Are Spyders Becoming Extinct At OPCs!
- Thread starter daro911
- Start date
Enjoy it regardless. Mixed weather is a blessing - you get to see how the car handles in all conditions (I'd be particularly interested to see what the steering feel is like when roads are damp), see what the roof is like down and up, and at the end of the day someone else has to clean the car!
Spydermen mission accomplished job done Spyder tested just waiting for tea to be served
Lowering roof revealed one surprise and it was the strange flexing of the rear lid when closing it there is a weird almost wobble like moment at a certain point on its way back down which was very un Porsche like from a precision feel point
Fortunately half way through my session the rain started so pulled into nearest lay by and am thrilled to report without any drama and in under a minute we were back onboard with the roof up
So let's go through the internet chatter about the car so far:-
Clutch beautiful perfect weight and zero effort and I purposely wore my lightweight Puma's which would make the effor required feel it's very worst so lightness very pleasant surprise after all we have read about the GT4 being quite a left boot full
Gear shift is like a switch click click click that fast that simple that switch going back to three pedals and a stick is going to be funtastic
Gear Ratios another pleasant surprise coming from closely stacked 7 speed PDK all I have read on the internet had me braced for a major disappointment but any car where I could be happily in 4th gear at circa 25 mph and all I had to do was squeeze a throttle and enough torque to have me speeding in seconds was mighty impressive indeed. No matter what gear you were in or what revs you were using I never once had to shift down to get where I wanted in the time frame needed.
Soundtrack - with the PSE"off" actually exists and from 4k revs sounded far louder than my 987 with PSE on! Flick the switch and from tick over to red line this is how a sports car should sound AWESOME
Sports Plus on and the Rev matched downshifts are accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack but in Sports mode only and me doing the Rev matching was just so much fun and so easy to do change after change I even surprised myself
Brakes:- one word SUPERB who needs ceramics for £5k
I took the car into the real world for half the time slot and can confirm the way it soaks up the bumps and pot holes is very similar to the 987 but the actual ride quality has lost the
jiggle you can get in the 987 and therefore is a lot smoother and more grown up the benefit of the newer chassis and lessons learnt on the Gen 1 Spyder
Steering:- Once again another internet myth put to rest for me at least as the steering has all the feel and feedback I could ever want and the biggest difference IMO is the ever so slightly thinner steering wheel rim not feeling quite as good as my current thicker sports wheel but again no deal breaker at all
So to conclude my afternoon has been an eye opener and confirmed that the only way to judge a cars true potential is drive it yourself ignore journalists ignore marketing hype and definitely ignore the nay Sayers especially the ones who have yet to actually drive the car
Lowering roof revealed one surprise and it was the strange flexing of the rear lid when closing it there is a weird almost wobble like moment at a certain point on its way back down which was very un Porsche like from a precision feel point
Fortunately half way through my session the rain started so pulled into nearest lay by and am thrilled to report without any drama and in under a minute we were back onboard with the roof up
So let's go through the internet chatter about the car so far:-
Clutch beautiful perfect weight and zero effort and I purposely wore my lightweight Puma's which would make the effor required feel it's very worst so lightness very pleasant surprise after all we have read about the GT4 being quite a left boot full
Gear shift is like a switch click click click that fast that simple that switch going back to three pedals and a stick is going to be funtastic
Gear Ratios another pleasant surprise coming from closely stacked 7 speed PDK all I have read on the internet had me braced for a major disappointment but any car where I could be happily in 4th gear at circa 25 mph and all I had to do was squeeze a throttle and enough torque to have me speeding in seconds was mighty impressive indeed. No matter what gear you were in or what revs you were using I never once had to shift down to get where I wanted in the time frame needed.
