My 918 Just Arrived
12-13-2014, 04:13 AM
#32
Congratulations Doc!
Yes indeed we did! A similar Weissach Package too!
Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel
.
Yes indeed we did! A similar Weissach Package too!
Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel
.
12-13-2014, 09:24 AM
#33
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Thanks guys! Today I'm hoping to get another 100 mi of break in taken care of meeting up with another Rennlister who just got his 918 last night. I don't want to spoil it for him so I'll let him post about his car. 
12-13-2014, 09:38 AM
#34
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
I just plugged her in for the first time last night. I'm embarrassed to say it took me quite a bit longer than I would have expected to figure out how the process worked. Now I'm just fighting off the urge to feel "smug" (j/k ).
).
12-13-2014, 09:44 AM
#35
12-13-2014, 02:00 PM
#37
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Unfortunately with all the rain yesterday I haven't had much chance to drive the car. But I was able to drive it some on Thursday on the way to and from Glistening Perfection where I'm going to have the clear bra done. Moe was nice enough to wrap the car in TracWrap for me so I can drive it until the clear bra install.
My first impressions are probably not surprising. The car is amazing, even when trying to break it in responsibly.
The fit and finish on the production cars is much better than on the prototypes that most of us drove. Everything appears to have been done with incredible precision and attention to detail. As best I can tell it is flawless.
The overall character of the car is difficult to express in words. On the one hand it is very raw and visceral, more so than any other modern Porsche road car that I've driven. At the same time it is incredibly sophisticated, with state of the art electronics everywhere they could potentially be utilized.
Ride quality is very good for such a raw, performance oriented car. Cabin noise is higher than a GT3RS (my car is a Weissach so that was to be expected). The noise is primarily from the tires/road. But you can also hear some of the electronics and the interfaces between the electronics and mechanicals. (To me that is a benefit of the Weissach model. But if you want more quiet, you might want the standard model's sound deadening materials.)
So far - and again this is with mild break-in style driving - the responsiveness of the power train seems to be even more impressive than it was in the prototypes I drove. Likewise the handling is razor sharp and balanced, though again this is all from relatively light driving so far.
The electric and hybrid modes are amazingly seamless. Hard to fathom really.
The brakes seem to be much more linear/progressive in the production car (vs the prototypes). Oddly enough, so far I like the brakes in the 918 better than the (PCCBs) on my 991 GT3 (which are outstanding too).
Like whoopsy I find the e-mode to be really cool in town. It's plenty responsive and strangely "calming" in stop and go type traffic.
I have no idea how the EPA mileage rating was obtained. Well I can guess... As background, I drove the car in hybrid mode to Moe's shop thinking it might be good for the break in process to do that part of the time. In very conservative driving I averaged roughly 24 mpg. That's impressive for sure for an 887 hp car. But it's not in the 60 mpg range. So, my guess is that, for the 60 mpg level of performance you'd need to drive in emode for much of the measurement period. As a result, I think the EPA rating is probably computed over some "average" commuting distance of maybe 20-30 miles? Just a guess and I didn't buy the car for its mileage.
The power jack for the radar detector will take some time to find. I'll let you guys look for a while first for fun. Then do like I did and ask someone who's had the car a little longer than you.
The PCM has so much functionality it's going to take some time to actually absorb it all. It's incredible to say the least.
I think the Burmeister sounds good. But there is a trade-off with the Weissach package in that the acoustics aren't tailored for the audiophile - with little or no sound deadening. So it was a little hard to tell while driving on the highway. Whoopsy says I wouldn't know anyway due to racing too many loud cars in the past. He could be right.
Tomorrow I'll be taking a much longer drive to take care of more break in miles. Hopefully I'll have a chance to drive in a more spirited way and begin to be able to experience more of the car's performance capabilities.
My first impressions are probably not surprising. The car is amazing, even when trying to break it in responsibly.
The fit and finish on the production cars is much better than on the prototypes that most of us drove. Everything appears to have been done with incredible precision and attention to detail. As best I can tell it is flawless.
The overall character of the car is difficult to express in words. On the one hand it is very raw and visceral, more so than any other modern Porsche road car that I've driven. At the same time it is incredibly sophisticated, with state of the art electronics everywhere they could potentially be utilized.
Ride quality is very good for such a raw, performance oriented car. Cabin noise is higher than a GT3RS (my car is a Weissach so that was to be expected). The noise is primarily from the tires/road. But you can also hear some of the electronics and the interfaces between the electronics and mechanicals. (To me that is a benefit of the Weissach model. But if you want more quiet, you might want the standard model's sound deadening materials.)
So far - and again this is with mild break-in style driving - the responsiveness of the power train seems to be even more impressive than it was in the prototypes I drove. Likewise the handling is razor sharp and balanced, though again this is all from relatively light driving so far.
The electric and hybrid modes are amazingly seamless. Hard to fathom really.
The brakes seem to be much more linear/progressive in the production car (vs the prototypes). Oddly enough, so far I like the brakes in the 918 better than the (PCCBs) on my 991 GT3 (which are outstanding too).
Like whoopsy I find the e-mode to be really cool in town. It's plenty responsive and strangely "calming" in stop and go type traffic.
