Increasing feel of a 997 C2
Discussion
I am planning on getting a 997, probably a Gen 2 C2S but think it is not raw or communicative enough for me. Is there anything that can be done to increase feel using aftermarket parts?
I am thinking different steering arms, maybe some KWs, harder bushes etc etc. Don't really want to spend more than about £5k on top of the purchase price but do want it to be as raw as possible. Am I expecting too much or is it possible to get near GT3 levels of feel?
I honestly would have gone for a 996 GT3/aircooled but unfortunately I need the rear seats for kids and want something that can be left outside and used daily year round. So trying to make the best of the situation..
Alternatively, am I better saving a few quid, going for a 996 C2 and taking a risk re. engine issues and look to tweak that instead?
It will probably be a long term keeper and will share garage space with a Caterham and modded S1 Elise, both of which have rather spoiled me as driver's cars.
I am thinking different steering arms, maybe some KWs, harder bushes etc etc. Don't really want to spend more than about £5k on top of the purchase price but do want it to be as raw as possible. Am I expecting too much or is it possible to get near GT3 levels of feel?
I honestly would have gone for a 996 GT3/aircooled but unfortunately I need the rear seats for kids and want something that can be left outside and used daily year round. So trying to make the best of the situation..
Alternatively, am I better saving a few quid, going for a 996 C2 and taking a risk re. engine issues and look to tweak that instead?
It will probably be a long term keeper and will share garage space with a Caterham and modded S1 Elise, both of which have rather spoiled me as driver's cars.
Fwiw it might be worth looking at fitting rear seats to a gt3. I've read somebody doing it (although may have been a 997 gy3 not all 996). From what I ever the rear seats in a 911 are barely seats at all. If you do go down that route and daily a gt3, I don't think they are weather sealed underneath.
Theone8181 said:
Fwiw it might be worth looking at fitting rear seats to a gt3. I've read somebody doing it (although may have been a 997 gy3 not all 996). From what I ever the rear seats in a 911 are barely seats at all. If you do go down that route and daily a gt3, I don't think they are weather sealed underneath.
I did look into it and heard JZM do it. I did contact them but it's a no-go from an insurance point of view. Bit of a shame really.I do want a 911 and sold my Cayman GT4 as it wasn't exciting enough on road. It's a bit of an ask but hoping some tweaks to a 997 will give it the edge I am looking for.
Take your car to a respected 911 chassis tuner and ask them to sharpen up your geo. You may need a few after market bits to make that happen - I’m not familiar with non Gt car chassis hardware. Either way it won’t be a lot of money and you will end up with something that fits your bill
All 911’s have the potential to be very involving and the 997 is one of the very best
All 911’s have the potential to be very involving and the 997 is one of the very best
SidewaysSi said:
I am planning on getting a 997, probably a Gen 2 C2S but think it is not raw or communicative enough for me. Is there anything that can be done to increase feel using aftermarket parts?
I am thinking different steering arms, maybe some KWs, harder bushes etc etc. Don't really want to spend more than about £5k on top of the purchase price but do want it to be as raw as possible. Am I expecting too much or is it possible to get near GT3 levels of feel?
I honestly would have gone for a 996 GT3/aircooled but unfortunately I need the rear seats for kids and want something that can be left outside and used daily year round. So trying to make the best of the situation..
Alternatively, am I better saving a few quid, going for a 996 C2 and taking a risk re. engine issues and look to tweak that instead?
It will probably be a long term keeper and will share garage space with a Caterham and modded S1 Elise, both of which have rather spoiled me as driver's cars.
Depends what you mean by raw and what price you want to spend.I am thinking different steering arms, maybe some KWs, harder bushes etc etc. Don't really want to spend more than about £5k on top of the purchase price but do want it to be as raw as possible. Am I expecting too much or is it possible to get near GT3 levels of feel?
I honestly would have gone for a 996 GT3/aircooled but unfortunately I need the rear seats for kids and want something that can be left outside and used daily year round. So trying to make the best of the situation..
Alternatively, am I better saving a few quid, going for a 996 C2 and taking a risk re. engine issues and look to tweak that instead?
