My 2019 718 Cayman GTS PDK

[Motorhead]

Thanks Brian.

Yes, from long-standing experience I always think April/May and October/November are the best times to visit the Highlands (few tourists and no midges.!).

Unfortunately this is more of a working visit. My friend is having a wood burning stove installed in his timber cabin (!!) and we've to build a log store, so probably I won't have much time to be out driving. I'm interested to see the condition of the single-track road to Ord from the Broadford to Armadale road; it was breaking-up badly on my last visits in June and December, 2017.

Hoping for some decent weather but it's Skye, so anything can happen.

Jeff

 

[Brian_Innes]

Jeff,

The Sleat peninsula is my favourite spot on Skye. I've stayed in hotels there several times and gone sailing in the Sound of Sleat. Magnificent!

I can't vouch for the condition of the single track road to Ord you mentioned, as I haven't travelled that road recently. Highland Council Roads Department have been upgrading roads in Skye recently due to the ever increasing high volume of tourist traffic. It's possible the Council may have had enough funds left over to patch up the Ord loop road. In times past, the EU funded significant road improvements on Skye and the north Highlands. But let's not go there! []

Brian

 

[ralphmusic]

Brian,

You may be interested in these heat management solutions here for those running long stints in high ambient temperatures, not that it gets hot in Scotland

https://rennlist.com/forums/718-forum/1098253-suncoast-project-car-5.html#post16171681

 

[Brian_Innes]

Ralph,

A very interesting Rennlist forum post from the US. They are light years ahead compared to the UK and Europe regarding mods for the 718 S 4T. The heat management issues on tracked and tuned 718's in ambient temperatures of over 90F is hardly surprising. Removing the engine under-tray to aid engine bay cooling is a no-brainer in such conditions. Interesting also that they are running their 718s without catalysers/GPFs in the Solo modified exhaust train. Be good to hear the results of that.

It is also correctly mentioned in one of the posts that the 718 S and the 718 GTS have different turbos, the author asking for details of the differences. However, I couldn't find any answer to that question. I would be interested to see the physical technical differences between the two units.

The temperature stats photo posted showing high oil temperatures also shows a turbo boost reading of 14.7psi. This would confirm the turbo on the 718S is running at a lesser boost than on my 718 GTS which peaks at 1.1 Bar or 16psi.

You are right that the ambient temps in Scotland rarely reach those quoted in Florida. However, for prospective future 718 4T modifiers it is worth bearing in mind the cramped mid-engine layout in the 718 platform will raise heat management issues for those tracking their cars in hot ambient temperature conditions. On that topic, I'm thinking back to that recent spy shot shown in the GT4 thread of a 718 test mule with air intake ducts replacing the rear quarter windows. Looks like Porsche already know of heat management issues on mid-engine turbo installations and are testing possible remedial measures. Could this test mule be a future 718 Cayman R with a tuned GTS 4T. I for one, certainly hope so.......

Note, 718 turbo haters please don't take issue with this comment. It's only my personal view and accept it is unlikely to come to fruition.

Thanks again Ralph for posting the Rennlist info.

BTW, I loved the Solo modified exhaust tips. I want them! Photo attached.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

Glen Affric in the Autumn

As the weather has settled into wall-to-wall blue sky in the far north, and with the leaves turning to a golden hue, I decided to take a delightful drive on generally empty roads to Glen Affric near Beauly, Inverness. The route followed the A831 to Cannich, before doubling back via the A833 at Milton to rejoin the A862 back to Inverness.

