what should i drive?

Engine seems to be fine, it was a split PCV hose and a worn dipstick o - ring. Car is cleaned up, back together and I will test Saturday!

Just to be sure, we put it on the Dyno and ran simulated laps. It makes a stout 212 rwhp!

Flywheel is supposed to be 255, so 212 seems about right give or take.

Cheers,

Ron

 

If your mind is made up on the 458, go for it. But, it sounds like you haven't driven the 991 GT3, if that is the case, I suggest you do. I tracked (DE) my 360F1 for a number of years and loved it - the balance, sound and overall confidence knowing exactly what the car could and would do. I switched to a 997.2 GT3 and had to relearn tracking a manual. The car was only slightly modified - toe links, lowered, and R compounds. I loved it on the track, not so much driving to the Glen and VIR or even on the occasional drive around town. I have been tracking a 991 GT3 for the past two years and it is by far the best all around (track ready) car I have ever driven. It is very fast at the track but it could also be a daily driver if you wanted/needed that also. The only mods are PFC brakes and AP rotors, the stock Sport Cup 2 tires combined with the rear wheel steering get me closer to slicks in the corners, but not quite there. I have reduced my lap times at the Glen and am going to VIR next week, so will see what the difference there is.

Good luck, you won't go wrong with the 458, but you will likely double your maintenance costs.

Rob in Potomac

 

IMO a regular 997 and a GT3 are different cars.
Either is a Porsche so made for street and track duty like very few others.

I have recently heard that the 430 Scud is a very stout car. I love the raw race-car-made-for-the-street flavor (vs a 458 for example). Gonna get me one someday
The Carbon discs still give me the heebie-jeebies as far as durability.
The one place that Porsche failed was in their early Carbon discs on a track.
$$$$$$

 

He means he had a 997 gt3.

But he should try a 991 gt3, who different animal compared to the 997 gt3

 

The first thing you do when you buy an Elise is to replace the seats with probax supported seats (standard on Exige). Makes all the difference in the world. As a matter of fact, it might be the most comfortable sport seat in the world. I could drive in it 4 hours straight no problem. My Exige is daily driven.

The Ferrari carbon sport seat "seems" more comfortable because it is larger and has reclineable features. But even on longer drives you start feeling a bit achey. Exige probax seats give you proper support. I have a Scud and An Exige for daily comparison. The only ***** part about the Lotus is getting in and out of it, but once you're in, you're good.

As others have mention 991 GT3 is a great option. Scud transmission is more fun and visceral but it a ***** on stop and go drives. Not so much on long commutes. Nothing wrong with the suspension setup on the Scud. I usually drive on race mode suspension and it has rarely been an issue. Sport mode has even softer settings.

 

Ok. Then it must be our age differences .

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/458-italia-488/531050-scuderia-458-italia.html#post144887755

You might want to read this current thread for feedback on Ferrari seats.

 

It's not out yet and I don't think a lot of members here have driven it. This fits both track and street with reliability. The New NSX??? No? I thought 570 or NSX would be a great choice for the purpose. Just my part of 2cents.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

It's over budget for now, but the 488 is great for driving to, on, and from track.

 

spiderman, you sound like you have a lot more experience on track than i did, but here are some comments.

i started off with almost exactly your opening reasoning. i wanted a car to track, and be able to drive it to the track.
in 2009-10 i tracked a 360 cs for 2 seasons, roughly 6 tracks, and the mille.
at the end of the mille, i put the car back to completely stock, repairing, replacing just about everything.
once you add up the cost of consumables, and all the small repairs (i never hit a wall, but some off track moments were memorable), the cost for all the fun was about $20k per year, or roughly 10% of the value/year.

i had a great time. loved every minute of it. but i decided that if i were going to do more track time, i would do things differently.

at the time, what i decided i would do is buy a 360 challenge race car, and simply trailer it to the tracks. that car still has the steel brakes (ccm brake discs cost 4k+ per corner - ask me how i know), and pretty good F1 gearbox, no real concern about the paint or the bodywork, and i could run slicks that would last longer than the road tires. the cost of doing that at the time was roughly 70k for the car, and then less than 10k for stuff, and i was going to share it with a buddy. 2 seasons like that, the car would still be worth the same amount, and my costs would be lower. insurance would not be such a concern, and i would not have to worry so much about each track session. my trips to and from the track might be slower, but would also be more relaxing and less expensive.

today, i can imagine this calculation can be made for a 430 challenge (except for the ccm brakes).

if it were me, i would still go the 360 challenge route, just because its cheaper and i am a cheap bastard at heart.

 

Frankly, best bang for the buck is a BMW M3. You can make the car as bad as you wanna be, but still drive it on the street, if that's your thing. Compared to a Ferrari, parts are dirt cheap. Once you fix the things that need fixings (just go to a few chat boards), the cars are bulletproof. They corner on rails, great brakes, you can juice it as much as you want. Plus, on any track, except maybe Daytona, you'll be competitive with anybody.

Yeah, it's not a cool as a Ferrari, but you'll have a lot more fun. I remember once at TWS, FOH had a track day, and a guy who had just had $60k of work done on his 360CH lost it in T2. New damage estimate was over $60k.

 

I think you should still consider the gtr; it's an insanely fast car for the money and the reliability is excellent. I've had mine at Lime rock and Monticello wo any issues. If you mod the car to >700 hp then you are more likely to have tranny/diff issues. If you look at 14 and newer the car is reasonable comfortable.

 

I have heard from several people, one being a racer who does the suspesnion development for ford(and has driven everything hard on track), they all say that of the modern cars the Lambo Hurracn is by far the best, one where it all comes together beautifully.

In fact i was told that the ferraris etc are not even close.

Maybe worth a try.

 

Use the panamera to tow. Saw in europe people towing big caravans with a panamera. A trailex trailer is under 1000lbs and an elsie 2000 lbs.

Or get someone to get the car to the track for you.

Personaly i would not want to drive big distances in an elsie, unless the roads were open and empty, ven then after a day at the track its a headache.

Or you could lease a truck and have it as an extra to dot he towing and still get a 458. Truck lease for a double cab about 15 total for 3 years.