997 GTS R?

[c4sman]

So after spending half a day at PEC silverstone in my GTS having tuition on the low grip surface for most of the time mixed with quite a few laps of their 2 handling circuits I am reinvigorated in the love of my GTS.

After following the PHer who has built himself a GT2 replica it got me dreaming about starting a project of my own with the GTS. I love the road bias of my GTS but could I take a lot of weight out of it with bolt on reversible upgrades and turn it into a kind of GTS R still with its supple road biased set up? Thinking carbon luggage compartment cover, lightweight centre lock wheels, carbon ducktail, lightweight seats, titanium exhaust etc.

What would you advise, would it be a waste of time and money or could I end up with something quite special (to me)? How much weight could I take out at reasonable cost and keep it all reversible should I ever have to sell the car? Interesting or stupid.

[MDL111]

Been toying with this for years now and with many different base cars - still not done it so far due to cost mainly. i still think it could be great fun, but it is an expensive thing to do.

Lightweight battery, plexi/lexan rear screen, carbon bumpers andf front wings.

If you Go ahead, then please update the thread with progress reports
Could also look at the 996 CLR thread (I think thats the name) for inspiration

[Cheib]

Great idea (fellow 997 GTS owner who has also taken his car to PEC) but I reckon to get a noticeable difference you need to be looking at 100kg plus to notice a difference. My two kids probably weigh 50 kg between them and I certainly don't notice when they're in the car!

Very expensive project I reckon....especially if you want to be able to reverse it all.

Things like seats and exhaust are easy and I would think the seats are the best £ per kg full electric seats are very heavy.

[c4sman]

I think i would notice 100kg as I notice the difference with a largish passenger vs 1 up. Could even be better if the weight came off in the right places such as wheels. Wonder what is would cost to take 100kg out?

[Cheib]

c4sman said:

I think i would notice 100kg as I notice the difference with a largish passenger vs 1 up. Could even be better if the weight came off in the right places such as wheels. Wonder what is would cost to take 100kg out?

Quite a lot I reckon....wheels and seats are £10k plus

I'd try someone like RPM. They have a ducktail they can supply for a 997

[Porsche911R]

I would do

Shocks
Adjustable lca and toe links
Set of recaro
Battery
Maybe exhaust but that would be last.

[TGJR]

I'd suggest waiting until 6 months has passed since your day at the Porsche experience and see if you still feel the urge to do this. Taking significant weight out of a car is an expensive process as you need to address a lot of small things to compile a worthwhile saving. If you love driving the car now and it is essentially a fun car rather than a competition car then is it really worthwhile? I would also expect you will devalue the car for future re-sale if you move it away from factory specification.

Then again, if you have the money and will enjoy the project then why not!

[MDL111]

TGJR said:

I'd suggest waiting until 6 months has passed since your day at the Porsche experience and see if you still feel the urge to do this. Taking significant weight out of a car is an expensive process as you need to address a lot of small things to compile a worthwhile saving. If you love driving the car now and it is essentially a fun car rather than a competition car then is it really worthwhile? I would also expect you will devalue the car for future re-sale if you move it away from factory specification.

Then again, if you have the money and will enjoy the project then why not!

I think the process/experience is what would be fun, but from a value preservation/monetary viewpoint, it would probably make more sense to buy a GT3 and get a good suspension setup. I think in the long run a modified GT3 is probably more sellable than a modified standard car and you are already starting with a car that has some stuff done to it (eg PCCB brakes, bucket seats, less sound deadening, no rear seats - so quite a bit of weight saved already from the get go)

[Porsche911R]

MDL111 said:

I think the process/experience is what would be fun, but from a value preservation/monetary viewpoint, it would probably make more sense to buy a GT3 and get a good suspension setup. I think in the long run a modified GT3 is probably more sellable than a modified standard car and you are already starting with a car that has some stuff done to it (eg PCCB brakes, bucket seats, less sound deadening, no rear seats - so quite a bit of weight saved already from the get go)

But a GTS is a better road car and has better gearing, it's also faster to a point due to that. great engine and gearing in the GTS more suited to road use.

GT3 is the track choice, but I see less and less GT3 on track due to values thee days.

[abidr500]

What about starting with a C2S?
probably give you a 35k head start in terms of outlay over a GTS

[Porsche911R]

abidr500 said:

What about starting with a C2S?
probably give you a 35k head start in terms of outlay over a GTS

better to keep the car you own imo, and the OP already owns a GTS and the engine in the GTS is the kiddy

[TGJR]

Hoping to get my hands on a 997 GTS very soon. I think this is the model to have for that balance between using comfortably on public roads and that special sports car experience of a 911.

