Owning a Porsche 911 GT3
Well that depends — there are a few things to think about when you’re considering making modifications to your Porsche:
- How you drive it currently — for the lap time or for the love of driving?
- Is it a manual transmission (generally a six-speed manual) or Dual clutch PDK transmission?
- What it is that you’re looking to change about your Porsche — sound, power maybe both, braking, suspension, aerodynamics?
Generally, you’re in one of two boats — leisurely (sometimes smile slapping) Sunday drives or ripping around the race track. Let’s cover a few places to start when you’re looking to modify your Porsche 911 GT3.
If you want to be more specific here’s a full breakdown of what we’ll be covering:
- On the Street: For the Love of Leisure
- Sound and Power — Best of Both Worlds
- Suspension — Better Handling For Mountain Runs
- Aerodynamics — Faster Backroad Blasts
- Braking and Wheels — Squeak Be Gone
- On the Track: For the Love of Lap Times
On the Street with Your Porsche GT3: For the Love of Leisure
In all honesty, the stock Porsche GT3 is great — if you’re just looking for that out of the box sports car feel, you’ll instantly get it. But that can wear off quickly, so what’s next?
Sound and Power — Best of Both Worlds
A Porsche’s sound is usually what drives most people to want a new exhaust system, bonus points if it also increases your power. But, let’s not forget your in-cabin ride!
If you’re looking to change out your current exhaust and you drive your Porsche on the street regularly or at all, you’re going to want to stick with Street Headers and either the stock muffler or something like our Lifetime Muffler to add some clarity of sound.
Yes, you can opt for the route of installing a center muffler bypass or center muffler delete, it’s popular and a relatively inexpensive mod. However, it doesn’t do anything to increase your power. The sound you get from the center muffler bypass is almost “digital”, not necessarily a linear sound and one that you’ll get tired of hearing on long drives at a consistent 60mph.
Sure, it sounds cool when you’re with your buddies doing full throttle pulls but the second you get on the highway you’re going to hear the opening and closing of the valves, and the digital on and off will be hard to ignore.
Now, compare the center bypass mod with the Dundon 991 GT3RS Catted Street Headers — yes this is an RS but a great example of how well-engineered street headers can completely change your sound AND power:
https://blog.dundonmotorsports.com/991-gt3rs-with-dundon-street-headers-in-the-georgia-mountains
You see, we want to MINIMIZE drone. If you’re a leisure driver and still taking your Porsche GT3 out on the road or highway, you want to preserve your in-cab experience. I’m sure you don’t like the idea of having a shouting match with your co-pilot every time you go for a drive in your Porsche, so let’s keep it that way.
Our street headers coupled with the Lifetime Muffler will give you the best of both worlds. You’re going to get the sound you’re looking for that’s smooth and also minimizes drone for a more enjoyable driving experience.
What’s better? You’re getting a bit of a power increase simultaneously, so you’re not just getting a sound mod.
Check out a few of our exhaust systems and try not to smile.
- 991.2 GT3 Street Header (plus the dyno reading to prove the difference!):
And for the pure enjoyment of sound:
- Dundon Race Header / Lifetime Loud Muffler on 991.2 GT3, Flat Out
It’s hard to ignore the power gains these Porsche drivers have experienced when they’ve swapped in a new exhaust system.
So why should you continue to sacrifice power for sound?
For more on the installation and transition between other aftermarket mods to the Dundon exhaust system, check out the rundown from this rennlist.com member: https://rennlist.com/forums/991-gt3-gt3rs-and-911r/1191350-my-experience-dundon-full-exhaust.html
Suspension — Better Handling For Mountain Runs
Okay, so you’re into installing the street headers and Lifetime Muffler, what’s next? A solid suspension alignment that’s crafted for how the GT3 is driven.
Take the wheels of a street Porsche — they’re going to have some camber, though not as much as a track car. Think about it like this, if you’re frequently commuting in your Porsche (i.e. driving on highways, surface streets, etc.) you’re abiding by provided speed limits and taking turns at moderate speeds, which still require your wheels to have camber, similar to any other street driven car. Too much camber for a street Porsche will negatively affect the car’s balance, traction, and alignment. Whereas a track car taking tight turns at much higher speeds, needs a totally different setup.
