Andy (Portland, OR)

Can any former 996 GT3 owners who have taken delivery of a 997 GT3 compare the stock 996 ride quality to the 997 "normal" and "sport" modes?

I have a 996 GT3 which is primarily a track car. Other than safety mods (ROW GT3 seats, roll bar, harnesses, fire ext., etc.) and LWFW, the car is stock. Although it is not a daily driver, I do drive it on the street, including long drives to distant tracks. I can tolerate the ride around town and for short distances, but long drives leave me with a beaten up feeling.

One appealing aspect of the 997 GT3 is the ability to change the damper settings to improve on-street ride quality. It would be great to drive from Portland to, say, Sears Point, in relative comfort and then hit the "sport" switch to tighten things up for some hot laps. (I know my wife would like it as well!)

So, how do the three GT3 suspensions/settings (996/997 normal/997 sport) compare? Is the 997 "normal" a significant improvement on the street over the 996 suspension on the street -- purely from a comfort standpoint?

Thanks, Andy

PS: If only I could delete the sunroof, this would be a no-brainer. Argh!

Jewels

Andy,
The 997 GT-3 in sport mode is basically the same as the 996 GT-3 in its original state. My 997 GT3 out of sport mode can be compared in some ways to my old 993tt's original suspension set up, very complaint and easy to live with on the street.
Hope this helps.

Carrera GT

I made some comments on ride quality in this thread:
https://rennlist.com/forums/997-gt2-gt3-forum/322717-997-gt3-sound-at-laguna.html
... there's several posts in there comparing both cars on the street and at the track.

RR

The 997GT3 sport is not the same as the standard 996GT3. It is much much firmer, you basically get knocked out of your seats on the road in sport mode.

Andy (Portland, OR)

Not alot there on ride quality, but an interesting thread nonetheless, which I had not seen. One more kudo on your write-up. Thanks.

mooty

i agree with RR. 7's sport mode is useless on street. 7's soft mode is similar to 6.
however, it's more complicated than that. stiffness is one thing, but how the cars are dampened (rebound) is different. 7 in normal mode sticks to pavement when it gets rough, 6 will bounce off the pavement. it's hard to describe. but if i have both 6 and 7, i would NEVER drive 6 on the street period.

Nordschleife

just an observation

From time to time I come across people who 'suffer' from poor ride quality in their cars. Which rather makes me wonder as I have a seriously 'trick' back and neck (I am now 2 inches shorter than I was before my series of accidents) and have not had problems, whether with fixed back or adjustable back seats. So I went looking for reasons.

Firstly, I am fairly fit, I walk and run on a daily basis and am a firm believer in 'curls'. This means that I get less fatigued sitting in a seat for a long time than some people.

Secondly, I sit in a car much more like a rally driver - I adjust the seat so that when I stretch my arm forward, without my shoulder moving away from the seatback, the inside of my wrist can rest on the top of the steering wheel. I then raise the seat as high as I can, and have the back comparatively upright, if it is adjustable. Several of my passengers have remarked that I look like I'm sitting in my 'office'. I sit completely relaxed in the seat, absolutely no tension in my body, the wheel hels lightly by the tips of my fingers. In theis position, my body never needs to tense up.

Contrast this position with a number of people who have a driving position in which they hold more tension, parts of theior body or limbs are stretched, and they are trying to do everything as fast as poissible. They are tense, and when bad road conditions are experienced they tense up.

Is it any wonder that they get fatigued on longer trips?

The body, given a chance, is very good at acting as a shock absorber, might I suggest that some of you who suffer from uncomfortable suspension/seat problems at least give what I do a try, I find it works really well for me, and at the end of the day a more relaxed driver is a better driver.

R+C

Mad Manx

I've driven a 996 GT3 Mk1, in standard spec, which I really liked, and now own a 997 GT3, which I adore.

IMO the newer cars's road refinement and ride quality is noticeably better than the earlier models. There is less suspension noise, better directional stability, very little deflection on poor surfaces, no tramlining, and well controlled damping. Ride comfort is excellent.

The only offset is slightly less direct steering. Initial turn-in is not quite so sharp, IIRC.

Can't yet comment on track comparisons, and don't know to what extent the PCCBs improve the dynamics on either generation of GT3.

Mad Manx

This is a very valid point.

I've done a number of instructional days with Porsche Driving Consultants (on road, track and snow) and they regularly comment that too many divers sit too far away from the controls.

The wrists on the steering wheel, at 12 o'clock, is the best guide.

cladd

Is that close OK with the airbag deployment issue???

Nordschleife

Depends how intimate you are with your own airbag.

Seriously though, I did pick up a dunga one day and crashed it to see what happens when the airbag deploys. It got a bit warm. Otherwise I was fine.

Some of the latest cars have intelligent crash preparation systems, so your seat is moved into a position very like this as you enter into the crash.

R+C

Andy (Portland, OR)

I agree with your points: physical conditioning and ergonomics are important considerations. I'm in good physical condition (working out almost daily) and I find the 996 GT3 ride with ROW GT3 seats completely tolerable -- to a point.

That point is probably 5+ uninterupted hours driving the car on our crappy roads. (Man, try driving I-80 between Sacto and Sears Pt after 8 hours on I-5 -- after the 8 hours of softening you up, this road proceeds to deliver body blows. I know -- I should probably shorten the drive by going faster. https://rennlist.com/forums/newreply.php ) On drives over 6 hours, I'm finding myself squirming in the seat, at 10+ hours I badly want out. I don't have this problem in my Audi S6, which has much better ride quality (and seats) -- I can and do drive it 12 hours straight with no problems.

Yes, I'd like to have my cake and eat it too -- decent ride quality on the street and great handling on the track. There really is no reason (other than fixed spring rates) that a car with remotely adjustable dampers cannot do both tolerably well, and it's my understanding (from the posters above and elsewhere), that the 997 GT3 affords a reasonable compromise and an improvement on the street over the fixed-damper 996.

Andy

Nordschleife

Andy

Just remember that whilst the 997 GT3 is more user friendly (well I don't know about US 997 GT3 seats), the car is faster round the Nürburgring on the Normal as opposed to the Sports setting.

If somebody at PCNA was really smart, they would have adjusted the spring rates for the US, and I don't know that they haven't.

However, I do know that Stasis get pretty damn smart with Öhlins shocks and Hypercoil springs. The shocks can be adjusted for street ot track, in fact Öhlins used to sell a kit to do just that for the 996.

I understand from friends in Portland OR, that doing the drive south too fast can result in becoming familiar with some fairly unpleasant places. Instead of driving faster, why not do the mad calistenics thing when you stop for gas - always good for a laugh. I imagine that always being on the lookout for radars also increases stress and fatigue.

R+C

mooty

that's actually one of the smoothest sections of I80

Andy (Portland, OR)

Sheesh, cratered like the surface of the moon, with folks driving junkyard cars bumper to bumper at 80-85 mph while yacking on their phones! Get me to the track, where I can relax. No question of not keeping your eyes on the road -- your eyes are rapidly darting between the road surface to avoid steering into a hole and keeping an eye on all of the crazies surrounding you.