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I got a manual because its slower, if I wanted pure speed for the street I would have got a 991 TTS or something for the same price (back when I started looking at least)
I do plan to do track days and HPDE's and auto X and things like that but I'm not planning on being overly competitive, I just want to get good at driving the car
and its not like its slow, the thing will be much faster than my outgoing v8 vantage due to being nearly 400lbs lighter
This is very comforting to read. I agree with everything you said except #1, as I only want a manual because this is a toy, not a dedicated track car. I would add to your comment about weight, that I prefer a smaller car.
My biggest concern is that I will feel let down on the power. I was not happy with my 996's power and really didn't like the light front end's steering. Hopefully the GTS will check all the right boxes.
And if not, I suppose I could always sell it.
I think your last sentence is a real key for
me. I hope the GT4 is the ownership experience that I have dreamed of for many years. But if it’s not it’s one of the few cars you can get out of without getting hurt to bad by depreciation. I’m going Manual. I got the DCT in my M2 and it’s great but for me it’s the car I drive when I just want to enjoy driving. With the DCT I feel
like I am missing out on part of the experience.
Regarding manual vs PDK, Jason Cammisa has a great argument on this subject here (and BTW, if you have not watched this video, it's really enjoyable and informative). "You're into what you're into." "Not that there's anything wrong with that." --Seinfeld
LOL, Car was still going through PDI at dealership and then off to PPF less than 1 mile away. Hope to get some proper staged photos post PPF.
Triple black with interior leather trim option which I had not seen on another car before ordering but am ecstatic with the results. PDI in progress. Happy with leather trim option.
shocking how much it looks like my triple black 981 GTS. Beautiful.
My SA sent me an update showing that the my car has now sprouted a VIN even though it still shows V260 status. It happens to show a Stuttgart factory build.
Much to my surprise, VinAnalytic has the build information for the car. I was really surprised they had this info already! Their Advanced VIN Decoding service (a whopping $9) shows a surprising amount of detail about the build. Interestingly it is reporting a 1/1/1970 build date (zero date for programmers).
For those of us that like to have too much information you might want to consider one of these too, here are some screenshots (with part of my VIN left out).
I see is the tire code 6UAK00LX. According to a report elsewhere on Rennlist this means the car got Michelins (where XT would have been Pirellis). Looking around it seems all of the GT4s are the Michelins.
My SA sent me an update showing that the my car has now sprouted a VIN even though it still shows V260 status. It happens to show a Stuttgart factory build.
Much to my surprise, VinAnalytic has the build information for the car. I was really surprised they had this info already! Their Advanced VIN Decoding service (a whopping $9) shows a surprising amount of detail about the build. Interestingly it is reporting a 1/1/1970 build date (zero date for programmers).
For those of us that like to have too much information you might want to consider one of these too, here are some screenshots (with part of my VIN left out).
I see is the tire code 6UAK00LX. According to a report elsewhere on Rennlist this means the car got Michelins (where XT would have been Pirellis). Looking around it seems all of the GT4s are the Michelins.
I don’t think you missed checking a single box. High end build. Very nice. I can’t wait to see photos. I would love to do Shark Blue but I keep wavering. My lock date isn’t until October. I noticed you didn’t get the LWBS. Did you consider it? What made you decide to stick with the 18 ways?
I don’t think you missed checking a single box. High end build. Very nice. I can’t wait to see photos. I would love to do Shark Blue but I keep wavering. My lock date isn’t until October. I noticed you didn’t get the LWBS. Did you consider it? What made you decide to stick with the 18 ways?
Thanks! It's certainly looking like there might be a lot of Sharks running around this coming year. Three of my prior Porsches were silver (last was GT Silver) and one was agate. I decided I wanted a splash of color for a change and this called to me the most.
The dealership had cars on their floor with both LWBS and 18 ways for us to try. While the buckets were cool, they just weren't nearly as comfortable to my and my wife's bodies as the 18 ways were. Since I'm mostly concerned with sporty backroads driving, an autocross every month or two, and at most a modest track engagement or two a year; the 18 ways seemed like the right thing for us. And to be honest my wife really hated the buckets - both for getting in and out and for the lack of easily adjustable lower back support she likes - and I really want her to want to come with me sometimes on day trips.
LOL, Car was still going through PDI at dealership and then off to PPF less than 1 mile away. Hope to get some proper staged photos post PPF.
Triple black with interior leather trim option which I had not seen on another car before ordering but am ecstatic with the results. PDI in progress. Happy with leather trim option.
This interior pic was helpful to switch to black aluminum from carbon fiber. Thanks
This interior pic was helpful to switch to black aluminum from carbon fiber. Thanks
I wrestled with picking carbon fiber, black aluminum, and leather trim, all good choices, before opting for the black leather trim. You're right about the configurator not having much resolution to help with choices.
Thanks! It's certainly looking like there might be a lot of Sharks running around this coming year. Three of my prior Porsches were silver (last was GT Silver) and one was agate. I decided I wanted a splash of color for a change and this called to me the most.
