My New GT3.2..still waiting

[Troubleshooter]

I've never read a review from this guy so no idea if he's objective or hates Pcars or is just a dick. For a thinly disguised racecar that's roadgoing and an absolute event to even sit behind the wheel, his main argument aside from bullshit like ""Steering doughy and unresponsive at trundling speed""  (what, like a Chrysler 300? A Kluger? A Hiace? A 3 ton truck?) is that your'e a cashed up show off wanker for buying and driving one. Really? Really?? Wish I was a cashed up show off wanker with one in my garage!

He has 4 lines of why not to buy it - incredibly expensive .. compared to what, a Diahatsu, an Aston, a house, how long's a piece of string? Horrid on the street at low speeds - matter of perspective and if so a small price to pay! Stupidly noisy - so what, that's the idea! Getting in and out - get back on your mobility scooter mate! Forget the raising function - well just remember it! Graunching the alloys - same as any car! And then this gem ""There’s only one reason to buy the GT3. Actually two, if you’re a poser and like to show off.""

And he negates his own crap argument with 12 poetic lines of the most sublime reasons why any boy racer, serious trackday hoon or purveyor of fine things automotive would gladly own one of these pieces of art ......

"" Why should/shouldn’t I buy it?
There’s plenty of reasons not to buy the GT3; it’s incredibly expensive, it’s horrid to drive on the street at low speeds, it’s stupidly noisy at any speed, getting in and out of the thing is an inelegant chore, forget the raising function and the spoiler make a horrid scraping noise, and the thought of graunching the alloys is enough to make me want to vomit. God knows how I would have reacted if I had actually barked a rim. There’s only one reason to buy the GT3. Actually two, if you’re a poser and like to show off.

----------------------

Put wankerdom to one side and the reason why you should buy the GT3 is it is an incredible, amazing, fabulous, engrossing, intoxicating vehicle to drive at speed.

In fact, not even at speed. Fire it up and the boxer barks into life behind your head then settles into a slightly grumpy idle. Clunk into gear and motor up the street and it’s easy to imagine you’re driving a racing car to the grid; it whirs, grinds, growls, clanks (the harness on the rollcage), bangs (potholes) and noisily spatters its undersides in grit. 

Now get going. If you’re not that serious with the throttle the PDK slaps into the next gear at 5000rpm. Hit the loud pedal hard and the engine unhesitatingly screams to its 8250rpm power peak. Redline is 9000rpm! The sound purifies as the revs climbs. It’s part choir and part heavy metal band. Glorious and fiercely violent all at once.

As stunning as the engine is, the rest of the package is so eagerly up to the challenge. The PDK ricochets through the gears. Sport mode is so pro-active you don’t even have to bother with manual changes… unless you want to. You will.

Listening to the unfettered wa-chung, wa-chung, wa-chung downchanging for corners is mechanical porn.

The Electro-mechanical steering goes from doughy and unresponsive at trundling speed to sharp and unfettered when pressed. It goes where you send it. Instantly. The chassis is high-grip and high-communication. It does not roll in corners. Only opt for the firmer Sport chassis button if you’re on a racetrack or like to get wheels off the ground on moderately bumpy roads.

The six-pot front brakes are simply awesome. Normal Porsche then.""

 

[Ozvino]

What are you guys doing in regards to engine run in?

i was at the Porsche experience Centre in los angles today and they had probably a dozen new GT3’s. The instructor was telling me they run them all in to spec, nothing over 3000rpm for around 600 miles is what he said from memory.

was curious what Porsche Australia was saying

[StevepGT3]

5 hours ago, Troubleshooter said:

I've never read a review from this guy so no idea if he's objective or hates Pcars or is just a dick. For a thinly disguised racecar that's roadgoing and an absolute event to even sit behind the wheel, his main argument aside from bullshit like ""Steering doughy and unresponsive at trundling speed""  (what, like a Chrysler 300? A Kluger? A Hiace? A 3 ton truck?) is that your'e a cashed up show off wanker for buying and driving one. Really? Really?? Wish I was a cashed up show off wanker with one in my garage!

