996 GT3 FS

Author
Discussion

LaSource

2,622 posts

207 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
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Cheburator mk2 said:
I have to say that as a design exercise, in my mind, the 996 interior is an absolute masterpiece. It is unique - just like the 911 is. There is coherent language and the ergonomics is superb. Where it fails really badly is the materials quality. It is beyond bad - a 1995 Hyundai feels better. Perhaps a leather clad 996 dash looks/feels alright, but my plastic 996.1 CS is awful. My E46 M3, which is off the same vintage is streets ahead in terms of feel good inside. Perhaps fitting, given that this is the only time BMW really took the fight to the 911 and won...

Anyway, a Cup wheel looks lovely in any GT Porsche smile
Agreed - I do like and prefer the 996 interior.




tbh the 996.2 interior seems to wear better than the 996.1's I've been in. Maybe because the .1 are just older in years. I've seen a few with sticky rubber knobs etc whereas all the .2's I've been in haven't shown that yet.



Pip1968

1,346 posts

203 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
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Digga said:
I think you may have sold the idea to me - hook, line and sinker.

That looks superb.
If you are going for the 'look' (and feel), just make sure it is the alcantara covered one and not a leather covered wheel.

Pip

Digga

40,206 posts

282 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
quotequote all
Pip1968 said:
If you are going for the 'look' (and feel), just make sure it is the alcantara covered one and not a leather covered wheel.

Pip
Good point, well made.

At the moment it's 50:50 between getting the existing 997.1 GT3 alcantara wheel re-trimmed (it's looking a bit worn and grotty) and adding a yellow 12 o'clock marker, or going down the Cup route.

Slippydiff

14,742 posts

222 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
quotequote all
Good god yes, couldn't agree more. There#s no real point in having a Cup wheel if you're going to apply slippery leather to its rim !!

More Cup wheel goodness here smile





And Clubsport seats/cage :



The Tequipment cage is not painted silver, it's fabricated from stainless steel and brushed once fabbed. It adds nothing to the car's structural rigidity btw, whereas the Clubsport cage does.

Mk1 996 plastics look better if they're not polished to within an inch of their lives or hosed with silicon sprays. matt, matt, matt wins every time.

Gratuitous Mk1 pics biggrin










Slippydiff

14,742 posts

222 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
quotequote all
Sticky rubber knobs ?? yikes
Sounds like a bad case of sub-optimal lubrication to me T wink

biggrin

JulierPass

641 posts

229 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
quotequote all
Slippydiff said:
Good god yes, couldn't agree more. There#s no real point in having a Cup wheel if you're going to apply slippery leather to its rim !!

More Cup wheel goodness here smile





And Clubsport seats/cage :



The Tequipment cage is not painted silver, it's fabricated from stainless steel and brushed once fabbed. It adds nothing to the car's structural rigidity btw, whereas the Clubsport cage does.

Mk1 996 plastics look better if they're not polished to within an inch of their lives or hosed with silicon sprays. matt, matt, matt wins every time.

Gratuitous Mk1 pics biggrin









Depends on what car you are putting it in. 996 GT3 / RS I agree keep it alcantera, but on 997's that have a full leather dash and Carrera GT's the leather trimmed ones add a certain something that the alcantera ones don't

Alpinestars

13,954 posts

243 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
quotequote all
Digga said:
Good point, well made.

At the moment it's 50:50 between getting the existing 997.1 GT3 alcantara wheel re-trimmed (it's looking a bit worn and grotty) and adding a yellow 12 o'clock marker, or going down the Cup route.
Sacrilege.

Slippydiff

14,742 posts

222 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
quotequote all
Really not feeling that Cup wheel in a CGT, I’m afraid I much prefer the standard fit airbag wheel.
In all honesty, the percentage of Gen 1 997 GT3’s fitted with the optional leather s/wheel must be pretty low, in my experience most had the Alcantara wheel.

