996 GT3 FS

[LaSource]

jackwood said:

You should have kept those wheels after all, Dave

Hi a bit off topic - are those AD08s or AD08 Rs?
If Rs, any views on how they compare to PS Cups and / or Trofeo Rs?

[jackwood]

Yes, they are AD08R's.
Only just fitted them and only done about 230 miles on them, from Manchester down to Bedford and then 3-4 sessions before a coolant hose burst.
I'm up in North Wales this weekend on them, so although not track work, I'll get a better idea of how they feel over a more varied route than just motorway and track.
But the initial impressions are generally good. The front end is very sharp. Turn in is at least as good as it is on TrofeoR's, but the rear doesn't feel quite so well controlled. At Bedford it wasn't as happy with the left-right transition through the Palmer Curves as it has felt previously on the Pirellis. They certainly make the car feel more rear engined, if you know what I mean.
Apart from that, grip levels were surprisingly good, as is feedback. Transition into oversteer is very progressive, much more so than the Pirelli TrofeoR's.
Of course it's nice that they start with 7mm of tread as opposed to the 4.8mm I measured on the Pirellis, and they handled the heat a lot better than N-rated PS2's do on track. A lot better.
I'll let you know how they work on A and B roads after the weekend.

[LaSource]

Great - thanks for that.

I am considering getting one of the following in the next few weeks:
1. AD08Rs. I've used the AD08 (non Rs) for a while. The non Rs are very good all rounders - wet or dry. Very hard wearing...lots of tread that takes ages to reduce. I believe the shoulder shape stablises the car a bit (not sure if this is a good thing or is 'deadening' some of the liveliness)

2. Trofeo Rs. I assume a better dry tyre than the AD08s (I have no real evidence but surmising from what I read). I also assume the shoulder profile allows greater liveliness (a la a set of Corsas)

3. PS Cups. A tried and tested formula for GT3s (I've not had them before). Very little tread depth from new but seem to be available for a lower price as well.

(Sorry, I should have started a new tread!)

[terryb]

FYI, The new Cup 2s are available in 996 GT3 sizes and you should be able to order them through your local ATS store as the company is owned by Michelin and this time they are not being sold just via Motorsport stockists. Plus ATS often do discounts on Michelins.

Having spoken to some Michelin techy guy at Silverstone yesterday, the Cup 2 does seem like a very good option. Much improved grip and longer lasting and better in the wet than the Cup+. No data over dry grip comparison to the original Cups, but they will be similar but much improved in other areas

[s_mcneil]

terryb said:

FYI, The new Cup 2s are available in 996 GT3 sizes and you should be able to order them through your local ATS store as the company is owned by Michelin and this time they are not being sold just via Motorsport stockists. Plus ATS often do discounts on Michelins.

Having spoken to some Michelin techy guy at Silverstone yesterday, the Cup 2 does seem like a very good option. Much improved grip and longer lasting and better in the wet than the Cup+. No data over dry grip comparison to the original Cups, but they will be similar but much improved in other areas

I thought the MPSC2 was only available in 19" sizes right now, ETA on 18 is not confirmed.

If you know of a source for 235/40/18 and 295/30/18 MPSC2 please tell because I want, want, want....

[40anniv996]

s_mcneil said:

I thought the MPSC2 was only available in 19" sizes right now, ETA on 18 is not confirmed.

If you know of a source for 235/40/18 and 295/30/18 MPSC2 please tell because I want, want, want....

I too am after some new shoes so am keen to know the source.
Thanks in advance
Greg

[Mousem40]

It's not actually NOMEX, it's a NOMEX like covering

[keep it lit]

terryb said:

FYI, The new Cup 2s are available in 996 GT3 sizes and you should be able to order them through your local ATS store as the company is owned by Michelin and this time they are not being sold just via Motorsport stockists. Plus ATS often do discounts on Michelins.

Having spoken to some Michelin techy guy at Silverstone yesterday, the Cup 2 does seem like a very good option. Much improved grip and longer lasting and better in the wet than the Cup+. No data over dry grip comparison to the original Cups, but they will be similar but much improved in other areas

I had a quote last week for a full set of Cup 2's (18" 996) from my local ATS £1250.inc fitting.
I'll be sticking with Cup 1's which are now available for just over £800.inc full set

[s_mcneil]

I checked ATS and nothing for 235 or 295 in 18.

