Prospective 981 GT4 Owners Discussion Forum.
Discussion
Scooty100 said:
So Demon all things being equal what would you buy 997 gt3.2 VS GT4? , 997 GT3.1 VS GT4?
things are not equal though so a Sharkwerks 997.2 4.1 with a set of JRZ passive shocks and shorter final drive :-)Not sure why we don't see more of those from the rich peeps here ! people just buy OEM even with massive pots of cash, a shame really.
PorscheGT4 said:
J-P said:
I'd expect it to be awesome! I'm intrigued by why PorscheGT4 isn't absolutely over the moon with the thing?
I liked it, but the gearing is stupid, the clutch was like treading concrete, the brakes had no bite, (prob all the PH glazing the pads :-p, I hope I gave them enough s
t to get them back a bit) lol and it under steered so you had to drive it like a 911, A big reason I buy Caymans is so I don't have to drive them like 911's !!Brakes will be ok I have gone steels and will put in 29's if they lack any thing, Put rear ARB to stiff and suck up the gearing. NO idea why the PEC car lacks the bite of my own PCCB set up, maybe the much bigger wheel/tyre weight combo to try and stop rotating + the extra 150kgs it has in total ! or glazed pads !! any way it did not stop like my Spyder stops !!!
Steering was better than I expected but lacks the R feel.
I also expected it to be a bit faster. be interesting to drag it vs my lighter Spyder as it feels no faster, in fact slower in the mid range, a Vbox afternoon will show up real speeds not bum speed though.
the G's were huge, the change of directing was amazing, it def felt GT over a 981 for sure and a very solid car you could just abuse all day long.
for a track car it will walk all over the R, as a road car it's a tough call, I'll have to wait till mine arrives in a few weeks ;-) but out the box it all feels a bit 911 and a few reasons why I sold my GT3 might be why mine will not be a keeper long term. But I have been wanting a change from Pork for a while, just the timing has not been right. Fancy a MP12 really and that will make a nice partner to my Spyder.
ALso the 245/295 Cups could well be over tyre for road use. It's going to be a track weapon, but then you might say a 997.2 GT3 would be a better choice, more BHp and that engine, thing is they are now £120k ! which is daft, was a nice car at £85k so the GT4 at £75k optioned up has no competition at all in any market.
So again depends what people want, people poo pooed the R for not being a track car but that made it an amazing road car and the great following it has now, the GT4 IS a track car which might have road issues, time will tell , no one has driven it on UK roads yet.
This is all imho, and NOT FACT so no stupid spamming, they are just my views. I don't want any stupid quoting !!!!
Personally didn't think the clutch was heavy. The gearchange also had similar throw to my R (I have the short shift), albeit more rifle bolt action. I did have an issue grabbing second once the car was getting hot, so had a do few double clutch changes but that could of been the abuse this particular car has had.
The LWB felt near as identical to the folding buckets in the R.
Steering was a surprise for me, and actually felt sharper than my R (quicker rack?). The steering didn't wriggle around in the hands when compared to say a Lotus, but I was more than happy with the feedback. The smaller steering wheel is also a nice addition.
Outright grip is amazing. Driving back in the R and you can really notice the lack of grip when comparing back to the GT4.
I actual thought the handling was setup quite neutral. It did under steer on a couple of corners, but this was more down to the camber of the track and line taken. Either way, this can be adjusted via the arbs. The car was also ridiculously easy to control / slide on the low friction courses - all great fun.
Gear ratios are not an issue. Sure 2nd can be a tad shorter, but it really doesn't affect the drive that much. The gear ratios are more of an issue in the lesser Caymans personally.
To echo The above review, it didn't feel THAT fast in a straight line, but then its always going to be hard to compare on track. The engine does rev fairly freely with the lighter flywheel which makes for nice heel and toe changes. Its also easy to make use of the power all the way upto the limiter.
Overall I’ve come away extremely impressed. I honestly can’t think of another car right now that compares in terms of driver involvement and capability.
PorscheGT4 said:
J-P said:
I'd expect it to be awesome! I'm intrigued by why PorscheGT4 isn't absolutely over the moon with the thing?