The full leather dash/doorcards option on the 996 and the 997 definitely improve their interior ambience, but whether the steering wheel being covered in leather or Alcantara impacts that ambience to the same degree, I’m rather dubious.
In the case of the Cup wheel fitted to a CGT, I fear that impacts far more on the interior ambience than its covering. Sorry if that offends redcard

Digga

40,206 posts

282 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
quotequote all
Alpinestars said:
Digga said:
Good point, well made.

At the moment it's 50:50 between getting the existing 997.1 GT3 alcantara wheel re-trimmed (it's looking a bit worn and grotty) and adding a yellow 12 o'clock marker, or going down the Cup route.
Sacrilege.
Mandatory; as with yellow belts, since car has PCCB.

I don't make the rules up. wink

isaldiri

18,412 posts

167 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
quotequote all
JulierPass said:
Depends on what car you are putting it in. 996 GT3 / RS I agree keep it alcantera, but on 997's that have a full leather dash and Carrera GT's the leather trimmed ones add a certain something that the alcantera ones don't
Can't believe you changed the wheel but kept those blasted indicator stalks as standard!


JulierPass

641 posts

229 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
quotequote all
Slippydiff said:
Really not feeling that Cup wheel in a CGT, I’m afraid I much prefer the standard fit airbag wheel.
In all honesty, the percentage of Gen 1 997 GT3’s fitted with the optional leather s/wheel must be pretty low, in my experience most had the Alcantara wheel.

The full leather dash/doorcards option on the 996 and the 997 definitely improve their interior ambience, but whether the steering wheel being covered in leather or Alcantara impacts that ambience to the same degree, I’m rather dubious.
In the case of the Cup wheel fitted to a CGT, I fear that impacts far more on the interior ambience than its covering. Sorry if that offends redcard
No offence taken, we are all different smile I put the cup wheel on my CGT as I found the standard steering wheel which is from a 996, too big. Re the leather in the 997, I was referring to the dash and door cards, not the original wheel. Some have leather dash and door cards. if that is the case a leather trimmed cup wheel finishes off the interior well. If its a cs car with a plastic dash then the alcantera looks equally at home. Either way I feel the standard wheel is too big and crying out to be replaced. Have changed to a cup wheel on my 996 and 997. All imo, obviously.

Alpinestars

13,954 posts

243 months

Thursday 15th August 2019
quotequote all
Digga said:
andatory; as with yellow belts, since car has PCCB.

I don't make the rules up. wink
I didn’t realise that. Thought the yellow band on the wheel was RS only.

Digga

40,206 posts

282 months

Friday 16th August 2019
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Alpinestars said:
Digga said:
andatory; as with yellow belts, since car has PCCB.

I don't make the rules up. wink
I didn’t realise that. Thought the yellow band on the wheel was RS only.
Honestly, I don't know either, but it often seems to be that the 12 o'clock marker and seatbelts match the calipers. It chimes with my OCD, but I don't know whether it's actually the 'rules'.

I'm in danger of dragging this thread into the territory of deviated stitching, which was pretty much unheard of in the day of the 996.

Slippydiff

14,742 posts

222 months

Friday 16th August 2019
quotequote all
JulierPass said:
No offence taken, we are all different smile I put the cup wheel on my CGT as I found the standard steering wheel which is from a 996, too big. Re the leather in the 997, I was referring to the dash and door cards, not the original wheel. Some have leather dash and door cards. if that is the case a leather trimmed cup wheel finishes off the interior well. If its a cs car with a plastic dash then the alcantera looks equally at home. Either way I feel the standard wheel is too big and crying out to be replaced. Have changed to a cup wheel on my 996 and 997. All imo, obviously.
I’m a big fan of the stock 996 airbag wheel, especially in its CPZ thicker option guise.
I understood you were were debating the extended leather (dash and doorcards) option in the 997, and even with them, I think the Alcantara wheel “works”.
But let me nail my colours to the mast, I’m not a huge fan of Alcantara, all too often I see aircooled cars with swathes of the godforsaken stuff stuck over every inch of the dashboard, the door cards and the centre console etc. Cover the steering wheel, handbrake and gearknob if you must, but please, no more.

