Forged Performance - Porsche 996 GT3 Project, Stay tuned for more updates....

Discussion in 'Off-Topic' started by Tray@Forged, Jul 28, 2010.

  1. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member

    Hey guys,

    Many of you have seen us at the track with our Nissan GT-R competing in various Time Attack and track day events with NASA, Redline Time Attack, PCA, BMWCCA, and various national magazine track competitions, such as the Modified Magazine Tuner Shootout, and the Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge. We’ve had great success across many platforms of vehicles, and have decided on a focus and renewed effort in the Porsche marketplace. Our facility of 11 full time employees have built a great reputation for excellence over the past six years, and we look forward to working with the Porsche community moving forward. From parts, service, engine building, tuning, full race car prep, and driving instruction, we do it all in house.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    I have always loved driving Porsche’s and we wanted to get into the market when the opportunity presented itself. A few weeks ago an opportunity did arise and we now have a new Forged Performance shop car to add to our stable.: A beautiful 2005 Porsche 996 GT3. The previous owner install a few carefully selected mods that gave us a head start:

    4 Point Harness Bar
    Schroth 6 Point Harnesses
    European GT3 Seats
    Lightweight Clutch/Flywheel
    Cup Car Shifter/Linkage
    Cup Car Rear Toe Arms
    Second set of OEM wheels
    1 year old used set of Hoosier R6’s (more on that later)
    Pagid Yellow Brake Pads


    This GT3 isn’t nearly that fun on the street, so what better way to shake the car down, then test and tune at Carolina Motorsports Park! We packed up the GT3, and the GT-R and headed to CMP about 4 hours away from our facility in metro Atlanta. We rolled it off the trailer and I gave it a couple turns to get used to the car. With regular Michelin PS2’s 235/295 the car was nearly undrivable on track. With the alignment settings tailored to the Hoosiers, the street tires were simply unable to function properly. Turn in was non-existent, and the car was unstable throughout the corner. Any additions of fuel, steering, or brake would result in a violent chassis reaction. After a couple of laps, I just decided to parked it, as I wasn’t accomplishing anything other than drifting practice. I knew we had a lot of work to do to get the setup where it needed to be.

    After the track day at CMP I decided that the car was in need of some improvements to the, suspension, braking, and general setup. Aesthetically the car is absolutely beautiful, but it was clear we were in need of wheels. Tray contacted HRE Performance Wheels and got a set of 18inch HRE Comp 90’s in route.. They sent us a set of wheels painted gloss black, with a gloss black lip with titanium fasteners in 2 weeks. Talk about service! We sourced out a Porsche Cup splitter and he contacted GMG and got us taken care of. Soon we will be adding a GT3 Cup wing to give us some much needed rear downforce at the high speed tracks we attend.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]


    The car handles really well out of the box. No question about it. But we have been spoiled these last few years running JRZ suspension on all of our track cars. It is amazing how a car can feel when running JRZ suspension. If you are serious about speed this is exactly what you need. I decided to go JRZ RS Pro’s starting with a square spring setup of 1000lb Front/1000lb Rear. I’ve always liked my track cars fairly stiff, and this is a good place to start for a mostly track use GT3. To compliment the upgrades suspension we wanted to upgrade the sway bars and components. Tray got in touch with TPC Racing the Mid Atlantic Porsche race experts. Tom equipped us with a set of TPC Racing Pro series adjustable sway bars, droplink kit. A few days later the goodies from TPC Racing has arrived. Unboxed and laid out on a table for observation. I really like the quality of these suspension components. They are made from very high quality materials, and the sway bars shipped with OEM bushing. The installation was a breeze and no modifications were required. For this install we decided not to install the adjustable toe links until the JRZ’s arrive.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    As far as the exhaust was concerned it sounded a bit tame and needed a change. We contacted Jay from FabSpeed. They have some really nice products for a wide variety of European cars. Our Porsche is mainly going to be at the track so we started off with their FabSpeed muffler bypass kit. This was a great addition to the car. The installation was a breeze and the quality of parts were as promised. Wow…instantly shed 50+lbs from the rear of the GT3, and the exhaust note is off the charts insane. It screams move over! I love it!

