What an exciting time for the beloved Turbo! I have faith in Porsche engineers and expect the 997.2 Turbo to be "better" than 997.1 in most or all important aspects, in an evolutionary, not revolutionary way -- it has to be. Congrats to the new owners.
Wild prediction for ring times (anyone else more experienced/knowledgeable, please join in):
Without PDK: 7:45 - 6 seconds or so off current Turbo
With PDK: 7:40
YMMV & just my opinion, but I agree that the paddles should be on steering column, not steering wheel! Come on Porsche -- second time that you mess up a simple functional requirement! And whoever who designed that steering wheel that uses the cheap looking shiny material on the spokes should be fired.
The new wheel looks much better than 997.1, but still too linear (straight spokes) and doesn't go well with the curvy 911 form. That Center Lock Spyder wheel is something else -- beautiful.
I think anyone who thinks the 997.2 Turbo will be stiffer & more like GT3/GT2 with suspension tuning will be disappointed. My opinion is it is Porsche corporate philosophy, since 996 Turbo, that the Turbo will be more of a soft cruiser car, than a track car. The Turbo was selling very well as such and I don't see any change any time soon. In other words, welcome to Bilstein.
I agree with Carlos (if that's what you're saying
) that at this level of power and performance, and for amateurs, handling prowess/character is more important than horsepower rating.
I expect and hope PASM 2 to be different and better than current PASM.
For new owners, mark my words: You are going to change the stock exhaust. YOU ARE GOING TO CHANGE THE STOCK EXHAUST.
You might as well start checking out Cargraphic/RS Tuning web site and this thread now. It's not logical and I don't exactly understand why, but I have found that good exhaust sound is an extremely important component to driving enjoyment.
PDK is a difficult choice: Will shave seconds off ring time and especially in amateur hands it will be incredibly fast as there is no drop in rpm/boost between shifts (pro's could shift without rpm drops partly because of amazing skills, partly because there is no regards to the gear box's longevity). But if you are to drive this car mainly on the streets, which is what it is meant to be, driver's involvement remains a question.
Also, if you are thinking about modding the ECU, which in my opinion is a must as it transforms a turbo, than manual is a better choice because I am fairly certain, having experienced the one(s) in mine, that an ECU tune might very well exceed the torque rating of the PDK. I shudder when I think about the cost of replacing that PDK.
--
Regards,
Can
997 Turbo + Bilstein Damptronic ( Review ) + GIAC ECU Tune ( Review ) + Cargraphic Exhaust ( Oh heavenly noise!
)