So what about the build of your Porsche GT3’s suspension? If you’re using your Porsche as an everyday commuter or leisure car, you’re going to need your front axle lift to make sure you can get in and out of your driveway and over speed bumps without scraping your front bumper to pieces.
Typically, unless your Porsche spends most of its time on the track, we don’t recommend switching out the dampers/shocks. Though there are quite a few great aftermarket dampers or shock absorbers, none of the current aftermarket dampers work with the stock front-axle lift (sneak peek: Dundon is currently in the works of creating an aftermarket dampening system, that works in combination with the stock front axle lift, stay tuned!). Which for regular street use, losing the stock front-axle lift is the last thing you want to happen unless of course, you want to replace your air dam every 6-months.
Other suspension mods can be made to a streetcar. Linkages in the suspension can be swapped out to make the response of the suspension more predictable and therefore the car more predictable.
This mod gives you more grip with the road, you’re not fighting the rubber bushings in the suspension or dealing with limited adjustments for certain linkage components.
If you’re looking to start small with a few suspension linkages (drop links for the sway bars and a few others and work your way up) feel free to call us for more help!
For those ready to really wake your car up and make it handle fantastic without losing comfort check out one of our popular suspension upgrade packages we’ve created to improve the handling of your Porsche: https://www.dundonmotorsports.com/products/emotion-engineering-stage-4-solid-suspension-upgrade
Aerodynamics — Faster Backroad Blasts
As you know a Porsche’s engine is in the back of the car making it “tail-heavy” or a bit light in the front end. This means some of those weekend blasts you like to make with your buddies might be a little squirrely if you’re not careful.
An easy addition for your 991 GT3 or RS is dual dive planes to reduce lift in the front. With dive planes, the goal is to “suck out” turbulent high-pressure air the tire creates while your Porsche is moving. This reduces high pressure under the fender to help keep your car planted. Reduced lift on the front axle equals better grip and traction.
Now another mod to consider in combination with the dive planes would be a Gurney Flap. This is only recommended if you plan to keep the stock wing. The Gurney Flap helps “boost” your stock wing by stalling the air on the wing’s non-working side while simultaneously directing the airflow up at a more severe angle. The air “sees” the wing as bigger and adds more downforce without having to upgrade your wing.
In general, if you’re a street driver you can absolutely upgrade to a Carbon Bolt-On Wing and add side sills but if you’re cruising the streets and running pulls here and there with your buddies, these mods are a great start to making that smile on your face a bit bigger.
Braking and Wheels — Squeak Be Gone
The first thing we usually do for our drivers is swap out the Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes (PCCB) for AP Racing J Hook Replacement Rotors. Why? If you have $30k+ to shell out every time your PCCB’s crack or your rotor gets a scratch, by all means, keep them on!
Likely, you’ll want something a bit more durable and not as fragile. Plus, it’s also about protecting your investment. Most Porsche drivers will shelve their PCCBs until their Porsche is ready to resell, that way they have a brand new braking system without the added cost.
Odds are you’ve already gone out and run a few pulls in your Porsche and have noticed a bit of black residue or what is better known as dust on your rims. Well, when you're frequently braking hard and fast, your tires are going to heat up and that friction is going to wear down the pad with the bi-product being dust.
You see, most stock brake pads that are installed on Porsches are meant to meet safety standards for commuting with a certain level of performance standards as well. These pads are focused on reducing noise, vibration, and dust levels. They may not necessarily meet the performance requirements for the way you drive your Porsche which means the more you wear down your pads, the greater the likelihood of that dreaded squeaking every time you come to a stop light.
Trust us when we say having the right braking system (caliper, discs, pads,etc. )can mean the difference between people staring at you for all the right or wrong reasons. We beg you, don’t let it be the wrong reasons…
Check out a few of the braking options we have on our website! These are only a few recommendations and depending on your needs we have the right part for your Porsche.
