Addicted to Track Mods

I have a 2000 996 C2 dedicated track car that is starting a 3 phase transformation from a good track car to great track car. The car has 110 k + miles with the stock engine and is setup with lots of GT3 stuff but as with all track cars, there is room for improvement. I am starting Phase 1 - Weight Reduction. Ditching the 50 lbs of sunroof for a 5 lb CF version. The hood is being replaced with a CF version. The rear and side corner glass is being replaced with polycarbonate. Also pulling out the stock seat belts that were still in the car from the past owner. Already installed the odyssey battery for a quick 30 lb savings.

This is going to be fun! #subscribed

Looking froward to this

It's fun seeing the pictures of the car as if it were a cut-away diagram. Keep us updated on progress!

Looks excellent! Any engine mods or just weight reduction to start?

What kind of tracking are you doing - racing or time trials? What kind of tires? What class are you running? Are you driving to the track or towing? Have you dynoed yet to find power to weight (too much weight reduction might throw you into a class a street car can't win)? Not trying to grief you - interesting stuff - I'm kind of in the same place...

Nice to see another dedicated track car from a 996 platform. Love you enthusiasm in this project, keep the pics and developing story coming.No doubt you'll be taking aim at reducing unsprung weight as well.

I love the idea of the carbon roof. I will definitely be following this build.

Damn, it's refreshing to see someone actually using carbon fiber to replace parts instead of gluing carbon fiber on to add weight to parts.

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+996. 911TTCab, was taking the roof off pretty straight forward or was there any invasive steps involved other than drilling out the spot welds? Also, you might wanna look into replacing your Litronics with Halogen units. There is quite a bit of weight difference there as well. I'm going to be ditching my Litronics but adding modified Halogen units that have been retrofitted with projectors and aftermarket slim HID ballasts. This is a good compromise between lighting and weight IMO. Since yours seems to be a dedicated track car, you might not need to go that direction if you're trailoring your car to events and such.

I look forward to seeing your continued progress and how low you go...

I like tequip roll bar without harness bar, I don't see those very often. Are you installing a cage?

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It almost seems like he should just put on cover plates at this point? Or would that put in him into a different class? http://www.gettydesign.com/catalog/9...%20Pic%202.jpg

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That's one way to ensure the heater core does not leak.

I am not racing in any class, at least not yet. Still enjoying HPDEs running in solo intermediate/advanced groups with PCA, TrackDaze, and NASA. I had to remove the glass to remove the roof. Since I has doing that I decide to replace the rear glass and corner side windows with polycarbonate. I removed the Windows using the wire cutting method vs. the cutting tool. The Porsche shop manual actually says to use this method so I did. Got the tool at Harbor Freight for $15. It got the job done but the wire broke a bunch of times doing both the front and back windows. Pulled the corner widows and they are actually bolted in place to B and C pillars. The bolts were pretty substantial which I could not figure out why? Once I pulled the glass, I grind away the urethane seal on the roof rear and front flaps so I could find the spot welds. Used a spot weld tool to remove the spot welds. You also need to remove the roof rack support points by using an 8 mm Allen wrench to unbolt it from the inside. At that point, you can then use a couple of screwdrivers to start removing the roof. There are two soft adhesive strips going across the supports. Using the combination of the screwdrivers and a razor knife helps breaks the seal and the roof pops off. Took a flapper wheel to the spot welds to level them and then cleaned and panted the areas. Cleaned and painted. Trial fit the roof.

Not a fan of hood pins so I have the aerocatch latches. Unfortunately, I don't think I can use them. I would have to remove substantial cf support to put them where the pins are now and I am not going to do that. They would look great where you see them on other 996s (shown below) but you would need to weather proof them so the don't leak inside the car??? Even if you did that, they would always hold water. Unless I find a solution, I am probably going back to pins. I like this but it looks like a PIA to waterproof.

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Thanks Alpine003 for the tip. The Lits are heavy but I really love the look of them.

Not doing a full cage this time even though this would be a perfect time for it. Going to wait for the comp license for that mod.

Looking good! Is that a welded in harness bar between the rear towers? What are you thinking for suspension and brakes? Was the hood/roof premade? Can't wait to see more

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Yes, it is a welded harness bar. It was installed when I bought the car. Brakes are stock C2 calipers ( rebuilt with high temp seals and painted red) with Girodiscs which was my first upgradewhen I bought the car over a year ago. Suspension mods are Phase II and are impressive. Stay tuned. Bought the cf hood and roof from Getty Design. Quality is very good. Update photos coming.

