...and I think I'm addicted! Went to Lime Rock CT with the PCA and had a blast. Easily the most fun I've had in a long time. It was a DE event, but I was impressed at how hard some guys drive their cars.

So I've scheduled a few more DE's this year and am starting to realize that I may need a dedicated track car in the future. However, for the time being, I'm going to use my 991S on the track. I had a significant amount of rubber and bugs on my front bumper, took a while to remove with Mother's R3 rubber remover. So here are a few questions for those who track the 991:

1. I probably need a dedicated track set of wheels and tires. Any input? I saw a lot of OZ wheels at the track. Not sure what size would be best for a 991S.

2. Brake pads. the stock pads were fine, but wondering if there is any benefit to getting Pagid pads. I drive to work and use it almost daily, so I don't want to deal with squeaking brakes every day.

3. Brake fluid. Someone recommended using a non-oem brand, something about higher wet heating points. Any advice? As much as I'd like to maximize my benefits on road and track, I'd like to minimize maintenance.

4. Clear bra. Man, what a pain it was to remove those bugs and rubber! Too bad I didn't get clear bra when I first got the car. Its 2 years old now, and there are 2 small paint chips. Is it too late to fix the paint chips and get a bra put on now? Or is it better to just use that clear spray on stuff? It's a white car, so I'm worried either might yellow.

Check out my GoPro videos:



John

 

Awesome! Looks like it was a blast! Glad you are enjoying it!!!

 

1. I probably need a dedicated track set of wheels and tires. Any input? I saw a lot of OZ wheels at the track. Not sure what size would be best for a 991S.

Get a used set. There are lots out there. Remember that R-compound rubber isn't really suitable to the street and is subject to heat cycles, plus has less puncture resistance (much less). Best to trailer the car with R-Comps or put on at the track. Smaller sizes are better as the rubber is cheaper, long as the wheels clear the calipers you're good.

2. Brake pads. the stock pads were fine, but wondering if there is any benefit to getting Pagid pads. I drive to work and use it almost daily, so I don't want to deal with squeaking brakes every day.

Unless you are upgrading to competition rubber (R-Compounds or Slicks) then the stock pads in an "S" will be fine, you won't be able to out-brake the street tires you have on the car. When you get into sticky tires, the car not only grips much better but stops a whole lot more aggressively as well. Then you need track pads. But track pads need to be put on for track day, then taken off, and its best to have a matched set to dedicated rotors as well.

3. Brake fluid. Someone recommended using a non-oem brand, something about higher wet heating points. Any advice? As much as I'd like to maximize my benefits on road and track, I'd like to minimize maintenance.

You're talking about boiling points. Unless you have felt noticeable fade in your brakes at the track, don't worry about it. Just change the brake fluid with OEM once or twice a year as boiling points deteriorate with time/age.

4. Clear bra. Man, what a pain it was to remove those bugs and rubber!

Use this:


Also,

Check your insurance policy. Be aware that MANY (most) insurance companies do not cover damage to cars used inside a race facility. A lot of guys getting into track days don't realize this and absorbing the cost of a smacked up $ 100K car can be pretty brutal. Look into getting a dedicated track car as well, once you can set up and leave set up. BMW E36 M3's are fantastic for this....then you need a trailer, truck, etc., it never ends. lol

 

Great! Glad you liked and it looks like you caught the virus already.

If you do not want to damage your 991, what about using your 'vette as a track car if you still have it I would advise to take your time before going for a dedicated car. Running your 991 would be perfectly fine if you do 6-8 DE's per year IMHO.
A lot of people will disagree but the 991 is the most capable car I have seen on the track. Other cars provide different experiences that can be just as fun, but the 991 has a unique blend of speed, control and roadfeel. Test drive other cars on the track before you make any decision.

Quick answer to your questions:
1. dedicated wheels: depends if you want to run a different compound in my opinion. The P-zero's (and better, Michelin PSS) are fine for occasional DE's and until you have acquired enough experience in handling your car in the most extreme circumstances. If you want them for running 19", not damaging your OEM rims, etc. OZ's, BBS and others are available (several threads on this).
2. In my case, stock brakes have worked fine until a certain point where speed increased and so did the thermal load on the brakes. Pagid's RS29 (at the front) and stainless steel brake lines should be sufficient for a while then. You just swap the pads when you go to the track and take care of the 'bedding'.
3. The Porsche brake fluid is already pretty good. If you change your brake lines, you might as well go for a higher temperature fluid at the same time.
4. Clear bra is a must whether you track your car or not. Good quality film should not be an issue on white cars. I have seen a bunch of white P-cars with a 'speed film' that had been applied a couple of years ago and they did not get yellow.

