RE: Driven: Porsche Boxster and Boxster S

RE: Driven: Porsche Boxster and Boxster S

Author
Discussion

kambites

67,462 posts

220 months

Thursday 14th June 2012
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Lar said:
With respect to everyone discussing how larger wheels couldn't possibly offer better ride quality, let's take a step back from what's been drilled into us from years of reading car reviews. From a mountain biking perspective (26" vs 29" wheel debate currently strife in the mtb world), if you have a small hole in the road, a small wheel can fall into it, whereas a large wheel will roll over it, offering a better ride.

Obviously there are far more factors at work here, but it's just a thought.
You're missing one crucial factor there - with the bike wheels, the rolling diameter of the smaller wheels is lower; with a car, the rolling diameter of the different wheel options is generally almost exactly the same, for a given model. All that varies is the proportion of that diameter which is springy rubber, and the proportion which is hard metal.

A larger rolling radius can definitely produce better ride quality, but that's not what's being discussed.

Ftumpch

188 posts

157 months

Monday 18th June 2012
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Sounds like a nice car and very good value, but why so heavy? A kerb weight of over 1300kg seems pretty excessive for such a little car. It seems to me that getting it down to about 1100kg would put it in another league altogether.

Ftumpch

188 posts

157 months

Monday 18th June 2012
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Never mind the wheels - check out the hedges in the background!! That's time and effort right there wobble

Carl_Docklands

12,103 posts

261 months

Monday 18th June 2012
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Ftumpch said:
Sounds like a nice car and very good value, but why so heavy? A kerb weight of over 1300kg seems pretty excessive for such a little car. It seems to me that getting it down to about 1100kg would put it in another league altogether.
Too lairy for most drivers I would wager and probably too expensive to manufacture, the car is perfectly balanced and weighted as it is, leave that class of car to Lotus imo, they do it well.

To the poster who asked about options adding to the residual value of the car, there is only one on the boxster according to Porsche - PDK.

Regardling wheels, I run 18s in the winter and 19s in the summer. While the 18s are much more entertaining and make the car (Boxster '10 plate) handle better in some respects, the 19s give the car a go-kart like cornering and inspire more confidence. I would imagine that the 20s have even better traction.

Having said that I doubt the 20s would be the better choice on less powerful 2.7 car, you would want/need them more on the S.

Edited by Carl_Docklands on Monday 18th June 22:05

thepony

1,697 posts

164 months

Wednesday 28th November 2012
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Can anyone tell me what Porsche Torque Vectoring system does :-) ?

Does it help stabilise the car by applying brakes on individual wheels ?

Is it like BMW's Dynamic Stability Control ?

Carl_Docklands

12,103 posts

261 months

Wednesday 28th November 2012
quotequote all
thepony said:
Can anyone tell me what Porsche Torque Vectoring system does :-) ?

Does it help stabilise the car by applying brakes on individual wheels ?

Is it like BMW's Dynamic Stability Control ?
From the horses mouth:

http://www.porsche.com/microsite/technology/defaul...

DonkeyApple

54,932 posts

168 months

Wednesday 28th November 2012
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hornetrider said:
kambites said:
Is there such a thing as an option that actually improves the residuals (in absolute, not % terms) in any car? I've certainly not come across one.
I don't know about absolute terms, but if you don't spec leather you'll need the patience of a saint come resale time. The market for cars lacking it is teeny tiny.
And to think that you only ever put leather on the seats that were outside where the staff sat, while as the owner you sat in far greater comfort than leather could afford. smile

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

245 months

Wednesday 28th November 2012
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thepony said:
Can anyone tell me what Porsche Torque Vectoring system does :-) ?
It does two things,

1. Removes substantial cash from your wallet (a common feature of Porsche options).

2. Combines a limited slip diff with braking of the inside wheel in a turn.

IMO unnecessary in a mid-engined car unless you're really thrashing it - probably only on track.

shoestring7

6,138 posts

245 months

Thursday 29th November 2012
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DonkeyApple said:
hornetrider said:
kambites said:
Is there such a thing as an option that actually improves the residuals (in absolute, not % terms) in any car? I've certainly not come across one.
I don't know about absolute terms, but if you don't spec leather you'll need the patience of a saint come resale time. The market for cars lacking it is teeny tiny.
And to think that you only ever put leather on the seats that were outside where the staff sat, while as the owner you sat in far greater comfort than leather could afford. smile
Quite. I sold my Cayman (no leather, no Nav, no metallic, no music, no 19"s) to the first caller within days at the full asking price.

SS7