Using the 3m VHB tape to secure the cf roof. Really did not want to drill holes in the roof panel but put 4 - 1/4" holes in the same location of the roof rack supports. I am making extended brackets from 3/4" x 3/16" aluminum bar to secure the roof in place with the 3m tape. Because there is a lot of tape, I wanted to position the roof perfectly before the tape would stick so I made tape tabs to pull when the alignment was set.

The 3m tape is pressure activated so you need roll it with a hand roller and I used welding vise grips to secure it overnight.

Installed the windshield next. I have never done this but it is really not a big deal if you prep everything fist. Trimmed old urethane seal on the windshield and the mating surface to less than than 1/8" on both surfaces. Clean with isopropyl alcohol and apply new urethane. Used 2 punches as guides below the glass.

Installed the side five star polycarbonate Windows using epdm rubber spacer and the 3m VHB tape.

Installed the rear five star polycarbonate window using the same 3m tape. I doubled it for areas that need to elevate to the cf roof transition.

Installed the cf hood and cut the holes for the pins. Paint will take too long to be done for test runs at Summit Point next weekend so I am wrapping the hood and roof.

Looking great! I was surprised that the roof is taped on. Didn't even know that was possible. Must be some really good tape.

If you can it would be great if you weight parts taken off and parts added. Like old hood vs new hood, old roof vs new roof. Looks like a great project.

I did not use tape for the entire roof. I made aluminum brackets to secure the roof in place using the roof rack holes.

Since I am heading to the track this weekend, I did not have time to get the roof and hood painted before install so I have to wrap it. I have never done it before and it wasn't that tough. It takes some patience and it looks okay. I actually prefer the solid black color.

You would never guess that the exterior windshield trim was the biggest PIA of this entire project but it was. I could not believe how hard it was to install it and was taking over an hour to get half way around the windshield. I could not find any help online and out of my frustration this morning, I gave up and ripped it off the windshield. To my surprise a plastic insert came out of the grove. See below. This plastic strip is completely invisible before and after you install it. I was able to install the trim as it was designed on half the window and had to use some adhesive for the half.

Phase 1 done. Lost 127 lbs. CF roof and hood installed. Replaced rear and rear corner windows with polycarbonate. Passed the leak test. Ready for the track this weekend.

That's a decent amount of weight to shave off the top of the car. Nice work!

Subscribed... Any plans for doors and/or windows?

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I think that would be the next area to reduce the weight. The door cards would be easy but most guys I have talked to about removing them say to get the full cage first. I have been looking for good options for the door windows but I have not found anything that would be functional but lightweight. I would like to remove them and gut the door and just use an insert of some kind to keep the rain out when transporting it or in the paddock.

Solid work! Thats a ton of weight off right where you don't want it. Let us know how it works out on the track!

@911TTCAB- Did you weigh the factory roof parts? I'd love to know what everything weighed. Like if the sunroof cassette was 30lbs or the headliner and padding was 5lbs etc. Even the glass vs poly Windows. Your tempting me to do roof, battery, trunk gut and rear interior gut. That would have my car at a very respectable weight and still be very livable for long drives to the track. Thanks for taking the time to post this thread. Your car is already a pretty impressive weight. Was this full tank?

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The 3M Very High Bond tape is great. It comes in different strengths. We use a lot of it at work http://linel.co/ (shameless plug) on glazing assemblies and architectural panels. We consult with 3M quite a bit. The key is to use the correct primer and tape for the application. I really like the OP's project!

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Sure, I just did some quick weights on the old stuff: Hood - 31 lbs Headliner with some brackets - 6 lbs Sunroof with track but no motor (previous owner removed it.) - 23 lbs Roof - 17 lbs Corner glass - 3 lbs each Rear glass - 17 lbs Battery - 50 lbs Misc. Box of sunroof brackets, B pillar interior trim, and the factory seat belts (previous owner left them in), and other bits - 13 lbs. Hope this helps! The weight is with 1/4 tank of fuel / no driver.

