When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
After sitting on the decision for 6 weeks, impulse took over; I joined the 997 family yesterday! Picked up a bone-stock base GT3 with 15000km on a relatively low optioned car (Clubsport package with Nomex seats). While red isn't my favorite color from get go, I jumped on it cuz 7.2 GT3 (and of course including RS) is on my bucket list. Meanwhile, my friend picked up another good condition one a week ago, so that's how it started ...
Coming from a 981 GT4, I definitely notice the age of the 7.2 cars. The GT4 has far better AC, has better seating position (at least 918 buckets seem to sit lower or feels more natural), has a better shifter, frunk isn't as hot, chassis is more rigid, and much easier rev match at lower revs. Porsche engineers didn't sit there doing nothing in between the 9x7 and 9x1 generations. Someone once wrote along the lines of "The 981 GT4 is a better car, and the 997 GT3 is a better machine" -- that really sums it up well. The 7.2 GT3 feels harder to drive smoothly around town in slower speeds/revs. Rev-matching is weird. Initially I thought the flywheel must be mad heavy, as I would jab the throttle and the revs would barely pickup when trying to rev-match around town. Maybe it's the factory mapping on the throttle; it's feels difficult to rev the engine precisely down there. Car felt quite underwhelming when I drove it out of the dealer lot. It felt like the car is just missing something under 3500rpm in town.
However, once the revs go over 3500, then all the these complaints are gone. It feels as if the engine is a completely different one above 3500rpm. Rev matching becomes far easier, and the sound the engine makes is just intoxicating. The last time I spent a fair bit of time on a 997 GT car was around 15 years ago over a few days when I had the keys to 7.1 GT3 and 7.1 turbo, and way before days of 981 GT4. This reminds me why I was sold on the 987.1 Cayman back then and always wanted the 997 GT cars. The engine really is the highlight of the car. The steering is just really good. I would argue GT4 has one of the best electric steerings out there, even better than some hydraulic assisted ones out there. That said, the 7.2 GT3 steering is just at another level. The GT3 feels more special and engaging.
I'm planning to get hoses welded, the harmonic balancer, and Numeric Racing shifter + cables as mods. I have the Numeric Racing shifter package on my GT4 and am very happy about it. I feel the GT3 shifter has too much flex (not so much slop). Will then later see if it's a good idea to swap to 3.89 R&P with taller 6th. Likely keeping the GT3 on streets while GT4 gets more track time. I feel there is so much more to learn on the GT3
Last edited by KingSize.Hamster; 06-11-2024 at 06:34 AM.
I would suggest trying to find someone local to you with a 997 GT3 and the numeric shifter and cables before you commit to them. While it may have been a large improvement on your GT4, many 997 GT3 owners report that it's a bad combination on our cars, and I am one of them. Specifically the cables and the 997 GT3 shifter, it's a very hardcore experience and in my opinion not in a good way - and that's coming from my perspective as a racer. I removed them from my car, kept the numeric shifter and went back to stock cables and it's a much better experience in my opinion.
Enjoy your new car, 15000 km it hasn't even been broken in yet!
Here’s the question, if you could only keep one for street driving, which would it be?
Good question. I probably would still choose the GT3 just because I usually take the family car out for errands, and long trips in where I live aren't really that long -- the GT3 definitely drones more, so it might be annoying for 4 hour road trips. I found the GT3 is still quite ok in heavy traffic. The clutch isn't really heavier than GT4's (and I find the clutch pedal's weight just right on these cars). It probably makes more sense for most people to let the GT3 have track duty. Unfortunately in where I live (Hong Kong), driving to track in China requires special permit to cross the border, and due to restrictions I could only opt to use either one but not both cars. Given that I had the the 4 since new and it's a newer car (and me being not familiar with RR layout), I figured it's probably should stick to the 4 for that
Originally Posted by cstyles
Congrats, beautiful car.
I would suggest trying to find someone local to you with a 997 GT3 and the numeric shifter and cables before you commit to them. While it may have been a large improvement on your GT4, many 997 GT3 owners report that it's a bad combination on our cars, and I am one of them. Specifically the cables and the 997 GT3 shifter, it's a very hardcore experience and in my opinion not in a good way - and that's coming from my perspective as a racer. I removed them from my car, kept the numeric shifter and went back to stock cables and it's a much better experience in my opinion.