It will probably be a long term keeper and will share garage space with a Caterham and modded S1 Elise, both of which have rather spoiled me as driver's cars.
£5k won't get you much sadly.
SidewaysSi said:
I did look into it and heard JZM do it. I did contact them but it's a no-go from an insurance point of view. Bit of a shame really.
From other threads a number have people have done the 997.1 GT3 Rear Seat conversion, read here or try Googling "997 GT3 Rear Seats Pistonheads" to find others and they've been able to get it approved and insured.Maybe worth relooking at that option.
SidewaysSi said:
I am planning on getting a 997, probably a Gen 2 C2S but think it is not raw or communicative enough for me. Is there anything that can be done to increase feel using aftermarket parts?
I am thinking different steering arms, maybe some KWs, harder bushes etc etc. Don't really want to spend more than about £5k on top of the purchase price but do want it to be as raw as possible. Am I expecting too much or is it possible to get near GT3 levels of feel?
I honestly would have gone for a 996 GT3/aircooled but unfortunately I need the rear seats for kids and want something that can be left outside and used daily year round. So trying to make the best of the situation..
Alternatively, am I better saving a few quid, going for a 996 C2 and taking a risk re. engine issues and look to tweak that instead?
It will probably be a long term keeper and will share garage space with a Caterham and modded S1 Elise, both of which have rather spoiled me as driver's cars.
I've got a 1998 996 C2 with KW, stiffer bushes and roll bars which is super feelsome. It has 4 seats and 4 seat belts and it's great fun. I think you'd need to try very hard to get more raw or communicative. I decided to sell it recently for £14k. I am thinking different steering arms, maybe some KWs, harder bushes etc etc. Don't really want to spend more than about £5k on top of the purchase price but do want it to be as raw as possible. Am I expecting too much or is it possible to get near GT3 levels of feel?
I honestly would have gone for a 996 GT3/aircooled but unfortunately I need the rear seats for kids and want something that can be left outside and used daily year round. So trying to make the best of the situation..
Alternatively, am I better saving a few quid, going for a 996 C2 and taking a risk re. engine issues and look to tweak that instead?
It will probably be a long term keeper and will share garage space with a Caterham and modded S1 Elise, both of which have rather spoiled me as driver's cars.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
anonymous said:
[redacted]
This is ultimately what I would do to mine when the warranty runs out. I've already fitted the OEM SSK which is superb and not at all difficult to use so ignore what you read. Not sure I could make the permanent drop to 18" wheels though. Completely agree that they change the feel of the car having just put my winters on but the 19" Carrera Sport wheels look so much better. All,
That's really helpful - very much appreciated and a lot to think about.
Problem with buying a car then modifying it is that you never know if the finished article will hit the spot or you have wasted a lot of time and money.
Will talk to a few specialists soon.
Spotted this article which is helpful:
http://sharkwerks.com/porsche/porsche-modification...
That's really helpful - very much appreciated and a lot to think about.
Problem with buying a car then modifying it is that you never know if the finished article will hit the spot or you have wasted a lot of time and money.
Will talk to a few specialists soon.
Spotted this article which is helpful:
http://sharkwerks.com/porsche/porsche-modification...
SidewaysSi said:
All,
That's really helpful - very much appreciated and a lot to think about.
Problem with buying a car then modifying it is that you never know if the finished article will hit the spot or you have wasted a lot of time and money.
Will talk to a few specialists soon.
Spotted this article which is helpful:
http://sharkwerks.com/porsche/porsche-modification...
This, I speced up my perfect car it was £35k mods on a £50k base car.That's really helpful - very much appreciated and a lot to think about.
Problem with buying a car then modifying it is that you never know if the finished article will hit the spot or you have wasted a lot of time and money.
Will talk to a few specialists soon.
Spotted this article which is helpful:
http://sharkwerks.com/porsche/porsche-modification...
Or really my base car would be the x51 engine GTS and those are £65k
I am sure it would be mega but I don’t do keepers really and have my 987.2 Spyder with everything on it.
