Porsche Driving Experience question
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Instructor
Joined: May 2002
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From: Connecticut
Porsche Driving Experience question
I am expecting my C4S to arrive in October and I have scheduled a 2 day PDE in Atlanta in November.
Do you think I would get more out of the course if I spend a few months driving the new car first? Or will the course help me to get more out of the car right away even if I have not driven it much?
In terms of experience I owned a 964 C2 from 92 to 94, no Porsche since then, and I have completed the 2 day Skip Barber advanced driving course a while back. No race experience yet.
Thanks in advance!
Do you think I would get more out of the course if I spend a few months driving the new car first? Or will the course help me to get more out of the car right away even if I have not driven it much?
In terms of experience I owned a 964 C2 from 92 to 94, no Porsche since then, and I have completed the 2 day Skip Barber advanced driving course a while back. No race experience yet.
Thanks in advance!
Nordschleife Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,077
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From: North Eastern US
I had the same question several months back. I was wondering whether to do local DE's first or do the PDE first. Several posters on this board reccomended doing the PDE first as this was an intensive and in-depth teaching on the use of the Porsche. Whatever you learned can then be more properly applied at the local DE's.
In my case, timing became everything. I had the car broken in, and I just couldn't wait. I had some minor racing experience in the distant past, and I booked the first available local DE. I have now had a total of three days worth of DE's, all PCA sponsored, all in reputable tracks. In just those three days, there has been a significant recall and improvement on track driving as well as increased familiarity and confidence with my C4S.
I now look forward to the PDE as an experience where I will be better able to use the better instructors for the more difficult questions. Sort of post-graduate or specialty training. It is also a place where I hope to be able to do the more difficult/dangerous manuevers with a car other than my own!!
.
I plan to do Atlanta PDE late winter/early spring. Maybe we'll see each other.
In my case, timing became everything. I had the car broken in, and I just couldn't wait. I had some minor racing experience in the distant past, and I booked the first available local DE. I have now had a total of three days worth of DE's, all PCA sponsored, all in reputable tracks. In just those three days, there has been a significant recall and improvement on track driving as well as increased familiarity and confidence with my C4S.
I now look forward to the PDE as an experience where I will be better able to use the better instructors for the more difficult questions. Sort of post-graduate or specialty training. It is also a place where I hope to be able to do the more difficult/dangerous manuevers with a car other than my own!!
.I plan to do Atlanta PDE late winter/early spring. Maybe we'll see each other.
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"I'd break it in first (625 miles below 5k revs according to my factory rep). You wouldn't want to go the PDE and not be able to redline freely..."
Since you drive PCNA cars (not yours), what diff would it make if your personal car was broken in before attending PDE vs. DE? Personally, I think it would be better to go to PDE NOW and experience what the car is capable of in a much more serious and concentrated setting with the best instructors possible. Then take back that wealth of knowledge and experience from PDE to DEs to practice and hone your skills. After doing that for a while, go back and take the "master's course" at PDE. FWIW, I drove my car MUCH faster after PDE as I just had no idea it had such enormous limits before.
IMO
Since you drive PCNA cars (not yours), what diff would it make if your personal car was broken in before attending PDE vs. DE? Personally, I think it would be better to go to PDE NOW and experience what the car is capable of in a much more serious and concentrated setting with the best instructors possible. Then take back that wealth of knowledge and experience from PDE to DEs to practice and hone your skills. After doing that for a while, go back and take the "master's course" at PDE. FWIW, I drove my car MUCH faster after PDE as I just had no idea it had such enormous limits before.
IMO
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 216
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From: Manhattan
Definitely go to PDE now and get more out of your car. They show you what you can do and how hard you can push the 996. Since you have already done Skip Barber, you will be put in the more advanced driving group anyway. When I went, there were participants who had no prior high performance driving skills and they (me included) get put in a different group. It is a lot of fun and the instructors are first rate.