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It's a common misconception that RWS makes you turn in faster. At any kind of reasonable speed (over 31 mph), the car does not turn in faster and actually turns in slower above 50 mph (provides more stability). I think it's fairly transparent on the GT3 (I rarely notice it), but it's pretty bad on some other cars (and some people hate it on GT3 also).
It turns in quicker while parking and while taking very slow corners...
grant, i don't agree with you, i'm not sure where you're getting this from, but your assessment is quite objectively incorrect... RWS makes a very distinct high speed difference.
-when you drive a 911 with RWS, you can absolutely feel the way that the car turns into corners in a much more direct fashion.. take one into a hairpin and your corner entry is faster, with less wheel adjustments, more direct.. feels wonderfully precise and allows you to drive faster if you are comfortable taking the front end of car to it's limit. below the limit, you can just enjoy it more precise feeling.
-in addition to how it feels, the data from Porsche also shows this:
coincidentally.. there is a great video online which discusses this very subject.
I have cars ranging from 240HP all the way up to 887HP.
HP is not the whole story, torque is. 918 has the most HP and also the most torque. Also the heaviest. But those electric torque mask the weight very well, so did Porsche's engineering, it handles amazingly on track. It was the fastest car in the world for a while, and it didn't get there by just having HP and torque.
I love that car, will never part with it. It is one of the greatest top 5 cars from Porsche ever. BUT it's not my favourite.
My 94 Turbo 3.6 only has 360HP, also not the lightest thing, but it has it's quirks and charms. My favourite to drive on the street, despite the gigantic turbo lag.
The little Alfa 4C only have 240HP, but it weights next to nothing. A bit of a compromise on the street, not the fastest thing on the track either but it is very enjoyable on the track, and on the track I never wish for it to have more power, strange but true. It also excel at carving canyon roads. Wonderful little machine.
My GT4 ClubSport only has 385HP, but on track sessions against other high HP cars it cleans the table in a hurry. It's so easy to drive it fast on a track. Not exactly lightweight, but it handles superbly. It will also do laps faster than the 918.
Widowmaker is coming home soon and I can't wait to get it back on the track. With 700HP it is quite simply too much for street use. Saving grace for it for street use is the abundance torque in any gear. But the only place to enjoy the car fully is on a track. It's much better than the old GT2/GT2RS but it still will be a handful, and taming it on track gives supreme satisfaction.
My old .1 GT3RS is almost the perfect street/track car. Extremely capable on the track yet almost there for the street. Still sprung too stiff though. Also wish it has a bit more torque.
The Exclusive is 'almost' the perfect car. Well I can include the Turbo S in the conversation also. 580/607HP practically the same. Only thing that held it back on track is the abysmal PZeros. Give it some Cup2s and I will be a happy camper. It will holds it's own on track against most cars, and it also just about the perfect street car. The secret? The wide meaty torque curve. Like the GT2RS, there is practically no turbo lag, any throttle input is instantaneous.
At the end of the day, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900HP doesn't really matters. And the higher isn't better. It's more about the complete package. Koenigsegg routinely have more than 1000HP on any given model, and those Tesla Model X have what 680HP or whatever. But no one call them enjoyable cars. Well outside of simply minded monkeys that can only drive in a straight line.
If the package is right, as little as 240HP is already enough.
My second thought would be 450-500HP is the sweet spot. As it happens, Porsche already have such a thing, it's the GT3. No one serious needs more HP than that. My Cup car only has 485HP and it will lap faster than anything I have. If only I can plate the thing for street use. I will be in heaven on canyon roads.
Interesting assessment Whoopsy. Any thoughts on the 'quality' of an engine as the hp is ratcheted up? I have read that the recent Ferrari turbo 8s have been engineered to be essentially lag free. The Ferrari V12 seems like a true work of art. OTOH the turbo 8s from BMW Mercedes and even Mclaren seem somehow less inspiring. You just turn up the boost from one model to the next.
grant, i don't agree with you, i'm not sure where you're getting this from, but your assessment is quite objectively incorrect... RWS makes a very distinct high speed difference.
-when you drive a 911 with RWS, you can absolutely feel the way that the car turns into corners in a much more direct fashion.. take one into a hairpin and your corner entry is faster, with less wheel adjustments, more direct.. feels wonderfully precise and allows you to drive faster if you are comfortable taking the front end of car to it's limit. below the limit, you can just enjoy it more precise feeling.
-in addition to how it feels, the data from Porsche also shows this:
Hi Alex! The graph above is showing that when you purchase the RWS option on the 992, you also get a variable steering rack that has a faster gearing near the center position to compensate for the fact that the above 50mph the car has a larger turning circle (as the rear wheels turn in the same direction of the front wheels). Porsche's concept for the rear axle steering is that it virtually shortens the wheelbase below 31 mph (50kph) for more nimble parking and handling at low speed, the system does nothing between 31 mph and 50 mph (80kph), and then above 50 mph it virtually lengthens the wheelbase for greater stability (making the car less twitchy and giving the driver more confidence). Long wheelbase cars are not known for their sharp turn-in (info from 991 GT3 below):
Interesting assessment Whoopsy. Any thoughts on the 'quality' of an engine as the hp is ratcheted up? I have read that the recent Ferrari turbo 8s have been engineered to be essentially lag free. The Ferrari V12 seems like a true work of art. OTOH the turbo 8s from BMW Mercedes and even Mclaren seem somehow less inspiring. You just turn up the boost from one model to the next.
J
Quality, that's an interesting discussion. In a way, if the engine doesn't blow up, then it's good.
I would actually argue the McLaren and BMW and even the AMG twin turbo V8s are built just as good if not better than the Ferrari V12s.
Yes it sounds simple to just turn up the boost for more power, but if the engine itself was't designed to take extra boost, it will simply just blow up, and we haven't heard of any of those engine died.
Take the McLaren 3.8L V8 for example, it goes from the 'lowly' 12C all the way up to the P1, and now in 4.0L form in the 720S and Senna. It shows the flexibility of that engine architecture. Granted some parts are changed but so did the Ferrari V12 when it goes from the F12 to the 812 Superfast and gained a bunch of HP.
06-06-2019, 09:18 PM
