BREAKING: This Is Our Very Fast First Ride in the 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 | Edmunds
The front axle is where the biggest changes have been made, with the MacPherson struts of the standard 911 having been removed in favor of a set of expensive, lightweight, forged aluminium wishbones lifted from the shelves marked “Cup and RSR parts.” That’s meant significant work to the steering, including completely new geometry and, of course, the wider track of the 992. Not an easy task, but one that Preuninger’s happy with, the double wishbones proving quicker to react and stiffer without as much friction as the previous setup. On roads he’s familiar with around Porsche’s Weissach base, the 992 GT3 certainly feels agile, the grown-up character of the 992 Carrera transplanted here with greater immediacy and accuracy. It has the effect of seemingly shrinking the 992’s proportions, which is no bad thing given the GT3’s sharper focus.
Bigger, yes, but less weight
Weight is always a consideration with the Porsche 911 GT3, and that’s no different with the new one. Preuninger says this 992 GT3 weighs no more than the previous 991.2 GT3, with the 2018 GT3 quoted at 3,116 pounds. That means the new car will be around 238 pounds less than a standard 992 Carrera, the drop in mass achieved by the usual GT3 route of removing the rear seats, thinner glass on the side and rear windows, lightweight polyurethane bumpers front and rear as well as significant reductions in sound deadening throughout.
Although the GT department has saved weight wherever possible, there’s no longer the opportunity to leave out the air conditioning because, sensibly, nobody ever did so. The front trunklid is now carbon fiber, with cutouts in its structure underneath to give it enough flex to pass pedestrian impact tests. The center-lock wheels are larger, staggered 20-inch and 21-inch front and rear with wider 9.5-inch rims up front (the rears remain 12 inches wide), but they’re no heavier. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are 255/35 ZR20s up front and 315/30 ZR21s out back, next-generation in their construction but sharing their compound with the previous GT3’s meats.
Stop and go
Behind those forged alloy wheels is a development of the 991 GT3’s braking system. The front rotors grow by an inch to measure 16 inches in diameter, while the rear rotors remain at 15 inches. The rotors are now pitted rather than through-drilled like Porsche’s racers, and Preuninger says the better standard brake package will likely mean fewer buyers springing for the PCCB (Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake) option. Do so and the rotors increase to 16.1 inches and 15.4 inches front and rear, respectively, and also significantly reduce the unsprung mass.