Thoughts?

Wondering if I should go to an S or even go back to the Cayman S.

 

What are you asking?

Some here own 997.2 Carreras and are happy with them and others own 997.2 Carrera S and are happy with them.

 

Just asking how much different are they?

Planning to sell the 911. Either move to an S or just go back to a Cayman S (but this time the DFI model).

Track season is around the corner and I still cant find track pads for the 911. People say the pads for the old S and my car are the same, but I dont think they are (old S were top loaders and my car has closed calipers).

Im not in the mood to throw away another track year...... need to get a car that I can track. Last year I had one outing and restrained myself because I had stock pads on.

I believe most people who track their 911s are driving the S and that is why there are parts available for them to do that. It would have been nice if Porsche had sport pads - something intermediate.

 

You make no sense to me. You have a 997.2 and want to move to an S either Carrera S or Cayman S due to track pads?

I'm sure many Carrera owners find a way to replace brake pads when tracking.

Not to talk about the insane financial loss of such move. But that's your car and money.

Have you taken some serious DE lessons? Try PSDS. You'll be surprised what your 997.2 Carrera is capable of. They can tell you what to do re track pads too.

 

Go to your dealership and test drive it.

 

Will do when the snow has gone.

 

I have taken track lessons and am an instructor for the local BMW/Audi club. I used to use pagid yellows on my Cayman S.

Have checked with everyone about track pads for the 997.2 non-S and there arent any for the fronts.

Yes its a capable car, but I am sure the stock pads will be toast before the end of a weekend of driving.

Or I could drive conservatively. For me a track weekend is about developing my skills further, not grocery getter driving on a road course.



I had an 07 Cayman S. Great handling car BUT there were problems with people having their cars blow up on track due to oil starvation if you ran race rubber. Local Porsche enthusiasts told me the car had too many weak points regarding intermediate shafts etc etc.

So when the new DFI engines came out I decided to buy a 911. Too poor to get an S I settled for the base car. I thought I would slowly develop it into a track car for myself. Seemed like it has an engine that addressed problems of the older non-motorsports derivatives and my thoughts were that it would easily move to track work. For me, I lap fairly quickly, I am not the fastest, and always seek coaching from more experienced drivers, but I am no longer a newbie and stock pads are not enough for what I do. I am sorry if that sounds arrogant to you.

And I apolagise for the stupid question I asked.

 

Why don't you just buy new calipers from an S? This would be cheaper than buying a new car. Unless you like to throw away money. If you do I'll take some extra cash. This way you can buy pads for the calipers and it's easier to swap pads.. The S calipers date back to the 996 turbo.

 

Perfect! Thats the kind of answer I have been looking for. I have asked Suncoast (and they are checking) what options there might be regarding using rotors/calipers from other models (the S in this case). I wasnt sure if it was feasible.

If I can pick up a calipers/rotors from another model and just bolt it on, then that does solve the problem.

Thanks.

 

No reason to apologize. Your situation is clear. Florindi's suggestion may be your answer. Go to a good P-car shop and replace the brakes. I would probably get the S package.

 

many of the aftermarket products for the 997.2 and 997.2 S are still under development. The cars are still considered new so i say wait a little while and see what happens. plus im sure there should be brake upgrades for the non S car soon.

 

Are there any aftermarket big brake kits available? That might be another reasonable solution.

 

thmotorsports.com shows a brembo kit for a 2009 non S 911 ( I believe it was gran turismo 380mm) - I think about $3050

 

Factoring in the expensive pricing on both the Cayman s (new) as well as a 997.2S (new) it almost makes sense to look at a used Gt3 since the primary use seems to be track driving for you.

07 Gt3's are priced all over the place but in general they have dropped significantly with the launch of the 2010 cars in contrast to the rest of the recent Porsche asking prices.

 

Am seriously looking at an 07 GT3 with under 12K miles.
I remember wasting money on BMWs till I got the M3, and then I was satisfied, and kept it. I should have learned from my past and went straight for the GT3.