Waking her up
11-07-2019 | 01:50 AM
#31
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Are you doing the work yourself? Because if not, pinning/welding coolant lines, plugs/coils, coilovers/sways, intercoolers are going to put you at or above $10k at a shop. If you can spend $3-4k to pay a shop to pin your lines, ask them to do the plugs/coils while motor is out, and install everything else yourself, you'll be able to throw in a shifter and tune. Forget the LCA for now. Oh, and you still need tires and maybe wheels, and a good alignment/corner balance. Crap. Just forget about the money and do what feels good! Haha.
I know I am an extremist, with a problem, but I agree with TrillyPop as well - you don't need to have to go the the levels I have; just do what feels good.
11-07-2019 | 01:51 AM
#32
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If you are going to remove the engine to pin the lines, I would also take that opportunity to do the clutch and remove/update the clutch slave cylinder.
When I got my 996, I was aware of a few issues that had not been maintained over the years as the previous owner had simply driven it back and forth to his office every work day, for 15 years. By the time i had done all the maintenance 'items', including some of the things on your list, I am on the wrong side of $40k CDN, and I'm not done yet.
My next major project is to do the transmission, not just the 2nd gear detent, full GT2RS 1- 4, steel syncros etc. Preliminary budget for this to be done is somewhere around $27k USD+ ($35k CDN), bringing total investment into a street car north of $75k CDN.
Now I am doing this because I see the 996 as a 'forever' car and I am totally in love with it, and would never track it. Consider for a second the numbers - $75k into a car that will not see track duty; imagine the costs associated with building a track car, or look at what John (PowdrHound) has done with his - I suspect he is very deep into that car.
When I got my 996, I was aware of a few issues that had not been maintained over the years as the previous owner had simply driven it back and forth to his office every work day, for 15 years. By the time i had done all the maintenance 'items', including some of the things on your list, I am on the wrong side of $40k CDN, and I'm not done yet.
My next major project is to do the transmission, not just the 2nd gear detent, full GT2RS 1- 4, steel syncros etc. Preliminary budget for this to be done is somewhere around $27k USD+ ($35k CDN), bringing total investment into a street car north of $75k CDN.
Now I am doing this because I see the 996 as a 'forever' car and I am totally in love with it, and would never track it. Consider for a second the numbers - $75k into a car that will not see track duty; imagine the costs associated with building a track car, or look at what John (PowdrHound) has done with his - I suspect he is very deep into that car.
For an occasional track use car, I would pin/weld coolant pipes, add a race seat, 5 point harnesses, rollbar/harness bar, track pads, bigger brake ducts F/R, good brake fluid, a set of track wheels with track rubber, and adjustable sway bars along with a track alignment. Thats it and will set you back $10-12K easy. I would not spend any money on engine power mods as these cars have more than what most people need at the track already. Next step would be an LSD and some type of coilovers but those items will add another $8-10K to the total. Basically $20K for a relatively basic but solid track prep.
Last edited by powdrhound; 11-07-2019 at 02:06 AM.
11-07-2019 | 02:19 AM
#33
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The cost of maintaining these cars properly will greatly depend on the type of use one engages in. Even the difference between mild and heavy track use is significant. I budget $1000 per hour operating cost including consumables, engine/gearbox/suspension reserves, doing 80% of the work myself and getting all parts at cost. For someone paying a race shop to do all maintenance and prep, they can easily double that number. By the same token, for light track use that number quoted above will go down to $250-500/ hour if not less.
For an occasional track use car, I would pin/weld coolant pipes, add a race seat, 5 point harnesses, rollbar/harness bar, track pads, bigger brake ducts F/R, good brake fluid, a set of track wheels with track rubber, and adjustable sway bars along with a track alignment. Thats it and will set you back $10-12K easy. I would not spend any money on engine power mods as these cars have more than what most people need at the track already. Next step would be an LSD and some type of coilovers but those items will add another $8-10K to the total. Basically $20K for a relatively basic but solid track prep.
For an occasional track use car, I would pin/weld coolant pipes, add a race seat, 5 point harnesses, rollbar/harness bar, track pads, bigger brake ducts F/R, good brake fluid, a set of track wheels with track rubber, and adjustable sway bars along with a track alignment. Thats it and will set you back $10-12K easy. I would not spend any money on engine power mods as these cars have more than what most people need at the track already. Next step would be an LSD and some type of coilovers but those items will add another $8-10K to the total. Basically $20K for a relatively basic but solid track prep.
My style of driving means getting in the car, and running on the highway until the last quarter on the fuel gauge. If I am not mistaken, the average track session time is 20 minutes and is quite exhausting; so if I understand your numbers correctly, for every three sessions, it costs you $1000USD and as you are wrenching 80%, your labor doesn't really factor in.
So by my math, save for fuel, I will amortize my $40k in 40k kms at a cost of $1 dollar per kilometer; on highway, that is a cost to run of approximately $100CDN/hour. I can live with those numbers, in fact due to the capabilities of the car, I think that is quite reasonable.
Thank you Sir; as I have said before, I have a great respect for what it takes to run one of these seriously on a track, and it makes me feel better about my approach.
11-07-2019 | 01:55 PM
#37
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The cost of maintaining these cars properly will greatly depend on the type of use one engages in. Even the difference between mild and heavy track use is significant. I budget $1000 per hour operating cost including consumables, engine/gearbox/suspension reserves, doing 80% of the work myself and getting all parts at cost. For someone paying a race shop to do all maintenance and prep, they can easily double that number. By the same token, for light track use that number quoted above will go down to $250-500/ hour if not less.
For an occasional track use car, I would pin/weld coolant pipes, add a race seat, 5 point harnesses, rollbar/harness bar, track pads, bigger brake ducts F/R, good brake fluid, a set of track wheels with track rubber, and adjustable sway bars along with a track alignment. Thats it and will set you back $10-12K easy. I would not spend any money on engine power mods as these cars have more than what most people need at the track already. Next step would be an LSD and some type of coilovers but those items will add another $8-10K to the total. Basically $20K for a relatively basic but solid track prep.
For an occasional track use car, I would pin/weld coolant pipes, add a race seat, 5 point harnesses, rollbar/harness bar, track pads, bigger brake ducts F/R, good brake fluid, a set of track wheels with track rubber, and adjustable sway bars along with a track alignment. Thats it and will set you back $10-12K easy. I would not spend any money on engine power mods as these cars have more than what most people need at the track already. Next step would be an LSD and some type of coilovers but those items will add another $8-10K to the total. Basically $20K for a relatively basic but solid track prep.
11-07-2019 | 03:59 PM
#39
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I think that when considering modifying a car for the track the question should be "what's the objective?" For example, is the objective to just have fun? Is the objective to better compete with other drivers on the track? Is the objective to lower lap times in personal competition with the stopwatch?
11-07-2019 | 04:17 PM
#42
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Yeah, I know - it just seems so odd that I am unable to maintain the posted speed limit (50km/h) within the city... this is over the last 400km or so - I take it the average is only computed from the last tank or two of fuel.
11-07-2019 | 04:26 PM
#43
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Move to Atlanta, where many drivers are 20-30 mph over the posted speed limit on the Interstates (The speed limit is 55-65 mph depending on the area and traffic density.)
11-07-2019 | 05:39 PM
#44
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Our problem here is two fold - 1) there are too many cars for the area, and 2) a majority of the too many cars have no idea how to drive, so they crawl along, all over the road, creating chaos.
I like Montana - 85mph limit, which you can bump up to 95mph and the State Troopers still went flying by!
I like Montana - 85mph limit, which you can bump up to 95mph and the State Troopers still went flying by!
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