sgroer

Good moring all - I just completed my first commute in the GT3 (safely!) and wanted to share some impressions. Much has been asked about this, so here's my first impressions.

My commute is a 13 mile ride through some back roads, some highway (today was bumper to bumper) and some surface streets. For reference, It took me 33 minutes today.

Overall - The car is insanely fast, and it's easy to lose track as you work your way through the gears. The feeling I got was "caged, sedated lion". In other words, you can ***** cat the car around town all you want, and if the tranny is not in sport and the PSE is off (blasphemy), the car is very docile. Easy to drive, comfortable, smooth. But you just know a beast lurks within and it's DYING to get out. The car basically feels like it's agreeing to commute, reluctantly, but takes on the task with the best attitude it can. I'll walk through the major points of the car:

Suspension - Comparison to a 991S in sport mode is a good one. You notice the bumps, the ride is tight, and firm but not stiff at all. The car rebounds surprisingly softly and not once did I find myself doubting, at least from a suspension point of view, that this was a car I could live with every day. Yes, it's a GT3 and it should feel like one, but the suspension comfort for a car of this caliber is an unbelievable engineering feat.

Brakes - SQUEAKY!!! Extremly loud, embarassingly loud. I'm OK with a little brake noise, after all, it's a GT3. But I had to feather the car to a stop and they were still ridiculously loud.... like echoing off nearby buildings loud. I need to try to bed them in properly and give it time, but this may be an issue to take to the dealer. In the first 30 miles the brakes were as quiet as a church mouse. Curious about other owners experiences... But from a performance perspective, they were obviously confident and powerful. Easy to live with on a day to day basis once the noise goes away.

Engine / Exhaust - LOL . I got to really let it go for the first time merging onto 400 South from Northridge - by a stroke of luck, the entire ramp and quite a bit of highway in front was open. The sound is other worldy. Quite possibly the best sounding engine I've ever heard. Around town, with PSE either off or on, the engine is quiet and easy to pilot. It' is very much a jekyl and hyde experience. The engine is absolutely perfect!!!!!! The exhaust sounds are incredible. There is a small tunnel / underpass that I always enjoyed pushing my carrera S through at 4000 - 5500 RPMs. I did it in the GT3 this morning and it sounded like the earth was opening up. One thing I have noticed is that there is a VERY distinct point where the exhaust valves open and I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. Cool in a way, but if you are driving on the edge of that point, it may get annoying. Turning PSE off solves that, but you have to come to terms with turning PSE off!

Steering - Awesome. Miles ahead of the Carrera S. Amazing communication, even on a very slow and trafficy commute. Great feel and weight, but not too heavy so as to get tiring when in traffic.

Creature comforts - No issues. Took a call on bluetooh and it worked fine, the sound system is great for what it is - not the burm in the other 991s, but way better than I expected. Very very pleased with it, although I really don't know how often I'll actually turn it on. Dramatically more pleasant than the Bose in my 991S. Seats were good, had the seat heaters on and the windows open in the 55 degree weather. I enjoy the windows down for both the air and the sounds. Seat heaters make that easier to do longer into the year. The wing takes some getting used to. A couple of times I checked my blind spot and thought a vehicle was there. Found myself really giving a good look to decipher whether there is a car there or the wing. This is a practice I will have to make a habit.

Overall, any concerns I had about commuting in a 991 GT3 have vanished. I would imagine I'll commute 2-3 times per week in it, and use my jeep or ride my bike (the kind with pedals) the other days. The car is an absolute blast to drive, so much fun.


Now - 11/22 is my first track day, and I am drooling at the concept of tracking this car. I can't imagine what that is like, and struggle with the concept of owning a GT3 and never tracking it. My feeling is that it would force you to explore the car on public streets, and it's just waaaaay to much car for that.

BenDiem

OP,

Appreciate the driving impressions. Can't wait to get mine. I'm sensing that you like the stock exhaust then, eh? Is there a significant difference in sound level when you turn the PSE on? I'm guessing the car starts in church mode, but then you can turn the PSE on shortly thereafter and enjoy the sound?
Do I have this right?

Enjoy & GL,

BB

jlanka

Thanks for the writeup Sean, can't wait to try it myself (although I work from home :-) )

Question: Which brakes do you have?

Jeff

<3mph

Excellent write up and thanks for your thoughts! It sure sounds like this car will be very versatile and able to accommodate a wide range of driving needs. I'll be using this car for DD duties as well, and your experience is very reassuring. I'm curious, did you try different transmission modes (auto, sport, manual), and what was your impression on which was most suitable for commuting? Many have commented that auto upshifts too early and sport too late for this, and so have reverted to manual. Also, what are the roads like in your area--pretty good pavement surfaces in general, I assume? Overall, I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your car so much! Cheers!

mrsullivan

Yes, which brakes? On a brand new car a little surprising.

Thanks for such a thorough review

R.Deacon

S.

thanks so much for such an enthusiastic assessment , just adds to all the anticipation for myself and others here

zubairi911

Congrats for the GT3..
And a very nice write up .really enjoyed your first impressions.
yes the breaks are very loud and embarrassing . I have Pccbs which are quite for first 10 mins and then become awfully loud. This problem is since I took delivery. Having done 4000 kms now the noise is still very much there. The dealer says it's normal. But I find it very annoying and regret buying PCCBS. I shud have gone steels and saved 10K.
The engine note is awsome and gets even better after running in
enjoy you car in good health.

sgroer

Update on the brakes. Couldn't stand it. Went to go bed them in by warming them up and then doing 10 straight 80-20 stops. All fixed for now. Brakes were dead quiet after that. Just something to keep in mind. I'll keep you posted if the noise returns.

Unbelievably, on ga 400 heading in from the bedding, I saw this!!

Couple of honks and waves. And what a feeling rolling 2 gt3's up Georgia 400!!

Haku

Thank you for the report and feedback. Its good to know how the car is to live with day to day. The one issue I had with my .2 GT3 was that it was a harsh ride for a daily. As a passenger there were times when my wife would cringe at the thought of a long drive in it! By all accounts the 991 GT3 is a far more road compliant car.

From my experience (.2 GT3) it is normal for these brakes to be somewhat squeaky. Your's seem to be excessive and therefore it may be best to a visit a dealer.

S, keep the reviews coming. Thank you.

rockitman

Pccb or steel ?

kencollinsjr

Sean: I'm happy to bed in your brakes for you and get rid of the squeak.

kencollinsjr

Sean: I sent this note after you already found the solution. Yep, just need to do a few rounds of high-speed braking to bed them in. That's an amazing spot in GA. I wish it were me!

mrsullivan

EDIT: never mind, just saw the irons in your avatar, sorry for missing that...
My .2 gt3 (with irons) hardly ever had squeal issues. Maybe my braking style. Because not a daily driver, I tend to go on spirited drives and brake late. If they did squeal, I would do a couple 60-0 hard stops and the squeal would stop. I also found after a good wash, the squeal would stop.

mikemiaos

Nice review, looks like everyone is happy with their GT3, can't wait to get mine next week

sgroer

Yes, quite a bit of difference in PSE and non. At idle, similar, on the gas, two different animals.

Steel - but note the bedding in seems to have made everything all better.

Auto keeps the car at very low RPMS. Extremely docile. Enjoyable when you really do just want to roll around. Ideal for commuting.

Manual is what I've used almost exclusively. There's no need for Sport on the street, in my opinion, as it shifts way too late. It's either manual or auto for me. I look forward to trying sport on the track though. Roads are decent, some actually kind of crappy and the car handles really well!