He has 4 lines of why not to buy it - incredibly expensive .. compared to what, a Diahatsu, an Aston, a house, how long's a piece of string? Horrid on the street at low speeds - matter of perspective and if so a small price to pay! Stupidly noisy - so what, that's the idea! Getting in and out - get back on your mobility scooter mate! Forget the raising function - well just remember it! Graunching the alloys - same as any car! And then this gem ""There’s only one reason to buy the GT3. Actually two, if you’re a poser and like to show off.""

And he negates his own crap argument with 12 poetic lines of the most sublime reasons why any boy racer, serious trackday hoon or purveyor of fine things automotive would gladly own one of these pieces of art ......

"" Why should/shouldn’t I buy it?
There’s plenty of reasons not to buy the GT3; it’s incredibly expensive, it’s horrid to drive on the street at low speeds, it’s stupidly noisy at any speed, getting in and out of the thing is an inelegant chore, forget the raising function and the spoiler make a horrid scraping noise, and the thought of graunching the alloys is enough to make me want to vomit. God knows how I would have reacted if I had actually barked a rim. There’s only one reason to buy the GT3. Actually two, if you’re a poser and like to show off.

----------------------

Put wankerdom to one side and the reason why you should buy the GT3 is it is an incredible, amazing, fabulous, engrossing, intoxicating vehicle to drive at speed.

In fact, not even at speed. Fire it up and the boxer barks into life behind your head then settles into a slightly grumpy idle. Clunk into gear and motor up the street and it’s easy to imagine you’re driving a racing car to the grid; it whirs, grinds, growls, clanks (the harness on the rollcage), bangs (potholes) and noisily spatters its undersides in grit. 

Now get going. If you’re not that serious with the throttle the PDK slaps into the next gear at 5000rpm. Hit the loud pedal hard and the engine unhesitatingly screams to its 8250rpm power peak. Redline is 9000rpm! The sound purifies as the revs climbs. It’s part choir and part heavy metal band. Glorious and fiercely violent all at once.

As stunning as the engine is, the rest of the package is so eagerly up to the challenge. The PDK ricochets through the gears. Sport mode is so pro-active you don’t even have to bother with manual changes… unless you want to. You will.

Listening to the unfettered wa-chung, wa-chung, wa-chung downchanging for corners is mechanical porn.

The Electro-mechanical steering goes from doughy and unresponsive at trundling speed to sharp and unfettered when pressed. It goes where you send it. Instantly. The chassis is high-grip and high-communication. It does not roll in corners. Only opt for the firmer Sport chassis button if you’re on a racetrack or like to get wheels off the ground on moderately bumpy roads.

The six-pot front brakes are simply awesome. Normal Porsche then.""

 

I think he was just pissed that there was nowhere to hook up his pop up camper 

[AB_981]

2 hours ago, Ozvino said:

What are you guys doing in regards to engine run in?

i was at the Porsche experience Centre in los angles today and they had probably a dozen new GT3’s. The instructor was telling me they run them all in to spec, nothing over 3000rpm for around 600 miles is what he said from memory.

was curious what Porsche Australia was saying

In reagrads to run in, I am driving it as intended (and killing some bugs in the process).

 

Pretty much holding delivery guidance. 4k for the first 500km then add 1k every 500km.  That is a little more aggressive than the manual but seems reasonable and keeps you interested. 

I am just under 1,000km now so starting to explore the noisier range of the engine. 

[vl gra]

I'm very jealous boys. Cars look awesome.

I am in the opinion drive it like you stole it and it will feel very easy going through the rev range for the rest of it's life. i have driven cars that have been babied from new and they are the biggest slugs.

[itsujack]

2 hours ago, AB_981 said:

Looks killer, great combo, you must be loving it.

hmmm, to wing or not to wing... ?

[AB_981]

1 hour ago, itsujack said:

hmmm, to wing or not to wing... ?

It is very personal however my opinion is unless you are doing something special like Oldmxnut then the wing is the way to go.  It just looks more balanced with the more aggressive front end on the .2. The softer front end on the .1 is part of what made the R look so good, some of the tourings I have seen online look a bit weird to me (I am bias, to me a GT3 is defined by the race car wing out the back).

