Running high speeds for a long time is pretty hard on engine and tranny and suspension. Just not the brakes.

I do remember reading something in the 80s? where the corvette team was trying to set a 24 hour top speed record and the engineers felt that higher RPMs in 5th were easier on the engine than less RPMs and more throttle in 6th.... not sure if that translates to our turbo cars.

Let's keep it fun guys. We all enjoy our cars differently. I agree that nothing let's you appreciate these cars better than the track.

 

I would question that 4800 rpm on an DOHC engine is anywhere near as abusive as trackimg a car. Acceleration is much more abusive than a steady pace.

 

All very good points.

I would tend to disagree about autocross though.
That is an absolutely BRUTAL event for most cars.
Tenths of seconds count and the car in manhandled!

 

Street driving at 4800rpm is easier on the car no doubt, not much fun though. All I know is one member here, T2, tracks his car and also daily drives it and has 300,000 miles on his car. How bad can it be?

 

I strongly disagree with the fact that a track car is beaten to death BY a proper driver. As an instructor I see tons of different driving styles. I would say people who "know how to drive", are much easier on the equipment then 99% of the people out there and are lapping very fast times. Most drivers whom fall in the category are lapping 9/10's of the cars potential and once in awhile give it 10/10s. The reason for? they are smooth... when you are smooth it translates to the chassis and all the equipment is not stressed as people here perceive. Even then, track guys take extreme care of their cars. It's like an extension of them.
Then we have people who don't know how to drive, and go to the track once in awhile (or often) or do street driving. They lug their poor flat 6 engines around which gives it tons of stress, or just boost the nuts out of the poor engine. They don't know how to heal toe, they think they are awesome at driving and just throw a car into a turn and thinks it was so fast and so cool... they don't take into consideration how to balance the car and being smooth. We have the people who do put lots of stress who treat a car like on and off switch, that does translate to much more stress then easing onto the throttle. By the look of this forum, most people do threat the throttle as an on and off switch. All these drag times, that exactly what it is, and it seems like these cars predominantly have most of the mechanical problems but are never posted here for whatever reason. Go to a track day, look at a well maintain car, and you will rarely see the failures you see with drag cars we see here(we see many more drag car porsches with faulires and low mileage then high mileage and track cars here- which this forum does harbor a good source for statistical data) . Then you have the other party that we also see here on 6speed whom talk a lot but drive their cars seldom. They lack the skills for driving their car yet boast about this and that is better, how track abuse is bad, but they lack driving it, which seals go bad, and since they don’t drive it, they don’t maintain their car property and eventually gives them headaches even thought its low mileage.

guy’s at the end of the day, do what you want with your car. All I know is life is short, I will enjoy my car to the fullest how I feel happy. I’m not taking the car with me when I die. To me a car is just some metal, rubber and plastic. Its value is not how much value it retains and sell it for but how memories it made in impact in my life. Cars will come and go, but you only have one shot in making your personal history. I enjoyed my car when it was the latest turbo, and the new turbos are only going to get faster and better. Better enjoy mine while it’s still the king.

p.s. Porsche avid track enthusiasts that I have come across are the most **** people in terms of maintenance and taking care of their cars. A lot of 996T forum members here for some odd reason think their car is god and never want to drive their cars.

 

I agree with this but this is a different level of tracking (racing), this level is running the cars harder, longer and more often then the level of maybe say a weekend once/twice a month that maybe includes 4/6 - 25/30 minute sessions with lots of cool down time in between. My car never runs better after a track session, its not a DD so it sits more than I would like to drive it. I also agree with F1 above, smoothness around the track is very important as well as proper warm ups and cool downs.

 

F1, Thanks for positing. You hit the nail on the head with the intent and purpose of this post. I have a friend who ran SCCA stock classes in surpas, neons, and eclipse's; he was smooth and had finesse. He could run a clutch for a full season and his tires lasted multiple race weekends.

Thanks to all who have posted so far

 

Couldn't agree more with this and everything else you said! I have many friends who buy very nice cars and treat them like art. What a waste (in my view). This is why I like the 996TT so much -- I'll take it out in almost any weather and condition (even snow in the Bay Area hills ). If I wanted a piece of art, I would have bought a sculpture of a car.

Hope to see you on a future fun run soon.