DEs to TT, street car to race car
05-24-2018, 04:06 AM
#16
Race Car
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: With A Manual Transmission
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I've been tracking a 996 TT for 12 years now. And doing TT for 11.5 of them. There is definitely a learning curve, but it's a very rewarding car to drive if you get it right. Bob is right, the gearbox will be an issue, UNLESS you keep hp to low to mid 500 whp. You can also run a straight cut 3rd gear or switch to a 997 GT2 RS mainshaft and 1st through third gear. Surprisingly affordable and better spacing, but more importantly much more reliable. I had broken 3rd gear 3 times in 10 months and said I'd switch once my straight cut gear went. The straight cut gear hasn't gone yet in almost 4 years. The torque kills it. The 997 box has beefier materials. Oh her than that, just learn to get the most out of a Turbo rear engine car and you will be rewarded with lots of wins.
05-24-2018, 01:13 PM
#17
Rennlist Member
Peter.
05-24-2018, 03:41 PM
#18
Drifting
Correct, NASA TT is open passing anywhere (point by optional), not the same as HDPE rules.
05-24-2018, 05:12 PM
#19
You are definitely on the right track in my opinion.... buy a fully built race car for pennies on the dollar. Here are a few we’ll known recommendations:
1) Know the class rules for the group you want to complete with and get a car that can be competitive in that class.
2) Know how fast you can afford to be. Initial purchase is only part of the cost equation. Some cars go through thousands of dollars of brakes every few track days and some have brakes that last for years. The same general logic applies to engine overhauls, tires, etc.
3) When buying a used race car have it looked at closely by someone knowledgeable. Also, only buy race cars that were just loaded on the trailer from the track so that you are sure everything works. Cars that “only need a couple of things before it can go back out on the track” often have other issues that can only be fixed with infusions of cash and time.
4) Enjoy the journey
Charley
1) Know the class rules for the group you want to complete with and get a car that can be competitive in that class.
2) Know how fast you can afford to be. Initial purchase is only part of the cost equation. Some cars go through thousands of dollars of brakes every few track days and some have brakes that last for years. The same general logic applies to engine overhauls, tires, etc.
3) When buying a used race car have it looked at closely by someone knowledgeable. Also, only buy race cars that were just loaded on the trailer from the track so that you are sure everything works. Cars that “only need a couple of things before it can go back out on the track” often have other issues that can only be fixed with infusions of cash and time.
4) Enjoy the journey
Charley
11-23-2018, 05:11 AM
#20
Rennlist Member
Certainly not nuts, but whether it's right for you depends on your goals. Do you enjoy working on cars? Is the idea of building a car at all appealing? If not, buying a prepared car will be much cheaper than developing your own, but there are lots of things that can go wrong with that. You need to know almost as much about the car as you would need to build it, or you need to have a close friend with that knowledge. There are all sorts of folks who build race cars, some are better at it than others, and it's very difficult for an unskilled person to tell the difference.
You can't expect to build your own car and be able to sell it for much more than half what you put into it, and that depends on you being very good at building cars and also proving them on a track. It's a whole lot like breeding horses, but anyone who breeds horses will tell you the money isn't in the horses, its in the facility; you'll only make money when you sell the ranch, you'll be lucky to break even selling horses. People who race cars don't have that route to recovering their investment. But if you enjoy breeding and training horses, you'll never be happy buying a finished animal. Same with a race car; even if it costs you twice what you'd pay for a finished and completely sorted competitive machine, the joy of building it and proving it yourself has no price (so put it on your Mastercard, don't pay more than the minimum monthly on it, and leave the debt to your kids).
Hope this helps,
You can't expect to build your own car and be able to sell it for much more than half what you put into it, and that depends on you being very good at building cars and also proving them on a track. It's a whole lot like breeding horses, but anyone who breeds horses will tell you the money isn't in the horses, its in the facility; you'll only make money when you sell the ranch, you'll be lucky to break even selling horses. People who race cars don't have that route to recovering their investment. But if you enjoy breeding and training horses, you'll never be happy buying a finished animal. Same with a race car; even if it costs you twice what you'd pay for a finished and completely sorted competitive machine, the joy of building it and proving it yourself has no price (so put it on your Mastercard, don't pay more than the minimum monthly on it, and leave the debt to your kids).
Hope this helps,