I liked it, but the gearing is stupid, the clutch was like treading concrete, the brakes had no bite, (prob all the PH glazing the pads :-p, I hope I gave them enough st to get them back a bit) lol and it under steered so you had to drive it like a 911, A big reason I buy Caymans is so I don't have to drive them like 911's !!Brakes will be ok I have gone steels and will put in 29's if they lack any thing, Put rear ARB to stiff and suck up the gearing. NO idea why the PEC car lacks the bite of my own PCCB set up, maybe the much bigger wheel/tyre weight combo to try and stop rotating + the extra 150kgs it has in total ! or glazed pads !! any way it did not stop like my Spyder stops !!!
Steering was better than I expected but lacks the R feel.
I also expected it to be a bit faster. be interesting to drag it vs my lighter Spyder as it feels no faster, in fact slower in the mid range, a Vbox afternoon will show up real speeds not bum speed though.
the G's were huge, the change of directing was amazing, it def felt GT over a 981 for sure and a very solid car you could just abuse all day long.
for a track car it will walk all over the R, as a road car it's a tough call, I'll have to wait till mine arrives in a few weeks ;-) but out the box it all feels a bit 911 and a few reasons why I sold my GT3 might be why mine will not be a keeper long term. But I have been wanting a change from Pork for a while, just the timing has not been right. Fancy a MP12 really and that will make a nice partner to my Spyder.
ALso the 245/295 Cups could well be over tyre for road use. It's going to be a track weapon, but then you might say a 997.2 GT3 would be a better choice, more BHp and that engine, thing is they are now £120k ! which is daft, was a nice car at £85k so the GT4 at £75k optioned up has no competition at all in any market.
So again depends what people want, people poo pooed the R for not being a track car but that made it an amazing road car and the great following it has now, the GT4 IS a track car which might have road issues, time will tell , no one has driven it on UK roads yet.
This is all imho, and NOT FACT so no stupid spamming, they are just my views. I don't want any stupid quoting !!!!
J-P said:
Interesting, sounds like some of the issues you have highlighted might just be down to be a well-used / pre-production version (brake bite) and some issues can be dealt with by setting it up differently (understeery). However, feedback that it's not that fast is interesting as I reckon if you got the R to 370 /380 BHP, it would feel fast.
the gearing kills the speed imo. My Spyder has more torque and is 100kg lighter with a much lighter wheel/tyre disk combo.all the 3.8 does is offset the longer gearing and those hugh tyres/disks . I never thought a 996/997 GT3 felt fast and they are not really.
Some people seem happy with the gearing, I think it sucks.
the cars about 245/295 cup 2's imo that's it stand out feature and the grip which comes with it.
I wonder how an R would be on 245/275's cup 2's
The cup 2 is a big step up from the original Cup. Very easy to warm up and substantially quicker on a lap. To compare - say a spyder - to the GT4 in terms of outright grip performance would be very difficult unless it is also fitted with cup 2's. It is a well know trick of Porsche's to simply shortern the gear rations a little and add stickier rubber to find performance gains of GT cars. The difference in performance the GT ranges is mainly down to this, with the addition - in the 991 GT3's case - of a flat shift box and torque vectoring.
Hi Steve my Spyder has RSS Adjustable LCA running -2 and a set of CUP 2's with > 300lb/ft and 1250kg's, it a joy to drive.
Hence why I said I was not blown away by the GT4's performance but it's grip and change of direction was pretty amazing on the 245/295 combo.
Hence why I said I was not blown away by the GT4's performance but it's grip and change of direction was pretty amazing on the 245/295 combo.
Edited by PorscheGT4 on Friday 7th August 14:11
Steve Rance said:
If your Spyder is fitted with Cup 2' then your relitave dissapointment doesn't surprise me. In reality the essential performance between the two cars is probably very small. If I owned a spyder, I wouldnt be selling it anytime soon. Fantasic car
Yep it's a keeper now it been tweeked, I love the thing.
Well, just back from PEC and have to say the GT4 has met expectations!
