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    Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    On my way home from christmas I pulled up behind a 997 TT on the freeway.
    There was pretty packed traffic, so we just stayed in the fast lane behind slow moving traffic for about 25 miles. The guy in the Turbo seemed very eager to move forward and kept pushing the car in front of him to get ahead.
    I kept a good distance cuz Ive seen too many accidents happen that way.

    I noticed that he really fired up the car whenever a small gap opened up, and the car growled like it was working hard.
    When finally the road was clear I pulled up behind the TT, knowing for sure that he would leave me in the dust the moment he floored it.
    (I tried it once with a 996 GT3 and I had no chance in hell).
    Then I could both see (smoke from exhaust) and hear (big growl) the guy fire up the TT and he put some distance between the two of us until he hit the next pile of traffic. Strangely enough the distance was very small, and I had no problem following him and keeping his pace.

    2 miles later, the traffic cleared once again, and this time I gave the Boxey full revs and basically placed myself in his slipstream. He fired it up again, and what really, really puzzled me was this: I was pretty well into my 5th gear and he couldnt shake me at all.
    After 2 miles or so, he pulled over and slowed down to let me pass.

    I dont need a reality check here, cuz I know the 997TT is way faster than any Boxster, but I was wondering if he might have picked the wrong gear or somehow gone easy because he was breaking in the engine.

    Or pehaps it wasn't his car and didnt wanna risk totalling it....or perhaps he simply couldnt drive?
    Just seemed strange that he floored it several times and then suddenly couldnt shake me...

    My Boxey has been going really well lately, but naturally it doesnt suddenly dig up 200 BHP extra out of nowhere....I'm just puzzled by this incident.

    Btw the car was on danish provisory plates, which are used for a short period of time by people living outside Denmark when they buy a car in Denmark.

    Not really an important question, I know but any theories would be welcome.

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Maybe he just didn't want to play?

    Also what is Denmark like for speed limits and enforcement because here in the UK not a hope in hell I'd drive on a freeway at 130mph or so as it'd pretty much be a guaranteed ban if I were pulled for it.

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    perhaps he was keeping it below 4500rpm for the running in period

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    percymon said:
    perhaps he was keeping it below 4500rpm for the running in period


    That's what I figured, but he had to get above the 4500 rpm limit to even keep up, thats for sure.
    And both the noise and the smoke from the TT indicated a lot more than 4500 rpm.
    The TT is fast, but with 350+ kg more weight he had to let the car work for it to keep up - let alone leave me in the dust.
    If u keep the car below 4500rpm u cant even keep up with a Renault Twingo.

    No, I'm pretty sure he went above 4500 rpm.
    Perhaps there is an electronic rev limiter or a "anti-wife gizmo" that lowers the BHP whenever youre not driving it yourself..?
    I dunno...

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Maybe the guy behing the wheel was so fat that the turbo lost all its advantage over your boxster.


    On a more serious note, I think the turbo push a bit more than the boxey, even if you keep the turbo under 4500rpm and use the boxey's full potential. In other words, I'd be really surpeised if the turbo kept between 2000 and 4500rpm isn't faster than the boxster between 2000 and 7000rpm.

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    hutchingsp said:
    Maybe he just didn't want to play?

    Also what is Denmark like for speed limits and enforcement because here in the UK not a hope in hell I'd drive on a freeway at 130mph or so as it'd pretty much be a guaranteed ban if I were pulled for it.



    Oh, he wanted to play alright. U should have seen the smoke, the noise and aggressive driving. And let's just say the speeds that were achieved were ample proof of "playfulness"

    Danish laws are pretty straightforward:
    +30% of limit = one strike. 3 strikes = license revoked (probation) + reaquiring of theoretical license test + $$$ fine.
    +160 km/h on freeway (I believe) = license revoked (probation) + reaquiring of theoretical license test + $$$ fine.
    If driving is particularly ruthless the license gets revoked without probabtion. Up to 5 years.
    Jailtime is only happening if you kill or injure someone while driving like a madman.

