Quick initial review
Hi all,
Been busy moving house on the weekend so excuse the later response!
Suffice to say I love the car and what it feels like, how it performs, etc... lets begin at the heart of the matter:
Engine
Turn the key and... wow! It barks into life with a sound and vigour that is absolutely a step up from the "old" car! Blip the throttle and the revs immediately rise - and then fall just as quickly.The LWFW immediately makes its presence felt. There is a slightly higher idle speed that quickly settles to 'normal'... once warm you can give it a blip or two and enjoy the new found harmony from the exhausts - what a difference!
Pull off and the clutch bites quickly and with little travel... its easy to stall the car until you gauge the bite point.
On the move, the low down torque feels slightly lacklustre - but once the revs get over 2500 to 3000 rpm it takes off like a scalded cat and with the energy of a firework.. .again, just wow! What a difference?
It's quite easy to feel the difference in the short-shift gear change from the 997 - shifts are slick, short and precise and each change as you approach the redline brings a variety of sounds into the cabin - from a low bassy thrum right up to a sonorous howl - chasing the limit never sounded this good previously?!?!
The power progression is also smooth and, as expected, the inertia in the engine is almost non existent. No longer does the car slowly wind its way up, it literally accelerates its way through each gear and the pace is actually quite unexpected - truthfully, it feels almost as fast as my 424bhp 991 GTS? The only thing I find missing is that on the over-run, the exhaust is probably a bit too quiet? But, for the benefits that the tuning, the exhaust and the flywheel bring, would I change anything?
Not a chance!
Suspension
Driving off, one is immediately struck by the pliancy and low speed ride comfort - wasn't this supposedly a sportier suspension setup, stiff and more uncompromising? From the drivers seat it feels the opposite, absorbing small bumps yet still communicating the surface nicely.
Pick up the pace and then you start to feel the more precise wheel control... its bumpy for sure, but not unreasonably so and it still feels as if each wheel remains connected with the surface, travelling through the compressions rather than the wheel skipping over them and running out of ideas.
Larger bumps, dips in the road and surface changes remain well within its capabilities and its almost as if the car eggs you on, further challenging you to find some blacktop that tests the suspension more completely. When you do find the gaps in the road, rough concrete and broken tarmac it still retains its control - but you can now definitely feel you're in a tightly spring sports car.
I didn't find it bottom out anywhere (even though some of the compressions left me wondering when it would happen, not if it would)... but either I wasn't pushing hard enough or even this remains within its set of skills!
From a cornering perspective, the car corners flat and firm - mid corner bumps don't throw it off course and it seems to find a front-end purchase that is markedly different from old, not to mention rear-end grip that feels mighty! Turn and the car follows the line immediately - no slop in the steering and no delay in the direction change... It must feel brilliant under track conditions and I cant wait to see how this can be used to rotate the car under a little trail-braking into some corners?
Most impressive for me was the control under braking and accelaration... the dive and squat are almost absent and even though minimal, still manage to impart that feeling of weight transfer that's so critical to 'fun driving'
Overall, the suspension, ARB's, springs and geo are a winner - and its the first time i had to get out and check the badge at the back didn't say "GT3" or similar... its that good!
Brakes
If I thought it couldn't get better, I was wrong! The brakes are probably the most noticeable improvement on the car - they feel great, full of progression, firm pedal and without a hint of lock-up. They're very easy to modulate and, whether your'e mid-corner and need a light touch, or firmly braking in a straight line, they never feel overdone and lacking sensitivity.
The ABS works like a dream still and the stopping distances are simply staggering! No doubt on track these are going to prove one of the best investments in the car...
Drivetrain
Particularly here referring to the LSD now fitted... who knew it would make such a clear difference to the way the car drives, corners, brakes and transitions? Out of junctions there is absolutely no lost momentum, the rear tyres simply finding oodles of grip and shunting the car forward like nothing I've experienced in it before... It almost feels like it wants to break traction but yet maintains its push and a slight waggle from the tail simply allows it to build on that momentum.
Quite interesting is the behaviours of the car under straight line deceleration - you can feel the diff working and generating grip even on the (now) unloaded rear wheels - strange sensation and one I still need to get used to (not to mention how to get the best out of it!)
So - that's a quick summary... first track day is beginning august and I hope to feed back from there. Ive left the settings in the same clicks that Ken set it up with and would probably describe these as my (close to ideal) "fast road" setup. Lots to experiment with still and lots to learn!
Big question most of you are probably asking is "Is it worth it?"
These upgrades weren't cheap (nothing worth doing ever is cheap) but I can wholeheartedly say the early signs aren't just encouraging, they're downright brilliant! Considering a base (good) car is now about £13k that means that for under £40k you can have a GT3 alternative that you can thrash, tune, keep coming back for more and genuinely use with abandon - not sure where you'd get that kind of fun in a normal GT car without risking a serious investment? Best of all, Ken and his team have been absolutely superb, dealing with every question Ive had, every suggestion I've made and making sure the finished product was nothing short of perfect. There are one or two small issues I still need to take care of - but without doubt, having 9e and Ken deliver a product like this makes you wonder whether you truly need a race car to enjoy these lovely summer evening track days...
With this setup, I genuinely am looking forward to my first outing!
Cheers,
Ryan