Having lived with it on a couple of long drives has confirmed that this is a car that demands your attention.  Not a lazy cruising grand tourer, that is for sure. I have found the seats to be great for multi hour driving, they are a pain to get in and out of but once in they are very comfortable.  Had my first short ride as a passenger the other day, it's a brutal experience when not holding the wheel and modulating the throttle ..... must take that into account when the poor wife is in the co-pilot seat!

[Oldmxnut]

AB and sleazius...  A couple of pictures so you can imagine  and pretend yours were wingless as I know you secretly do... 

Though I will admit....the wing makes a GT3.  Cant deny that.

[Lucky Phil]

Odd, but seeing it without a wing reminds me of what a dog looks like when it has lost its tail (especially in the picture above of the silver one).  Sort of like a Corgi 

[itsujack]

15 hours ago, Oldmxnut said:

That's hot! The red ducati pinstripe not so much, but the rest...?

[sleazius]

Re: run in. It depends who you listen to. The manual states 4k RPM for 3000 kms. Then whatever you want. My SA was just 'wait till the oil warms up, then do what you like, take it to the track this weekend'. Then you've got guys in the US who baby them like they're a $800 bottle of grange with highly elaborate run ins that involve a voodoo priest and 3 sacrificial lambs, and praying to the sun god ra on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. Total bullshit.

I've already taken mine to 5000 revs on the way home from the showroom, just waited till I'd driven it 20kms and the oil temp was up.

I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't driven the car since though - no time. I missed the motorkhana training day at the weekend because things popped up (wife is about to have our 4th). Life is just really busy at the moment.

Re: the touring - not for me. I can see why you'd want one, but I have zero interest in owning one. Wing or bust! There is nothing 'touring' about this car. Driving home in traffic down the motorway was draining to be honest, if I wanted to tour I'd grab a Turbo. This GT3 like all GT3s is harder work than a regular car - although I must admit, it is so easy compared to the 996.1 GT3.

[Oldmxnut]

12 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

Odd, but seeing it without a wing reminds me of what a dog looks like when it has lost its tail (especially in the picture above of the silver one).  Sort of like a Corgi 

Had to smile as I thought the same thing about the GT silver pic when I posted it.  Its the angle I think which doesn't help either.   But given its GT3, perhaps more likened to a Rottweiler then house trained Corgi

 I liked the concept of the 911R looks wise, so the touring ticks the boxes for me this time around thankfully.  

 

 

[sleazius]

2 minutes ago, Oldmxnut said:

Had to smile as I thought the same thing about the GT silver pic when I posted it.  Its the angle I think which doesn't help either.   But given its GT3, perhaps more likened to a Rottweiler then house trained Corgi

 I liked the concept of the 911R looks wise, so the touring ticks the boxes for me this time around thankfully.  

 

 

You get 98% of the R with the benefit of a fixed motor. Winning.

[hugh]

8 hours ago, sleazius said:

Wing or bust! There is nothing 'touring' about this car. Driving home in traffic down the motorway was draining to be honest, if I wanted to tour I'd grab a Turbo. 

I'm with you. 

[jakroo]

On 2/3/2018 at 11:19 PM, Oldmxnut said:

Gents you better hand them back.... "its noisy, has a grumpy ride and unresponsive steering". 

https://www.motoring.com.au/porsche-911-gt3-2018-review-110765/

 

I've watched and listened to this review, and I think it comes across as positive.  He said that it had a lot of good attributes, which is why you guys buy them.

All road going race vehicles (cars and bikes) are going to have issues at low speeds, so as an owner you deal with it. They are loud and can be obnoxious unless sitting at several thousand RPM and above 60 km/h.

I used to say to my mate who raced Jackaroos around the world that he needed to give it a good service and 'tune' the car - when cold it wouldn't idle....his response was that the engine for his vehicle wasn't designed to idle but sit at redline for 8 hours straight for 3-4 weeks at a time....His D-Max for Dakar was the same and it was a diesel.

I was at Double Bay on Sunday, and I saw and heard 3 new GT3's tootling around the streets while I was sitting in a cafe there....driving them in a very built up area and parking them on the road verge and you could hear it quite distinctly from 100m away.

