I want to get my car on the track?

Hi all, New 996.2 owner here. Black/black C2. Manual. I got the car 1 week ago today. I absolutely love it. Quick background of the car - 32k miles. bought from a reputable seller, PPI with a reputable Porsche specialist. All good stuff. NO service history known at all. I have some amazing, twisty, backroads at my disposal, and they are beautiful drives. Horse farms, rolling fields, beautiful wooded, rural areas, and you rarely see many cars, if at all. Many corners can be had at triple digit speeds (I don�t do that, but it can be done). It makes for great Saturday/Sunday morning drives. However, many of these roads are riddled with hidden driveways, 4 way intersections that you can�t see until you come up over the hill (too late, if at high speed), and of course, DEER. Lots of em. Also, with these roads being so lightly used, it�s not uncommon for people to �roll� stop signs and out of driveways. There are also no police in this town at all. Seriously, there�s no police department lol. I love going for a nice spirited drive. The adrenaline rush I get is partly from the car itself, but also the fear in the back of my mind of a potential incident, which is not a good feeling. I do not want to have an incident. So now I take these roads very cautiously. I know them very well, I know where the bad intersections are and reduce speed when approaching, I know where the most dangerous driveways are, etc etc. But�I want to go flat out! I want to push myself and the car to my limits in as much of a controlled environment as possible. I want to get on a track. I am nervous about putting too much stress on the car. Can someone please point me in the right direction for some threads or info on mods/precautionary upgrades in prepping my car for track use. Would you even recommend it? Thank you! Also, pic for good measure

These cars are approaching 20y old, if not taken care of properly you will kill it(the engine) on the track. The car generally does not need any mods to handle a few track days but the engine and cooling system needs to be in good condition. I would do the following as a minimum before going on track: -Replace with fresh coolant which is mixed thin. -Take the front bumper off, separate the radiator from the A/C condenser and clean PROPERLY. -Pressure test the coolant system -Fresh oil(40 weight) filled full. If your car is past say 80k miles, then add: -Scavenge pumps (there are two, one each side) -Chain tensioners This is to keep oil pressure as good as possible. On track: -keep an eye on the temperature, not above the unmarked index at 3/4 the scale -Keep an eye on the oil pressure gauge. If it dropps sharply in high G corners, don't apply power until the pressure returns.

It would be helpful to know specifics about your car, especially with regards to recent service history. My opinion is the 996 can punch well beyond its weight on track, they are easy to drive, have really good brakes and a ton of grip - that said, as Nick pointed out, they are old cars so you really should start at making sure the basics for general reliability are covered before putting it on track. A side affect of their capability on track, they are pretty fast for an old car and if the car is not up to mechanical snuff, well, you can hit stuff going pretty fast. Brakes Steering Tires Cooling System Suspension Oil control AOS Could all need more, or less attention depending on the current state of your car. If you have never driven on track, you will be far too busy to keep an eye on gauges, and it would be distracting, and even possibly dangerous to try. Things will break on track, if you feel you have to actively monitor the gauges to try to prevent what could happen instead of the appropriate glance, you probably should have prepared more for better peace of mind. I have a build thread on here that covers my experience with my car, I'd like to think although long - it can let you know the things that have worked, and not, for me. Good luck, love seeing people wanting to get these cars on track.

