997 GT3 - just took delivery
#63
09-26-2006, 04:59 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Montreal, Canada
Age: 54
Posts: 119
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#65
09-26-2006, 06:34 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: inside someone warm
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Too slow...both of them...kidding! Congrats on your latest acquistion! Now are you going to drive both all the way back home?
And yes, more pictures, please...especially of those sweet seats! I hope to get them when they're available in the US so if if you can provide part numbers that would be awesome!
And yes, more pictures, please...especially of those sweet seats! I hope to get them when they're available in the US so if if you can provide part numbers that would be awesome!
#67
09-27-2006, 10:31 AM
Originally Posted by 20C4S
PN-,
the cage comes in white from factory as far as i know.
the cage comes in white from factory as far as i know.
You sure about this ? I know the RSs comes in body color, but for a standard GT3 in comes in black only ?
PN-
PS: Check email for pepper parts or MSN me
#70
09-27-2006, 04:32 PM
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Philippines
Posts: 877
Rep Power: 59
Originally Posted by toddbee
any more feedback from the ring? any more pics?
Originally Posted by iLLM3
Ok, we need impressions NOWWWWW!! Im still deciding between 996GT2, 997GT3 and 997TT, help me out!!
GT3 was a hoot on the track (no big surprise there obviously). unfortunately, i don't think i can say anything that hasn't been covered in the published reviews: no roll, amazing grip, razor sharp turn-in, etc etc.
i was a bit worried that it would be too much to handle, because a recent magazine article compared the 997S and the GT3 on the nordschleife, and said that the GT3 required absolute concentration, whereas the 997S was very easy to drive. but i found that the GT3 was really confidence inspiring, (even compared to the Cayman S I tried here last month,) while being clearly faster.
i have to say i was a bit surprised that the brake pedal was noticeably softer after only 1 lap. not that there was any decrease in braking power, but the car does have PCCB's, and i thought that these things were immune to that sort of thing. maybe i was just being clumsy and braking way too much. i'm no expert driver by any stretch, and this was only my 3rd visit to the 'Ring. according to the sport chrono, i was lapping in the 9:40+ range, which is very far short of the car's potential in skilled hands...
but otherwise the car was flawless. i didn't engage "sport" mode, because that supposedly raises the threshold on the TC, and never having driven a GT3 at the nordschleife before, I definitely wanted to err on the side of caution.
the Ruf was a completely different animal. it didn't have the outright grip of the GT3 (no surprise, since the Continental VMax tires on the Ruf would be a lot less sticky than the GT3's Sport Cups,) and you could feel the added weight. not to say that the RT12 was sloppy; it was a joy to drive as well. it just didn't "feel" as focused an instrument as the GT3 on the track. a big factor here i think, is the steering feel. it has been said countless times before, but because the Ruf is AWD, it clearly lacks the feedback and perfect weighting of the GT3's helm.
this is stating the obvious, but the power difference between the two is massive. there are several uphill sections on the track where i'd be flooring the GT3 and wishing for more thrust. try the same in the Ruf, and voila-- prayers answered. the thing is monstrously quick, and strings together the stretches between corners with disdain. in a straight line, the Ruf makes the GT3 feel really slow!
for a novice driver like myself, it really forces a different driving style than the GT3. whereas in the GT3, i'm enjoying the way the car weights up in the corners, making corrections to my line (probably quite clumsily, I might add
,) and generally concentrating on getting a nice smooth rhythm thru a series of corners, in the Ruf, i found myself just living for the exit of the turn, so i could squeeze the throttle and enjoy the manic shove in my back. in that sense, its a bit more of a point-and-shoot car. i'm sure in the right hands, it would be different... but i wasn't about to push my luck.i'm wondering how the Ruf would feel if it had Cup tires like the GT3. that would be huge fun i'm sure!!!
so the GT3 is the more involving track car. this is a conclusion i expected completely, and to say this is in no way a criticism of the Ruf. It it a street car after all, which acquits itself very well as a track car (provided the track is big enough, which the Nordschleife certainly is,) whereas the 997 GT3, as we've all read countless times before, is virtually a racecar, that now happens to be docile enough to run on the road.
the fact that their characters are SO different, validates our reasons for choosing them: GT3 for trackdays, and the Ruf for cruising and blasting down long stretches of open road. i feel that between the two cars, almost everything that i'm looking for in terms of driving experience, is nicely covered.
now i've got to work on my DRIVING!
#72
09-27-2006, 05:21 PM
Originally Posted by hesperus
ok ok... just finished 2 days driving on the 'Ring. not a whole lot of driving time because the track was only open for 2+ hours each day, but i guess more than enough to get impressions.
