Porsche GT3/RS Upgrades
Discussion
I have owned a number of Porsche GT cars over the years, including a 997.1 GT3RS (black and orange) and a 997 GT2 (grey), but I have always kept them standard. My latest GT is a 991.1 GT3RS (ultra violet).
After a higher than average number of track days last year in the 991.1 - the season saw visits to the Nürburgring (an annual pilgrimage), Spa-Francorchamps, Goodwood, Castle Combe, and Bedford, to name but a few - I found the PCCB brakes on the car were getting too hot, and therefore their performance degraded, after prolonged use, even after gentle warm up and cool down laps.
After much research I recently made the rather expensive decision to upgrade the standard brakes to Surface Transforms ceramic discs.
A trip this week to Porsche specialist JZM put me face-to-face with their extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable performance upgrades guru who convinced me that STs are the way forward. I am somewhat reassured that JZM have performed a number of such brake transplants and the owners have found them a revelation. The STs will be fitted by JZM in April before my track day season starts in May (Coronavirus permitting).
I plan a number of additional performance-enhancing upgrades over time, including: geo and corner alignment; Manthey Racing (JZM are an official distributor) suspension upgrade to OEM base set up; MR magnesium wheels; Pilot Sport Cup 2 ‘R’ tyres; and, an Akrapovic titanium exhaust.
I will probably wait between 6 months and a year between each phase so I can feel the benefit of each round of upgrades as well as giving my wallet a much needed breather!
I would like to share my experiences will fellow Porsche enthusiasts and hope to learn from some of you who have already, or intend to, upgrade your GT car in a similar way, hence me kicking off this thread...
Pic of my car at the Ring last year and the ST brakes to be fitted in April.
After a higher than average number of track days last year in the 991.1 - the season saw visits to the Nürburgring (an annual pilgrimage), Spa-Francorchamps, Goodwood, Castle Combe, and Bedford, to name but a few - I found the PCCB brakes on the car were getting too hot, and therefore their performance degraded, after prolonged use, even after gentle warm up and cool down laps.
After much research I recently made the rather expensive decision to upgrade the standard brakes to Surface Transforms ceramic discs.
A trip this week to Porsche specialist JZM put me face-to-face with their extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable performance upgrades guru who convinced me that STs are the way forward. I am somewhat reassured that JZM have performed a number of such brake transplants and the owners have found them a revelation. The STs will be fitted by JZM in April before my track day season starts in May (Coronavirus permitting).
I plan a number of additional performance-enhancing upgrades over time, including: geo and corner alignment; Manthey Racing (JZM are an official distributor) suspension upgrade to OEM base set up; MR magnesium wheels; Pilot Sport Cup 2 ‘R’ tyres; and, an Akrapovic titanium exhaust.
I will probably wait between 6 months and a year between each phase so I can feel the benefit of each round of upgrades as well as giving my wallet a much needed breather!
I would like to share my experiences will fellow Porsche enthusiasts and hope to learn from some of you who have already, or intend to, upgrade your GT car in a similar way, hence me kicking off this thread...
Pic of my car at the Ring last year and the ST brakes to be fitted in April.
Edited by baronbennyt on Saturday 14th March 21:51
Edited by baronbennyt on Saturday 14th March 23:42
Cheib said:
Great thread ! Why the upgrade to Surface Transforms ?
I’ve found the original Porsche ceramic brakes on the 991.1 GT3RS whilst hugely powerful tend to wilt slightly under extended heavy use on-track. Actually on my car, the original pads started to break up...Extensive research pointed me to Surface Transforms since many GT owners, particularly those that regularly track their cars, have replaced their original ceramic brakes with STs.
From the ST website:
‘Surface Transforms are experts in the development and production of carbon-ceramic materials and the UK’s only manufacturer of carbon-ceramic brakes for automotive use. ST utilises our proprietary next-generation carbon-ceramic material - CCST - to create lightweight brake discs for high-performance applications, including automotive and aircraft brakes. Surface Transforms has extensive in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities, including the facilities for manufacturing carbon-ceramic brake discs.
While conventional carbon-ceramic brake discs use discontinuous (chopped) carbon fibre, ST interweaves continuous carbon fibre to form a 3D matrix, producing a stronger and more durable product with 3x the heat conductivity compared to our competitors; this reduces the brake system operating temperature, resulting in increased life of components with the same brake performance.’
They certainly aren’t cheap but I’ve taken the plunge and hope to provide a glowing (pun not intended) report after my first track day of the season in May...
If tracking PCCB then really a better pad from MR or endless is worth a go, as people say the disks are ok it’s the pads which break up.
Then a set of TXX shocks seems the way to go.
And if a 991.1 more monoballs on key points.
For me if I wanted a £150k road car for track I would swap the 991.1 to the 991.2 RS over modding a 991.1 RS.
Then a set of TXX shocks seems the way to go.
And if a 991.1 more monoballs on key points.
For me if I wanted a £150k road car for track I would swap the 991.1 to the 991.2 RS over modding a 991.1 RS.
Porsche specialist RPM Technik has posted a video on their website ‘How to build a Manthey Racing 991 GT3RS’. Apart from the full roll cage (mine has the standard half cage, which I’m not going to change) this is broadly what my car will become....
https://rpmtechnik.co.uk/blog/how-to-build-a-manth...
https://rpmtechnik.co.uk/blog/how-to-build-a-manth...
baronbennyt said:
Porsche specialist RPM Technik has posted a video on their website ‘How to build a Manthey Racing 991 GT3RS’. Apart from the full roll cage (mine has the standard half cage, which I’m not going to change) this is broadly what my car will become....
https://rpmtechnik.co.uk/blog/how-to-build-a-manth...
