Larry Cable

I had this same problem also, even although 2 out of the 3 other guys were 'fast' (one in a GT3 the other in a Turbo S - the 4th guy parked up because we were too fast for him even in his GT3) there was a lot of 'early' braking etc, it wasn't until the open driving segment on the Tuesday pm that I was able to "turn on the taps" ...

donR

Thankyou, very nice detail and photos on the MR upgrades. Will you be installing their coil overs?

v_rex

Nope... At least not in the next 1-2 years...

v_rex

And one last thing about this years Nurburgring experience: the trip back.
I was in a hurry after the MR visit and, since I was in Germany on a de-restricted Autobahn, I managed to reach 302km/h (~188mph) just before reaching a dangerous bend ...



It was something I wanted to tick (getting to the 300+ kph club), but I don't intend to reach those speeds any time soon. I think the track is much more fun and engaging and you don't depend so much on what other people do.

One interesting thing where I need some thought is regarding oil consumption... Let me explain:
- first 3000 km (~1865 miles) - ZERO oil consumption
- 2 trackdays + the trip there, 1000 km (~620 miles) - ZERO oil consumption
- trip to Nurburgring, 1650 km (~1000 miles) - 0.5 liters (~0.5 US quarts) of oil consumption
- Nurburgring track action, 700km (~630 miles) - ZERO oil consumption
- trip back from Nurburgring 1650 km (~1000 miles) - ZERO oil consumption

Any ideas why this is happening?
Thanks!

TRZ06

What was the stability like at that top speed. Did it feel nice and stable? Could you feel the downforce working?

v_rex

On the Autobahn I had not issues with stability... I couldn't feel the downforce working since I was traveling mostly in a straight line .
But, I could feel the downforce working at Nurburgring. For example at 4:30 in this video:


I was ~15kph faster than my previous 981 Cayman (no aero). And I can go even faster - just lacking some ***** at the moment .

v_rex

I was planning of showing other pictures from this trip but apparently there is a software bug that is preventing me from viewing and downloading the files - Porsche says it is being looked at as we speak but there is no telling on when it will be fixed.
So, I will share the pictures at another time.
Until then, the story goes on...

After returning from Nurburgring, I got to install the Cargraphic valve controller. It is quite easy to have access to the engine (especially if you've done it before) and connecting the valve controller is not super easy but not difficult either (I did not remove any parts to connect the valve controller).





Of course, the operation would have been easier if I wouldn't have dropped a washer in the engine bay... I had almost all the tools to retrieve it (telescopic mirror, magnets, etc) but I couldn't find it. I ordered a endoscope and only this way I found it (after 4 hours of looking ).



Here is the end result:



I also found a great place to put the remote control for the controller - removed the armrest ashtray and the remote control fits perfectly:





Sound wise, it is a great improvement as the OEM controller would keep the exhaust valves closed in the mid-range (below 3800 RPM) no matter if the PSE button was ON or OFF. This mode is only visible on public roads as on track the car is always above 4000 RPM so the valves are always open.
But, the car still doesn't sound as good as the 981 Cayman I previously had. I think I will buy an aftermarket exhaust at some point, but I don't plan to do so in the next 2 years.

v_rex

There are so many things I want to share but I can't even finish the Nurburgring posts ...
Good thing I received the photos from the organizers so I can finally finish this chapter. Here is the first batch. Enjoy!



















Hopefully the next batch of photos will be posted tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Larry Cable

lucky you - I haven't got my photos from the event yet!

did you hear they cancelled the Masters in August?

v_rex

Check your experience.porsche account! That's how I found out about mine (not by any email or anything).
Too bad for August . I initially intended to go in August but those dates were overlapping with some family vacation - so I (thankfully) chose July.

And the second (and last) batch of photos.

















Next up, the suspension mods feedback and the latest Transilvania Motor Ring visit...

Larry Cable

Thanks I got an email notification from PSDS today!

v_rex

@Larry Cable Super! Enjoy!

After returning from Nurgurgring I was really curious to see how the new alignment settings feel.
So, I went to my local track with high hopes... The day started weirdly... we were expecting high temperatures but it rained in the morning - hence the dirt on my tires







Then is warmed up to 30+ degrees (Celsius). I started doing my regular laps and I kid you not, I have a different car...
The biggest differences are:

• I can definitely feel the increased camber as the car is not understeering so much mid corner
• when braking heavily and trying to tail brake, the car used to understeer. Now the car is very well balanced and I can get under or oversteer.
• the tire wear is much better - no excessive wear on the outside.
• the car feels overall, much better balanced than before (btw, the sway bars are still mid-mid).

I now understand why Manthey said that if I keep the OEM dampers their alignment and OEM suspension upgrade is a must.
That being said, I still think I need more camber and tires that can handle heat better.
By best time was improved by about 0.5 sec. but I made a number of mistakes on my fastest lap:


I estimate if I were to have a similar lap (aka similar driving) with my previous best lap, I would be another second faster. If that is correct, to gain 1.5 seconds on a 1:42 is a lot...

Dan Nagy

Thanks again for posting your video. I really enjoy watching these.

v_rex

The month of July was very busy with trackdays... I've already told you about the Nurburgring and Transilvania Motor Ring ones, just one more left: Red Bull Ring. Here it comes ...
My goal is to visit as many F1 tracks as possible (and not only, I would like to see other historic tracks - for example I would love to go to Laguna Seca) and when I heard that some people I know are going on a tour around Europe and having a trackday at Red Bull Ring, I couldn't pass the opportunity.
I've met the people from SpeedSector.com in 2018 when they rented the Hungaroring track and I wanted to test the 981 Cayman. That event was top notch so I expected nothing less from this trip .
Their trip was all around Italy (Venice, Alps, etc) and I only joined them for 2 nights. The accommodation was awesome - a restored castle. If you happen to be in the region, I truly recommend it: Schloss Gabelhofen. The company was also great and the cars attending were awesome...
There were a lot of supercars and for me to get compliments about my car coming from McLaren 720S or other supercar owners is a new thing .

Unfortunately I don't yet have all the photos from the organizer, but I hope they will come shortly.
I will discuss the trackday experience in the following posts, for now just some photos I have.

Accommodation:





Proof that Red Bull does give you wings



Cars attending... The organizer usually has the best / most expensive cars upfront so it was an honour for me to be on the 3rd row... I think if I would have had a more "normal" colour I would have been further down the grid. PS. You can easily see the difference in colour between the Shark Blue 992 GT3 and the Sapphire Blue 991.2 Turbo.



Other photos:







Thanks for watching, have a great Sunday!

Dan Nagy

^^^ As always, thanks for sharing! I enjoy your great stories and photos!