abiazis

I enjoyed your writeup and if you had never been on a "track", the PEC courses give you a good taste.

As far as the manual connected to the car stuff.....you probably did not use the manual mode at PEC as they typically just instruct drivers to leave it in regular or sport automatic mode. Whether you shift with a stick or shift with your paddles, it is the brain that starts that action and the ultimate connection to the process.

I have both manual and PDK cars and I feel just as connected when I make the decision to shift whether I am dropping my hand down to move a **** or whether I am flicking a paddle - the car does the same thing moving to another gear that your brain has selected............that said, either way is a WIN.

You will get better in track experiences - practice, practice, practice.......and the more times you do something you generally get better at it!!

8enny8lack

Terrence

1) Driving on “track” is so different from driving on the street that it is ridiculous that both are referred to as driving. I realize this is obvious to most of you here. I have driven all my adult life (I’m 37 now), but this was my first time on a closed track and it really surprised me at how physical and deliberate you had to be with the car. After my session I had felt like I had just left the gym. Also if you are trying to go fast around a track and not kill yourself, the mental focus required is really astonishing. Maybe that is more so for me because I'm a complete novice, but it gave me a newfound respect for you pro drivers out there. Also interesting is that merely understanding concepts such as line, turn in, lift off oversteer, trail braking, etc. are very different from actually applying them in a track setting.

Yep. Just finished half a day on the track this Monday. The car is ridiculous. My instructor told me that I am spoiled, because "Not every car will allow you to execute moves with such willingness and confidence. Some cars will fight you the whole time."



2) The LWBS probably aren't for me. I had sat in them before and have them currently ordered in my .2 GT3 manual, however, after 90 minutes I pretty much concluded that for the type of driving I would mostly be doing, the sacrifice in comfort is not worth it for me. I occasionally want to take a long weekend drive with my wife and I can imagine the 6 hour drive from NY to montreal being a pain. Frankly, for me they weren't uncomfortable, but they weren't comfortable either. This goes to show you that you really cant just sit in them for 5 minutes at a dealership and know if they will work for you. I'm in relatively good shape and thought that most people complaining about them were just being babies, but yeah as much as I want to love them, I don't so I'm gonna change my build to sofas and save a couple grand (in this sense the PEC experience (~$925) actually saved me money). the LWBS did feel fantastically supportive going around the track though.

​​​​​​​LWB is certainly the seat of choice for track days, but for daily driving, 18-ways are great. You do sacrifice weight and adjustability, but you also get more padding and easier ingress and egress.

3) It made me question if I should change from a manual to a PDK. The PDK was fantastic and shifts were noticeably sharper than in my GTS, but the biggest thing that made me question whether I should go for PDK instead of the manual is because I could not imagine having to think about double clutch downshifting while simultaneously making sure I hit my braking point and following my line. Again this speaks to my complete lack of experience but frankly I was terrified enough just driving the car in full auto mode, I couldn't imagine throwing the whole clutch and shifter into the equation. That said, with my car I will be mostly doing street driving and the purpose of getting a manual is to feel more of a connection and have some more fun than I felt was missing in my PDK GTS. So maybe this isn't as big an issue as it seems right now.

I loved driving my manual on the track. Never have I missed a shift the whole session. The engine is so awesome one can almost leave it on just one gear or two for the entire lap. The "heel & toe" can be operated by the computer under "Sport" mode.


5) It is true when they say that a GT car is a different animal from a Carrera. You hear and feel a lot more in the GT3. Everything is sharpened and heightened in the experience that you kind of feel that even your own senses are dialed up a couple notches. You feel like you can see more, hear better, and even smell better. The car kind of forces you to be in a state of alertness. That was new for me and unexpected. Besides the engine (which is an obvious area of difference), the chassis felt so flat and stiff in turns, which was a dramatic difference from even Sport PASM in a GTS.

Welcome to the club!

PorscheFrank

I hear you brother. I can't stop thinking about going back!

PorscheFrank

I think you are absolutely correct about this. The main reason I went with a manual for my build is because frankly my PDK GTS felt a bit boring. I wanted something else in the car to make driving on the street more interesting also I hadn't had a manual car in a while. As you correctly put it, either way is a WIN.

PorscheFrank

A couple other things I noticed from my 90 minute GT3 drive was:

The GT3 is loud. I kind of find it hard to believe that some people think the .2 GT3 is too quiet. It surprised me at how loud it was at full throttle. So much so that I'm thinking of skipping the Bose as well.

A lot of the details I obsessed over in my build were totally inconsequential when it came to the enjoyment of actually driving the car. This might just be because this was my first time driving in this type of environment but I just wasn't really focused on the spec of the car, but I actually can't even remember if it had a leather dash, or if there was deviated stitching. I can't remember if it had carbon fiber or brushed aluminum. Can't tell you what the door sills were or if it had Bose. I don't even remember if it had a red stripe on the steering wheel. I'm sure that for my own car I would get somewhat more enjoyment out of such things knowing that they were there, but in terms of the pleasure of the driving experience, it did kind of show me that a lot of that stuff probably doesn't matter. This is another way the experience ended up saving me money. My current build is around $185k and it probably will go down by at least $10k.