It's a very scenic road being mainly flat on the outward leg, then climbing steeply into the wooded golden hills on the A833. It was on this hilly and twisty section that I came up behind a Mercedes GL 4x4. This big bulky vehicle was not in its comfort zone on such terrain. I chose to hang back some 75 - 100 metres as the Merc 4x4 was constantly braking every few seconds as the road wound its way up the hills and down the dales. With brake lights aglow, the thing was leaning and lurching through the corners exposing what appeared to be 12" of air space between the top of the front wheel arch and the road wheel. Following behind, my 718 GTS needed no braking applications with my self-imposed safety gap that I maintained for the many corners that approached. My car sat squat and planted, slicing through the corners with scalpel-like precision. The Michelins gripping the damp, leaf strewn road surface with a sure-footedness that is probably unknown to the Merc 4x4 driver. This clearly demonstrated the massive gulf in rural road dynamics between the two highly contrasting vehicle types. I couldn't help thinking back to my motorway travels south of the border earlier this year, when similar bulky 4x4's would waft past me at 80-90mph seemingly oblivious to the speed camera infested overhead gantries. On the rural roads in my back yard the bulky, heavy, 4x4's are not nearly so well suited. By the same token, my 718 GTS would be hopeless towing a horse-box across a muddy field. I can't help but wonder just how many 4x4 drivers actually use these comprehensive off-road abilities. Each to our own.

I'll leave you with a few photos from my local tour to Glen Affric.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

A tunnel of gold.

 

[Brian_Innes]

This is near where the BBC Spring Watch programme was filmed.

 

[COD981]

Indeed Brian I would wager that 85% of 4x4's spend 95-100 % of their time on motorways and A roads with an even higher percentage south of the border

 

[Brian_Innes]

My thinking also Sandy. It seems to me that most large 4x4's are school-run chariots and "Chelsea Tractors". Some people also like the high and mighty driving position. As I said, each to their own.

At least I have the satisfaction of using a fairly high percentage of my 718 GTS's dynamic capabilities. As I have with all of my previous Caymans.

Brian

 

[AndrewT]

As the weather has settled into wall-to-wall blue sky in the far north, and with the leaves turning to a golden hue, I decided to take a delightful drive on generally empty roads to Glen Affric near Beauly, Inverness...........

.........It was on this hilly and twisty section that I came up behind a Mercedes GL 4x4. This big bulky vehicle was not in its comfort zone on such terrain. I chose to hang back some 75 - 100 metres as the Merc 4x4 was constantly braking every few seconds as the road wound its way up the hills and down the dales. With brake lights aglow, the thing was leaning and lurching through the corners exposing what appeared to be 12" of air space between the top of the front wheel arch and the road wheel. Following behind, my 718 GTS needed no braking applications with my self-imposed safety gap that I maintained for the many corners that approached. My car sat squat and planted, slicing through the corners with scalpel-like precision. The Michelins gripping the damp, leaf strewn road surface with a sure-footedness that is probably unknown to the Merc 4x4 driver.........

Crikey Brian, you were waxing very lyrically there, I thought I was reading a sample from your latest adventure novel! The name’s Innes, Brian Innes, shaken but not stirred

I enjoyed the read, and the photographs.

Andrew

 

[Brian_Innes]

Glad you enjoyed the novel Andrew.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

Digressing from the lyrical language of my recent autumn colours sortie and returning back to topical subjects, I found myself reflecting upon doing a similar trip of around 100 - 150miles with an electric Porsche. I've read a lot recently in car mags, including Porsche's own Christophorus, about trumpeting the capabilities of the new Taycan. Stunningly capable though it apparently is, the Taycan is much too big and bulky a car for my purposes. A Panamera sized car such as this is not at all comfortable on the narrow Highland roads predominant in my locality. Apart from that there are other practical concerns which crossed my mind.

On my recent trip to Glen Affric I used approximately a quarter of a tank of V–Power. I started three quarters full and finished with the tank half full. The route involved long steep inclines and many bends of various degrees of severity. I just wonder how an all-electric Cayman would have fared on the same trip if I had started with a 75% battery charge. The average ambient temperature on my 100 mile route yesterday was 10c. Not particularly battery friendly. The long steep sections suited the torquey flat-4 turbo in my GTS with most of the route being done in 4th gear manual Sport. My average mpg was 26.9mpg. I had no concerns of running low on petrol in a remote area such as Glen Affric, so commencing the journey with three quarters of a tank was absolutely fine by me.

