Orthojoe's track build journal
01-19-2015, 04:56 AM
#16
Hey Joe, is the passenger cushion swappable with the driver cushion (i.e., if I had two driver cushions, would that solve at least the cushion slot, or did Porsche do something else to make it harder to get the passenger seat configured for a 6-point)?
01-19-2015, 07:49 AM
#19
Congratulations on a great car and the beginnings of a soon to be well-referenced thread!! Thanks for putting this together. Even for guys like me, who won't track this car in the foreseeable short term, it's very interesting reading and will have tons of info that will be applicable even to daily driven cars (case in point, room in the back seats). Kudos to you!
01-19-2015, 10:33 AM
#20
Nordschleife Master
Thread Starter
Thank you very much for the support, everyone! This is going to be a very fun year.
Yeah, it's weird. Thill is listed as supported in the online pdf, but it is not built in to the app. I have no idea what that means, though. It's very confusing. Only Laguna is 'built in' and selectable on the app right now.
Yes. It looks like the cushions are interchangeable. The only difference is that the passenger side has 2 small wires that pin the seat down. The passenger shell lining has the cutout, so the cutout is outlined already for those brave enough to cut through the seat.
Yes. It looks like the cushions are interchangeable. The only difference is that the passenger side has 2 small wires that pin the seat down. The passenger shell lining has the cutout, so the cutout is outlined already for those brave enough to cut through the seat.
01-19-2015, 10:49 AM
#22
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Join Date: May 2012
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Initial impressions:
1) Looks. Stunning. Not much more to say about that.
2) PDK. It's amazing. This has been beaten to death. I'm not going to belabor this one. I'm just going to say that AP really was right. Just shut up and drive it. Anyone who hasn't, and is still bitching about a manual needs to shut up. Plain and simple. I don't miss a manual AT ALL, and I KNOW how to drive a manual well. On a track.
3) The sound. Exhilarating and awesome above 7k rpm. Below 7k rpm, it is just good. The car is actually pretty quiet below 4k rpm. It's nice when you just want to drive casually without much noise, but I expected it to be meaner sounding at lower rpms and idle. I will have to try out the exhaust flap mod and see if I like that better. It's too bad the sport exhaust button isn't more dramatic of a difference at lower rpms.
4) The ride. It's a very comfortable ride. The car rides better than the suspension on my boxster spyder. The car really does have a dual personality.
5) The power. Haven't hit 9k rpm yet. Soon. Even then, it's more than enough power. I don't see why anyone would need any more than this. You can't really ring out the car without going at dangerous street speeds.
6) The steering. I can't tell it's electric assist. I feels perfect to me.
7) Comparisons. I had the chance to drive back to back a 991 GT3, 997.2 GT3, and Cayman GTS today. All different cars. All unique in their own way. The cayman felt lighter and rotated more easily. It used to feel fast to me. Until I drove the 991 GT3. The 997.2 is a manly machine. The gear box is tight and the car makes you work. It's definitely not as powerful as the GT3. The 991 GT3 is comfortable and easy to drive, yet an absolute terror and monster when you romp on it. If you know how to drive, it allows you to drive faster. Compared to my boxster spyder. I would say the GT3 is more practical than the spyder. The spyder is a rougher ride and the roof never is completely sealed, so when it's up, you always get an annoying wind noise. The spyder is meant to be driven with the top off, but you can't do that all of the time.
8) The Centerlocks. I HATE IT. What a colossal pain the ***. That optimoly paste is impossible to get off of you. When you are working on the brakes, the paste on the hub gets EVERYWHERE.
9) The bucket seats. They look AWESOME. However, I'm not convinced they are any more supportive than the standard seats. You get these seats because they look great and you can run harnesses. The electric height adjust is a nice bonus. Interestingly, I prefer the GT2 bucket seats in terms of position and feel. The thigh bolsters are tighter and you sit more upright in the GT2 seats. I still can't believe Porsche screwed us on the passenger side seats with no passthroughs. They even pin down the passenger side cushion to try to prevent you from lifting it up.
You can fit a golf back back there with these seats still
10) Brakes. Pedal feel is great. Even better with PFC11 pads. Iron rotors FTW. PCCB is only good for this:
1) Looks. Stunning. Not much more to say about that.
2) PDK. It's amazing. This has been beaten to death. I'm not going to belabor this one. I'm just going to say that AP really was right. Just shut up and drive it. Anyone who hasn't, and is still bitching about a manual needs to shut up. Plain and simple. I don't miss a manual AT ALL, and I KNOW how to drive a manual well. On a track.
