New member - GT3 (mk1)

[Flying V]

Greetings!

My name is Rami and i'm from the Philippines. I have been a porsche fanatic for quite sometime now, and just recently I bought a 1999 GT3 (mk1) which has about 3,500 miles on it.

The local dealer has just launched thier extended warranty program here in the country. FOr US $2,000 they will extend my warranty for another 2 years.

Would anyone know what 'common problems' I will get or I can expect (if any) in my GT3 that will be claimable with the warranty? Do you guys suggest for me to get the warranty?

There are only 3 GT3 mk1 owners in the country, and to make it worst we all don't know each other! That makes it tough for me to exchange notes.

Look forward to your inputs!

God bless!

Rami

[clord]

Hi Rami and Welcome!! You have a fantastic deal on a Mk I with that low mileage. Of course, we did not get the Mk I in the US market, so our personal experience is with the Mk II. There is not much that goes wrong with either the Mk I or, so far, with the Mk II. The UK has much experience with the Mk I and there is an active (if primitive) GT3 mail list at titanic.co.uk

The drive train and suspension of all the GT3s are, of course, industrial strength and derived from race hardware. The few weaknesses may show up if you take your car to the track regularly. Depending on your driving style, the Mk I can overheat it's brakes. Many in the UK have upgraded their Mk I front brakes to those from the Mk II and increased cooling air flow. As for the extended warranty, you probably will not need it if you don't track your car.... BUT, if you do need to have work done on the engine or trans, it WILL cost you more than that $2000. If you can afford it, go for it. YMMV

[GreigM]

Hi Rami,

I have a Mk1 - there are no real common problems and generally the engine is very reliable.

The warranty will not cover 100% of your troubles, but if your engine goes bang it should take care of it.

Edited February 22, 2005 by GreigM

[Flying V]

tnx Craig and Greig for your inputs!

I guess for "insurance' purposes against major problems, the warranty is worth it...

God bless!

[Flying V]

Btw how fast have you gone with your GT3?

This Thursday evening, Top Gear Magazine will be writing an article about our group or should i say about our cars, and the title of the article is "Midnight Run'. Several times our group did "mid-night fun runs", and one of the local magazine editors decided to write an article about our "escapade". :)

Basically they want to check the top speeds of all the cars that will participate on a 2 km stretch. hmmmm.... i wonder how hard i can push my baby!?

[clord]

Hi V.... Be careful with your new Mk I. If it were mine, I'd want to be PERSONALLY comfortable with the health of the suspension and state of the wheel alignment before pushing it. These cars are extremely sensitive to alignment, tire condition (esp. side to side..have they ever been patched?) and tire pressure. Decide on your alignment specs, put it on a reputable rack and get under it yourself with the tech. Especially check the anti-roll bar settings (stock, or has someone reset them?) and drop link nuts... check them for tightness. We have had some loosen. If one end comes loose, the handling can turn diabolical if not dangerous at speed. IMHO, you should learn GT3 car control on a relatively slow/tight track before testing top speed in public and at night. :cheers:

[Flying V]

Hi craig! THanks for the great advise. yup, i know what you mean re: the 'suspension health". In fact that is what I priortized to get done to my car. I told the local dealer to to make sure that the suspension setting is back to original facotry setting. With regards to anti-roll bar settings and droping link nuts can you tel me more about this. Where can I get the specs for the anti-roll bar settings?

yup, after having the car for several months now, i will be bringing it to the track for the first time this week end to learn more about it.

again thanks for the great advices!

God bless!

[GreigM]

If the stretch is only 2km you won't get anywhere close to top speed. Here in the UK we have an airfield test-ground with a 2-mile runway, which if you are good you can join the start of the 2miles at around 70mph. By the time it comes to brake close to the end of the 2mph the car will still have more to come - I think you would need 3 or 4 miles to get a real top speed reading from the car.

I have a (slightly insane) friend locally with a GT3 RS who has seen 200mph reading on his speedometer whilst on the autobahn in germany - and he said the car still had more to give. How accurate the speedometer is at this speed though is anyone's guess.

[clord]

Hi V.... To your question about the factory settings for the GT3 Mk I anti-roll bar settings. The Factory manual lists the following street settings for your car: (the factory numbers the adjustment holes starting with 1 from the end (softest) hole in the bars.

Front: Hole 3 of 5, or the center adjustment hole.

Rear: Hole 2 of 4, or the 2nd from the end (2nd softest).

The Porsche factory would have you run these settings on the street. On the track they would have you start with these settings and adjust as you learn about the handling and develop preferences.

As to the drop link nut issues, I don't have a torque setting to recommend, I just put them "quite tight" by hand and check them before and after every track session. You might be comfortable with a light (Blue) loctite locking fluid.

Enjoy!! :D

[mds]

According to the GT3 Cup car service manual, torque for the drop-link bolts is 46Nm (34 ft-lbs). Torque for the bolts holding the bar to the cross member is 65 Nm (48 ft-lbs). I use Loctite also.

[Flying V]

cool! thanks guys!

God bless! :)