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Check out the car after the installation. The Fabspeed Muffler Bypass was tolerable in normal street driving.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3yTMYu9bdk

    While waiting for the new JRZ’s to arrived, we decided to bring the GT3 to last weekends Chin Motorsports track day at Road Atlanta. Road Atlanta is one of my favorite tracks, and happens to be only 1 hr from our shop. I have over a thousand laps around this place, and every time I got there I leave with huge smile on my face. The fast straights, huge elevation change, blind corners, neck snapping braking zones….Road Atlanta has it all. Since the HRE’s had arrived, I mounted and balanced the previous owners super old Hoosier R6’s and hoped for the best. To my surprise, the car was improved drastically, and was actually now a fun track car! The soft suspension of the GT3 was still a handicap for me, but at least I could go out there and turn some fun laps without total fear of loosing control of the car. You can see in the video, that I am still fighting for grip in spots, but that’s to be expected with a really old tire that’s well out of it’s prime. I was still able to pass most of the cars on track, but it just took a little more effort than it would have with the GT-R. And to cap off the event on Sunday afternoon, the left rear exploded on the back straight just before turn 9 and 145mph. I lost control of the car, but somehow managed to keep it pointing mostly straight, and off the walls. I feel $50K richer for that save.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Stay tuned for more updates. We know that our GT3 will be a very fast track-day car, and we’re looking forward to more upgrades and changes as the weeks progress. We attend at least 1 track event each month, so if you see us around, please stop by and introduce yourselves.



    Sharif
    GM/Owner/Driver

    Forged Performance
     
  2. josh booth

    josh booth Active Member

    Very nice.... I am loveing the HRE wheels.
     
  3. BKiller

    BKiller Active Member

    Sweet.
    I would imagine those HREs and JRZ are worth more than most people on here have into their cars total...
     
  4. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member

    The wheels came out great. HRE is a great company to work with. They really do offer some of the most exclusive wheels on the market today.

    Well, It really depends on the car.:)
     
  5. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member

  6. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member

    Sorry for the delays guys. But we just got some goodies to share. We have a new set of JRZ RS Pro's with custom spring rates. For those who are not aware of the JRZ Suspension they are the top choice for professional race teams. JRZ have proved themselves on the track with countless victories across many forms of motorsport. Forged Performance has been using them for years on all of our race cars, and will continue to be our choice for suspension.



    Stay tuned for more updates to come!



    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Tray
     
  7. sharif@forged

    sharif@forged Member

    Hope to have these on and corner balanced and aligned for some shake down testing this weekend at Road Atlanta. The stock suspension is so painfully soft! 250lb front springs FTL.
     
  8. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Wirelessly posted

    What are the new spring rates on the jrz setup?
     
  9. Dr.Chris

    Dr.Chris Member



    Reading is cool :coolugh:
     
  10. Alex

    Alex Community Founder Staff Member

    Wirelessly posted



    Musta missed that one on the phone :eek:
     
  11. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member

    Took the car this past weekend to Road Atlanta for a NASA Event. We were competing in our Forged Performance GT-R. We got to have fun in the Shop GT3 in HPDE. We have not yet installed the JRZ's but we did manage to put on a fresh set of Hoosier R6's and have a lot of seat time.

    Enjoy the pics!

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  12. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member

    Update: JRZ RS Pro Suspension has been installed, cornerbalanced, and Aligned!

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]



    Track impressions coming soon!
     
  13. gotsol

    gotsol Active Member

    stupid question but how is that suspension on the street?
     
  14. sharif@forged

    sharif@forged Member

    Surprisingly compliant. Less bouncy than stock.
     
  15. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member


    Hi everyone, it's Sharif again,

    As promised, I wanted to give you a detailed track test review now that the JRZ RS Pro's are installed, corner balanced, and aligned. As you will recall, I elected to use a 1000lb/1000lb square setup to best suit my driving style. I am also running Hoosier R6's in 245 front and 315 rear mounted to those beautiful HRE C90 18 inch wheels.

    So here is the complete rundown of the suspension related bits:
    JRZ RS Pro's 1000lb/1000lb
    TPC Racing Sway Bars
    TPC Drop Link
    Porsche Cup Car rear Toe Arms
    Hoosier R6's 245/315 18's

    While selecting these fairly aggressive springs rates for a weekend fun track day car, I was resigned to the fact that the ride would be fairly harsh on normal roads. But I was pleasantly surprised that the JRZ RS Pro's were incredibly compliant on the street. If you are familiar with Atlanta area roads, they are very rough, and the JRZ's soaked up the bumps with ease. There was also no noticeable noise inside the cabin and overall they had terrific compliance. This is definitely a package I would feel comfortable driving on the street. It's firm but not as bouncy as the OEM shocks.