JP, congrats. Assuming your Porsche Indy supports DE and Club racing, they will be able to give your car a look over, give suggestions and perform a tech inspection, but also review everything Nick and Zbomb suggested. It is a 20 year old car, and all of the rubber and plastic parts become brittle. IMHO, if you have never tracked your car, you will not be fast enough to warrant any enhancements with your suspension or brake system. Nor do you need to worry about exhaust or software. All these will come as you get faster, but your money should first be spent on engine durability. ​​​​​​The following items are a necessity for preparing your engine for the track. 1. Ims retro or Solution kit if it hasn't already been done. If the bearing goes, you have a major rebuild problem. 2. Replace your stock Oem aos with UAOS or Motorsports aos. Uaos will be cheaper and more flexible in the long run. This will prevent smoking, exhaust flames and ultimately bore scoring. 3. Deep 2Qt oil pan. You need more oil. This will not eliminate oil starvation, but will certainly help. 4. Replace your ignition coils, spark plugs and fuel injectors if they haven't already been replaced in the last few years. This will help prevent bore scoring. 5. Replace your water pump. If the internals shatter, you have a major rebuild problem. 6. Test your oil at the very least, bore scope the bores just in case if you believe the PPI did not perform and adequate bore scope. 7. Change your oil before and after the DE event. More oil changes not less is an important prevention step. There are many pieces of advice we can give you on suspension, exhaust, safety equipment, software etc. Highly recommend that you read Zbombs threads as he addressed issues and built out his car for the track over the past two years. You don't have to go all the way at first in building a track car. I took me about 6 years to build mine out from 2004-2010, then just maintenance. Now I am replacing various worn items and developing a hitlist on next steps. In my early years when I was building mine out, there wasn't much available in aftermarket solutions. Today, there is a boatload of bolt on enhancements and solutions. However, you do need to go all the way with setting your engine up so it doesn't fail. Same with every Boxter and Cayman owner as well. Enjoy the 996. It is a great street and track car. If you are like many of us, it is one of the most incredible experiences on the track and you will be hooked.​

I applaud your saving the high speeds for the track. More people should take the same approach.

Awesome responses thank you guys, really good information. The car is virtually brand new tires, Michelin PS4S. Just received a coolant flush, brake fluid flush, air filter, cabin air filter, ignition key switch, and a couple other items. PPI said suspension looks great, no bushings/rubber components look dried/rotted. He said possibly replaced at some point, but OEM. Brakes are OK I think. I expected more �bite�, I feel have to dig in deep to get strong stopping power. I have no other 911 or sports car to compare it to. I�m used to my other vehicles, which have touchier brake pedals I guess. The first little bit of travel really does a lot in my wife�s Jeep GC. PPI said brake wear was good, he said if it was less than 40% left he would have noted it. Could this have anything to do with the brake flush that was done?

These cars require a little more forceful breaking. The payoff is you get a lot of feedback. Stopping power is very good (the car is light which helps a lot). You can test this by taking it up to speed and hard breaking on a flat straight stretch of one of your cop-less roads. You will not be disappointed 😉 M

JP The folks who posted above comments know what they are talking about. There are several areas of Inspection that you can do yourself or a PCA approved tech inspector. Contact your local PCA group, even if there are some distant, you can get a lot of answers by asking questions. This is a PCA tech sheet, start here, then start looking at deep sump oil systems, etc.

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The brakes allow a good amount of modulation, as a result, initial bite can seem a little sluggish. You will work up to the braking capability on track. Hopefully, you have a good sense of self preservation, if so, during your first couple days your brain will tell you to get on them well below their capabilities allowing you to feel out just how strong the brakes work on track - it cannot be replicated on the street how hard you can brake on track, this was the single most eye opening sensation of my first track days. The PCA Tech sheet is a good resource for what should be gone over in advance. PS4S are an awesome tire and will do you just fine. You'll want to make sure there is no debris in the rads to diminish cooling capacity. Run your oil of choice no more than half full, I would aim for between 1/4 and 1/2, fresh oil and filter before the event. Make sure power steering fluid is full and the serp belt is in good shape. Get a good tire pressure gauge, your pressures will move around a lot on track, a torque wrench for checking lug bolts and HAVE FUN ! Some experience and reading around here will help you determine where you go from there.

Nice car JP! Congratulations. I look forward to seeing pics of you on the track in a turn, with one front wheel off the ground, soon. Great advice above. Have fun, learn from everything. And just try to wipe the smile off your face after a drive. You can't!!!

^^ Aw man now I�m getting excited. zbomb, got through the first 12 pages of your build thread. Lots of great info in there, will be catching up as I can, and following along for updates. I think I need to log some more seat time in the car to develop a better feel for it, as well as put it through its paces, and start to look into some reliability/maintenance items that are slightly track focused. Only logged around 200 miles so far. Will be heading out tomorrow for a drive so long as the weather holds up. I'm glad to hear about the brakes, I thought there may have been an issue. I guess it�s the nature of the car then. Will be doing coil packs and plugs with next service.