GT3 was a hoot on the track (no big surprise there obviously). unfortunately, i don't think i can say anything that hasn't been covered in the published reviews: no roll, amazing grip, razor sharp turn-in, etc etc.
i was a bit worried that it would be too much to handle, because a recent magazine article compared the 997S and the GT3 on the nordschleife, and said that the GT3 required absolute concentration, whereas the 997S was very easy to drive. but i found that the GT3 was really confidence inspiring, (even compared to the Cayman S I tried here last month,) while being clearly faster.
i have to say i was a bit surprised that the brake pedal was noticeably softer after only 1 lap. not that there was any decrease in braking power, but the car does have PCCB's, and i thought that these things were immune to that sort of thing. maybe i was just being clumsy and braking way too much. i'm no expert driver by any stretch, and this was only my 3rd visit to the 'Ring. according to the sport chrono, i was lapping in the 9:40+ range, which is very far short of the car's potential in skilled hands...
but otherwise the car was flawless. i didn't engage "sport" mode, because that supposedly raises the threshold on the TC, and never having driven a GT3 at the nordschleife before, I definitely wanted to err on the side of caution.
the Ruf was a completely different animal. it didn't have the outright grip of the GT3 (no surprise, since the Continental VMax tires on the Ruf would be a lot less sticky than the GT3's Sport Cups,) and you could feel the added weight. not to say that the RT12 was sloppy; it was a joy to drive as well. it just didn't "feel" as focused an instrument as the GT3 on the track. a big factor here i think, is the steering feel. it has been said countless times before, but because the Ruf is AWD, it clearly lacks the feedback and perfect weighting of the GT3's helm.
this is stating the obvious, but the power difference between the two is massive. there are several uphill sections on the track where i'd be flooring the GT3 and wishing for more thrust. try the same in the Ruf, and voila-- prayers answered. the thing is monstrously quick, and strings together the stretches between corners with disdain. in a straight line, the Ruf makes the GT3 feel really slow!
for a novice driver like myself, it really forces a different driving style than the GT3. whereas in the GT3, i'm enjoying the way the car weights up in the corners, making corrections to my line (probably quite clumsily, I might add ,) and generally concentrating on getting a nice smooth rhythm thru a series of corners, in the Ruf, i found myself just living for the exit of the turn, so i could squeeze the throttle and enjoy the manic shove in my back. in that sense, its a bit more of a point-and-shoot car. i'm sure in the right hands, it would be different... but i wasn't about to push my luck.
i'm wondering how the Ruf would feel if it had Cup tires like the GT3. that would be huge fun i'm sure!!!
so the GT3 is the more involving track car. this is a conclusion i expected completely, and to say this is in no way a criticism of the Ruf. It it a street car after all, which acquits itself very well as a track car (provided the track is big enough, which the Nordschleife certainly is,) whereas the 997 GT3, as we've all read countless times before, is virtually a racecar, that now happens to be docile enough to run on the road.
the fact that their characters are SO different, validates our reasons for choosing them: GT3 for trackdays, and the Ruf for cruising and blasting down long stretches of open road. i feel that between the two cars, almost everything that i'm looking for in terms of driving experience, is nicely covered.
now i've got to work on my DRIVING!
GT3 was a hoot on the track (no big surprise there obviously). unfortunately, i don't think i can say anything that hasn't been covered in the published reviews: no roll, amazing grip, razor sharp turn-in, etc etc.
i was a bit worried that it would be too much to handle, because a recent magazine article compared the 997S and the GT3 on the nordschleife, and said that the GT3 required absolute concentration, whereas the 997S was very easy to drive. but i found that the GT3 was really confidence inspiring, (even compared to the Cayman S I tried here last month,) while being clearly faster.
i have to say i was a bit surprised that the brake pedal was noticeably softer after only 1 lap. not that there was any decrease in braking power, but the car does have PCCB's, and i thought that these things were immune to that sort of thing. maybe i was just being clumsy and braking way too much. i'm no expert driver by any stretch, and this was only my 3rd visit to the 'Ring. according to the sport chrono, i was lapping in the 9:40+ range, which is very far short of the car's potential in skilled hands...
but otherwise the car was flawless. i didn't engage "sport" mode, because that supposedly raises the threshold on the TC, and never having driven a GT3 at the nordschleife before, I definitely wanted to err on the side of caution.
