jamgolf

so i bought a basalt black 2013 cpo c4s cabriolet with 6500 miles on it. after about 3 weeks and ~2000 miles i wanted to share a few impressions...

fuel economy: on the ~300 mile drive home from the dealership, it got 30+ mpg with cruise set at about 75 mph - quite impressive

sport steering wheel: did not realize how much it adds to the driving enjoyment - surprised that its not standard equipment - very glad my car has it

burmester: sounds pretty good but i need to find some good dvd-a disks or other high quality audio source to really appreciate it

must learn to drive 911 properly: entered a sharp turn aggressively and the rear tires almost spun out - but the stability control kicked in before i freaked out. this happened twice, once on the first day and then again on the second day of ownership until i read somewhere that the rear tires must remain loaded through the turn. now i slow down a bit before the turn, gently accelerate in the first half of the turn and then get aggressive at the later half and exit. so much fun.
i'll probably benefit mightily from driving school.

leather interior with deviated stitching: not something that i would have picked myself (due to cost) but it looks nice and makes the interior special which a car in this price range should be. glad my car has it.

red dials & red sport chrono: i imagined it would look really cheesy but it looks pretty slick especially with the red deviated stitching, red seat belts and black leather

back seats: i am so glad back seats are there. my kids fit tightly but are still happy to be there. a little more room/comfort would have been awesome but we are happy nonetheless.
its probably one of the few times i am glad that my wife & i are not tall people - so we can spare some room for the kids in the back

cabriolet: i really enjoy convertibles. used to own a g37-conv and missed it. it was tough to decide between the 911 cab and coupe. i was leaning toward the coupe, since imho it looks fantastic. but my wife reminded me how much i missed having a convertible. i am glad she did. i am enjoying the car a lot.

launch control: wow

driving dynamics: i have owned more than my fair share of cars and this car more than any other one gives me the driving pleasure and the visceral feeling of being connected and involved. now i seek roads with twists and every drive is such a pleasure.

radar detector: i need one

black color: so hard to keep clean (i knew it though)

i am so very lucky

LexVan

Congrats.

Yes driving school for you.

You should be getting better stick than that so check your tire wear and check your tire pressures. I suspect your rear tires are slightly over inflated.

jamgolf

thanks for your post

tires actually have plenty of tread and the tire pressure seems fine too.

i think i was just over aggressive with a rear engined car.
i've made the same move in a BMW 335d a 100 times.
font engine vs rear engine needed some getting used to - for me atleast

eg991

Congrats, and great post. I actually found it was much easier to unsettle the rear of my E93 M3 than it is on my C2S. Even the C2S (and I can only imagine the C4S) is planted so solidly. Sounds like you have yourself a beautifully spec'd car. Enjoy it!

Larry Cable

we need pictures!

Larry Cable

there is definitely a difference between the 50/50 of a BMW and the 40/60
weight distribution of a 911.

I would definitely recommend you join your local PCA and attend one of their track days to obtain some pointers from a 911 driver.

The 991 is the most drivable 911 platform there has ever been, and PSM (or Please Save Me) will do its best to correct your errors.

You should be able to brake later (with the cars great brakes) and get on the power earlier (with the weight over the rear wheels) on apex/exit, but you must be smooth both with the initial turn-in and with any weight transfer during cornering (aka throttle and/or steering inputs)

enjoy your new 911 - there is no substitute

drcollie

HA! Be thankful thee went into the corner too hot in a 991, if you'd have done that in a 70's or 80's vintage Porsche 911, you'd have got ***-end first into the Armco/Tree/Streetlamp or whatever was on that outside of that corner. Porsche has truly tamed the 911, and its not nearly as forgiving as a BMW, but on the other hand, there are things you can do with a rear engined car that no front engine car can come close to. Much quicker off the line and incredible stopping power are two of those things.

With a rear engined 911, you experience what is known as Trailing Throttle Oversteer. And if you lift off the gas in a corner while in hot, the car will spin and whip around to the outside of the corner, every time (unless the electronics save you). The trick is to not upset the car and maintain power through the corner - even if you think you are in too hot - don't lose your nerve, stay gently on the gas and the car will hold the corner every time unless you are going so fast you have exceeded the grip capability of the tires.

I've been driving 911's hard since 1976, including the ole tailwagger models. There's an art to hustling a 911, but once you learn it you really can make the car dance. BMW's are very forgiving, 911's are not. Makes it worthwhile to learn the car IMHO.

Tell you a quick story.....back in 1999, I had a track-prepped E36 M3 on R-Compound Tires. Hawk Racing pads, etc.. At Summit Point during an Instructor Session and I'd been catching a well-driven 964 Turbo another Instructor had out on the track. He was also on R-Comps. I'd gain a few seconds on him each lap and going down the main straight I was right on his *** to T1, which means coming down from around 135 mph to a 30 mph turn. He's going deep to T1 and so am I, as I intend to set him up for a T2 pass. Now, you'd have thought I'd know how damn fast these 911's can stop because I'd owned several of them, but apparently it slipped my mind because when he got on the brakes HARD so did I...but there was a little problem. He was slowing down much faster than I was in the BMW M3 and I was going to collect him up, my ABS was kicking in, my tires were chirping and there was no more rubber available to increase the stopping. I thought "Oh, this is going to be embarrassing, I'm going to punt him and spin him right in that pretty back end"...and I was waiting for the hit as we got down to the last five feet or so - but <thank doG> he jumped back on the gas to make the corner and I missed clipping him by not very much. <whew>. I never - EVER got that close to a 911 at the track again on a hard brake down from the straight, That rear engine bias really makes them stop quickly...

jamgolf

This just a camera phone picture. I'll work on some better ones and post them later...

jamgolf

Thanks for the advice Larry.
I definitely plan to attend driving school.

chuck911

Yes, you are.

