991.2 Turbo S: New Owner (Manifold) Impressions and Questions
06-02-2023, 05:55 PM
#61
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I finally had a chance to track my 991.2 TTS yesterday. Setting:
- Summit Point main circuit
- Hot weather most of the day
- The car has PS4S tires which are more than 5 years old. I ran hot pressures around 32/33 psi.
- Shop did a brake flush using SRF, but apparently didn't bleed properly, because I had a soft and long pedal 10 minutes into the first session. Rather than bailing on the day, I tried braking softer and was able to get through the day without the pedal becoming progressively worse or going to the floor
- Car has power mods including bolt-ons and possibly a flash, but I don't have any dyno numbers
- Probably factory alignment
- No other mods, and I used the 3-pt belts
- I ran the PSM in Sport
- I used Sport Plus, and tried both auto mode and the paddles
- I drove it for 6 sessions, and was able to compare it back to back with my 991.1 GT3 (on Supercar 3 tires) which I drove for one session
Overall, my impression is that this an EXCELLENT track car. Some cars are good on the road, but lose their composure on track. Not this one. All of its good attributes on the road become magnified on the track.
The GT3 is sharper, lighter, more precise, and sounds great. It feels like it was designed for the track, and it's a great track car. By comparison, the TTS was hobbled by the old PS4S tires, so the comparison is a bit compromised. But even so, I was able to make the TTS do pretty much everything I asked, and the way I needed to drive it was similar to the GT3.
On equal tires, I suspect that the TTS would outbrake the GT3 because the suspension of the TTS is more sophisticated, so it handles bumps and waves in the braking zone better than the GT3.
The TTS does feel heavier than the GT3 (it is), but not in a way that the performance feels like it's penalized.
In corner entry, the GT3 is better, but I think this is in part because the PSM interferes more in the TTS (PSM was on for the GT3). I suspect that the TTS would turn in better with PSM fully off, but I wasn't prepared to do that on my first track day with the car (with a passenger in the car for all but one of the sessions).
Coming out of corners, the win goes to the TTS. The way the AWD puts down power, without understeer and without feeling artificial, is magical. I had to keep saying to myself: "just get on the gas dammit, it will hold!" - and it did. This inspires a lot of confidence in both corner exit and corner entry.
And of course, the TTS wins on the straights because of the additional power. But my max speeds on the straights weren't actually a lot higher in the TTS (only a few mph), so I think that the TTS may have been turning down the power to manage heat, or maybe the power mods to the car aren't suited to the track. But nonetheless, the power advantage of the TTS was still evident.
In auto mode and Sport Plus, the car shifted well. Using the paddles was very satisfying, and it didn't take me too long to figure out when to shift (the TTS is quieter than the GT3, so I had to glance at the tach more in the TTS). My gears and shift points were essentially the same as the GT3.
As far as pace, the TTS was a bit faster than the 991.1 GT3, even with the lesser tires and soft pedal on the TTS. On equal tires, the TTS will certainly be faster than the 991.1 GT3 and I think about the same as a 991.2 GT3.
Driving the TTS and GT3 back to back on track, the family resemblance between the two cars is very strong. They're clearly variations on a theme, more similar than they are different. And I think the differences don't necessarily favor either car, and each is very enjoyable in its own way. If the TTS was my only or main track car, I'd be very happy with it and would have no strong motivation to replace it with a different track car. And when you consider that the TTS is a great car in every setting where you don't need a lot of passenger or cargo space, I think the TTS is a really amazing car.
Randy's car had better tires (fresh Corsa) and a firm brake pedal, but I think his observations are spot on. The car is addictively fun to drive on the track.
- Summit Point main circuit
- Hot weather most of the day
- The car has PS4S tires which are more than 5 years old. I ran hot pressures around 32/33 psi.
- Shop did a brake flush using SRF, but apparently didn't bleed properly, because I had a soft and long pedal 10 minutes into the first session. Rather than bailing on the day, I tried braking softer and was able to get through the day without the pedal becoming progressively worse or going to the floor
- Car has power mods including bolt-ons and possibly a flash, but I don't have any dyno numbers
- Probably factory alignment
- No other mods, and I used the 3-pt belts
- I ran the PSM in Sport
- I used Sport Plus, and tried both auto mode and the paddles
- I drove it for 6 sessions, and was able to compare it back to back with my 991.1 GT3 (on Supercar 3 tires) which I drove for one session
Overall, my impression is that this an EXCELLENT track car. Some cars are good on the road, but lose their composure on track. Not this one. All of its good attributes on the road become magnified on the track.
