TRZ06

Being under damped IS subpar and NOT a minor issue. That is one of the bigger factors in a car's stability at speed when handing bumps, dips, undulations, etc. on the road. The rebound stroke is what controls the chassis when it gets upset and a underdamped car is the worst.

You are not giving the issue the weight it deserves when it comes to chassis control.

colnagoG60

No, Mr. Pobst said it himself:

[Url]

greatfox315

Using the GT4 as a gauge for how the GT4RS handles is misguided. I would reserve judgement until you’ve personally driven the car. The dampers are completely different, have a greater range of damping variability, and react much faster than those of the GT4. The GT4RS has the latest generation of Bilstein adaptive dampers.

”The suspension has been heavily reworked, with stiffer springs, new faster-reacting adaptive Bilstein dampers, and spherical ball joints replacing all rubber bushings. Additionally, there's a greater range of camber and toe adjustment, so you can really tailor the handling to your preference.”

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a3...cayman-gt4-rs/

colnagoG60

FWIW, during a Porsche press junket earlier this year, where journalists were invited to drive multiple generations of 911s, one of the journalists reported that the engineers stated that the softer front spring rates in later gen cars, were to retain more of the analog feel, and provide more road feedback, in the electrically assisted cars

ilovegt

good point. Let's not forget the sticky buttons, the battery and PTU ..

we are what we eat, we get what we do pay for. Quite simple. Porsche as a manufacturer does not survive by pleasing the minority. We should be just glad that they finally listened and give us a GT4RS.

It's your car, your money and do whatever you want with it. Let others who don't track or track on smooth surfaces enjoy the car they have been waiting for quite a few years. Or just create a separate thread for how to mod and improve GT4RS. I am looking for experiences from those who already own it, not those who own a GT4 and extrapolating their hypothetical experiences.

dnimi123

These are direct quotes from RB - -just look it up like I did....

Underblu

My takeaway from that video is that Randy Pobst has high regards for the performance of the GT4 despite his preference for more damping.

No car is perfect, the GT4 is certainly no exception but it’s remarkably capable right out of the box. Sure toe-links, upgraded shocks can make a great performing car even better but the idea that the GT4 is somehow compromised is absolutely lost on me. There are some cars you have to drive with a degree of skill to get the best out of. The air cooled 911s where like that and the Carrera GT has its share of critics too. The Spyder/GT4 while relatively easy drive fast will make you aware thats it’s not a video game when pushing it.

colnagoG60

Roger that. However in the magazine article for the drive, he was increasingly frustrated by the understeer, even after making adjustments. Jason Cammissa also had a video where he couldn't get the car to rotate well (for a mid-enguned car) on a skid pad, again despite making changes as well. "Design flaw", or "by design"? Only Porsche knows.

But regarding the toe links, it's my understanding the aftermarket put them out to correct rear end instability under braking. That's probably something that should have been dialed out at the factory. This seems to have transferred from 981 to 718...hopefully rectified with the RS. Not that itll ever be my concern.

cafe_racer

Having driven my GT4RS on track there is squirm under hard braking, especially coming into T1 at Philip Island, should be an easy fix. My lotus did the same and a small setup change resolved it.

dnimi123

No. The rear toe links from the factory are static and so you are limited on how much negative camber you can get at the rear (-1.6). So this is completely unsatisfactory and is the first thing (of many) that should be on everyones list who own a GT4 or Spyder. without it you cant get a decent alignment for the car even just for the street. Again why would Porsche do THAT to a GT car is beyond explanation - its intentional and its just not nice! Does anyone know if the GT4RS rear toe links are static? What is the factory alignment on the GT4RS? That would tell us alot about what they did or did not do for the RS. My speculation is they didnt do much except drop in the GT3 engine, put on a big wing and say here ya go!

colnagoG60

???

Given the numerous posts on rennlist, and TPC's own description of their toe links, "rear end instability under braking" is a thing.

cafe_racer

On the 4RS, front and rear have both adjustable toe and camber +ARB's.

I have posted somewhere on rennlist the manual also referring to this with stock and adjustment figures. Also why waste your time and others with your "speculation" in a thread about driving impressions, wait until you take one for a drive, and if interested just read what others who have them say.

wizee

Both the GT4 and GT4 RS have adjustable rear toe in stock form, though an eccentric rather than adjustable length links. The GT4 RS has different longer rear toe links than the GT4 though (along with different control arms etc), so it can achieve more rear camber while remaining in spec for toe than the regular GT4, but adjustable length rear toe links would allow a much greater range of rear camber. I don’t know if the GT4 RS suspension geometry changes have reduced rear bump steer (toe out on braking) compared to the GT4. The stiffer springs and more balanced front to rear spring rates would probably have helped a bit on this front too.

Regarding understeer on track, a little more negative camber in front really does mostly dial it out, the rest is just managing weight balance (with throttle and brake) through corners and managing corner entry speeds.

Regarding damping, the GT4 RS dampers are completely different units from the GT4. With that said, I’ve never understood what TRZ06 and dnimi123 harp on about endlessly. I’ve never driven a GT4, only have a Spyder which has slightly different damper tuning, but honestly the damping on my Spyder feels great and well judged even on crappy roads, considerably worse than most I’ve encountered in California.

Having a double wishbone or multi link suspension could help improve rear end stability on braking and allow running less static camber, but with a suitable alignment the strut based setup works great and it still outgrips most cars equipped with more elaborate geometry.

dnimi123

Ill let everyone know how much better the GT4 drives after the install of MCS 2 ways is later this week...

lilbza

Might be best to start a GT4 driving impressions thread then, not sure this is the thread for it.