Are those the oem GT3 wheels? If so, you might want to look into swapping those out too. Been looking for Cup mirrors myself as well. BTW, swapping out the factory pumpkins will also yield some weight savings too. lol.

Fantastic- Have a great time at the track with it!!

I'm in shock at 2656 total lbs. What all did it take to get there? Gutted Interior Lighter Seats Roof Hood ?

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With a dedicated track car you can pretty much get rid the complete interior, air bags, gut under the hood, and upgrade heavier parts to the lighter alternative which has been done here. I still can get that lower if I remove: door widow glass door cards cats remove unused wiring Replace with lighter components: wheels tires - Hoosier slicks are less than half the weight of the NT01's I am using now Currently no plans to replace: windshield with polycarbonate Litronic headlights - they just look too good on this car dashboard with CF Additional weight will probably be gained through... Phase 2 is a complete suspension overhaul (starts in a few weeks) Phase 3 X51 Engine Kit Installation /Rebuild - Starts in the off season - Late Fall

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Cup mirrors now that is a new one to add to the list. Thanks alpine003

The 127 lbs that I shed off the top of the car, resulted in shaving over 4+ seconds off my best time on this track back in October. The car felt noticeably lighter in the turns which gave me more confidence to take the turns at the higher speeds. All of the modifications work well and weather a 1-1/2 hours of pouring rain on Saturday with no leaks! The roof was rock solid. The rear window was getting pushed in (bowing) from the down forces and staying that way when I reached the paddock. I was worried about it flying off but obviously the opposite was happening. I will add a small aluminum center support bracket before the next track event. I think the cup cars even have these?? Even with all of the Corvettes, BMWs, Lotus's, etc. in our group, I did not get passed once all weekend. Time to move up in group! https://youtu.be/piE9kCUlwyk

Congrats. 4s is HUGE. Glad all your mods are having a good effect. Weight off the top is the most noticeable increase for the tracks IMO. Same reason why Honda engineers made the Fit lightweight at the top and more rigid on the bottom. This allowed the economical Fit to run faster lap times on the various tracks compared to it's older brothers. This obviously isn't the same but the theory is similiar.

That is an interesting hand position you're using on the wheel. Do you always drive like that on track? Id try shuffle steering in tight corners, gives you more leverage with the wheel than crossing up your arms.

Thanks alpine003. Hardback, I do actually have my hands at 9 and 3 o'clock most of the time. From the instructors I have used, they say this is the best hands placement. Also read it in Speed Secrets need to new able to rotate the steering wheel 90 degrees each direction without taking your hands off the wheel. On T17, went beyond 90 degrees but was smooth. Parts are incoming for Phase 2 - Suspension Upgrade

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All of this.

Subscribed

Phase 2 - Suspension Upgrade. My track car has 112K miles and has rubber bushing that are tired from the track abuse and age. Purchased Tarret's Club Sport B Suspension Package with the JRZ RS Pros and installed it when I had time during the last 2 weeks. I learned a lot and more pictures to come! Old setup: Stock sway bars Bilstein coilovers with GT-2 Springs Bilstein coilovers with GT-2 Springs Stock arms Stock LCA Tarret drop links but upgrading them to the extended version The new suspension package

Because of the mileage of the car, I decided to replace all of the wheel bearings too. The rolled fine and did not have any noise but I was surprised what the lubrication look like when I opened them up. To me it looked dis-colored and "waxy". Is this normal? Nasty looking bearing in the rear. Rear new bearings Old front bearing new bearings

Looks awesome! You will notice a huge difference. FYI, I had to shave the limiters on the front sway bar to keep from running on my '99.

Subscribed. Great build!

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Thanks. I noticed the limiters are tight in the sub frame for the front swaybar. It is pretty tight in that area. Do they need to be free from contact with the frame?

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Yes. They will wear a groove into the subframe and make a horrible squealing sound.

Removed the old rubber bushings in the rear sub-frames. You definitely need a press for this job to at least press the new ones in. Initially I was able to get the first sub-frame bushings out using a long bolt combined with a very large socket (to pull the old bushing into) and the large washer and nuts at each end. Original setup with rubber bushings. Out with the old In with the new!