£5k really won’t go far as the 1st thing to change would be tyres so £1k before you even start :-(
Maybe goto RPM and drive their car.
Rare but try and find a C2, C2S or GTS with sport pasm - 20mm + LSD option
Probably don't really need all the aftermarket parts which invariably leads to premature tyre wear and horrible ride unless set up correctly. Here's one with the option and you can see cars with sport pasm option sit much lower than standard car and you get a LSD thrown in too. With 80k miles should be much closer to £25k in price IMO. I saw a very reasonably priced 997 GTS with ceramics and sport PASM for sale at Maxted Page 6 months ago. Looked amazing and was circa £60k.
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Probably don't really need all the aftermarket parts which invariably leads to premature tyre wear and horrible ride unless set up correctly. Here's one with the option and you can see cars with sport pasm option sit much lower than standard car and you get a LSD thrown in too. With 80k miles should be much closer to £25k in price IMO. I saw a very reasonably priced 997 GTS with ceramics and sport PASM for sale at Maxted Page 6 months ago. Looked amazing and was circa £60k.
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
IMI A said:
Rare but try and find a C2, C2S or GTS with sport pasm - 20mm + LSD option
Probably don't really need all the aftermarket parts which invariably leads to premature tyre wear and horrible ride unless set up correctly. Here's one with the option and you can see cars with sport pasm option sit much lower than standard car and you get a LSD thrown in too. With 80k miles should be much closer to £25k in price IMO. I saw a very reasonably priced 997 GTS with ceramics and sport PASM for sale at Maxted Page 6 months ago. Looked amazing and was circa £60k.
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Like thatProbably don't really need all the aftermarket parts which invariably leads to premature tyre wear and horrible ride unless set up correctly. Here's one with the option and you can see cars with sport pasm option sit much lower than standard car and you get a LSD thrown in too. With 80k miles should be much closer to £25k in price IMO. I saw a very reasonably priced 997 GTS with ceramics and sport PASM for sale at Maxted Page 6 months ago. Looked amazing and was circa £60k.
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
moonigan said:
Ohlins R&T are £2K and have the benefit of using the existing top mounts. They also adjust from the bottom. I had these on my JCW and they were superb.
The two wheel drive ones are currently £2495 unless you can get a special deal. Fitting will be £700+ including a decent alignment. More if you need new top mounts.The rear ones adjust from the top - you have to squeeze into the back of the car to get at them. The fronts adjust from the bottom.
I agree they are very good and I think better than Porsche's PASM.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
All interesting stuff. Personally I am not sure a standard car will give me what I am after unfortunately, even with sports PASM.I have probably chucked around £10k at my Elise and about £5k at my E36 on upgrades (Inc specialist labour). They are both brilliant now but unfortunately have been down this road and know the costs can mount up and buying the wrong kit can be a pricey mistake.
A GTS seems a decent place to put money into but I will always have the nagging doubt I could have gone for a GT3 at that price point.
Think I need to get out and try a few before making a decision...
About to embark on a similar journey with a newly acquired 997.2 C2S so will be interesting to see which way you go.
If helpful RPM Technik currently have a 997.2 for sale running on Ohlins and their 997.2 demonstrator on KW v3 and I was able to drive both back to back. The standard car feels very floaty and imprecise in comparison! My money would be on KW v3 which I fitted to my old 996 C2 project and they were excellent and surpassed my expectations. One observation from what you've stated about your experience with the Beemer and Lotus, let's say you do buy a 997 GT3 or 996 GT3 - would either be satisfying enough out of the box for your preferences without further tweaking?
If helpful RPM Technik currently have a 997.2 for sale running on Ohlins and their 997.2 demonstrator on KW v3 and I was able to drive both back to back. The standard car feels very floaty and imprecise in comparison! My money would be on KW v3 which I fitted to my old 996 C2 project and they were excellent and surpassed my expectations. One observation from what you've stated about your experience with the Beemer and Lotus, let's say you do buy a 997 GT3 or 996 GT3 - would either be satisfying enough out of the box for your preferences without further tweaking?
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