There’s no doubting the additional grip it provides, but I dislike the feel of it immensely, so I always end up having to wear gloves when driving a car with the infernal stuff on its control surfaces ...

Digga

40,206 posts

282 months

Friday 16th August 2019
quotequote all
Slippydiff said:
There’s no doubting the additional grip it provides, but I dislike the feel of it immensely, so I always end up having to wear gloves when driving a car with the infernal stuff on its control surfaces ...
Grip-wise, alcantara is just streets ahead of leather, so once you are in the realms of opposite lock and rapid driver inputs, there's really no substitute. However, it is grotty stuff - IIRC it was Chris Harris who made some unsavory specualtion about the amount of DNA trapped in the steering wheel of the record breaking Manthey GT2 RS MR.

I too prefer gloves on track generally, although with all the wheel twirling on the various slippy/low-friction bits of the PEC last weekend, alcantara works okay with bare hands. On a hot day, gloves for sure.

Porsche911R

21,146 posts

264 months

Friday 16th August 2019
quotequote all
Digga said:
rip-wise, alcantara is just streets ahead of leather, so once you are in the realms of opposite lock and rapid driver inputs, there's really no substitute. However, it is grotty stuff - IIRC it was Chris Harris who made some unsavory specualtion about the amount of DNA trapped in the steering wheel of the record breaking Manthey GT2 RS MR.

I too prefer gloves on track generally, although with all the wheel twirling on the various slippy/low-friction bits of the PEC last weekend, alcantara works okay with bare hands. On a hot day, gloves for sure.
gloves take away feel imo.

the thing with alcantara is , if you have clammy hands it will be rank, if you don't suffer with that and have dry hands , alcantara stays like new with just a rub every year with a wet microtowel.

I have had CSL's and all sorts with this "alcantara is rank forum rumor" and yes it can be rank with mr clammy hands, 3 of my 4 cars are alcantara, it's so much nicer, but I have dry palms and 30k miles later my wheel looks new and I have only cleaned it once. My CSL again looked like new and 35k miles.

993rsr

3,424 posts

248 months

Friday 16th August 2019
quotequote all
Slippydiff said:
Good god yes, couldn't agree more. There#s no real point in having a Cup wheel if you're going to apply slippery leather to its rim !!

More Cup wheel goodness here smile





And Clubsport seats/cage :



The Tequipment cage is not painted silver, it's fabricated from stainless steel and brushed once fabbed. It adds nothing to the car's structural rigidity btw, whereas the Clubsport cage does.

Mk1 996 plastics look better if they're not polished to within an inch of their lives or hosed with silicon sprays. matt, matt, matt wins every time.

Gratuitous Mk1 pics biggrin









Mmm, looks familiar, here it is being driven steadily through Pouhon, courtesy of Jochen:


Digga

40,206 posts

282 months

Friday 16th August 2019
quotequote all
993rsr said:
Mmm, looks familiar, here it is being driven steadily through Pouhon, courtesy of Jochen:

You seem to be having the same trouble with that as the CGT. wink

TDT

4,910 posts

118 months

Friday 16th August 2019
quotequote all
Digga said:
993rsr said:
Mmm, looks familiar, here it is being driven steadily through Pouhon, courtesy of Jochen:

You seem to be having the same trouble with that as the CGT. wink
LMAO... Sideways JC.

Harris_I

3,225 posts

258 months

Friday 16th August 2019
quotequote all
Porsche911R said:
gloves take away feel imo.

the thing with alcantara is , if you have clammy hands it will be rank, if you don't suffer with that and have dry hands , alcantara stays like new with just a rub every year with a wet microtowel.

I have had CSL's and all sorts with this "alcantara is rank forum rumor" and yes it can be rank with mr clammy hands, 3 of my 4 cars are alcantara, it's so much nicer, but I have dry palms and 30k miles later my wheel looks new and I have only cleaned it once. My CSL again looked like new and 35k miles.
My Cup wheel has rubbed away over the years. Alcantara does not wear well. Once it rubs down it's hard to grip, so I find I need gloves with a rubber coating to grip properly.