3) The sound. Exhilarating and awesome above 7k rpm. Below 7k rpm, it is just good. The car is actually pretty quiet below 4k rpm. It's nice when you just want to drive casually without much noise, but I expected it to be meaner sounding at lower rpms and idle. I will have to try out the exhaust flap mod and see if I like that better. It's too bad the sport exhaust button isn't more dramatic of a difference at lower rpms.
4) The ride. It's a very comfortable ride. The car rides better than the suspension on my boxster spyder. The car really does have a dual personality.
5) The power. Haven't hit 9k rpm yet. Soon. Even then, it's more than enough power. I don't see why anyone would need any more than this. You can't really ring out the car without going at dangerous street speeds.
6) The steering. I can't tell it's electric assist. I feels perfect to me.
7) Comparisons. I had the chance to drive back to back a 991 GT3, 997.2 GT3, and Cayman GTS today. All different cars. All unique in their own way. The cayman felt lighter and rotated more easily. It used to feel fast to me. Until I drove the 991 GT3. The 997.2 is a manly machine. The gear box is tight and the car makes you work. It's definitely not as powerful as the GT3. The 991 GT3 is comfortable and easy to drive, yet an absolute terror and monster when you romp on it. If you know how to drive, it allows you to drive faster. Compared to my boxster spyder. I would say the GT3 is more practical than the spyder. The spyder is a rougher ride and the roof never is completely sealed, so when it's up, you always get an annoying wind noise. The spyder is meant to be driven with the top off, but you can't do that all of the time.
8) The Centerlocks. I HATE IT. What a colossal pain the ***. That optimoly paste is impossible to get off of you. When you are working on the brakes, the paste on the hub gets EVERYWHERE.
9) The bucket seats. They look AWESOME. However, I'm not convinced they are any more supportive than the standard seats. You get these seats because they look great and you can run harnesses. The electric height adjust is a nice bonus. Interestingly, I prefer the GT2 bucket seats in terms of position and feel. The thigh bolsters are tighter and you sit more upright in the GT2 seats. I still can't believe Porsche screwed us on the passenger side seats with no passthroughs. They even pin down the passenger side cushion to try to prevent you from lifting it up.
You can fit a golf back back there with these seats still
10) Brakes. Pedal feel is great. Even better with PFC11 pads. Iron rotors FTW. PCCB is only good for this:
Agreed that the car needs to be driven before judging the PDK. The immediacy of its response (except for some delayed upshifts) and its integration with the car will continue to convert skeptics. I too wonder if I'll even need to keep the manual cars after driving this thing more.
Agreed that the sound of the car should be louder below 4K, and that the sport exhaust button should make a bigger difference. I'd like the car to be louder when first fired up, and the sport exhaust to stay on if it was on when I last turned off the car.
Agreed on the ride quality, though still a car in which you want to avoid nasty bumps and potholes.
I'm relying on a somewhat distant memory, but when I compared the Cayman R with the 991 GT3, the Cayman did feel lighter and easier to rotate. By comparison, the 991 GT3 feels heavier, but also solid and stable, and without compromising its agility. Porsche has a done a remarkable job in calibrating the GT3 and implementing the RWS, but it still has a longish wheelbase and rear engine layout.
'Manly' is exactly the word I'd use to describe the 997.2 GT3/RS. Manly can be fun, but the 991 GT3 offers its own kind of fun, and I suspect that many will come to prefer it overall. The 991 isn't watered down, and it doesn't secretly fix bad driving, it instead rewards good driving - exactly as a 'driver's car' should.
Bummer about the centerlocks. I really would have preferred 5-lugs, even if the CL were easy to deal with. But oh well, I'll deal with it.
Agree 100% with your thoughts on the seats. Even aside from the passenger seat issue, I'm a bit disappointed that the seats aren't more tailored for the track. I asked my wife what she thought of the seats (we have the GT2 seats in her Cayman R), and she said 'it's just a seat'.
I'm considering using the stock brake pads for the first track event, but not sure they'll make it through a combined ~10 track hours with my wife and I sharing the car (different run groups). Bummer that the pads are so difficult to change.
Looking forward to further posts in this thread.
01-19-2015, 10:55 AM
#23
Nordschleife Master
Thread Starter
Thanks, manifold. You and I appear to concur on everything. You know what they say about great minds....
As far the pads go, maxltv convinced me to do it. While the stock pads stop perfectly fine, they disintegrate quickly. I figured I would save the stock pads for if/when the car is ever sold.