[keep it lit]

s_mcneil said:

I checked ATS and nothing for 235 or 295 in 18.

then your ATS are ....

ATS Manchester 0161 872 7631 ask for Paul (I think).

[keep it lit]

s_mcneil said:

I checked ATS and nothing for 235 or 295 in 18.

also informed me they would take a week to get in stock.

[mikem7709]

Christ, for £200 more you can have asset of Cup 1s and a set of PS2s !

[jackwood]

Have to say I'm pretty impressed with the AD08R's.
Just got back from an Evo magazine track battle shoot at Blyton Park and the tyres held up very well to repeated lapping whilest trying to set a representative lap time.
Wear looks very minimal considering what they were put through.
Certainly not as grippy as the Trofeos, but seem a great compromise.
In the torrential rain at the weekend in North Wales they were also very convincing. Coped well with everything from bone dry to huge puddles of standing water and everything in between.
Certainly wouldn't have any hesitation in recommending them as a cover-all-bases wet/dry/road/track option.
Jack

[squirejo]

terryb said:

FYI, The new Cup 2s are available in 996 GT3 sizes and you should be able to order them through your local ATS store as the company is owned by Michelin and this time they are not being sold just via Motorsport stockists. Plus ATS often do discounts on Michelins.

Having spoken to some Michelin techy guy at Silverstone yesterday, the Cup 2 does seem like a very good option. Much improved grip and longer lasting and better in the wet than the Cup+. No data over dry grip comparison to the original Cups, but they will be similar but much improved in other areas

I have NOT driven on these myself but have been told by a very serious driver and race instructor who was involved in the tyre testing that they are indeed excellent vs the standard cups when it comes to water on the road. Which is clearly the limiting feature of the originals. They do however come with the same limited new tread depth as the normal cups, so, expect bigger more frequent bills in return

[keep it lit]

Cup 2

[LaSource]

squirejo said:

I have NOT driven on these myself but have been told by a very serious driver and race instructor who was involved in the tyre testing that they are indeed excellent vs the standard cups when it comes to water on the road. Which is clearly the limiting feature of the originals. They do however come with the same limited new tread depth as the normal cups, so, expect bigger more frequent bills in return

Hi - any idea how the cup 2s compare to the cups 1s in the dry?

[ttdan]

LaSource said:

squirejo said:

I have NOT driven on these myself but have been told by a very serious driver and race instructor who was involved in the tyre testing that they are indeed excellent vs the standard cups when it comes to water on the road. Which is clearly the limiting feature of the originals. They do however come with the same limited new tread depth as the normal cups, so, expect bigger more frequent bills in return

Hi - any idea how the cup 2s compare to the cups 1s in the dry?

This is the question really. If one was bothered about wet weather performance then buy super sports. If the MPSC2 has more tread depth thats great but no difference to the cup 1 after 1500 miles or so. Is it better in the dry?

[squirejo]

ttdan said:

This is the question really. If one was bothered about wet weather performance then buy super sports. If the MPSC2 has more tread depth thats great but no difference to the cup 1 after 1500 miles or so. Is it better in the dry?

sorry, no personal experience to go on, but, he did say they were fantastic. I am considering a set right now, but, never really found PS2's to be a limiting feature on an otherwise road spec 996GT3 plus I have the 'comfort' of knowing I can drive home in the rain. If I get new ones will report back.

[LaSource]

ttdan said:

This is the question really. If one was bothered about wet weather performance then buy super sports. If the MPSC2 has more tread depth thats great but no difference to the cup 1 after 1500 miles or so. Is it better in the dry?

Agreed - I am looking for a set of optimum dry tyres and hence primarily interested in the dry comparison
For general weather all rounders I use AD08s which have a wider usage window

[PJTCS]

pete a said:

Pip1968 said:

Fingers crossed they will not remain outside enthusiasts reach. Let's look at prices again at the end of the track season when the 991 is fully on line. Whilst it is clearly a 'different' car (see: no stick :-( ) a lot of Porsche owners just want to get the newest thing out and are not worried about driver involvement (see also: can of worms).