    Which reminds me of an incident many years ago, when I was late for a ferry in my souped up (+350BHP) Toyota Supra Turbo (hehehe... yes! I was quite the pimp!).
    Having reached the ferry ahead of shedule I rested for a few minutes in my car at the terminal. Suddenly a police biker pulled up next to me and said: "Can I see your flight cetificate?" LOL! After checking it he just gace it back to me and said ever so dryly: "Next time, just try to keep it below 200 (kmh), ok?"

    Boy, I almost pissed my pants

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    amazon said:
    Maybe the guy behing the wheel was so fat that the turbo lost all its advantage over your boxster.


    On a more serious note, I think the turbo push a bit more than the boxey, even if you keep the turbo under 4500rpm and use the boxey's full potential. In other words, I'd be really surpeised if the turbo kept between 2000 and 4500rpm isn't faster than the boxster between 2000 and 7000rpm.



    My thoughts exactly!
    But first off, remember that a TT is only truly faster than a Boxster if it uses its full potential. A TT driver cant just "floor it lightly" to shake a Boxster.
    The Boxster aint a supersporstcar by any measure, but it's still not a slow car.

    I am truly baffled cuz it WAS the TT (no doubt at all), and the sound, smoke and revs I could hear he was pulling told me that this guy made a serious effort.

    Ok, naturally at some level it wasnt serious enough...
    Im just wondering what he did wrong.
    Maybe he simply took the "job" too lightly..I dunno.

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    If he took the task that serious he would have left you for dead. I had a slightly modded 96 C4S prior to getting the 997TT and I wouldn't have had a hope in hataes of keeping anywhere near the turbo with that car and it was running very well..:-) My money is on the break in theory. If he nailed it and carried the rpms to redline you would be singing a differnt tune. Thats not any slight against the boxster...the Turbo is just an order of magnitude beyond that level by a considerable margin.

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    LoranTw said:
    If he took the task that serious he would have left you for dead. I had a slightly modded 96 C4S prior to getting the 997TT and I wouldn't have had a hope in hataes of keeping anywhere near the turbo with that car and it was running very well..:-) My money is on the break in theory. If he nailed it and carried the rpms to redline you would be singing a differnt tune. Thats not any slight against the boxster...the Turbo is just an order of magnitude beyond that level by a considerable margin.



    I totally agree.
    It was very strange. He was pushing everyone in front of him as if he wanted to really get moving. And when he got a stretch of clear road, the TT roared ahead. I could clearly hear it in front of me - and it didn't sound like a mild accelleration to me. But who knows. Im no TT expert.

    I dunno - it's a silly question indeed. It just baffled me, that a supercar like that didnt perform like a supercar.

    Thanks for the input

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Oh my god you have gone NASCAR on us, you are guilty of
    "Drafting"

    If you were that close in his slipstream, you had a aerodynamic coefficient maybe three times less than his, meaning u needed less power to punch through the air because his car was doing all the work for yours.

    Feature this. In NASCAR if u take two identical cars at the same speed and one is drafting the other,the car doing the drafting can actually pull out ahead of the other by changing lanes suddenly. Its wierd but works. Its called the slingshot effect.

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    JimFlat6 said:
    Oh my god you have gone NASCAR on us, you are guilty of
    "Drafting"

    If you were that close in his slipstream, you had a aerodynamic coefficient maybe three times less than his, meaning u needed less power to punch through the air because his car was doing all the work for yours.

    Feature this. In NASCAR if u take two identical cars at the same speed and one is drafting the other,the car doing the drafting can actually pull out ahead of the other by changing lanes suddenly. Its wierd but works. Its called the slingshot effect.



