Well, well... I usually do not translate a full article because even with Google, this is long, very long. But I have been captured by this very, very interesting article, given a very different view on the 992 Turbo S. So here is the result for your reading pleasure (I made some cuts and eliminated the bits with which I struggled most - I hope there are no mistakes but overall everything makes sense) :
WET - these three letters light up on the digital display. When all the semislick heroes crawl shivering in the right lane, the Porsche 911 Turbo S becomes the 'rain king' in the left lane. Special rain setup in wet mode, Pirelli tires with outstanding wet handling properties... this time we should have probably done our Supertest in the rain, and everything would have been fine. No sports car currently exudes such drivability, driving stability and dominance in wet conditions as the Porsche 911 Turbo S.
The Pirelli P Zero tires with the Porsche identification NA1 play a major role in the excellent wet performance. Improvement of the wet grip behavior was a central point in the specifications for the 992 development as a whole. An indication of what the NA1 can do in the wet: in a direct comparison to the Pirelli predecessor tire with N1 identification, the NA1 is about six seconds faster on the 1.8 kilometer wet handling track of the Contidrom, according to Porsche.
The working temperature window of the Pirelli P Zero NA1 is also much larger. While the N1 tire, which was fitted as standard on the 991.2 predecessor, needed temperature almost like a real sports tire before it developed its ideal grip, the NA1 quickly achieves a secure grip level even in cool outside temperatures.
In addition to the significant improvement in the wet grip level, this improvement of the cold temperatures properties was also required during tire development: with the 991.2 series, some customers were bothered by the trampling of the front axle tires during turning maneuvers. GT3 and GT2 customers know this this behavior and accept this loss of comfort for the outstanding dry performance of their tires.
The profile of a 911 Turbo customer has changed more and more over the years. While Turbo customers used to do fast laps with their vehicles in the Porsche Sports Driving School or at the Club Sport events, today it feels like 99 percent of all current Turbo models live an everyday existence. Accordingly, today's Turbo owners bring less and less their car to a racetrack. As a consequence, Porsche is now adapting the 911 Turbo S to the dominant customer profile. Somehow understandable.
But at least the remaining one percent of customers will ask themselves the same question as we did here in during the Supertest: why is there no longer an optional sports tire for the 992 Turbo S? While both the 991.1 Turbo S on Dunlop Sport Maxx Race and the 991.2 Turbo S on Pirelli P Zero Corsa NO were available with such optional sports tires and thus came equiped with them in the Supertest, there is no such option for the current generation.
The reason given by Porsche: the sales figures for a sports tire for the 911 Turbo S are far too low. So why are there optional Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires available for a Cayenne Turbo, or Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 NDO for the Panamera Turbo S? Quite simply, such sports tires are developed for SUV and upper class models mainly for two reasons: to win press comparison tests and to make lap records possible. Customer orientation was not the focus here.
But more simply, perhaps the 992 Turbo S simply doesn't need any sports tires. Is the Pirelli P Zero NA1 not only better than a sports tire in terms of wet grip, but also in terms of dry grip?
On the standardized braking test from 100 km/h, it almost seems like that. The 992 Turbo S achieves UHP-like warm braking values with standard tires. For comparison: 31.3 meters for the 991.2 Turbo S on Pirelli P Zero Corsa NO, 31.5 meters for the current model on Pirelli P Zero NA1. Normally, a sports tire has a clear advantage when it comes to deceleration when it is warm, while it has noticeable disadvantages when it is cold. At 32.9 meters, the NA1 also shines with an excellent cold braking distance (cold braking distance of the 991.2 Turbo S on the Pirelli P Zero Corsa NO: 35.5 meters): respect to the tire developers!
Of course, the impressive PCCB ceramic brake system and the very good ABS set-up play also a major role in the braking performance. The braking system of the 992 Turbo S is easy to adjust at the limit on the racetrack - better than the 992 Carrera S.
In Hockenheim, too, the Pirelli P Zero NA1 initially seems to justify the lack of dedicated sports tire option. With a lap time of 1:47.8 minutes, the 992 Turbo S beats real semi-slick heroes like the Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro (1:48.0 min), McLaren 600LT (1:48.9 min) and Lamborghini Huracán Evo (1:49.0 min ). Chapeau!
But this good result doesn't tell the full story and hide the real behavior of the NA1 tire at the limit. Even with brand new tires, the grip level is not as grippy and focused as with a sports tire, and it becomes slightly slippery at the limit, pushing the driver to look for higher sideslip angles.
In Hockenheim, the overall chassis concept overlays the tire properties and has a coherent effect. After two to three laps on the GP course, however, the dry grip decreases. Steering precision and traction are reduced and this change in grip is also noticeable when braking, with braking points gradually shifting further forwards.
