Hello,

Have a 997S, tracked it 5 times this year, got my British Racing License (3 full days' worth of teaching), nothing else though.

I get an instructor to any new circuit, but I do not feel 100% about my PASM setup: it feels somewhat "artificial" and not as confidence inspiring as the 968CS on a racing setup I was in. I would dearly love to get Sports Suspensions or a GT3 but I have a family, so no way, what you guys recommend in terms of mods? Existing specs include Short Shift + PSE.

1- Which suspensions bearing in mind I have a family, and therefore would prefer to keep some kind of switchable setup

2- Do not really need more power, but would not mind either if I can achieve it easily!

3- Read brakes need changing, should I stick to the OEM setup or look at something new?

As I live in London but travel to Frankfurt often, I would like to try out the mods myself, basically I do not know where to start.

Sincerely,

JAG

 

Hi,
Try the blue racing pads. They are half way between street and track.
I tried front blue pads at the track and I will be using blue
pads on the rear at my next event. Put a lot of
gooup on them to keep the noise out.
Paul

 

Suspension, you could see if you can locate the Bilstein PSS9 Damptronic coil-over shocks that replace PASM shocks with a more refind trackable type and can be ride-height adjusted. Switch still works too!!

Deanski

 

Hi,

I looked up the price of the Bilstein PSS9. It came
to 2,450 dollars. It will probably take another 1,000
for installation and wheel alingment. I think blue
race pads are a much cheaper way to go. Here is a
link to the coil-overs.

http://www.shox.com/appguide/shoxsho...ctsdisplay.php

Who said racing is cheap?
Paul

 

These are the NON-PASM type, std coilover of the PSS9, which is a great setup.

The new PSS9 Damptronics are really called B16 Damptronic. See the press release here: Bilstein B16/PSS9 Damptonic

Regards,
Deanski

 

If you want to know, ask a fellow member who has them on his 997.

edwardschmedward has the setup.

Or, call FarnbacherLoles at (203) 798-2929 and ask Kip Harris or Spencer *** on these.

These are a PSS9 coilover, but with PASM. Don't know why they called them B16's, but that's the name, B16 Damptronic.

I'd ask FBL people directly since they have the best answer.

Regards,
Deanski

 

Hi,
Awesome!!!
Looks really cool.
Paul

 

Consider lowering springs with your PASM system - very cost effective and drops the car 20mm if I remember correctly. Lower CG always is a good thing on the track.

Brakes - try more aggressive pads and perhaps even the 997Cup brake cooling ducts (snap in replacement). First step is always pads, 2nd step cooling.

R-comps on lightweight wheels - swap out before a DE. I'm guessing you are on street tires, but which ones? PS2s are incredible - closest thing to PSCs I've tried. If on P-zeros and almost used them up, perhaps try PS2s next if you aren't ready for R-comps.

Work toward more of a momentum driving style to conserve brakes and shift your focus toward smoother driving vs. hammering brakes and throttle. Honestly, you will be amazed at how much you learn and improve with more seat time. 5 DEs is enough to get you hooked and exploring some limits, but you have a long way to go before "using up" the 997S.

Cheers!

 

Sorry for the late reply, had a minor op! Anyway, deleting PASM will not stand me in good stead with my wife and young daugther!

Regarding RonCT's points, would lower springs do the trick, if so how, I just did not like the PASM feeling on the limit. Tyres a PS2s, to be honest I am just getting the hang of things, last time did not bleed my tyres and found out what "gumy" tyres felt like (afterwards, asking the pros, felt daft). How do PSCs perform in the wet, I live in London!

Brakes are actually fine, but I need to change the rear pads + discs, so might as well inquire.

I am not too crazy driving, trying for smoothness, which I can achieve up to say 9 out of 10, anything more I get ragged, but then again, this is what "pushing the enveloppe" is all about!

 

agree with ron springs are the most useful and cost effective change 20 mm will be great and keep drivability in normal PASM mode+ re-alignment

part of PASM problem (on S cars) s that springs are too soft and the active shocks try to overcorrect for that in sport mode PASM

i would only add safety stuff( setas, harness, etc) and brake pads/fuid for improved wear/bite/feel

 

The number one thing you can do is more seat time on the track. There's no way around it, not buying more "stuff" to improve the car at your point in the learning curve. I've been driving at the track for 4 years and got to a point where I'm solo in the highest category. I've also been invited to be an instructor. My point is I'm not at the very start of the learning curve, nor in the middle. And when I think about not only where I was after 5 track days or when I think about the details of most of the accidents I've seen, I just have to caution you to be careful and not overly-modify the car... Yet.

