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gt 3 durability

aussie1

Member
Joined
4 May 2006
Messages
8
Well Chaps thanxs for the guidance with my earlier dilemma.

The more that I read about the GT3 the more excited I get about my up and coming test drive...unfortunately delayed by a month because our speed Nazi's took away my licence for a month! Very early in the morning, clear dry road.

So here is my question for you all, how durable is the GT3 if tracked...are there any significant weaknesses in the cars to look out for...what are the likely maintenance issues? Is there much difference between the first and second generations?

This may sound like a silly question, but is it possible to add occasional rear seats for young kids, as we all love a drive in Dads car.






Migration info. Legacy thread was 58240
 
Previous poster said:
Quote: Originally posted by aussie1 on 10 May 2006

Well Chaps thanxs for the guidance with my earlier dilemma.

The more that I read about the GT3 the more excited I get about my up and coming test drive...unfortunately delayed by a month because our speed Nazi's took away my licence for a month! Very early in the morning, clear dry road.

So here is my question for you all, how durable is the GT3 if tracked...are there any significant weaknesses in the cars to look out for...what are the likely maintenance issues? Is there much difference between the first and second generations?

This may sound like a silly question, but is it possible to add occasional rear seats for young kids, as we all love a drive in Dads car.
If you keep the car well maintained there should be no problem tracking the car. Generally the engine, gearbox, etc., is much stronger than in the standard 996's. It's based on the GT1 Le Mans car & is therefore a different engine to that run in the 996's or 997's. Durability should not be a problem. The GT3 engine doesn't seem to suffer from the "normal" 996 RMS issues. If you are going to track a lot main maintenance issue will be cost of replacing the non-durable items. In the UK by way of example the brake discs cost around 700quid a piece from an OPC.

Main differences are that the Mk2's have more power (approx 20hp), better brakes 6 pot over 4, Larger rubber, ride a little higher & a few other smallish things. Consensus on here is that the Mk2 is superior to the Mk1, but all things are relative as both are great cars. Some think the Mk1 is a better car. Try both & see what you think.

Regarding rear seats, it depends on the car. If you have bucket seats which most have then it will not be possible as these do not move enough to provide any access to the rear of the car. If you have sports seats then these do tilt forward to provide rear access as in a normal 911. Whether it is legal to fit rear seats is a different matter. there has been much debate here & elsewhere as to the legality & Insurance implications of adding the seats. No real conclusion seems to have been reached & the situation could be totally different in Oz.


Migration info. Legacy thread was 58242
 
The Mk2 is more refined (better build quality, more subdued engine note) than the Mk1 and has a noticeably stronger top end - but mainly because the rev limiter on the Mk2 was raised by 800rpm to produce the extra 21bhp.

But guess what... the Manthey conversion for the Mk1 lifts the rev limiter to 8400rpm, remaps the ecu, sticks a cone filter on, and Manthey'd Mk1s are putting out 415bhp!

The GT3 engine block was originally designed to rev to 10k rpm for race applications, so 8400rpm is still well within the limits - although it's wise to have the rev limiter in place!

The Mk1 has a racier feel (more raw engine note) and has slightly sweeter steering feel with more compliant suspension settings that allows you to push harder more of the time. The track on the Mk1 is narrower than the Mk2, and the standard tyre widths are one size smaller (225 vs 235 front, 285 vs 295 rear) on slightly narrower wheels (8" vs 8.5" fronts, 10" vs 11" rears).

Try them both and see which one you prefer! I did and bought the Mk1. :)


Migration info. Legacy thread was 58310
 
I suspect that rear seats would invalidate the Porsche warranty if you had one. From my recent correspondence with PGB, this would come under the category of 1/ non-approved modification and 2/ using the car other than as intended by the manufacturer

Migration info. Legacy thread was 58330
 
I also think the GT3 is only type approved as a 2 seater in the UK/Europe. As such I have heard that people considering this have been put off because they find it very difficult to get Insurance for the car.

Migration info. Legacy thread was 58345
 

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