GT3 cup hard to drive ?

[Sechsgang]

I acutally just talked to Leh Keen about cup cars/prepped cars and he felt that BY FAR the 996gt3 cup car was the "easiest" to learn on and suprisingly tolerant in comparison to other cars similarly prepared. I also asked him about the 996 with regards to the 997 and he said though the 997 is definitely faster at the limit, the car is MUCH more ridgid and way less forgiving. He said the brakes were pretty hard to get used to as most cars he drove before that were similar had some sort of ABS and the 997 did not and that it was suprisingly hard to get used to...he also said the sequential in the 997 was a bit of a double edged sword in that you NEVER miss a shift but it requires JUST the right about of finesse to not eat up the gears...He also mentioned the 996s were more "fun" to drive.


The prices for 996s seem pretty nice at the moment as well with 30hr-plus 2001s at around 70-80k with 1-2 extra sets of wheels and 15 or so hr or fresh rebuild cars going anywhere btw 87 and 125k...the 997s are still WAYYY up there...180k for a 2006 with 15 hrs...

[stentech]

It is my understanding that a factory prepared race car would be easy to drive quickly. after all it is the design objective of the car.  I have a hard time believing that Porsche engineers would spend their R&D $ to make a race car hard to drive.(with the exception of the Carrera GT) I would agree that it may not be as forgiving as a street car but driving fast cars fast is always a more of a skill intensive process then driving slow cars fast as they allow. I would say that most of our more experienced drivers with good car control skills would be able to very easily adapt to a cup car and go more quickly in one than their street car that is may be perceived to be easier to drive. My point is this. A cup car and it's impressive capabilities would allow a good driver to attain quicker times than their street cars and have an easier time doing it. Less weight, good grip and more power = faster laps with less drama. If a driver is constantly using psm to cover up errors this may not be the case, but the cup cars are very good in crashes as well. Now a car that may be difficult to drive would be a 1200hp 1500lb race car with big turbos and alot of lag like some of the old Porsche race cars. I dont know what they are 962? 917? R2d2s?, but those racers had brass balls.

SM 

 

[bobt993]

Steve,  996 Cup would be alot of fun.  If you get one remember they have a small slot on the side that you stick $100.00 bill into.   You should also start Club Racing if you buy that machine. 

[ccm911]

bobt993 wrote:

Steve, 996 Cup would be alot of fun. If you get one remember they have a small slot on the side that you stick $100.00 bill into. You should also start Club Racing if you buy that machine.

Bob, doesn't your 993 have that same bill slot on the side?

[bobt993]

Mine is much smaller.....................  This winter it will be big again:  " I have good news and bad news"  Your engine leak down was pretty abysmal  and your losing alot of horsepower.  But that means all your efforts to drop one more second at the Glen will be solved after a nice engine rebuild.  :X

[ccm911]

Start making phone calls, ask around, supply a lot of beer. and maybe some of the guys in the club will be able to help you out.

No sense spending a ton of money that can be better spent on more "go-fast" goodies.

[dmano]

ccm911 wrote:

bobt993 wrote:

Steve, 996 Cup would be alot of fun. If you get one remember they have a small slot on the side that you stick $100.00 bill into. You should also start Club Racing if you buy that machine.

Bob, doesn't your 993 have that same bill slot on the side?

You guys have way to much $$$ on hand, my poor little Mustang has a slot in the dash that says " INSERT COIN TO START GAME " and it only cost's a quarter. Sound's like a ride at Disney they cost as much to ride as a 996 Cup.

[Larry Herman]

Steve, a Cup Car can be a blast to drive in the right hands.  They have good power, great feel and very quick response.  1400/1600 lb springs keep them as flat as a board.  It also keeps you very busy, as they lose and then regain grip very quickly.  You have to be right on top of the car, and be very sensitive to it's limits, or you can spin fairly easily.  I think that it is the overall stiffness that unnerves many drivers as most "non-raced" Cup Cars are driven well under their limits.  It is not a car for beginners though, and many experienced drivers are uncomfortable in them as well.

It can also be quite a handful at a bumpy track like Summit.  My GT3 would track nicely around every turn with the hammer down, and when I tried to get on the power in turn 1 in the Cup Car, it just hopped up in the air, and pointed itself towards the inside of the turn.  hock:  It required a lot more finesse on the throttle where the track was rough.

My RSA is sprung just as stiff, and I really am used to the way it handles now.  All in all I loved racing the Cup Car, and hope that I can eventually get one.