Today I had an Epiphany

Apart from trying the orange cap from Programmatore (thanks), I am not going to do any more mods on my car, period. Not another cent. Why? Right now, my car is optimized for the road, with a serious track bent. Specifically, my car is loaded, with just about every factory option you can imagine, including PSE, full carbon, etc . . , and I have installed PSS9s and GT3 adjustable swaybars. I have been considering further mods to help on the track (e.g., Aerokit II kit or Misha's rear wing, roll bar, GT3 seats, etc), but I realized today that I would merely be creating a sort of Frankenstein that is not optimized for any use. I decided to stop before I compromised my car, which I use as my daily driver. What will I do instead? I will drive my car for a few more years (at least until there is only one or two years left on the factor warranty (certified)), and then I will buy a Carrerra S or a 997 Targa with every option possible AND a used cup car for the track. That's right. I want purpose built cars. Despite my affinity for the "Porsche" ideal of a car that you can drive on the road during the week and on the track on the weekends, it no longer makes sense to me to accept the compromises that this fantasy entails. Hopefully, by the time I make the switch I will be a good enough driver to warrant a used cup car. Not meant to be a criticism of others who have taken a different approach, but I thought I would share my significant change in direction . . . . TD in DC

TD, you are right on this issue. as you go more serious on track, street cars just won't cut it anymore. and if you mod street cars, they become uncomfortable, creaky, and noisy. ask how i know. i need to come to grip with this myself though ;-) need trailer, tow vehicle....

Mooty, Thanks. I think it is especially true in my case since I have a Targa. A Targa is my favorite Porsche for the streets, but any more radical modification will really compromise its beauty, and the reasons it is so enjoyable as a daily driver. For example, the hatchback is really useful. However, if I put a wing on the back, I will make it harder to use that aspect of the car. If I go too far, it will be ridiculous, because I will probably end up spending more money for a car that doesn't perform as well as a purpose built cup car. I have my eye on the market, and it is not nearly as unreasonable as I might have thought. TD in DC.

cup cars aren't all that expensive compared to a highly modded street 996. however, cup car's running cost is about $1k/hour for DE use. that really scares me.

I was going through the same thought process at the end of last season (my first season of DE). I quickly decided against the cup car option due to the very high cost of maintanance, and then thought about purchasing a used p-car and heavily modifying for track use only. But, one of the things that attracted me to porsche is that they are an excellent daily driver, and on wknds. can be driven to the track, rip it up, and then calmly drive it to work the very next day. So, I decided to keep my car, and modify it to be a more suitable track car(I am in the process of installing gt3 seats, 6-point harness, roll bar and sport pedals). All these mods. are totally reversible, and if I ever want to improve I'll graduate to a gt3 or cayman c.s, and continue to exploit the p-car's dual personality . If it is a purpose built track car, it'll be a radical...does a better job than most cup cars, and cheaper. P.S: T.D , from the racing forum i think you'll be at mid-ohio this wknd., I'll be there as well, and I'll look you up...want to check out the pss9/gt3 sways setup. Jeeva

TD, I applaud your epiphany In a perfect world (p-car world), this would make sense as it does. BUT, you know the more and more you hang around here, the more and more you are going to want to continue to mod Better start running now! the mod bug will be back... oh yes

purpose built, i like that like i said before and i'll say it again, its all about having multiple cars that do their specified purpose perfectly, not 1 car that does a variety of things with mediocrity.

I have to agree, a track is a track car, and a street car , well is a street car, I think most of us want to believe that our cars are both...........and they are but only to you reach a certain point.

Jeeva, Look me up. I will most definitely be there. #801. Since I am from Potomac, I know a few other people who will be there. I would be glad to introduce you around. TD in DC P.S. Are you certain about the 1K per hour? Some of the cup car drivers I have spoken to say it is not as expensive as the myth, but I am still in the information gathering stage.

You could be right, but . . . I often do this. When I get a car, I modify the hell out of it, and then, stop. I reach a point where the car serves my needs, and I stop thinking about messing with it and I drive it until the next one. I honestly think I may have hit that point, unless some significantly different mod comes along.

i heard of the the $1k cost from several reputable shops. this is an amortized cost including engine rebuild, proper maintenance and assuming you are running slicks everytime you are out. of course, if you can convince me that it's not $1k/hour..... hum... i will be in trouble, need more garage space then ;-)

I actually had the same discussion with the wifey weekend before last when she was test driving the Cayenne. I saw a beautiful 997S that I thought would be great to setup for the track and then the wife can have me away from the 996. I realized that I have nothing else to mod on that car...except more DE events for the driver mod. The 997S talk ended up turning into "is that what you want" to which I replied "I like ALL the 911 variants" and would be happy with any of them modded for the track specifically. Outcome? 911 for the road and another 911 for the track. I will wait till next spring when we get back to DC so I don't have to ship it.

Dell, If you are going to build a track only car you might as well get the SCCA rule book and build to a particular class. Then you can race wheel to wheel against similarly capable cars...

Wheel to wheel? Not sure if I am quite ready for that. In the wallet I mean. Sounds purely intoxicating though. One day.

Hi TD... Good post. Sometimes with too many mods the P/car starts to have the personality of a Toyota ricemobile...IMHO.

Totally agreed on this issue. However, I still haven't decided to go down this path for two reasons: 1. The realities of a trailer, tow vehicle, primarily maintenance and storage for both (tight for space and on time). 2. There is a certain intrinsic allure to the 'race on weekends, commute on Monday' concept.

Factors in favor of dedicated track car: 1. You don't have to hitch a ride home when s*** happens 2. You leave the race rubber on all the time 3. You stop worrying about all the small paint dings 4. You can advance to wheel-to-wheel 5. You stop carrying around all the street equipment that makes the car less fun 6.If you buy a prepped track car, it is already fully depreciated Factors against: 1. Tow vehicle- family car becomes an SUV 2. Wife drives Porsche when you are using the SUV (stop--that's enough right there) 3. Place to store track car and trailer I long ago decided on the track car approach. I was lucky enough to find a warehouse a few miles from home that I rent with a few other addicts. I leave the trailer there too. The problem is that the availability of space encourages you to buy more cars, and never sell the ones you have. Your logic is superb, especially since the whole addiction is so illogical. AS

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