Dave_D

Hi all,

I'm reading the new SCCA rulebook and am dumbfounded -- can't determine my classification.

My 1999 Porsche 996 has the following non-stock items:

18" BBS wheels
K&M air filter
"Upgraded" brakes

I simply don't know what kind of brakes these are -- they came with the car when I purchased it from the original owner who described them as "high performance." I don't know what the stock '99 996 brakes look like or if these upgraded brakes are Porsche OEM. The calipers (black) show the "PORSCHE" logo on them. The brake disks have quite a few venting holes -- more than I believe is normal. What else should I look for? Would be nice if I could tell the judges exactly what these are.

Any help is appreciated.

Dave

Drew_K

The 996 goes into Super Stock as long as it doesn't have any disallowed modifications. In your case, the 'upgraded' brakes are okay for stock class as long as they were a factory installed option. The problem is you're not sure what the upgraded brakes are. The prior owner could have simply meant better brakes pads, which is allowed, but who knows. You'll have to do some investigation.

A K&N air filter ELEMENT is fine in stock class. You can even run without an air filter. However, if you have the K&N cone filter that replaces the stock air filter box, then your car is not eligible for stock class.

The 18" BBS wheels are okay for stock class IF they're the same width and diameter as the stock wheels or any factory option wheels that originally came with your car. The offset also has to be within +/- 0.25 inches of the OEM rims.

I probably raised as many questions as I answered, but hopefully that gives some guidance.

BluemaxxRacing

Hello Dave!

As a fellow '99 996 owner who autocrosses quite a bit, I can shed a bit of light on your situation. First, from the description you gave, it sounds like your calipers and rotors are stock. On the other hand, you may have upgraded brake pads (as Drew said previously). This is pretty easy to determine if you do have upgraded pads. First, do you hear any squeaking when you come to a stop? If you are running with track pads such as Hawk HP Plus, SBS, Pagid, etc you will most likely notice a bit of squeaking when you brake. If not, you will definitely notice alot more brake dust on the front wheels. The second way you can tell if you have upgraded brake pads is if you just take a look at the pads themselves. If they are blue, orange or any other color other than black, they are track pads. Either way, you can run them in Super Stock if you wish.

As Drew said above, your K&N Filter and 18" Rims are completely legal in Super Stock but I wanted to give you yet another suggestion......ASP CLass. This is the class I run in because I have H&R Springs and I have found it to be alot more fun and easier than Super Stock Class. Even though all of the modified Super Stock cars get bumped into ASP, we have found that most of them do not run in ASP down here in south FL. Instead they go into prepared or modified classes. If I were you, I would strongly suggest running in the ASP class instead of the SS class.

The next class you can run in above ASP is E-Modified. Many of the 993 and 996 drivers also choose to run in this class as well because there is usually nobody running in this class down here. Unfortunately, there is not a class in the Prepared group for our cars but it doesn't matter anyways as far as I am concerned.

So there you have it. You can run in either SS --> ASP --> EM

Hope this helps!

Dave_D

Thank you, all, for the terrific advice. No cone filter. No squeaking brakes. But, I just noticed that my tires are shredding and need immediate replacement. So, I'll take this opportunity to have the shop verify the brakes, just to be sure. [Now, which tires to buy....]

I understand that there are a number of mods I can perform without leaving SS class -- OEM aero kit, sport steering wheel, etc. But, unfortunately, I've been thinking about adding the sport suspension and -- correct me if I'm wrong -- Porsche did not make this option available for the '99. So, ASP class may indeed be my final destination. That sounds much more appealing, now.

Rich, glacier white, eh? You have knowledge AND taste.

Leeds Gulick

M030 (sport suspension) was available in the 1999 model year. My '99 delivered in May of '98 was so equipped.

The 18" BBS wheels are probably not legal in SS because they're not likely to be stock width or offset.

Leeds

Kerry

Of course if you installed the RoW M030, then you're ASP.

Leeds Gulick

M030 is perfectly legal in stock as the car was deliverable with this option. It's legal even if you install it afterward, as long as you install every part of it.

Drew_K

I suspect Kerry and Leeds are saying the same thing, but the RoW M030 puts you into ASP because U.S. cars were not deliverable with this option. Hence the "RoW" designation.

Leeds Gulick

Sorry, I missed the RoW in front of the M030. It would not be legal in Stock, but would be legal in Street Prepared.

Leeds

Dave_D

You guys are great!

Last question: Where can I find a list of '99 Porsche stock wheel data?

Unless I've misidentified my BBS wheels at Tirerack.com, the width and offsets are:

FRONT
Size: 18x8
Offset: +50mm

REAR
Size: 18x10
Offset: +65mm

Thanks again!

Dave