Would like to hear about totally stock 996 track experiences.

Especially with tiptronic...but manual trans okay too. How much fun did you have, how strong did you find the car, any problems that changed how you ran the car, upgrades you eventually decided to make, parts the wore the most...etc.

Hey John. Funny, I just posted this track video in another thread. The 996 is awesome on the track. Powering out of the turns is the best feeling ever. The track is hard on the car though. Expect to pay for lots of brakes and tires, plus other things that break more often than on a street only car. For me, brakes and tires are the most important upgrades - sticky tires and race pads (I use Yokohama AD08R tires and Ferodo pads). Still need to manage the brakes, but I think it depends a lot on the track. Hot Laps at the Ridge Sept 5 2015 - YouTube

Hey JI, My '03 C2 is a Tip. It's fantastic on the track. 99% of people who complain about the Tip being a "slushbox" have never driven one. You have to put it in "M" mode. I would agree that trying to track in "D" mode would suck. Blows through tires fast though. To be clear, I am referring to the second generation Tip (2002 and later). The first generation, while fine, is not nearly as responsive as the second gen. Huge difference. 5 computer shift patterns -vs-250 patterns. Lots of my buddies have stock 996's that they track. After my engine replacement ordeal last year, I bought an old Boxster to abuse on the track rather than the 996. Fun, but not nearly not nearly the kick in the *** that the 996 is. Great vid, TripleBlack... enjoyed it.....looks like a fun track!

Yeah - took mine around laguna seca - lots of fun - totally stock - sumitomo tires - limit was the driver not the car ! 1. Make sure oil level is not too high/low - I had some AoS issues (stock one cannot deal well with track demands) but other than lots of smoke on start up not a big issue 2. Kept rpm below 6k to be "easy" on the engine - more than enough to keep up with / lead the group 3. make sure you warm down properly at end of laps 4. Don't hold car on brakes in paddock at end of run - unless you want to bake your brake pads into the rotors !

Yep. I have a stock '99 Cabriolet. Took it out for a "Driver Education" track day with the hard top on, Sumitomo tires, and bone stock everything. Tons of fun, and the car was NOT the limiting factor. Not even close. I learned a lot, including how much more I have to learn. Yes, I passed that turbo.

The 996 is a great track car. I've never driven a 996 Tip on track but the manual cars are a blast - fun and fast. Unless you are very fast(i.e. a lot of track experience) the car will perform flawlessly without any upgrades. I'd change the brake fluid before the event(novices have a tendency to overuse the brakes) and go and have a great time.

Drove my stock 996 cabrio on the track for about 3 years before I started upgrading it. Granted I was a rookie when I began so the car was never the thing to hold me back. As others have said, tires and brakes will be your biggest expense but until you get to the higher run groups the car is not likely to be your limiting factor - it will probably be the driver. So enjoy it and upgrade as you go along. The car will then grow with you which is the way it should be. Have fun!

My Targa did fine. My C2 did fine until the driver ran out of talent. Make sure you take a full tank of talent.

After I swapped my Boxster for my 996, I took PCA San Diego's 3-day performance driving class (again - also took it when I bought the 986), as I wanted to get a better understanding of the dynamic differences between the two cars. The one HUGE disappointment with the C4 was how difficult it was - even with PSM disabled - to get the rear end to let go. One of the main reasons I wanted to take the class again was to get some practice recovering the rear end, and it took half of the first day to get the hang of making the C4 give up the rear end. The C2 kids had the same problem, although much less so. The moral of this story: The 996 is incredibly tame compared to the earlier 911's, so temper the advice/warnings you get from drivers of older 911's... If you do a track event, try to find an instructor with a Tip. They will have tricks for how to get the car downshifted while you're setting up your corner exits so you're making peak HP (and not trying to deal with the extra dynamics a shift adds when it happens at the wrong moment) as you're tracking out.

My two DE experiences here have been great in my 996 Cab. I learned my car can take a whole lot more aggressive driving than what I do on the street. I'd never imagined taking turns at the speed I did, braking as hard as I did and driving flat out coming out of turns the way I did. It was eye opening. But, in the end, I sucked. It wasn't the car, though. You'll be pleased.

