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Thread: GT3 HPDE Experience

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    GT3 HPDE Experience

    Bimmerforums Brothers and Sisters,

    I am on the cusp of having in my possession a 2004 GT3. One of my bucket list cars which fell directly into my lap. I need some feedback from anyone on here that has driven a 996 Porsche in anger on a track to give me some idea of what to expect (and ultimately if its worth the $$$ to keep as a dual duty cars for HPDE events). I have been driving e36 chassis cars (current a 400whp caged race car) at HPDE events for 10+ years, and have owned a 996tt but never drove it in anger before selling it.

    Could some of you chime in that have driven/ridden in 996 Pcars as to if the hype is REAL on track or if you are paying more for the badge (both on purchase and maintenance), and less for the experience compared to e36/e46 chassis cars. Thanks in advance and BE BRUTALLY honest since I am undecided on my long term aspirations with this new ride. In case it makes any difference, I am pretty capable for a shade tree mechanic, which the e36/e46 chassis have allowed me to perform most all of the work excepting tires. LSD/trans work is probably the scariest part of the 996 maintenance schedule seeing as thats $5k and fairly common (syncros, LSDs).

    Thanks in advance!!

    Drew

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    Sub'd... would like to get into a 996 GT3 in the next few years.

    Not sure if this helps but a few people who have both a 996 gt3 and M3 CSL chimed in this thread, most pick the GT3
    https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...=230&t=1408141

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    Thanks for the link Blackhawk.

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    Not a 996 but I did have the opportunity to run a few laps in a 991 GT3 a few years ago, as well as a Huracan LP610-4. I ran faster times with the GT3 and it felt smoother doing it. A 997 GT3 is a dream car of mine and when I finally get one it will get as much time on Road America (or any other track) as I can manage. Get it, track it!

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    I started off in HPDE in a 996 GT3 and only moved into an E36 M3 when I decided to go racing. I still have the GT3 and use it on track maybe once a year now. If your current car is stripped and caged, hardcore race suspension and aero, etc., a totally stock GT3 may feel a bit soft when pushed hard on track. Don’t get me wrong, the GT3 is a fun car for DE in stock form, but your perception of it will be skewed by the car you’ve been driving the past few years.

    Of course you can mod a GT3 to be as hardcore as you want. It’s a very robust car, but parts are pricey when you eventually do need to replace anything. Besides the crappy OEM diff (it wears out relatively quickly) you’ll also need to weld or pin the pipe fittings on the coolant manifold if you plan to track it. The 996 GT3 – while a bit soft on track compared to an actual race car – is paradoxically somewhat harsh on the street. If you have relatively smooth roads in your area with lots of twisties nearby, it would be a great car to play with in that environment. But on imperfect roads the suspension is unforgiving. It also has somewhat tall gearing, so taking it near redline in anything other than 1st or 2nd gear needs to happen in an uncongested area that’s free of speed traps.

    All that said, the drivetrain in the GT3 is fantastic – very feelsome, rev happy and visceral. I have a Brombacher exhaust on mine and it sounds like a Cup car at high RPM. I also put a lightweight flywheel on mine from the 996 RS (a car not sold in the US) and it absolutely shrieks to its 8200 RPM redline.

    Bottom line: If you have the chance to get the car, do it. It’s very different from almost anything else and you’ll have fun with it. If you later decide it’s not for you, you can typically get out of it with very little loss, assuming you don’t drastically overpay on the front end.

    GT3 on grid.jpg

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by fbirch View Post
    I started off in HPDE in a 996 GT3 and only moved into an E36 M3 when I decided to go racing. I still have the GT3 and use it on track maybe once a year now. If your current car is stripped and caged, hardcore race suspension and aero, etc., a totally stock GT3 may feel a bit soft when pushed hard on track. Don’t get me wrong, the GT3 is a fun car for DE in stock form, but your perception of it will be skewed by the car you’ve been driving the past few years.

