I am relatively new to tracking, but have been bitten by the bug quite hard. When I bought the Cayman, I never intented to do more than a couple of track events per year. Woops - I should have about 25 before the end of this year already.


I have been putting significant $ into upgrading the car for safety and performance and I feel like I am now at the 'point of no return'. If I stop now, I can keep/sell the car with/without the upgrades and be fine. If I keep going (roll cage, LSD, etc) I feel like I am tied to it as a track car for good.I love the CS on the track, but never intended to spend so much money on it. And I am not sure where it will end...


So..... Should I be looking fora less expensive track-only car (993 RS America?) that is fully sorted when I buy it? Will I end up spending just as much money on it because it is older? Will I hate myself because it will never handle as well as the CS? If I get into club racing in 3-4 years, what will I want then?


What are people's experiences with this type of decision? I think there are a few in this forum that have 'gone over the edge'. Do you also have a track only car or is this it now? If you have a CS and a track car, why? Please give me your opinions!

I too have stared into the abyss and it stared back at me...


If you don't need the Cayman as a daily driver then there is nothing wrong with converting it into a track car, you'll hardly find a better platform to start with. The only limit is $$$. I think Orbit racing has a full track Cayman now that runs circles around the GT3's.


Obviously there are cheaper cars you can start with, a 944 Turbo for example, that have plenty of track gear available for them and lots of people with experience tracking them that can help you out. With the Cayman you will be a pioneer, for better or worse. Club Racing? Mantis is already leading class D with their Cayman, I'm sure more will follow.


If you need your Cayman as a daily driver then I'd advise only going so far or else it won't be able to server dual duty. Otherwise, mod away, it's fun and can be rewarding. I might suggest investing in a good driving coach before more mods though as it will help you get more out of the car that you already have.

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K-Man S

Thanks for the thoughts. (FYI- it is not a daily driver and won't be, as I live in Vermont) I tend to agree about the platform, but honestly I don't have much to compare it to, as this is my first Porsche.The issueis partially money, but browsing classifieds has shown 2000 cup cars for what I expect to have into the CS and 95 Supercup cars for quite a bit less. What would be the right choice then? (Both cars are far too advanced for me now, but someday soon I hope to be ready.)


Agree also with the coach suggestion. I have been lucky to have great DE instructors, but am ready for more individualized instruction.


Thanks.

The big catalyst here is actually that my past 3 instructors have strongly recommended a roll cage with the speeds I am going. I am fine waiting on everything else and agree that I should advance with what I have. But to me once I weld in a cage, i have hit the point of no return...

Obviously, only you can answer your questions as you know your situation. As one of the ones who has 'been there', I will give you my opinions.


By way of background I started DE's with a 73 914 2.0 in the late 70's. Next step was a '70 914-6 with 2.4 911S engine built by a Zuffenhausen Werk 1 foreman. It had a cage, etc. but was still driveable to track. Next a '85.5 944 prepped by Brumos for Sterling Moss and Innes Ireland to drive until the 944 turbos were ready in the SCCA/Playboy Endurance Series. It came with cage, etc. also and we used it for the IMSA Firestone Firehawk Series in '86. This required a trailer and tow vehicle, of course. After 5 races in '86 and 2 in '87 it was essentially obsolete/uncompetetive.


Itwas then used by both my son and I as a DE car untilPCA Club began in '92. We both raced it for several years until he got a '88 944 race car. This required an upgrade to a two-car trailer (46' enclosed Wells Cargo) and a Dually to pull it. Prior open single car trailers were towed with Suburbans that had some other untility.


Then my son moved, sold the big trailer and got a single car enclosed Trailex and new Suburban which I used until retlirilng from racing in 2000. Then used '89 944 turbo for track until selling for Cayman S.


Now back to just DE's driving the CS to the track on MPSC's for most of the fun and much less expense! The gist of all this is, I suppose the old questions. How fast doyou want to go? Answered by, How much do you want to spend? I have a friend who started with DE's, got into Club Racing and now has both son's involved, track 911 and 944 turbo plus 968. He has a stacker trailer and Freightliner 'RV' to pull the '18-wheeler' rig. So there is no end to how much can be spent.


The Cayman S is, in my opinion, far easier to drive fast on track than any other Porsches in my experience. I never tracked the '82911 I had at the same time as the track-only cars. I am not sure you would spend much less on an older Porsche unless you have the time, talent, tools, etc. to do most of the work yourself. Another friend who is an engineer does all the work on his older 911, is an excellent driver and has more success than most who spend a lot more. He used to change engines for track and autocross and could do it in just over an hour, as I recall.