The 911 is the world's best drivers car. So it stands to reason the better a driver you are the more you are able to appreciate the car.

The key to performance driving is learning to control weight transfer. Bob Bondurant said it best, "performance driving is controlling weight transfer in order to maximize traction for the basic functions of acceleration, braking and cornering." Quite a bit different than what you've been led to believe I'll wager, yet incredibly powerful in concept.

For example, your experience with your two cars. Your previous car was front engine. Most of the mass is at the front. You were able to enter the curve fast because all that mass in front, combined with weight transfer from slowing for the curve, assures plenty of front end traction- which you need, in order to turn all that mass at the front. If the car slides at all it will most likely be benign understeer. Your oversteer risk in a front engine car is spinning the lightly loaded rear wheels by getting on the throttle too hard too soon.

The 911 however is rear engine. Your usual approach transfers weight forward putting plenty of traction on the fronts for turn-in but unloads the rear end, losing traction just when its badly needed to get that massive rear end turning.

The answer is to brake in a straight line, getting down nearly to cornering speed at turn entry- but not slower, not the way you described. Doing it that way- going in slow and getting on the throttle in the first half of the turn- is safe but slow and worse, with 991 stability control will wear out brake pads faster as the car is trying to correct your incorrect inputs.

I'm not trying to give driving instruction over the interweb so much as trying to make a lasting impression that there's an awful lot to learn. PCA Driver Skills is a great way to start. BMWCCA also has an excellent Driver Skills program. You'll be well served doing either of these before anything run on a track. Either way, if you think you enjoy driving your car now, just wait till you get some of this kind of experience.

jamgolf

I enjoyed reading your post a lot. Thanks for sharing that cool story.

Nuances of a 911 certainly have to be learned and I am in that process at the moment. And I'm having fun doing it. It most certainly is not as forgiving - that I have learned.

My first car in college was actually an air-cooled rear-engine 1973 VW bug. It used to fish tail like crazy. My friends and I had so much fun in it. But since it was not very powerful, I never spun it out of control.

You are right about the Armco/Tree/Streetlamp scenario - it most definitely crossed my mind in that split second but the PSM and the 4WD sort of corrected the oversteer and I got back on my way, having just skipped a beat - thank goodness.

jamgolf

Larry Cable>>>> but you must be smooth both with the initial turn-in and with any weight transfer during cornering

drcollie>>>> the trick is to not upset the car and maintain power through the corner - even if you think you are in too hot - don't lose your nerve, stay gently on the gas and the car will hold the corner every time unless you are going so fast you have exceeded the grip capability of the tires.


I think you guys are spot on ...

Basically I entered the turn at a high speed and very abruptly made the turn **not gently** then as I sensed a slide was coming, I lifted my foot off throttle and applied slight braking with unloaded the rear tires and unbalanced the car even further.

jamgolf

Thank you so much for your comments and advice. Very helpful.

Would you be so kind to clarify one thing as I am trying to visualize this ...

Braking should occur in a straight line (before entry) - that makes sense, then should that speed be maintained during the entire curve? When should acceleration begin? After you straighten again or during the later part of the bend?

Thanks for your time and help.

cdelrosario

Congrats on the beautiful car.

I enjoyed your review. Having owned my Cab for just a month, I completely agree with your assessments.

I, too, was seriously considering the Coupe, but the wife reminded me that we never have owned a convertible. Now that I have the Cab, I am ecstatic! Its like having 2 cars! Cruising the Las Vegas strip at night with the top down was sooooo much more enjoyable!

I don't know if you have PSE, but I am so happy I opted for it. Particularly with the top down, its simply intoxicating. I hope to take some driving lessons in the near future.

I haven't taken the car anywhere near the limit. But driving her puts a smile on my face every time.

I opted for the Escort Max Radar, very nice & cleanly installs under the rear view mirror.

I also installed the Smart Top. This is the way the car should have come stock. What a hassle having to hold the switch & the inability to lower top without being in car. So sweet to be walking towards car, pressing the unlock 3 times & watching the top fold for you to enjoy. For me, a must have.

We are, indeed, a very lucky few!

drcollie

I teach my students this at the track when I Instruct and tell them if they follow this mantra, they will never get into trouble in a corner:

SLOW IN - FAST OUT.

To break it down a bit - the basic theory that is easy to remember:

1) Do all your braking in a straight line BEFORE you enter the turn.

2) Once you commit to the turn, smooth - smooth - smooth is the key and lay the power down.

3) If you feel you are in too hot in the corner, or it starts a decreasing radius on you that is not anticipated, NEVER stab the brakes - EVER in mid turn. Do not let off the gas. Your job now is to keep the car stable and balanced and it will hold the turn if you don't lose your nerve. When in too hot keep just enough gas on the pedal to maintain the balance of the car. Do not jerk the steering wheel around (this also unsettles the car), and make it a smooth arc. Your Porsche will make the corner if you do, every time.

4) Accelerating out of a corner gives you a slingshot effect and lots of exit speed. The real trick in performance driving it mostly in the braking up to the point ot turn-in, and how you set the corner up.

Virtually all corner spins and wrecks are caused by upsetting the car in the corner, carrying too much speed into it - panicking - correcting - then crashing. SLOW IN - FAST OUT.