johnnyv1

I had my 02 996 C2, for 3 years, now I'm considering a GT3.
What are the common problems associated with the 996 or 997?
Is the performance that much better than a C2?
Is the ride that much worse than a C2
I have heard the 996 w/o pasm is more desirable than the 997,
can the psam ( whatever its called ) be disabled?

Your words of advise is greatly appreciated.

anyone interested in an 02 Silver 6spd, C2, 32,000 miles, engine has 22,000

996FLT6

Depends on what u like. 6gt3 is more raw no electronics other then abs. Takes abit of finesse and coaxing into a turn whereas the 7 very confident inspiring to go thru a turn wo too much drama. For me 6 is great for track but so so on street- 7 is alot more street friendly with pasm adjustment flexibility. 6 great platform to learn from- it doesnt hide any mistakes ie makes u a better driver. Both are great cars. Compared to a stock c2 with no suspension mods it's a hard ride for street awesome on track. 7gt3 is faster and u got best of both worlds for street/track. Stock for stock trackwise 6/7 way better then c2. Had a '99 c2 myself it was fun til I got the 6gt3. Good luck!!! Mike

roberga

I went from a 2002 C2 to a 2004 GT3. Can not describe how much better a performance car the GT3 is. As soon as you depress the throttle you will know. The only real problems is that you will spend more money on tires and upgrades. It is the start of a healthy addiction.
Now: you will never be able to have a drink in the cup holder if the container has more than about 3mm of fluid as it will launch. Nobody will be able to understand you on a cell phone, you will have to think about the best approach to going over any ramp or curb, no sun roof, the ride is not the same as a C2, yes much rougher. All of that is more than worth it for me. For me the GT3 is a perfect car.

FFaust

Fixed it for you.

+ 1 to what roberga said.

996FLT6

^thanks for the edit-lol : ). Problems associated with gt3 rms/fms(not a deterrent at all), stock LSD internals wears fast if you track a fair amount soln- guard or cup internals(best upgrade I ever done) and COOLANT press fittings- in all honesty you should address that either weld them or tap a pin and the associated hoses may get brittle over time so need to be checked or updated if you're gonna track a fair bit. Issues for me during 7 years of ownership and all happened last year- fms let go and coolant press fitting popped out on track. All of the things above are not a deterrent in purchasing a gt3- best car I ever owned!!! Mike

mooty

all gt3 has RMS in past, now or future
they all have dead LSD
none of above are really problems. i just ignore them.
they have coolant line popping off. there are solutions, no fear.
if you track lots, get 6
if you track little, get 7
there is NO relationship bn c2 and any GT3 variants.
one is a propeller plane, a nice one
the other is the next gen stealth fighter.
that's about all that's important to know about GT3's.
everything else is just useless noise, and analysis paralysis.
speaking as an owner who had more GT3 than most dealers ever sold them.

johnnyv1

Thanks for the words of encouragement.
What is LSD, rms / fms more or less common than C2?

roberga

Limited slip differential - I might suggest that if you do not know what it is, the GT3 might not be the car for you. That said, you need to test drive one before making the plunge. If you do get one the first thing to do is go to a local porsche club skills day or if there is a local track, their one day performance skill day. The 996 GT3 will not forgive a mistake.

996FLT6

LSD- limited slip differential(mechanical)- allows better traction(rotate and power out)in the rear ie decreases wheel spin and give more traction to the loaded wheel on a turn and rear end stability under hard braking(Mooty's pos stripper had a fried LSD but he has quick hands and he uses no brakes). Fms- front main seal(seal where the crank pulley is) and rms(rear main seal)- area where tranny to engine inside clutch assembly). It's rare but it does happen. Mike ps- the m96 engine on the early 996 c2 was well documented for rms. The gt3 motor/tranny is very robust and rebuildable. Mike

996FLT6

Like Roberta said- it is not a forgiving car if u mess up. If u plan to purchase try an autocross or 2- safer and get a feel for the gt3. Mike

johnnyv1

Thanks, I know what a limited slip diff is, LSD not a frequent topic in the 996 forum.
Been to driving schools & driving performance cars for a long time -- old.

roberga

Still need to go to a skills or ax first. this is not the same car. Many of our very experienced track junkies even do it after mods or going from turbo to GT3. Best way to understand the car in a safe location.

FFaust

Or in the Spring, when everything is still a bit rusty.

Having said this, don't be scared or intimidated by these comments.

I was when I first got the car a year ago, but I shouldn't have. I found the car to be EXTREMELY communicative, and it creates a great partnership between car and driver. You just need to treat it with respect, as you should any high-performance car.

himself

Almost anyone can drive a GT3 and turn decent lap times. It's got a lot of power and grip. As a platform it's pretty sweet.

But not everyone can drive a GT3 fast. In many cars you can inch up on the limit, building trust along the way. The 3 requires a leap of faith to get from "going fast" to driving fast. The way you trail braking and get to power early are some of the hardest skills to learn. And, IMO, there is a unique application of these for a GT3. Of the modern Porsche platforms, the 996 GT3 is probably the most difficult to really understand and master.

As others have mentioned, coaching will take a huge amount of time off the learning curve.

-td

996FLT6

It definitely has alot of feedback to the point you have to discern between bad and good- lol. Mike