Enjoy your new car, 15000 km it hasn't even been broken in yet!
Oh my. Ok. I need to check on that then. Thanks for heads up. But ya, the previous owner really didn't drive much. Most of the bolts underneath the car were not touched since car rolled out of factory it seems lol. That said, this means I probably should even replace RMS and front main seal ...
Your last sentence nails the 997GT3, there is so much to learn in driving this car, it never gets old trying to make all the inputs work.
It is subjective, but the arrangement of The 997 shifter/engine/steering/911rearengine-feel are the ultimate IMO.
The car just provides a lot of character -- always trying to orchestrate the symphony of the various inputs.
Sounds like you like your GT4 and appreciate some of the newer items from your GT4, slicker shifter, better AC, mid-engine-chassis, etc....
Having been to Hong Kong many times, maybe the 997 gets driven more in cooler months on dedicated drives where you can appreciate the unique character of the car and your GT4 can be your do it all newer car with better AC and less hot Frunk.
I would suggest trying to find someone local to you with a 997 GT3 and the numeric shifter and cables before you commit to them. While it may have been a large improvement on your GT4, many 997 GT3 owners report that it's a bad combination on our cars, and I am one of them. Specifically the cables and the 997 GT3 shifter, it's a very hardcore experience and in my opinion not in a good way - and that's coming from my perspective as a racer. I removed them from my car, kept the numeric shifter and went back to stock cables and it's a much better experience in my opinion.
Enjoy your new car, 15000 km it hasn't even been broken in yet!
I did like the numeric feel on the track and counter intuitive the setup kept me from pulling too far left when downshifting, the stock is soft enough sometimes I’ll catch myself pushing toward reverse.
I wish I could have both as I like the muted feel of the stock shifter for the mountains. I like having the Steel cables though and still have them…
The one thing not talked about lately is the extra weight in my shift ***, I don’t even know if the custom weights are avail anymore since that was a hobby project.
However, once the revs go over 3500, then all the these complaints are gone. It feels as if the engine is a completely different one above 3500rpm. Rev matching becomes far easier, and the sound the engine makes is just intoxicating. The last time I spent a fair bit of time on a 997 GT car was around 15 years ago over a few days when I had the keys to 7.1 GT3 and 7.1 turbo, and way before days of 981 GT4. This reminds me why I was sold on the 987.1 Cayman back then and always wanted the 997 GT cars. The engine really is the highlight of the car. The steering is just really good. I would argue GT4 has one of the best electric steerings out there, even better than some hydraulic assisted ones out there. That said, the 7.2 GT3 steering is just at another level. The GT3 feels more special and
yea if your planning to heal toe rev match to a stop light to show off like auto blip in the GT4 be prepared to embarrass yourself lol…
It’s not super easy car to healtoe perfect, below 4K the non-RS kinda feels like you gotta stamp it and the RS feels like your going to hit the redline.
Really the car is designed to be at 5k and above for healtow and petals are positioned to expect heavy breaking to get the heal down…
so when your on a track the car starts to make you feel a lot better about yourself
The one thing not talked about lately is the extra weight in my shift ***, I don’t even know if the custom weights are avail anymore since that was a hobby project.
Interesting. Let me find a local guy who has done it to check it out. I think the biggest thing about Numeric vs stock on the GT4 I liked the most is how there is no flex and the shifter has a hard stop once in gear. But ya, the shifter design looks quite different between the 997 vs 981. So lets see. I did do sportshifters.com's **** on the GT4 (wanted more of a metal core in the shiftknob while keeping the look as close to stock as possible). will transfer the **** over and see later
Originally Posted by Wonderdan
It’s not super easy car to healtoe perfect, below 4K the non-RS kinda feels like you gotta stamp it and the RS feels like your going to hit the redline.
Ya, down low it feels like I really gotta stomp on the throttle to get the revs back up. The GT4 might have had a different throttle mapping to compensate for these things. I guess light weight flywheel is the way to go if I really want to have that part sorted out. But ya, like you said, once the revs are up then it's just a completely different animal. Everything just works well together
I generally prefer the "OEM+" route. It'll probably take me a while before I could get anywhere close to the real potential of the car anyway ...
06-11-2024, 06:27 AM
New to the group - 997.2 base GT3