Getting on a race track will give you a great new appreciation for your 996, one suggestion is request an instructor that has experience with your model of car each model has specific characteristics and being familiar with your car can be a big help i love instructing fellow 996 owners Rich

LN Engineering’s Tracking your car and M96 Engine is good to read. It’s available for free, here: https://lnengineering.com/education/...96-engine.html

That�s a good suggestion, requesting an instructor familiar with the 996. And Tex, great link, I will be downloading! 90 mile round trip excursion today with my wife out to Hopewell, NJ for coffee and lunch. Tracked it with the Calimoto app. It was great getting that much seat time today, getting even more comfortable with the car. I have been doing about 30-40 minutes at a clip, but we spent a few hours in the car today. I am loving it. And we sat outside at lunch so I could stare at it too.

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JP, as long as the brakes were checked by your shop and they passed, you are in good shape. If you want more aggressive grip, you will need to go with a more aggressive pad compound. As a novice, you have more than enough brakes. If you become a track regular, there will be a time you outgrow the Oem brakes. First you will find a more aggressive pad compound, then rotors, and then ultimately you will go for a big brake kit. It just happens. Until then, you have plenty of brakes with a new set of Michelins that will allow you to learn the line, braking points, turn-in points and the acceleration points, all while learning how to balance the car through these transitions around the track. The best piece of advice I can give you on brakes is make sure that before and after every track event, you make sure that you have sufficient pad left, your rotors are in good shape, your calipers are functioning properly and that you flush your brake fluid after every event. Yes, I recognize that the first couple of times you go out, you are most likely not putting your brakes under enough stress to boil the fluid, however, as you do more events and progress in speed, the last thing you want is brake fade coming into a congested turn. Better safe than sorry. Enjoy the event.

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I disagree. The stock brake system is very good. Rotor upgrades, aside from doing a slotted rotor, are mostly unnecessary. As for a big brake kit...why? Stock brakes with good pads will lock up a set of r compounds. I guess if you are running slicks or maybe hoosiers you may get some benefit from a bbk but really as you get faster, your goal should be carrying more speed through turns, not having the biggest brakes in the paddock

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Stock brakes are fine for the street and for the track depending on the speed that you carry. What I found on the track is that while our engines produce good power, you can shave time off a lap with stronger brakes. I have a Brembo Gt kit. It makes all the difference on the track allowing me to brake later without developing brake fade. As I mentioned in the post, if you track the car and want any advantage, you will inevitably remove the Oem brakes and slap on a big brake kit. For occasional DE in the slower run groups it doesn't matter.

A little beyond the scope of the thread but I think if I were going to invest thousands on the braking system, I would go for the Bosch Motorsport ABS before the BBK. While I think the heat management of a BBK could very well offer benefit, I still see 1.2G on the stock brakes with Hawk DTC60 pads and Sebro slotted rotors even when they are roasting and can certainly attest to their ability to pretty much instantly lock up a set of R comps when the ABS fails :| That said, if I could budget put together a BBK using second hand stuff and adapters, I�d be interested but the BBK (AP, Alcon, Brembo) are soooo expensive. I think from a lap time perspective, I�d bet on the Motorsport ABS for seconds shaved/$.

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Jason, absolutely agree. As we have talked many times, I started tracking my 02 in 2004. I outgrew the Oem brakes by 2007 and replaced them with the Brembo kit which is pretty much the "Big Red" kit. At that time, there weren't many choices. Alcon was making a run at it, and most other brake manufacturers that we see today didn't even exit. A lot of good choices today. Same can be said for suspensions, deep sump were fabrications at that time, the only other AOS available was the motorsport aos which had to be fabricated. Today we have a boatload of bolt on stuff. Thankfully.

I wasn�t necessarily saying that the brakes weren�t good enough, I just was expecting there to be more initial �bite� to it. But then again, at speed, I suppose you don�t want them to be too touchy. When heavy on the brake pedal, they respond very well. It�s very interesting, and so different than any other car I�ve driven or owned. It�s not a jerky transfer of weight, in most cars you get on the brakes hard, coffee gets spilled, things go sliding around, your passengers face hits the dash, and your wife curses at you. But in the 911 it�s almost like the car squats down and there�s no huge transfer of weight�I assume this is due to being rear engined, and in return the nose doesn�t sink under heavy braking?

