I'll take a set in as close to original look as possible. Two thumbs up.

 

+1 Match the OEM look. No need for fancy carbon fiber or exotic (expensive) materials for me.

 

Duly noted. I'll pass the feedback along, gents.

 

Almost back to stock...

(I hope) I made a fellow 6speeder happy this week end by selling him most of my track gear. Doing this was a way to force me to stick to my decision to only use the 991 for occasional -conservative- DE's and beat the **** out the M3. I am weak, I know that if I had the 991 tracked prepped on the track again, I would change my mind

Still have the AWE switchpath exhaust (sorry Zack, it is really that good, but I am getting the car back to Zuffenhausen spec) and the Brembo 15" BBK available. Feel free to PM me if interested.

 

Serge,


Indeed you did. Thanks for meeting me halfway too. A 4 hour drive for both of us, but I am extremely happy with our transaction. The seats, roll bars, wheels and tires were in great shape and evidenced solid research on your part. Quality components all, and I'm more than happy to take advantage of your exhaustive research and testing. Since I do around 6-7 DE's a year and as many autoX's I think that I will be well served by my purchase. Can't justify the leap to a dedicated track car at this point. Pleasure meeting you and your sons as well. Looks like you've passed on your enthusiasm for cars. You guys are lucky to share a common bond. Good stuff!


Bar and seats go in tomorrow. I share pics. Thanks again!

 

Getting to the end of this thread was like finishing a great tv series... Excellent stuff sir, please post more!

 

Remember the old Porsche tractor in the Audi Le Mans commercial ?
I happened to be on vacation in France close to the German border and came across one of its siblings:







I was hoping that the farmer would be around to ask him a few questions. It seems that the tractor is still being used on a daily basis and running strong. Not sure we will be able to say the same about the Audi R18 e-tron in 50 or 60 years from now (jk, I have a lot of respect for the Audi racing cars!)

 

My 991 is almost back to stock and I have listed my AWE exhaust on The Marketplace: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...rome-tips.html

Zack: this is by far the best aftermarket exhaust for the 991 IMHO. It just did not fit in my longer term plan for my car. Hats off to AWE for such a good product. It will surely make someone else very happy!

 

Any news on the wind deflector? Track season is nearing its end!

 

A great deal for someone looking to join the SwitchPath club. Whoever gets it will certainly be very happy.

 

When more is less... or at least enough

There are a lot of posts and threads arguing that 'base' Porsches are underpowered, are not worth the money... or should not even exist (see the current thread "Is Porsche performance running out of gas ?" ).

I recently got loaners from the dealership that were respectively a base Cayman and a base Carrera. The cars only had 'cosmetic' options with the exception of the gearbox that was in both instances a PDK.



Yes, the 2.7 l falls a bit short in terms power and torque and I found myself wanting more on a few occasions, but the car felt both agile and planted, with very good cornering speeds and steering feel -I am comparing to most other cars, not entering into a debate with purists about previous generations-. For $52,600 (in manual), it feels like a true sportscar that you can in fact drive closer to 100% on open roads. Without having anything to do with the badge, I'd still rather go for a Cayman than a Corvette Stingray that costs $54,995. Think of it as preferring a scalpel over a hammer. It is a matter of personal choices.



The bigger revelation came from the 3.4 Carrera. Again, with the exception of PDK, and in this case of 20" wheels, the car had not mechanical options. I had never had the opportunity to drive the 3.4 over an extended period of time and, of course, driven back to back with an S or more powerful 911s, you feel a (relative) power deficit.
But over hours of driving you find out it is a truly balanced car: it still feels plenty quick (and will easily get you in trouble with LEO), there is a bit more body roll, but the suspension offers a good balance of comfort and sportiness, the brakes are rock solid for road use and the standard exhaust can be quiet or loud simply based on how you drive without requiring the push of a button.
I found the 3.4 Carrera to be a very pleasing driver's car and at $84,300 it is a very good value proposition. You do not get any gizmo's and you are at the price level of a super-loaded M4, but, again, it is a different type of vehicle and I would go for the 911 in a heartbeat.
My only gripe is in fact that both the 2.7 Cayman and the 3.4 Carrera came with PDK. I like it very much on my car, but I find a stick to better match the more raw nature of these two models.

Does it mean I regret to have a C2S with PDK, PSE, S-PASM, PDCC... or would not enjoy a GT3 or Turbo? Certainly not, but, would I have bought a car only for road use, I think the 3.4 Carrera would have made me already very happy. And should I want to spend less and still get great driving sensations, the 2.7 Cayman would certainly be relevant.

Sure I am biased and I understand why other petrolheads like different kind of cars, but I wanted to go on record and say that unoptioned Cayman or Carrera are certainly worth their price and that looking down on them as "base" cars sounds very snob. Again, just a personal opinion, but I wanted to share it here anyhow

 

Well said, and great write up ...

 

how things are going with the M3? i don't see any updates from you in this regard recently, i just purchased an m3 e46 in phoenix yellow with 82k Miles. planning to do a project similar to yours

 

Congrats on the purchase of the M3.
I have not updated my M3 thread on E46Fanatics in a long time, but the project is nearly completed, at least for now.



The car is sitting on PSS10's, got camber plates, PU bushings, upgraded rollbar, Michelin PSS tires (did not go for a separate set of wheels for the track), new coils, the SMG pump got replaced (yes, I know, it is an SMG ) , thorough engine maintenance and resolution of all oil leaks etc. This has been a real project 'on the cheap' this time as I managed to mostly purchase (slightly) used parts that were in good condition.

I have not done much to the cabin so far as I let my High School kid use it to commute. It has been on the track a couple of times so far (Road Atlanta and Atlanta Motorsports Park). Still a few things to tweak (a bit of rubbing and cooling system could use an upgrade), but overall good fun.

I had the 991 at the same track events and jumped from one to the other... and obviously had to adapt most of my reference points for braking, turn in, getting back on the throttle. Here's an example of what not to do... and the camera was not even running when I actually spun the car


Meanwhile, my College son traded the track prepped E36 M3 for an E46 330 ZHP (in Imola Red like the E46 M3). I understand he wanted something more comfortable for traveling long distances but it still broke my heart -a bit-.





Back to the E46 M3, you will definitely have fun with it. It has more than adequate power and a good chassis. Improve the suspension a bit for track use and you will keep up with E92 M3's without any problem and even (maybe more conservatively driven) 911's. Enjoy it in good health!

 

No harm, no foul.

For the record I really like the SMG for the track. A little primitive for around town but terrific on the track.

Marc