mpruden

I went down this road 1.5 years ago, and like Glyndellis all paths pointed to the E46 330. It's not a Porsche, but arguably a better tool for thrashing around a race track. If you're willing to sacrifice some brand loyalty, give them a look. Happy to answer any questions or share my perspectives over PM.

996AE

More and more Porsche owners are showing up to DE days with other than P cars.

Mustangs, Camero and Miata are popular.

25 to 30k for a P car motor oncfe blown or in need of rebuild has forced many this direction. Create motor from Ford for example is 6-7k.

Racing is different for the DE days I expect these cars to continue to grow in number at Porsche Club DE events.

Nader Fotouhi

This posts may sound like from someone with sour grapes, but I have been reading the comments on this and "the best 911" threads with some interest for two reasons. We have a 993 race/track car for sale, and my wife and I are struggling to figure out what to replace it with for DEs.

The main reason for selling this car is that I bought a vintage race car and do not plan to race it anymore. Although I am not likely to take the vintage car to many DEs, having two cars that have to be trailed to the track makes no sense for us. That said, this car with no driver aid except ABS, is a joy to drive in a way that I do not feel in new cars.

I do a lot of right seat ride along at DEs, and a couple of weeks ago I rode in a Cayman R, 991, and base Cayman on the same weekend. I may be wrong, but the newer cars just do not seem to be as hard to drive. Of course, I am sure that guys driving torsion bar cars may have the same feeling about 964/993 cars, but I still need to learn and manage momentum to keep up with newer cars, and when a 991 on "sticky" street tires goes through turn 4 at SP at about the same speed than my car on R-compound with ease, or every time you get too aggressive with gas, PSM kicks in, there is a sense of detachment.

I guess we all have to find our own happy place.

Difool

There are some very nice Cayman race cars for sale right now. You can even put a switch on the yaw sensor to kill PSM. Seems like a nice compromise for DE if you are willing to trailer or transport.

Olemiss540

BMW e36 m3 track car. Add s54 = AMAZING. Can pickup used 333 hp engines for 2.5-3k all day. Brake pads/rotors for CHEAP. No oiling issues. No subframe issues. No drivers aids. Lightweight, fast, and CHEAP. Reliable. CHEAP.

I went off the rails and threw a LSx into mine, but didn't want to take this thread too far OT and make anyone else uncomfortable.

Stock HP e46 330i? ? ? Naw, lets have some real fun (unless the goal is racing). Really anything with >12ish lb/hp is going to struggle once in the advanced run groups any more. My stock (lightened) e36 m3 was an absolute blast, but I would drive intermediate just to ensure a 997gt3 didnt rear end me due to speed differentials.

I love spending OPM!

Glyndellis

Allegheny region runs an A+ and A- group to help reduce the speed differential issues. I don't run with the 600hp chaps.....

ShakeNBake

MX5-Cup is a hoot. Surprisingly fast, and a fraction of the cost to maintain and operate compared to most porsches I can think of. .

Jake951

I went from a GT3 to a Cayman S (albeit one with a transplanted 3.8L motor). The Cayman has a full cage, halo seats, and a bunch of other track upgrades including a Spec Cayman suspension. However, it is not street legal so it's a dedicated track car. I was getting paranoid about having a track incident with the GT3 and was also a little uncomfortable not having a full cage in it (it had a half cage). I'm finding the Cayman is a blast to drive, even with a lot less hp. It's also making me a better driver because you can no longer rely on power to make you fast.

Olemiss540

Listen to this guy with the *momentum* car with 400hp and weighing in under 2700lbs probably.

Jake,

Will they let you run with Spec miata? Just had to give ya a bit of a hard time, no offense!

daylorb

I sold my e46 M3, am in the market for a dedicated DE. Definitely have been considering the e36 route with the S54. Seems like a pretty solid choice in the bang/buck category.

maspirito

I am a diehard Porsche owner. But for a DE car I have a 944 with a LS conversion dedicated track car , Full cage fire system. Best of both worlds. I have a GT 3 991.2 which will probably be tracked some, but I'm not really comfortable humming along at 140 without safety equipment. In the process of building a C6 dedicated track car full cage etc. I think value for money the LS power is impossible to beat, and the consumables are nothing near what they are with Porsche. I daresay either the 944 or the C6 Z06 for the money are superior to anything Porsche dollar per dollar for fun and enjoyment and safety on the racetrack.

Jake951

Haha, nice try but your numbers are way too optimistic.

Racerrob

Also thinking about a C6 Vette but I am told the brakes and bearings are junk--have to change every few weekends?



quote=maspirito]I am a diehard Porsche owner. But for a DE car I have a 944 with a LS conversion dedicated track car , Full cage fire system. Best of both worlds. I have a GT 3 991.2 which will probably be tracked some, but I'm not really comfortable humming along at 140 without safety equipment. In the process of building a C6 dedicated track car full cage etc. I think value for money the LS power is impossible to beat, and the consumables are nothing near what they are with Porsche. I daresay either the 944 or the C6 Z06 for the money are superior to anything Porsche dollar per dollar for fun and enjoyment and safety on the racetrack.[/quote]

maspirito

The brakes are really fine not too much of an issue and there are easy bolt on alternatives if you want. Stock wheel bearings are in fact not great but we managed to get six or so weekends without any issues. Plus changing the wheelbearings can be done in 30 / 40 minutes per side.
There is also an upgrade for all four wheel bearings at about $2000 for the set.
The transmissions and diffs need to be cooled with additional external coolers and it's not a bad idea to send them to RPM or someone similar to have them upgraded as well.

dbbarron

To answer a few posts, I already have a truck/trailer, so that's not an issue.

If I went SPC (seems to be what many PCA club members are gravitating towards); how difficult is it to take the first step in RC conversion.
Then build it up over a few years.

Year one - DIY - Strip and lighten, extend hardnesses/fuse box/control unit; get ready for cage and seats. Have a pro weld in cage. Install seats, harnesses.

Year two, engine tranny stuff - short shifter, tranny cooler, PS cooler, deep oil sump, etc. I'll have a pro do most of this work.

Year three, new suspension to SPC limits, livery, etc. Again, have a pro do most of this work.