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Still gonna disagree...from all my friends that track regularly, all use stock brake components and they all run as fast or faster than well driven cars of their model in the highest run group. Braking late on stock stuff works too...all about the driver

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JP, it's all about learning the characteristics of your set-up and then balancing them. If you go to a more aggressive pad, it will change the characteristics. Not good or bad, just a change that you have to account for. Same can be said for your suspension. Learn the "feel" you get with what you have, and then as budget permits make changes over time. Took me 4 years to get my car set up. Could have done it sooner, but I was flying blind beginning as a novice. Part of the fun is building the car to what you want.

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Quad, no worries either way. Everyone has to do it the way they see fit. I do have to say that a big brake kit with a set of Hoosiers at Road America braking at 140 as you come downhill into turn 5 certainly slows a lot faster than Oem brakes. It's the reason I got them.

GC, yes 100%. I want to build a budget for the items that will help the car stay as healthy as possible with occasional track use, THEN if needed, I will start upgrading. I doubt I will ever get to the point where the CAR is limiting ME. I do want to lower the car though because the wheel gap is huge. I am going to go the spring route. I can�t justify coilovers quite yet.

Quad as a reference point for you comment I run stock calipers due to PCA rules, slotted or drilled rotors, the only brake change I do is run Motul 600 fluid, and in my setup Pagid Yellows up front and Blacks in the rear to better balance out grip, doing a 90 minute enduro at Sebring with extremely long back straight brakes hold up very well during entire race. I did run addition air ducts to front calipers but other than that stock. Rich

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I run yellows front and back. Never tried the blacks. What are the characteristics of the blacks?

Blacks have a stronger initial bite and are harder on rotors but average braking ratios have fronts doing about 70% of the work in hard corners so having more break bite in the rear partially compensates for that ratio. sort of a easy way to adjust brake bias. Rich

One more thought to help out those thinking about brake enhancements. If you club race like uscarerra, you got a set of rules that you have to work within such as not being able to add a big brake kit. In essence, everyone has equal braking power. The only difference is what you use for rotors and pads. In DE, you have no equalization rules. So when you are on the track with your 3.6 996 Carerra producing 320 HP, and you want to shave off lap time, you have no restrictions as to how you do it. First. You want to become a better driver. Second, you want to find ways to improve your engine dependability, braking, tires, suspension, safety equipment, etc. It all depends on what you want to improve and when budget permits. The good news is that you can enhance the Oem braking system with different pad, rotors, air ducts, etc. Before spending money on a brake kit. Took me 4 years to make the change. Or you can upgrade the entire brake system with something more powerful if you do not have restrictions. Nothing is right or wrong. Just what YOU want. I wanted to have more braking power at Road America. So I bought a used Brembo GT kit from a buddy and it worked beautifully. However, what you need to keep in the back of your mind is that the more braking power you have, the more tire grip becomes important. I have to make sure that if I am running sport cups or proxies, that the tires are hot before heavy braking. Forget about street tires, they just don't have enough grip for my brakes unless it's a very, very hot track day. Hoosiers are sticky and they are a different story. Bottom line: take your time with brake enhancements. Get to know your stock brakes. Then try different pads and rotors. See what you get and if it's sufficient for what you want. Then maybe a brake kit makes sense for you. No preset path for anyone.

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​​​​​​Thanks for feedback. Ran Orange, then blues and settled on yellows. Seem to work well for my set up. But I will look into blacks. May be more grip than I need given my set-up, but you never no until you try them.

The wealth of knowledge on this site is immensely impressive. I have started looking into upgrading the air ducts to GT3 ducts as I read it is a very easy and inexpensive way to help your brakes out. However I only can find the right side available online, the left seems to be backordered. I found a R&L set on eBay for $70 but fcp and the like have them for under $7 each. Are they no longer producing this part?

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Best advice I ever received in 2004, from one of my first instructors was to track the car for a season to get to know my car and it's characteristics before spending any money on any enhancements other than engine durability/service. It ended up being great advice, because I was able to understand what my next steps should be. So every year I did an "enhancement project" that I planned for, not to mention there is always something you need to do that you don't plan for. Plus, you gotta take into consideration brake pad, rotor and tire replacements as they wear. The faster you become, the faster they wear. I am fired up about what you are going to experience. Tracking the car and building it the way you want it is incredible. The 996 is awesome.

That is great advice and I will certainly follow that as well. I am excited myself, also nervous. I will be reaching out to my local PCA region and start asking questions as well.

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If it's any help, there are 3 things you can do in prep. 1. Find a big, long, smooth and safe parking lot and accelerate in a straight line up to 80 - 100 mph and then aggressively brake to slow the car as quickly as you can to a stop. Don't be afraid to apply lots of pressure on the brakes. Feel the abs and the cars characteristics. If you have a set of soft soccer pylons, use them as a target. If you ever go thru autocross training, it's the first thing the PCA will have you do, so you can appreciate the braking of the car. Put my kids thru the same exercise. 2. Find an indoor go karting track near you and spend an hour or so ripping around the track. It will get you prepared for feeling the forces. I try to do this pre-season to get my body and mind prepared. Yes, I know it's only go karting, but you would be surprised how well it prepares you after sitting on the couch all winter. 3. Check your seat belts and practice locking the belts with your seat back slightly and then moving it forward into position with the seat belt tight. Last thing you want is to roll around in the car.

Pay attention to oil & oil pressure. After my first 3 HPDE track events ever I found metal flakes in my oil filter. I kept meaning to glance at the oil pressure gauge during those sweeping right turns but it's hard to remember when you're concentrating on driving. A 2 QT sump probably would have helped but since it was just HPDE and I was a first timer, I wouldn't be pushing it hard enough to worry about it. I'm still investigating this with my indy. It might not have been the track but I'm guessing it was.

GC thank you for those tips. sherman I have started looking into the oil pressure issues these cars can have on the track. Metal shavings in the oil filter , ouch.

The type of oil on the track on the M96 engine is a huge factor as well from what I've read on Rennlist. Motul 300v or JG Xp9 for example protect the crankshaft bearings better than the normal use oil when the engine is hot. I would look into that also.

try one of these nights - the learning curve is steep and very fast https://www.tracknightinamerica.com no mods required just go out and have fun - try for 7/10's you'll find out very quickly about managing brakes and not boiling the fluid you'll understand better seats and multi point harnesses you'll be amazed at just how much better your car runs on the way home

Moe - can these oils be used all the time? I know to change oil before and after a track event, but if they offer better protection, why not always run? Fracture - NJMP sold out !

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the motul is an every day oil and not really a track oil. The xp9 should not be left in the car for long periods of time. Its missing a lot of additives... its a compromise that makes it very good at higher temps

Understood, thank you!

Congrats on the new car! If you are near NJ, or SE PA, Reisent�ter is your local PCA chapter. This is a link to our HPDE program https://www.rtr-pca.org/index.php/me...vers-education . Sign up for the Pocono event in September if there is room, you'll have a blast. You can also go to Motorsportreg.com to look for events near you.

Hi Tom, thank you. I am confused regarding the PCA regions. I am in central NJ, I thought my region was Schattenbaum. As a PCA member, can�t I participate in any/all PCA events including NNJR, Schattenbaum, RTR , etc? Or can I only participate in event held by the region I selected when joining on the PCA website? (Which was SCH)

If you are a PCA member, you can participate in any nationwide event. Instructors are on hand at all events unless it is a club race weekend with a DE and you will have to be an experienced driver designated as such with the lead driving instructor from the region. Bottom line: get to know the lead driving instructor for your region. He/she will not only get you the right instructor, but will also provide incredible insight for you on and off the track.

You can go to any event. Schattenbaum only does a couple of DE events per year I think where as RTR does 7-8. The only real benefit is if you are a member of a chapter, you will get preferred waitlist status for their events over non-members.

Ok got it, thank you guys.

There r a ton of independant groups that run borh tracks at NJMP in millville. I have run with SCDA and MoE there and Potomic PCA at Watkins Glen and hopefully VIR in Aug. Any of these groups can supply an instructor amd all have been fun events. The MoE guys r much more low key and hands off compared to a PCA event but still have a great novice grouping. https://www.motorsportreg.com/orgs/m...thusiasts-hpde This is MoE schedule. Also sign up at Motorsports Reg to get DE and track alerts.

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great info thank you!

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I can't wait to get into one of these TIA. I was on wait list for Pocono today, and I am on 6 more wait lists. Northeast they sell out fast.

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Does that still have openings? I am on TIA wait list for (2)LRP, (2)PALMER & July 27th Pocono. I didn't see the September Pocono

I went to Palmer with this outfit and was impressed with their operation. Some Pocono and NJ events. https://www.stackedontrack.com/2021-schedule

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You would have to change the oil even sooner if you were to only run those. Something like every 1,500 miles. I do know some people that run Motul 300V regularly. It is quite expensive though.

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got it, thank you. I don�t want to get into the rabbit hole of oil vs oil yet, nor do I want to turn this thread into one either - but�.FCP sells oil change service kits for around $80, liquimoly oil. Any gripes with this brand? I have ALWAYS used Mobil 1, except for my last vehicle which required the Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 0w-40 SRT oil. But I have seen Mobil 1 is not a fan around these parts. Again, don�t want to turn this thread into an oil discussion and I know this has been discussed ad nauseam. Just looking to see if the LM is good to use, or should I keep looking?

I run XP9, I change it VERY frequently. Peace of mind if nothing else. You can’t help but get a million answers to the oil question, everyone thinks their stuff is good when the motors running - then it’s terrible if it blows up. Ive talked to the folks at Driven a couple times - they were accessible, smart and wanted to understand my use case. So that’s what I run. You can always give them a call, tell them what your planning on doing with the car and let them provide guidance.

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Thanks. When you say very frequently, how often is that?

4HRS track time, change the filter after every event. No longer than 4WKS in the sump. DT40 for winter or long durations.

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wowwww 4 weeks max - that�s way too often for me! I have no problem changing oil before and after an event, but I would like to be able to maintain a regular service interval of at least 3,000 miles under normal use. It�s not a daily driver�Although I have been driving it nearly daily since I got it! lol. I certainly will be doing my research.

Again, I’d suggest you take advantage of the fact Driven is accessible and give them a call to discuss your application and see what they say. It will get you a lot more and specific info than what you can get asking people in the forum.

As much as I use XP6 and think it helps keep the engine alive, as a newbie running in green, I don't think I'd be running such high buck oil. I'd probably run dt40 despite jake's staunch opinion that it can't be used on track

For those who are fans of Jake, he did in one post in Rennlist indicate that he recommends different brands of oil based on the rebuild, Red Line Motul, etc. Driven is sold by LNE, a sponsor of this site, and Jake had some kind of association with Gibbs/Driven. Conflict of interest? Search the web and ye shall learn how they make their money!

having you in good shape is just as important as the car. be well rested, relaxed, drink lots of water, stay in the shade when not in car and be open to learning safe car control....and have fun!

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Turkis, Enough with the cryptic stuff, give us a recommendation for oil that you use and why. Regarding FSI and LN, as far as I am concerned, don't care who they partner with to develop and distribute products as long as they continue to innovate and bring more viable solutions to the 996. At the end of the day isn't that what business is all about?

Realistically, if you're just beginning the track adventure and you're running street tires and you have stock seats & seat belts you won't be pushing the car especially hard. Use a high quality track oil, deal with the IMSB if needed, and most of all get the brake fluid flushed with a good quality brake fluid. ATE 200 is the absolute minimum, and I'd really suggest at least RBF 600. Beginners tend to overuse the brakes and they will get hot so it's best to have good fluid from the beginning. It's very likely you will melt the brake pad wear sensors which will make the pad wear light come on - I got rid of those and jumpered the wires together. When I was starting out I smoked a set of stock brake pads in two 20 minute sessions, the stock pads can't handle a lot of heat and they will just melt. Upgrade brake pads would be the first expensive change I would make and I would consider track pads even for my first event. A cheap and effective brake upgrade is the 997 GT3 front brake spoilers, they're only like $7 each and fit right on. The other advice I'd suggest is to find an organization where you can have an in-car instructor. At least for the first couple track days you'll hugely benefit from instruction. This is going to be more expensive than going with a group like Track Night in America, and it will pay off immediately. I had no idea what I was leaving on the table until I had a few sessions with an in-car instructor. Once you have gotten a few sessions with instruction you can start with the very economical TNiA and other similar groups. Or you may not even like driving on the track. One thing is for sure, if you do decide you like track events and want to continue, you will never lack for things to spend your money on.