    Yeah. I know that slipstreaming has quite an effect, but wast aware that it was THAT big!?
    But..I like the idea My wee Boxey making a 997TT pull over because he cant outrun me. Slipstream or not, that's gotta hurt a TT owner's ego
    Hold the thought! I dont need anymore theories now!

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    No disrespect my friend. But the 997TT driver did not have the gutts to drive the TT the way it should have been driven. Boxter can't even come close to the TT. I do however praise you for your driving skills and intimediating the dude and perhaps denting his ego a bit

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    while breaking in my tt all sorts of stuff would leave me for dead...toyota prius etc.etc....with that completed, well its everything the others have said and various videos confirm...this car is seriously quick

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    Dr. Phil said:
    On my way home from christmas I pulled up behind a 997 TT on the freeway.
    There was pretty packed traffic, so we just stayed in the fast lane behind slow moving traffic for about 25 miles. The guy in the Turbo seemed very eager to move forward and kept pushing the car in front of him to get ahead.
    I kept a good distance cuz Ive seen too many accidents happen that way.

    I noticed that he really fired up the car whenever a small gap opened up, and the car growled like it was working hard.
    When finally the road was clear I pulled up behind the TT, knowing for sure that he would leave me in the dust the moment he floored it.
    (I tried it once with a 996 GT3 and I had no chance in hell).
    Then I could both see (smoke from exhaust) and hear (big growl) the guy fire up the TT and he put some distance between the two of us until he hit the next pile of traffic. Strangely enough the distance was very small, and I had no problem following him and keeping his pace.

    2 miles later, the traffic cleared once again, and this time I gave the Boxey full revs and basically placed myself in his slipstream. He fired it up again, and what really, really puzzled me was this: I was pretty well into my 5th gear and he couldnt shake me at all.
    After 2 miles or so, he pulled over and slowed down to let me pass.

    I dont need a reality check here, cuz I know the 997TT is way faster than any Boxster, but I was wondering if he might have picked the wrong gear or somehow gone easy because he was breaking in the engine.

    Or pehaps it wasn't his car and didnt wanna risk totalling it....or perhaps he simply couldnt drive?
    Just seemed strange that he floored it several times and then suddenly couldnt shake me...

    My Boxey has been going really well lately, but naturally it doesnt suddenly dig up 200 BHP extra out of nowhere....I'm just puzzled by this incident.

    Btw the car was on danish provisory plates, which are used for a short period of time by people living outside Denmark when they buy a car in Denmark.

    Not really an important question, I know but any theories would be welcome.


    I own both, the boxster for 6 years and the TT for 6 months. While I don't know which version you have, my 986 is significantly modified and can hang with the 987's and let me tell you that the difference bewteen the 2 cars is so huge it is not even funny. The TT driver in your case probably was on the phone or something or maybe just too chicken to let the turbos spool all the way up. I have several friends with boxsters and we frequently play with the cars and what you experienced unfortunately is not real. don't get me wrong I love my boxster so much that I refuse to change my username, it is still more fun to drive on tight twisty roads than the TT .

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Thanks for ur input, guys.
    I know this is a seriously silly question, and that I am basically asking you to guess what was going on inside the head of a TT driver etc...
    As I started by saying; I know there is no comparison between the two cars accell-wise, which is exactly why I posted in the first place.
    Slipstream, breaking-in procedure or incompetent driver...it was still a lot of fun