    Of course you can mod a GT3 to be as hardcore as you want. It’s a very robust car, but parts are pricey when you eventually do need to replace anything. Besides the crappy OEM diff (it wears out relatively quickly) you’ll also need to weld or pin the pipe fittings on the coolant manifold if you plan to track it. The 996 GT3 – while a bit soft on track compared to an actual race car – is paradoxically somewhat harsh on the street. If you have relatively smooth roads in your area with lots of twisties nearby, it would be a great car to play with in that environment. But on imperfect roads the suspension is unforgiving. It also has somewhat tall gearing, so taking it near redline in anything other than 1st or 2nd gear needs to happen in an uncongested area that’s free of speed traps.

    All that said, the drivetrain in the GT3 is fantastic – very feelsome, rev happy and visceral. I have a Brombacher exhaust on mine and it sounds like a Cup car at high RPM. I also put a lightweight flywheel on mine from the 996 RS (a car not sold in the US) and it absolutely shrieks to its 8200 RPM redline.

    Bottom line: If you have the chance to get the car, do it. It’s very different from almost anything else and you’ll have fun with it. If you later decide it’s not for you, you can typically get out of it with very little loss, assuming you don’t drastically overpay on the front end.

    GT3 on grid.jpg
    I instructed in a 997.1 GT3, and this 100% echos my impression from the passenger seat. I was surprised how soft it felt on track with mostly stock stuff and Hoosiers (because everybody runs Hoosier R7s in DEs...), and the long gearing was honestly kinda a letdown on the track as it seemed to fall out of the screaming high powerband some even in 2nd gear (i.e. a 2nd gear corner for a normal car puts a longer geared GT3 out of the powerband in 2nd), and a lot of 3rd gear corners had the same problem since 3rd gear was closer to a 4th gear in most other cars.

    The sound was great though, and the car felt very sure footed and predictable. I would definitely put some stiffer suspension on it and probably go to some more solid bearings in the suspension, then put a screaming exhaust/intake on it.

    My student said he didn't spend a ton of money on replacing broken parts, but he said larger services were a bit spendy if you went to Porsche specific shops. I imagine it's one of those things where doing the wrenching yourself will pay big dividends.

  7. #7
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    Fly in Saturday to pick her up and bring her home!

    Plan to quickly drop motor, refresh rubber/coolant parts, pin fittings, and spend as little money on upgrades as I can while I work to restore. >50k miles so I am assuming this one will need some attention to detail.

    Will keep tracking the e36LS for the time being but hope to have the gt3 ready for Chin in April at NCM since the BMW has zero chance of passing sound.....

    Also have to sell the e39m5 before I risk divorce. Is BAT the go to for getting best money on a low mileage (18k) showroom stock car?

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    Quote Originally Posted by olemiss540 View Post
    Also have to sell the e39m5 before I risk divorce. Is BAT the go to for getting best money on a low mileage (18k) showroom stock car?
    Tentatively yes but it really depends on the way the wind is blowing that week. In my experience (via a friends experience), if you can get them to agree to a reserve price you are happy with then go for it. They tend to push lower reserve values but then again my buddy was not selling, IMO, a highly desirable lower mileage car.

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    Quote Originally Posted by olemiss540 View Post
    Also have to sell the e39m5 before I risk divorce. Is BAT the go to for getting best money on a low mileage (18k) showroom stock car?
    May be worth reaching out to Enthusiast Auto Group and see if they'd be interested.
    TRM Coilovers 670F/895R | BBS LM | Corsa RSC36

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    Quote Originally Posted by olemiss540 View Post
    Fly in Saturday to pick her up and bring her home!

    Plan to quickly drop motor, refresh rubber/coolant parts, pin fittings, and spend as little money on upgrades as I can while I work to restore. >50k miles so I am assuming this one will need some attention to detail.

    Will keep tracking the e36LS for the time being but hope to have the gt3 ready for Chin in April at NCM since the BMW has zero chance of passing sound.....

    Also have to sell the e39m5 before I risk divorce. Is BAT the go to for getting best money on a low mileage (18k) showroom stock car?
    Congrats! You will have fun with it for sure.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by olemiss540 View Post
    Fly in Saturday to pick her up and bring her home!

    Plan to quickly drop motor, refresh rubber/coolant parts, pin fittings, and spend as little money on upgrades as I can while I work to restore. >50k miles so I am assuming this one will need some attention to detail.

    Will keep tracking the e36LS for the time being but hope to have the gt3 ready for Chin in April at NCM since the BMW has zero chance of passing sound.....

