When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Was finally able to drive it this afternoon during the day so I was more confident in taking some fast turns especially since I have been putting more miles on the car and getting more comfortable with it. This thing has amazing levels of grip, and with no drama whatsoever. No loose rear or uneasy turn in, or light front (911), just perfect mid engine balance with the car rotating around you. My previous 911s and gt3 always has this "darty" front end due to the car rotating with the axis behind you, vice the mid engined cars. Spyder rs feels way more "planted" than my previous ferraris. I am sure the double wish bone 992 gt3/rs is more "darty" and has better turn in but who cares? I not complaining about how the spyder rs turns in and wishing for more.
Even with the sport suspension on it's very compliant and I can't detect any cowl shake at all. It's just a stiff car without a roof.
I also noticed the exhaust valves position also depend on throttle position as pushing deeper in the throttle makes the valves open earlier too.
I am just under 300 miles now, so next drive I will increase the rpms to 5500 per ap break in method.
Picked up the SRS on Friday. Took it to the Smokies that afternoon/evening and drove around Friday evening/Saturday getting 350 break in miles in the mountains. Then drove home almost 800 miles (12 hours of driving) yesterday.
Here are some of my initial disjointed thoughts (take them for what you will...)
The drone at around 3000 rpm on the highway with the valves activated is annoying. Turning the valves off gets rid of the drone.
Suspension is definitely not as harsh as the GT4RS, as to be expected. Had no issues handling the mountain roads and had a great time driving with some friends Friday/Saturday.
Top up the intake sound is very muted, not even close to as loud as the GT4RS. This made the highway drive much quieter than I expected and also allows for hearing the radio/podcasts through the stereo while driving on the highway. There is a lot of wind noise though the fabric roof, but nothing that you can't live with.
Bimini top is louder than full top off, but I can't tell if it's because it reduces the wind buffeting that occurs or if it's really reflecting off the roof.
Top off is a fun drive with the noise being louder than the full roof on and being open to the environment is enjoyable.
9000 rpm is way more impactful in the SRS than in the 991.1 GT3 with the intake noise being so in your ears. I do miss the rattling and exhaust sound of the 991.1 GT3, but overall I like the SRS more than the 991.1 GT3 I had and the intake noise more than makes up for not hearing the same exhaust sound. If I was going to continue to track my car I would have kept the 991.1 GT3, but for the road driving the SRS is going to much more fun. Not sure yet if I'll try any OAP replacements, etc. to boost the exhaust sound. Maybe after I live with it for a while.
For me the buckets are so much better for the long trips. I had no back or leg pain after 12 hours in the car yesterday. With the 18 ways in the 991.1 GT3 I would start having back/leg pain after a few hours and shifting around in the seat and adjusting the seat would not help. No issues with the buckets for me.
I also like the smaller steering wheel in the SRS much better than the larger GT wheel that was in the 991.1 GT3.
As for the roof - no issues from me. First few times taking it off and on was not too bad and I'm sure over time it will get quicker. I will say it is more difficult to put the roof on in the dark if you don't have good lighting...
Overall this is a great car and I am very happy I was able to have the opportunity to buy one and put it in my garage. I can see using it as an occasional daily driver and a fun mountain car. It will be an enjoyable car for many years to come.
Ok, finally got to do a first drive after a couple of weeks of tint and ppf. It's a short drive but got to 100 miles. Following the ap break in method just like I did with my previous 991.1 gt3 and have been limiting it to 5k with no full throttle.
Sound - I have no idea why everyone keeps complaining about how loud and annoying the noise is. As long as the pse is off there isn't any drone or noise at all when just cruising at a steady state speed on the freeway. With pse on though, the noise is very different than my previous cars. My previous cars were mostly exhaust, but the spyder rs has a great mixture of intake sound layered on top of the exhaust. It's like a little symphony with the high end brass (trumpet) perfectly layered on the low end brass (baritone) and comes together to make the most "harmonic" sound. Granted, I am limiting myself to 5k and it just starts "waking" up at 4500 rpm so excited to add more miles to slowly increase the revs. Will look into a valve controller to keep the exhaust valve open all the time while still retaining the ability to close the valves for when leaving and coming back home on my street.