Then we went to the Nordschleife. My expectations: If the 992 Turbo S just beats a Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro at Hockenheim, it shall also have it under control at the ring, or even dominate it. Lap time of the AMG GT R Pro? 7.07 minutes. The AMG managed this lap time on its extreme Michelin track tires, but the Porsche has 65 hp.
First 7.25, then a 7.21, and at 7.17 minutes the stopwatch for the 992 Turbo S finally stops: disillusionment. Back in the workshop, a Porsche employee kindly takes me aside and reveals the internal expectations, which also reveal the time corridor that Porsche determined during its internal test drives on the Nordschleife: "If you are as fast with the 992 Turbo S as with the 991.2 Turbo S on the Corsa, everything is fine."
It slowly becomes clear why Porsche has not published any own official Nordschleife time this time. The 992 Turbo S does the Nordschleife with NA1 tires no faster than the 991.2 Turbo S on Corsa tires, even though the current 3.8-liter biturbo has 70 hp more. 7.17 minutes is not slow, though! No sports car without semislicks has been faster in the Supertest. But till now, a newer Porsche Turbo always went faster than the previous one. But more importantly than the time itself, the 991.2 on Corsa tires conveyed more confidence at the limit than the current model.
Reason number 1: You can perhaps compensate for the slightly slippery tire grip in Hockenheim with larger sideslip angles, but it is not possible on the Nordschleife where there are no emergency solutions, as the run-off zones are tiny. On the Nordschleife, it helps the driver if the tire presents a reliable and precisely defined limit range.
The advantage of the PASM sports suspension, which is available as an option for the Turbo S for the first time, is counteracted by the lack of a designated sports tire. Despite the sports suspension, the cornering speeds of the 992 Turbo S with Pirelli P Zero NA1 are, with a few exceptions, slower than those of the 991.2 Turbo S on Corsa tires. And by the way: the PASM sports suspension was also fully developed for the 991.2 predecessor model, but did not make it to series production. Fortunately for the current Turbo S, otherwise its lap time on the Nordschleife would definitely be slower than that of its predecessor.
Reason number 2: The PDCC roll assistant filters out almost all Nordschleife bumps. It feels a bit like floating over the Nordschleife in a hovercraft. As a result, the feedback not only appears somewhat synthetic and slightly decoupled, but it also leads to unforeseen vehicle reactions. The Turbo S hardly signals its driver that the limit area has been reached. And once the limit has been reached, it suddenly becomes sharp.
For example on the undulating passage after the fast Hatzenbachbogen and before the Hatzenbach alternating curves. Normally, the movements of a vehicle's body on these bumps signal at some point that it is high time to take your foot off the accelerator and apply the brakes. The Turbo S initially gives you a false sense of security with only slight body movements, and if you miss the right braking point just a tad, you are suddenly in trouble when braking. You have to prepare for a sudden offset in the Turbo S on the wave running across the slope in front of the fast Metzgesfeld turn.
Reason number 3: After Metzgesfeld 1, Metzgesfeld 2 is a point where another fundamental issue of the 992 Turbo S stands out. Braking, downshifting, then accelerating again: compared to the 991.2 Turbo S, the current 3.8-liter biturbo has more power, but does not pull off as fast as its 580 hp predecessor from the middle speed range.
And there are numerous such corners on the Nordschleife in which the current Turbo S leaves time behind compared to its predecessor due to its slightly delayed response. The pure acceleration advantage of the 992 Turbo S (0–200 km/h: 8.6 s) compared to the 991.2 Turbo S (0–200 km/h: 9.9 s) largely fizzles out on the Ring.
Reason number 4: At 1622 kg (1656 kg with the non-salable safety package including full-shell cup seat and titanium roll bar fitted to our test car), the 911 Turbo S is 45 kg heavier than its predecessor. And the weight spiral is unlikely to be stopped if, according to rumors, the facelift 992.2 Turbo S will really be launched as an e-hybrid.
Unless, in future, Porsche will not only rely on lighter composite materials such as carbon fiber in its GT models, but also in its other vehicles. The optionally available lightweight package, which our Turbo-S test car also had on board, is a first step. The lighter glazing, full bucket seats, reduced insulation and the absence of the rear seat system save 30 kilos. A carbon roof is also available at an additional cost.
Sports suspension, lightweight package, carbon roof: all of that literally cries out for an optional UHP sports tire for the direct successor 992.2. Then we will certainly not only celebrate the 911 Turbo S as the rain king, but also as a Nordschleife hero again.
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