My first Porsche.........

[sidicks]

Well just before Christmas I ordered my first Porsche (upgrading from a BMW M3) - a 911 (997) Carrera 4S - for March delivery.

OK, after much deliberation, my chosen spec is as follows:
Metallic paint - Atlas Grey (apologies to all those who think this a dull, conventional choice!!)
Interior - Black leather (as above)
Auto dimming mirrors & rain sensors (have been used to this on my M3)
Park assist (yes, yes, I know, but the wife will be driving at some point.....)
Sports shifter (felt a much more positive sporty shift than the standard version)
Tyre pressure monitor (I'm too lazy to check pressures manually on a frequent basis)
Homelink (garage door opener)
Cruise Control (help to me speed in check on long runs)
Adapative Sports seats (felt superb to me, and with me at 6'2" and my wife at 5'1", the memory function will be useful, not that she will be allowed to drive very often, obviously!))
Heated Seats (essential in my opinion)
Thicker rim sports wheel (I felt the standard rim was too thin, particularly after the very thick rim on my M3)
Sports exhaust (sounds great!)
DVD navigation (an essential for resale, apparently. Not sure how useful it will be for me).
CD autochanger (for when I've had enough of listening to the engine!)

Debating whether to go for the Thatcham approved (Cat 5) Porsche tracker, or an alternative system - your input is much appreciated!!

cheers

Sidicks

 

[nsm3]

I picked up my C2S today (1 owner +12k miles) after trading my M3 in and have a very similar spec;

Metallic paint - Atlas Grey - Basalt Black
Interior - Black leather - Same
Auto dimming mirrors & rain sensors - Same, not quite a sensitive as BM
Park assist - Same, must have with 3" clearance on garage doors!!
Sports shifter - standard box but way slicker than BM
Tyre pressure monitor - haven't gat it, won't miss false alarms
Homelink - Same, but can I get it to read the code?? See if OPC can sort it out
Cruise Control - Same, need to get used to stalk rather than buttons
Adapative Sports seats - Sports seats only but never used memory function on BM - the Porsche sports seats are superb IMO
Heated Seats - Same, bit of a novelty for me
Thicker rim sports wheel - I have standard 3 spoke multi function, feels odd at first after BM's "Bratwurst" wheel, but classier in a very short space of time
Sports exhaust - Really wish I had this! Standard sounds great past 3k though and cabin generally nosier than BM
DVD navigation - Same, but you will get TMC with your new jobby? Another unused novelty for me, but good at resale
CD autochanger - Massive step down from BMW iPod link but fingers crossed for a solution soon

No wonder EVO mag raves about the Porsche - the levels of traction it gives are astonishing! It was snowing earlier and on a wet roundabout with a decent entry speed the tail end was well out, but snapped straight back into line without the traction light coming on - I swear that with my limited driving skills, the M3 would have all but spun under the same circumstances! And one of my concerns was not having an LSD on the Porsche!

I am not quite so impressed with the brakes though, even though they stop well enough, they lack the initial bite of the BM's and you have to really stand on the pedal if you are hoofing along. It may be just my car as I have noticed that the nearside front caliper is not taking off all the rust from the rotor (about 1/2 inch at the inside edge) suggesting a possible sticking piston?

Apart from that - oh and rusty wheel nuts (a common problem according to Porsche Club GB forum - WT_!!) it is so far, so good.

 

[sidicks]

I am not quite so impressed with the brakes though, even though they stop well enough, they lack the initial bite of the BM's and you have to really stand on the pedal if you are hoofing along. It may be just my car as I have noticed that the nearside front caliper is not taking off all the rust from the rotor (about 1/2 inch at the inside edge) suggesting a possible sticking piston?

I thought that Porsche brakes were reknowned as the best you can get - I wonder if your car is not performing 100% ?

On the C4S, there is a 'brake pre-fill' system, so the initial response is slightly sharper than the C2S, which may mean greater initial 'bite'....?

Sidicks

PS - I think the TCM issues were sorted out post May '05

 

[nsm3]

Exactly, I expected them to outshine the BMW, which whilst great at hauling the speed down would start to rumble and shudder after about 20 serious retardations on a local switchback road.

At the moment I reckon the M3 could stop in 2/3rd's of the distance from 100mph. The Porsche also hasn't got any discernable braking effect when you are lightly brushing the pedal.

I am convinced that there is a problem with the front n/s caliper, although the car doesn't pull to either way, but I have informed OPC contact already, so it will be sorted soon enough.

 

[pvernham]

I got Tracker Horizon fitted by my OPC. This system or equivalent was required by my insurers and although I think you might save about £100 by arranging directly with Tracker to fit the unit, in the scheme of things I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of arranging it all after receiving the car (when all I wanted to do was drive it []). I have had Tracker fitted to 3 cars now but fortunately can't yet comment on its performance in retrieiving a missing car (touches wood, fingers crossed, etc.)

If you search you will find some threads specifically on Tracker and equivalents.

Re brakes - there has also been a lot of discussion around this. I posted a thread in the summer after Autocar did its 0-100-0 data and the 997C2S posted solid but not outstanding figures for the braking. The general feedback was that whilst there may not be a lot of difference in a one off braking situation, the 911 will continue to provide the same braking pereformance after 20 similar stops.

I'm really surprised about nsm3's comment that his M3 could stop in 2/3rds the 911 distance. Either something is wrong with the 911 brakes or the M3 must have had a parachute braking system as well [].

