Auocrossing a 996

Hello all, I want to order a C2 to go autocrossing in Solo II (Hopefully beat some of those Z06 guys in SS) and I had a few questions: 1) Should I order the M030 suspension or save the money for some aftermarket shocks? (Solo II Stock class rules say I can change the shocks, but not the springs. I can also the front sway bar, but not the rear.) 2) Sport seats. Do they provide any extra support when cornering? (Read: Are they worth the extra $$?) 3) What sort of tires are available for the 18" wheels? So far my options list looks like this: Guards Red Black interior Guards red seatbelts Red interior stitching M030 (maybe) Sunroof delete CD player 18" Carrera wheels and I plan on installing an aftermarket exhaust..haven't decided which one yet. TIA for any help.

Huge difference in stock suspension and M030. Go for the M030, and the 18 Carrera wheels. You do not have a choice about tire selection. If you plan to use harnesses, the sport seats dont work as well, the harnesses are difficult to get around the sports. Good Luck.

Well, 996 C2 may not be the best choice for a dedicated autocross car. But if you have to do it, go for it Consider getting the standard suspension and the standard seats, save money and order separately RoW M030 (lower than US M030 10mm in the rear and 20mm in the front) and GT3 seats. The RoW M030 is noticeably nicer for spirited driving. The sport seats are very good for street driving but in a high G corner they do not provide enough support for the mid-upper body - GT3 seats will fix that. But all this is an overkill for an autoX car, anyway

You should definitely order the M030 as the springs and sway bars are different than the regular suspension. Sports seats do add support compared to the regular seats and I would get them. I run Hoosiers and I think the new r-compound Kumhos are available in 18" sizes. The aftermarket exhaust I use is FVD, which is made in Germany and TuV approved. You don't see it mentioned much, but I like it because it allows me to hear what the engine is doing while accelerating, but under low load (such as on the freeway) it is very quiet. A Boxster S is actually a better SS car than a 996. In 2000 an S with stock shocks was 2nd in SS at the SCCA National Championships and had the fastest time on the north course. It was running the same size tires front and rear, 17 inch wheels and maybe the stock front sway bar. In 2001 it finished 3rd out of 50 some odd cars and it and another Boxster S were the only non-Corvettes in the top 35 cars. The reason the Boxster works and the 996 is not as good in this venue is due to the better balance of the Boxster. The better balance allows the M030 suspension to work on the Boxster S while the 996 needs a little more than the M030 has to give. I've been autocrossing a 1999 996 extensively since 1998, but mostly in Street Prepared trim (JRZ suspension, GT3 sway bars, 8.5" and 10.5" wheels, SPG Recaros, harness bar and harnesses). In 1999, however, I autocrossed my wife's Boxster in A Stock and won 6 of 6 events, the local National Tour and the local Pro Solo. I ran Hoosiers on 18s (1st year 18s available on Boxster) with as much front camber as I could add. At Nationals I've run a 1997 911RSR in 1999 in AP (backup car to Daytona GT winner that year) and a GT2 (SCCA road racing class) prepared 914-6 in 2000 and 2001 in FP. My co-driver is faster and won National Championships all three years. Leeds

Thanks for all your input. The reason I was going for a 911 over a Boxster was the little addition to our family 6 months ago (the reason I can't install the GT3 seats). I can't justify spending the money to get a car that won't seat the 3 of us. It won't be a daily driver, but I will take it out on nice days when I am not autocrossing it. Maybe I'll still try to talk the wife into the Boxster S...either way I can't go wrong