Hey John I have been tracking my "baby" for the past 9 years and now instruct. Love to give back and see the hook "go in" for the newbies. For me, the hook went in deep......our cars (mine's a manual) have plenty of power and driver skill will be the biggest limiting factor. Depending on how much you get into it, consumables can get expensive (tires, brakes, rotors) and depending on your overall goals, "upgrades" can be a slippery, expensive slope. Suffice it to say, driver skill is the single biggest variable. If you are just getting into this, don't worry about making changes to the car. You can probably do a few DE's each year with no mods necessary, other than fluid changes (brake fluid and more frequent oil changes), a fire extinguisher and a helmet and be good to go for a while. If you really get hooked, I'd be happy to chat with you about changes to the car.....regardless of what you decide about car mods, they should be done slowly, so you learn how the car's handling changes...... GL, the 996 is a great platform and the east part about DE's is you will meet some really great people and everyone is willing to talk with you about their cars...... I hope you go for it!

John, I remember you posting in another thread that you have a service contract / warranty. You might want to take a close look at the fine print before you take your car out for anything that some evil adjuster might be able to classify as a race/competitive driving event.

Family drove our 996-310 Carrera C2 Cabriolet on DE's for three years, when the engine failed at 69K. Up to that point, the 996.1 had more power than we or the brakes could use. The torque available corrected any understeer or oversteer if we had entered the corner incorrectly. Excellent PCA DE Instructors enabled me to get smoother and faster. I liked the look, feel and size of the 996, so I sent "Yellow Peril" to Jake Raby, for a stage 2 engine. The circlip on a wrist pin came off, resulting in the wrist pin contacting the cylinder wall at 5K. M96 trashed! Plan on doing a few HPDE/DE events later this summer when the engine is broken in. Stock was a blast, a modified 3.8l engine should make the 996 awesome. Do not be surprised if a M96/M97 engine fails on a track day or when out for a drive. Now for suspension and brake upgrades, i.e., GT3 PCCB and X74 or European Sport Suspension (ROW M030). We use the 996 for touring and daily driving, so it has to be a smooth road runner. Any recommendations?

You'll find the 996 to be a very fun and rewarding car on the track. I have taken my Cab to the track many times over the last four years and it's performed flawlessly. As others had mentioned, make sure you do a full brake fluid flush and check the rotors and pads. Boiling your fluid on the track can be a bit harry. Once you hone your skills you'll find that tire and suspension upgrades will go a long way in helping reduce track times. It's a slippery slope and very addicting. I can't speak to driving an auto but I know a few folks that have added paddles instead of the buttons and said it made a significant difference in the feel.

I have been racing and doing DE's for several years with air cooled and water cooled variants. I bought a 2004 C4S last year and did a couple of DE's where I instructed. The car was great on the track in stock form. As others have said, pay attention to having fresh good quality brake fluid, good pads, other mechanical things checked out and go have fun. I have a 914 race car to beat up so I am keeping my 996 stock but I will get some slightly more aggressive pads put in it before doing any more DE's. Braking technique goes a long way toward keeping your brakes from overheating at the track.

I have a stock 2002 C2 tiptronic. How is it on the track? Well it's a freaking Porsche 911 so it is incredible on the track and can dominate virtually any stock vehicle out there. I would say the driver determines how good the car performs on the track in most cases. Porsche 911 is specifically designed to be driven at places like this: So yea, it's a track monster. ***Disclaimer, I'm referring to a STOCK Porsche 911 on street tires that has been prepped for a non-competitive (not racing) fun day of tracking. Oil starvation issues don't normally arise on stock tires and non-modified cars because the tires usually break free before the g-forces take over.

All of the above - but also.... I'd REALLY think about making an appointment with an indie that does race/track set-up. There are cautions to think about, like a deep sump if you are doing a track with heavy side loads, like Auto Club Speedway. And they can optimize your suspension and other equipment to get the safest and best out of your car. It's really fun, and you'll like it!! You're in SoCal - it's a natural!! If I can help in any way, let me know.

I'm talking to a shop tomorrow about an X51 sump.

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Speaking of brakes - I remember once I started improving and realizing my stock brake pads were not going to cut it... I would go down a straight at full throttle and at the end I'd be literally standing on my brakes in order to get the car to stop. It was a bit scary although you could tell ahead of time that your brakes were getting a bit heated and needed some extra distance. Since then I would swap out for a set of track pads and that improved braking substantially. Only problem is if I didn't have time to swap them out and took the car to work the following day it would squeal so badly on stops in the street. People would stare and probably think to themselves that I couldn't afford to maintain my car!

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