spruden

Great additional points Slakker. I'll +996 on the FVD pan/baffle combo - and a major endorsement of schools and coaching. I did bondurant earlier this year - learned a ton and gained a new appreciation for a properly prepped 996 on track.

On suspension - moving to the X74 setup was like driving a different car on track - almost mind blowing.

+996 on Slakker's brake advise. Sebro slotted, stock calipers, endurance "race" pad of choice - Pagid RS29, Hawk, PFC, Ferrodo, etc... combined with quality fluid like the brands already mentioned.

I recommend finding an oil designed for track use in a wet sump engine. To avoid turning this into an oil thread - just find one you feel comfortable running that meets the demands of a track driven M96. Don't run your oil level completely full unless you like James Bond style smoke screens when on track.

I always advocate for sticking with crap street tires until they become the weak link - you'll learn way more about the car and your abilities without insane rubber masking bad habits and poor decisions.

Lastly - I went with OMP seats on various combinations of Brey Krause adapters for my 996 (which in season is almost a dedicated track car). I recommend buying from a knowledgeable dealer who has experience mounting various seats on various adapters in a 996. There are too many options and it's too damn easy to make mistakes or spend a ton of time finding a proper seating position, height, etc...

I like the seats but I screwed up on the passenger side - although too wide for me, it's still way too narrow for most of my students. If you plan on instructing or having right seat passengers - get a passenger seat designed for hips of all sizes and genders

bornrich

The pan guard is factory but keep in mind that it lowers ground clearance by another 3/4 if an inch or so.
My PSS9s are good but I don't know how old they are as there were on the car when I bought it. I run them pretty stiff as I mostly use the car for autox and track days.

Matt

dkraige

Excellent advice for the novice 911 driver. Can't imagine how this could go wrong.

Slakker

My second day on a track, I got an instructor that drove a GT4 and was a long time racer. Trailbraking was the first thing he started working with me on. Bondurant teaches it Day 2. The threshold braking, release/turn crap that you get from a typical DE instructor is flat out wrong, and even worse in a 911. Consistent corner entry speed and loading the nose for turn in should be your focal point from the start. Then you don't have to unlearn ad many bad habits.

jj1

I'd add test pipes. My cats were damaged doing 2 track days with my car basically stock (gt3 front CAs and Pagid break pads). Test pipes add power across all usable rev range, reduce weight, add a nice note and most importantly keep you from trashing the very expensive stock cats if you ever revert it to a stock car. Plus if they start to get clogged it robs a lot of power.

I'd say it's highly dependent on set up (diff, spring rates, alignment, tires) and even specific corner. If you "trailbrake the crap out of it" everywhere, I'd think you should re-evaluate your set up or consider you might be over braking (something I see very commonly as people get faster in there cars).

.02

Slakker

The amount of trailbraking required is inversely proportional to the speed of the corner. My point was the quicker you learn to rotate the rear end with the brake pedal the better you will understand the car.

Here's the lap where I beat the PCA SP996 track record set by a pro caliber driver. Now it's not a fair comparison since my setup is quicker than an SP996 but I would be open to your input on where I'm over braking.

joseph mitro

Are you left-foot braking at all? I've not driven a rear engined car in anger, so the trailbraking would take some getting used to for me. The E36 was pretty well balanced although I trail braked on occasion

Slakker

I'm not left foot braking. I think it's good for a few more tenths but have yet to master it. The ultimate goal is 0% coasting. So you are braking,even if it's 15%, right up until the point you move back to the gas. And the goal is always to get back to gas as quickly as possible. Besides just the weight transfer advantages, it is also a matter of physics. When combining lateral and longitudinal G's, your car can handle more total (combined) G's than max long or lat G's individually.

So on a high speed turn like the first turn in the vid, I will straight line brake and get back the throttle at entry. Turn 2 on the other hand, the end of my braking zone is just before the late apex and I'm waiting for the rear end to come around before i release the brake and go immediately back to full throttle (squeezing not jabbing).