Pictures of the new suspension installed. Decided to go with no LCA shims up front and 4 mm in the back. Had 16 mm shims up front initially but I was too close for comfort (about 1/8") from hitting the front corner turn indicator lights and could not dial the caster to +8 even in the cup hole. If I had more time, I could probably dial it in but this was a ton of work just for one person. Everything installed except the swaybar. Located the rear JRZ canisters on the roll bar. Located the rear JRZ canisters on the roll bar. Location of the front JRZ canisters

I tackled the corner balancing and alignment myself so I built a set of alignment tables. Corner balancing took a while since I had to do it twice (once with the 16mm shims and then when I changed to no shims up front) Was able to get it dead nuts on +/- 0 pounds with the 16mm shims but I am now +/- 4 lbs with the no shims configuration. Here are my settings. Not saying this is the way to go but it is a starting point based on upgrading my previous settings: Corner Weights- with Driver and 1/2 tank of gas: LF 559 / LR 961; RF 519 / RR 869 ; Cross 1480 / 50.89% ( +/- 4 lbs) Front Height: 110 mm Rear Height: 123 mm Caster LF: + 7.5 Caster RF: + 7.5 Camber: LF: -3.25 RF: -3.25 LR: -3.50 RR: -3.50 Toe: front: .5 mm out each side / rear: 2 mm in each side JRZ Pro RS Nitrogen Setup: Front: 150 psi Rear: 180 psi LCA Shims: Front: none Rear: 4mm each Sway Bar Settings: Front: middle (hole 3) Rear: full soft JRZ Dampeners Settings: Compression: Front: 5 from full soft Rear: 5 from full soft Rebound: Front: 7 Rear: 9

That is awesome!!!!

This car is setup for track but I like to autocross it too. I had an opportunity to test out the suspension on Sunday at a PCA Autocross event . The goal was just to get some seat time with the new suspension and to see if anything was loose or completely out of whack. The performance was great! Definitely more precise steering and very little (if any) body roll. The parking lot was very bumpy and that was much more noticeable. Played a little with the JRZ settings and I noticed subtle differences but nothing that said one was better than the other. Tough to dial it in for autocross when everything is so new to me and you have only 6 runs.

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Niiiiiiiiice -Jason

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My V3s went from 1-16 on compression and I was going from like 6-7 and trying to tell the difference. An instructor that was working with me laughed and said no way. He set it to 12, had me go out and run 3 laps, pull into pit row and he changed it to 6. I ran three more laps and average lap time was 1.5s faster. I could definitely tell a difference.

Nice work on the track car! It's fun isn't it you're doing an excellent job. Interested to learn more about your alignment stands, I'm ready for a new set.

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Thanks for the tip Slakker. I was also told to make at least 2 increment changes at time to tell any difference. I am really looking forward to getting the car on the track to try it out!

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Thanks! For the alignment tables, I went with 20" x 20" x 3/4" aluminum plate purchase cut to dimensions from an online aluminium source. The size is definitely over kill but I wanted the tables to extend well beyond the scales so I an can accurate height measurements. Went with 2" diameter aluminum rod, swivel level mounts, and flat head screws from McMaster Carr for the rest. I am really happy with them. Hope this helps!

So when are you going to ditch those heavy wheels?

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I love your build. Looks like it should be fantastic on track. Considering you didn't skimp on anything else, you should consider the threaded thrust arms up front so you can shim the arms and dial in caster.

Have you done anything Oil sump related for the track? 3rd rad?

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I went with the adjustable thrust bushings and you were right, the adjustable arms would have been a much cleaner solution.

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I am probably at least a year out for lighter wheels.

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Thanks! I need more time to play around with the caster puck in the LCAs before I consider the upgrade thrust arms. But you are right, it certainly would have been easier to adjust the caster.

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I do have the 3rd radiator. I am not the original owner and I am not sure or the oil sump is stock. The car was originally track prepared by Proto Sport in NJ so they might have modified it. I do have an X51 engine kit ( phase 3) for this car which includes the new oil sump, added oil lines, and pallet full of other parts.

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Another thing to consider (budget permitting) is the ERP control arms. They take care of solid bushings, caster adj, shims AND allow roll center and dive adjustment. So $1800 sounds like a lot but it's really not *that* much more if you put it in perspective.