In the current edition of Christophorus there is an interesting article concerning Porsche's factory test driver Lars Kern hammering the Taycan around the Nordschleife. What interested me was the strategically important instructions given to the driver by the team leader before he commenced his single standing start lap of the 'Ring. The driver was instructed to lift up on the accelerator one or two seconds before the normal race braking point, "for energy management reasons". Presumably this was to ensure the Taycan had enough juice left in the fully charged battery to make it back to the pits after an all out thrash of only 20 Km around the Nordschleife. I know from my own track experience that my GTS will only do 10mpg at track speeds. Fellow track drivers will know it is commonplace at track days to top up with fuel at the lunch break before that afternoon session commences. This usually takes no more than 30 minutes. I wonder how the recharging time will compare with that in the future when electric Porsches start attending track day events. How long will a full charge last at track day speeds? How many charging points will circuits have to install to meet the demands of the power hungry electric Porsches?

Finally, another issue not widely aired is the rapidly building heat that will be generated both in the batteries and electric motors during spirited driving with electric cars. I already know that the fans start whirring on my GTS when I'm pushing on while climbing long, steep hills and swooping along winding roads. Currently electric cars are predominantly city cars with only a few Teslas, Jag iPace, and the like used for intercity journeys. Such driving is generally gentle stuff, light on the accelerator and brakes. What will happen when Motorsport minded Porsche drivers start driving the e-cars are they are designed to be driven I wonder?

Many questions still need to be answered before the IC engine is completely replaced by electric power. GT and XR take note.

These are just my personal thoughts on the topic as an enthusiast driver who still enjoys driving despite the ever increasing constraints forced upon us by the authorities.

Next week I am touring the Loch Tummel, Loch Rannoch, and Rannoch Station region of Perthshire in my GTS. A report will follow.

Brian

 

[Motorhead]

You raise some very interesting points Brian but it's important to take into account the many advantages of electric traction in a BEV, some of which are:

[ul][*]An electric motor is significantly more efficient than an IC engine, typically 90% compared with 30%, and I suspect that the "total system" efficiency is also much higher;[*]High torque is available from very low speed;[*]Regenerative braking can be used to recharge the batteries;[*]No complex energy-sapping mechanical transmission system is required;[*]Low centre of gravity.[/ul]I'm sure that there are others, but these features are very useful for a performance vehicle and help mitigate the disadvantages of increased weight and complex packaging of the batteries which will be problematic for an electric sports car like the Cayman.

Note that the Taycan uses a very sophisticated thermal management system for the batteries to address any cooling issues arising during the spirited driving you mentioned ( https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/products/taycan/battery-18557.html ).

I would imagine that having done a significant work on the Taycan Porsche will continue to use an 800-volt system in their future BEVs, and once the charging infrastructure is in place, rapid recharging shouldn't be an issue. However, whether or not the multiple fast-charging stations that would be required at race tracks will be available is a moot point.

BEVs have come a long way since the introduction of the Tesla Roadster in 2008, which was based upon the Lotus Elise chassis, so it will be interesting to see how Porsche tackle the thorny issues associated with a high performance battery powered sports car.

Jeff

 

[Technetium]

To answer your question Brian, the Taycan's 93 kwh battery can be recharged from 5-80% in 23 minutes. Its reported range on full charge is 256 miles, so it's hard to believe that it couldn't manage 20 km on the track, however aggressively driven. By the time the EV 718 Cayman appears, a full recharge will probably be down to around 15 mins. Of course, this all assumes a minimum 270 kw charging source so, as you say, the availability of these stations will be the issue.

Phil

 

[Brian_Innes]

Thank you for the constructive comments on my EV mutterings. Having seen and experienced remarkable strides in automotive technology in my lifetime, I have no problem with accepting the concept of battery-electric vehicles, other than the capabilities of the authorities and garage service suppliers to provide sufficient numbers of re-charging points. While it's true that the Taycan can be re–charged to 80% capacity in 23 minutes, this is conditional on there being sufficient numbers of 800 volt charging stations available across the UK. A recent research study by Scottish Power stated that the UK needs to instal 2,300 electric vehicle charging stations every day until 2050 to successfully meet the climate change targets. Ownership of electric vehicles is predicted to increase from around 180,000 today to 35 million. How the Nation Grid is going to cope with this increase in demand in electricity is at present unknown.