Have you considered buying a cup car? You can get a good 997.2 cup car with the sequential hollinger box for 65 to 70 K. A trailer will cost you 5K and the car is built for purpose. It's a lot cheaper than trying to upgrade your road car. It will also be cheaper to repair when you have an off, which is inevitable as you get quicker. I have several GT cars in my garage, but also have a cup car for this very reason.https://rpmtechnik.co.uk/blog/how-to-build-a-manth...
Thanks everyone for your comments thus far...I’m glad to see the upgrades proposed by me are generating a fair bit of healthy debate!
I see there are strong rationales being put forward for a different approach, which I appreciate, but equally I’m wedded to my path and I’ll explain why (perhaps not convincing all of you along the way!):
1. I did consider switching from Porsche PCCBs to track-focussed steels, which would be significantly cheaper than the STs, but I’ve been seduced by the “best brakes in the market” and the fact they are massively lighter than steels. Unsprung weight is the enemy!
2. I’m being careful to select upgrades that are reversible or transferable. So, in the likely event that I trade my 991.1 in for a 991.2 GT3RS in the future, I can remove my upgrades and fit them to that car too. I also have the option of selling the upgraded parts through JZM (although, I appreciate, I will take a big hit). This way I can sell my 991.1 as standard, if necessary. Anyway, a standard 991.2 GT3RS will still suffer from the braking issues I’ve been experiencing with my 991.1.
3. I appreciate a more sensible approach to gaining circuit speed if to invest in a dedicated 911 race car. But, this has never really appealed to me. Why? Well, I don’t want to invest in two 911s (road and track); I don’t have the space at home for a trailer; I don’t have a suitable towing vehicle; and, I prefer driving to and from circuits in the UK and Europe with friends in convoy without the faff of loading/unloading a trailer.
As said, I can very much see the rationale for those putting forward the above but I’m happy with the approach I’m taking. It might not make complete financial sense but I’m really looking forward to the ride!
I see there are strong rationales being put forward for a different approach, which I appreciate, but equally I’m wedded to my path and I’ll explain why (perhaps not convincing all of you along the way!):
1. I did consider switching from Porsche PCCBs to track-focussed steels, which would be significantly cheaper than the STs, but I’ve been seduced by the “best brakes in the market” and the fact they are massively lighter than steels. Unsprung weight is the enemy!
2. I’m being careful to select upgrades that are reversible or transferable. So, in the likely event that I trade my 991.1 in for a 991.2 GT3RS in the future, I can remove my upgrades and fit them to that car too. I also have the option of selling the upgraded parts through JZM (although, I appreciate, I will take a big hit). This way I can sell my 991.1 as standard, if necessary. Anyway, a standard 991.2 GT3RS will still suffer from the braking issues I’ve been experiencing with my 991.1.
3. I appreciate a more sensible approach to gaining circuit speed if to invest in a dedicated 911 race car. But, this has never really appealed to me. Why? Well, I don’t want to invest in two 911s (road and track); I don’t have the space at home for a trailer; I don’t have a suitable towing vehicle; and, I prefer driving to and from circuits in the UK and Europe with friends in convoy without the faff of loading/unloading a trailer.
As said, I can very much see the rationale for those putting forward the above but I’m happy with the approach I’m taking. It might not make complete financial sense but I’m really looking forward to the ride!
Kevin estre rags the 991.2 car round the ring on public days and don’t have brake issues, the .2 has superior brake cooling matched to MR pads seems a non Issue.
When he does his passenger laps that’s a lot of hard driving, so moving to a .2 will not bring the same issues as a .dot 1 , the .2 seems far more trackable inc more mono all’s also.
It's £35 k to swap to the new model, seems a no brainer to me.
When people will spend £30k on ST and a acropovic exhaust.
Then you also have that .2 engine masterpiece.
When he does his passenger laps that’s a lot of hard driving, so moving to a .2 will not bring the same issues as a .dot 1 , the .2 seems far more trackable inc more mono all’s also.
It's £35 k to swap to the new model, seems a no brainer to me.
When people will spend £30k on ST and a acropovic exhaust.
Then you also have that .2 engine masterpiece.
1800 for pad change and a bit of brake fluid, Porsche dealer robbing fookers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hll0GS70kwU&t=...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hll0GS70kwU&t=...
Melvynr said:
1800 for pad change and a bit of brake fluid, Porsche dealer robbing fookers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hll0GS70kwU&t=...
It is robbery, problem is you have to take the callipers off to change the pads post 9x7, so this is where they bump up the labour time. Plus he’s on PCCB they have to be ‘extra careful’ so that’s ‘extra time’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hll0GS70kwU&t=...
I have surface transforms on the front of my Cayman R. They are fantastic and take real abuse on track and sprinting. So much better than PCCB’s. They are a solid carbon structure that can be refurbished two or three times if necessary.
Mine were supplied and fitted by JZM who, in my opinion, are also one of the best in the business of looking after and setting up track based Porsches.
Mine were supplied and fitted by JZM who, in my opinion, are also one of the best in the business of looking after and setting up track based Porsches.
London GT3 said:
I have surface transforms on the front of my Cayman R. They are fantastic and take real abuse on track and sprinting. So much better than PCCB’s. They are a solid carbon structure that can be refurbished two or three times if necessary.
Mine were supplied and fitted by JZM who, in my opinion, are also one of the best in the business of looking after and setting up track based Porsches.
I used to own a Cayman R. Lovely, lovely thing. Probably my favourite sports car pound-for-pound. It was a delight at the Nürburgring. I had Paragon set it up and they did a superb job. But I’m keen to try JZM for my GT3RS since, as you say, they have a wonderful reputation for track day preparation. They are also experts on ST brakes.Mine were supplied and fitted by JZM who, in my opinion, are also one of the best in the business of looking after and setting up track based Porsches.
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