The GT3 is sharper, lighter, more precise, and sounds great. It feels like it was designed for the track, and it's a great track car. By comparison, the TTS was hobbled by the old PS4S tires, so the comparison is a bit compromised. But even so, I was able to make the TTS do pretty much everything I asked, and the way I needed to drive it was similar to the GT3.
On equal tires, I suspect that the TTS would outbrake the GT3 because the suspension of the TTS is more sophisticated, so it handles bumps and waves in the braking zone better than the GT3.
The TTS does feel heavier than the GT3 (it is), but not in a way that the performance feels like it's penalized.
In corner entry, the GT3 is better, but I think this is in part because the PSM interferes more in the TTS (PSM was on for the GT3). I suspect that the TTS would turn in better with PSM fully off, but I wasn't prepared to do that on my first track day with the car (with a passenger in the car for all but one of the sessions).
Coming out of corners, the win goes to the TTS. The way the AWD puts down power, without understeer and without feeling artificial, is magical. I had to keep saying to myself: "just get on the gas dammit, it will hold!" - and it did. This inspires a lot of confidence in both corner exit and corner entry.
And of course, the TTS wins on the straights because of the additional power. But my max speeds on the straights weren't actually a lot higher in the TTS (only a few mph), so I think that the TTS may have been turning down the power to manage heat, or maybe the power mods to the car aren't suited to the track. But nonetheless, the power advantage of the TTS was still evident.
In auto mode and Sport Plus, the car shifted well. Using the paddles was very satisfying, and it didn't take me too long to figure out when to shift (the TTS is quieter than the GT3, so I had to glance at the tach more in the TTS). My gears and shift points were essentially the same as the GT3.
As far as pace, the TTS was a bit faster than the 991.1 GT3, even with the lesser tires and soft pedal on the TTS. On equal tires, the TTS will certainly be faster than the 991.1 GT3 and I think about the same as a 991.2 GT3.
Driving the TTS and GT3 back to back on track, the family resemblance between the two cars is very strong. They're clearly variations on a theme, more similar than they are different. And I think the differences don't necessarily favor either car, and each is very enjoyable in its own way. If the TTS was my only or main track car, I'd be very happy with it and would have no strong motivation to replace it with a different track car. And when you consider that the TTS is a great car in every setting where you don't need a lot of passenger or cargo space, I think the TTS is a really amazing car.
Randy's car had better tires (fresh Corsa) and a firm brake pedal, but I think his observations are spot on. The car is addictively fun to drive on the track.
Last edited by Manifold; 06-03-2023 at 08:38 AM.
06-02-2023, 06:08 PM
#62
Tracking on 5 year old tire? Be careful buddy, dont want to get Paul Walker'd
06-02-2023, 06:15 PM
#63
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My understanding is that the lifespan of tires is 6 to 10 years, but you're right, 5 years is probably pushing it for tracking a tire. The tires did hold up well though, and the grip was decent.
06-03-2023, 10:53 AM
#64
Great write up Manifold. Did you track your 992 turbo S too? If so, interested in that comparison.
06-03-2023, 05:19 PM
#65
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I bonded with the 991 pretty quickly because it felt familiar and the 992 prepared me for the TTS experience.
I only got four sessions with the 992 (brake pads were getting too thin), and it was my first track day in 6 months, and I wasn't used to max speed on the straights (substantially higher than the 991), so I didn't bond with the 992 as much. But I was a good bit faster in the 992, which reflects just how fast the car is. I'm going to get the 992 on track again in the next few weeks, and will post a review after I do that.
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Big Swole (06-03-2023)
06-27-2023, 05:22 PM
#66
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I've now driven my 991.2 TTS about 2k miles, including one track day. I love the car more than ever. It is truly the ultimate 991 road car. Very enjoyable and addictive to drive. I reach for the keys of this one more than any other.