    Now lets get to the fun part: The track test at Sebring's 12 hr circuit. Sebring is a great track for testing suspension. There is a huge variery of corners, from smooth wide open throttle high speed speeders, to very tight technical sections and of course the super bumpy and world renown turns 17 and 1.

    Bryan from JRZ was on hand to help translate my feedback into adjustments that provided the required results. In, a nutshell, the handling improvement is literally a nigh and day experience. Our spring rate choice was perfect! The balance of the car was exactly as I would request. With a few adjustments to the shocks, the stability under braking was extremely confidence inspiring, and turn in was precise and immediate. It was very easy to trail brake the car into corners while rotating the car gently torward the apex. I was able to apply throttle fairly early, and just a few steering corrections on the bumpy surfaces of Sebring. The car was dead flat and planted, and the body roll of the stock suspension was completely gone. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better handling GT3 on this track.

    The next step, however, is going to be an upgraded LSD, as I am still getting some tire slip and spin on hard corner exit, and probably given up a tenth or two on each corner exit.

    I was so pleased with the results, I ended up giving out about 10 rides to customers, friends, and others. This car puts a big smile on my face every time I drive it. :)

    Next stop is Road Atlanta on Sept 11-12th with the BMWCCA. This will be another great opportunity to see how the new suspension setup deals with Road Atlanta's elevation changes and smoother track surface. Looking forward to.

    Happy to answer any questions you all have.

    Sharif@Forged

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxlUhkz_7To





     
  16. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member

    Alright,

    Got another goody in today. Looks like we have a new OE Porsche Cup Car front bumper. Can't wait to see the outcome from the body shop.

    [​IMG]

    Tray
     
  17. josh booth

    josh booth Active Member

    Very nice.....
     
  18. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member

    Here is a picture of last weekend's Caffeine and Octane meet. The bumper looks very sharp!

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member

    The Forged Performance Porsche GT3 is running beautifully! We have been making some minor tweaks and adjustments with the suspension. Every outing in the Porsche makes it more and more of a joy to drive.

    Enjoy a recent video of the last outing at Road Atlanta. The Forged Performance crew went out an attended the BMWCCA event. Sharif was giving joy rides when he was not giving out some instruction.

    Enjoy the video! (Switch to 1080p for the best quality)


    YouTube - Forged Performance Porsche GT3 at Road Atlanta Fun Laps


    Here are a few pictures from the event for you to check out.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    Tray
     
  20. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member

    Hey Guys,

    It's been a while since we have posted. We have been really slammed at the shop and the car has been running really good. So far making minor adjustments and new Hoosiers has been it. We just had a great weekend at Barber Motorsports Park and thought the Porsche could use another mod. Sharif decided to throw in a OS Giken LSD and see how she does for this weekend's track day at CMP.

    Here is a quick picture before we installed it.

    [​IMG]

    Stay tuned for our feedback after this weekend.

    Tray
     
  21. Tray@Forged

    Tray@Forged Member

    I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year from all of us at Forged! We are looking forward to another year of strong growth and exciting products and projects for 2011.

    After running the OS Giken diff over a couple double hours on track, I've had a chance to really appreciate just how much better the car is over the stock differential. The OS Giken is the smoothest engaging full locking LSD I have ever used, and it's street manners are superb as well. There is no obnoxious snatching and grabbing during low speed parking lot maneuvers. On track, the diff transforms the car, and really allows me to come on the power sooner, and with more force without spinning the tires excessively. The vagueness and tentativeness of the rear end is completely gone, and replaced with smooth and consistent power delivery.

    I had a chance to test the car at VIR and Road Atlanta with the differential in place, where I saw on average, a 3/4 second laptime improvement, even while running fairly worn out R888's vs. the newer rubber I had previously as a baseline. For the money, this is one heck of a bang for the buck. For about $2000 MSRP, this is a tremendous value. Especially when coupled with OSG"s general position that they have engineered these parts to last forever meaning should a problem occur, they stand 100% behind their product without question. We've been using the OSG products in many lines of vehicles, and I think it's one of the best kept secrets in the Porsche world.

    Here are a few recent pics from VIR...enjoy!

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Sharif
     

Share This Page