On the Track with Your Porsche GT3: For the Love of Lap Times
So you’ve read the above and said, “nope, that’s not me”, that’s okay! If you are the kind of driver whose Porsche goes from home to trailer, to track and back, then your modifications are going to look a whole hell of a lot different.
Let’s dig in shall we?
There’s no one “right” part if you’re looking to craft a track car out of your Porsche GT3, it’s more of how the modifications work together. I promise that’s not the sales guy in me coming out! You’ll see as we begin to walk through modifications how each one works in combination with the other to improve your Porsche’s performance on the track.
Pro Tip: The race track is truly your sandbox to play in with your Porsche, I recommend to all our clients to take their Porsche at least once out onto the track during the time they own it. We also recommend that if you are serious about making a true track car out of your Porsche, you ensure you’ve followed all safety precautions to meet safety standards for ultimate enjoyment!
Know what you’re looking for? Choose your own adventure!
- Modifications for maximum power gains
- Improve your Porsche’s aerodynamics for increased downforce and grip
- Keep your suspension on point to avoid those “pucker” moments
- Make sure your brakes can handle what you doll out on the track
Power and Sound — More Than Sounds Mods
If you’re the Porsche driver looking to only drive your car on the track, generally you know weight is your enemy and you’re always scavenging for more power. At this point you may have ditched just about every non-essential component of your car, floor mats included. Your main goal is to decrease the weight of your car and make your engine as efficient as possible, right?
So that means, you’re ready to or have installed headers. But what do headers do exactly for your Porsche? To keep it simple, headers manage how the pressure waves bounce around inside the exhaust.
It’s all about managing how the pressure waves bounce around inside the exhaust.
In some cases, race headers can give you power gains of up to 50+ horsepower. That’s HUGE and an easy way to instantly increase your power.
Now you’re probably wondering about modifying your intake—good! That’s exactly where we’d want to take things next. A good intake kit is designed to reduce intake restriction by making things as large as possible as it smoothes and straightens your car's airflow. Meaning, the easier it is for your engine to pull in air, you’re going to get more power and torque. It’s not only about having the right intake kit but also the right air box. Our Dual Cone Airbox and 93mm Center plenum kit on a 991.2 GT3 can increase power by 15-20whp over headers alone!
This is just a start to where we can take things with your car especially as new chassis enter the market. If you’re looking to get the most whp from your Porsche, give us a call!
Aerodynamics — Better Handling for Faster Lap Times
Improving your Porsche’s aerodynamics is the fastest way to reduce your lap times. We’re talking grip, traction, downforce, every technical car term you can use to explain “hugging the road”.
The most basic concept of improving aerodynamics is to allow for air to flow around an object as quickly and as unobstructed as possible. If that wasn’t enough to satisfy your aerodynamic curiosity, don’t worry, we wrote up a whole blog for you here.
So what can you do to improve your Porsche GT3’s aerodynamics to corner faster, brake quicker and put power down more efficiently? We’ll start with wings.
Likely, if you’re looking to take your Porsche the full monte, you’re not going to just add dive planes. You need a complete package to help with front lift, downforce, and shape in placement.
After adding dive planes, it’s time to start your progression into a much stronger downforce with wings (sometimes unacceptably referred to as a "spoiler") — take for instance our Dundon Bolt-On or Swan Neck Wing (fits the 991 GT3, GT3 RS, and 981 GT4). If you’re looking to add up to 600lbs of downforce at speeds of up to 160 mph, a wing (coupled with our Dive Planes or Dual Dives planes) is going to be your new best friend. Need more proof? Check out a comparison of our GT3 wing alongside stock and other kits.
So why do we start with the wing before jumping into Carbon Splitter? Good question! With a stock rear wing, if we add on a Carbon Splitter you’ll end up with too much downforce and find yourself making sparks not just from your exhaust but from your Porsche’s bottom dragging on the ground.
With a designed wing, a Carbon Splitter allows for more wing angle and keeps your front planted. This means you’ve got more grip and traction adding the improvement of your Porsche’s aerodynamic efficiency.
Let me spell it out real quick — faster lap times, bigger smiles. You with me?
