Starting late last spring I have been getting more and more into going to the track (road course). Since then, I have come to the conclusion that this is where my primary focus will be in terms of my car related activities. I just have never been a c&c person and straight line speed just doesnt interest me.

With that being said, I now have to make a decision. Do I keep the 996tt and start moving towards using it as my choice at the track or do I sell it (probably wait till spring) and build a car specifically for the track?

Here are a couple things that I have to consider
- Diminished value - Tracking the car seems to have a pretty negative impact on its value. I can definitely do certain things to keep the car safe but most buyers seem to want pristine garage queens.

- Cost of parts - The track gets expensive. Parts will break, tires will need to be replaced, and maintenance will be higher with the 911. If I were just going to do HPDE's it wouldnt be that big of a deal but, if I want to move into time trials it is going to get pricey given the class that the car would fall into. Has anyone ever done a TT build on one before?

- Turbo car in AZ - AZ is not the mildest of states. Granted, most track groups shut down for the summer, you still get some 90+ degree days during the season. Even my little IS300 was a little annoyed with me after my last track day on 10/01.

Right now, I am using my IS300 to get more experience at the track. It is an under powered car so it allows me to focus on my skill rather than just mashing the gas pedal. I have done enough to it that Im at a good place and can probably use it as-is till spring of next year as I focus on the nut behind the wheel. I think another factor would be whether the car goes up in value by then. Right now it is only lightly modded and nothing that cannot easily be returned to stock.

If I do decide to track it, I would probably start off with moving down to 18" wheels and upgrading the intercoolers (because AZ).

Car:
2001 Arctic Silver/Grey interior 6spd
41k miles
No accidents
Hardback sport seats

Anything else Im missing here?

 

pwdrhound is the go to guy for the most experience driven opinion. he tracks his turbo almost exclusivley and theres not many that can keep up with his setup. at approx 700 rwhp he is a track demon!!

track the car you love. to hell with doimished value these cars will never be 6 figure collectables so enjoy it to the fullest. and btw folks like me love to see a fully prepped street /track car at c&c!!

 

LOL, thanks man! I have tried to get into c&c but I end up doing one lap around (and see the same cars) and then just leave. I love my car but I have barely driven it as the roads around me are all stop lights and soccer moms.

If I do keep the car Im definitely stepping down to 18" wheels. The 19s look great but Ive come to appreciate some meat around the wheel from my limited time on the track.

The basic initial track build would probably be
Swap out brake fluid to something like Motul 660
Get either GT2RS intercoolers or some Wagners
Roll Bar & Seats (dont want to ruin the hard backs)
18" wheels with NT-01s initially

The main thing would be reliability and cooling for me.

 

Man, it seems like just yesterday, you were gathering info for choosing which suspension to go with!! I believe we were both doing coil overs around the same time. Already thinking of moving on??!! ... J/K.. I totally get your dilemma though, before picking up my 6T I had bigger plans for it mod wise and was hoping to track it a bit. But after I started getting used to the car and doing the small changes/upgrades/maintanance I have done so far and confirming how pristine she truly is I have decided to stick to what I've done already (Exhaust, coilovers, wheels). I actually started looking at maybe getting a 996 or early 997 naturally aspirated to use as a track car instead but the potential engine issues of those cars have steered me away. Would love to get my hands on a naturally aspirated Mezger (996 gt3 for example) to keep the 6T for cruising around. We shall see.

Our cars do not appear to be going down in value any time soon so your consideration of this is totally understood.

Anyway, I agree with 32krazy...pwdrhound is the man to talk to and I'm sure he will chime in here. Good luck with your decision!

 

I know I'm in the minority here but it breaks my heart to see really nice examples turned into dedicated track cars. If your car was a high-mile example with perhaps an accident history, I'd say go for it. I

 

nah screw it! mod the snot out of it . theres nothing better than an outlaw 911!!

 

How about a compromise, keep your car and pick up another 6TT with accident history for low $$ and turn that one into a track beast!

 

now i can help you if thats the route you travel!

 

I am on my 2nd 996tt - first was an x50 aero kit seal grey car - couldn't bring myself to ruin it so I sold it at 59k miles and got 46k for it. I bought my second one in May this year for much less than 46k...very nice car but was salvaged due to theft. It had really good track parts, JRZ's, camber plates, Markski intercoolers, tarrett end links, sway bars, PCCB, billet k16s, fuel upgrades etc...
I sold off all the extras, bought a set of Fikse wheels, turbo twists, seats, DAS rollbar and recently gutted it - I am in this car still less than 40k (maybe 36) after selling everything and adding the additional parts.

My point is - there is very little ( i mean very few) at the track that can keep up for that price and I am no expert driver.

The downsides are there however, and there is a reason you don't see a lot of turbos at the track.

1. Without weight reduction these cars are pigs and will destroy pads in a weekend, tires in 3 and obviously strain the remaining wear items.

2. Not a cheap car to fix but is a GT3 or any other porsche you might consider outside of spec boxster?

3. Gas guzzler - maybe my engine mods don't help but I need to refill almost every session (20-25 mins) to make sure I can get a full next session in.

4. Need to pin coolant lines - i will be doing this after my next event - not a cheap preventative maintenance item

My only advice is to find a car with at least some of the mods you will need - this is not a financially feasible endeavor on a stock car - not worth paying retail in my opinion.

Hope that helps

 

I appreciate everyones input but the two things that are not on the table are buying a 3rd car or selling and buying another 996tt. If I choose to sell and build, it will almost certainly be another LSX swapped FD. Ive done the pricing and I can build a full track car with that setup for about 33k and have an engine that you can rebuild for pennies compared to the 911.

 

Another person who would be great to hear from is Rob (993GT)...he has a GT2 for heaven's sake and he certainly isnt afraid to use it! He is my hero

 

Maybe hang in with what you have till you decide what direction you want to go at the track, wanting to race? Do time trials? Want to be in a field of really competitive cars to battle with? Maybe you just want to improve your own driving and car for track days. Figure that out and buy the car already done. Like 32crazy says if modding and driving your turbo is your passion that's what you should do! An LS fd would be cool. Building race cars gets expensive I'm in my NASA ST1 car over 80k not including the car should have never added it up

 

Yeah, I definitely want to go towards a track car. I just dont drive the TT enough as it sits as I am not much of a 'cruiser'. I spent almost all weekend going through the build for the RX-7 to make sure what the difference would be for the build. With the 33k it would have everything from Ohlins to a fire system and an Accusump.

 

Depends on how much you want to spend. I'd just get an older Z06 or something if I were tracking hard on a budget. If you like to track a Porsche and you can swing the parts then go for it.

 

Im just going to take some time over the winter and decide. The RX-7 and the 911 are the best cars Ive owned so it really is a toss up. The market might end up making my decision for me if they bump up again in the spring.

That is a beautiful C5 btw