GrantG

In the US, we get ITB's without OPF (Speedster is first of many, hopefully)

stout

^ Could be right, as there are other changes at work in the Speedster engine (engine management platform, OPFs, less rotating mass, less noise, etc). On the other hand, I've spent a lot of time in 991.2 GT3 6MT, GT3 PDK, GT3 Touring, and GT3 RS and this engine felt different to me as well as my co-driver. Not "it's a new engine" or "oh my, previous GT3s are imprecise" but the takeaway was: higher resolution/clarity both ways between driver's input and engine response. The upshot of that was an engine I felt more comfortable extending, for whatever that is worth. And for some, it's worth a lot.

isv

I didn't mean to doubt that's what you found about the speedster engine, although the power of suggestion is imo considerable and Porsche had made quite a deal about the itbs so without wanting to sound like an idiot, it's easy to find what you are looking for sometimes.

If the batch 2 of the .2 RS does indeed come with itbs as it seems fairly likely, if you could have a back to back run with another .2 rs without, I'd be genuinely interested to know if you find the same difference though. Especially in a blind test.

ipse dixit

Not doubting your experience, much less your expertise, but could that be because of the open-top of the Speedster?

Our right foot is more often than not persuaded, or perhaps even deceived, by what our ears are perceiving.

stout

No worries, and everything you say makes sense. I typically note the pitch/information given but discard them when I go driving—in other words, I file them in separate categories. What they say vs what I feel. Not sure that fully addresses your fair question re: "power of suggestion," to which I'd add the inherent problems with trying to get a sense of a new car at this level in one day on roads you don't know (some cars and some roads lend themselves better to a credible quick take than others...and Sardinia's roads were particularly good this way). But...I've been on plenty of these trips and found things with new tech promoted the night before that didn't sit well with me out on the road. The rear-end lurch in early (2005) 997.1 Carrera/S, where a dual-durometer bushing in the rear was crushing at a certain load, which you could feel as you leaned the car into a corner hard enough...which gave you a false (and unsettling) signal about what the tires were up to. Pretty sensitive stuff...as I think only one or two other outlets picked up on it. Useful to the reader? Will the reader pick up on something like that? I don't know, but Porsche superseded the bushing for for late 2005 or 2006, I believe, and Manthey offered a quick/early fix (which, I understand, entailed pressing out the stock bushing and rotating it 90° before pressing it back in). Early 997 GT3 PASM was a bit of a mess, imo, and I took a lot of heat for that criticism—but I stand by that. PCCB was wonderful from the start, dynamically speaking, and no amount of press conference could prepare one for that first taste. Ditto the 918's ability to put its power down, even in the rain.

No problem, man, doubt away! I doubt/check myself five ways from Sunday while testing, and before writing anything down.

So, it sure could be—I saw the difference a quieter car can have in terms of "helping" you to higher speeds firsthand at Road America in the GT2 RS after the GT3 RS. Stress level down > faster...though there are other factors in that back to back for sure, as those 911s make their speed differently even with a full-on pro, which you can see in the data. And I could see where the "quieter" Speedster might have lulled me into going a bit quicker in places where I might have been more cognizant of my speed in, say, a 911R or GT3 Touring. But when it comes to my comments on the Speedster's delicious throttle sensitivity, I'm pretty sure my right foot is deaf. I am kidding, of course, but this really is more down the road of throttle sensitivity between Sport and Normal in many recent Porsches...in that it's about that sensory "take" rather than what I was hearing, and in this case the take was that the sense of precision/control was heightened significantly (not sure how you'd quantify "significantly" here, as 0.05-8.0% might have a big perceptional impact at speed when it comes to "feel" and "driver confidence"). You also had two drivers with plenty of GT3/RS experience picking up on it, and I don't think it was a "group think" exercise.

The real test will come as these cars get into owners hands. Some with experience in both cars may disagree, some may agree, and somewhere in there a trend will emerge. That trend will suggest what the "truth" is, and how important this small observation is to others. All I can do is report my early findings, which I suppose is hanging it out there with one of the keenest audiences I've ever endeavored to serve. Cheers...

BrntRubber

May car is UK as is next month.

Definitely good news for those with a batch 2 car. Batch 2 saves 20% of the exhaust weight including the GPF.

i wish they got a special designation but don’t think so.

GPF is 100% so it is likely it will have ITBs to go with then.

Taffy66

After a tip off i phoned my SE and requested him to email me a copy of his OPC's 'Standard equipment' page on their online configurator..It turns out it was only updated this morning..

Here's the important bits.

Two 3-way catalytic converters,gasoline particulate filters and on-board diagnostics for monitoring the
emission control system.

Variable plastic intake manifold with two switchable resonance valves and six individual throttle valves.

Lightweight Sport exhaust system in stainless steel with silencer and two central stainless steel tailpipes.

Max power now reached at 8400rpm Was at 8250rpm before
Max torque '' '' '' 6250 '' '' '' 6000rpm ''

Both max power and torque the same as before ie 520PS and 470Nm..
I'm in the UK btw..

GrantG

That is excellent news for you - congrats! Identical specs to Speedster motor +10hp

80s

Thanks for the update Taffy66!
Do you think It will be slightly less heavy, the 22lbs/10kg or what it was?

Sixpacked

I want to hear it.... NOW :-) I don’t care that they changed to steel exhaust as long as it’s still LOUD.

GrantG

Probably very little weight difference. I think the 10kg exhaust savings was compared to the steel exhaust of the GT3 (rather than Titanium of RS) and then the intake may add a little weight with the 6 throttles and the electric motors to control them).

Taffy66

The new exhaust is 20% lighter or by weight 10Kg..The new RS will be slightly lighter in reality, although the official spec sheet will show the same 1430Kg to avoid homologation issues..The RSs official 1430 Kg weight is a very vague measurement and doesn't take into account the full 30 Kg weight saving from the full Weissach pack(Including Mag rims and Titanium cage).

Gravs

Do you think there'll be a price rise Taffy?

Taffy66

Nobody has mentioned any price rise on my RS at my OPC so i suspect not..One potential massive fly in the ointment is this ridiculous Brexit saga which seems to drag on and on..If we leave without a deal before we take delivery of our RSs then we might be stumped with an import tariff..

80s

Ugh lets hope you wont have that tariff!
May i ask you spec?