My game plan is to eventually trade-in my daily driver Abarth for an EV. The overriding stipulation is that I need a vehicle with at least a 250 mile useable range in all weathers, including the -10C to -15C temps currently experienced in the Highlands during the winter months. My daily driver EV in addition to doing local trips, will be required to do round trips to Aberdeen and Perth on rural roads without an essential re-charge. Currently, when I visit friends in the south I don't have to mooch a Tenner for petrol to get me home. Similarly with an EV, I don't intend impacting upon my friends electricity bill to request a plug-in charge for my car at their expense as part of my visit.

As I said, many unanswered questions on the practicalities of owning and running an EV if you happen to live in a remote part of the UK. My willingness to adapt is all ready and waiting, all that is needed is the technical innovation and geographical infrastructure to make it a reality rather than merely a desire.

Brian

 

[carolinewoodley]

HI Brian, interesting thoughts on EVs. Like you I'm not against them in principle, I actually would quite like one one day given the performance and torque that an electric motor can give, and the ones I've test-driven (BMW i3 and Tesla Models S and 3, plus the plug-in hybrid BMW i8) are extremely fast and capable, albeit apart from the i8 are not really sports cars as such - I was surprised to find for instance that the Tesla Model 3 in a straight line feels probably about as fast as my 981S, but I would certainly not want to drive the twisty roads fast in one!!!

But like you my issue with them is charging. I live in inner London with no access to off street charging at home so it's not just people like yourself in remote areas who have a problem with current EVs, it's actually also city dwellers (at whom these cars are actually most likely to be targeted) many of whom don't have off street parking or charging facilities. I've always said that when an EV can charge to give a fairly decent range (at least 250 miles but ideally 300+) in the same time it takes to fill an ICE car with a tank of petrol that's when they will really take off - I don't think we are there yet but I am sure this is not far off now.

However as you say the issue then becomes infrastructure - not just the number of physical charging points required but the capacity of the grid to cope with all these 800 volt chargers operating at once. The grid is already under strain and with an increasing (and necessary to reduce emissions) reliance on renewables, which are by definition difficult to store and manage for an even delivery, I think this is the most serious challenge that would have to be overcome before these cars can become commonplace. Whilst, as I said above, I think battery and fast charging technology will be there to make EVs viable in terms of range and charging time within 5-10 years, I'm not sure the infrastructure will be unless governments (of whatever political stripe) over the next few years take the bull by the horns and, frankly, spend an awful lot of money on it (or force charging companies to do so).

 

[Brian_Innes]

Caroline,

Thank you for your interesting and very valid comments on the battery EV topic. I completely agree with your statement regarding the charging practicalities EV owners living in inner cities will face. This is a practical problem that needs to be solved pretty ungently, before EV ownership becomes the predominant means of private car ownership. Norway is years ahead of us here in the UK regarding EV infrastructure. Little wonder that they are leading the league table of advance orders for the new Taycan. Our politicians spout glib sound-bites and sweeping generalisations when it comes to environmental issues. Expect more of the same during the current election campaign. Until the electricity generation and distribution infrastructure is updated in sufficient scale to meet demand, EV ownership in the UK will be a very gradual process limited only to those areas with the necessary resources.

Interesting that you mentioned the BMW i3. My preferred replacement of my Abarth daily driver is the currently i3S, in which I am planning to arrange a test drive sometime in the new year. No doubt a report will follow in due course.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

Pitlochry, Loch Rannoch tour.

As previously mentioned in an earlier post, I have now returned from a short break in beautiful Perthshire. My stay was based in the tourist-trap village of Pitlochry which, despite the late season booking, was absolutely thronging with visitors.

My original plan to tour the shores of Loch Tummel and Loch Rannoch, ending at the remote Rannoch Station had to be abandoned due to very inclement weather. Thick mist blanketed the hills and persistent rain drenched the autumn-coloured forests on the day of my planned tour. To add to my misery was the fact that a temporary road closure due to road works on the B8019 Loch Tummel road coincided with my visit.