the Ruf was a completely different animal. it didn't have the outright grip of the GT3 (no surprise, since the Continental VMax tires on the Ruf would be a lot less sticky than the GT3's Sport Cups,) and you could feel the added weight. not to say that the RT12 was sloppy; it was a joy to drive as well. it just didn't "feel" as focused an instrument as the GT3 on the track. a big factor here i think, is the steering feel. it has been said countless times before, but because the Ruf is AWD, it clearly lacks the feedback and perfect weighting of the GT3's helm.
this is stating the obvious, but the power difference between the two is massive. there are several uphill sections on the track where i'd be flooring the GT3 and wishing for more thrust. try the same in the Ruf, and voila-- prayers answered. the thing is monstrously quick, and strings together the stretches between corners with disdain. in a straight line, the Ruf makes the GT3 feel really slow!
for a novice driver like myself, it really forces a different driving style than the GT3. whereas in the GT3, i'm enjoying the way the car weights up in the corners, making corrections to my line (probably quite clumsily, I might add
,) and generally concentrating on getting a nice smooth rhythm thru a series of corners, in the Ruf, i found myself just living for the exit of the turn, so i could squeeze the throttle and enjoy the manic shove in my back. in that sense, its a bit more of a point-and-shoot car. i'm sure in the right hands, it would be different... but i wasn't about to push my luck.i'm wondering how the Ruf would feel if it had Cup tires like the GT3. that would be huge fun i'm sure!!!
so the GT3 is the more involving track car. this is a conclusion i expected completely, and to say this is in no way a criticism of the Ruf. It it a street car after all, which acquits itself very well as a track car (provided the track is big enough, which the Nordschleife certainly is,) whereas the 997 GT3, as we've all read countless times before, is virtually a racecar, that now happens to be docile enough to run on the road.
the fact that their characters are SO different, validates our reasons for choosing them: GT3 for trackdays, and the Ruf for cruising and blasting down long stretches of open road. i feel that between the two cars, almost everything that i'm looking for in terms of driving experience, is nicely covered.
now i've got to work on my DRIVING!
Thanks for the thorough review. I'm sure you've posted this on your RT12 thread, so sorry to ask again, but how is your RT12 configured. They are offered in multiple output and drivetrain options if I'm not mistaken. I see that you have the AWD setup. How much power? I know this is probably a silly question but I'll ask anyway. In terms of value, how do the RT12 and GT3 compare, based on your review it souns liek the GT3 is a 'bargain'.
Enjoy!
-Adam
#75
09-27-2006, 11:00 PM
Originally Posted by hesperus
ok ok... just finished 2 days driving on the 'Ring. not a whole lot of driving time because the track was only open for 2+ hours each day, but i guess more than enough to get impressions.
GT3 was a hoot on the track (no big surprise there obviously). unfortunately, i don't think i can say anything that hasn't been covered in the published reviews: no roll, amazing grip, razor sharp turn-in, etc etc.
i was a bit worried that it would be too much to handle, because a recent magazine article compared the 997S and the GT3 on the nordschleife, and said that the GT3 required absolute concentration, whereas the 997S was very easy to drive. but i found that the GT3 was really confidence inspiring, (even compared to the Cayman S I tried here last month,) while being clearly faster.
i have to say i was a bit surprised that the brake pedal was noticeably softer after only 1 lap. not that there was any decrease in braking power, but the car does have PCCB's, and i thought that these things were immune to that sort of thing. maybe i was just being clumsy and braking way too much. i'm no expert driver by any stretch, and this was only my 3rd visit to the 'Ring. according to the sport chrono, i was lapping in the 9:40+ range, which is very far short of the car's potential in skilled hands...
but otherwise the car was flawless. i didn't engage "sport" mode, because that supposedly raises the threshold on the TC, and never having driven a GT3 at the nordschleife before, I definitely wanted to err on the side of caution.
the Ruf was a completely different animal. it didn't have the outright grip of the GT3 (no surprise, since the Continental VMax tires on the Ruf would be a lot less sticky than the GT3's Sport Cups,) and you could feel the added weight. not to say that the RT12 was sloppy; it was a joy to drive as well. it just didn't "feel" as focused an instrument as the GT3 on the track. a big factor here i think, is the steering feel. it has been said countless times before, but because the Ruf is AWD, it clearly lacks the feedback and perfect weighting of the GT3's helm.
this is stating the obvious, but the power difference between the two is massive. there are several uphill sections on the track where i'd be flooring the GT3 and wishing for more thrust. try the same in the Ruf, and voila-- prayers answered. the thing is monstrously quick, and strings together the stretches between corners with disdain. in a straight line, the Ruf makes the GT3 feel really slow!