Evil Bunny

OP - Apologies for the thread hijack, I am in similar situation to you and will post my finding but in the interim

Slakker, could you provide details on your JRZ Cup suspension setup please?

Spring rates, ride heights, rear spacer size, can pressures etc?

Thanks

Evil Bunny

OP - as touched upon I am in a similar situation, 996 C2 that I will use for track use, however it will be driven to the tracks, circa 200 mile round trip, so must be able to deal with the public roads.

I decided that trying to add power was a waste of time and money, its well documented that the various bolt on upgrades add very little, so focused on trying to increase the reliability of the M96.

Full service and replacement of fluids – Engine, Gearbox, Brakes.

FVD Motorsport oil pan, which includes an X51 baffle and gives 0.6L extra oil capacity, it sits a little lower (20mm) than the standard pan, but I have not had issues, magnetic sump plug. – I use Millers 10w-50 CFS Nano Oil.

Low temp thermostat, and center rad kit to help with engine temps, I modified my a/c to run with one condenser to further increase airflow to the rads. – I also fitted an underdrive pulley, not for the performance gain, if there is one, but to reduce the strain on the power steering pump when running at continual high track RPM’s.

Brakes, I run stock Brembo discs and calipers, with Pagid RS Blue pads, I find these excellent and they do not squeal like the Yellows, as discussed good high temp brake fluid is required, I use Motul RBF660, SRF is widely regarded as the best, its also the most expensive. 997 GT3 brake ducts are cheap and easy to fit and help a little, as does modifying the rad cowls and inner wing liner to allow a little more air to the brakes. – The pedal does go soft after prolonged hard braking, however it always comes back.

Going forward I may look to install a caliper spacer that will allow me to run 350mm 997 turbo discs with the current calipers and pads. – However I am struggling to find first hand feedback on whether there is any benefit from the additional 20mm of disc.

Suspension, replace what is broken, all of my LCA’s needed replacing, I decided to bite the bullet and go for the two piece adjustable GT3 Cup items with monoballs, not that I needed them, but I may in the future and would prefer to spend only the once, they allow more negative camber to be dialed in, but I do not see this as a must have for initially getting on track. -

This winter I will be going back over my suspension, with the intention of refreshing everything. – Hence the query to Slakker regarding his cup damper setup, which I am keen to hear about.

Remove weight where you can, I have achieved 100Kg but the car looks standard and with the exception of the rear seats I have a full interior, removing weight improves acceleration, braking and handling and in many instances costs nothing! – The biggest free wins were mats, rear wiper, rear seats, spare wheel, jack, tool kit and sound proofing. – Spends wise best wins, battery, Odyssey PC950 saved 11Kg over stock for circa $200, followed by replacing the front seats for buckets, circa 20Kg saving and far more support on track.

Slakker

^^+1 I agree with all of the previous post.

As for the brake upgrades, I researched it heavily. I even tried upgrading to a full cup suspension (carriers, brakes, and shocks), but aborted due to difficulty and lack value. Since the stock brake calipers lock up the stickiest of slicks and heat fade is not a problem, it all comes down to what problem are you trying to solve? The answer is improved feel for more precise modulation. In my opinion, this can be accomplished easily by swapping the Master Cylinder for a 997 GT3 MC. It's a direct fit, no modifications required.

I'll start a separate thread to answer the JRZ Cup question.

SWK6Cup

You might want to add GT3 brake ducts, to force more air over the brakes/calipers.....Porsche Motorsport AOS, will prevent the mosquito foggier effect, also I might change out the water pump......well, just because it's a good idea to start with a baseline.........I would also recommend Numeric Rwci g shift cable, makes it feel like a rifle bolt action.....u adding wevo motor mounts?..... just a few suggestions.......

SWK6Cup

Since you have a wing on the back, you might want a front splitter and canards, this will help balance the aero on the car.....

MoeMonney

Was that lap with the FSI 3.8 engine? Do you have a light weight flywheel?

Slakker

I almost forgot one of THE most important mods. Rennline Competition Wheel Studs.

Nope. Stock 3.4L (underdrive pulley and catless exhaust) with a dual mass flywheel.