Prospective 981 GT4 Owners Discussion Forum.

[ravon]

Thruxton yesterday with the GT4, absolutely epic ! The fifth track day so far in my ownership, the car gets better and better ! My rather ridiculed Mike Edwards Motorsport external silencer system got me through the notorious Thruxton noise test with ease, 90dB, you won't be driving your GT4 there without some additional silencing ! The circuit was very wet at the start of the day, the suspension is still set with rear bar on full stiff, front bar on the middle setting, so my only concession to the conditions was to ensure the dampers were on their lowest setting. also the tyres now four track days old, and the car running with increase front and rear camber for the first time. Being lazy, I thought I'd just go out on track and see how drivable the car would be in this configuration, and just fine was the answer, other than Calum Lockie ( current Britcar Champion ) in his racing 968 on some beta test Dunlop track day tyres, nothing passed the GT4. As the morning progressed the circuit dried a little and the car felt faster and more predictable, a little tyre pressure adjustment improved it still further. Then at about 11:00 a huge downpour, initially the car felt fine, but exiting Church Corner and heading up the hill to the chicane I experienced quite frightening aquaplaning, probably due to the state of the tyres ? Shortly after my return to the pits the circuit was red flagged. Gold Track sensibly called an early lunch. So to an early resumption to proceedings and a rapidly drying track, regular stops to remove more and more air from the tyres as the track dried and the GT4 telegraphs the excess pressure warnings to you by its desire to oversteer on the faster parts of the circuit. I loaned the car to a good friend who has a GT4 on order and is a very experienced International GT Racer and BRDC Member, the smile on his face was priceless on his return, and his desire to get his hands on his own GT4 massively increased ! Again as the circuit became completely dry nothing on track could approach the GT4's lap times, my racing driver friends Jaguar XF Coupe being completely dismissed by it, and to my delight the extra hundred horsepower allowed me to get passed Mr Lockie in his 968 ! All of this was experienced with a selection of our super-brave injured soldiers from Mission Motorsport in the passengers seat, God Bless them .
This is such a great car, I really hope that many will find there way to becoming track day regulars along with mine ? A prearranged end of day trip to Micheldever Tyres provided a pair of new front Pilot Cup 2's ready for the next day of action, Silverstone I think, and today will be spent, removing and endless rubber marks all over the car's body, washing and polishing, not a bad way for an old boy to waste his time ?

Edited by ravon on Thursday 27th August 08:40

Edited by ravon on Thursday 27th August 08:42

[Mermaid]

ravon said:

Thruxton yesterday with the GT4, absolutely epic .....
This is such a great car, I really hope that many will find there way to becoming track day regulars along with mine ? A prearranged end of day trip to Micheldever Tyres provided a pair of new front Pilot Cup 2's ready for the next day of action, Silverstone I think, and today will be spent, removing and endless rubber marks all over the car's body, washing and polishing, not a bad way for an old boy to waste his time ?

Thanks for sharing. Seems this will be the track toy for years to come.

[braddo]

ravon

[lsb]

ravon said:

Thruxton yesterday with the GT4, absolutely epic ! The fifth track day so far in my ownership, the car gets better and better ! My rather ridiculed Mike Edwards Motorsport external silencer system got me through the notorious Thruxton noise test with ease, 90dB, you won't be driving your GT4 there without some additional silencing ! The circuit was very wet at the start of the day, the suspension is still set with rear bar on full stiff, front bar on the middle setting, so my only concession to the conditions was to ensure the dampers were on their lowest setting. also the tyres now four track days old, and the car running with increase front and rear camber for the first time. Being lazy, I thought I'd just go out on track and see how drivable the car would be in this configuration, and just fine was the answer, other than Calum Lockie ( current Britcar Champion ) in his racing 968 on some beta test Dunlop track day tyres, nothing passed the GT4. As the morning progressed the circuit dried a little and the car felt faster and more predictable, a little tyre pressure adjustment improved it still further. Then at about 11:00 a huge downpour, initially the car felt fine, but exiting Church Corner and heading up the hill to the chicane I experienced quite frightening aquaplaning, probably due to the state of the tyres ? Shortly after my return to the pits the circuit was red flagged. Gold Track sensibly called an early lunch. So to an early resumption to proceedings and a rapidly drying track, regular stops to remove more and more air from the tyres as the track dried and the GT4 telegraphs the excess pressure warnings to you by its desire to oversteer on the faster parts of the circuit. I loaned the car to a good friend who has a GT4 on order and is a very experienced International GT Racer and BRDC Member, the smile on his face was priceless on his return, and his desire to get his hands on his own GT4 massively increased ! Again as the circuit became completely dry nothing on track could approach the GT4's lap times, my racing driver friends Jaguar XF Coupe being completely dismissed by it, and to my delight the extra hundred horsepower allowed me to get passed Mr Lockie in his 968 ! All of this was experienced with a selection of our super-brave injured soldiers from Mission Motorsport in the passengers seat, God Bless them .
This is such a great car, I really hope that many will find there way to becoming track day regulars along with mine ? A prearranged end of day trip to Micheldever Tyres provided a pair of new front Pilot Cup 2's ready for the next day of action, Silverstone I think, and today will be spent, removing and endless rubber marks all over the car's body, washing and polishing, not a bad way for an old boy to waste his time ?

