McLaren 570GT: PH Fleet

Has the Corsa tyre upgrade unleashed the GT's true potential ... or ruined it?

Before I start wittering about tyres let me first address the issue raised in my previous report - namely the annoying rattle from somewhere in the rear of the car. So to McLaren Manchester's service department. Which isn't in Manchester at all but situated in Knutsford and incorporated into the local Bentley dealership - easy enough to find by virtue of the appropriately spray-tanned Bentayga on display outside. They do nice cakes though. And the people watching is good value.

Well if you have to twin up the dealership...

I also appreciated the fact the technician who worked on the car was summoned to talk me round what he'd done, and in admirable detail too. He'd adjusted the catches and the stops on the rear glass hatch, some loose trim under the fluids inspection hatch was fixed down and the small mesh panel over the exhausts tightened. The investigations also found that four bolts from the underfloor aluminium panel were missing - these were replaced and threadlocked into place for good measure. Whatever was rattling has now stopped and the difference is... actually quite significant. Only now it's gone have I realised actually how distracting the chatter was.

What about the tyres then? Justifiably you might ask why, having opted for a GT, I've tried from the start to make 'my' Sports Series feel more like an S. You can do this visually by going for the dark inserts on the door vents. I did it aurally by optioning back in the louder sports exhaust. And now dynamically, upgrading to the P Zero Corsa tyre that's standard on the S and an £810 option when you order a GT new.

Greater front end eagerness and grip welcome here!

My very first drive in the GT was along the same Saddleworth Moor roads I'd recently enjoyed the 570S on and I immediately noticed the relative softness of the front end. The steering is still a stand-out feature on the Sports Series, but the GT's rack ratio is backed off to 15.7:1 from the S's 15.1:1, this and the less aggressive P Zero tyres meaning you need a couple of degrees of lock before you get a response. Which is, of course, deliberate given the GT is meant to feel a little more relaxed.

I rather like the pointiness of the S's front end though. So I headed to the same stretch of road again to see if the Corsas had given the GT a little more bite. First impressions? Definitely more camber sensitivity and tramlining - a pretty significant amount on one particularly bumpy stretch. I've not encountered it since, however it's worth thinking about if you appreciate the GT's slightly more (all things relative) laid-back character.

With time close to being called on my custody of the car and a determination those last few miles weren't going to be racked up on the M1 I headed off to North Wales for a last blast. And here the added bite of the Corsas was really welcome, the sense there was more to lean on at the front meaning I was confident getting on the throttle earlier. The damping - and resulting traction - is so good you very, very rarely see a flicker of orange light from the dash in the 570. But within that threshold I could feel the subtle interventions of the Brake Steer system helping to drive the car into the corner, this increased grip revealing another level to the GT's handling.

You'd be sad giving this up too!

If I were speccing a GT again I'd go for the Corsas then? Actually, probably not, though it's nice to have the option. On road and track I don't think the standard tyres lose that much and for the car's remit I appreciate the slightly dialled back approach. Saying that I'd swear the Corsas were slightly quieter, though that might have been the placebo effect of my new rattle-free calm. Well, until you edge out over the central lines to open out corners and have to endure the tha-DUM-tha-DUM-tha-DUM of cats' eyes pounding through the carbon tub - something I'd accept on an S but I wonder if could use addressing for the GT. One blessing? It means McLaren never need install an annoying lane departure warning bleeper as you're left in no doubt should you ever cross the line!

And with that I finally, reluctantly, hand over the keys to GT08 MCL for our Matt to enjoy the 1,200 miles or so remaining of the allocated 8,000. It's been a blast.

FACT SHEET
Car: McLaren 570GT
Run by: Dan and now Matt
On fleet since: April
Mileage: 6,795
List price new: £178,735 (Basic list price of £155,755, plus Elite Ice Silver paint £3,490, Super-Lightweight Forged wheels in Stealth £3,490 + £1,110, red brake calipers £900, Rocket Red badge set, Vehicle Tracking System £630, Sports Exhaust £3,240, Luxury Design 2 package in Saddle Tan and Carbon Black from By McLaren Designer Interiors £2,520, Carbon Fibre Interior Pack £2,500, GT Upgrade Pack £5,020, first aid kit and warning triangle £60)
Last month at a glance: Is it time to try the option tyre? Of Corsa!

Previous updates:
The joy of specs
Taking delivery
570 GT videoblog
Enjoying the new supercar smell
It's no track car... but it's pretty good on track!
Off to the dealer to sort a few squeaks and rattles

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Marc H

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208 posts

155 months