cfjan

The tranny mount adds quite a lot of noise.. I don't think the engine mounts make a huge difference (in terms of added NVH)

993GT

^ +1, Semi-solid trans.mounts adds the big NVH(plenty from my 75A mounts from T.S.), but on certain setups it fits in well...I enjoy the connection, but everything on mine is loud so it works, a quiet TT/Carrera it wouldn't be enjoyable at all IMO......
Semi-solid Engine mounts have really no downside...(again T.S 75A mounts on mine)

mmuller

I would take the advice of the other posters. My car has been stripped of its interior since its 2nd track day and has only been driven on the track at 8000rpm or more since receiving both mods (and also always with a helmet on). My answer to that question would have been that I didn't notice any real difference, and would say the cup cables and 4.0 PP and clutch add more interior noise.

In terms of performance, it's another notch in its belt. The way my car rides turtles and makes transitions when loaded is much better than other cars do. Part of this is the additional dampening that these mods add to the chassis and its compliance.

mjg

I've found the same thing. If you're concerned at all about NVH but still want to stiffen the transmission mount up, the Function First insert may be worth investigating.

kgorman

Lots of awesome opinions thx guys. I think I have narrowed it to:

Option 1: just do the toe link+locking plates (already have the links)
Option 2: do the entire suspension incl. shocks (MCS, JRZ, or equiv)

In order to decide which option, I think I really need to gauge if being at Option 1 is 'holding me back' from my goal. My goal is to keep fresh, be the best driver I can be for when I am in the race car. The million dollar question (or more like 20k) is do I need Option 2 in order to achieve that.

Interestingly, when I go to Harris Hill, mostly there is only 1 or 2 people there. Like, mostly my own private track day. So there isn't any 'competition' for times except with myself and my own training plan(s).

Right now I am dropping my lap times, learning more about this particular car, and having a hell of a time doing it. But, I can see where I will top out now, I am about 1.5 seconds away from being at what I think is 'pretty damn fast' for this track/car. But I am not as consistent as I want. I could also get bored and want new challenges. I may also get frustrated at not being able to adjust the car in a more detailed way (I can already see a bit of this..). So there are some drivers for Option 2.

Thanks for the great opinions guys!

kgorman

One more thing with Option 2. These are must haves with that option:

- I will need a good tech to set it all up properly. Someone who knows these cars.
- I will want some solid sessions with my coach to take advantage of it.

993GT

think option 1(full heim-joint/monoball) is a great place to start, any car benefits from good alignment/wheel placement, think most confidence comes from this.

cfjan

I didn't do everything at once.. throughout the years, it went like this:

2010 - locking plates for toe-links (car came with adjustable toe-links already from previous owner)
2011 - replace the rear LCA to 2-piece design + inner piece changed to Tarett monoballs + upper ERP links + adjustable caster bushings for front and rear LCAs
2013 - solid engine mounts + basically solid transmission mount
2014 - JRZ RS dampers (and JRZ upper monoball mounts) + front inner LCA piece changed to Tarett monoballs + locking plates on rear LCA

I only put in the dampers when the old ones went bad..

996TWINS

+1. I need to budget what I can do during the year.

kgorman

I was noodling around and came across this thread and thought I would update it a bit.

I decided to stay stock, but do the locking plates. I think if I went any further I would consider a cup because I would also get substantial safety upgrade.

The car isn't really holding me back, but there are some areas we (coach and me) have discussed for tweaking. At the point the car has enough adjustability to get that done.

452gt3

After having a 6gt3 for over 5 years I like your approach, you need time working on driving rather than tweeking setup and not knowing when your driving or car is the reason for improved lap times. After you reach the point you are no longer seeing improved times with driving then go to better non stock setup. Going to a cup car at todays price point that time seems like a good idea, very safe cars.

kgorman

I agree 452gt3 except on one thing.

When you can no longer improve lap times, then it's still most likely YOUR DRIVING vs the car. I suspect 99.9% of people on this board could get to that point, they aren't progressing anymore. Then, a pro would jump in and demolish their best time and consume a latte while driving one hand and live blogging it on their phone at the same time.

I haven't raced in many months, and don't have a plan to in sight. Kids, life, etc have taken root, and for me, at least at the moment I am enjoying the quest to become a better driver. It's me measuring against myself. If I plateau, that just means I need a sea-change in something I am doing.

I am starting to get close at my home track, at that point I plan to get my coach/pro to go lay down some hot laps in my car, then use that data/experience to get myself off the plateau. That likely will include some setup changes, and perhaps a couple strategic upgrades.

A cup just purifies that purpose (and helps me be safe for said kids/family). Plus, cups are amazing. I wouldn't mind getting back into a motec for it's analysis capabilities either. Lots of win's with a 997.1 cup methinks. But, I digress.

Dervish

This ^^^

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Sean Edwards (RIP) as he effortlessly piloted my standard 996C2 around a very wet track passing all manner of GT3s and RS's.

Talent and experience beats a performance tweak everyday.

AudiOn19s

Since this came back to the top...I'll add an additional thought.

The one BIG benefit of having all of the suspension stuff done on the car is the stability and predictability of the car when everything is done. This leads to a driver that's never questioning what the car is going to do or when it's going to do it. I've found the limits of the car much easier to explore with all of the tweaks done to the suspension.

I agree the driver is going to be ever evolving, but feel the full suspension stuff has accelerated that learning curve for me. I still feel like I'm maybe 80% of the way there to really being fast in this thing.

The other factor to really learning the car in my opinion is slow tires. I ran Nitto's for 4 track seasons until I felt I really knew and understood the car. Only then did I switch to faster rubber. Whole new learning curve but a fun one to explore. Still feel like I've got a good bit to improve on these tires before I bring in a hot-shoe and put them behind the wheel for comparison.

kgorman

Good points!