sets of tires, pads, and rotors do you suppose one would expend during those 500 hrs on the RS? I'm sure the 21" tires and big brake consummables won't come cheap.

GrantG

Out of curiosity, how many sets of tires, pads, and rotors do you suppose one would expend during those 500 hrs (I would think MANY on a >3,000 pound car with big power and big downforce - downforce puts much more heat into the brakes)? I'm sure the 21" tires and big brake consummables won't come cheap.

Petevb

Maybe 25-30 sets of rubber? Depends a lot on how hard you're pushing, etc. I don't know how the brakes are going to do, but you'd want to budget ~100k for consumables. But that's still probably less than half the Cup for similar replacement points.

GrantG

Assuming your estimated 30 sets of tires is close (I personally think it's too conservative to think the tires will last 17hrs flat out), I think that $100k budget is way too small (might not even cover tires alone - gotta wait to see what the rubber costs in those huge sizes) - brake parts are gonna be pricey too.

If you figure the average track day probably puts at most 2 hrs of driving at the limit on the car (you sure can't do that at the local PCA events), I think the tire replacement interval is shorter than 8.5 days, no? (I had a friend that would go through a new set of real slicks on his C6 Vette before lunch)

UPDATE: Tire Rack is showing $709 per tire in the N-Rated (Porsche) RS's rear size for PS Cup 2's 325/30/21 (less than I thought)...