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Got the car back and put on a new personalized plate:
I’ve only had the chance to drive it to work and back. Early impressions are dominated by the sound. Deleting the heavy side mufflers and going with tuned headers and 200 cell cats has made the GT3 incredibly loud. It sounds absolutely amazing at WOT. I’ll post a recording when I get the chance. There is very heavy drone, though. It’s almost unbearably loud at part throttle around 2500rpm with the windows up. My solution is to drive with the windows down and not let the revs fall below 3000rpm.
There’s torque everywhere. This is the first time I’ve experienced wheel spin from merely flooring it in first from a slow roll. I really wasn’t expecting it given the rear engine placement and 305 size tires at the back, not to mention traction control. Even short shifting at 7000rpm, the pull is pretty violent. I can’t wait to feel the rush of the final 1500rpm. This weekend will be my first opportunity for a proper drive.
Got the car back and put on a new personalized plate:
I’ve only had the chance to drive it to work and back. Early impressions are dominated by the sound. Deleting the heavy side mufflers and going with tuned headers and 200 cell cats has made the GT3 incredibly loud. It sounds absolutely amazing at WOT. I’ll post a recording when I get the chance. There is very heavy drone, though. It’s almost unbearably loud at part throttle around 2500rpm with the windows up. My solution is to drive with the windows down and not let the revs fall below 3000rpm.
There’s torque everywhere. This is the first time I’ve experienced wheel spin from merely flooring it in first from a slow roll. I really wasn’t expecting it given the rear engine placement and 305 size tires at the back, not to mention traction control. Even short shifting at 7000rpm, the pull is pretty violent. I can’t wait to feel the rush of the final 1500rpm. This weekend will be my first opportunity for a proper drive.
Man, can’t wait to see and hear some video! Congratulations! Awesome license plate too!!
It’s been awhile since I updated this thread. Since my last post, I moved across the country from NC back to CA, specifically back to SoCal. SoCal is the home of so many Porsche shops that it’s easy to create wishlists for upgrades and have no shortage of folks eager to make those wishes come true.
The first thing on the list was a fresh ECU tune so that my car could operate properly on California’s 91 octane fuel. BBi Autosport spent a day on the tune and got me 450rwhp. That was on a Mainline dyno, which supposedly reads 10% lower than a typical Dynojet. It’s hard hard to know if a dyno number is good or not. The proof is in the pudding as they say. I had the chance to play with a 991.2 GT3 RS. I was pleasantly surprised that from multiple roll runs, I could pull slightly on the RS.
Next, I pulled the trigger on a set of used JRZ 12.32 dampers. These are motorsport quality, triple-adjustable shocks. I had them rebuilt and matched with new springs. True Performance did a great job with the installation, alignment and corner weighting. I was immediately impressed by the ride comfort.
Removed the pneumatic front axle lift system
The remote reservoir canisters for the JRZ dampers
My front brakes were due for replacement. I decided to go with the AP Racing two-piece J hook rotors matched with endurance pads.
My first chance to really push the car following these upgrades was a day at Porsche Experience Center Los Angeles. PECLA started offering its Owner Experience program a couple of months ago. The highlight for me was chasing my instructor’s 991.2 GT3 around the 1.3 mile handling course. It was tons of fun! The suspension setup was confidence inspiring and the enhanced torque of the big motor let me drive the entire lap in third gear and not let the PDK GT3 run away.
My instructor’s GT3
Yesterday, I got up early for a drive on the Ortega Highway. This was my first run on a really good road since the JRZ setup. The PECLA experience made me feel good about the handling, but 25 miles of twisties is a tougher test than a 1.3 mile lap. Well, the suspension felt sooo good. It ate bumps like they were nothing, making it easy to flow through a long series of corners at a decent pace. It was also very satisfying to exercise the big motor. It’s musicality and its responsiveness to even small throttle adjustments reminded me why natural aspiration is the most pleasurable way to get down a twisty road.
I am one happy guy. I thought about yesterday’s drive. I can’t think of another car that would have been more satisfying. No doubt a 992 Turbo S would have been quicker. But it doesn’t sound as good, its electric power steering isn’t as feelsome, it’s a lot heavier, and it doesn’t have a manual transmission. When I made the decision last year not to buy a new GT3, and instead invest in this build, my goal was to make my car the most fun canyon carving machine possible. I think I’m there!
Awesome man. It's so easy to get caught up in buying the latest and greatest, sometimes it's just best to make a few tweaks to correct some things and then you get a tailored car. Enjoy in good health.
Good stuff! You have a beautifully set-up ride with top notch parts on a lighter, smaller platform than the new models. I’d say you did quite good! Congrats again!
Since I only do an occasional cruise around town on the weekends or drive it on the track, I recently added Fabspeed side deletes to my BBi center delete I already had. It’s loud as heck now, but just glorious sounding. No resonance, just flat six sound all the time. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, Walt.
Since I only do an occasional cruise around town on the weekends or drive it on the track, I recently added Fabspeed side deletes to my BBi center delete I already had. It’s loud as heck now, but just glorious sounding. No resonance, just flat six sound all the time. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, Walt.
Side deletes with center delete - that’s pure GT music!
06-29-2019, 08:01 AM
I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, Walt. 