It is hard to have a dual purpose car when you go much beyond stock. And IMO a roll bar or cage is one of the first safety items to install. Then a race seat suitable for a 5 or 6 point harness and HANS device and you will also be ready to race. Keep the rules for the race series you are considering in mind when doing performance mods.


Pardon the length, hope it helps your decision process some.


Maury

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I guess I look at the 'track' car question a bit differently. My goal has been NOT to buy a car that requires the purchase of a pick-up (or as Porsche would like to sell you, a Cayenne Turbo S), and a trailer in order to have a track capable car. If you look at the problem from that perspective, the Cayman is a great solution. That's not, however, to say there aren't other better solutions out there.



IMO, significantly limiting vis-a-vis the Cayman and some of the other alternative, is the fact that it is pretty difficult to bring a set of track tires and associated equipment to the track to swap street for track and change out brake pads etc.



And then there is the roll cage, seats and harness etc. A whole nother set of issues even if you settle on a car, &/or tire solution that solves the truck to pull a the trailer to bring the car to your track question.

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'o6 Cayman SArtic Silver/Black leather

Thanks for the great information everyone. I should also state that I have a tow vehicle and trailer already (we tow horses for my daughter). So I am not as concerned about it being a multi-purpose vehicle at this point.

ken, pls post orbit racings track cayman, i love to see it.


joel, sounds like you are more insane than i. here are some random thoughts. a WELL set up RSA is not going to be cheap. i would say about $50k. and YOU will want to 'personalize' it a bit so more money is poured in.


handling, RSA or 911's certainly handle differently than cayman, but i won't say one is better than the other. just different. you have to like what you drive.


there are lots of proven mods for RSA, 993, 996's. but not so much for cayman just yet. you can grow with cayman (wait for the mods) or get a well sorted RSA, 993, 996 now. they are both fun. and you aren't going to saveany money either way, sorry!


DO NOT run 996 cup cars. if you run them in DE, you will likely lap everyone, so it's kind of boring. if you intend to race it, it's easily $5k/weekend. they run on slicks. roughly 12-1400/set. engine rebuild 80 hours if you do club races. you NEED to trailer it etc etc. this is not a good first track or race car unless you are willing to pay for professional track side support. 993 supercups aren't much cheaper to run either. if you must get a factory cup car, 964 cups are the cheapest of the three and are wonderful cars.


914geezer is right on with his post. btw, when you say your instructor asks you to install roll cage? do you mean roll cage or roll bar? if roll bar, you can do it and still have a car looking totally OEM. if you want roll cage, you really shouldn't drive it on the street. without helmet, one small accident can crack open your head as the roll cage tubins are very close to your unhelmeted head. i would seriously think that through before commit to roll cage.


also, how long does a set of tires last you? that also gives some indication of your speed and eventuall expense. as $$$ as CS is, it really is NOTHING compared to consumables. i do about 35 days a year. i run shaved Toyo RA1's. after shaving they are about $1100, set. they only last me 800 miles tops. i need about 7 sets per year. now that's just tire expense. think about rotor, pads, maintenance etc.

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Having just taken a deposit on my GT3 Cup car to purchase a street Cayman, I admit to some bias having been there and done that. Nevertheless, the experience of running with the bulls, if you can handle the expense issues as Mooty points out quite well- can be a very big personal growth opportunity. You will be humbled at first, as the field is near pro and those cars are very fast indeed.


Be careful what you want, you just might get it.

<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Mooty &ndash; thanks for the thoughts.Your experience in this realm is invaluable.Some responses/more questions:</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"></div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in">- [/quote]I was never really considering a cup car &ndash; just noting with surprise what I “could” get with the money I have in the CS!</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in">- [/quote]What are your impressions of the handling and performance characteristics of the RSA or 993 in race/track form vs. the Cayman?I have not driven these on the track before so have no experience.But in ride-alongs with instructors they are more than fun and capable.</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in">- [/quote]Sorry, it was roll BAR, not roll cage that was recommended.Definitely easier, but still seems like a major commitment and one not easily returned to stock from</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in">- [/quote]I am getting about 12-14 track days of life out of street tires.Looking at Toyo’s and Nitto’s, but worried about cost per your comments.That puts some perspective to it.I assume no difference on consumables based on type of car??</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"></div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Thank you!</div>