Macca

Chris I chose to go MX72. mE20 were recommended for more competitive track work. Pete ran them and liked them. I had no real issues with the OEM pads or fluid on the 993 with the factory brakes as I had invested in a tech art plumbed ventilation kit. When I upgraded the brake package to Big Reds I changed out to MX72 endless & SrF and have to say the car performs as well under brakes as the GT3 now without any noise at all (a bugbear of mine) and wear seems really good too. The key is bedding them in correctly on the track and ventilation. I did a few PB sessions of in that car in July at HD and they de gassed really nicely - left a lovely blue shine to the centre of the disc (annular) and stank like they were about to catch fire. showed Mike the discs thinking the blue was pretty weird but he just laughed and explained to me how I had just broken them in real nicely. all good since. The PFC 08 sound like a good solution too - for the 993 prices look about the same as endless at 800 a set. Targa won't stress the tyres or brakes as much as the track especially in a Porsche IMO.

Good news regards upcoming GT products - looks like they will make lighter and offer transmission choices. It's what enthusiasts have been asking for. I just hope the follow through on this: http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-new...wer-arms-race/

shiraz

need this:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/ga...agefree-future

pcarplayer

That's a cool tech

floatingkiwi

Thanks John

floatingkiwi

I'm probably more like an M, contrary to what my ex wife says.

floatingkiwi

well I'm a 58 cm so with the balaclava I shuld be about right.

996tnz

Transmission choice would be great, and I'm all for lightening but I really hope Porsche are feinting with some of their statements:
______________________________________________

"When Andreas Preuninger, the head of Porsche’s GT division chatted to CAR’s Ben Barry recently, he hinted that the next generation of Porsche’s hairiest models would make a point by leaving the horsepower arms race behind.

...

He has strong views on the ongoing Nurburgring Nordschleife production car lap time crusades, too. He suggests that rather than designing a car capable of a headline-grabbing time in the hands of a professional driver, making the chassis confidence-inspiring and fun to drive for mere mortals should be more important.

‘For me it’s important that everyone has fun with the car, can drive fast for his own capabilities, and get better with it. Maybe we could make a 7min 15sec car – it would be relatively easy – but then it would be a dog on the street. It’s about compromise.’
____________________________________________

Porsches have already been dumbed down enough in my book (even to the point of ditching the handbrake!!!! WTF) so this gives me the chills.

The biggest attraction for me in buying a Porsche was knowing that the car was a damn sight more capable than I was, and then starting down the path of lifting my driving to match.

What would the world be like if every Guarnerius or Stradivarius who made outstanding instruments decided to dumb them down for the masses instead. They certainly wouldn't be selling for up to $10M now that's for sure.

I understand that Porsche's turbo trump card has now been copied en masse by just about every maker of super-saloons and that Porsche need to reposition themselves. I also agree that that handling trumps horsepower for driver involvement. For an engineering leader like Porsche though, I don't believe them when they say that they can't square the circle in building stronger lighter platforms to handle more power. Please, please, let them be feinting. And as for making Porsches easy to drive for the average driver at the expense of performance potential, just resurrect the Lohner marque or something. Better yet, following Ferrari's lead in naming lesser cars after the founder's son's name: the dumbed down ones could be branded 'Ferry' instead for extra truth in advertising.

Maybe I'm overreacting but someone needs to be the canary in the coalmine - and my car's the right colour.

John McM

I will see a number of your fellow Targa Tour guys this Weekend. I have arranged for my wife to bring the Helmet up North and one of them can take it back down South to the Targa documentation. I won't be at home before the Targa starts so this makes it easier. There are teenage sons in the house but good luck to Chris T getting any sense out of them in waking hours

Macca

Walt. You make some fair points. I've been reading AP's every word for a number of years and IMO around 50% of what he says comes through, about 20% does not and 30% gets veto'd by the board!

I dont think there is any risk to Porsche incrementally increasing the power and performance of the GT range. Infact what AP says is planned is what has been happening all along, gradual slow 20-30bhp increases from generation to generation.

For me the most important take away points from this were (whether they happen or not may be subject to the 50:50 rule above):

1). Reinstatement of manual gearbox (I had already been led to believe this via another private source. I believe however there may not be a "choice" in the traditional sense of the word nut rather you buy a GT3 with manual gearbox or an RS with PDK-S, they will always save their fastest for the RS platform). When AP say choice I believe he means you can have a GT3 or RS for manual or PDK-S.

2). Focus on weight reduction

3). No turbo for the GT3 range yet and hopefully no hybrid either (although its not mentioned).

Anyone who truly believes PAG are going to turn their back on Ring times for the GT3/RS range is mistaken. The marketing boys would move to Volvo before this would happen. I think this is a positioning piece. The fact remains if they followed the path I predict above the next gen GT3 in manual will struggle to beat the 7.25 posted for the current GT3, even assuming small reductions in weight and small increases in power. I believe this is a place-holder thats all.

The weight thing intrigues me. The new RS uses all manner of exotic weight reduction tech beyond any previous iteration (Magnesium roof, CF front fender and bonnet, alloy for most of the remaining panels). I really dont think there is much weight to be lost in the latest GT3/RS. If you threw out a bit more of the cabin furniture and HVACs/Stereo etc you could find 30-40Kg I guess but that would be a real stripper. Without significantly increasing the price (the 991 GT3RS is almost 80K NZD more at retail than the GT3) you are limited to around 1370Kg here - thats the same weight as a 1997 993 C2 stripper.

