Great footage! I really can't wait for the nice weather to get here.

 

Ole, Thanks for the update. Have a great time at VIR. OBTW Who was your instructor last time at R/A? Allan

 

Serge, Your video is really good. Nice set-up and editing. Good driving too. We need to get on the track together. Allan

 

Serge, very nice piece of driving there. Salut.

 

Serge, I'm feeling a serious pull towards the 991 GT3 and as much as I believe Mr Preuninger about the new car being much more street friendly as a dd, I do need to have this verified by some third party reviews. This is an incredibly tempting car and the pull is strong! Must resist....for a while at least!

 

Very nice! You apparently didn't get the memo that 991s is all soft and no longer a performance car.

 

Wow Serge, that was an exciting video! Well done! You could feel the frustration of that GT3 driver when he was behind you!

Do you find the X-51 is a noticeable performance improvement? I thought you did this well against the Gt3 with your old 991.

ChuckJ

 

Thanks guys. I do not have the X51 in fact and with the exception of big brakes and the roll bar (+seats), my 991S is stock with nor performance upgrade (yet?). As far as going around the track, my best time with the 'old' 991S was 1:45. A couple of weeks ago, I did 1:42 with the new 991S (has PDCC, SPASM and aero-kit that the previous one did not have) and this week end, my best time was 1:40. I am of course gaining confidence and pushing the car harder and harder.

When you go on 'fastestlaps.com' (worth what it's worth) and compare the 991S with 997 GT3 (Mk1 and Mk2) you'll see that there is no significant performance gap, especially around the track. The GT3 is always described as "noticeably faster" but you will find some better lap times with the 991S and this is also my personal experience. For sure the GT3 feels faster and is a blast to drive, but there is a good reason why Porsche had to take the 991 GT3 to an all other level of performance to differentiate it from the Carrera S.

So tx11 is right, whoever gets the memo that the 991S is not a performance car should shred it or return it to sender

PS: the GT3 driver was not frustrated and we had a good time following each other. He had another friend that was there with another 991S that did pretty well too but his driver was more respectful of the car (and had no safety gear to go more wild).

 

"Vade retro satana" We must be strong and not fall into temptation!
After all, the new GT3 is well.... BEAUTIFUL, FAST, AMAZING, HI-TECH

In Sid's absence, let's throw in a bouncing girl. If we are going to sin, let's go the whole nine yards!

 

Wow, 5 seconds are a big improvement. Do you feel that the SPASM contributed more confidence in corners vs the regular PASM? Or is it PDCC?

I am still trying to get comfortable in my GT3 on the track, still can't beat my best lap time in the 991S, though.

 

Hehehe....! Yes must resist!... but then is it futile?
Maybe the bouncing girl can show us the way!

 

When is Sid do back? It has been quiet without him...too quiet!

 

Hard to tell. I had Speedart springs on the first 991S, so maybe not so different from the SPASM. PDCC definitely reduces the body roll and gives me more confidence in the turns (maybe a little riskier too as you do not feel the limit as well, but the car is still extremely stable and can be throttle steered without intervention of the PSM). I would say that the aerokit also gives more high speed stability on the backstraight (130-150mph) which also leads me to stay on the throttle longer...
So I would say a bit of everything... and to a certain point my own learning of the track and the car.

PS: I would have hoped to get to a 1:3x lap time and Harry's laptimer recorded 1:40:09 I guess I'll have to go back to Road Atlanta to shave 0.1s and call it a day

 

Track consumables

2 quick updates on downsides of taking your car to the track and financial planning. Nothing new of course.

Protect your windshield

Cracked windshield: one tiny bit of gravel and running a little too close behind someone else can have costly consequence (a 991 windshield replacement runs around $1k):



Maybe even worse than the cost, you may end up driving one of these for the day if your dealership is out of Porsche loaners



After replacing the windshield and before going back to the track last week end I got Clearplex installed on the car:



The protective layer is (has to be) thick and not the easiest to install.



The overall result is not bad, but:
-if you buy a pre-cut film and get it professionally installed, it will still cost you ~$350
-because the installation is difficult, you may have a few defects around the edges or very small bubbles if dust particles have been trapped
-the optical quality is not perfect and there is a bit too much distortion for my taste

The film seems to protect the windshield adequately. I'd say it is a no-brainer for a dedicated track car, but I am not sure it is a great option for a daily driver.

Check your brakes regularly

I have put a Brembo BBK (15" front and rear) on the 991S and the stopping power (combined with track tires) and absence of fading is remarkable.



When you push the car hard (and you will if you know that stopping the car is not a problem ) you pay of course attention to your brake pads. I noticed I was running thin at the end of the day at the front but failed to double check the inside pads more closely before the last session. Bad call. There was no braking issue but quite a bit of grinding on the way back, which is perfectly understandable when looking at what is left of the inside pads:



There is in fact no pad material left at all ...and even some metal of the backing plate is gone No big deal, Vividracing has been able to overnight new pads and rotors are still in good shape.
My best estimate is that I lost 25% of the pads per track day (at the front) and probably half of that at the rear.

It basically means that a set of front pads would roughly last for 275 laps on Road Atlanta... so let's say that pads will cost you ~$1.5 per lap and some change.
Nothing dramatic if you know that gas, at 8 mpg will set you back ~$1.6 per lap, track tires ~$2 per lap and track insurance ~$3.5 per lap. Even if you throw the car depreciation on top of it, you would still be below $10 per lap... and it is worth every penny of it
Your only problem is that once you get the virus, you will want to do many, many laps

 

Thanks Serge. I was thinking about Clearplex, as I suffer from some road rash, but after hearing your review of it for a DD, will refrain. Great and helpful write-up.