718--turbo lag and off throttle ''run on ''
Discussion
I have been following all the 718 threads on PH with some interest , and have been surprised that not much (if any) mention has been made about :
1)the turbo lag
2) what I call off throttle ''run on '' , by which I mean when you lift off the accelerator pedal, the car surges on for a short period of time
the ''run on'' is admittedly only for a very brief period (?1sec ?) , but I found it very disconcerting----it seemed to lend an air of ''artificialness'' to the driving experience
equally the turbo lag , while not gross, is definitely there , and waiting to be experienced
my very first fast car was a 994 turbo , which I had for about 16 years , and which I totally adored.
there was lag there , but it seemed in keeping with the character of the car.
after about 12 years , I had the car chipped , and the acceleration just became ballistic.
it was a sorry day , when the 944 turbo had to go.
I have no issues with 4 cylinder turbo engines.
I then left the Porsche scene for about 10 years , and my wife who also adored the 944 recently insisted that we get a useable and reliable car for long distance travel
in june , I test drove 981 and 718 boxster S cars, back to back, with 2 different OPC's .
I wanted a dual clutch car, as I have already got manual cars and a robotised single clutch car , so I only test drove PDK cars.
the low down torque in the 718s makes for a hugely faster car in the real world cf the 981s , and the extra torque in the 718 also nicely makes up for the over-long gear ratios , which is the Achilles heel in both the 981 and 718 models
however the above-mentioned turbo lag and the ''run on'' were very big negatives for me , and were major reasons why I consider myself lucky to have picked up one of the very last 981S boxsters.
to me , the lag and run on were much more noticeable (or more accurately , more out of character ) than in my 944 turbo----clearly the lag must be a personal perception issue , as Porsche technology advances must have very significantly reduced turbo lag over the last 25 years.
incidentally , I never ever noticed the ''run on ''issue with the 944 turbo , but this was definitely present with both the 718 s cars I test drove.
my 981 S is now 9 weeks old , and has done almost 9000 miles (all pleasure miles , no business miles !!), and has been all the way to Amalfi on its first ''running in trip'' (I kept religiously to the 3000, then 4200rpm limits for 3000km , which really tested my faith ) , and then a second trip to Ukraine , taking in the transfagarashan and transalpina highways)
make no mistake , the 718 S is a hugely fast and impressive car , which I would be very happy and proud to have.
this post is really to ask whether others have also noticed the 2 issues I have mentioned above , and also to alert others who might be considering a 718S purchase that I noticed these 2 issues-----I appreciate that other people might not feel that these 2 considerations would affect their driving enjoyment
1)the turbo lag
2) what I call off throttle ''run on '' , by which I mean when you lift off the accelerator pedal, the car surges on for a short period of time
the ''run on'' is admittedly only for a very brief period (?1sec ?) , but I found it very disconcerting----it seemed to lend an air of ''artificialness'' to the driving experience
equally the turbo lag , while not gross, is definitely there , and waiting to be experienced
my very first fast car was a 994 turbo , which I had for about 16 years , and which I totally adored.
there was lag there , but it seemed in keeping with the character of the car.
after about 12 years , I had the car chipped , and the acceleration just became ballistic.
it was a sorry day , when the 944 turbo had to go.
I have no issues with 4 cylinder turbo engines.
I then left the Porsche scene for about 10 years , and my wife who also adored the 944 recently insisted that we get a useable and reliable car for long distance travel
in june , I test drove 981 and 718 boxster S cars, back to back, with 2 different OPC's .
I wanted a dual clutch car, as I have already got manual cars and a robotised single clutch car , so I only test drove PDK cars.
the low down torque in the 718s makes for a hugely faster car in the real world cf the 981s , and the extra torque in the 718 also nicely makes up for the over-long gear ratios , which is the Achilles heel in both the 981 and 718 models
however the above-mentioned turbo lag and the ''run on'' were very big negatives for me , and were major reasons why I consider myself lucky to have picked up one of the very last 981S boxsters.
to me , the lag and run on were much more noticeable (or more accurately , more out of character ) than in my 944 turbo----clearly the lag must be a personal perception issue , as Porsche technology advances must have very significantly reduced turbo lag over the last 25 years.
