Jumping in and out of GT3 and GT3RS's on a regular basis for the last 5 years i have made a list of "must haves" for modifications to my own personal RS (997.1 GREEN RS)..



At the top of the list was the RSS TARMAC Stage 2 suspension arm kit.... Having setup more then a few GT3s with RSS parts I particularly remember one day that i was driving two different 997.2 GT3 RS's.. One with the RSS arms and one without.. The feel of the two were so different.. The stock armed car I could feel the chassis moving on the arms.. The RSS armed car I could feel the tire on the pavement.. This was at Roebling Road, which many are familiar with. Turn 9 in particular has bump around apex and mid exit then another at exit.. In the stock rubber bushing car I would lose the rear on these bumps and also had to fight with the unpredictability of the movement in the rear of the car.. The RSS car was so solid and direct over these bumps it was a real eye opener.. Giving me confidence in the car and that resulting into lap time... It made me feel at home like I was in the BRUMOS #59 that I race in the ROLEX series or the AJR car in ALMS.... These cars don't have rubber in the suspension and not only because they aren't street cars..

It was just a matter of time for me to order the RSS arms for my own RS... The first bits I ordered from them was the 931 Half cage.. I was happy to receive great customer support and the cage is such a nice piece..

It was a pretty exciting day getting all the arms in the mail and getting to handle each one and check out the detail of craftsmanship.. The factory could use these on their racecars for sure..

The suspension on my RS is 100% stock except for the RSS Tarmac 2 kit now installed. I had planned to do shocks and springs before I installed the RSS bits but honestly probably won't now.. I don't want the car to feel any different then it does now.. It was nice to truly see a back to back on the road and on the track in my own car.. Some things that really jumped out at me were..

1. The direct feeling from the steering.. You are able to put the front tires exactly where you want... Much more precision then stock.. There is no movement from the rear axle to change the weight of the car while turning and even just driving down the road.. Giving you a unbelievable direct feel through the wheel.. Any input you put into the steering wheel will translate to the ground with the tire.. This is nice on the track but just as nice at 70mph on the interstate..

2. Predictability.... The car is so much more predictable because of the RSS arms.. Instead of movement around the front or rear axle due to the rubber you now have none of that.. So that means any weight is put right through the shock and spring onto the tire instead of through the suspension on the sub frame.. You can really feel this at around 80% of the cars limits.. Then you get to the car at 95% of the limits on the race track.. With the stock rubber bushings you get alot of movement at 95% of the cars capability's.. You may or may not feel it depending on your level of driving.. Either way the car is moving around and will give you a uncertain feeling at your limit no matter what your skill level.. The RSS arms really bump the cars capability's to 105% or 110% with the secured stable feeling they will give you.. This is an instant feeling you will get and will result in control on the street but more importantly control, confidence and lap time on the track..

3. Adjustability and ease to work with.. The parts went on and fit perfect and look great.. They are beefy and very easy to adjust.. Couldn't really ask for more then that. Much easier then the stock arms to deal with.. They also are fully serviceable. I plan to keep this car my entire life, as it is my grail car. So down the road if needed I can replace just the components that may need to be replaced not the entire arm..

Overall just the best modification I will ever do to my RS... The car is so composed now it’s a dream to drive.

I also did the motor mounts which really put the cherry on top for that overall solid feeling that we love from the GT3..

So.. If you want to take your GT3 to the next level.. Get the RSS Tarmac 2 !!!


























































I want to thanks TopSpeed Motorsports for doing the work on the car!

 

Hi,

great write up and review!

Did you only replaced the rear components? Any increase in harshness or noise?

thanks

her shann

 

you did it right mate

 

Has anyone else done this, or something similar, and had an equally "magical transformation" story because of it? It sounds like a great mod for a 997.1 RS if it does what is represented here. Do you think it will bring my stock-suspension 997.1 RS up to the level of a .2 RS in terms of handling (I hear such positive things said about them in comparison to my .1)? Thanks in advance for the opinions and advise.

 

Alex,

He's a pro race car driver

 

All the time... I'd do at least the dog bones and toe steer in the rear. Any 911 benefits from those. You can use the guide for your car as it explains the parts in more detail
http://sharkwerks.com/porsche/porsch...07-2008-a.html

The .2rs suspension is quite different as is the pasm but I wouldn't look at it that way really. You can always benefit from less movement, more precision and confidence
Of course he is If only we could buy skill too. I need more of that... RSS parts I have in abundance

 

Jim do it. These components are money very well spent especially if you track the RS. Do the Guard LSD and then start talking to Alex about the 3.9
It's only money

\m/

 

Yes, I have the 3.9 SW mod on my longer-term wish list. In regards to the suspension mods, what makes the 3.8 RS so superior to the 3.6 RS besides the PASM being programmed differently? Can the 3.6 PASM be reprogrammed or updated? I imagine the shocks are different as well? Are there structurally different designs involved in the 3.8 RS suspension which cannot be applied to the earlier cars? Thanks in advance for the info.

 

Nice! Thanks for sharing!

 

Ordered the works today. Looking forward to getting it installed.

 

Hey Jim, it was good talking to you about it last night. I'm glad you chose to take the plunge. Can't wait to hear back from you once you get it installed! You'll have to come down here to SoCal, we'll let your girl babysit and fall in love with my Savannah while we go for a spirited drive thru the twisties in Malibu with the 3RS hahaha congrats.

 

Great write up! Should be a true turn killer now

 

Thanks for all the advise last night Scott. I am looking forward to getting the parts installed as well. If the improvement is as profound as they say, it should be an even more amazing car than it is currently - and that's hard to imagine!! Lisa would love to take you up on the cat offer I'm sure!

 

Any creaking sounds after you replaced the stock parts with these?

 

I just ordered the works, and I certainly hope it remains quiet. Squeaky cars suck - after a while the squeaking grows real old. On the track, no big deal - you got bigger things to worry about - but on the road, say a long trip anywhere, that would drive (no pun intended) me nuts. Any tips from you guys out there on how to minimize this would be greatly appreciated.