Before going to performance improvement, you may want to look at a roll bar + harness + (comfortable enough) bucket seat. Safety must come first and you will feel the car a lot better. This is in fact the most effective way to improve lap times.

I am not using Mother's R3 but Turtle Wax Bug & Tar. Do not know if better or worse but has always worked great.



Looking at your signature, you probably already have a lot of experience in fast cars already, so my comments may be too basic for you in fact...

Keep having fun and stay safe!

 

+1,000 on the insurance. Always run track insurance for the 991. I crashed it already... and regular insurance covered me but there is no standard rule (I used them instead of the track insurance as there was no deductible etc.).

A good old E36 M3 is a ton of fun on the track. In order not to get a dedicated track car that requires a trailer, I bought one for my son (who also started tracking). Cheap option, but I still mostly track the 991

 

IMO, dedicated track pads and proper fluid is a must.

Get a set to RS29s and some Castrol SRF.

I change my stock pads before my first track event and leave them in over the track season since I do about one track event every 2-3 weeks over 5 months. The RS29s can be a bit noisy, but I bed them in regularly and the noise does get better. They can be a touch hard on rotors when cold too.

SRF has very high boiling points(wet and dry) and since its synthetic, it will last a full season easily, in fact I just change my fluid with a full flush once a year in early May before track season.

Brakes and tires are two areas that you do not want to take chances with out on track.

 

You guys are so much more brave than I'd ever be, risking crashing your 991s.. I'd feel more comfortable turning my newborn over to barbarians..

 

Aersome advice. I got the HPDE insurance for the event, roughly $500 for one event, but I can see how quickly that adds up for a season.

Thanks for the advice! The Z06 was sold as soon as I realized the capabilities of the 991S. Driving cars fast is one thing - driving fast cars on the track is completely different!

Try it once - might get addicted lol. Its actually much safer than I thought, and MUCH safer than driving on the street. Its amazing how safe it feels to be driving that fast in a controlled environment.

 

if this was your first event, do nothing but upgrade you brake fluid to either ATE type 200 o r better. you will learn more this way. I have 10+ events under my belt, I run in blue (1st non instructed group) and I feel no need for better tires or brakes yet... but... thats me.

 

Looks like you had a great time. Impressed with how you handled the Vette. You seem to be able to carry a lot more speed through the corners. Thanks for sharing!

 

ATE Blue will stain your system blue. It comes in a clear color too, get that instead.

 

There is truth to this, it is in fact safer a lot less stressful than most people would imagine, but given the speed at which you are going there is always an increased risk factor.
Even with perfect drivers, a mechanical failure -even of another car- can result in a pretty big accident. Been there, done that (car in front of me broke its engine and spilled oil and there is nothing I could do). This can teach you other rules of self preservation: stay away from cars that look like old/cheap track build, that are smoking, etc. (in my case I thought the smoke I saw before the accident was due to a brake lock as it happens regularly at this turn... but it was oil and I could have limited the damage if I had been more careful. Lesson learned). All clubs require tech inspection but it is far from being enough.

Every time we have a track day at Road Atlanta, the event manager asks "if you have crashed or know someone who crashed at Road Atlanta, raise your hand". Close to 100% of hands are up

 

I bet it is.... I'd just rather use someone elses, at least at first.

I'm thinking about doing the Porsche Driving School maybe as a way to get my toes wet..

 

Hello,

Looks like you had a great outing. I'm a CT Valley PCA member. I do DE at Lime Rock perhaps we'll have a chance to meet.

As mentioned in other replies, get the track insurance. For lime rock the 1 day premium is @$250 with a $5,000.00 deductible. The carrier's info. is on the PCA website.

My 2 cents on your questions about tracks mods for the 991: Do a season and go out a few times (I'm assuming this was your first DE) with the car as is. Then if you're really into it, you may consider a dedicated track car. I personally think it's money well spent to have track tires, but not track pads. The pads don't swap out quickly anymore and you can't drive the car on race pads squalling like a school bus everywhere you go. Also, with track pads and tires, your seats aren't likely to be sufficient. My forearms hurt in the 991 after a few sessions. As for brake fluid, get a fluid flush after each session using ATE 200 (blue or yellow) done at an independent dealer (@$80) - or learn to do it yourself with a Motive bleeder.

Have fun. Be safe. Hope to see you out there.

DRP

 

A lot of great advice here.

I strongly second the opinion on the insurance as well as the clear bra. PCA offers discounted track insurance for their members. If you haven't already joined, and you should, that might be incentive enough.

Good luck, have fun, and happy motoring.