Soundtrack - with the PSE"off" actually exists and from 4k revs sounded far louder than my 987 with PSE on! Flick the switch and from tick over to red line this is how a sports car should sound AWESOME
Sports Plus on and the Rev matched downshifts are accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack but in Sports mode only and me doing the Rev matching was just so much fun and so easy to do change after change I even surprised myself
Brakes:- one word SUPERB who needs ceramics for £5k
I took the car into the real world for half the time slot and can confirm the way it soaks up the bumps and pot holes is very similar to the 987 but the actual ride quality has lost the
jiggle you can get in the 987 and therefore is a lot smoother and more grown up the benefit of the newer chassis and lessons learnt on the Gen 1 Spyder
Steering:- Once again another internet myth put to rest for me at least as the steering has all the feel and feedback I could ever want and the biggest difference IMO is the ever so slightly thinner steering wheel rim not feeling quite as good as my current thicker sports wheel but again no deal breaker at all
So to conclude my afternoon has been an eye opener and confirmed that the only way to judge a cars true potential is drive it yourself ignore journalists ignore marketing hype and definitely ignore the nay Sayers especially the ones who have yet to actually drive the car
Sounds like you're a happy bunny! Enjoy tea!
More importantly...
How was lunch? []
Seriously, glad you enjoyed it, sounds exactly like what many of us thought it would!
How was lunch? [
]Seriously, glad you enjoyed it, sounds exactly like what many of us thought it would!
Well done Rob. Glad you enjoyed your trip back to the manual!
Which seat did the car have in it?
Was it comfortable? I don't mean did you have an afternoon nap[].
Was it easily adjustable to suit your driving position?
As well as the forward/back what other tilts etc did it have?
Sounds like you will be on the PC Configurator tonight![]
Which seat did the car have in it?
Was it comfortable? I don't mean did you have an afternoon nap[
]. Was it easily adjustable to suit your driving position?
As well as the forward/back what other tilts etc did it have?
Sounds like you will be on the PC Configurator tonight![
]daro911 said:Spydermen mission accomplished job done Spyder tested just waiting for tea to be served
Lowering roof revealed one surprise and it was the strange flexing of the rear lid when closing it there is a weird almost wobble like moment at a certain point on its way back down which was very un Porsche like from a precision feel point
Fortunately half way through my session the rain started so pulled into nearest lay by and am thrilled to report without any drama and in under a minute we were back onboard with the roof up
So let's go through the internet chatter about the car so far:-
Clutch beautiful perfect weight and zero effort and I purposely wore my lightweight Puma's which would make the effor required feel it's very worst so lightness very pleasant surprise after all we have read about the GT4 being quite a boot full
Gear shift is like a switch click click click that fast that simple that switch going back to three pedals and a stick is going to be funtastic
Gear Ratios another pleasant surprise coming from closely stacked 7 speed PDK all I have read on the internet had me braced for a major disappointment but any car where I could be happily in 4th gear at circa 25mph and all I had to do was squeeze a throttle and enough torque to have me speeding in seconds was mighty impressive indeed. No matter what gear you were in or what revs you were using I never once had to shift down to get where I wanted in the time frame needed.
Soundtrack - with the PSE"off" actually exists and from 4k revs sounded far louder than my 987 with PSE on! Flick the switch and from tick over to red line this is how a sports car should sound AWESOME
Sports Plus on and the Rev matched downshifts are accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack but in Sports mode only and me doing the Rev matching was just so much fun and so easy to do change after change I even surprised myself
Brakes:- one word SUPERB who needs ceramics for £5k
I took the car into the real world for half the time slot and can confirm the way it soaks up the bumps and pot holes is very similar to the 987 but the actual. ride quality has lost the
slight jiggle you can get in the 987 and therefore is a lot smoother and more grown up the benefit of the newer chassis and lessons leant on the Gen 1 Spyder
Steering:- Once again another internet myth put to rest for me at least as the steering has all the feel and feedback I could ever want and the biggest difference IMO is the ever so slightly thinner steering wheel rim not feeling quite as good as my current thicker sports wheel but again no deal breaker at all
So to conclude my afternoon has been an eye opener and confirmed that the only way to judge a cars true potential is drive it yourself ignore journalists ignore marketing hype and definitely ignore the nay Sayers especially the ones who have yet to actually drive the car
Interesting, I drove the very same car this morning. I agree with most things that Daro states, but not all......