As far the pads go, maxltv convinced me to do it. While the stock pads stop perfectly fine, they disintegrate quickly. I figured I would save the stock pads for if/when the car is ever sold.
01-19-2015, 11:03 AM
#24
Rennlist Member
Joe,
Great looking car and I'm looking forward to seeing what you find with the track app.
My favorite photo is the one with the kids and their big smiles looking through the windshield. Turned a crap morning into a good morning.
Great looking car and I'm looking forward to seeing what you find with the track app.
My favorite photo is the one with the kids and their big smiles looking through the windshield. Turned a crap morning into a good morning.
01-19-2015, 11:07 AM
#25
Nordschleife Master
Thread Starter
Thanks, they do have a way of doing that. I love them to death. I'm extremely lucky....
01-19-2015, 11:35 AM
#26
Joe - thanks! It's great to finally see a thread that's not about color choices, stitching, cameras, and other nonsense!
Where did you get the caliper stud kit? I can't see buying new caliper bolts every time you need to change pads or rotors. Porsche considers them a one-use item.
I also agree with everything you said - phenomenal car so far. In fact, as others have mentioned, perhaps too good. There is no way to fully appreciate the car on US public roads.
The seats are also interesting. Not sure why they went with the 918 seat, unless it was strictly for the electric height adjustment. They have no side airbags - I thought those were required. They are certainly wider than the GT2 seats - perhaps they used those to accommodate us 'chunky' Americans? I'm 5'11" and 210# and the seats are not snug. They are more comfortable than the GT2 seats and really complete the GT3, fitting its sporting nature perfectly. For me, the 918 seat is now the most comfortable Porsche makes, the GT2 seat gets moved to second place.
The lack of a proper sub-belt pass through is a major error on the part of Porsche! Unless they want an easy way to monitor track use? Although, with the electric height adjustment, the seat base isn't really attached to the floor pan, it's attached to the mobile electrically adjusted platform - not sure how robust that would be for the track. I think for serious track use, a dedicated track seat is still the best option and certainly a better choice than either the 918 or GT2 seat. For casual DE or AX use, any seat will work.
They certainly accomplished their goal - a more daily drivable GT3. After a long search for 'the perfect car for me', I may have finally found it. Although the Cayman R would be a very close second place. Or the 997 GT2. . .
Where did you get the caliper stud kit? I can't see buying new caliper bolts every time you need to change pads or rotors. Porsche considers them a one-use item.
I also agree with everything you said - phenomenal car so far. In fact, as others have mentioned, perhaps too good. There is no way to fully appreciate the car on US public roads.
The seats are also interesting. Not sure why they went with the 918 seat, unless it was strictly for the electric height adjustment. They have no side airbags - I thought those were required. They are certainly wider than the GT2 seats - perhaps they used those to accommodate us 'chunky' Americans? I'm 5'11" and 210# and the seats are not snug. They are more comfortable than the GT2 seats and really complete the GT3, fitting its sporting nature perfectly. For me, the 918 seat is now the most comfortable Porsche makes, the GT2 seat gets moved to second place.
The lack of a proper sub-belt pass through is a major error on the part of Porsche! Unless they want an easy way to monitor track use? Although, with the electric height adjustment, the seat base isn't really attached to the floor pan, it's attached to the mobile electrically adjusted platform - not sure how robust that would be for the track. I think for serious track use, a dedicated track seat is still the best option and certainly a better choice than either the 918 or GT2 seat. For casual DE or AX use, any seat will work.
They certainly accomplished their goal - a more daily drivable GT3. After a long search for 'the perfect car for me', I may have finally found it. Although the Cayman R would be a very close second place. Or the 997 GT2. . .
01-19-2015, 11:43 AM
#27
Rennlist Member
http://www.tarett.com/items/991-981-...csk-detail.htm
01-19-2015, 11:59 AM
#28
GT3 player par excellence
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
". Not sure why they went with the 918 seat, unless it was strictly for the electric height adjustment. They have no side airbags -"
the 918 like seats in our cars DO have side airbags!
the 918 like seats in our cars DO have side airbags!
01-19-2015, 12:10 PM
#30
Joe
Great write up can't wait for wheels/ tires and suspension set-up. I will investigate the seat issue when I get mine and see if we can find a sanitary solution.
Great write up can't wait for wheels/ tires and suspension set-up. I will investigate the seat issue when I get mine and see if we can find a sanitary solution.