for a novice driver like myself, it really forces a different driving style than the GT3. whereas in the GT3, i'm enjoying the way the car weights up in the corners, making corrections to my line (probably quite clumsily, I might add ,) and generally concentrating on getting a nice smooth rhythm thru a series of corners, in the Ruf, i found myself just living for the exit of the turn, so i could squeeze the throttle and enjoy the manic shove in my back. in that sense, its a bit more of a point-and-shoot car. i'm sure in the right hands, it would be different... but i wasn't about to push my luck.
i'm wondering how the Ruf would feel if it had Cup tires like the GT3. that would be huge fun i'm sure!!!
so the GT3 is the more involving track car. this is a conclusion i expected completely, and to say this is in no way a criticism of the Ruf. It it a street car after all, which acquits itself very well as a track car (provided the track is big enough, which the Nordschleife certainly is,) whereas the 997 GT3, as we've all read countless times before, is virtually a racecar, that now happens to be docile enough to run on the road.
the fact that their characters are SO different, validates our reasons for choosing them: GT3 for trackdays, and the Ruf for cruising and blasting down long stretches of open road. i feel that between the two cars, almost everything that i'm looking for in terms of driving experience, is nicely covered.
now i've got to work on my DRIVING!
GT3 was a hoot on the track (no big surprise there obviously). unfortunately, i don't think i can say anything that hasn't been covered in the published reviews: no roll, amazing grip, razor sharp turn-in, etc etc.
i was a bit worried that it would be too much to handle, because a recent magazine article compared the 997S and the GT3 on the nordschleife, and said that the GT3 required absolute concentration, whereas the 997S was very easy to drive. but i found that the GT3 was really confidence inspiring, (even compared to the Cayman S I tried here last month,) while being clearly faster.
i have to say i was a bit surprised that the brake pedal was noticeably softer after only 1 lap. not that there was any decrease in braking power, but the car does have PCCB's, and i thought that these things were immune to that sort of thing. maybe i was just being clumsy and braking way too much. i'm no expert driver by any stretch, and this was only my 3rd visit to the 'Ring. according to the sport chrono, i was lapping in the 9:40+ range, which is very far short of the car's potential in skilled hands...
but otherwise the car was flawless. i didn't engage "sport" mode, because that supposedly raises the threshold on the TC, and never having driven a GT3 at the nordschleife before, I definitely wanted to err on the side of caution.
the Ruf was a completely different animal. it didn't have the outright grip of the GT3 (no surprise, since the Continental VMax tires on the Ruf would be a lot less sticky than the GT3's Sport Cups,) and you could feel the added weight. not to say that the RT12 was sloppy; it was a joy to drive as well. it just didn't "feel" as focused an instrument as the GT3 on the track. a big factor here i think, is the steering feel. it has been said countless times before, but because the Ruf is AWD, it clearly lacks the feedback and perfect weighting of the GT3's helm.
this is stating the obvious, but the power difference between the two is massive. there are several uphill sections on the track where i'd be flooring the GT3 and wishing for more thrust. try the same in the Ruf, and voila-- prayers answered. the thing is monstrously quick, and strings together the stretches between corners with disdain. in a straight line, the Ruf makes the GT3 feel really slow!
for a novice driver like myself, it really forces a different driving style than the GT3. whereas in the GT3, i'm enjoying the way the car weights up in the corners, making corrections to my line (probably quite clumsily, I might add
,) and generally concentrating on getting a nice smooth rhythm thru a series of corners, in the Ruf, i found myself just living for the exit of the turn, so i could squeeze the throttle and enjoy the manic shove in my back. in that sense, its a bit more of a point-and-shoot car. i'm sure in the right hands, it would be different... but i wasn't about to push my luck.i'm wondering how the Ruf would feel if it had Cup tires like the GT3. that would be huge fun i'm sure!!!
so the GT3 is the more involving track car. this is a conclusion i expected completely, and to say this is in no way a criticism of the Ruf. It it a street car after all, which acquits itself very well as a track car (provided the track is big enough, which the Nordschleife certainly is,) whereas the 997 GT3, as we've all read countless times before, is virtually a racecar, that now happens to be docile enough to run on the road.
the fact that their characters are SO different, validates our reasons for choosing them: GT3 for trackdays, and the Ruf for cruising and blasting down long stretches of open road. i feel that between the two cars, almost everything that i'm looking for in terms of driving experience, is nicely covered.
now i've got to work on my DRIVING!
I just have a feeling the GT3 wont have me begging for so muhc extra power because of the feel, who knows! How does the steering feel of the RUF RT12 compare to the 997tt, similar, same?!?