Thoughts on Porsche Experience

[Smallblock454]

Thanks for your report.

Think this is a very intersting topic. Specially for a "sports car" manufacturer like Porsche. I think the problem is that if you can afford a Porsche that doesn't mean you can drive a sports car at its limits.

So the electronic gizmos prevent to kill some of the owners themself. That's OK i think.

Personally i think that most people are completely unable to cope with cars going to the limits that have no assistance systems and more than 250 HP. Maybe not on big long straights in the US, but definitely on small, slippery black forest roads over here in Germany.

I don't use my car for racing on tracks, or competition. Only on street legal normal roads and sometimes on track days and yearly driver trainings.

Personally i don't like cars that understeer and have too much electronic assistance. My 04 Box has also understeer. But that is OK, because it is a mid engine car. So the car tells me something, before something will happen. And i think that's the important part.

My 03 Box (US 04) has PSM you can switch off. But you can not totally switch it off. It falls back if you're in really limited situations. And i have to say i like that, because for me it's useful not to lose the car completely and getting a little help before it's to late.

Have test driven the 987S and 981S on legal roads. Both nice cars. The 981 is very fast. But still a fan of my 986S. It's a lot rougher and direct and i like that. It's not only the power, it's the driving experiencea and bringing the thing to my personal limits. And i personally drive for fun and not for competition. So the 986S fits for me.

Totally agree with you concerning driving style. If you push the electronic systems to and over the limit to be fast, that has nothing to do with driving skills. People who do that shouldn't call themself driving instructors. Just my 2 cents.

Regards
Markus

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by Smallblock454

And i have to say i like that, because for me it's useful not to lose the car completely and getting a little help before it's to late.

+1 My thoughts exactly. I like to use my PSM to help me find the limit w/o going over the edge. Turn 9 at my local track is particularly tricky. When I first started doing DEs, I would kick the PSM in on that corner 1 or 2 times per session. Now I can go an entire w/e w/o it kicking in. But it helped me learn.

From Famous Racing Quotes: "You have really good car control, Too bad you have to use it all the time"...Terry Earwood, chief driving instructor for Skip Barber.