Miggytosh

I tracked my 2016 GTS at Thunderhill and it was pretty amazing. Felt surprisingly light and agile. It was raining at times too and with the all-wheel drive I was blazing past GT3s and GT4s. That being said, I would classify it as a highly capable road car vs a true track car.

murdog

I took my 14 PTT to the Corvette Museum track. I have had dedicated track cars in the past (MZ3 Coupe, Viper ACR, E36 M3) and was pretty much ready to be somewhat disappointed. Wow, was I wrong. The car handled like something that weighed much less. The PDK was amazing and let me focus on learning the track's braking and turn in points better. Virtually no understeer which shocked me. I had the OEM Continental Sport contacts on and figured they would have been shot but they held up quite well. Now, did I keep up with the guy in the 991.1 GT3? Uh, no.

I would not recommend the PTT for as much track visits as you do for many of the reasons already mentioned. 1-2 days a year, maybe.

As previously stated though, buy the car anyway! Consider it your spare in case your track rat is down. They are really phenomenal vehicles.

mafpolo

Good points.....the vehicle will do it, but from a cost point of view it is not practical.

Schroedinger

Just wanted to thank everyone for the feedback. I've been checking out the towing thread... if I could use my Panamera to tow my Miata to the track, then I'd be golden!

twk63

I just did the Porsche Driving Experience in Atlanta yesterday in the Panamera Turbo S e-hybrid. While it was just a driving experience and not a true DE session, I was still able to track the car hard. It was completely comfortable (and fast) on the track.

mafpolo

If you had fun in Atlanta, and you haven't done any of the schools at the Porsche Track Experience at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, do it. It is far different and you will love it.

dwwalker14335

I have tracked my Turbo S and I can keep up with things like a 911 Turbo or lesser but GT3's and GT2's definitely catch up. On a 2 minute track, I trail by about 5 seconds to those. Straightaways, I could put some distance on the pretty much anything (not the GT2 RS, however) but in the corners, the smaller, lighter 911's start to close the gap until I get some more straightaways. I did run against a couple of Z06's in the group but I suspect the drivers were holding those back since I had to overtake them twice in 14 laps (3.1 mile loop). Overall, the car was surprisingly agile for a big car. Not a true track car but for the occasional track visit, more than capable. Having the Sport Plus mode with the PDCC really helps.

I did burn through a set of pads for the track weekend (Friday, Sat, Sun). But, then again, I did over 120 laps. Tires held up great (Mich Sport 4S), rotors were fine but killed the pads, front and back. So, have to add that to the cost of the experience.

Outlaw

I’m waiting for the 2 door 929 or whatever it’s called, as the do all car.

Mfnoel

Just finished 2 days and 5+ hours of track time in my Turbo Sport Turismo... curious what you decided to do?! I had a blast... definitely need high temp brake fluid and better brake pads... and some more track specific tires... but the experience was, while very different, as fun as it was to track my GT4. Turning (read plowing) through anything tight definitely required attention and a learning curve... but looser Ss (uphill Ss at VIR as an example) were a total blast... Panamera take curbs SO smoothly! Not sure I would track it multiple times a year, but, again, with the right brake fluid and some track day brake pads (or ceramics), going for a weekend once a year is a ton of fun!

Schroedinger

I decided to stay with the multiple vehicle plan. Instead of the Panamera I got a 981 Cayman S with PDK, which has been amazing and punches way above it's weight. I sold the turbo Miata, then ended up buying a Spec Miata race car for time trials and cheap laps. Then I sold the SUV and got an F-150 for family hauling and race car towing.

Strassenkurven

Your Panamera shouldn't be "plowing" in corners if you take the corners well. You should also be able to apply throttle through a corner to help it rotate further (with traction control still on, if you want).

The Panamera running costs are going to be much more expensive than a more typical track car. Never mind the larger cost of tires and brake pads, but the extra weight will also go through those items more quickly. And then there's the rest of the cost of car maintenance and the added complexity of the air suspension, dynamic sway bars, or anything else you have on your car. Spending more than a little time on track with those items will simply mean that they wear/fail more quickly.

Outside of the weight, a Panamera is really a great car on track. However, there's a reason why you want a lighter car with less complexity and cheaper wearable items.

Mozella55

I have a Panamera and I'd say you should dump your SUV and buy your friend's Panamera. You'll absolutely love it. Take it to the track ONCE to get the feel for it, but then forget the idea of using it for a serious track day car. The thrill won't be as great as you get from your Miata, the costs will be WAY higher, and the cost to you (both financially and emotionally) if you ball it up is just too great when weighed against the fun-factor.

If you're looking for something to provide you with an outlet more interesting than doing track days in your Miata, I would suggest real racing. The SCCA has classes for all sorts of amateur racing at all levels. Start in one of the lower (cheaper) classes and I'd say avoid any open wheel cars. The danger level goes up significantly and you must always remember you'll be going wheel-to-wheel with amateurs. You are very unlikely to hurt yourself in a closed wheel variant of some street legal car. I raced a VW Golf and it was an absolute ball. I sometimes attended track days for tuning and troubleshooting, but I can tell you the excitement of real racing is so far above what you experience on track days that it's hard to put into words. Attend an SCCA road race and see what kind of car is doing well in some class which appeals to you. I've been out of it for a while, but perhaps the Miata you already own would make a good starting point. Ask around and you might run across a used race car which can save lots of money and time getting it ready for the race track. Again, think about going smaller to start and something not too far from stock so you don't have to spend a fortune on components to be competitive.

WARNING: Real racing, even at a very low level, will eat money at an alarming rate, so don't fall in love with the sexier classes unless you have a sponsor. My little VW was very low on the racing food-chain, but it was fantastic fun. Think about it.

OOPS, I didn't notice the OP's latest post. It looks like great minds think alike and he's doing very much what I just suggested. Have fun.

Mfnoel

Completely agree! I was referring to “Plowing” in comparison to my GT4... You definitely feel the weight and front engine in comparison to the MUCH lighter and mid-engined GT4... I understand that it’s an unfair comparison, but that’s just the two most recent Porsches I’ve tracked. All in all, I was truly amazed at how well the Panamera performed... Acceleration on the straights is mind numbing and how it handles curbs is SO smooth! And like I said, for the occasional track day, loads of fun! For more than that, still fun but will get expensive quickly!