I have no idea how the EPA mileage rating was obtained. Well I can guess... As background, I drove the car in hybrid mode to Moe's shop thinking it might be good for the break in process to do that part of the time. In very conservative driving I averaged roughly 24 mpg. That's impressive for sure for an 887 hp car. But it's not in the 60 mpg range. So, my guess is that, for the 60 mpg level of performance you'd need to drive in emode for much of the measurement period. As a result, I think the EPA rating is probably computed over some "average" commuting distance of maybe 20-30 miles? Just a guess and I didn't buy the car for its mileage.
The power jack for the radar detector will take some time to find. I'll let you guys look for a while first for fun. Then do like I did and ask someone who's had the car a little longer than you.
The PCM has so much functionality it's going to take some time to actually absorb it all. It's incredible to say the least.
I think the Burmeister sounds good. But there is a trade-off with the Weissach package in that the acoustics aren't tailored for the audiophile - with little or no sound deadening. So it was a little hard to tell while driving on the highway. Whoopsy says I wouldn't know anyway due to racing too many loud cars in the past. He could be right.
Tomorrow I'll be taking a much longer drive to take care of more break in miles. Hopefully I'll have a chance to drive in a more spirited way and begin to be able to experience more of the car's performance capabilities.
12-13-2014, 03:27 PM
#39
Doc
Thanks for that. I am also slightly deaf, for the same reason as you! I'm interested in the sound deadening for passengers though.
I am getting Weissach and at factory was persuaded that the extra noise (and reduced weight) is part of the experience, and so left the sound deadening as per W spec.
However, given that I'll be using the car mostly for road driving, and often with passenger; from what you say, I'm thinking I should maybe add back the extra soundproofing before lock down of spec next month.
I'm guessing that will still provide enough noise to enjoy - and they will sound much the same with the roof anyway!
Have you been in a 'soundproofed' car for comparison?
Thanks
Thanks for that. I am also slightly deaf, for the same reason as you! I'm interested in the sound deadening for passengers though.
I am getting Weissach and at factory was persuaded that the extra noise (and reduced weight) is part of the experience, and so left the sound deadening as per W spec.
However, given that I'll be using the car mostly for road driving, and often with passenger; from what you say, I'm thinking I should maybe add back the extra soundproofing before lock down of spec next month.
I'm guessing that will still provide enough noise to enjoy - and they will sound much the same with the roof anyway!
Have you been in a 'soundproofed' car for comparison?
Thanks
12-13-2014, 06:11 PM
#42
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Footsoldier: I've been in both. My gut feel is you'll probably prefer it with the sound deadening material. I've driven both and I think the sound deadening will help in the experience you are looking for.
PS The Burmeister sounded awesome in the garage this morning when I was playing around with the PCM. So, if nothing else, I can say for sure sound deadening will improve the audio experience on the road considerably.
PS The Burmeister sounded awesome in the garage this morning when I was playing around with the PCM. So, if nothing else, I can say for sure sound deadening will improve the audio experience on the road considerably.
Doc
Thanks for that. I am also slightly deaf, for the same reason as you! I'm interested in the sound deadening for passengers though.
I am getting Weissach and at factory was persuaded that the extra noise (and reduced weight) is part of the experience, and so left the sound deadening as per W spec.
However, given that I'll be using the car mostly for road driving, and often with passenger; from what you say, I'm thinking I should maybe add back the extra soundproofing before lock down of spec next month.
I'm guessing that will still provide enough noise to enjoy - and they will sound much the same with the roof anyway!
Have you been in a 'soundproofed' car for comparison?
Thanks
Thanks for that. I am also slightly deaf, for the same reason as you! I'm interested in the sound deadening for passengers though.
I am getting Weissach and at factory was persuaded that the extra noise (and reduced weight) is part of the experience, and so left the sound deadening as per W spec.
However, given that I'll be using the car mostly for road driving, and often with passenger; from what you say, I'm thinking I should maybe add back the extra soundproofing before lock down of spec next month.
I'm guessing that will still provide enough noise to enjoy - and they will sound much the same with the roof anyway!
Have you been in a 'soundproofed' car for comparison?
Thanks
Last edited by Porsche-Suchtig; 12-14-2014 at 10:16 AM.
12-13-2014, 09:15 PM
#43
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Footsoldier. I drove for about an hour with the tops off this afternoon. With the tops off I don't think there will be any difference between cars with and without soundproofing. First, once the tops are off the road noise seems less (at low speeds) because there is less of an echo chamber effect (I'm sure there's a term for that effect, I just don't know what it is). Second, at anything much above 30 mph the dominant noises are wind and the glorious sound of the engine. In fact, it sounds so awesome with the tops off, I may just leave them stowed.
12-13-2014, 09:23 PM
#44
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Two other minor details. First, the small cover over the power socket for things like radar detectors feels a little flimsy. I think it will break off if you use it much. It appears to be designed with extra added lightness. So I just bought a Solo 3 cordless instead.
Second, I figured out a way to go through a crowded shopping center parking lot with only a minimum number of paparazzi. Drive in emode. It's funny but people don't seem to notice electric cars, even ones that probably look like race cars to the avg person.
Second, I figured out a way to go through a crowded shopping center parking lot with only a minimum number of paparazzi. Drive in emode. It's funny but people don't seem to notice electric cars, even ones that probably look like race cars to the avg person.