The regular brakes were seriously great. I can see why people who track prefer the regular brakes for cost reasons. For me there is really no perceptible difference vs PCCB in terms of stopping power or feel. Since I'm gonna be on the street 90% of the time I'm still leaning toward PCCB for the look and reduced brake dust though. But could be an easy way to cut an additional $10k of the price of my car and I probably wouldn't miss it that much. I do prefer yellow and Miami blue vs red and Miami blue (I guess you could always paint the calipers though)

FastLaneTurbo

Hi Frank and thanks for a great review. Your humility is as refreshing as it is undeserved.
This recent article should convince you your initial choice of the GT3, even if you ONLY
use the GT3 for touring, it will always be your favorite car, as it has been mine.
I put over 25,000 miles on my '14 GT3 (standard 4 Way seats) and my wife always found it very comfortable.
Enjoy the car and never feel pressured to Track it, but when you do, you will find willing fellow Club member
Instructors eager to assist you in making a seamless low-pressure transition from Road to Track thus further
extending your pleasure in driving this great car. Congratulations and Welcome Aboard!

reidry

tstafford

OP -

I think you're making the right call on the LWB vs. sofa. For the rare occasions when the LWB are better, it just isn't worth all the hassle of them all the other time. I'd only get a car with LWB if I was going to track it regularly. I'm a die hard track guy and I'd probably still buy a GT3 with sofas because I'd only track it once in a while and the sofas are so nice all the rest of the time.

PDK vs. Manual - if you wanted manual originally I wouldn't let one track day change that. There is zero doubt that the PDK is superior on the track if the goal is to go fast (and it is). But if you're a manual guy don't buy PDK for the little bit of time you'll be on the track. I love the PDK and would go with it every time, but I have no affinity for manual. For those who love it, there's no replacement for manual it seems.

Glad you enjoyed the track.

8enny8lack

KM1959

Thanks for your post, you captured what I felt the first time I was on a track.

I too cannot tell you what interior options the GT3 I used at PEC had. However, when I test drove the few that I considered buying I can tell you EXACTLY what each had. The 18-ways offered me flexibility and the deviated-stitched leather dash reminded me of my Ferrari. I paid a little more for a car with those options but the $15K or so has been forgotten (until I wrote this) but I would have been reminded of the base dash, seats and a few other things every time I got in it had I "cheaped out".

Rambler_13

Aku700

Here is another reason I go with the 18's, I just came back from Streets of Willow last Saturday, did my first day EVER on a track with my MT 991 GTS and it was beyond explanation or expectations. I am not sure what times are considered fast, but with my amazing instructor Robert at this POC event, I got my time down from 1.40 a lap in my first session to 1.29 a lap on the 4th session, not bad for a newbie. And to my surprise, I won best in class, beat several higher performance cars, but anyway, here is what's so great about the 18's, you can adjust the sides, similar to bucket, but obviously no comparison, but it was enough to keep my body planted throughout this course, I never thought/worried about my body, my legs/body never moved. I think the fastest times on the course were around 1.25s, so the fact I did this in comfort and no sliding in my 18's speaks volumes, it actually reaffirms my decision to go 18s. Also, on another note that I didn't think about, I was purchasing my helmet at Werks II in Burbank week prior to race, I noticed they had buckets, so they said, "ya, we can just swap them in/out with ease". So, since I will only track my GT3 3-5 times a year, I can buy the buckets and swap them in/out as needed, that is if I get more serious about this racing, because this was an accelerating experience to track a car and have no cops, radars, lazers, deer, bicyclist, pedestrians, grandma's and/or any other crap to worry about, except for passing slower cars, lol.

and btw, I did the 1.29 with my Michelin Sport 4S tires, most everyone else had SportCup2's, etc. I was sliding around a lot, but damn it was fun, so I can probably shave off another 2-4 seconds with better tires, maybe more, who knows.

And it also reaffirms Manual vs PDK. I was really worried about tracking for my first time and shifting, brake, clutch, gas, yada, yada, yada, this is my first manual car in 25 years, so I was scarred xxxxless out there on my first few laps, but at the end of the day, I was like "WOW", I love the manual, going down towards the skid and popping it from 2nd to 3rd was awesome, then into 4th, so ya, you FEEL that car, more connected somehow, MANUAL is the way to go. But that's only my personal opinion/experience, to each his own obviously. Yes, manual in traffic sucks, but thank god I work from home, so only spend about 10% of my year bumper to bumper LA grid.

And I loved your article, because after realizing how fast my GTS was, is a GT3 too much for me?

A

R.Deacon

^A
hey great share and welcome aboard to the track world , glad to hear your positive comments on 18 way a versatile seat solution that some don't care for because of the added weight . great to hear your excitement and enthusiasm . Here's a little tip for you next time putting down some laps that will held secure
you in your seat . ok your seated helmet , gloves on mirror adjusted etc. power seat aft from your normal spot then tip back back , grab the latched seat belt pull
slack out so it's tight hold it so it's taught and locked down with your right hand now power seat back up and forward with your left hand (obviously) depending how far you power seat forward
you can totally lock yourself down . after some laps tweak further forward to maintain your secured position trust me you won't move .
have fun
hey great opening day aptitude
oh yea I think that Track bug bit you GL

ipse dixit

To: The OP
From: Your friends at the track
Re: Your discretionary income

Kiss it goodbye.