P.S. you touch on one of the two most annoying features of the 991 GT3 and new cars in general. Firstly electronic handbrake. Although has a useful "drive through" option otherwise a PITA in every other respect. Porsche version worse as totally un-intuitive - pull up to release? The other pet hate is these electronic keys, they are so bulky, and in Porsches example lamely look like a silhouette of the car. Bring back real keys please like the one for my 993 or older models!

P.P.S. Although I agree that there is a concerning inference to "confidence inspiring and more fun for mere mortals comment" I might also add that many Porsche buyers choose the security of automated gearboxes and 4WD to remove elements of "risk" in their daily Porsches. As much as there is a small hardcore gathering of hairy chested drivers out there even amongst our own RSG group there are a number choosing platforms (could be based on budget in some examples) that do not allow the full range of freedom a NA, RWD, Manual chassis provides. If you talk with a GTR owners who tracks the car frequently at HD year round and ask him if hes concerned about the size of his gonads because he drives an automated transmission 4WD 600 hp car with huge dollops of electronic assistance he will likely laugh at you.

The fact remains. There is 50 years of 911 product out there for us all to choose from. You can choose to go fast in safety and relative comfort, fly around the track on trailing arm turn-buckle suspension propelled by a 200 bhp flat 6 by the tips of your fingers reading brail through the wheel or anything in between. Given many of the RSG crowd are not new car buyers, including myself (happened to be a "cheap deal" I plan top loose no money on), then where its going in the future is fairly academic. Its like progress and we cant really stop it. Best bet is to vote with your feet IMO and buy the best older gen car that suits your needs.

pcarplayer

Thanks to GT for finding this. Turbo model discussed. Worth buying to maintain the collection. I haven't read it but i'm sure there's lots of exposure

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=884491507

996tnz

Touché. And other aids like auto blipping too of course . Risk is an interesting thing. My Turbo came up on TradeMe when I was looking at an Ultima GTR there. Four things put me off the Ultima.

Firstly, it was the base 530HP version and I knew I'd always be wanting at least the 720.
Secondly, it was too compromised on road - overheating concerns in jams, too low to get around, a multipoint harness to get in and out of, no ABS or airbags, and untested for crashworthiness. One pranged while street racing a Lambo in South Africa and only the Lambo driver survived.
Thirdly, it was too low for real world traffic, meaning it would be slower up the motorway during the day than most of our Porsches.
Fourth, and lastly, as a strict two-seater it would be harder to get past the goalkeeper.

Then my 996 Turbo came up as a GFC fire sale. I probably wouldn't have considered a Tip if I hadn't already learned to get the most out of my automatic 928 by left foot braking etc and been happy with the outcome. It also helped that the owner demoed it with a spontaneous autocross through a new and uninhabited subdivision.

There's very little performance penalty, even if Porsche sandbagged the figures for the 996 generation Tips. The 996 Turbo's Tiptronic S is smarter and more responsive than the earlier Tiptronics, and especially when it's driven hard. In three or four PCNZ sprints, a driver training day, a gymkhana, a Targa sprint day and three track days at different tracks, it's only disappointed me once with its choice of gear (though I will select for it manually at times beforehand). That one time was when I lifted off coming up to the HD sweeper to allow slower traffic to hold their line and it decided to change up. Not a problem really since I was still going pretty straight and she has mountains of torque to take her through the turn a gear up, but it just meant being ready to relax the steering momentarily as she changed down again to her normal T10 gear on exit.

Yes I'd prefer a manual on track, but in Auckland rush hour traffic they are a drag, as reconfirmed with BB2 recently. And on Targa, and more so on back road runs, having both hands on the wheel just makes sense. You can never quite know what going on around the next corner, whether it's a tractor pulling out of a farm gate, a horse and rider or whatever.

As for hairy chests, they went out with Nuvolari in my book (pre-80s Formula One and Group B rallying being notable exceptions) . Going back further, a racer from the early 1900s would argue that we're all woossies because we're not even manually regulating our timing advance. Though dropping him into the yellow terror with 500 HP and no PSM might make him think twice about that. I would challenge anyone who's willing and able to underwrite repairs to punt mine fast around HD and then tell me they didn't see God at some point around the circuit. I once went passenger on track with someone who said they'd never had any loose 'moments' in their car and I let them know I probably have about one per lap!

Hear, hear - we are spoiled for choice right now. But if I'm picking up a tired 2018 GT2/3/4/5 or whatever in 2030, I still want it to be a driver's car rather than a nana's car. I want Porsche to keep building PORSCHES, and they're drifting away from that.

996tnz

Except for Porsche having told it to never select first gear when stopped. Probably to save fuel and wear but obviously the rot had already started to set in by then, though the flip down to first has become an ingrained habit for me now.

esonefour

A bit of a drive day last week, some awesome photos to add.
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/snoozi...7651919951258/

RS ZWEI

Porsche at the Ace Cafe:

http://www.speedhunters.com/2015/05/...e-cafe-london/

Macca

Nice photos. I see some familiar faces there. My favourites are the Yellowbird replica and Marks SC.