Two questions for track junkies...

First, in searching the GT3 forum, it seems that they are running 2.5 degrees of camber front and rear on the track. I have my struts maxed in the fender slots and am only able to get just over one degree. Even if I ovalize the holes more, it appears that the top of the strut only has a quarter of an inch of travel before it hits the side of the tower. How can I get more camber front and rear? Second, Fab Speed has "Fabspeed 996 & GT3 Catalytic converter bypass Pipes" they claim that "CEL may come on but car will run great" is this true? I had euro headers on my ///M Roadster that removed the cats. Because of the post cat O2 sensors, the car never ran well. The O2 simulaters never cured the problem. Your thoughts. Thanks. Alex

PS--after several months of being a user, I thought that I should become a "Rennlist Member". I filled out the form and paid the fee...do I need to do anything to change my designation from user to Member?

You're probably looking at camber plates and coil overs.

Doug-- I should have posted more info. My car has PSS9s and GT3 hubs/carriers with TT brakes. Looking at the top of the strut (large washer) I do not see how camber plates can keep the top of the strut from hitting the wall of the tower long before I get enough camber. I race BMWs and getting 3.5 degrees of camber is not a problem with camber plates. Maybe I am missing something? I am trying to get the car ready for this years One Lap of America. Alex

Have you considered getting the GT3 lower control arms? They are a two-piece design that allows you to add shims in between the halves to increase camber (and track). I get 1.7 degrees of camber up front with no mods to the slots but with R compound tires, more would be nice.

i believe you are going to have to change the control arms as well to get more camber - the 996 (non-GT) is not designed to run that much i.e. your hitting the stops already as it is. What testing have you done so far with the setup you have? Just asking b/c the differences might not be worth the cost. just asking b/c you know how hard it is to run at the front without some serious HP & a good, updated will.

I would agree that the cup car control arms are the best way to get some more camber. How much you should run really depends on what tires you are using and what kind of tracks you frequent. We have found -3.25f and -2.75r to be pretty good with 245/305 Hoosiers. That's with a 2910 lb 996 though. Your situation might be different. As for cat bypass pipes, you should expect to gain some hp/torque above 5500 and lose a bunch below that.

For MPCS and Corsas, I believe that most guys have found that 1.5 to 1.7 degrees up front and about 2.2 degrees in the rear works perfectly. Then again, it all depends on what you plan to do with the car. My car is my daily driver with weekend tracking whenever possible.

Rob, JimB et al: I have no aspirations of running in the front at One Lap, however, I would like to win my class. I know the guys (Neil Simon, Woody Hair) that won SSGT1 last year in a supercharged ///M Coupe. They have a lot more HP but I think I have a better car. As for how the car is driven, I put about 5k miles a year on it as it�s a 4th car. This spring I will be doing a number of track days leading up to One Lap. I race an E30 BMW with NASA and need to get used to the 996 at speed. Street use is not really an issue and the camber will be dialed back after One Lap. For One Lap the rules require that you run street tires and no R compounds. I will be running Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s. I have tracked the car a number of times using street tires and RA-1s. The car tends to push more than I would like even with the rear GT3 bar set at full stiff and the front on the center hole. Does anyone have part numbers for GT3 lower control arms? Does Porsche make adjustable arms for the rear also? Jim, as you race a 996, and suggestions for other go fast suspension or engine parts/mods? Have you used the Brey-Krause Deep Sump Oil Pan Kit? Thanks. Alex

GT3 lower control arm part numbers are follows (all prices are Canadian MSRP): outer arm is 996.341.122.90 left side (...121.90 for right side) $258.00 each inner bearing flange is 996.341.441.90 (same for both sides) $88.78 each inner bolts 900.378.165.09 (one per side) $4.62 each inner nut is 999.084.445.09 (one per side) $1.85 each control arm connecting nuts (four needed in total) 900.076.025.02 $0.17 each washers/spacers (four needed in total) 999.025.269.02 $23.31 each Plus adjusting shims depending on what you want... I believe that rear arms are no different however I've heard that the race cars flip the left for the right somehow...

Thanks for the parts list. I have heard some grumbling on the GT3 list that the adjustable control arms cause the car to go out of alignment easily. Have you experienced this?

I should have written above that I get 1.3 (sorry, mistype) degrees without the GT3 arms and mods to the strut top slots. I haven't installed mine yet (winter project) but they are factory pieces on GT3s, GT2s and I've never heard about that happening to anyone. I don't see how that would happen since what they are essentially are really just a lower control arm that has been "cast" or "fogred" in two pieces with the ability to add or remove shims between the halves to create more or less track at the bottom of the angle thus creating more camber by moving the wheel outwards, away from the centre of the car. The bolts that hold the shims in place and each arm half are very substantial and I can't see any movement happening unless the bolts themselves loosen. The mounting points into the subframe and onto the hub carrier are no different than stock. I suppose that with the camber being increased as a result of an increase in track, you also get the added benifit of less understeer by adding more track width at the front. By the way, you might as well add thre GT3 brake cooling ducts while you've got it all apart for more air to the brakes.

Wouldn�t happen to have part numbers for the cooling ducts would you? Don�t tell my wife about this because I can see that this project is starting to dip into my 7 year olds college fund : ) I have heard that the newer GT3 arms were redesigned. I think that either the 03 or 04 got an updated suspension that even the GT2 guys envy. Do you know what years your part numbers are from? Thanks again. Alex

The part number for the above arms are current for a 2005 GT3. I don't have the part numbers for the brake ducts handy but they shouldn't be hard to find from your local/preferred dealer although they aren't cheap. You have a 7 year old? You have plenty of time for that college fund

JimB--Why wouid I lose hp below 5500 with cat bypass pipes? I could see no gain but am not sure how it could hurt except maybe the post cat O2 sensor issue.

I was able to get -1.6' front camber with the PSS9 -- my car is lowered about an inch, maybe you can lower yours farther to get more camber? Also, many people seem to think its not a great idea to run the factory upper strut mount with coil overs because you put more stress no the rubber than they were designed for. A better idea is to use a monoball which will probably give you another -.5 degrees camber. I think its overkill to go with GT3 parts.

At the recommendation of several of the folks on Rennlist, I contacted Hendrick Porsche and gave them Alons parts list for the lower control arms. It may be overkill but I can buy the 2005 GT3 parts for cheaper that I can get a quality set of camber plates. I like the idea of sticking with Porsche factory parts whenever I can. Since I already have the GT3 hubs/carriers, the GT3 arms should work nicely. I will let you know how I like them after they are installed. With regard to ride height, I think that GT3 specs are 115mm front and 128 rear. I heard that the guy who won OneLap last year in a TT raised the height of his car from the previous year and got better handling. Is there a point where too low will adversely affect handling at the track, and if so what is that height?