Handling - I haven't really pushed it on my favorite windy roads yet as I am still getting used to the car but on a few of the turns I noticed the spyder rs to have a nice amount of "give" in the suspension that gives me a strong reassurance of grip. My last car was a 458 Speciale and that car was way more stiff which gave it a very "on your toes" feeling, like dancing. You get feedback from the Speciale on when you loose grip because the tail starts to slide (very gradually and controllably) but because of how stiff it is you can't really tell when it is just at the cusp of sliding. The spyder rs has that right amount of "give" to give you confidence on how much grip you have or have left (in my humble opinion). AutoTopNL said it best, that the softer suspension gives you more feedback on available grip. In terms of the sport suspension or normal, I just leave it in the sport mode all the time because I like the feedback it gives in the stiffer setting. After I get more comfortable with the car I will be able to provide more feedback on steering feel but right now, it feels good!
Other - I put up the top for the first time today by myself. I wanted to do it at home so everyone wasn't staring at me trying to figure it out in the showroom. It is definitely a pain in the butt, primarily because I am so worried of dropping something and scratching the paint or carbon fiber pieces. I am sure it will get easier with time but if it doesn't, I may get the spyder cover thing that is on another dedicated thread. I just want to make sure no bugs or roaches get in the car overnight in my garage. Also, i will be leaving the top at home next drive as I got to experience first hand how heavy the top is. Granted, it's super light compared to the normal top mechanism but it is heavy and kind of clunky to install and remove by yourself while on a drive so might as well just leave it at home and check the weather forecast before leaving the house. If there is a chance of rain, will leave the Bimini on from home and go drive as is.
One last thing, those buckets are a pain to get out of! Don't get me wrong, I would never spec the sofas but I wish it could be like the Ferrari carbon buckets. I had the carbon buckets in my 430 scud, f12, and 458 speciale and while they are difficult to get out of as well, it's easy peasy compared to the Porsche buckets. I ordered my 991.1 gt3 with the sofas cause the carbon buckets had a stop sale due to lack of availability at the time my order locked.
I will update as I put more miles on the car.
Here's a quick video I took in 5th gear at partial throttle up to 5k. The video doesn't fully replicate the symphony of the intake layered on the exhaust but it was worth a shot to record it. I did it in the tunnel to help bring more exhaust noise into the phone.
did u front tint the windshield?
edit. Nevermind im wearing sunglasses lol. Just got a foreign body removed from my cornea lol
thats a super nice spec!
Last edited by Rennolazine; 07-01-2024 at 06:54 PM.
A restrained librarian at sedate revs, a raging crack ho from 7500 to 9000. A keeper.
Great way to sum it up. It’s an incredible and unique experience pegging this motor to redline beside your ears, with no roof. One of the all time greats.
did u front tint the windshield?
edit. Nevermind im wearing sunglasses lol. Just got a foreign body removed from my cornea lol
thats a super nice spec!
I put a clear tint on the windshield and door windows to help block out the uv. Since the car is a spyder and a light color, didn't want to go with the dark tint look.
Thanks, I really like how everything turned out as well.
Congrats looks fantastic! We picked up our Olympic 4RS last month and are smitten with the color.
Just my opinion, but the Olympic only looked good because of the all the carbon accents and the partially painted hood. Without those accents it might be too much blue.
I drove my friends gt4rs for a short period of time just to experience the similarities and differences. The main differences I noticed were sound and suspension.
Sound: it's amazing just how much more noise enters the cabin with the spyder rs. Obviously because it doesn't have a roof but the intake noise is way more intense in the spyder rs as well as exhaust noise. Probably because the intake is closer to your ears in the spyder rs? The engine noise inside the gt4rs sounds the same though since they are the same engine.
Suspension: my spyder rs is on Dunlops and the gt4rs was on Michelins so it wasn't a fair even ground comparison but the gt4rs was noticeably more bouncy. Not just because the springs and dampers are stiffer than the spyder rs, but it felt a little "floaty" where it took a little longer for the suspension to settle after a bump when compared to my spyder rs. Again, probably mostly down to the tire differences but just highlighting the major things I instantly noticed.