[dan_189]

13 hours ago, sleazius said:

Re: the touring - not for me. I can see why you'd want one, but I have zero interest in owning one. Wing or bust! There is nothing 'touring' about this car. Driving home in traffic down the motorway was draining to be honest, if I wanted to tour I'd grab a Turbo. This GT3 like all GT3s is harder work than a regular car - although I must admit, it is so easy compared to the 996.1 GT3.

Wing... FTW!

Admittedly just subscribing to see more  

[ANF]

Not wanting to stir the pot (too much anyway as I think the wing looks good, as does it without...) but Porsche state this about the touring package "As with the 911 Carrera, an automatically extendible rear wing ensures for the necessary downforce in the high-speed range" does this mean that the big GT3 is not actually needed??!

Interestingly I think most of previous touring incarnations always kept the same exterior as the non touring package?

@AB_981 colour combo looks great! @sleazius not bad either too!

[LeeM]

32 minutes ago, ANF said:

does this mean that the big GT3 is not actually needed??!

 Probably, but it looks good ?

[Karter34]

This arrived today and I am a little unsure I have mixed feelings .

The car looks amazing, driving position and ergonomics are fantastic, the LWB seats are comfortable, I will get the adjusters for more rake . 
100% need bolster protectors.
Started it up and I thought it lacked a bit of noise. I can see why people opt for a shark worx

Driving off I thought it's very compliant over bumps no different to my 997 Pdk turbo. Quite comfortable and not near as stiff as I thought . Considering this was to be a weekend only ca I was a bit disappointed as it could easily be a daily .
I also thought the bottom end torque is not that great, off the line it's not at all a ballsy torque based engine.So around town it's an easy drive . I was hoping for a bit of a difficult car to drive with a heap of power , as in be careful with the power. Though really no need .

I would say the gears are to tall . when you get up in the rev range 1500 to 4000 equals nowhere . 5000-7000 is good torque from 7000 revs to 9000 the thing screams though lacks torque just screams , the down side is you are going too fast for the street. I found some back roads and gave it some and I found that the gears are a too tall , so 1st gear 100 kms second gear probably doing 160 kms per hour, so it's hard to use the motor wilth full range on the street .

Build quality is excellent and the car looks good.

My history with cars are mainly V8's or TT pDK so this one is not quite what I was expecting. It is a manual and the box is nice clutch is light and steering is good, direct . Car is planted .
Off tigh corners it will step out a bit .

Now I am of the belief warm the car up and then drive it so It been belted from 25kms on the clock . It free's up the engine. Car was too boring under 4000 revs. 

Conclusion is , I need to spend more time in the car to make it work for me. So far I am a little disappointed however I can see why others love it. The cars looks fantastic and I love my options painted interior  in black with full leather and LWB'a look fantasic 

Anyway thanks for reading .

[Oldmxnut]

^ Great review.  Better some frank comments then not.

Interesting note on the gear range. I had thought this gen was a little closer then previous.  I am hoping the manual provides that engagement though at close to road legal speeds.  The PDK in previous cars hasnt as you needed to bang them through the range on a track to get a buzz.

[WGA]

6 hours ago, Karter34 said:

This arrived today and I am a little unsure I have mixed feelings .

The car looks amazing, driving position and ergonomics are fantastic, the LWB seats are comfortable, I will get the adjusters for more rake . 
100% need bolster protectors.
Started it up and I thought it lacked a bit of noise. I can see why people opt for a shark worx

Driving off I thought it's very compliant over bumps no different to my 997 Pdk turbo. Quite comfortable and not near as stiff as I thought . Considering this was to be a weekend only ca I was a bit disappointed as it could easily be a daily .
I also thought the bottom end torque is not that great, off the line it's not at all a ballsy torque based engine.So around town it's an easy drive . I was hoping for a bit of a difficult car to drive with a heap of power , as in be careful with the power. Though really no need .

I would say the gears are to tall . when you get up in the rev range 1500 to 4000 equals nowhere . 5000-7000 is good torque from 7000 revs to 9000 the thing screams though lacks torque just screams , the down side is you are going too fast for the street. I found some back roads and gave it some and I found that the gears are a too tall , so 1st gear 100 kms second gear probably doing 160 kms per hour, so it's hard to use the motor wilth full range on the street .