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Thank you for the advice. Yes I am brand new to this car, and tracking the car. I do consider myself to be a good driver, but I am sure once I get on the track there will be a hard realization lol. Yes, Pilot sports, stock brakes, stock seats and belts, stock suspension. I have not been able to find the gt3 brake ducts online successfully. It seems the RH side is backordered? I found a pair on eBay for $70, but I would rather spend $14 lol so I guess I will wait. I registered for my first DE event, for 2 days Nov. 6-7 at NJMP, with Schattenbaum PCA. And yes, getting an in car instructor and classroom instruction as well.

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JP, Good info from thePRF. There are a lot of organizations that run great DE programs. I am partial to the PCA program as an instructor and knowing their program. Your PCA region should be no different. As a first timer, they will sit you in a classroom first, and explain the line, braking, turn-in, acceleration, balance, etc. using many visual and verbal descriptions. It will be like drinking from a fire hose, but don't worry because your driving instructor will then apply the information on the track. Somewhere on YuTube is probably a video of one of these class room instructions. As a side note, sit thru a couple of these classroom sessions when you can at other DE events. You will always pick something up or remember something you forgot that will help to pull it all together and make you faster. After you DE the car a few times and you become smoother with your inputs and more comfortable on the track, you will find that there is a rhythm or dance on the track, and things begin to slow down and you won't be able to stop smiling when this happens. Problem is that you won't be able to stop talking about it either. So apologize to you wife/significant other and friends in advance. IMHO, everyone should DE their car at least once. 2-3 times if possible. Not only will they appreciate their Porsche and it's capabilities more fully, but this will translate into possibly avoiding some accidents on the street by better understanding the characteristics and capabilities of their car in unique situations on the highway and around town. If you know how your car is going to react at different speeds under heavy braking or turn-in, you can potentially avoid an accident. In addition, when you are on the track, you are constantly using your mirrors to identify where everyone is and judging speed and trajectory. This learned skill helps tremendously on the highway and street. The skill gets even more acute when you move to using a Hans device. Enough said. I still get fired up talking about tracking my car. Even after 17 years. You will love it. ​​​​​​

Thank you for the input. I certainly can appreciate the �classroom� part of it, and I can�t imagine going without it. As a self taught carpenter and general contractor, I�ve learned WAY too many things on my own, the hard way. This event will be on the Thunderbolt track at NJMP, and yes I have already started watching on YT, there�s lots of good videos breaking down both tracks at NJMP. I�m looking forward to it and I hope I have enough time to get a couple things done on the car ahead of time.

The thunderbolt track is pretty easy to learn. Hopefully your instructor can get u to learn the octopus turns. I basically took one session and consentrated just in that series of turns. Even very experienced drivers have issues there. brake ducting: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/por...xoCeM4QAvD_BwE

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I will remember to see if they can focus on the octopus turns, thanks. also, the brake duct you linked is the one that is readily available, the right side. The LEFT is the one I am having an issue finding. If anyone has any ideas let me know! Thanks.

Fyi, If u need them fast and if they r available from the dealer but in germany for $20 they will expidite the order and u will get it in 5 days

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Well said. I was in my mid 50s when I did my first HPDE. I always thought I was a skilled driver. Nope! What a person can learn from a PCA HPDE is incredibly valuable. Those lessons will spill over to your everyday driving. Think you know how to drive in the rain. Think again after you have your first HPDE at WGI with a full day of rain. That photo I refer to as my W.F.T., Wipers @ Full Throttle. You will enjoy it for sure. Keep the shiny side up!

