I am planning a track day with my son. We both have 996 cars mine a 3.4 his a 3.6. We are both novice drivers. I have read a lot of bad things related to tracking them. Oil starvation, AOS blowing etc. Our cars are in good repair and running well. Mine is an early build and still has the original double row IMS my sons IMS was replaced.

My question is basically is this a bad idea ? We bought 911s thinking they were build for tracking. We did not know of all the pitfalls now we are a bit cautious of the idea. Neither of us wants a $30k engine rebuild.

 

As novice drivers you probably won't be able to cause any harm, but once you pick up speed, I personally wouldn't track my 996. The process of becoming a fast driver usually involves breaking things and 911s are relatively expensive and not very fast to fix. So unless that doesn't matter to you at all, the best track car is the one that keeps you on the track the longest, and the answer to that is either a Miata or a Honda Fit.

For context, I'm a retard and I time attack a BMW with a Honda motor in it. The 996 is a good GT car to me, but I think it's a bad idea in general to strain an engine you're not prepared to rebuild. See the "I'm a retard" part.

 

Th have instructed many DE students in all kinds of 996 models I also race a 1999 996 in PCA and HSR. My opinion is that like all street cars track use increases the strain on all mechanical components but Porsches are able to handle these strains better than most other brands, have fresh oil in your cars, watch for miss shift over revs, use the first lap to warm everything up, then just have fun.
Rich

 

I have tracked a 996 for the past four years and in that time done a hundred days. I drive it as hard as I can every event. Like any car that involves the risk of it not running at the end of the day.
The first 10 days it was completely stock, then I worked to make it safer, faster and what I hope is a little more reliable. I regularly keep up with Gt4s and some Gt3s.

If you are new to HPDE then they are fine with fresh oil, brake fluid, good stock pads and tires.

I would suggest a PCA event as you will see more similar cars and access to the knowledge these owners will bring. Feel free to DM me with any specific questions.
Edit: See you are in the Chicago area. I’m sure @GC996 will chime in. He is local and I believe been doing Hpde since his car was new.

@De Jeeper and me at Lime Rock with commentary by a friends son.

 

They even go racing and survive 😀
Rich

 

My take is a little different. I have enjoyed tracking my 996.2 since 2004, including the last 15 years in the fastest run group, running Hoosiers as well as 100/200W tires. I think the last time I ran street tires on the track was 2006.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to beat the hell out of your 996 on the track to be fast. What you have to do, is learn how to balance the car with your butt, hands and feet to carry momentum. But this is another conversation and speaks volumes on why you do want to go to a DE event, get instruction, and learn the skills.

Also, contrary to popular belief, the M96 is a very durable engine, but just like any year and model of Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari, etc, you gotta properly prepare the engine to mitigate known issues that they all have while on the track. The problem is most owners don't properly prepare their cars for the street, let alone the track. Hence why Rennlist is so popular and all the bellyaching occurs.

First thing i would do is take a look at the condition of your engine by (1) running an oil test on both cars to see what it says, and (2) drop your sump to see what's in it.

Chances are everything looks good, but it's always good to take a look just in case their is a problem brewing.

You have already addressed the IMSB issue so the second thing I would do is upgrade your oem AOS to the UAOS Track version. Regardless on if you plan to do more DE events or just street driving, the UAOS Track version solves for alot of problems. Unlike the OEM AOS, you can run "full" oil levels and can even run 1 qt over "full" with oil. This will help with oil starvation/oil pressure stability. If you run a "blow by" test and it shows you have appropriate levels of blow by, can may be able to run up to 2qts extra oil. Check with @Porschetech3 and his UAOS threads for more detail.

The third thing to do os make sure your cooling system is functioning properly and make sure you have a fresh oem WATER PUMP on the car. Broken water pump blades lead to blades getting lodged in the head resulting in head/cylinder cracking.

Make sure your coils, plugs, fuel injectors, MAF, oxy sensors and oil pressure sender are in good shape. Clean oem air filter helps as well.

Yep, run the best oil you can find in the car and change it often. Male sure it's fresh for the track. Same with your brake fluid.

I will stop here. We can discuss sumps, additional cooling, brakes, suspension, tires, etc as well. But I will leave it up to you to ask additional questions.

 

@wrightbenz

Forgot you were in Chicagoland. Feel free to PM me if I can help with the Chicago region. Be more than happy to introduce you to the right folks in the region and fill you in on DE. It's worth your time to truly experience the 996 on the track.

 

If u make it to the east coast both @hbdunn r instructors now and can help. Although brad is both a better driver and instructor then me.

As others have said its a durable motor if its in good health. Brake fluid, fresh engine oil and a nanometer test of the aos system is all i would worry about for the first 6-10 days

 

OK, all you racer types, let's not scare the crap out of these people. If this is your first time doing HPDE, I can pretty much guarantee you won't have any problems with either car. This is because, as a novice, you will not be able to drive your car as fast into the corners as a more experienced driver. The car is more capable than you and you will find that out fairly quickly. What I would suggest, based on my experience, is you go to the track with a Porsche Club HPDE where you have an experienced driver sitting in the passenger seat and instructing you on how to take the corners. As others have said, you will want fresh oil, and most of us also change that oil right after. And it would be a good idea to have brake fluid that isn't more than two years old.

 

Hah!

Every so often you get the student that can carry speed. Then as an instructor you hope they have a new aos and a full sump of oil! best thing to do is go out to a local PCA DE event and see what it's about.

 

Ha. You hope they have the UAOS with the track drain AND a full sump of oil!

 

Yep! Why run 8.5 quarts of oil when you can run quite a few more!

 

I always get insurance just in case I crash. Note: it won’t cover a money shift or a blown engine or any mechanical failures.

These cars are getting old, so it’s possible you discover a new repair, oil leak, stuff like that. I once lost a clutch in my 88 911, but it was going to go anyway, and mostly my fault.

Like others have said, fresh brake fluid, fresh oil, learn how to drive smoothly and treat it as educational, and you’ll lower the risk.

You can still have a blast and carry speed and not hammer the car too hard.

If you’re the type that doesn’t mind a little risk, managed by paying attention and taking safety seriously (the safest way around the track is often faster than alternative routes) then it’s worth it. If you’re the type to think it can never happen to you, and you don’t pay attention to the instructors or joke around when they are telling you the rules, then I would skip it.

 

I got news for you. Thats not Lime Rock!

 

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