Hi,

I'm a newbie to the Porsche world but have recently started considering getting one.

Now, I want one primarily to use on the Nürburgring Nordschleife so I'm looking for the racing side of things and not so much as a "check out my cool car" toy.

I'll probably get a 2nd hand model year 2000 GT3 so I have these questions:

1) What are the regular service costs and what is usually replaced, besides oil, filters etc. `?

2) Any weak parts that need to be replaced after a certain amount of miles ?

3) Anything I should modify immediately to make it a better track car ? The Nordschleife, as some of you may know, is not your typical track and may require a slightly different setup.

Any GT3 experiences that you'd like to share would be greatly appreciated.

Btw. this messageboard seems pretty good so far, although the GT3 section is a bit quiet

Thanks in advance,

 

If you are using the car primarily as a track car, the oil and transmission fluid should be changed regularly, probably every 8-10 hours of track driving. You will also go through brake pads, rotors, brake fluid, and tires much more quickly than with street driving. Alignment and corner balance should be checked periodically, especially if you bang the car over curbs or have any off track excursions.

In addition to the consumables I mentioned above, suspension parts such as the control arms should be replaced periodically. How often depends on how much abuse they are getting. Also you can expect to replace the half shafts, wheel bearings, and have the shocks rebuilt once per year or two, depending on how often you run.

If you go off the track, you can expect to replace the front spoiler lip and probably one or two brake cooling ducts, assuming you don't hit anything. Also, if you are running in traffic, you can probably expect to replace the windscreen every year or so due to the rock chips you will collect.

Suspension set up will be dictated by the tires you use and your driving style but you will almost certainly want to run more negative camber front and rear and adjust the sway bar settings. A tire upgrade to a track performance tire or slick will also help your lap times. The Cup car teams replace the plastic fittings in the water lines with aircraft grade metal fittings, as the plastic fittings have a tendency to fail. Obviously, safety devices such as a cage, 5 point harnesses, and a fire bottle are all good ideas. These are standard in a Club Sport model, which is probably your best choice based on how you plan to use the car.

Karl