I drove my friends gt4rs for a short period of time just to experience the similarities and differences. The main differences I noticed were sound and suspension.
Sound: it's amazing just how much more noise enters the cabin with the spyder rs. Obviously because it doesn't have a roof but the intake noise is way more intense in the spyder rs as well as exhaust noise. Probably because the intake is closer to your ears in the spyder rs? The engine noise inside the gt4rs sounds the same though since they are the same engine.
Suspension: my spyder rs is on Dunlops and the gt4rs was on Michelins so it wasn't a fair even ground comparison but the gt4rs was noticeably more bouncy. Not just because the springs and dampers are stiffer than the spyder rs, but it felt a little "floaty" where it took a little longer for the suspension to settle after a bump when compared to my spyder rs. Again, probably mostly down to the tire differences but just highlighting the major things I instantly noticed.
The stiffer you go on the springs, the more rebound damping you need to offset that motion. You really have to crank up rebound, but then you make the ride harsher as well. Super stiff springs are for "support" tracks that are fast and smooth. Anything bumpy requires the suspension to be able to breathe and soak up those bumps to keep the tires in contact with the road.
It requires a great damper with high quality build internals and excellent dyno tuning. PASM shocks do not cut it on 4RS spring rates.
The stiffer you go on the springs, the more rebound damping you need to offset that motion. You really have to crank up rebound, but then you make the ride harsher as well. Super stiff springs are for "support" tracks that are fast and smooth. Anything bumpy requires the suspension to be able to breathe and soak up those bumps to keep the tires in contact with the road.
It requires a great damper with high quality build internals and excellent dyno tuning. PASM shocks do not cut it on 4RS spring rates.
I drove my friends gt4rs for a short period of time just to experience the similarities and differences. The main differences I noticed were sound and suspension.
Sound: it's amazing just how much more noise enters the cabin with the spyder rs. Obviously because it doesn't have a roof but the intake noise is way more intense in the spyder rs as well as exhaust noise. Probably because the intake is closer to your ears in the spyder rs? The engine noise inside the gt4rs sounds the same though since they are the same engine.
Suspension: my spyder rs is on Dunlops and the gt4rs was on Michelins so it wasn't a fair even ground comparison but the gt4rs was noticeably more bouncy. Not just because the springs and dampers are stiffer than the spyder rs, but it felt a little "floaty" where it took a little longer for the suspension to settle after a bump when compared to my spyder rs. Again, probably mostly down to the tire differences but just highlighting the major things I instantly noticed.
I find that hard to believe, the differences that you describe about how the suspension feels between the 4RS and SRS is more about the springs and dampers, not tires. I had Dunlop Maxx Race 2 on my Spyder, then switched over to Michelin Cup 2's and they feel nearly identical.
I find that hard to believe, the differences that you describe about how the suspension feels between the 4RS and SRS is more about the springs and dampers, not tires. I had Dunlop Maxx Race 2 on my Spyder, then switched over to Michelin Cup 2's and they feel nearly identical.
Agreed !! I have tried both on my car and until you move to a much stiffer sidewall tire, you won't notice much of a difference. The difference between Dunlops and Cup 2's are fine nuances, not anything significant. Well except the cost of the Dunlops are super over priced.
Just as a side note as an observation on stiffer sidewall tires, I found that while you tend to gain a little more high frequency vertical motions in the ride quality, you also lose some of the low frequency "floaty" vertical motions since a soft sidewall tire basically acts as an uncontrolled spring. A stiffer sidewall tire puts more of those vertical forces back onto the dampers, which is what their job is supposed to be to dampen.
I find that hard to believe, the differences that you describe about how the suspension feels between the 4RS and SRS is more about the springs and dampers, not tires. I had Dunlop Maxx Race 2 on my Spyder, then switched over to Michelin Cup 2's and they feel nearly identical.
Yeah, trz06 helped clarify the suspension difference with the dampers possibly not being up to the task with such stiff spring rates. Just found it so noticeably different. I have heard many comments about how stiff the gt4rs is but thought it was just going to be a rough ride and not necessarily settle time via the dampers.
06-24-2024, 04:14 AM
