John H

That was my point in a much more politically correct statement. I say find the car you want, find a really good shop and be prepared to spend some money. That said, a 6 cup is a hoot and worth every penny spent in my opinion.

claykos

Part costs only:

Axles every 40 to 60 hrs 1800 for blacks 3500 for blues
pads and rotors every 20 hrs $1500
shock rebuild once a year $1k
Wheel bearings every year or 2 d 500
shift cables every year or 2 $600 for aftermarket
misc heim joints, tie rods etc 500 to 1k every 50 hrs or so
clutch every 40 hrs or so 500 to 1k depending
trans rebuild 5 to 10k every 40 to 80 hrs depending
engine 25k from an independent every 100 hrs

tires....even if you run takeoffs its 1k per weekend, 3 to 4k per weekend on stickers

etc etc...

these intervals assume you are actually driving the car quickly and care about it running properly. You can cruise aroumd at street car pace and have longer intervals on suspension parts, etc.

Juha G

I agree with both of you guys. I was not clear enough with my first post that my arguments were towards maintenance costs 6 vs. 7 cup.

That looks quite realistic. But again, what makes the 7 so much more expensive than the 6? I just don't see it.

claykos

I have not owned a 7 cup but according to my engine/trans builder who is very knowledgeable...
the shock loads from the sequential upshifts eat 3rd gear, trans cases and ring and pinions. So gearbox rebuilds are twice as frequent and twice as costly since you end up needing a 3k ring and pinion and 2k case half every 50 hrs which you dont on the h pattern. That's the big upper in run cost.

having seen very high rate data from other race cars with flat shift sequentials, i can tell you the drivetrain shock loads are substantial.

fstockcarrera

^^^^ This is very accurate. I would change black axles @ 30 hours or less, trans rebuild and pressure plate, bearing and disk @ 30 for about 9k. Use ATE slotted rotors @ 20 hours for 130 each.

Viperbob1

Unless you are looking to reduce unsprung weight by over 7lbs per wheel and use GIROdisc 2-piece fixed rotors. Then you are at $2.5k for rotors again.

MSR Racer

I think we (current cup owners) have collectively turned off a potential cup buyer and, in a self-inflicted wound, killed any enthusiasm for my 996 cup for sale!!!!

Viperbob1

Many of the figures thrown around are based upon a PRO driver taking the car to 11/10ths all the time. With just Club racers you will find that MANY of these things are either not necessary or take way more time. My WORST customers are Cupcar customers. You do oil changes, occasionally pads and rotors and thats about it. As long as we do nut and bolting before events, other items are mostly if they fail which isnt often. Change wheel bearings every year, grease the axles, rebuild shocks every couple years, and change fluids. Thats about all we have to do.

fstockcarrera

I'm experience failures if I try to stretch Claykos timing. I've seen LR axle failures @ 30 hrs

Viperbob1

Get a Yellow or a Green axle and you will never break one again...

raclaims

I used to own an 05 996 cup
currently own a 12 and a 16

Cost is not cheaper on the 996 and parts are hard to find...plus every guy I personally know with a 996 cup has done a 5/2 shift, etc, the shifter is very very easy to miss shift with and you will likely pop a motor or the trans...I know guys who blew several transmissions racing and missing gears.

Don't get me wrong, i love the 996 but to think it's cheaper is fooling yourself.

Yes the ABS is good but you can add abs to a 997 and tires are cheaper than a transmission or motor

911racer

+1 for what Bob has said here. Do what you need to do to keep the cars right. Do not get crazy and try to keep parts on the car longer than you should.

Cup cars are really not different than any race car. I owned and campaigned a 1987 semi tube frame 911 with several different engine configurations in it. Now, that was expensive. I had a hard time keeping up with the next thing that needed to be replaced. I am sure that at least the 996 cup is less expensive to keep up than that car was. John H, I know that you can relate to this.

Many aftermarket parts are good alternatives too. We have been using 'the drive shaft shop' axles with VERY good success. Up to 50 hours on several cars with 0 failures or issues (re-greese and re-inspect at least once a year)

Demon Speed started up to help out the guy running a cup car looking for the same quality product that you can get from Motorsports, just easier to order and at a lower cost. We make items like the stub bolts (which should be changed at every axle shaft change because of stretched threads) and wheel washers/nuts where the faces get galled up and you are not getting the same clamp load for the same torque. Now Motorsports does not even sell the wheel washers and the stub bolts are Germany only.

For me, personally, I have seen an increase in costs from running a 996 cup to running a 997.1 cup, but you should expect that because it has more horsepower, is a more rigid chassis, and has a sequential.

I miss my old 996 cup. Would I want to trade back ? Heck no.

All of that said, pick the car you want to run and go have fun. Don't worry about what we think. The cost is a bit more, but not dramatic. Many of the parts are the same between the cars.

Thanks

Ed

John H

996 v 997 v 991
yesterday's blipshift shirt

kgorman

+1

Juha G

What I do with the tires is I buy a new set for every other weekend.
Easiest way to cut your tire costs in half.
We only do 20min sprint races so tires are good for 2-3 weekends.