incidentally , I never ever noticed the ''run on ''issue with the 944 turbo , but this was definitely present with both the 718 s cars I test drove.
my 981 S is now 9 weeks old , and has done almost 9000 miles (all pleasure miles , no business miles !!), and has been all the way to Amalfi on its first ''running in trip'' (I kept religiously to the 3000, then 4200rpm limits for 3000km , which really tested my faith ) , and then a second trip to Ukraine , taking in the transfagarashan and transalpina highways)
make no mistake , the 718 S is a hugely fast and impressive car , which I would be very happy and proud to have.
this post is really to ask whether others have also noticed the 2 issues I have mentioned above , and also to alert others who might be considering a 718S purchase that I noticed these 2 issues-----I appreciate that other people might not feel that these 2 considerations would affect their driving enjoyment
Hi Carspath, there's a fair bit of chat about the lag buried in the positive vibes thread here http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Glad you're enjoying the 981S! :-)
Glad you're enjoying the 981S! :-)
Yes, I noticed lag on my Cayman 718S test drive. I didn't notice any over-run, but I'm guessing it's there.
This may be another 718 vs. 981 thread, BUT they are both fine. 718 if you like 4cyl turbo characteristics, 981 if you like 6cyl N/A.
Neither are better. It's just about which camp you're in.
...more importantly, did you stop at Positano?
This may be another 718 vs. 981 thread, BUT they are both fine. 718 if you like 4cyl turbo characteristics, 981 if you like 6cyl N/A.
Neither are better. It's just about which camp you're in.
...more importantly, did you stop at Positano?
As Hixster has said there is a lot of chat on the other thread about lag - it was a deal breaker for me. Run on? I don't think has been mentioned re 718 (though it has wrt the Audi TT). I didn't notice it, and I'm surprised that Porsche's anti-lag system doesn't prevent it. But that said I was looking for lag and found it. I was looking for difficulty in getting quickly and smoothly off the line without using a lot or revs - and found that too (Base 718). But I don't tend to lift off sharply anyway, so I'm probably less likely to notice or suffer from run on, and I wasn't specifically looking for it.
hi DJMC,---Yes we went to positano twice,( and had a good time ), but only by public transport.
the whole point of going to the Amalfi coast was to drive the coast road , but once we left the motorway at naples , the driving became progressively more difficult with all the vespas literally vesping around , and the roads became progressively more crowded and more narrow
we arrived in Sorrento (where our hotel was )at 10pm on a Thursday night after what must have been the most hair-raising 45 minutes of my driving career ever.
I had already arranged for my new toy to have its own parking space with no other cars around , and there it stayed for the next 10 days while we went all around the Amalfi coast by public bus---a bit crowded, but clean punctual and cheap
I was not tempted to take the new toy out , as I felt that the risk of a low speed bump was too high
every one of my best drives , has been very eary in the morning , but on the Amalfi coast road I felt that even a 5am drive would entail too much risk as the cars and motorcycles have no respect for the white centre line , and the bends too tight to allow decent sight lines
but we had a thoroughly enjoyable time on the Amalfi , and on the return trip back to the UK , had an absolutely fantastic drive on the col du turini---the car had now gone past its 3000km break in , and I was able to let it sing (sports exhaust on and sports plus on chrono = music )
bcr5784--it look like the ''run on ''is not an issue for most people---of all the many articles that I have read, only one article makes mention of it
at this price point , I think that the 718S is the best buy if you want new sports car---what do you all think the alternative rivals are ?
the whole point of going to the Amalfi coast was to drive the coast road , but once we left the motorway at naples , the driving became progressively more difficult with all the vespas literally vesping around , and the roads became progressively more crowded and more narrow
we arrived in Sorrento (where our hotel was )at 10pm on a Thursday night after what must have been the most hair-raising 45 minutes of my driving career ever.