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Hey Lasse, good to read that your christmas family visit provided some fun
    Maybe the TT driver used the cruise control in order not to loose his driving license
    Guess the guy was breaking in the TT yet - poor driving skills can't be the explanation IMO because even the worst driver should be able to simply push the pedal to the metal in a straightline
    Meanwhile I had various encounters with the Boxey's big brothers on the Autobahn and I can tell you that even a 996 C2 is able to (very slowly) pull away from my 987 S (but only at higher speeds above 200 km/h). Having said that in normal driving conditions - even on the Autobahn - one thing is to show muscles when accelarating, a complete different story is to leave another car "in the dust".
    I had a similar encounter like you with a 996 TT. The TT's driver pulled up in a 100 km/h zone on the Autobahn and gave a sign that he was in playing mood Once the speed limit zone ended, we both floored our cars. It was impressive to see the TT's accelaration power - the guy was so kind to "clean up" the fast lane everytime a slower car showed up in front of us. Hence I had several occasions to allow my small Boxey to grow bigger in the TT's rearview-mirror . Once the fastlane was cleaned up by the TT he pulled away again effortless . BUT: he never left me "in the dust" really, even on a 10 km empty Autobahn leg, just because he obviously didn't want to go beyond 270 km/h.
    Bottom line: having a technically superior sportscar and really shaking off another car (unless it's a real slouch) on public roads are two different things. Remember that even on the Nordschleife in the hands of a pro driver the gap between a 997 TT and a 987 S (3.2) is only 8% (well, the pricegap is somewhat bigger ) - maybe 8% is a lot in a race, but hard to keep on a public road with similar length (approximately 21 km). I always have to chuckle when there are controversial discussions about 3 seconds different NS-laptimes (let's say 997 TT vs. Gallardo) as an indication which sportscar is faster/better
    IMO the full potential of super sportscars like the TT can't be explored on public roads anyway. What counts is the driving fun - and this for sure can be experienced in any sportscar even on public roads
    And finally - the TT certainly drives in another league in terms of straightline performance, but just to put things into perspective: the fat MB-AMG cars need approximately 500 hp to keep up with a 987 S - up to the first corner

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Exactly! Porsche-Jeck, it's the driving fun that matters most - not the milliseconds difference...

    The Boxster S is a real gem of a car and represents the best 'grin per euro' ratio in the Porsche line-up.

    I love the attitude...teasing all the TTs on the autobahn...you speed demon!

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    Porsche-Jeck said:
    Hey Lasse, good to read that your christmas family visit provided some fun
    Maybe the TT driver used the cruise control in order not to loose his driving license
    Guess the guy was breaking in the TT yet - poor driving skills can't be the explanation IMO because even the worst driver should be able to simply push the pedal to the metal in a straightline
    Meanwhile I had various encounters with the Boxey's big brothers on the Autobahn and I can tell you that even a 996 C2 is able to (very slowly) pull away from my 987 S (but only at higher speeds above 200 km/h). Having said that in normal driving conditions - even on the Autobahn - one thing is to show muscles when accelarating, a complete different story is to leave another car "in the dust".
    I had a similar encounter like you with a 996 TT. The TT's driver pulled up in a 100 km/h zone on the Autobahn and gave a sign that he was in playing mood Once the speed limit zone ended, we both floored our cars. It was impressive to see the TT's accelaration power - the guy was so kind to "clean up" the fast lane everytime a slower car showed up in front of us. Hence I had several occasions to allow my small Boxey to grow bigger in the TT's rearview-mirror . Once the fastlane was cleaned up by the TT he pulled away again effortless . BUT: he never left me "in the dust" really, even on a 10 km empty Autobahn leg, just because he obviously didn't want to go beyond 270 km/h.
    Bottom line: having a technically superior sportscar and really shaking off another car (unless it's a real slouch) on public roads are two different things. Remember that even on the Nordschleife in the hands of a pro driver the gap between a 997 TT and a 987 S (3.2) is only 8% (well, the pricegap is somewhat bigger ) - maybe 8% is a lot in a race, but hard to keep on a public road with similar length (approximately 21 km). I always have to chuckle when there are controversial discussions about 3 seconds different NS-laptimes (let's say 997 TT vs. Gallardo) as an indication which sportscar is faster/better
    IMO the full potential of super sportscars like the TT can't be explored on public roads anyway. What counts is the driving fun - and this for sure can be experienced in any sportscar even on public roads
    And finally - the TT certainly drives in another league in terms of straightline performance, but just to put things into perspective: the fat MB-AMG cars need approximately 500 hp to keep up with a 987 S - up to the first corner



    Nice post ,, PJ .. Soon you will be a Mod - you can ban me then ..

    Too the 2 of you , have a great New Years Eve ,, bud..

    ..

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    easy_rider911 said:
    I love the attitude...teasing all the TTs on the autobahn...you speed demon!



    It's kind of sad that nowadays they are only very few P-drivers to play with on the Autobahn at high speed (of course I'm not talking of reckless driving or "racing" each other - just having some fun in good humor observing the fairplay rules). Nowadays you see swarms of Porsches on the Autobahn just driving 150 km/h or so, even if the Autobahn is empty There should be law against Porsches driving that slow on an empty Autobahn Sometimes I think the drivers with their high powered Diesel cars are more speed-addicted than a lot of P-drivers
    Back in the seventies a Porsche on a not crowded Autobahn meant topspeed (I remember my father when driving us around on the Autobahn in his MB/BMWs always speaking with big respect of the "schnelle Hirsche" = fast deers).
    I guess I'm still under the influence of that era - I just love to floor any car on the Autobahn if traffic conditions allow. Of course even more so in a Porsche - they are made to drive fast Maybe it's a political correctness thing that you don't see that much cars being driven at their full speed potential on the Autobahn The public opinion is speaking about fast drivers as "Raser" (racer, but with a negative touch). I guess it's another socialist envy thing: everybody who has a faster car than you is a potential "Raser" . In that sense it's not me being the "speed demon", it's the TT driver

    Even in some German internet sportscar-fora there are people getting flamed for posting why they love to drive 280 km/h or so on the Autobahn - there is a widely spread opinion saying that driving faster than 200 km/h is irresponsible even on a 3-lane Autobahn with only few or no traffic
    I guess I'm too old to understand all this political correctness nonsense

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    I found the autobahn experience in convoy with "P-J" in April exhilerating after the crowded and speed restricted roads here in the UK. The stability and precision of the Boxster at 150+ mph is incredible. Every owner should do it, it left me with a great deal of respect for Porsche design and engineering. All too aware though that I lack experience in very high speed driving. Immediately noticeable is the discipline on the autobahn, no lane blocking, no "I've put my indicators on and that gives me right of way to change lanes" (what is it about Volvo estate drivers?) and generally much less crowded roads than here ( the exception being the crawl from Stuttgart to Dussldorf after our factory collection in October).

    I've just come back from Christmas in Rheindahlen, drove over after the Fog Fiasco but this time in our Honda Civic Diesel. I'll be back in April for another thrill in the Boxster though!

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    dreamcar said:
    I'll be back in April for another thrill in the Boxster though!



    Great news The Autobahn and the speed demon is awaiting you

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    throt said:
    - you can ban me then ..





    You only will get banned if you don't change your signature in due time Hope to meet up with you in London in 2007 - I'll teach you then what your signature should look like
    BTW I received a nice New Year's card from my Porsche Center, reading: good idea for the new year - more sports....followed by the pic of a 997 GT3 RS
    Happy New Year to all you sports fans

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    Porsche-Jeck said:
    Quote:
    dreamcar said:
    I'll be back in April for another thrill in the Boxster though!



    Great news The Autobahn and the speed demon is awaiting you


    Who needs a Porsche, though. Rheindahlen - Calais in a Boxster S 3.4 : 5hrs 30 mins. Rheindahlen - Calais in a Honda Civic 2.2 diesel 3hrs 30mins.

    Re: Had some (strange) fun with a 997 Turbo today

    Quote:
    dreamcar said:

    Who needs a Porsche, though. Rheindahlen - Calais in a Boxster S 3.4 : 5hrs 30 mins. Rheindahlen - Calais in a Honda Civic 2.2 diesel 3hrs 30mins.



    You have to learn to operate the PCM/Satnav correctly - stay away from the Off Road function

     
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