Edited by ravon on Thursday 27th August 08:40

Edited by ravon on Thursday 27th August 08:42

Really good to read that you are enjoying the car as it was designed to be used !!

How much difference did the adjustment to the camber settings make once the circuit was dry ?

Enjoy your car in good health.

[braddo]

n17ves said:

I have a Cayman R and a tweaked S2 Exige (300bhp). Personally I think they are completely different cars - the Exige is not something I'd class as weekend car, more of a track toy with occasional road use. The Cayman (R is this case) is the much better weekend car and can easily be used for trips away / early morning runs.

How do your pair compare on track for pace and fun?

[fioran0]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Copied from my post on another thread...

fioran0 said:

Have a read:

http://www.gotyournose.com/goodridge/spain/pdf/all...

Ignore the "interpretation" of data going on (including the master cylinder/caliper pressure graph); Goodridge have a vested interest. The measurement/test data itself however would appear to be robust.
The bigger question is whether the higher technical capabilities are required in your application (motoring). Thats a much more difficult question to answer.

The tested stainless braided hose showed lower volumetric expansion and higher working limits/life expectancy when compared to regular rubber hoses.

Away from the test data and in a spirit of disclosure. I use them on my race cars and fitted them to my project car for the simple reason that they are more resistant to damage inflicted by debris.

edit to fix link. url dropped the end off in the paste action.

Edited by fioran0 on Thursday 27th August 11:22

[ChrisW.]

ravon said:

Thruxton yesterday with the GT4, absolutely epic ! The fifth track day so far in my ownership, the car gets better and better ! My rather ridiculed Mike Edwards Motorsport external silencer system got me through the notorious Thruxton noise test with ease, 90dB, you won't be driving your GT4 there without some additional silencing ! The circuit was very wet at the start of the day, the suspension is still set with rear bar on full stiff, front bar on the middle setting, so my only concession to the conditions was to ensure the dampers were on their lowest setting. also the tyres now four track days old, and the car running with increase front and rear camber for the first time. Being lazy, I thought I'd just go out on track and see how drivable the car would be in this configuration, and just fine was the answer, other than Calum Lockie ( current Britcar Champion ) in his racing 968 on some beta test Dunlop track day tyres, nothing passed the GT4. As the morning progressed the circuit dried a little and the car felt faster and more predictable, a little tyre pressure adjustment improved it still further. Then at about 11:00 a huge downpour, initially the car felt fine, but exiting Church Corner and heading up the hill to the chicane I experienced quite frightening aquaplaning, probably due to the state of the tyres ? Shortly after my return to the pits the circuit was red flagged. Gold Track sensibly called an early lunch. So to an early resumption to proceedings and a rapidly drying track, regular stops to remove more and more air from the tyres as the track dried and the GT4 telegraphs the excess pressure warnings to you by its desire to oversteer on the faster parts of the circuit. I loaned the car to a good friend who has a GT4 on order and is a very experienced International GT Racer and BRDC Member, the smile on his face was priceless on his return, and his desire to get his hands on his own GT4 massively increased ! Again as the circuit became completely dry nothing on track could approach the GT4's lap times, my racing driver friends Jaguar XF Coupe being completely dismissed by it, and to my delight the extra hundred horsepower allowed me to get passed Mr Lockie in his 968 ! All of this was experienced with a selection of our super-brave injured soldiers from Mission Motorsport in the passengers seat, God Bless them .
This is such a great car, I really hope that many will find there way to becoming track day regulars along with mine ? A prearranged end of day trip to Micheldever Tyres provided a pair of new front Pilot Cup 2's ready for the next day of action, Silverstone I think, and today will be spent, removing and endless rubber marks all over the car's body, washing and polishing, not a bad way for an old boy to waste his time ?

Edited by ravon on Thursday 27th August 08:40

Edited by ravon on Thursday 27th August 08:42

Excellent

I've also had fun in the wet at Thruxton

So, for a great "getting to know" set-up for the car, you would go for rear ARB's on hard, fronts on medium --- and geometry where ??

I assume that you haven't fitted the 997 Cup toe links ?

[ravon]

ChrisW, I've been a bit lazy so far, and just wanted to be driving the car, so I've not tried adjusting the front bar yet, but I will do that at the upcoming Gold Track Silverstone. The camber is set at 2deg. at the front and 1.4deg at the rear. I'm trying to fit a trip to Manthey in the next couple of weeks, but it has to be juggled with their preparations for the Six-Hour VLN race and my departure for Spain for BookaTrack's adventure there.( in my 944/968 hot-rod ).

[PorscheGT4]

a nice set of manifolds and a tweek should see 430bhp, who will be 1st to unlock a detuned engine ?

[Phooey]

PorscheGT4 said:

a nice set of manifolds and a tweek should see 430bhp, who will be 1st to unlock a detuned engine ?