What I would say is the GT4 is not so much of an "event", it's not that sort of car IMO but boy is it enjoyable to drive. You just get absorbed in the driving. As a package it just works. The steering is precise and accurate, the manual gearbox a delight, turns in really nicely, grip levels off the scale, feels very compliant in standard suspension settings. The car looks better in the flesh with the right amount of "purpose". It is a bit quieter than I expected but there are upsides to this given track noise regulations!
LWB are probably the best seats I have ever sat in. Really supportive and comfortable. But bear in mind I am used to sitting in composite tillet seats in Caterhams!
Gearing is a bit long. Initially I found this a bit of a challenge as many areas of the handling circuit I had to hold onto 2nd when I would have changed up if the ratios were a bit shorter. But soon get used to it and drive accordingly.
Biggest surprise was just how fantastic the car looks in yellow! I'm going guards red but am now so tempted to change to yellow. Didn't like the black GT4, just looks like a regular Cayman to my eyes (not against black cars generally, my last two cars have been black!).
I think the GT4 could easily be a daily drive (subject to clearance issues) but for me it's talents would be wasted if it doesn't see a race track every now and then. I can see a PH GT4 track day coming next year ...
What I would say is the GT4 is not so much of an "event", it's not that sort of car IMO but boy is it enjoyable to drive. You just get absorbed in the driving. As a package it just works. The steering is precise and accurate, the manual gearbox a delight, turns in really nicely, grip levels off the scale, feels very compliant in standard suspension settings. The car looks better in the flesh with the right amount of "purpose". It is a bit quieter than I expected but there are upsides to this given track noise regulations!
LWB are probably the best seats I have ever sat in. Really supportive and comfortable. But bear in mind I am used to sitting in composite tillet seats in Caterhams!
Gearing is a bit long. Initially I found this a bit of a challenge as many areas of the handling circuit I had to hold onto 2nd when I would have changed up if the ratios were a bit shorter. But soon get used to it and drive accordingly.
Biggest surprise was just how fantastic the car looks in yellow! I'm going guards red but am now so tempted to change to yellow. Didn't like the black GT4, just looks like a regular Cayman to my eyes (not against black cars generally, my last two cars have been black!).
I think the GT4 could easily be a daily drive (subject to clearance issues) but for me it's talents would be wasted if it doesn't see a race track every now and then. I can see a PH GT4 track day coming next year ...
XGT said:
Well, just back from PEC and have to say the GT4 has met expectations!
What I would say is the GT4 is not so much of an "event", it's not that sort of car IMO but boy is it enjoyable to drive. You just get absorbed in the driving. As a package it just works. The steering is precise and accurate, the manual gearbox a delight, turns in really nicely, grip levels off the scale, feels very compliant in standard suspension settings. The car looks better in the flesh with the right amount of "purpose". It is a bit quieter than I expected but there are upsides to this given track noise regulations!
LWB are probably the best seats I have ever sat in. Really supportive and comfortable. But bear in mind I am used to sitting in composite tillet seats in Caterhams!
Gearing is a bit long. Initially I found this a bit of a challenge as many areas of the handling circuit I had to hold onto 2nd when I would have changed up if the ratios were a bit shorter. But soon get used to it and drive accordingly.
Biggest surprise was just how fantastic the car looks in yellow! I'm going guards red but am now so tempted to change to yellow. Didn't like the black GT4, just looks like a regular Cayman to my eyes (not against black cars generally, my last two cars have been black!).
I think the GT4 could easily be a daily drive (subject to clearance issues) but for me it's talents would be wasted if it doesn't see a race track every now and then. I can see a PH GT4 track day coming next year ...
Is there now a black GT4 at PEC ?? Be keen to see this What I would say is the GT4 is not so much of an "event", it's not that sort of car IMO but boy is it enjoyable to drive. You just get absorbed in the driving. As a package it just works. The steering is precise and accurate, the manual gearbox a delight, turns in really nicely, grip levels off the scale, feels very compliant in standard suspension settings. The car looks better in the flesh with the right amount of "purpose". It is a bit quieter than I expected but there are upsides to this given track noise regulations!
