I went out on a very rainy April Fools day track run. The conditions were far from ideal, but they were fun.

Rain + some hail + 4c (39f)

I'm heading out again Friday. I will hopefully have dry track experience and observations.

Random thoughts.
The car is very fast.
It is very easy to drive. Even on the very tight track I was on. The engine always has power and torque. I found myself with power coming out of turns and not having to shift between several tight corners.

The car drifted really well in the wet. I did not have horrible 'understeer' at all. I will see how the dry treats it. It was plenty easy to get the tail out.

The car was not as fluid as my other, 09 Vantage V8 (4.7 l = 420 HP). The TTRS felt like it had less grace. Again that could be the weather. The Aston glides through the track. The TTRS felt more twitchy. It was actually harder for my to drive. Again the conditions have a lot to do with that. I'm sure the Aston would have scared the crap out of me today.

It was very sticky and gave warning when it broke free.

I had a hard time with the brakes. They feel like the have two pressures, braking and holy Sh*t. The Astons brakes felt far more linear. More mechanical. easier for me to predict.

I'm hoping with more seat time I can figure them out.

I HATE the shift action. It is sloppy and I found it did not FIND the next gear. You always have to be aware. Is there a short shift kit for this car??? It really needs it.

Overall I was impressed and I'm looking forward to a dry session.

Anyone else track their TTRS? Any tips etc?

 

I forgot to mention, right after cool down I got the "EPC" warning and the "Do not exceed 4000 RPM" warning.

I did go away, but I was curious if others got this code?

 

Well, having had a TTRS that I tracked and traded it in for a 11 Vantage Roadster I think I can weigh in here.

I miss the twitchy-ness of the TTRS. It's just blazingly fast out of the gate. Not sure if you have timed yours yet or not but I managed quite regularly to get mine at under 4 seconds 0-60. It did take a bit of time to get used to it.

The TTRS on a dry track runs circles around most other cars...until the tires warm up. Then it just gets sloppy. Steering is good around the track but I actually think my Vantage might be easier to turn. The Vantage does shift easier but you'll get used to the TTRS. I miss it actually. I miss the TTRS.

With the TTRS you have to just let it loose. Take it further than you would have with the Vantage. You'll be surprised how limber and easy it is to navigate around corners and it stops on a freckin dime, unlike the Vantage.

Take it out again when it's dry and get used to the difference in how the weight is distributed. I'm serious when I say that after a couple of sessions I was blowing away everything else (except for a Cayman R). I have a thread with photos and videos on Fourtitude from Spring Mountain here in Nevada back in December. Such a good time.

 

TRACK DAY ON A PERFECT SUNNY DAY

So, I got out on a very sunny Toronto day. It was 11c (50f) by noon, the track was dry and clear and got busy.

Here are my thoughts:

The TTRS was once again very quick. There always see a to be the power you need coming out of a corner. On the straights it's fast, but not scary fast. The Aston has a thump of power once your speeds increase. You can feel that engine come breath, the TTRS seems to have more of a constant delivery.

I still hate the shifter. In fact it got me into trouble a few times with sloppy shifts. It is sooo vague.

I really liked the car when it got a little looser on the track. It was far easier to toss from corner to corner. Perhaps that's just because im used to driving a rear wheeled Aston.

I did get a better feel for the brakes. I'm guessing my times will increase once I trust them more, at the moment I find them harder to read than I would like. At times I was braking just slightly earlier than I wanted to, or braked too late (twice). Some work to be done here.

The Toyo's did get a little slick, but I actually enjoyed them when they were hot. There is certainly room for improvement here though.

Apparently I was one of the faster cars out that day, so that was nice to hear (the opinion of the track side jury). But I was only as fast as the Vantage. Exactly as fast. I'm sure that's because I'm the weakest link in the equation. To be honest it's stupid to fault the TTRS for being equally quick and half the price. BUT I had hoped it would have been quicker. It was just as quick as the Cayman R that day.

SO__________What to do now? MODS etc

1. I already have a competition Haldex on the way. Not sure how much it will help as the car was never fwd feeling. But faster out of the turns etc is welcomed.

2. I'm considering a set of rims. I need them anyway as I will drive this car in the winter. The BBS CH rims seem to be the best price/performance compromise. In fact the come in near the same weight as the Forgestars (according to Forgestar) yet cost a fair bit less. Anyone run these? Does anyone know the actual wieght of the stock titanium 19" rims. I see them listed between 27 and 33lbs

3. Looking for a reco on tires. I mostly drive ths car on the track in the summer months as I have an SUV and the Vantage. Tracks are all an hour and a half away, so I need tires that can be driven on a highway. Considering Bridgestone RE11's or Yokohama ADVAN AD08. Of course Super Sports are an option. Looking for any other ideas?

4. Brakes can I get away with a set of Pagid pads and stainless lines? Do I need a bigger brake kit? What will improve feel?

5. Waiting patiently for a tune, though speed is less an issue than braking and handling at the moment.


Any thoughts would be appreciated.