Build quality is excellent and the car looks good.

My history with cars are mainly V8's or TT pDK so this one is not quite what I was expecting. It is a manual and the box is nice clutch is light and steering is good, direct . Car is planted .
Off tigh corners it will step out a bit .

Now I am of the belief warm the car up and then drive it so It been belted from 25kms on the clock . It free's up the engine. Car was too boring under 4000 revs. 

Conclusion is , I need to spend more time in the car to make it work for me. So far I am a little disappointed however I can see why others love it. The cars looks fantastic and I love my options painted interior  in black with full leather and LWB'a look fantasic 

Anyway thanks for reading .

Hmmm...you must be driving a different car to me. I am an expat living in Europe and I am lucky enough to have both a GT3.2 PDK and a GT3 Touring. 

A few comments.

i don’t quite get your remarks about the ride of the car. Seems like you want the car to ride harder as if somehow this is better. IMHO, it’s quite the opposite. Porsche have done a wonderful job with the ride . It still mystifies me how they can get the level of compliant ride while still being a monster on the track.

With regards to torque, not sure what you were expecting from a NA 4.0l engine.  Porsches have never been torque monsters but for a 4.0 NA engine, it’s very, very good. Indeed, compared to my 991.1 GT3, the 991.2 it a big improvement.

For gearing, I actually think that all the gears are quite short compared to 98% of cars on the road. In most cars, top gear is effectively an overdrive and not the top speed gear. In the GT3, in top gear, at 4000rpm you are only doing 130-140 kph whereas in most other cars, you would be only pulling 2500-3000 rpm for the same speed. Indeed in any gear in the GT3, you are always pulling at least 1,000 more rpm  at any speed. That’s not tall gearing. The gearing in a TTS is positively lazy compared to a GT3...and you could never use the full range of a TTS on the street either.

My strong suggestion is if you only ever drive it on the street you will never, never ever discover what this car is truly about. Take to a track, and if you don’t comeback in awe, then you are in the wrong car.

[symsy]

8 hours ago, Karter34 said:

This arrived today and I am a little unsure I have mixed feelings .

The car looks amazing, driving position and ergonomics are fantastic, the LWB seats are comfortable, I will get the adjusters for more rake . 
100% need bolster protectors.
Started it up and I thought it lacked a bit of noise. I can see why people opt for a shark worx

Driving off I thought it's very compliant over bumps no different to my 997 Pdk turbo. Quite comfortable and not near as stiff as I thought . Considering this was to be a weekend only ca I was a bit disappointed as it could easily be a daily .
I also thought the bottom end torque is not that great, off the line it's not at all a ballsy torque based engine.So around town it's an easy drive . I was hoping for a bit of a difficult car to drive with a heap of power , as in be careful with the power. Though really no need .

I would say the gears are to tall . when you get up in the rev range 1500 to 4000 equals nowhere . 5000-7000 is good torque from 7000 revs to 9000 the thing screams though lacks torque just screams , the down side is you are going too fast for the street. I found some back roads and gave it some and I found that the gears are a too tall , so 1st gear 100 kms second gear probably doing 160 kms per hour, so it's hard to use the motor wilth full range on the street .

Build quality is excellent and the car looks good.

My history with cars are mainly V8's or TT pDK so this one is not quite what I was expecting. It is a manual and the box is nice clutch is light and steering is good, direct . Car is planted .
Off tigh corners it will step out a bit .

Now I am of the belief warm the car up and then drive it so It been belted from 25kms on the clock . It free's up the engine. Car was too boring under 4000 revs. 

Conclusion is , I need to spend more time in the car to make it work for me. So far I am a little disappointed however I can see why others love it. The cars looks fantastic and I love my options painted interior  in black with full leather and LWB'a look fantasic 

Anyway thanks for reading .

Yup , your stuck my man ..Boost got ya .. You need some severe chassis testing action and a track, the car looks fantastic. Im not in the 991 club ,  maybe one day a manual .2 will grab me , but I too felt underwhelmed when I moved to a NA  GT3. The city ain't its friend , after you get used to riding some roads and bends at 6k+ you might feel better. 

