997 GT3 - Getting track ready

[hondansx]

Being a bit of an old car now, i've kind of missed the boat when it comes to the essentials for preparing the GT3 for track days. I've done a fair bit of searching PH and Rennlist and was hoping you guys can clarify and steer me on the right course with things...

- Is there default track pad (not PCCB) option best suited to the GT4? Also, how long should discs last?

- The US forums mention clipping coolant pipes as it coolant leaks are common on track. Is there a DIY guide for this?

- The owner's manual has trackday geo settings. Is that people go for and can you leave it like that for daily use (less fussed about tyre wear, more concerned with driveability on the road)?

- I find the gearchange is not as satisfying (2nd to 3rd especially) as i thought it would be. Should i upgrade engine and gearbox mounts to help? If so, which is the best option?

Thanks!

[lemmingjames]

Question is, how much do you want to spend?

[V8KSN]

hondansx said:

Being a bit of an old car now, i've kind of missed the boat when it comes to the essentials for preparing the GT3 for track days. I've done a fair bit of searching PH and Rennlist and was hoping you guys can clarify and steer me on the right course with things...

- Is there default track pad (not PCCB) option best suited to the GT4? Also, how long should discs last?

- The US forums mention clipping coolant pipes as it coolant leaks are common on track. Is there a DIY guide for this?

- The owner's manual has trackday geo settings. Is that people go for and can you leave it like that for daily use (less fussed about tyre wear, more concerned with driveability on the road)?

- I find the gearchange is not as satisfying (2nd to 3rd especially) as i thought it would be. Should i upgrade engine and gearbox mounts to help? If so, which is the best option?

Thanks!

Don't know about pads but if you have PCCB brakes make SURE you do lots of cool down laps and also may be a good idea to get the gen 2 997 GT3 RS rear cooling ducts installed as the traction control uses the rear brakes to counter the st chocolate diff

Coolant pipes - Look into getting them welded for a more permanent solution. The last thing you want to do is pop a hose (this can happen after several heat-up and cool-down cycles) Also, if you do pop a hose and dump coolant on the track then you wont make any friends, especially if you cause an accident!

Geo settings - Make sure all four wheels are pointing straight to start with and the thrust angle is correct and after a couple of track days, look into a more 'focused' set up to deliver what you need according to how you get on.

Gearchange - This can be improved quite a lot by a simple change of the engine mounts. Relatively cheap too and a simple DIY job if you have the tools. May cause some more vibration in the car but its worth it

Sorry if that is all a bit obvious but its all I've got

[mm450exc]

What year GT3 is it?

But in general...

1) Brakes - Alcon/RS29 or PFC
2) Brake fluid - SRF
3) Tires - MPSS ok but MPSC/MPSC2 better
4) Brake lines - Are ok but upgrade to better can't hurt. ATEC
5) 997.1 needs welding - not many 997.2 failures
6) Geo - a must. I always use Chris at CG.
7) Fire extinguisher (a must in my book)

[V8KSN]

I always thought upgrading brake lines was a waste of money, happy to be corrected though

[PorscheGT4]

V8KSN said:

I always thought upgrading brake lines was a waste of money, happy to be corrected though

it is ;-)

[Trev450]

PorscheGT4 said:

V8KSN said:

I always thought upgrading brake lines was a waste of money, happy to be corrected though

it is ;-)

So replacing rubber hoses that perish over time and expand under high pressure, with braided stainless steel ones which do neither is a waste of money!!

Edited by Trev450 on Thursday 9th April 17:00

[IknowJoseph]

Trev450 said:

So replacing rubber hoses that perish over time and expand under high pressure, with braided stainless steel ones which do neither is a waste of money!!

Edited by Trev450 on Thursday 9th April 17:00

But those aren't brake lines, but brake hoses?

[hondansx]

Thanks for the advice so far.

The biggest fear i have is the coolant leak issue... everything i have found suggests the engine needs to come out! Is there no interim step? Otherwise it seems like it's going to cost quite a bit...

[Trev450]

IknowJoseph said:

Trev450 said:

So replacing rubber hoses that perish over time and expand under high pressure, with braided stainless steel ones which do neither is a waste of money!!