I had already arranged for my new toy to have its own parking space with no other cars around , and there it stayed for the next 10 days while we went all around the Amalfi coast by public bus---a bit crowded, but clean punctual and cheap
I was not tempted to take the new toy out , as I felt that the risk of a low speed bump was too high
every one of my best drives , has been very eary in the morning , but on the Amalfi coast road I felt that even a 5am drive would entail too much risk as the cars and motorcycles have no respect for the white centre line , and the bends too tight to allow decent sight lines
but we had a thoroughly enjoyable time on the Amalfi , and on the return trip back to the UK , had an absolutely fantastic drive on the col du turini---the car had now gone past its 3000km break in , and I was able to let it sing (sports exhaust on and sports plus on chrono = music )
bcr5784--it look like the ''run on ''is not an issue for most people---of all the many articles that I have read, only one article makes mention of it
at this price point , I think that the 718S is the best buy if you want new sports car---what do you all think the alternative rivals are ?
cmoose--- what you are saying is very interesting , in that it fits in with my experience when comparing my old 944 turbo with the 718
I have only had naturally aspirated cars since the 944 turbo left, and so my experience is much more limited than yours , but with all the press reports of how advanced the new (not just Porsche , but all car manufacturers)turbo engines are , I had expected that after 25 years of progress, turbo lag would either be absent or barely perceptible---this was just not the case
any ideas on the cause of the throttle-off ''run on ''----was this just an isolated issue on the 2 718S's that I happened to drive ?
not many owners or journalists seem to notice/be bothered by it , and yet it registered very strongly with both me and my wife
I have only had naturally aspirated cars since the 944 turbo left, and so my experience is much more limited than yours , but with all the press reports of how advanced the new (not just Porsche , but all car manufacturers)turbo engines are , I had expected that after 25 years of progress, turbo lag would either be absent or barely perceptible---this was just not the case
any ideas on the cause of the throttle-off ''run on ''----was this just an isolated issue on the 2 718S's that I happened to drive ?
not many owners or journalists seem to notice/be bothered by it , and yet it registered very strongly with both me and my wife
[/quote]
bcr5784--it look like the ''run on ''is not an issue for most people---of all the many articles that I have read, only one article makes mention of it
at this price point , I think that the 718S is the best buy if you want new sports car---what do you all think the alternative rivals are ?
[/quote]
I haven't driven a 718S which doubtless has less lag and is better off the line. Anything new better? No can't think of anything in it's class. But I'm not optimistic I'd like it as well as my 981S (and unlike many, I did approach the 718 with an open mind and acknowledge the steps forward in other areas) .
Edited by bcr5784 on Wednesday 26th October 21:31
Although the 981 wasn't the fastest car in its class it has (without question) the best chassis in its class and (arguably) the nicest engine. Now only one of those is true, which, depending on your priorities, brings others cars like the M2 BMW into the equation.
Edited by bcr5784 on Wednesday 26th October 22:18
...yes, we did the public bus too. Coming back from Amalfi we only just got on it, and standing in the centre aisle we had the fantastic experience of "surfing" the Amalfi coast road as it sped around the bends back to Sorrento. Thoroughly recommended.
Also, sitting in the Pizzaria in Piazza Tasso in Sorrento just watching the Italians driving!
Love Italy.
Also, sitting in the Pizzaria in Piazza Tasso in Sorrento just watching the Italians driving!
Love Italy.
I have'nt driven any 718 but i had a long testdrive in a 370hp 991.2 targa pdk today and it felt just like a very torquey nasp and no throttle off run on,in fact i was surprised how quickly the revs fell off when i lifted off.In all i was surprisingly impressed however i would guess the 4cyl 718 won't be as good.
Taffy66 said:
I have'nt driven any 718 but i had a long testdrive in a 370hp 991.2 targa pdk today and it felt just like a very torquey nasp and no throttle off run on,in fact i was surprised how quickly the revs fell off when i lifted off.In all i was surprisingly impressed however i would guess the 4cyl 718 won't be as good.
I've driven the 991.2 also and, exhaust note apart, really liked it. A far nicer engine imo than the 718, but being 50% bigger, having twin turbos, and less boost than the 718, lag is pretty much bound to be far less pronounced.Drove a base cayman with PDK this morning after having previously driven a 981 pdk base and a 718 boxster S PDK back to back. I have to admit I was massively underwhelmed by the base engine. It has absolutely no go and massive lag below 2k revs to the point I felt it totally destroyed the car and it was nigh on impossible to drive in normal D mode. Reminded me of the engine in my TTS that I couldn't stand and got rid of after a few months. Made my decision to get a used 981 PDK VERY easy!
Gassing Station | Boxster/Cayman | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff