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Mar 25, 2011 11:37:21 AM
- easy_rider911
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- Loc: London , United Kingdom
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- Reply to: Carrara
Re: Collected my GTS today
John H:
Tried launch control and clocked 0 - 60mph in 3.7 secs..
Have you used a performance box or similar or just the speedo and a clock? At true 60 mph, the 911 speedo usually shows 63 mph. 
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 997 Turbo, BMW X5 M, BMW M3 Cab DKG, Mini Cooper S JCW
Re: Collected my GTS today
John H:
Just a quick up-date...
Have now covered 2500 miles and the GTS is getting stronger by the day.
Tried launch control and clocked 0 - 60mph in 3.7 secs..
The oil level has dropped one bar but still haven't added any oil from new!!
Just started using kick-down for 'tight' overtaking - unbelievable acceleration to the red-line and imperceptible up-changes even then..
Not missing a stick shift in the least...
BTW - What's happened to our other GTS owners (Nick & Doug)...
Hi John,
I'm still around! ...always good to hear you're comments too! You have covered all my (same) feelings and impressions very well, thank you! 
...only differences with my GTS is 6 sp. (short shifter) manual and cabriolet...so not much I could add to your posts. 
...not been driving much...getting hammered with nasty storms out here in Calif. day after day! I have only 1800 miles on the car...driven her once in the last 10 days! 
...off to Cleveland on business for several days now...so hoping the weather improves while I am gone and I can get out in the GTS when I return home next weekend...need to warm up for my race track date...coming n April 15.
I surely will have to post some comments (hopefully photos too!) on my track day experience!
Keep the comments coming...enjoy reading them John! 
Cheerio! 
Re: Collected my GTS today
RC:
John H:
Tried launch control and clocked 0 - 60mph in 3.7 secs..
Have you used a performance box or similar or just the speedo and a clock? At true 60 mph, the 911 speedo usually shows 63 mph.
I didn't use a performance box as such... but a GPS device nevertheless. The variation between this and the speedo is indeed 2 or 3 mph.
--
"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."
Re: Collected my GTS today
Fantastic, glorious weather here.. so it was time to head for North Wales and "The Triangle" in particular..
First time I've driven these roads in the GTS since break-in was fully completed.
I have to say that this is where I really found out a lot about this car. Firstly, a couple of negatives...I drove the Triangle clockwise (my personal favourite direction) and didn't feel as connected to the PDK car as I had done with my manual C2S. I felt my times were slower as well. Lots of curves and bends mean lots of gear changes and I was struggling to know, instinctively, which gear I was in at what time.
I put this down to being somewhat lazy in my daily driving and having driven the car mainly in auto mode, albeit over-riding with the paddles in sport and sport-plus. I found I'd been using manual mode less and less and was losing out on driver involvement.
So I drove the same direction again and really concentrated on being in the right gear at the right time. Gradually it started to become second nature and that was when I began to check my times. Surprise, surprise...I found I'd not been slower at all - in fact, quite a bit quicker actually! There was very little traffic about and plenty of open road to pass anything in front of me. I was now feeling a definite connection with the GTS and we became a real team for the first time.
Within two more laps (one anti-clockwise) I was really appreciating the power and manoeuvrability of this incredible machine. Performance driving with PDK is an acquired technique which requires practice and more practice but, when you get it right, is sooo rewarding..
A few photos at "The Triangle"
Taking a break at 'The Sportsman's Arms' - the highest pub in Wales and in the top ten highest in the UK... This is towards the end of the first sector on the clockwise route..
--
"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."
Re: Collected my GTS today
This is about half-way along the second (clockwise) sector which is largely forest lined, unlike the first, which is mainly moorland (great for seeing around bends well before you reach them)
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"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."
Apr 12, 2011 12:26:40 AM
- easy_rider911
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- Loc: London , United Kingdom
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- Reply to: John H
Re: Collected my GTS today
Thanks, awesome drive you had there John...and great pics!
...expecially love the pic with castle in the background. I have only been to England and Scotland once (1997) so would love to go back again!
