Newbie looking to purchase an 04 carrera S

This will be my first RR (rear engine rear wheel drive) car. Heard a lot about the difference in control of such cars and wanted to sort out fact from fiction from your first hand experiences.

How many of you had the tail snap out unexpectedly and send you into a spin?

Did you personally find it difficult to master the RR set up?

What advice would you give to someone driving/buying a 911 for the 1st time?


Thanx
David

 

If its an 04 Carrera you are asking about, it might be more helpful to you to ask in the 996 section. The "newer" rear engine models do not have the same handleing charcteristics as the older ones. Most of it has been engineered out of the cars making them easier to drive.

With any mid or rear engine setup you need to be aware of upsetting the car's balance when in a turn. Letting off the gas or braking in a corner when going at speed can hurt you. Road conditions such as rain, gravel, sand, uneven pavement, bumps, etc...will cause the car to unsettle easier.

Hope this helped a little. You will get more feedback from the guys in the 996 section as to your particular car your asking about.

 

The cars are tuned to understeer a bit from the factory, so driving them stock is relatively safe. I recommend resisting car upgrades until you get some seat time under your belt, including keeping street compound tires on the car for the first few events or first year. The ultimate grip is lower, and they tell you when you're near the limit in a more audible fashion than R compound tires.

The key is to start slow and work your way up. I also recommend autocrossing in addition to track driving, as you learn invaluable car control skills in a controlled environment that will make you a better track driver and potentially save your butt down the road.

Otherwise, I agree with flatsixnut that the "snap oversteer" is much less pronounced in modern Porsches.

 

Also, I would say that most beginners have the car do "unexpected things" at the forefront of their careers simply because they do not yet understand why the car is behaving the way it is. While intermediate or advanced drivers may still have the tail swing out on them from time to time, it will be due to driver error and they'll know/understand what they did wrong to induce the spin.

Seat time, seat time, seat time is the key, regardless of platform.

 

thanx muffin man. Do I know you?

getting it on the track is a great idea. The cost of a set of rear tires and track fees are well worth the gained knowledge.

 

If you're talking street only, the tail swinging around is pretty much a non-issue. You'd need to do some serious cowboying to experience that (not that we all don't do that now & again )