Does it really need more power?? If you can't make 385hp work for you then you're buying the wrong car ;-)

The attractions of the GT4 for me is it's a car that's for once not chasing 0-60, 0-100 times etc etc. It's a back-to-basics drivers car - what Porsche are best at - no RWS, PDK, LC, etc etc

[PorscheGT4]

Phooey said:

Does it really need more power?? If you can't make 385hp work for you then you're buying the wrong car ;-)

The attractions of the GT4 for me is it's a car that's for once not chasing 0-60, 0-100 times etc etc. It's a back-to-basics drivers car - what Porsche are best at - no RWS, PDK, LC, etc etc

the long ratio's suck the life out of the car imo. it's far from back to basics with PASM, electric steering and rear wheel braking !

have you driven it ?

[jackwood]

ravon said:

ChrisW, I've been a bit lazy so far, and just wanted to be driving the car, so I've not tried adjusting the front bar yet, but I will do that at the upcoming Gold Track Silverstone. The camber is set at 2deg. at the front and 1.4deg at the rear. I'm trying to fit a trip to Manthey in the next couple of weeks, but it has to be juggled with their preparations for the Six-Hour VLN race and my departure for Spain for BookaTrack's adventure there.( in my 944/968 hot-rod ).

Thanks for the great review. Enjoyed that read.

Quick question though, why bother with Manthey? Any decent garage in the Uk could fit the toe links (1hr labour max?) and set the camber in a few minutes. Seems a large and out of the way expense for what is a very basic part swap and adjustment.

Not suggesting Manthey wouldn't do a great job, but it seems a bit excessive going all the way there when it is an easy job that almost anyone could do.

Just wondering.

Jack

PS and can't wait for ours to arrive. Not been this excited about a new car for years!

[lsb]

jackwood said:

Thanks for the great review. Enjoyed that read.

Quick question though, why bother with Manthey? Any decent garage in the Uk could fit the toe links (1hr labour max?) and set the camber in a few minutes. Seems a large and out of the way expense for what is a very basic part swap and adjustment.

Not suggesting Manthey wouldn't do a great job, but it seems a bit excessive going all the way there when it is an easy job that almost anyone could do.

Just wondering.

Jack

PS and can't wait for ours to arrive. Not been this excited about a new car for years!

I would imagine the VLN race that was mentioned will be on the Manthey workshops doorstep. Two birds with one stone ?

[jackwood]

lsb said:

jackwood said:

Thanks for the great review. Enjoyed that read.

Quick question though, why bother with Manthey? Any decent garage in the Uk could fit the toe links (1hr labour max?) and set the camber in a few minutes. Seems a large and out of the way expense for what is a very basic part swap and adjustment.

Not suggesting Manthey wouldn't do a great job, but it seems a bit excessive going all the way there when it is an easy job that almost anyone could do.

Just wondering.

Jack

PS and can't wait for ours to arrive. Not been this excited about a new car for years!

I would imagine the VLN race that was mentioned will be on the Manthey workshops doorstep. Two birds with one stone ?

I think he means they can't fit him in because of their VLN prep.

At least that's how I read it.

[lsb]

jackwood said:

I think he means they can't fit him in because of their VLN prep.

At least that's how I read it.

Yes sorry, I think you are right. I missed 'their' on the VLN preparations at first glance. Glasses beckon !!

[Sauriel]

Ehresmann has a 420 bhp powerkit for the GT4. Its throttled from factory, not full opening!

[cc3]

PorscheGT4 said:

Phooey said:

Does it really need more power?? If you can't make 385hp work for you then you're buying the wrong car ;-)

The attractions of the GT4 for me is it's a car that's for once not chasing 0-60, 0-100 times etc etc. It's a back-to-basics drivers car - what Porsche are best at - no RWS, PDK, LC, etc etc

the long ratio's suck the life out of the car imo. it's far from back to basics with PASM, electric steering and rear wheel braking !

have you driven it ?

I've driven it. Didn't find the gearing was an issue. The car is brilliant in all areas even found the clutch was easy on the leg after 2 hours of constant use. For the money it is a real bargain. Tried different seats and the 18 way Sports Seats are fine so if anyone has specified them they are probably the best option for road use and the odd track day

[ravon]

Correct VLN preparations. Why go all the way to Manthey ? Because some years ago I was the slowest driver in a four driver team run by Manthey using a 997Cup for the VLN Series, Manthey's preparation was always perfect, there understanding of Porsche beyond reproach, and I've not seen the personnel their for many years, so a nice excuse to renew old friendships.

[ratcatcher2]

Anybody know - if you have a "month 10 build" - when do you actually get the car?
Thanks

[jackwood]

ravon said:

Correct VLN preparations. Why go all the way to Manthey ? Because some years ago I was the slowest driver in a four driver team run by Manthey using a 997Cup for the VLN Series, Manthey's preparation was always perfect, there understanding of Porsche beyond reproach, and I've not seen the personnel their for many years, so a nice excuse to renew old friendships.

Fair enough

Good excuse for many things! Steak on a stone! Road trip! Autobahn!

Will look forward to seeing how they set it up.

Jack