 

[Guest]

Re. Braking.
I have observed a few things.

1. If you really stand on the brakes, the car will stop.
100-0 should be done easily in under 100m (i.e. on the III, II, I countdown markers coming up to a roundabout).
The brakes have much less servo assist than some other cars. When I came from a 200SX to my previous 911, I was surprised that the brakes felt less secure.
However, you need to lean on them harder.
If you really want to see the contrast, try driving a Cayenne, then get into the 911. I can't brake a Cayenne smoothly, and I almost headbut the windscreen the first time I brake in one.
What this gives you is more pedal feel and better control as you approach the limit.

2. They work better when they get warm. If you brake hard a few times, the grip seems to improve.

3. At the moment, you can coat the brakes in salt. This forms a kind of glaze on the surface if you only brake gently. It is mentioned in the user manual.
You can wash it off, remembering to dry the brakes afterwards to avoid corrosion, or just brake hard a few times.

4. Due to cooling air being channeled onto the brakes, water is put onto them too, when there is spray (like on the motorway). This means the initial bite seems to be less.

5. If left for a while, you get some surface corrosion. You need to clean all this off, otherwise the braking effect is reduced.

The C4S was more susceptible to these things than the turbo is.
But get the brakes warm and really lean on them, and there is no shortage of stopping power.

You also get less grumbling noises and fade on the 911 than other cars.

Remember that if you do brake hard with a few 100-0 stops, not to then sit there with your foot on the brake pedal. You will bake the pads onto the discs.
Use the handbrake to hold you, since it does not use the pads on the rear discs, but separate drum brakes inside the rear hubs.
For road driving warped discs should not be an issue, but on the track remember to do a cooling down lap to give them a chance.

 

[sidicks]

If you really stand on the brakes, the car will stop.
100-0 should be done easily in under 100m (i.e. on the III, II, I countdown markers coming up to a roundabout).

In Kent where I am, the maximum speed limit is 70mph, so this won't be that relevant to me !!!

The C4S was more susceptible to these things than the turbo is.

But the new C4S has brake pre-fill etc to improve initial response


Sidicks

 

[Helen Goff]

ORIGINAL: sidicks

Well just before Christmas I ordered my first Porsche (upgrading from a BMW M3) - a 911 (997) Carrera 4S - for March delivery.

OK, after much deliberation, my chosen spec is as follows:
Metallic paint - Atlas Grey (apologies to all those who think this a dull, conventional choice!!)
Interior - Black leather (as above)
Auto dimming mirrors & rain sensors (have been used to this on my M3)
Park assist (yes, yes, I know, but the wife will be driving at some point.....)
Sports shifter (felt a much more positive sporty shift than the standard version)
Tyre pressure monitor (I'm too lazy to check pressures manually on a frequent basis)
Homelink (garage door opener)
Cruise Control (help to me speed in check on long runs)
Adapative Sports seats (felt superb to me, and with me at 6'2" and my wife at 5'1", the memory function will be useful, not that she will be allowed to drive very often, obviously!))
Heated Seats (essential in my opinion)
Thicker rim sports wheel (I felt the standard rim was too thin, particularly after the very thick rim on my M3)
Sports exhaust (sounds great!)
DVD navigation (an essential for resale, apparently. Not sure how useful it will be for me).
CD autochanger (for when I've had enough of listening to the engine!)

Debating whether to go for the Thatcham approved (Cat 5) Porsche tracker, or an alternative system - your input is much appreciated!!

cheers

Sidicks

WOW what a wonderful car to have as your first Porsche. enjoy (i know you will) it you lucky fellow [8D] and don't forget to tell us all about it please and a picture or two would be nice

 

[danofesher]

Re trackers, a friend of mine has a system that sounds a lot more flexible than tracker and is so sensitive that it'll even detect the car being jacked up (it communicates with you via your mobile and you can likewise contact the call centre via your mobile SMS messages). Unfortunately he's just gone on holiday. He said he'll send me the details. You may be in a hurry because of insurance so I guess you'd endf upwith a horizon.

 

[sidicks]

ORIGINAL: danofesher

Re trackers, a friend of mine has a system that sounds a lot more flexible than tracker and is so sensitive that it'll even detect the car being jacked up (it communicates with you via your mobile and you can likewise contact the call centre via your mobile SMS messages). Unfortunately he's just gone on holiday. He said he'll send me the details. You may be in a hurry because of insurance so I guess you'd endf upwith a horizon.

Sounds interesting - the car is still at least 8 weeks away (should be early March), so I'm in no real rush. I'd certainly be interested to hear more about this system - assuming it is Thatcham CAT5 approved.

Cheers

Sidicks

 

[nsm3]

Stuart, I would concur with what you have listed above.

I took the car for a decent thrash today and as you say, the harder you lean on the brakes the better they become. They must have less servo action than the M3 but again, this does give better feel, the ABS was hardly triggering even in today's greasy conditions under heavy braking.

The car has probably been standing around for at least a month, but my disc rotors have cleaned up quite a bit after today, so more of the same should sort it out?

BTW - 4k to 7k RPM in third gear - superb!!

 

[pvernham]

7K in third and then a quick change to 4th and keep your foot on the carpet - even better []

 

[David W.]

So 7k RPM in third gear = ???mph
DW

 

[pvernham]

Just keep my eye on the track in front