Enjoy hold in there, take a drive out the back of Lake George or down to Jindy, Omeo>Mitta Mitta you will be fixed .. my turbo has since sat near idle. I have had to put the GT3 away so it gets a turn and I have smashed out 9000kms .. not all at 9K revs but trying   

Lots of good routes posted on this site. I look forward to seeing that car a little more grubby and good on ya for giving it some beans from day one..of ownership 

[sleazius]

9 hours ago, Karter34 said:

This arrived today and I am a little unsure I have mixed feelings .

The car looks amazing, driving position and ergonomics are fantastic, the LWB seats are comfortable, I will get the adjusters for more rake . 
100% need bolster protectors.
Started it up and I thought it lacked a bit of noise. I can see why people opt for a shark worx

Driving off I thought it's very compliant over bumps no different to my 997 Pdk turbo. Quite comfortable and not near as stiff as I thought . Considering this was to be a weekend only ca I was a bit disappointed as it could easily be a daily .
I also thought the bottom end torque is not that great, off the line it's not at all a ballsy torque based engine.So around town it's an easy drive . I was hoping for a bit of a difficult car to drive with a heap of power , as in be careful with the power. Though really no need .

I would say the gears are to tall . when you get up in the rev range 1500 to 4000 equals nowhere . 5000-7000 is good torque from 7000 revs to 9000 the thing screams though lacks torque just screams , the down side is you are going too fast for the street. I found some back roads and gave it some and I found that the gears are a too tall , so 1st gear 100 kms second gear probably doing 160 kms per hour, so it's hard to use the motor wilth full range on the street .

Build quality is excellent and the car looks good.

My history with cars are mainly V8's or TT pDK so this one is not quite what I was expecting. It is a manual and the box is nice clutch is light and steering is good, direct . Car is planted .
Off tigh corners it will step out a bit .

Now I am of the belief warm the car up and then drive it so It been belted from 25kms on the clock . It free's up the engine. Car was too boring under 4000 revs. 

Conclusion is , I need to spend more time in the car to make it work for me. So far I am a little disappointed however I can see why others love it. The cars looks fantastic and I love my options painted interior  in black with full leather and LWB'a look fantasic 

Anyway thanks for reading .

Agree with @symsy - sounds like you're use to the feeling of boost - which is totally different to a NA car. If getting slammed in the back is your thing you're not going to get that in a GT3. Its a gradual build all the way to the redline.

I took my car out again last night, found some twisty bits and had a ball. I don't agree with the tall gearing comment but it is miles too fast for the road. Show me a 500hp car that isn't? Take it to the track to get the full enjoyment.

If that fails and you can't get into it, the next few months is the time to jump ship. I know my dealer had 2 people he was trying to source a car for but wasn't hopeful of getting them one. I could tell he was trying to suss me out to see if I'd flip it a few days after I took delivery.

[sleazius]

Just an observation. Drove my 997s this morning. The clutch feels  twice the weight of the new GT3.

[Ozvino]

8 hours ago, WGA said:

I am an expat living in Europe and I am lucky enough to have both a GT3.2 PDK and a GT3 Touring. 

That is an awesome first world problem to have

15 hours ago, Karter34 said:

Conclusion is , I need to spend more time in the car to make it work for me. So far I am a little disappointed however I can see why others love it. The cars looks fantastic and I love my options painted interior  in black with full leather and LWB'a look fantasic 

Or you could always sell it and likely make money......

Really refreshing to hear someone make an honest personal observation about a car they bought - I sold my 996.2 GT3 because for my driving style, it just didn't grab me. I know to many Porsche fans thats sacrilegious, but cars are a personal choice, each to his/her own

On 04/02/2018 at 7:03 PM, AB_981 said:

In reagrads to run in, I am driving it as intended (and killing some bugs in the process).

Wow, that is a fantastic looking motor car - its just amazing from a design aspect how Porsche has brought the visual sole of a 50 year old car into probably one of the most advanced and powerful road/track cars ever made - thats what I love the most about Porsche, carrying on with its heritage