Most of the accidents I've seen are with newer track drivers that have done significant modifications to their cars. Many come to their first track day with $20,000 in modifications - full track suspensions, brake upgrades, R-comp tires, etc. They hadn't yet learned the dynamics of the car, yet they've already pushed the car's capacity. Then they turn off DSC / PSM thinking that they are fully capable of handling the car even though they'd only been on the track once, 5 times, 10 times, etc.

Many car club chapters restrict R-comps to intermediate students or above (beginner / novice / intermediate / advanced). They also discourage car upgrades in the lower run groups - the point there is to learn and gain experience - not increase the limit of the car.

Then I think about some of the best drivers on the track - these guys have it down and it's amazing how quickly they get around the track in "less" equipment than most. It's seat time. They are easy on the brakes, easy on the tires, yet they are the quickest guys out there.

In my 25 or so track days I've not worn out any tires. My PS2s were getting pretty low, but were still legal and my PSCs were still about 50% - and when I sold my M3 I sold them off to another M3 track guy for more use. Yes, I went through my share of brake pads, but as I really learned how to drive on the track, the rate of wear decreased substantially. I learned more about smoothness and evolved into more of a momentum style. When you are flat on the straight approaching the 1st turn and really nail the brakes down to say 60 MPH, you feel that you've really nailed it and are running at 9/10ths. Then a year later you are more experienced and end up taking that same turn at 70 and are easier on the brakes and tires to boot.

I guess my point in all of this is to keep enjoying the track and learning. You may find that your car is just fine the way it is and that changing it is still a way off. I'd think pads are the 1st thing and perhaps if you want more cooling change out the cooling ducts (I understand 997 Cup ducts are a direct snap-in replacement). If you get more cooling to the brakes, you might not need different pads for a while. As for tires - One Lap of America does not allow R-comps and I dare say we all were running very fast laps at the various tracks. I wouldn't be in a hurry to change tires - R-comps can be stickier (if warm), but they don't give you the same amount of feedback - so when they go, they might bite you.

Cheers!
Ron

 

Trust me...I have a stock 997 S Cabriolet and there is no need to do anything to the car to drive it on the track, learn how to drive better and control the car or have fun driving the car on the track. The car is faster than you will be for many many years...I know that might hurt your ego but trust me the car is faster than you.

 

seats, harness, roll over protection. 1: the seats will keep you in the right place through the corners and you can stay focused on the driving and not bracing yourself. 2: If you are bracking hard enough with 3 point your arms are holding you away from the wheel. With a harness you are held into the seat and this will get you through the approach and set up for the corners much better. 3: roll over protection is for your wife and daughter.

after that suspension and rubber. From my experience they are a package. I do not have PASM ask the Manthely folks.

 

Ron,
That is a great explanation! Being a novice track driver myself I totally understand that I do not need to mod anything at this point. The only reason I would consider H&Rs would be for cosmetics...yet I have them still in the box and dont plan on installing them anytime soon.

As for the brakes: What pads do you suggest? Can I install the ducts myself?

Thanks for your input,

Sandro

 

First, PSE is not really a sport mod. It adds nothing other than noise. It neither increases power or reduces weight as an aftermarket exhaust will. Keep in mind they are stock mufflers with a small bypass tube to increase noise.

I would recommend based on your ride requirement to stick with the PASM, but make other changes. First, get a sport alignment done. A proper street/race alignment will take care of a lot of that disconnected feeling you are getting. These cars are camber limited in front, so you probably won't be able to get over 1 degree negative. This is still a lot better than the 0 camber it comes with from the factory. This may be fine on street tires or Corsas, but if you are looking at running MPSCs then you need at least -1.5 camber. In this case you may want to look at camber plates or GT3 control arms as ways of getting additional camber.

If you want to really improve your times, get a set of race wheels and tires. With 18" wheels you will have a lot more options for tires than 19" plus lowering the tire height will help lower the center of gravity. Look at a set of Corsas or MPSCs.

With the S, the best gains are from headers and an exhaust (aftermarket Fabspeed or GHL). The headers are particularly restrictive on the non-X51 S models. The aftermarket straight through mufflers not only increase power, but you can also lose up to 40 lbs in the process.

Keep in mind that the brakes on your car are the same as the 996TT. They are designed to work on a heavier/more powerful car, so they are far from limited on an S. For the street, I would recommend to stick with stock pads. For the track it may be a different story. On street tires the stock pads are more than enough. On race tires, the street pads will start fading if you work them hard. The best upgrade is to either look at a set of Porsche Sport pads or Pagid Orange's. These will have a lot of additional noise that may be disconcerning on the street.