Say you want it all? Peek at our 991 GT3 Verus Ventus Aero 3 Package which includes our Carbon Bolt on Wing, Dive Planes, and Carbon Splitter.
Suspension — Modifications Beyond Dampers
From aftermarket dampers to adding camber to your tires, these are only a couple of the modifications you can make to improve your Porsche’s handling on the track.
Tracks allow you to take turns at 100mph+ which means your tires have to be aligned to maximize your car’s traction, among a laundry list of other modifications. But let's focus on the way your car’s wheels sit on the road for a minute.
You wouldn’t add camber to your tires if you’re driving your Porsche straight on the highway, this would actually take away from your Porsche’s traction, balance, efficiency, etc.
Whereas, when you’re driving your Porsche in a trailer to the track, race 3-4 times a month, and are taking tight and quick turns, we’re going to want to increase the degree of outward tilt to your wheel so that in the curve, your tire lays flat on the road, letting your wheels dig in with the grip.
Modifications that allow for greater camber and caster adjustments include Extended Toe Rods and RSR Tension Arms. Another aspect of your Porsche’s suspension to take into consideration would be the adjustment of preload on the sway bars once the car has been lowered and corner balanced — which is accomplished with Sway Bar Drop Links.
Your next mod will likely involve replacing the dampers on your Porsche, which would be the case for any Porsche model (911 GT3 RS, 911 GT3 Cup,, etc.) that you’re racing on the track heavily.
With an aftermarket racing damper, race car damper, or motorsports damper it's designed to be able to control fast motions. For instance, when you bomb the curbing and have a bit of “oh sh**” moment realizing you need to control that motion and weight of the car.
For a stock damper, it’s much harder to control, whereas an aftermarket damper is going to give you the control you need to keep your wheels on the ground. Aftermarket dampers are designed with what’s called a blow-off. This blow off alleviates pressure quickly to allow the wheel to move in a more efficient or quick motion.
By minimizing the car’s oscillations you’ll preserve your top speed and as we all know, it’s all about breaking your next best record.
With upgraded Shock Absorbers or “Dampers”, you have the ultimate control over how the car transfers weight as it moves through space. Keep an eye out for our highly anticipated Motion Control Systems 2/3 way adjustable motorsports damper and package that works with the factory Front Axle Lift (991.2 cars first, followed by 991.1 cars second)!
Brakes and Wheels — Shelve Your PCCBs for Resale to Save Money and Weight
We talked earlier about the type of brakes you have, PCCBs or steel brakes. Like we mentioned earlier PCCBs are great but not so great on your wallet every time a piece of gravel gets caught in your braking system that subsequently scratches the rotor just enough to require replacement.
Part of a comprehensive braking system upgrade, in addition to replacing your discs and calipers, means the brake pads are in that package. For moderate track use, consider the E-Motion Engineering Brake Pads. They have a great bite, no fade, and don’t dust quite as much as racing pads. If you’re a more regular track rat then check out the Ferodo DS1.11 or DS3.12.
One step above a track rat? Consider the ultimate braking upgrade — the AP Radical Braking System. We’re talking a full, complete, remodel of the downstairs powder room, replacing the calipers, rotors, and brake lines. Lighter calipers are installed along with AP Racing J Hook Rotors.
You’ll notice we don’t touch too much on tires — for you regular track drivers, I’ll leave you with this.
Of course, if you're looking for solid tires, you can't go wrong with Michelin Cup 2S, Cup 2R or Dunlop Race Spec 2 tires.
How do YOU drive your Porsche?
These mods are meant to get you started as either a 911 Porsche GT3 street driver or as a track racer. If you’ve gone through street/race headers, you’ve gone through various exhaust systems, or you’ve added a variation of rear wings, but still want more, then let’s talk! While we make parts for the everyday driver, most of our parts are inspired by Porsche race car drivers.
Don't have a Porsche 911 GT3 but curious about other cars we have mods for? We also manufacture and engineer parts for Boxster / Cayman, Speedster (GT3 touring), 911 GT3 Cup, and Cayman Clubsport. View our products for more info or give us a call.