However, on the afternoon of my arrival at Pitlochry the weather was sufficiently decent to allow a visit to the Clunie Dam monument at Loch Faskally. This monument built in 1949 commemorates the completion of the hydro-electric power station and dam which is a notable visitor attraction at Pitlochry. The monument is to the exact scale of the tunnel used to transfer water from the reservoir loch to the turbines in the power station. Hydro-electric power is a significant feature of energy generation in the Highlands, with its abundance of lochs and the prodigious mountain rainfall to ensure a constant supply of water. This natural sustainable source of electricity generation has been on-going in the north of Scotland for many decades. There are currently around 50 hydro-electric generating stations throughout the Highlands all supplying power to the national grid. For those unacquainted with hydro-electric generation, the following is a simplification of the basic process involved.

1. Rain falls over the mountains to form lochs in the Highland valleys.

2. A dam is built to control the water level in the loch.

3. A tunnel is constructed to take the water from the loch to the power station.

4. At the power station the water from the tunnel drives a turbine connected by a shaft to a generator producing electricity. The electricity is then fed by cable to the national grid.

5. A second tunnel is used to take the waste water from the turbine to a river. The water levels of which are controlled by a sluice gate.

That in simple terms is how hydro-electricity is generated.

I have attached a couple of photos below for your interest.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

The Pitlochry hydo-electric dam sluicing waste water into the river Tummel. The fish ladder to allow salmon to progress up and down the river is on the left of the photo.

 

[vitesse]

Brian ,

Whilst I have no personal experience of using an EV regularly,my son,Nick bought a Renault Zoe for his wife to use as a local run around-after being rear ended in the rear of his BMW 3 series when their way to our daughters's wedding some years ago which put her off longer distance & motorway driving.

This was an early model with a practical range of approx 70 miles-less if you pressed on so if he drove it to our house here in Formby using a mix of M6 & M58, it always had to be charged up at our house ,off a 13amp socket for about 3 hrs to ensure sanctity of return journey- always a worrying aspect.At home they had a 15 KW charger supplied & fitted as part of the deal,then & the battery was on a separate lease deal .

Nick then decided to also get a Nissan leaf for his daily commute to Bamber Bridge which was very economically satisfactory as his employers carried on paying him the car expenses at his previous BMW series 3 rate.Performance excellent even on motorways but at great expense to range- keeping up with the flow meant stopping for charging around 45/50 miles.

What he found a bind were longer trips ,say up to our daughter's home near Morpeth where he had to stop & charge possibly 3 times turning a 2 hr drive into a 4hour journey,providing there were charging points available.Phone app provides this info.

Current model as all EV's has longer range if you choose that model from the range.

So ,he's chosen to go back to a diesel Merc which does 42/44 mpg on long runs.

My erstwhile best man & friend from our primary school,grammar school ,university days over 50 yrs ago has a life long Train pass ,from previous employment so generally uses that but for some journeys now uses a BMW i3 with the BMW motorcycle engine for range extension( I presume the "S" model) -he seems well pleased with it.

By comparison ,my darling daughter swapped out of a BMW X3 diesel to a BMW 330e,this had the electric motor integral with the auto gearbox,& had loads of fun driving it-very fast,very competent but not very economical when pressing on.As an NHS Consultant working farther south in Sunderland with some on-call duties,it was good for the commute as long as she charged at the hospital during the day & it was a very good NHS Trust lease deal at the time( BMW obviously keen to get EV's out on the road.

Now back into a BMW Diesel 120 Sport as no good follow up deal.However ,her husband ,also an NHS Consultant at a different trust is hoping to swap from a privately owned Skoda Octavia VR into his NHS Trust leased Jaguar iPace which is being offered at silly money in the near future.

With it's enhanced range ,it will possibly be used by my daughter for her 3 days at Sunderland ,then by him for the balance of his shorter trips into Newcastle( apparently upto 3 drivers can use it).

For general family duties,they are exchanging both BMW & Skoda for a BMW 330D Touring ,registered mileage to be used as necessary.

I can assure you that these decisions have been preceded by much financial & motoring pleasure analysis