It’s exciting to work on any hot new Porsche, especially of the 991 GT3 variant. The ultimate privilege however is working on a GT3 RS. Here we have a track ready Porsche 991 GT3 RS.
Getting this Porsche 991 GT3 RS Ready
This project was a focused and in depth one. A close relationship was built between us at HG Performance, the RS, and the owner of the car. See, it wasn’t a matter of simply installing parts on a car. The project revolved around preparing what was essentially a new car for track performance. This included working closely with the owner to break in the car properly before, during, and after the project.
The Break-In Process
First of all, before the car would be delivered to us, Dieter-Heinz worked closely with the owner of this amazing GT3 RS to break the car in. The car was first driven on the road during the initial break-in process to establish a good groundwork for a healthy system. Then, while you would think that a track might not be the best place to continue break-in, you’d be surprised what can be done on a casual track day.
Instead of having to deal with the woes of traffic on public roads, a systematic process of breaking-in a track car can be achieved at the track. You have a controlled environment and you can drive the car and shift where you would like at any point during the process.
Furthermore, while this is a streel-legal car, where do you think race cars are broken in? It’s certainly not at crawl pace on a public road.
After the car had 800 miles on the odometer, it came to our tuning studio for the work to begin. During that time, all upgrades were focused on improving its track-ability. The end goal would be another casual track session at Auto Club Speedway, this time, sharing the spotlight with the 991 GT3 Street Cup conversion car.
Here are the things we did to this GT3 RS prior to the next track day:
- BBi Autosport Street Cup suspension
- BBi Autosport roll bar
- Schroth Harness w/ Cantrell submarine bars
- TPC Valved side muffler delete
- Hardwire AMB Transponder
- Track spec alignment
- Brake fluid flush
As you may know, the USDM 991 GT3 and GT3 RS cannot be ordered from factory with the roll cage, due to DOT rules. That’s where BBi comes in with their GT3 roll bar, which they have down to a science. By now we have installed quite a couple of them.
The bare shelf at the back of the GT3 RS just doesn’t look right. It really needs that cage.
The BBi roll cage really gives the car a sense of purpose.
In our fabrication division, HG Design, we scratch build roll bars for various cars, including a Nissan GT-R roll bar and BMW F80 M3 – F82 M4 roll bar. However, for the GT3’s, we’ve stuck with BBi. We love the partnership – not to mention, the product is top notch. So for those, we focus on installation and have BBi do the fab work.
BBi Autosport Street Cup Suspension
Then there is the BBi Street Cup suspension coupled with a track spec alignment. The suspension is in itself a massive upgrade. The factory springs are replaced and upgraded for a more linear rate. The factory arms are also replaced. The BBi Street Cup units are precision-machined and use spherical bearings. All suspension movements become way more precise with this system, improving handling immensely.
The BBi Street Cup suspension is quite the medley of parts as well. Below we have a list all the parts included:
- 2 Coilover Spring (Front)
- 2 Coilover Spring (Rear)
- 2 Coilover Helper Spring (Front)
- 2 Coilover Helper Spring (Rear)
- 2 Monoball Lower Trailing Arm
- 2 Monoball Upper Trailing Arm
- 2 Monoball Upper Wishbone
- 2 Monoball Front Bearing Flange
- 2 Monoball Rear Bearing Flange
- 2 Upper Spring Rest
- 2 Lower Spring Rest
- 2 Adjustable Sway Bar End Link Front
- 2 Adjustable Sway Bar End Link Rear
These cars are amazing in their own right, but from factory, they come with a pretty loose alignment. I guess they figure the new owners will align them anyway to their preferred settings. The combo of the BBi Street Cup suspension and the track alignment really fine-tunes the RS’ track prowess.
To wrap up the package, the Schroth Racing harness and Cantrell submarine bars work in conjunction with the roll bar to complete the support and safety aspect of things.
Finally, an AMB transponder was hard-wired into the car and brake fluid flushed in time for the upcoming track day.
Final Thoughts
This car, like the recent project Audi R8 track car, is 90% track car, 10% street. All upgrades are focused on track duty. The car might do a canyon run here and there, but the rest of the time on the road it will be headed towards a racetrack.
To learn more about the upgrades and performance enhancements we offer at HG Performance, don’t hesitate to contact us and ask about our services.