Edited by Trev450 on Thursday 9th April 17:00

But those aren't brake lines, but brake hoses?

Semantics!!

[mm450exc]

hondansx said:

Thanks for the advice so far.

The biggest fear i have is the coolant leak issue... everything i have found suggests the engine needs to come out! Is there no interim step? Otherwise it seems like it's going to cost quite a bit...

Has to be welded. Engine out job.

In the US a lot of people pin the connections which is not a fix and pointless.

[Cunno]

mm450exc said:

Has to be welded. Engine out job.

In the US a lot of people pin the connections which is not a fix and pointless.

Welding isn't the only option, re glueing and pinning are also options, all have there pros and cons.

Welding is the total fix if you can get it done correctly, but these aren't the easiest thing to weld and different materials. Very few US or Europeon indies recommend as they can crack with time or leak due to poor welding. Even Manthy don't recomend welding.

Pinning solve the problem of all the coolent being dumped on the rear wheels as it stops the housing of the alloy tube coming out.. Clue will still fail at some point but you shouldnt loose control. So pinning isn't a waste of time.

Re glueing seems to be the recommendation by most these days as tech has moved on. Manthey do this way, personally I'd pin and glue.

IMO to do any of these correctly it's an engine out job so plan in when you next have engine out to reduce cost. As for failing yes it does happen but it doesn't seem to be as big an issue as the U.S. boys have for some reason. I personally know of very few UK cars that have had this issue fixed, but saying that it could happen at any time, so real lottery. Only you can decide how big a risk it is?

As for upgrading you don't need to do anything to it. Just make sure it's fit for purpose i.e. Brakes, tyres and geo are correct the car will work better than any other standard road car. If you get the bug, upgrade as bits wear out.

[nxi20]

I had my fittings welded 40K miles ago & they're still water-tight. What bit me in the end was shrinking rubber hoses - specifically one that connects one of the big ally pipes under the car to a pipe which runs down the firewall. There are a lot of rubber pipes and these shouldn't be forgotten either.

[keep it lit]

nxi20 said:

I had my fittings welded 40K miles ago & they're still water-tight. What bit me in the end was shrinking rubber hoses - specifically one that connects one of the big ally pipes under the car to a pipe which runs down the firewall. There are a lot of rubber pipes and these shouldn't be forgotten either.

agree with Nick.. I re-bonded my fitting with JB Weld and replaced every coolant pipe on the car, and the rads.. all the jobs are neither easy or cheap especially if you have to pay someone to do the work.. but they are absolutely essential for so many reasons as I'm sure you're all aware!

everything else is common sense and par for the course.

[IREvans]

Trev450 said:

So replacing rubber hoses that perish over time and expand under high pressure, with braided stainless steel ones which do neither is a waste of money!!

Edited by Trev450 on Thursday 9th April 17:00

Correct Trev..! We always run braided stainless steel lines on competition cars for the same reason. If you swap flexi rubber hoses on a track car for braided stainless steel competition brake lines, you can fee the improvement in pedal feel, especially in a car without a brake servo.

[hondansx]

Thanks for the tips guys.

My car is off to the race team shortly to get bits fitted. I was going to replace the clutch, which brings up the flywheel and LSD. It appears in the States Guards is popular, but not sure if you can get that over here? As for the flywheel, it looks like the 4.0 one is worth getting:

http://www.sharkwerks.com/products.php?pid=154

Can anyone recommend a one stop shop in the UK i can get all this from?

[5517]

ABP Motorsport
01270 567177 Speak to the owner Chris

Sharkwerks agent in UK.

Can get most things in 3 or 4 days.

[chrisABP]

hondansx said:

Thanks for the tips guys.

My car is off to the race team shortly to get bits fitted. I was going to replace the clutch, which brings up the flywheel and LSD. It appears in the States Guards is popular, but not sure if you can get that over here? As for the flywheel, it looks like the 4.0 one is worth getting:

http://www.sharkwerks.com/products.php?pid=154

Can anyone recommend a one stop shop in the UK i can get all this from?

As 5517 said above (thanks Roger) we can supply the full range of goodies from Sharkwerks (but you know that after your recent purchases from us ;-).

Let me know if you want me to get the prices and availability on the clutch and flywheel kit.

Cheers, Chris