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Last week I got my '18 GT3 manual, replacing my GT4. Yesterday I took the car on my first real ride, a couple of hundred miles of twisty farm roads west of Houston. I did the exact same drive a couple of Sundays ago in the GT4, so it was an interesting comparison. I had a buddy with me who's not really a sports car guy, so I didn't press nearly as hard as I do when I'm alone, but I got a pretty good feel for the car. The power difference in these cars is staggering, but I can't really say the GT3 sounds any better than the GT4. The light clutch on the GT3 takes a bit to get used to, but it's a welcome change after a few hours in the car. The GT3 feels bigger, but not any heavier than the GT4. My GT4 had sofa seats, and the LWB's make all the difference in the world for aggressive driving, and just fit me better. The GT3 doesn't seem to understeer as much as the GT4, and the power and rear grip makes it so much easier to adjust the line with the throttle. Steering feel is very similar between them. The biggest adjustment was the gearing, as in the GT4 you almost can't downshift too aggressive because of the sky-high gearing. I found that I was a gear higher in the GT3 in a lot of the corners. Some of the roads have some pretty uneven pavement and at speeds around triple digits the body motion of the GT3 made things a bit more exciting than the GT4. I think it's a combination of the slightly softer GT4 suspension and smaller footprint, but with a lighter touch on the steering and just trusting the grip I got used to it. The GT3 has a bit less tire noise than the GT4, which also surprised me. I think the GT3 will actually be a better road trip car for me than the GT4. The MIami Blue seems to attract a lot more attention than my white GT4! I'm very happy with the switch and think this car will be with me for a long time.
Nice initial impressions. I would agree with all of it in comparison to the GT4 I used to own. Get a Bypass on and the noise levels compared to the GT4 will be night and day - its the only modification I have made to my manual GT3.
I also find the front clearance is a lot more that the GT4, even without using the front lift feature.
Congrats on your beautiful car Jose. Yes way better than the gt4. You should roll w my crew sometime on our country runs there to Fayetteville, round top etc also.
Boots
The transition when the valve opens is kind of annoying, but I’m worried that there would be too much droning with the bypass. A lot of my driving is Sunday morning 200-300 mile rides and overnight tours in the Texas Hill Country, with maybe a couple of track days a year thrown in. Tire roar and exhaust drone are tiring after awhile and something I’m sensitive to. I’ve been riding loud Ducati’s and playing and seeing too much loud music for too long, and probably starting to pay the price with my hearing.
Originally Posted by Agate
Nice initial impressions. I would agree with all of it in comparison to the GT4 I used to own. Get a Bypass on and the noise levels compared to the GT4 will be night and day - its the only modification I have made to my manual GT3.
I also find the front clearance is a lot more that the GT4, even without using the front lift feature.
Congrats on the new car! As for the gearing, you really shouldn’t be in a higher gear than the GT4 when driving hard. The speeds in gear are about the same, but the lower gearing and higher redline just mean that you’re spinning the engine faster at the same speeds in the 3. That’s where you’ll really realize the extra grunt and excitement compared to the 4.
Don't be afraid to stay in the upper reaches of the tach through the corners- that’s where it comes alive and the car loves it
Nice initial impressions. I would agree with all of it in comparison to the GT4 I used to own. Get a Bypass on and the noise levels compared to the GT4 will be night and day - its the only modification I have made to my manual GT3.
I also find the front clearance is a lot more that the GT4, even without using the front lift feature.
Coming from a GT4 too (what a car for the price), I felt the same in sound about the GT3, below 4K GT4 sounds better in stock form, but I installed Sharkwerks and the valves were disconnected in the GT3 and now yes it sounds as it should come from factory, better than GT4 below 4k and then...music....
The transition when the valve opens is kind of annoying, but I’m worried that there would be too much droning with the bypass. A lot of my driving is Sunday morning 200-300 mile rides and overnight tours in the Texas Hill Country, with maybe a couple of track days a year thrown in. Tire roar and exhaust drone are tiring after awhile and something I’m sensitive to. I’ve been riding loud Ducati’s and playing and seeing too much loud music for too long, and probably starting to pay the price with my hearing.
Sharkwerks + valves disconnected = no drone at all! do it
- sway bars are adjustable and corner heights are adjustable. On neutral setup the GT3 tends to oversteer. Factory setup it towards understeer.
- no car comes from the showroom setup right
- you can eliminate the side mufflers with valved controlled bypass pipes. The side mufflers are the culprit for the massive difference between open and closed valves sound levels. If you disconnect the valves, you're bypassing the side and center mufflers, so that won't give you a true volume level for what the system would do with valves closed and just center muffler. This removes 35 lbs average behind the rear axle, eliminates the heaters overheating the rear tires. No drone with valved side bypass pipes.
10-29-2019, 12:38 AM
My first GT3 drive yesterday!
