Spyerx

USCTrojan was nice enough to let me take his 991 out for a few laps today. Of course didn't push the car too hard but here are my first impressions (I've been tracking my decently modified 997 GT3RS for about 18mo now):

--Car doesn't FEEL as fast as I thought it would, but it is fast, because I know I'm carrying more pace into the braking zones
--pdks is sweet, so fast, the auto shift is amazing, always in the right gear. the car let me do things I can't do in mine due to shifting upsetting balance of car
--The steering tactile feel is not as good as the 997. it feels artificially heavy, with very little feel and feedback.
--The stock brakes/fluid are OK, but they would be the first thing I'd change. need more bite at top of pedal, felt I had to get too far into pedal to get it to stop.
--Not sure I like the new sport buckets. they are OK, but I'd prefer recaros
--the car feels BIG and WIDE. My 997 feels like well tailored suit, fits just right, feels small, agile (keep in mind, it's wide too), the 991 feels just "big"
--While the steering feel is not great, the car goes exactly where you want. The new damping is amazing. It will jump berms as well as my Ohlins setup. The back end is STUCK. So planted and stable. The front turns exactly where you want it. Might benefit from slightly higher spring rates all around.
--The Cup2 tires are really good
--Didn't find the stability control invasive at all.
--I prefer the noise of my 997

Would I get rid of my 997 for one? No, but I would add one to the garage. Need. More. Space.

sin911

Don't forget to put your flame suit on dude, you'll get torched on this side of the forum

Haven't driven one or been a passenger in one but I've tried the new seats today and have to agree. It's surprisingly too big!

NateOZ

Good summary, I had one out for a couple of sessions yesterday as well. The one thing that really jumped out at me how the car starts to feel a little unstable above 150mph. My track has a kink that you hit at this speed while still accelerating and the GT3 felt unnerving (especially with only a 3 pt belt). I had it in the stiffest suspension and only had the car for a couple of sessions, so I didn't play around with the softer setting but I think it's a function of the rear downforce.

HT#70

Had mine out for the first time this past weekend at Road America. First impression was the car is incredibly fast stock with the only mod being Pagid RAC1 pads. Even with the pad upgrade agree with Spyerx that it seems you really need to get into the peddle. I also would prefer better initial bite and will be looking into options there. The steering is very precise, but heavy and perhaps a bit disconnected feeling.

I was being asked all day what are the mods, and I kept saying its stock. Reply, no way that car is fast.

DrJupeman

Guys, whcih brakes on the cars with poor initial brake bite and hard pedal push?

HT#70

PCCB with PAGID RSC1 pads.

HT#70

I'll add, i was running with a couple of friends in GTB1 prepped Caymans and couldn't get anywhere near as deep into the braking zone. Apples to oranges, but I guess I expected more out of the brakes. To their credit, peddle was good all day, no fade or softness whatsoever.

NateOZ

PCCB with stock pads, brakes were solid in terms of performance and lack of fade, but almost had to remind myself to really give the brakes an extra push. It was like the pedal would stop short of true threshold braking on my standard brake pressure application.

I was running my track car on the sessions before it, but I had a fuel injector go so played around with a 3 for a couple of sessions.

NateOZ

Lol - sounds like our days were the same. My track car is a fully race prepped Cayman, though it has a 3.8L engine in it now.

Manifold

Good review, I generally agree with your comments. A few thoughts:

- PDK auto sometimes downshifts later than I'd like, otherwise auto is good.

- Agree that the steering is numb compared to the 997. As you drive the car more, it becomes less of an issue, to the point where you may not even notice any more, but there's no denying the steering is a step backwards.

- I wasn't happy with my brake pedal travel and feel using PFC 11 pads and OEM fluid, but it's much better after flushing with SRF. Much less pedal travel, harder pedal, better modulation, and I can brake later now.

- I think the sport buckets are just 'OK' also.

- I agree that the 997 feels more snug and compact. The bigger feel of the 991 is probably due to the longer wheelbase, and the RWS effectively making the wheelbase even longer at higher speeds. But this is another thing you get used to as you drive the car more, to the point where you no longer notice it.

- I suspect that the PTV+ is a key part of the reason for the back of the car feeling so planted and controllable.

- With both windows down, I find the car too quiet at speeds well over 100. Thinking about side muffler delete.

orthojoe

Nice post!

I think the lack of torque in any NA Porsche engine would account for how deceptively fast they actually are. I thought the power levels would scare me, but that hasn't turned out to be the case. I'll bet the torque in a viper or Z06 would scare me though...

If you're a thin guy that prefers a very upright seating position (me), I think the GT2 bucket seat was a better seat. From a visual standpoint, I think the new bucket seats are better.

Manifold

Yeah, I find the linearity of the throttle response and the torque curve to feel similar to the Cayman R, except amped up and thus faster. On the track, the 991 GT3 doesn't feel overly powerful to me, but like the Cayman, it just keeps winding up and up until you find yourself going surprisingly fast. I've also adapted to the high speed of this GT3 more quickly and easily than I expected.

I've briefly tracked my C63 - just to see what it's like on the track - and found that the torque does require extra care to avoid too much power oversteer, but it fizzles out at higher rpm, so the linearity of the GT3 (and Cayman) is much more suited and satisfying for track use (but the C63 torque is a hoot on the road!).

Spyerx

This car is a gt3 with steel brakes. I should clarify the car stops very well with no indication of fade. But, I like a firmer pedal near the top of travel. I think lads and fluid fix this.

This track I was on max is about 130. Maybe more rear wing? Maybe a bit lower on stance?

Lol well I tried to be balance. It's a very good car.
Btw sorry about the off roadies yesterday!

It is too quiet. I think side deletes would be perfect. I love that setup on my 997.
I wasn't pushing car hard enough to notice odd shifts but maybe I'd end up using manual mode

I also agree all these electronics working together are making the car feel more planted and conteolled. It is really amazing. It makes you feel like a hero. I was driving th car at maybe 6 secs off the pace of my car. So fast but not win the de fast. There are sections of the track I have to avoid in heavy braking the 991 just felt so stable.

The one thing that really stuck with me was the steering feel. the 997 gt3 is literally magical in feedback from the wheel. I'm sure electronic steering will get better over time. Agreed a step backwards.

They look fantastic. I use pole positions and they feel perfect to me. I like a close upright seating position. If I were to buy a 991 I'd get the buckets but put recaros in it for the track. My build is probably considered "average" and not tall.

sccchiii

I myself was a bit worried about the size of the 991 chassis for track use and how "big" the 911 has become vs its predecessors but to me it feels substantially smaller than the actual dimensions because of the RWS especially in the tight, slow speed corners.

tgibrit

i was Pocono last Friday, where i was able to hit around 160 at the end of the main straight, and the car felt very stable to me, i was not in the stiff suspension setting.