    Also have to sell the e39m5 before I risk divorce. Is BAT the go to for getting best money on a low mileage (18k) showroom stock car?
    Jealous! Pics when you have a chance, I live vicariously through you GT3 owners for now.

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    HO LEE SHYTE.

    This car is rediculous. 8 hour drive to get to know her. Exactly as described by everyone but still much more intense than expected. Feels as stiff as a racecar. Obnoxiously loud in a rattle trap sort of way (similar to a stripped out e46 m3 racecar in harshness and noise).

    But I LOVE IT. It is mean. It wants to GO. It steers precise. It looks aggressive as crap. Holy cow these gears are LONG. It is a horrible driving street car that you dont ever want to get out of and cant stop staring at. The RS wing is HUGE. I cant see ANYTHING when I am backing out of parking spots. This car would be HORRIBLE in Tampa traffic and florida roads thank goodness I was just picking her up there.

    But she is just going to get worked on and a few thousand miles a year in between track events so it is PERFECT. The euro recaro are COMFY. The PO replaced the sound system with high end (mb quarts, jl audio, alpine) equipment and as a guy that likes music it ROCKS. Who knows if I keep it long term or decide to stick with the e36, but it was a good price I couldn't pass on the opportunity to own one. Going to drop the motor and prep her for NCM with Chin (hopefully) end of April. Perfect timing since the e36 is LOUD and would definitely not pass tech. Need to do engine out service (pin coolant lines, water pump, expansion tank, hoses, etc), replace clutch, etc. Possibly rebuilt the shocks or wait and replace with MCS units if I have any money left after NCM. Damn, I am broke but have a list of things I want to buy now (much of which is made of alcantara for some stupid reason).

    Sorry for the ramblings but my mind is screwed right now.

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  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by olemiss540 View Post
    HO LEE SHYTE.

    This car is rediculous. 8 hour drive to get to know her. Exactly as described by everyone but still much more intense than expected. Feels as stiff as a racecar. Obnoxiously loud in a rattle trap sort of way (similar to a stripped out e46 m3 racecar in harshness and noise).

    But I LOVE IT. It is mean. It wants to GO. It steers precise. It looks aggressive as crap. Holy cow these gears are LONG. It is a horrible driving street car that you dont ever want to get out of and cant stop staring at. The RS wing is HUGE. I cant see ANYTHING when I am backing out of parking spots. This car would be HORRIBLE in Tampa traffic and florida roads thank goodness I was just picking her up there.

    But she is just going to get worked on and a few thousand miles a year in between track events so it is PERFECT. The euro recaro are COMFY. The PO replaced the sound system with high end (mb quarts, jl audio, alpine) equipment and as a guy that likes music it ROCKS. Who knows if I keep it long term or decide to stick with the e36, but it was a good price I couldn't pass on the opportunity to own one. Going to drop the motor and prep her for NCM with Chin (hopefully) end of April. Perfect timing since the e36 is LOUD and would definitely not pass tech. Need to do engine out service (pin coolant lines, water pump, expansion tank, hoses, etc), replace clutch, etc. Possibly rebuilt the shocks or wait and replace with MCS units if I have any money left after NCM. Damn, I am broke but have a list of things I want to buy now (much of which is made of alcantara for some stupid reason).

    Sorry for the ramblings but my mind is screwed right now.
    Could I give you my fiance's cell number? I'd like you to help me explain to her why the wedding really isn't that important and the money should go towards a GT3.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BlackHawkRacing View Post
    Could I give you my fiance's cell number? I'd like you to help me explain to her why the wedding really isn't that important and the money should go towards a GT3.
    LOL, good luck with that!

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by BlackHawkRacing View Post
    Could I give you my fiance's cell number? I'd like you to help me explain to her why the wedding really isn't that important and the money should go towards a GT3.
    Luckily we are 10 years past that point, and I have been slowly preparing mine for this day since the day we married.

    You can expect to have your future wife on board around 2030 if you follow my trajectory! Just very slowly and incrementally trade up in car so one day you can convince her getting rid of the race car is an even swap, basically, almost.

    Congrats on the upcoming wedding!!

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    Great looking car! Enjoy it.

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