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oooooohhh nice color. Great shot, looks like a blast. W.F.T. I like that lol

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To be honest Iwas very hesitant to go on track. But you need to trust your instructor.

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To be honest I was very hesitant to go on track. But first instrutor, at my PCA HPDE was beyond great. He was previously the cheif instructor for Zone 1 events. That weekend he tought me the basics of car control, finding apex, eyes up, etc.But the driving in the rain was lights out for me the best. I thank him,, PCA and my subsiquent instructors. They have made this a far better driver now. We went to beach this week with famiy. We we live traffic is not an issue. Driving to Philadepedhia then accross to the delaware beaches. In July, 70-75 mph in the Cayenne its eye up all the way on those interstate highways. The safest driver I saw was a Cayman GT4, it had front & rear tow hooks a dead give away along with NJ plates, he may have attended WGI HPDE this past weekend.

I spent several evenings comparing the technical data sheets for various oils, Motul 8100 (what I use street), 300V (track use), Red Line 5W40 street vs. 40W Race, Castrol, XP and DT40. All of the manufacturers have TDSs available online, had to request it from JG and they don�t provide the same amount of information the other companies do. Also read a lot on Bobstheoilguy and various sites reviewing �the best� high-performance oils. Motul 300V comes out on top, it�s major disadvantage being cost, but it can be run street+track. Very little on JG oils except on RL. DT40 specs don�t really compare to Motul, e.g., 100C KV. The XP, Castrol, and RL Race oils don�t have the detergents so short run times. Bobstheoilguy has some good articles on the different kinds of oils, oil analysis, and troubleshooting�worth following.

^ I plan to run 8100 in my next oil change and I may use the 300v for my de event.

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Hey thanks for the comment on my video. My path to the track started about 2 years ago. Did first 10 days in basically stock 996 with a brake flush. Last November at Summit the instructor told me if I was wanting to keep going make the car safer. Spent the winter doing that and it's so much more fun. So see how it goes and your car properly inspected with good brakes and tires is more than capable. Let me know if I can help at all. I would say if you are going to go the PCA route, try to do events with one region until you get Solo, it will get you there quicker and you can form some good relationships. The guys in my video, we all started at the same time. Me zbomb theprf jnelso are meeting at Lime Rock next Tuesday afternoon. Probably a little too far of a drive to watch but hopefully we can continue to expand our NE 996 track group. Brad

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LRP is about 3.5hrs from me, and once I am committed to investing more (time, $$, etc.) into the sport I plan on going. I am doing Nov. 6-7 with Schattenbaum PCA (my region). I saw your post that you are doing the Oct. event with them, maybe if I can budget for it, I'll attend that one too. The event this Friday at NJMP is not with PCA, I think its just like an open Driver's Club track day, with the option for some instruction and guided paced laps for beginners. That's me. Glad to see you got some days in with a stock car. I have spent way too much time reading about catastrophic failures has me rethinking putting too much stress on my car. I am also an automotive hypochondriac. Sometimes its like WebMD, type in "runny nose" and you think you're gonna die - just DON'T LOOK! edit - I just realized you quoted my post about my oil choice. Update to that, (just to keep this thread accurate for myself) I�m running DT40 not Motul 8100 and will be doing a UOA on the next change.

I should be at the schattenbaum event in nov. Maybe I will end up being your instructor.

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Maybe! See you there.

Well I seem to either have a bent wheel or maybe even lost a weight somehow, I have a serious shake after 70mph. Can�t get into the shop in time so this Friday at NJMP is out. I�ll try again soon.

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thats a bummer. Does it go away after 80?

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If you havent cancelled yet, take the wheels off and see if you can see a fresh spot where a weight used to be. Harbor freight sells weights. If it doesnt help youre only out 6 bux and an hour

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No it is continuous as speed progresses (all the way into triple digits). It doesn't get any more severe, just constant and as speed progresses, the vibration does as well.

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I will try to see when I get home today thank you.

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That is a bummer. Just think I lost a weight tonight on my SUV after going thru the car wash. I didn't have the weights taped down when they put on new tires last week. Kicking myself at 11 pm.