Things We Noticed on the 992 at the Nürburgring
Daily Slideshow: A wise man once said that there is no substitute for Porsche. By the looks of what the automaker is up to he wasn't kidding.
Hitting Their Marks for 2020
The Nürburgring is a 12.9 mile stretch of mountain road race track with turns that can swallow a car whole. Zero run-off area and extremely high speeds mean a driver must have absolute confidence when he commands his machine to attack a corner. Bumps here are notorious for spitting even the best of drivers into the trees that line the foothills of the Eifel Mountain pass. Sounds like the perfect place to get some testing done.
How Testing Works
Testing is a tedious process where drivers are in constant feedback loop to a team of engineers and tire specialists. A delicate balance of improving the car for the Ring—and roads like it—while maintaining everyday usability is what the 911 has become known for. This largely comes down to how springs and shocks are working together to help the car get through a variety of corners, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Transitional characteristics, tire degradation and turn in behavior are just the start of what a team will test in search of perfection. Lots of laps. Lots of discussions.
image courtesy of flickr.com
>>Join the conversation about the 992 testing relentlessly here in the forums.
Useful Studies
Information that is gathered will inevitably be used when they break their own record (or someone else’s) in 2019. Nürburgring times are not going anywhere and are very relevant to track specific models like the RS and other special editions that have come out in previous years. Porsche compiles this type of data going back decades—seriously. All test days are recorded with everything from surface temperature to air humidity being accounted for.
>>Join the conversation about the 992 testing relentlessly here in the forums.
But Wait, There’s More
Porsche will also cross-reference this with cold weather climate testing to ensure the car can handle any extreme you throw at it. The Ring tightens up a car’s handling and feedback to the driver, but that’s only part of what makes the 911 great as stated previously. Death Valley, the Middle East, Nardo Ring and Mount Evans in Colorado are all environments the 992 will learn to work in harmony with. This is how they stay on top every single year. Incredible.
>>Join the conversation about the 992 testing relentlessly here in the forums.
Search and Develop
Everything from tire degradation to corner entry understeer over a crest will be analyzed to ensure that the bar is raised. Porsche is a super developer of sports cars with accolades many tuners can only dream about and that will be reflected in the 992. We know it looks amazing, now it’s just up to Porsche to make sure it exceeds our wildest expectations. All of this testing is just part of the process.
Cheers.
>>Join the conversation about the 992 testing relentlessly here in the forums.
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