1. roof/rear lid - the roof up is definitely an improvement on the existing one in terms of keeping out the wind and cold. It is however poorly finished inside for a £65k car. The rear lid feels very flimsy and it will be interesting to see if it lasts the test of time. Personally I think it's just a fiddly as the 987 version and the fact you can't lift the lid without releasing the roof is weird
2. clutch/gearbox - agree whole heartedly, it makes the task of changing gear effortless and a real pleasure
3. Gear rations - far too long, you will be going silly speeds to rev out to the limits so be prepared to be sat in the same gears for long periods of time
4. Exhaust sound - I was worried it would be as 'booming' as some of the 981/991 cars I've driven recently but both hood up and down the sound was loud but not so it completely filled your head (I still do prefer the 987 PSE however)
5. Throttle response in all modes was impressive depending on the type of driving you want to do at the time but I dislike the auto blips, whilst impressive it again feels like there's a bit of what the driver was challenged to do has been taken away
6. Brakes very impressive and fine for everyday use but the 987 PCCBs give a much sharper response, felt this immediately driving away from PEC
7. Steering - felt very good in all situations and conditions I faced....but not until I drove away in the 987 did I realise it was good but not as tactile as the 987. I do much prefer the steering wheel too in the 981 to my non sports one in the 987, think it's mainly the smaller diameter
Overall I agree this is a great car and the best Boxster. It felt lighter and more agile than the GTS I drove at the PEC four weeks ago, with much better brakes but to be honest I really didn't feel the benefits of the extra hp, only on proper race track will that start to show itself.
For me the 981 is a more grown up, sophisticated car than the 987 but for me its not going to give me the same enjoyment and smiles that the 987 does for weekend spirited drives and trackdays. If I didn't have the benefits of being a 987 owner I would think the 981 is a wonderful car and impossible to beat in the Boxster family but I have to say for what I'm wanting from my weekend car the 987 wins the day.
Good to hear your views boys.
Would you agree they are both fantastic cars, but at the same time quite different ?
The BIG question is given the choice which Spyder is the best for you ?
Also will you be keeping the 987 (if possible) or let it go for the 981 ?
Love to hear your thoughts
Cheers []
Would you agree they are both fantastic cars, but at the same time quite different ?
The BIG question is given the choice which Spyder is the best for you ?
Also will you be keeping the 987 (if possible) or let it go for the 981 ?
Love to hear your thoughts
Cheers [
]
Boxster7 said:Good to hear your views boys.
Would you agree they are both fantastic cars, but at the same time quite different ?
The BIG question is given the choice which Spyder is the best for you ?
Also will you be keeping the 987 (if possible) or let it go for the 981 ?
Love to hear your thoughts
Cheers [
When I got home I took the 987 for a spin and the immediate difference was ride quality. Chalk & Cheese the 981 definitely handles our rutted pot holed roads in a much smoother more user friendly fashion and the two Spyders overall are offering two quite different experiences and each is a winner for different reasons IMO However my friend who shared the experience today drove my 987 tonight and loved it but wouldn't want to own one over his October build 981 example
In reply to Darrell
Gear ratios are too long if you want to max out the revs on the road but for my driving style and licence protection this won't be much of an issue if any at all as the engine has enough torque to pull you in any gear with great pace
The roof interior may not meet your idea of what a £60k cars roof should be like but this roof is light, fast to raise or lower and the aesthetics are no worse than my brothers 997 Speedster that cost £145k and has a manual release and two plastic covers to manually take out and fit to fill the gaps where the cheaper 981 system has these pieces attached on sprung hinges
PSE is personal choice and IMO and many reviewers its up there with the best on offer today
homerdog said:
homerdog the Classic Interior is very nice and iphone like many of pics on the www doesn;t catch the correct shade of red
for the correct color see the official catalogue pics they are spot on
Rev Matching in sport + was great fun as when it blips the PSE pops too
jdpef356 said:Well done Rob. Glad you enjoyed your trip back to the manual!
Which seat did the car have in it?
Was it comfortable? I don't mean did you have an afternoon nap[
Was it easily adjustable to suit your driving position?
As well as the forward/back what other tilts etc did it have?
Sounds like you will be on the PC Configurator tonight
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