i just did a nationwide search on craigslist and saw several nice 996 turbos somewhat near the price your looking at. some had a few mods one was bone staock but very low mileage and speed yellow. (my choice!!)

 

- 997 transmission mount
- solid motor mounts
- a lively exhaust


the car was design to be a GT car first. Yes it is not lively at the track until you do a few mods to bring it up to spec imo.

Like i said, sub 10k in the proper area, you have a GREAT track car and a GREAT GT car.

 

I did it bc I like RWD characteristics in any 911. Weight loss was a bonus. I raced and race GT Porsches so I wanted something similar in behavior so when there's no racecar track time I can go out and have RWD fun with more than 500hp, reliably, then get groceries on way home or pickup the lady for a dinner out. It's such a versatile car. The more hardcore you go with springs and stuff, naturally it will be less comfy on street, like any other car. But the suspension design is very well engineered and it will handle it well. Hard but solid, not hard and "rattling,shaking,falling into pieces".

I define rear engine to be the norm of fun. A front engine mounted car will never come close even when RWD, they are fun, just not AS fun, lack the adrenaline rush dynamics of having the engine in the back. Mid engine... maybe.

For me, the way the car responds is key, how it acts on braking, smoothly trailbraking it into a turn, the way the weight moves and how you can finesse it anyway you want with full fuel load or light load, good tires or bad tires. It is the beauty of a well balanced 911, hard or soft, they will all do the same just with different level of motion. You can go nuts trying to remove any dynamic feel of the car but with these cars, you do not have to - just do that stuff if your taste is extreme towards something.

Some guys love the dogbones. It's at the top of the list of useless mods. I have them bc I was given a set, they didn't change the car noticably. However, the rear uniball toe links make a huge impact, especially with bigger power and RWD. Everyone has to find their own likes and "don't care".

In AWD mode these cars will be a tad less exciting.
With stock suspension and stock camber setting they will also not feel as sporty as they are under the surface.

The list I gave was the basics to get going on track.

Naturally, a 4 point bolt in cage, a good bucket seat and 6point harness will make the experience a ton better.

Rotors last a long time. Pads are large and the pad wear depends on brand and if you pick a harder or softer compound. A good rule is to bleed old fluid from the calipers before each track weekend and flush every two years, same as your car, or any other car.

 

I agree that a 911 is fun to drive, one of the most fun machines to drive out there, period. The back end coming around, using the back end to rotate when you know what you are doing , the rear grip coming out of bends etc. It is great.

I will disagree with the rear dog bones not making an impact. At least for me they did. I did the dog bones, when to my garage, installed the toe links in the rear - it made a huge impact as well. IMO. I know you come from a racing background as well, but it maybe due to different driving styles.

 

Yep probably, and might also be other setup things like spring rates, ride height and tires. It's definitely dependent on the way each person wants the car to behave. Pure fun and overall, you can dial these cars in to almost every possible taste.

 

Like I said, I'm not arguing with the potential of 996TT as a track car, but the OP asked about the capability of a stock or stock without extensive mods. My response was that a stock/near stock 996TT is not fun on the track. You're basically saying the same thing by suggesting the necessary upgrades (which is a great list, by the way). Maybe I don't make enough money because $10k of upgrades is extensive in my book...

 

You also need an LSD otherwise the car is useless at the track in RWD with the inside rear wheel spinning and nothing driving the car out of the turn.

 

off topic, but you can do a nationwide craigslist search?!...I've always used it searching super specific areas near me, how can you do a nationwide search?..What about statewide, that possible too?

 

sure you can do either. google nationwide craigslist and it will give you a national database. statewide is just the same

 

Good one.

There are some very valid all around points regarding the 996 TT. F1 and Mr.White have the basics down. It does not take much to make this car fast. Minimalist approach is brake fluid, springs/single adjustable coilovers, or at least adjustable upper mounts for a good alignment and a rear sway bar. The better your alignment guy, the less parts you need to buy.

tkuwaha has some points: The 996 TT is not a drivers car per se. Any dedicated track car will likely be more "fun". The TT isn't horrible, but it's not a track car, it's a GT car that's good on the track. If you can eliminate the understeer, it becomes a lot more involving, but still not elite in that area. However it's not numb at all, you can feel a lot of what's going on and outside of Porsche GT3's (or dedicated track cars) it's pretty darned good and relaying feedback, but the understeer (and some turbo lag) will steal some involvement.

Good luck with your purchase, take your time making a decision, there are some gremlins that can plague this car.

 

My 996 Turbo is basically used for the same thing you're looking for, though it does see a good amount of weekday use too. I have extensive engine mods which are really a waste on the track unless you've got very long straights, which I don't around here in CO. I can't really use second gear on even slow corners because I have too much torque and just spin.

The only suspension mods I have are a custom alignment and Eibach sways. The alignment definitely helps, but the sways are what make the biggest difference. I have them set to the middle hole in the rear and the softest hole in the front. This drastically reduces the understeer and make the car corner much flatter. They also just help in general to give the car a much more planted and firm feel. They are absolutely a must have mod to start.

I haven't gone to different springs/shocks/coilovers because of ride height issues already, so those parts are all stock. They do ok on the track, but at some point I'll definitely go with stiffer springs and sportier shocks. The only braking mods are high performance brake fluid and stainless brake lines. I have stock pads and rotors and they do great.

For tires I have 18" stock wheels with Proxes R888 tires which makes a massive difference in how well the car sticks. If you're planning to track the car much, they will pay for themselves because you'll chew through street tires very quickly.

 

This thread has been super helpful so far, thanks so much for all the responses...One more question: what about turbo lag? I did search this topic but did not find much related to its affect on an actual track...So stock, is turbo lag a big issue at all on the track? And if so, are the mods such as tunes,exhaust upgrades, really effective with getting rid of it?...thanks again..

 

they don't have much lag, the only problem is coming out of a corner, when trying to apply throttle, the power comes so quick that it can surprise you. Throttle modulation is almost impossible like a NA car because once the boost comes, it feels like you just smashed the pedal to the floor. You will look like you jerk on the throttle pedal when coming out of a corner trying to hold it at like 5-6 PSI of boost.

This is the only complaint i have with the turbo, very hard to be smooth and accelerate gradually. It's more of a point a shoot as fast as you can type of car instead of a momentum and finesse car.

 

I didn't find the turbo lag to be an issue on the track where you spend most of your time at high rpm. As Pumalex posted above, the power delivery isn't as immediate or precise as an NA car, but it's not that bad provided you adjust your driving style. I think the non-linearity of the power delivery may become more evident depending on the upgrades you make (peak hp vs flat torque curve).

 

On the track some sharp turns/corners when going in/out hard causes the PSM to cut power.

When you feel confident turn it off (the PSM will still activate when the car deems it a higher critical issue than when "ON") , when you feel brave unplug it (the PSM is really "OFF").