I just got back from taking a two day DE at our local track. In a word, the car was awesome! It is quite quick and is really stable. As a novice, the car made me look better than I am, but still made you respect it.

It was quite hot out (around 100 degrees), but the stock setup handled 20-30 minute sessions without problems. The temps never came out of the middle ranges.

Thanks Ray and Troy for the great instruction and everything that the RMR PCA does. They are truly a first class operation!

Didn't really get too many pics from the weekend (concentrating too much on having fun). Have one picture from the G Meter. A friend joked about comparing the fuel gauge and remaining miles to empty. Pretty funny!

 

Glad to hear it went well. How hard were you pushing the car?

 

I was pushing it hard for me, but not very hard for the car. The instructors took it out and pushed it harder than I did and said that they didn't hit its limit. It was very fun getting comfortable steering the car with the accelerator. The car responded great to even my unsteady inputs, which hopefully got better with each run.

I was remembering back to my old Boxster and PDCC definitely makes a huge difference in handling. I was watching old videos and there was a ton more sway in that vs. this PDCC equipped 991.

 

I assume you were with your instructors when they drove it? That's a great way to see more of what your car can do, provided they don't crash (it can happen ).

I continue to have mixed feelings about PDCC. I know the car will corner flatter and there's probably some performance gain, but I still don't like too many driver aids getting involved.

 

I forgot to mention one thing, I was much faster shifting the car myself vs. letting sport+ handle it for me. I felt a lot more connected and kept me more focused. The paddles and PDK worked great.

 

Yeah, especially on the track, I want to be in full control of when the car shifts - get the downshifts done before turning in, and don't upshift in curves except in limited circumstances (eg, inflection point of a reverse curve going into a curve with substantially larger radius).

 

100% agree with this.

 

Here's a clip of the video running with a 997 turbo. I was surprised that the TT didn't totally blow me away on the straight (sure it was faster, but I expected more pull from the TT). A fun day.

 

Nice video and for sure a fun day with not too much traffic on the track!

No worries about the 997TT , you will eventually be faster around the track.
For what it's worth, here are a few track times from Fastestlaps.com:

Track----------------------------911 Carrera S (991)---911 Turbo (997)
Nordschleife--------------------7:40.00------------------7:47.00
Hockenheim Short-------------1:10.40------------------1:11.50
Autozeitung test track---------1:36.20------------------1:36.90
Balocco-------------------------2:52.85------------------2:49.40 w
SportAuto wet handling test---1:46.10------------------1:37.40
Sachsenring---------------------1:36.62-----------------1:36.86

The 997TT is only faster around the track on the wet when the AWD makes a difference. It is also faster in a pure drag race. Still, from my own experience, you will be faster in the turns.

OK, DE's are meant to learn high performance driving, not to race each other, but it is always a nice opportunity to compare different rides.

Keep having fun, that's what those days are for!

 

No trying to hijack your thread, but here's a quick video I did of my white 991S following a black 997TT.

 

SM_ATL-Great video. These cars love to be tracked. In fact, all 911's need to get out there. It's a much different sensation than you get than driving on the street.

On another note, how do you take the rubber marks off the paint and side plastic guards?

 

I don't even track the car and I get them. I'm hoping that after I wax the car they won't stick, but right now it's a pain.

ChuckJ

 

Wow, I'm amazed at how well the 991 keeps up with the Turbo. My God the 991TT is going to be a beast.

 

Agreed on 911's. Compared to other sports car, you just can take them to track, beat the **** out of them and drive back home like it was just another at the office
I have not seen other cars -even if they are great sportscar- be so robust. During my last 2 track days, I have seen a 135i blowings up its turbo's, a Corvette losing all its engine coolant on the track, a Boss 302 having to remove the front grille because the engine was overheating and the brake fluid tank of a Boss 302 and a Mustang GT leaking (in fact the cap does not fit perfectly). And these are just a few examples. Of course, these cars are far more cheaper than a 911 so I may not be comparing apples to apples.

Regarding rubber marks and other stuff you'll get on the track, I (and many other guys) am using the 'Bug & Tar remover' from Turtle wax and it works PERFECT.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60293300@N06/7433076252/
I have it with me at the track and I have the kids doing a bit of detailing between the sessions. I like to spray some water before and after though, to make sure not to scuff the paint with dust when cleaning with the Bug & Tar remover and also to make sure that nothing corrosive would be left on the car after that (the Turtle Was notice says it is perfectly OK but I am not raking any chances). Try it, you'll love it!

 

I use that also.

ChuckJ