Notices
European Delivery and or Porsche Experience Center This forum to ask questions and get answers about collecting your Porsche in Europe or the outstanding Porsche Experience Center.

ED - Late October / November

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 07-02-2018, 02:00 PM
  #1  
HoffR1
Track Day
Thread Starter
 
HoffR1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default ED - Late October / November

So I'm not starting to plan my own trip for when pick up my GT3 on 10/23. This forum has been very helpful seeing other's ideas and suggestions. Just got confirmation of the dates requested for pickup a week ago, and this is the general itinerary I've come up with, which is probably a bit ambitious. Now starting to look for the actual hotels along they way. Any suggestions for variation along the route would be appreciated.

10/24 - Stuttgart to Neuchatel, Switzerland
10/25 - Furka Pass and any other nearby Swiss passes
10/26 - Stelvio Pass to Innsbruck
10/27 - Grossglockner and possibly Neckarsulm, ending in Brechtesgaden or Salzburg
10/28 through 10/31 - Vienna
11/1 - Ingolstadt
11/2 through 11/5 - Berlin
11/6 - Ardennes
11/7, 11/8 - BadenBaden and Black Forest
11/9 - Back to the Ardennes
11/10 - Spa
11/11 - Nurburgring Nordschleife
11/23 - return of car

Has anyone had experience with the "Public Driving Experience" at Spa Francorchamps. Is this fairly similar to the tourist days at the 'ring? I would obviously love to do a proper track day while over there, but this is what lines up with my schedule best.
Old 07-02-2018, 03:59 PM
  #2  
user 83838290
Banned
 
user 83838290's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,046
Received 471 Likes on 272 Posts
Default

I think that's pretty late to do passes... by that time, I'd request winter tire setup from PAG to be on the safe side.

Vienna is gonna be very windy and cold by that time btw.

https://www.austria.info/us/basic-fa...ving-in-winter
Old 07-02-2018, 06:39 PM
  #3  
Sven76
Pro
 
Sven76's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Germany - Frankfurt area
Posts: 556
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Default

Too late for passes I’d think. Skip Stelvio, unless you pick up a Macan, GT3 will scratch a lot. Ingolstadt isn’t nice, stop in Leipzig or Dresden. Not sure why you do Ardennes back an forth?
Old 07-02-2018, 08:05 PM
  #4  
uury
Advanced
 
uury's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 98
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 1 Post
Default

If you have your heart set on driving passes, you might look a bit further south in the French Alps north of Nice (may still be a stretch that late in the year). I would definitely expect the pass roads in Switzerland, Austria and Italy to be closed by that time, and if not, a hell of a gamble, weather-wise. Berchtesgaden is beautiful, btw.
Old 07-02-2018, 08:59 PM
  #5  
HoffR1
Track Day
Thread Starter
 
HoffR1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Passes, per the various websites, are open until 10/28, which is why I was planning on heading there first.
Old 07-02-2018, 09:08 PM
  #6  
GTSdds
Instructor
 
GTSdds's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 167
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Default

I’m sure you know by now that you will have winter tires put on your car by Porsche before delivery given your date(s).
The issue then becomes ‘how much snow & ice do you want to drive your new Porsche on’?
On about Oct 13 2013 I was in the Bavarian/Austrian alps heading towards Como over Splugen pass. It had snowed quite a bit the previous night, but the roads were (thankfully) bare by the time we hit them. Everything came off fine getting down into Italy, but the later in the year you go, the greater the chance of a pass closure/undesirable condition for you & new P car. FYI
Old 07-02-2018, 09:11 PM
  #7  
HoffR1
Track Day
Thread Starter
 
HoffR1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Considering the very low elevations of these passes compared to the Rockies, I would not have expected significant or noticeable snow accumulating that early in the year. Do the passes in Switzerland tend to snow in sooner? If so, that's exactly the sort of recommendation I need to plan to detour more north into Bavaria

Does something like Neuchatel - Zurich - Innsbruck - Salzburg - Vienna work better for the time of year? Or is that still getting into the passes a bit much? Grossglockner is the one I've heard as the most recommended, and can always detour towards that on the day if the weather is reported good.