LWB are probably the best seats I have ever sat in. Really supportive and comfortable. But bear in mind I am used to sitting in composite tillet seats in Caterhams!
Gearing is a bit long. Initially I found this a bit of a challenge as many areas of the handling circuit I had to hold onto 2nd when I would have changed up if the ratios were a bit shorter. But soon get used to it and drive accordingly.
Biggest surprise was just how fantastic the car looks in yellow! I'm going guards red but am now so tempted to change to yellow. Didn't like the black GT4, just looks like a regular Cayman to my eyes (not against black cars generally, my last two cars have been black!).
I think the GT4 could easily be a daily drive (subject to clearance issues) but for me it's talents would be wasted if it doesn't see a race track every now and then. I can see a PH GT4 track day coming next year ...
miskalachi said:
XGT said:
Well, just back from PEC and have to say the GT4 has met expectations!
What I would say is the GT4 is not so much of an "event", it's not that sort of car IMO but boy is it enjoyable to drive. You just get absorbed in the driving. As a package it just works. The steering is precise and accurate, the manual gearbox a delight, turns in really nicely, grip levels off the scale, feels very compliant in standard suspension settings. The car looks better in the flesh with the right amount of "purpose". It is a bit quieter than I expected but there are upsides to this given track noise regulations!
LWB are probably the best seats I have ever sat in. Really supportive and comfortable. But bear in mind I am used to sitting in composite tillet seats in Caterhams!
Gearing is a bit long. Initially I found this a bit of a challenge as many areas of the handling circuit I had to hold onto 2nd when I would have changed up if the ratios were a bit shorter. But soon get used to it and drive accordingly.
Biggest surprise was just how fantastic the car looks in yellow! I'm going guards red but am now so tempted to change to yellow. Didn't like the black GT4, just looks like a regular Cayman to my eyes (not against black cars generally, my last two cars have been black!).
I think the GT4 could easily be a daily drive (subject to clearance issues) but for me it's talents would be wasted if it doesn't see a race track every now and then. I can see a PH GT4 track day coming next year ...
Is there now a black GT4 at PEC ?? Be keen to see this What I would say is the GT4 is not so much of an "event", it's not that sort of car IMO but boy is it enjoyable to drive. You just get absorbed in the driving. As a package it just works. The steering is precise and accurate, the manual gearbox a delight, turns in really nicely, grip levels off the scale, feels very compliant in standard suspension settings. The car looks better in the flesh with the right amount of "purpose". It is a bit quieter than I expected but there are upsides to this given track noise regulations!
LWB are probably the best seats I have ever sat in. Really supportive and comfortable. But bear in mind I am used to sitting in composite tillet seats in Caterhams!
Gearing is a bit long. Initially I found this a bit of a challenge as many areas of the handling circuit I had to hold onto 2nd when I would have changed up if the ratios were a bit shorter. But soon get used to it and drive accordingly.
Biggest surprise was just how fantastic the car looks in yellow! I'm going guards red but am now so tempted to change to yellow. Didn't like the black GT4, just looks like a regular Cayman to my eyes (not against black cars generally, my last two cars have been black!).
I think the GT4 could easily be a daily drive (subject to clearance issues) but for me it's talents would be wasted if it doesn't see a race track every now and then. I can see a PH GT4 track day coming next year ...
Be interesting to know what proportion of buyers are going clubsport......
I am teetering but remain unconvinced the effective £3k cost with passenger harness is well spent, especially having regard to the 'free' cs on the GT3.
Furthermore, the additional extra weight and resultant possible imbalance on such a relatively light car as mentioned by W Rohrl are obvious minuses.
And would a cs car be worth anymore than £3k over one with buckets at c £95k +. Probably not.
I am teetering but remain unconvinced the effective £3k cost with passenger harness is well spent, especially having regard to the 'free' cs on the GT3.
Furthermore, the additional extra weight and resultant possible imbalance on such a relatively light car as mentioned by W Rohrl are obvious minuses.
And would a cs car be worth anymore than £3k over one with buckets at c £95k +. Probably not.
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