Laguna_Dude

I agree.. to an extent.. changing to motons on mk1 made a massive difference.. however, the narrower front tires were still an issue.. mk1 had the typical 911 understeer problems.. mk2 with stock dampers and wider fronts.. handled much better overall.

Laguna_Dude

adding motons and suspension mods made huge difference in balance at limit and allowed me to exceed times of those that had mk2's at the time. in between owning both, I had a '10 cup... going from mk1 RS to mk2 Cup then mk2 RS.. I was impressed at how the stock mk2 RS with only toe links, cup diff and hoosiers handled and felt exactly like my cup.. only a little heavier and slower.. but in terms of feel was very close... I felt the mk2 RS with those basic updates was the perfect track car.. in terms of fun, handling and cost to run vs. cup and the mk1. If I already owned a mk1, I would get mk2 vs. investing in dampers and modding mk1. Trust me, mk2 is a much better car vs. mk1. and while on paper some might claim only minor differences.. the sum of the parts is much greater. I am speaking from actual experience having owned and tracked these cars.

I sold my mk2 almost a year ago and was looking to get another to track this winter... but decided to order 991 GT3 instead.. I am interested to see how it handles out of the box.. If I don't like it, I would not hesitate to get another mk2 RS.

Modena 1

BartN

I hear you. I think we have the same car.

I also grapple with the "upgrade" path. (If there is one). Is it really an upgrade? I have always preferred the .1 body. Even in standard carrera trim. A .1 rs is the same car essentially with hot paint. I was offered a .1 pumpkin last night with 2k miles for 145$ last night. So my car + 60? For same car. No thanks. I get it if I was a collector but I'm not. I'm a driver. So in a way, the more collectibility the more of an issue it is for me to enjoy it. I took the car to the supermarket last night and coffee this morning. Can you imagine if I was in a 2k mile pumpkin doing this? Ugh. I'm stressed just writing this.

I am sure the 3.8 is marvelous. But I'm not going to pay 50% more for it. I'd be getting more performance but giving up looks (in my opinion). I do think the .2 reg gt3 looks very nice. It's just a little softer / rounder and looks more luxurious to my eye. Again all personal preference. If the price diff were not so great maybe the 3.8 would sway me over the looks. But at the current price differential it's not enough (for me).

The only worthy upgrade for me would be a .2 rs which I almost bought this week. But in the end decided against it. It was at a significant price premium (essentially the same as the .1 rs above which doesn't make sense to me but whatever). The 3.8 rs really does have all the sum of the parts valuation but for the same reasons mentioned above I don't need a crown jewel to get my weekend jollies. Sure I would love to participate in the next appreciation move when the .2 rs goes to 250k. But I can't be stressed or wait for that. The stray soccer ball (or soccer mom) hitting my reg gt3 is a very different issue if the same accident were to occur on a .2 rs! Again. I am stressed just thinking about it.

If money is not an issue. Do whatever you want.

In the end I go full circle and I like my white, sunroof .1 gt3. I use the sunroof too. I love it actually. After 10years of advanced track driving I don't have the appetite for track driving anymore but I still like to drive raw race cars on the road. I also like the wind and semi open cockpit feel for such a small car.

They are all amazing cars and we are all lucky to enjoy them.

tcsracing1

Shocks are Key. Especially for the track you primarily use.. I switched out my .1RS shocks for custom units that eat bumpy tracks and are more at home on some tracks then .2 stock units.
In regards to narrow front tires, the .1 commonly uses the same size front tires as the .2 on the track given the use of track wheels. (but it does fall short of power and gearing of the .2RS)
Understeer could be worked out with the sway bar settings.
Most modern 911 suffer understeer off the showroom floor.

Agreed that out of the box the .2RS shocks do not require to be swapped for aftermarkets

bmwtye

For a drivers car, not caring about collecting, A .1 gt3 with sharky 3.9 and full suspension overhaul would come in considerably less than the premium for a .2 rs. I know it's not a fair comparison but when u are talking money spent on a drivers car Id say that would be tough to beat.

jakermc

For the price difference you could keep the .1 and buy a dedicated track car that will still do sub 1:20s on the 1.7 at MSR. Keep it in my garage and borrow my open trailer for away events. Problem solved.

brake dust

Rear pad wear is due to PSM activating during cornering - not braking. In terms of up "up-grading", if you are already towing your GT3 to the track, why not a Cup car. Lot less up front cost than a 997.2 GT3RS.

BartN (TX)

Money is ALWAYS an issue! I don't mind spending it if I feel like it's going to add substantial value.

Funny you mention the sunroof. I love having mine. Yes, it costs me .025 seconds in lap times but I've never lost any prize money because I had it.

HOLY SMOKE! Who can resist that deal!!

What track car did you have in mind Rob?

BTW, you need to let me know when you're going to be out at MSR again so we can run a member day.

BartN (TX)

It seems every friend I know who's bought a cup car LOVED IT but hated the running costs.

Just a bit of background about my driving habits. I basically do anywhere from 3 to 6 weekend events per year depending on how much time I'm dedicating to other interests. Most of those are instructing for a local outfit name The Drivers Edge. I'm not as hard-core as many on this site. I want a fun, engaging, and rewarding car but I don't want it make it unbearable on the street. I truly enjoy my .1 but can't help looking at the next new shiny bauble.

jakermc

Did not have a singular particular car in mind, but for example my air cooled 911 probably a $25K car at this point and capable of dipping below 1:20. I was running 1:21s last time out on ancient and well used R6 rubber. Change tires and cooler ambient temps will have you running 1:19 all day long and probably into the 1:18s. Find a similar ride or temp me to part with mine. Maybe a time share agreement as she deserves to be driven more than I am able to take her out at this point.

I have room in the Villa garage for you. Since I moved to FL space has opened up. I also have an open trailer stored at the ranch that I never use, I'd be happy to let you borrow it any time.

Yes, we really do need to go out at play on a member day! My next trip back will probably be for the PCA club race and then back again for member days in late Nov/early December. Let's pick a day out and plan around it ....

KaiB

I'll be down for the CR also Rob...what will you be running?

usctrojanGT3

It may be a lot less up front cost for the cup car, but there's more back end cost with the cup car. Plus, you can't drive a cup car on the street. That's the nice thing about the GT3, you can hit the track and then drive back and go get dinner in it.

jakermc

The old air cooled 911 I referenced to Bart. It was built as a NASA GTS3 car and crossed over (poorly) into PCA GT4. However I have since stopped racing in and pulled some ballast out so not it will class VERY poorly into PCA GT3. It has 250 rwhp and weighs around 2600 lbs I think (with driver) so it would get slaughtered by GT cars of every flavor.

Makes for an awesome track day car though, its a blast to drive! I was thinking of just DEing it that weekend but I have not run a PCA race all year and it feels like I should at least get one in.

Be sure to drop by my house there for a post-race beverage.

KaiB

Would love to.

I pulled the lead out of my car and will run in GT3 also...306 to the wheels at around 2550 driven.

Should be a riot, never driven the track.

brake dust

What type of running costs differences are there between a cup and a 997 gt3RS? Both have a Mezger engine - so there should be no difference there? If an RS is being "campaigned" like a cup car, the running costs should go up too. Parts need to be timed out in street cars too. Running a cup at DE events and not racing - would have to lower the running costs. When I see cups selling at 90k and RS's at 150K - it's got me thinking!