Last edited by HoffR1; 07-02-2018 at 10:13 PM.
Old 07-02-2018, 11:23 PM
  #8  
GTSdds
Instructor
 
GTSdds's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 167
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Default

It is more likely than not that the passes you want to drive will be open and fairly good for your new GT3 on winter tires. However, those folks who live in the alps will tell you that weather changes very quickly in late Oct. You might want to wait to plan each days drive(and each nights stay) based on prevailing weather forecast after you pick up your car.

Another anecdote..I was in Munich for the last 10 days of Oct ‘06. On days 7 & 8 it was 75F. On day 10 it snowed overnight & I think the high was 45F.
Old 07-03-2018, 12:05 AM
  #9  
user 83838290
Banned
 
user 83838290's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,046
Received 471 Likes on 272 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by GTSdds
It is more likely than not that the passes you want to drive will be open and fairly good for your new GT3 on winter tires. However, those folks who live in the alps will tell you that weather changes very quickly in late Oct. You might want to wait to plan each days drive(and each nights stay) based on prevailing weather forecast after you pick up your car.

Another anecdote..I was in Munich for the last 10 days of Oct ‘06. On days 7 & 8 it was 75F. On day 10 it snowed overnight & I think the high was 45F.
This.
Old 07-03-2018, 12:21 PM
  #10  
HoffR1
Track Day
Thread Starter
 
HoffR1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Sven76
Too late for passes I’d think. Skip Stelvio, unless you pick up a Macan, GT3 will scratch a lot. Ingolstadt isn’t nice, stop in Leipzig or Dresden. Not sure why you do Ardennes back an forth?
I had heard the road was steep, but not realized it was that steep. Perhaps I'll just skip that one. Grossglockner sounds like the best of the roads anyways. Ardennes was kind of a generalization. I was thinking of passing through the area on the way down to Baden-Baden from Berlin. I will definitely need to go back towards the end of the week to catch a day at Nurburgring and Spa. The whole third week is for finding nice back roads with the car.
Old 07-03-2018, 12:32 PM
  #11  
uury
Advanced
 
uury's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 98
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 1 Post
Default

Originally Posted by HoffR1
I had heard the road was steep, but not realized it was that steep. Perhaps I'll just skip that one. Grossglockner sounds like the best of the roads anyways. Ardennes was kind of a generalization. I was thinking of passing through the area on the way down to Baden-Baden from Berlin. I will definitely need to go back towards the end of the week to catch a day at Nurburgring and Spa. The whole third week is for finding nice back roads with the car.
The Grossglockner is exceptional -- I'd highly recommend it. I just got back from an ED trip 10 days ago, and we drove Furka, Grimsel, Susten, Nufenen, Stelvio, Timmelsjoch, Hahntennjoch, Grossglockner, Hochstrasse, Umbrail, Gavia, and probably a few others that I'm forgetting. Grossglockner, Hahntennjoch and Susten were my favorites. I don't know how traffic will be that late in the year, but we got up at 5am and were on the Grossglockner by 6. Aside from a couple of bikers, the road was completely deserted and *so* much fun.

Also, re: Stelvio. It's a parking lot. Skip it.
Old 07-05-2018, 02:52 PM
  #12  
doubleurx
Rennlist Member
 
doubleurx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Truckee
Posts: 2,826
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by uury
The Grossglockner is exceptional -- I'd highly recommend it. I just got back from an ED trip 10 days ago, and we drove Furka, Grimsel, Susten, Nufenen, Stelvio, Timmelsjoch, Hahntennjoch, Grossglockner, Hochstrasse, Umbrail, Gavia, and probably a few others that I'm forgetting. Grossglockner, Hahntennjoch and Susten were my favorites. I don't know how traffic will be that late in the year, but we got up at 5am and were on the Grossglockner by 6. Aside from a couple of bikers, the road was completely deserted and *so* much fun.

Also, re: Stelvio. It's a parking lot. Skip it.
I agree! I was on the Grossglockner on May 31st and it was gorgeous!



Quick Reply: ED - Late October / November



All times are GMT -3. The time now is 10:46 AM.