The dealership had cars on their floor with both LWBS and 18 ways for us to try. While the buckets were cool, they just weren't nearly as comfortable to my and my wife's bodies as the 18 ways were. Since I'm mostly concerned with sporty backroads driving, an autocross every month or two, and at most a modest track engagement or two a year; the 18 ways seemed like the right thing for us. And to be honest my wife really hated the buckets - both for getting in and out and for the lack of easily adjustable lower back support she likes - and I really want her to want to come with me sometimes on day trips.
You really hit the nail on the head with that assessment. I am like you. I do want my wife to enjoy rides in the car which is my biggest concern with the LWBS. We tried both seats as well and she popped in and out of the buckets pretty easily. But I know she just doesn’t want to stand in the way of me getting what I want. My fear is it will be just a few months after I get that car that I will find out how she really feels about them. Like you I enjoy autocross and may do an occasional driving school but I don’t ever see myself getting serious about track days. Then again what other car will I ever own where I can truly experience the sensation of driving in a real racing seat. It’s a conundrum. I have a few more weeks to noodle on it.
Last edited by GT4 Shark Blue; 08-10-2021 at 12:15 AM.
You really hit the nail on the head with that assessment. I am like you. I do want my wife to enjoy rides in the car which is my biggest concern with the LWBS. We tried both seats as well and she popped in and out of the buckets pretty easily. But I know she just doesn’t want to stand in the way of me getting what I want. My fear is it will be just a few months after I get that car that I will find out how she really feels about them. Like you I enjoy autocross and may do an occasional driving school but I don’t ever see myself getting serious about track days. Then again what other car will I ever own where I can truly experience the sensation of driving in a real racing seat. It’s a conundrum. I have a few more weeks to noodle on it.
We had the 18-ways in a previous build and spec'd them again in our new GT4 build. My wife and I do LOTS of track driving. The secret weapon of the 18-ways is that you can adjust the seatpan and side bolsters to really snug you in. Buckets do better, but not that much better. I have buckets in my race car and it's really the 6-point harness that does the full trick.
We had the 18-ways in a previous build and spec'd them again in our new GT4 build. My wife and I do LOTS of track driving. The secret weapon of the 18-ways is that you can adjust the seatpan and side bolsters to really snug you in. Buckets do better, but not that much better. I have buckets in my race car and it's really the 6-point harness that does the full trick.
i appreciate your insights. How about the Carbon Ceramics? What are your opinions on them? I know the steel breaks are more than sufficient. I am guessing that for everyday driving steel may still be the better choice. My fear with Carbon are things like poor performance when cold and noisy breaking at stop lights. For me the big plus is that they stay cleaner longer. I am into keeping my car looking really nice. But that isn’t enough of a reason to get them if my other concerns are legitimate.
i appreciate your insights. How about the Carbon Ceramics? What are your opinions on them? I know the steel breaks are more than sufficient. I am guessing that for everyday driving steel may still be the better choice. My fear with Carbon are things like poor performance when cold and noisy breaking at stop lights. For me the big plus is that they stay cleaner longer. I am into keeping my car looking really nice. But that isn’t enough of a reason to get them if my other concerns are legitimate.
It wasn't really a performance thing for me to be honest. After having four 911s with steel brakes I decided I was soooo soooo tired of having to wash the car just because the wheels got too dusty that I just didn't want to deal with it anymore. I like to have a clean car but I don't really enjoy the washing part so much... it is just a duty I force on myself. In the most recent 911 you see in my avatar, with the gloss black Carrera 5 spokes, that black gloss choice ended up being a disaster since they would turn an uneven flat black within a hundred miles of driving. What was I thinking after the first three times? (It was a good deal on a lightly used - 900 mile - Carrera S that I just jumped on too quickly).
This car will be the first Porsche I ordered myself. I decided I would splurge and just get everything I wanted cost be damned. PCCBs were at the top of that list. I'll admit that is it also a vanity thing, I wanted to have a car configured at the top of its game for once... on all of the others I had always settled in some way or another. On the plus side, if I do keep the car a long time at least I won't have the expense of replacing the steel rotors and pads after a while so that's a small financial plus there. I know that for me saying I'll keep a car a very long time hasn't historically happened much (although I do also have a 2013 F150 King Ranch with 95k miles), but with the changes occurring in the car industry these days I'm thinking this one might just be a longer-term keeper as I retire.
On the subject of PCCB squealing, I've been digging into that and found that one of the big things that can cause PCCBs to squeal more is getting wax or similar contaminants on the rotors. I've read that the ceramic matrix rotor surfaces are microscopically porous and the wax can actually get into the surface of the rotor as well as the pads. I'm going to work hard to keep them wax free. So I'm attacking this several ways:
1) Don't ever use a drive-through car wash
2) Get the whole front clip PPFed and the rest of the car and wheel surfaces ceramic coated so I don't need to use wax.
3) Use a PH-neutral wax-free soap - I've opted for Gyeon Bathe (not Gyeon Bathe Plus).
4) When I do use a quick-wash/touchup product on the car, don't spray it anywhere near the wheels - Don't use a spray-on tire cleaner/finish either
Best wishes with sorting out your final configuration choices! Mine kept getting tweaked all of the way up to lock. At least it keeps us occupied during the wait