MetalSolid

www.pistonheads.com

Forget white - it's all about Speed Yellow!

DanH

If this is the guy I'm thinking of, he wrote a decent article on the RS in Excellence a while back.

MHC2S

Did I read that correct. This thing comes with Michelin Pilot Cup's?? Did he really say CUP tires??? WOW.

I love the way he starts off the article "The gloss on any new model only lasts until the next best thing comes around" gotta love that.

Holger B

It's a well written review, but the conclusion is highly predictable. After all, when was the last time the press didn't like the new more than the old?

It's nice that they've made it a better daily driver and found a few more hp, but it seems the other incremental benefits are probably mostly the result of the new OEM tires (nothing that 996 GT3 owners can't easily do on their own, or haven't already done).

Holger B

I'm sure this will be another area of debate, along with the sunroof, as to whether US cars will come with Cup tires...

DanH

Apparently its 6 secs quicker around the ring than the old mk2. I think one can put all of that down to the cups though!

Z06

Is that over the standard GT3 or the RS?

What did the Standard car do at the Ring?

DanH

The standard car. I can't remember what it did though, but I'm sure you can find it with google. Not seen the time for the new one either, just repeating what I was told on another Porsche forum

and thus internet rumours spread!

NJ-GT

The street GT3 ran 7:54 at the Ring (official time from Porsche). Then Manthey Racing took a stock GT3 to compare it to their MM410, the stock GT3 ran 7:49 and the MM410 ran 7:41. The 996 GT3 RS ran 7:43.

Now to the facts: The 7:54 and 7:49 were done on Michelin Pilot Sports 2. The 7:43 on Pirelli Corsa R-compound tires. The 7:41 was done on Dunlop R-compound SuperSportRace.

I can drop 1 full second on a 60 seconds track by changing from MPS2 to MPSC (I actually drop more than that). In theory, 8 secs can be dropped from a Ring time by changing tires from MPS2 to MPSC on the stock 996 GT3. Look at the times at the Ring between the BMW M3 (street Michelin tires, 8:24) and the BMW M3 CSL (MPSC, 7:56).

So, a 6 secs faster time running wider Michelin Sport Cups shows that the new car is not that much faster and probably slower at the Ring. It seems that the Ring doesn't like PASM equipped 997S, the non-PASM 997S has a 2 secs faster time at the Ring than the PASM 997S.

e6tme

This is hearsay. Wait until the official time is given, or von Saurma posts a time.

For those doubting the effects of incremental change, look at the increase in performance between 996 GT3 MkI and MkII.

Are all you MkII owners going to argue your car is inferior to the MkI because the MkI is nearly 30kg lighter and has a firmer ride than the MkII?

Nordschleife

I'm not quoting times, as they are NOT public, however, the 997 GT3 is faster round the ring than the old GT3 on the same tyres.
getting the car with the MPSC tyres as standard may not suit a lot of people. Here in Europe, if you use the MPSCs in summer, you also need shoulder (Spring and Autumn (Fall to you Transpondites)) and winter tyres, so three sets of tyres and rims.
The weather will cause ring times to vary considerably from day to day.
The ring suits horsepower and quite softly sprung cars.
For most US drivers, the times round the Hockenheimring short course are of most interest. The magic number is 1:11.8. The time done by the 996GT3 RS on Corsas/MPSCs (somebody remind us all which, please) and the old Gallardo with the original suspension, long gears and 'low' power on Rossos. The new Gallardo on Corsas is 'significantly' faster.
R+C

MJSpeed

I guess if you have a 996GT3 you'll stand proud for it...which is fine and those buying a 997GT3 will defend it...bottom line is enjoy what you're lucky enough already to have let all other things be...which ever one you have or will have, strip it down, tune it, make it light weight, make it a badass GT3 (996 or 997) and more importantly have fun with them..keep in mind you're probably no Walter Rohl...judge yourself on yourself not on someone else's times...just my $.10 Remember have fun!!

Cupcar#12

1.4g lateral in the dry - wow
my cup struggled to reach 1.0-1.1 with street tires on a totally smooth skid pad (tire rack's) with some careful tricks.
I agree with the hockenheimring as a better bench mark - the Nordschlefe does not match u.s. tracks or anywhere else very well - but is still the bar.
PASM tuning on the 7-3 is a world away from the 7-s.
but what do i know?.....