AX photos

[Greg Phillips]

Heard good reports about the track at the Ax today- here are my shots on PIcasa:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1057760116 ... directlink

Greg

[jenniferreinhardt]

Thank you for coming down just to take photos Greg and for the great job on the Witness!

Also, thanks to the AX team and everyone for a really fun track. It flowed well and even when I lost grip or made a mistake, I could power slide through the exit of the turn. So fun

[Calafer]

Thanks for all the pics!! And thanks to one of your great photos I now have an Avatar image worthy of using on this website

[Mike]

Congrats to MK in the old smurf for nipping TT's 991 GT3 by 1/100? of a second?
I think TT did 121.4 in practice...
Watching the new 991 GT3s launch and blast the dragstrip start was a hoot.
Porsches sure have changed in the last decade.

[ttweed]

It was definitely a fun and challenging course on Saturday, with many opportunities to be sucked into going too fast to make the next turn cleanly. I have to own being the "first loser," as I made too many mistakes in timed runs to win TTOD. Cones seem to be attracted to the GT3 magnetically in a way that never happened with my smaller, underpowered, short-wheelbase cars.

On the plus side, I have never gone so fast in a parking lot before, and this is the most exciting Porsche I have ever driven. If I can just smooth things out and tame this dragon, it has a lot of potential. There will always be another chance. Congrats to MK for a fast, clean drive. I'm just glad that Erik wasn't there, or we would have been fighting for second and third place, I'm afraid.

TT

[Mike]

TT was a treat to see all the 991 Gt3s driven so well.
Or was that all just the nannies?
Interesting you and MK were so close on the BRI must be his slicks?

[ttweed]

Since we were running in the same class with the same index, it's no surprise that Mark and I were the same distance apart on the BRI as on raw time. Without slicks, the Smurf car would have been in CC13 and would have had a lower index, but would have been some unknown increment of time slower, presumably. We'll never know how that might have turned out.

The nannies on the GT3 are the most generous in their parameters of any of the PSM systems, I think. In Sport mode, they allow quite a bit of yaw angle and more wheel spin than most other models, certainly more than my Cayman S did. I have only felt them intervening a few times so far, but my driving style is normally not that wild--I tend to concentrate on being smooth and not sliding the car much. The nannies certainly can't save you from pushing hard when you enter a corner too hot, which seems to be my biggest shortcoming so far, or hitting a cone from shaving an apex too close.

TT

[Jad]

I have found with the new cars, the nannies are very different. It use to be, when you started sliding, the nannies said "NOOO" and cut the power, adjusted brakes and brought you back in line once you were in trouble. Now, the nannies are part of the driving. Turn the wheel and the car knows the outside shock needs to firm up to improve turn in, the motor mounts firm the chassis, floor the gas and the PDK holds a higher gear until in knows you will have enough grip to pull out of the corner. Basically, the new nannies anticipate and silently correct smoothly before things get out of control in most cases, whereas the old nannies cut in to fix mistakes.

[ttweed]

That's very true, Jad. The traction control and stability management systems are the "save your a$$" nannies that keep you from losing control and spinning out, but there are so many other dynamic electronic systems now that are not really "nannies" but full time driving aides, contributing to performance enhancement in the background: ABS, PASM, PTV+, PDK-S, E-diff, dynamic engine mounts, rear-wheel steering, etc. It is really quite an amazing alphabet soup of technology these days. The downside is that it is very complex and expensive to maintain such a machine compared to the "good ol' days." I can't even imagine what the 918 must be like with the hybrid drive integrated into the mix!

TT

[jbrennen]

The new cars' E-assists are proactive rather than reactive. That's the key.

They don't just catch you when you leave the "zone of predictability" -- they actually move the zone before you can leave it.

[cag4]

I use (m)E-assist... it's slower, but I know who's driving

Charles

[Greg Phillips]

That's very true, Jad. The traction control and stability management systems are the "save your a$$" nannies that keep you from losing control and spinning out, but there are so many other dynamic electronic systems now that are not really "nannies" but full time driving aides, contributing to performance enhancement in the background: ABS, PASM, PTV+, PDK-S, E-diff, dynamic engine mounts, rear-wheel steering, etc. It is really quite an amazing alphabet soup of technology these days. The downside is that it is very complex and expensive to maintain such a machine compared to the "good ol' days." I can't even imagine what the 918 must be like with the hybrid drive integrated into the mix!

TT

Here is a good review of the Porsche acronyms and the tech behind them for performance driving:
https://clubregistration.net/club_admin ... s50210.pdf

Greg

[Jad]

I use (m)E-assist... it's slower, but I know who's driving

Charles

As an instructor, I can tell you I always know who is driving, unfortunately, it is usually the car and the 'driver' is totally unaware of that fact

[Robert Joe]

Can your turn these nannies COMPLETELY OFF on these newer cars?
I remember I could do it with my 2001 Boxster-S.
It seems it would take the fun and challenge out of driving at the limit if it is saving you without you knowing.

[Jad]

Can your turn these nannies COMPLETELY OFF on these newer cars?
I remember I could do it with my 2001 Boxster-S.
It seems it would take the fun and challenge out of driving at the limit if it is saving you without you knowing.

NO, plus the car NEEDS them to perform properly. IF you turn them off, the crisp turn-in and sharpness goes away. It is now part of the driving experience. Some can go away, but not all and the limits of when some kick in can be adjusted, but you are never truly free