C4S in the wet!

[JAMESSIBLEY]

Over the last few days the weather around London and Hertfordshire has been 'damp' to say the least. It is the first time that I've experienced the C4S in the wet and WOW! I've had a string of M3's in the past and they used to 'spin up' in a range of gears, as soon as the right foot got heavy. But the Porsche is a whole different experience, the traction is unbelievable and you can really feel when things are going to slip, before the PSM intervenes.

I'm interested to find out about what happens at the limits of grip in the wet and without any track use forecast (and a limited cheque book for mistakes!) could someone give me a clue? Is it as precise as the rest of the handling characteristics? i.e do you get plenty of warning or is it a sudden break away requiring buckets of opposite lock?

I realise the above questions are a bit 'wooly' but any info would be great.

Rgds
James

ps PSM is staying on for the moment.

 

[Guest]

You'll probably find it will understeer most of the time - mine does. You can get it to oversteer if you lift off hard in a corner though.

 

[garyw]

I did a track day last weekend in the extreme wet, my Turbo understeered in a massively embarrassing way[:'(], it was a tight twisty track (abbeville in france) and was possibly the slowest cornering thing on the coarse.. the track did dry out later in the day and it was then a different story...
I was aware the circuit wasn't exactly suited to my car, but I was having a weekend away []
On the roads in the latter part of the weekend still in the poaring rain it was just as good as ever..solid and gripping well.
I'm assuming the track surface wasn't suited.. but we made up for the track day experiences in the bar that night []

garyw

 

[Guest]

The technique (which is easier said than done but easier in the wet than the dry) is to lift off as you go into the corner to get the back end out a little which helps to turn in .. then power back on ... wouldn't do it on a road but it works ok on a track ..

 

[garyw]

sound like another track day required then, with plenty of grass and no Armco...... not a PCGB or they'll be winging that I've closed track time when I spin-- I wouldn't expect to get it right the first few times[]

cheers for the advice

garyw

 

[Dapster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti9V-KW8wi4

Here's the Fifth Gear (or maybe it was still Top Gear....) article from when the 996 TT was launched and Tiff confirms that it's all understeer at the limit. That said, he does twitch the back about during the test, and the showboating slide at the end is pure genius. You've got to be impressed with that.....

 

[968er]

Fantastic!

 

[mikfinch]

I had an off at Bedford Autodrome on a track day last year with my C4 and it went something like this. PSM was switched off. I went into a bend a bit hot, the car understeered towards the outside of the bend, I backed off a touch to tighten the line but the car suddenly pirouetted into oversteer. I got back on the throttle hoping that the power would transfer to the front wheels and pull the car through but she just ploughed straight off on the inside of the bend into a gravel trap right in front of the pits much to everyone's vast amusement.
Now how much of this was down to my cack handed driving, how much was down to the crappy Conti tyres and how much was down to the characteristics of the car, I dont know