I am off to Thunderhill Raceway in Northern California for a Porsche Club Track Day on Friday, April 15. I finally went over 2,000 miles this past weekend so I have been "warming her up" for the track (as much as possible) on the street.
The manual trans in Sport Plus Mode is amazing too...very quick up and down shifts and the much faster (immediate!) throttle and clutch response is truly remarkable! ...never experienced anything like it before...the car literally jumps through the gear shifts! 
With the short throw, sport shifter, I will have a blast playing out on the track too. This car is so freakin' fast!! ...and I know exactly what you mean about being "a team" with the car...fantasticly rewarding feeling indeed! 
...hope to get some good pics to share from the track...so will be back in touch again soon! 
Re: Collected my GTS today
I wound' nt mind driving that triangle too. Your photos are so beautiful. Thanks.
And yes, the PDK makes the car very fast.....and it gives real pleasure when there are lots of bends and you manage the extract it fully and you can feel the gain of each 10's of seconds !
And then, there are also the times when the lack of envolvment ( usually when the car is not driven fully to it's capabilities ) makes you feel 'old' .....
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997.2 C2S, PDK, -20mm
Apr 12, 2011 8:31:56 AM
- easy_rider911
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Apr 12, 2011 11:39:50 AM
- nick1
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- Loc: austria
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- Reply to: easy_rider911
Re: Collected my GTS today
John, i also had to adapt my driving style towards PDK. Also fully agree that on a day to day basis (stop and go in the city) i usually leave it in Auto mode and when blasting some country roads switch to manual (with SCplus). main difference to manual shifter is that i tend to forget which gear i was in (even in manual mode of the PDK), but you get used to looking at the small gear indicator in the gauges.
i would say that you do loose ca 15-20% of pure involvement, but gain ca 50-60% more versaitility. so all in all the PDK is top.
Would i have bought a sportier car (say a gt3) then i would never have opted for PDK even if it was available.
Havig SCplus helps a lot thoug, because you can change the character of the car soo much.
cheers,
nick
Re: Collected my GTS today
Thanks for sharing John, I recognize those places in the pictures. Good to see them bathed in sunlight rather than the rain/snow I've experienced there!
Good to read your impression regarding PDK, I'm still convinced manual would be my choice on anything but a Turbo.
Apr 13, 2011 5:57:00 AM
- Joost
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Re: Collected my GTS today
Wow John, GTS looking awesome!
* Off topic mode switched ON *
On another topic; these pictures are pretty impressive! Are you into photography a bit? I think in this case, any point&shoot kinda person would have overexposed on the car in the bright sunlight... What cam/lens did you use? Applied any filter?
* Off topic mode switched OFF *
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Porsche, seperates LeMans from LeBoys
Re: Collected my GTS today
@ Easy, Enma, Gnil, Spyder, Pentium, Intouch, Porker, Carrageous, Fritz - many thanks for your comments... they are very much appreciated..
Doug - I really look forward to your report on the GTS at the track..
Nick - fully agree with your summary, except that I really want to be in control of which gear I'm in without referring to the indicator in the gauges..
Joost - I'm afraid I will disappoint you by saying that I'm just a point & shoot person. My camera is a humble Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10 costing less than £200! - no special lenses and no filters. If the results are good, I guess I just got lucky! Perhaps the lack of exposure in bright sunshine was due to the car actually being quite dirty following the laps of "The Triangle" 
--
"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."
Re: Collected my GTS today
Hi Reginos, I usually time my runs mainly point to point on sectors 1 & 2. There's always more traffic on the bottom sector (A5)
As far as police presence goes.. there are no speed cameras on the Triangle. There have been occasions when mobile traps have been sited on the A5 and I've seen a police car a few times driving anti-clockwise. They're more interested in controlling bikers and mostly at week-ends. If a biker event is being held - just stay away!
Just hope the bikers don't ruin it for us by causing fatalities like they did on the Cat & Fiddle road (A537) from Macclesfield to Buxton (Derbyshire).
That road is now a no-go zone due to police presence and cameras..
--
"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."
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