VB997

My bumper cover is a 997 Cup Car bumper cover which comes with the grill inserts....BUT you can order them as seperate parts. Call Rhonda @ FVD (easier for you then dealing with Porsche Motorsport) and tell her you need the cup car screens...about 400 bucks for all three. And yes I have installled them many times. You do need to remove the bumper cover to do them...They are a MUST have on any 997 GT3 IMO. Additionally, someone on Rennlist was nice enough to do a great DIY for the project.

ScottL

Wow!

Love the car John. Some questions for you...

Did you drive the car stock before the transformation? I imagine the JRZ's are amazing on track. Can you give us some insight as to how they affecting the handling. Also how did you set them up - did you hire a pro or do it yourself?

How much weight have you removed from the car?

Looks like you're running Michelin slicks. Did you have to modify anything to get them to fit?

Finally the brakes. Looks like they are stock at present. What are your plans here? In the UK there are a couple of fantastic alternatives - Alcon and Brembo, both of which are a big improvement on stock in terms or performance and durability.



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VB997

I ordered my car with zero options (107K) so that I could build it as race car but I just had to drive it in dealer trim before I gutted it, just to see. You asked so I'll answer, my impressions were that it is way too heavy and sprung too soft for an enthusiast car. And the Sunroof, please. That weight on the roof of the car is a joke, what the hell was Porsche thinking? If you only knew how heavy that assembly really is you would be sick. Now, with that being said, I'm comparing the GT3 STREET CAR to previous race cars and my 996 cup car, which is apples and oranges. I know everyone on this board with a somewhat stock GT3 would love to think they have a street legal race car but unfortunately the fact is they don’t. What they do have is the absolute best of both worlds, an awesome street car that is totally adjustable, fun to drive around town then take to the track and have a blast. In my opinion this car is the best all around, most adjustable car for the money. If I had to give Porsche some feedback as a long time customer, it would have been to lose the sunroof, put it on a diet, offer a heavier spring/shock option and include the LWF without making me buy an RS.

The JRZ or Moton upgrade in conjunction with removing any suspension part that has rubber in it will make a HUGE difference in your car and afford you some great tire options. I am running the Michelin slicks now and did have to go to a special offset to avoid a rub issue at 3.5 degrees of camber in the front. I'm running BBS (cup car) wheels with a custom offset. CAUTION!!! if you get down below 2 degrees of camber in the front and you are running the offset that people are running on the CCW C14's (great company/service) you WILL rub the front coils with the inside edge of the wheel and obviously you will tear up the tire. I have played with the Hoosier R6 on this car as well. If you are running the stock suspension the Hoosier R6 is probably the way to go if you are "out growing" the MPSC's or the Toyo's. I would not suggest a full slick on the stock set up, in fact it’s a bad idea. As far as the actual parts go, I built the car. As far as the setup on the car, I have professional help. In my opinion, setup is an art form; I hope to master it at a later date. It would be short sighted to have the best suspension money can buy then have it setup wrong. Get a base line setup (from experience the race circuit setup in the back of the owner's manual in conjunction with a stock suspension and MPSC's works very well) on the car then go to the track and see what the car is doing. My suggestion is get an expert, have two way radios from car to pit then explain to the pro what the car is doing while it's doing it. They know what to do with power on over steer on exit or whatever the problem is.

The brakes are in fact stock with some very minor exceptions. First, I'm running Castrol SRF for fluid (brakes/clutch) and in my opinion that’s not optional, it’s a must do for anyone that drives their car on the track. Second I'm running Pagid yellow pads. I have played with both the R29 and R19 compounds and the car seems to like the R29 better. Finally, I'm running an interim front rotor which is from Protosport and is a GREAT option at $650.00 a set (or less if buy two sets plus). Not the lightest, but the best value. I will be looking into something lighter later on, but for now this seems to work for me as the braking on this car is awesome.Thanks for the brake info!

str8ner

John,

Don't worry about hijaking my thread it actually is a pleasure to see your car and get answers to a lot of questions I would have for you anyway. Do you have an exact weight for the sunroof? Also do you know how much is the sunroof replacement?

Thanks,

Stephan

ScottL

Very interesting John.

Wise words. SRF is indeed a must.

Have bought a set of R6's (235/35/19 and 295/30/19). Looking forward to trying those out when the weather improves!

I previously had a 996RS. All it needed was a good geo, Alcon front discs and 18" Michelin Cups to transform it into a sublime road legal trackday weapon.

My 997RS arrived in September. Had limited track time with the car. Looking forward to unlocking the obvious potential in the car next year.

TripleM

Scott
If u r running on stock rims, dont ya think the 295 at the back will be a bit too stretchy?

Also, re the ALCON disc.....that's one thing that I am really looking fwd to do as it has alu hat.
I assume it is a direct replacement of the steel rotor that fits OEM calipers rite?

Thanks guys...wot a wealth of info

TraqGear

Great job! Lots of great info and awesome way to build the car just the way you like it.

Yargk

What does it tip the scales at with a full tank?

Terry L

Very interesting post, albeit a little depressing to the stock GT3 owner who is unwilling to take the car to these lengths. To reiterate Stephan"s question, what does the sunroof assembly actually weigh (in excess of the regular roof panel)?

ScottL

The R6 in 295/30/19 has a quoted rim width range of 10-12".

Yep Alcons are a direct replacement for stock. A very good upgrade for all GT3 owners running the standard steel brakes.

Talk to Steve at JZ Machtech.

VB997

I don't have the exact weight yet Stephan but it's significant...a conservative guess would be at least 40 pounds or more. That is comparing the way the car came from the factory (OEM roof/head liner/sunroof panel and internal parts to make it work) to my bare sheet metal cup car roof w/o a head liner.

VB997

hey, hey, hey, what's this depressing stuff? fret not you have purchased the BEST bang for the buck. You can do something with your car that I can't do with my car...drive it down to Starbucks!

Comparing your car to my car is like comparing a day hiker to a guy that climbs Everest...EXTREMELY different!

Again, YOU have the best all around car money can buy. Promise to experience ALL that it has to offer...AND, drive it in good health!

Terry L

OK, I feel much better and I'll go to Starbucks. So how much does the damn thing weigh?

Yargk

Yeah, I know that car probably doesn't go too long without having a corner balance...

VB997

You sound stressed, better stay off the caffeine...

The last time we corner balanced we were 3094 with me in the seat (I'm 174 lbs) and half a tank of fuel. At the time we corner balanced we still had factory doors complete with glass, the Das Sport rear roll bar, the air bags, the original roof panel (less mechanism), the AC, OEM rear glass etc. When the car comes back from the paint shop we will reassemble and corner balance...I'll update you then. I'm thinking we can get down into the 2850 range ultimately, with Plexiglas windows, no air conditioning, hollow doors etc...we'll see.