UPDATE: Was able to get the car on the track (Summit Point - Main) a couple of weekends ago to dial in the new suspension. I was happy with the initial setup. It was very stable in the corners and in the straights. I was worried about the higher negative camber settings for the NT01's from what is noted in the 996 GT3 forums but the wear looks pretty even (of course, I forgot the one tool I need - my Tire Pyrometer to get the true info) and it feels great in the corners! Definitely getting on the gas waaayyyy earlier in the corners. I ended up adjusting the JRZ's rebound settings to 8 in the front and 10 in the rear. The initial transfer of weight in the corners went from pretty noticeable to hardly any noticeable roll. Left the compression at 5 for both since the track was pretty smooth. I did have some tire rubbing of the LR tire in T9. It was not in the typical outside edge of the tire to wheel well area but in the inside edge. This rear corner was lowered a little more during the corner balancing process AND this turn is an off-camber turn which I think contributed to this rubbing. You can hear the wheel "chirp" in this video. Porsche 996 Summit Point Main - Chin Motorsports July 2016 - YouTube I did not notice the right front wheel lift in the T9 and T10 turns until the event photographer told me! It is my understanding I should bring my rear sway bar setting in a another hole (from full soft) should help keep all tires on the ground. In T9. Yep, that is a 996 Cup car I passed too. Next up...the new pavement at VIR this weekend!

What track wheels did you get?

Looks like a blast! What Data system and cam are your running?

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I actually had another set of the GT-3 wheels in silver that came with the car when I bought it. It was the first time using them. They actually make for pretty good pictures but I still prefer the triple black look.

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This car is so much fun on the track. It is an absolute blast! I am using Traqmate and a GoPro 3+ mounted to my helmet. Traqmate works great and I am using just that basic setup with no other data connections except the tach. I have the expansion module which I plan to connect to other sensors in the off season. Too bad they decide to change course and become a service company vs. hardware company. The GoPro works well but not together with the Traqmate. Traqmate actually recommends using Race Render vs. their own software to sync the video to the data. I really like the FPV of the GoPro when mounted on the helmet except the white balance is blown out outside the car which is frustrating. I am going to try a couple of different settings this weekend at VIR to see if I can have better balanced video.

I finally got some time to work on the track car this month. Getting ready for my first track event of the season at Dominion Raceway next weekend with NASA Mid Atlantic. Besides the typical beginning of season PM, I wanted to increase the top end power so I can keep up with the Corvettes or Mustangs in the straights. Decided to increase the breathing efficiency of the car by reducing some of the restrictions. So here is the latest update on my track car build: Removed Exhaust CATs and installed Underpressure Racing X-pipe w/ DEI Heat Wrap - saved 20 lbs+ Installed TuneRS Motorsport Underdrive Pulley with new drive belt Installed IDP Competition Model Phelnum Installed 997 GT3 Throttle Body Installed X-51 Oil Pan from my Carrera Power Kit As expected, the exhaust is loud as hell. You Tube

Car sounds awesome with the x pipes! Wish I could run that in ca!

Can I make one suggestion? I see in your engine picture that the little black coolant hose fitting between the oil filler pipe and power steering pump has not given out...yet...but with your track time and so on, it probably will. A preemptive change to a brass fitting and worm hose clamps at that connection point may save you a track day. When it blows...it blows! It is a known common weak point.

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DBJoe996, great suggestion! I am the one carrying spare belt, coolant tank, MAF, spark plugs, coils, etc. to every track event so that one thing that does fail,I hope to have the spare. I will get one this week. Thanks again!

Very Nice- That sounds bad a$$$!!

Just a heads up, you can buy an aluminum/stainless version from pelican rather than replacing with a plastic one.

Thanks sweet victory and 501max

A well set up 996is a blast to drive

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It will make your ears bleed above 4K! I am bring ear plugs this weekend.

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Agreed!!!!

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hahahahaha- I look forward to hearing it with my own ears- I'll bring pads..;0 At NCM- I was flagged for noise and had to shove baffles into the pipes...;0

Went to Virginia International Raceway last month with NASA Mid Atlantic and had a great time. The car is running great even with a few cel misfires being registered on bank 2. This started when I added the x-pipe. I am still troubleshooting it. Swapped the o2 sensors banks to start. No cels during last weekend autocross which was good. We will see what the next track weekend brings. Here is one of my faster sessions at VIR. You Tube

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Could you highlight this hose for me and perhaps provide an image of the fix you describe? - Thanks