I am still hankering after a 997 GT3 RS. Why hasn't the black/orange at Amari not sold? I assume it has a checkered history.



Pip

i think if they ripped out the non standard nav and steering wheel and got the car back to standard it would go quite quickly.

Hi all

As you can see, whilst I enjoy reading the forums, I do not actively post. However, I spotted this and thought I'd jump in as the above mentioned car was previously mine. Sorry it’s a bit late and the chat has moved one, but in case it helps someone.

I don't have anything to gain from this as the dealer purchased the car outright from me. However, I still feel a strong attachment to the car and so would like to see it represented correctly. Price, colour preferences etc are up to the individual to decide upon and so I won't comment on that.

Firstly, the car certainly does not have a chequered history. I was the second owner, and acquired it from JZM in November 2012 on 22k miles. The one previous owner had owned it since new. I purchased it with the usual JZM assurances and it came with their 1 year warranty. The rev band test showed a few sparks in rev band one and nothing more. Based on how I used the car (see below), there is no reason at all for that to have changed. It was confirmed to me by JZM at the time of purchase that the car had not suffered any prior accident damage and it remains that way today. Steve (at JZM) apparently also knew the prior owner. There is a huge history file with the car – literally every invoice saved since new and I kept that up – I file all paperwork for all cars I own. Reason for not selling or part exchanging it back to JZM was simply because I traded it for a Challenge Stradale and they don’t sell those….

I was the one who added 1) the steering wheel, 2) satnav, 3) Europipe exhaust and 4) wheel painting. Aside from the satnav, all were done by JZM at the time I purchased the car. The other mods were undertaken by the prior owner and I personally think are great additions – the receipts for those are well in excess of 20k. Whilst I am sure some of the purists might not agree with the small bits I did, at the end of the day it was my car and that was how I wanted it. Equally they are all easily reversible. My reasons were as follows: 1) I just love that race car feel and having the wheel much closer to me - this wheel is a genuine Porsche Cup wheel, but its smaller and owing to the boss kit protrudes more - the original wheel is supplied with the car and is in as new condition 2) the old satnav was just that - old. I like my satnav to be up to date with easy to follow graphics and menu systems - the original system is also supplied with the car 3) I love the sound of it – absolutely incredible 4) the original owner had elected to have silver wheels which I did not like, yet I find the full orange wheels too garish. The only other thing I had done (again by JZM ahead of my taking first delivery) was to have the bonnet and top of the front arches blown over for stone chips.

On the mods, the prior owner clearly set the car up for some track use but having had the car inspected and after listening to JZM who have known it for many years (plus the rev band testing) I was happy it had not been excessively tracked (the original discs were changed for the Alcons by JZM as part of my purchase deal – they had lasted 22k miles). During my ownership it was not tracked once and I actually had the geometry softened (by JZM) for better road use. I appreciate some people are (often rightly) sceptical regarding such statements, but in this case it really is true. I actually did try to track it on one occasion, but with the Europipe exhaust I came in at 113db on the static test at Bedford Autodrome (Aug 2012) and that was the end of that. The pads and tyres were new when I got the car and are the same ones as on it now with plenty of wear left on both.

So the upside for any prospective owner is no track use since a minimum of Nov-2012, the downside is that I sold the original exhaust as I needed space in my garage. Sorry. Of the 4,500 miles I put on the car, I can advise that probably half of that was me going from Chiswick (West London) to Slough every other Sunday or so in order to get to my wife's warehouse for her stock delivery / count (she’s a clothing retailer). I travel to work each day by tube and so this was my main opportunity to drive it – although being mostly motorway it’s not the most fun way of clocking up miles. Other than that, I did a roundtrip to Penzance (Cornwall) – A30 all the way : ), where it was dry stored for the winter – its c. 750 miles if you include the 100 or so I did down there. The rest of the mileage was me posing around West London.

Other than that, all I can say is it was a very much loved car (I would clean it every couple of weeks and also had it detailed a couple of times) and if I could have kept it and the new one I would have, no question.

Should anyone want to know more about the car, I would be happy to answer questions privately – you can send me a message or if you need to I can send you my number and would be happy to talk you through it more.

Best
Peter

PS I am going to post this in the RS thread also as spotted some other mention of the car there