[WCZ]

i'd probably get the cheapest 997c2s you can find then stick £20-30k in it

[Porsche911R]

WCZ said:

i'd probably get the cheapest 997c2s you can find then stick £20-30k in it

the x51 kit makes the GTS though, it's a great power kit makes the engine rev out sweat and has more torque would cost £20k to fit aftermarket.
better than the GT4 engine !

[Twinfan]

Porsche911R said:

the x51 kit makes the GTS though, it's a great power kit makes the engine rev out sweat and has more torque would cost £20k to fit aftermarket.

£9661 fitted to a 997.2 according to the Porsche Tequipment site. If you need PSE as well then it's £11,044.

[Big E 118]

I did a few modifications to my GTS but the biggest single difference was a good fast road geo, really transformed the car and is a cheap option (I had lowering springs fitted as well).

Weight wise I had a carbon ducktail which removed about 25kg from the back deck, x-pipe muffler delete which removed another 10kg and I took the rear seats out because the kids are too big too use them! So there's about 50kg's easily done....unfortunately I'm 105kg's so chopping off a leg (car was PDK!) may have been more effective!!!

I very much doubt the weight reduction had much of an effect and that wasn't the primary reason for doing the modifications. I would think reduction of the un-sprung weight would be more cost effective and more effective to the driving feel, so lighter wheels and carbon ceramic disks?

[Porsche911R]

Twinfan said:

£9661 fitted to a 997.2 according to the Porsche Tequipment site. If you need PSE as well then it's £11,044.

that's not to bad imo :-)

[Twinfan]

No, I thought it was a pretty good deal for a Porsche approved upgrade.

[Mario149]

Porsche911R said:

MDL111 said:

I think the process/experience is what would be fun, but from a value preservation/monetary viewpoint, it would probably make more sense to buy a GT3 and get a good suspension setup. I think in the long run a modified GT3 is probably more sellable than a modified standard car and you are already starting with a car that has some stuff done to it (eg PCCB brakes, bucket seats, less sound deadening, no rear seats - so quite a bit of weight saved already from the get go)

But a GTS is a better road car and has better gearing, it's also faster to a point due to that. great engine and gearing in the GTS more suited to road use.

GT3 is the track choice, but I see less and less GT3 on track due to values thee days.

Given the cost of doing a 997 GTS "R" properly, I'd be inclined to just get a 997.1 GT3 and make it more road orientated

£75K or so for the car (at this price it will prob have the comfier non-Carrera GT seats) so similar price to a 997.2 GTS manual
£3K to put an RS final drive in to make the gearing more road friendly
£1K to source and fit a used regular boot lid and bin the wing for stealth effect
£1.5K to source and fit some slightly softer springs

Job jobbed for £80K or so, all reversible. If I had the gift of foresight I probably would have done this to my old GT3 rather than sell it.

And I say all that as someone who loves their 997 GTS

[CarreraLightweightRacing]

c4sman said:

So after spending half a day at PEC silverstone in my GTS having tuition on the low grip surface for most of the time mixed with quite a few laps of their 2 handling circuits I am reinvigorated in the love of my GTS.

After following the PHer who has built himself a GT2 replica it got me dreaming about starting a project of my own with the GTS. I love the road bias of my GTS but could I take a lot of weight out of it with bolt on reversible upgrades and turn it into a kind of GTS R still with its supple road biased set up? Thinking carbon luggage compartment cover, lightweight centre lock wheels, carbon ducktail, lightweight seats, titanium exhaust etc.

What would you advise, would it be a waste of time and money or could I end up with something quite special (to me)? How much weight could I take out at reasonable cost and keep it all reversible should I ever have to sell the car? Interesting or stupid.

Hi c4sman, I'd say the result will all depend on how far you really want to go. If you want a truly special drivers car then there will be compromises, whether that be NVH, aesthetics, feel... You're more than welcome to try mine if you want to see what the more extreme end of the spectrum is like. Not extreme from an unliveable POV, but from the maximum attack on the AUM side of things (1378kg down to 1115kg). I don't feel going down this route necessarily needs to make a car a horrible daily proposition, you just need to be careful in how you go about it and balance changes in a holistic manner, as often unrelated changes occur that you may not have considered when altering a certain component or system.

I wish you the best of luck with this project and look forward to seeing how it progresses