Porsche News

[Tomerville]

Thanks for the pix ST-anger, we ordered our 996TT anyway for June delivery...pix when it comes! thank for your help anyway.

[st-anger]

Cayenne V8 article

[gucom]

Thanks for the 997 pics, looks like the Turbo is gonna have a decent Turbo-style rear wing again not this half-done ducktail thats on the 996 Turbo

[noosee]

Thanks for the pics.
Exaust pipes on Turbo model look strange, unusual

[TT]

st-anger, what about this? http://www.motorworld.net/forum/show...=127310#127310 an official CGT Turbo version?

Edit - LOL ok, April fools...

[deth]

Hey st-anger, why is a ~60 degree V12 'self-balancing'?

[Chingachgook]

I have a question for you...

Readinmg the technicals caracteristic of the 360 modena I read that at the front there are 215/45 ZR18 tyres, The F355 had 225 tyres and the Porsche GT3 has 235/40 ZR 18. I wonder why Ferrari decided to have such narrow tyres. And why, for example, TVR decided to have 255/35 R18 rear tyres. I hope you can answer to my question!

[st-anger]

Originally Posted by TT st-anger, what about this? http://www.motorworld.net/forum/show...=127310#127310 an official CGT Turbo version? Edit - LOL ok, April fools...

could have been true, sure it´s too clear when someone comes out with such a info on april 1st...

but nevertheless, don´t believe i know about everything going on at PAG, i know quite a lot, but definitely not everything, and there´re some well kept secrets, even major ones, thay may surprise me too some day...

another thing is, that i´d be able post hundreds of infos, reports, pics.... but i´m simply not allowed to do so, i´d loose my job at PAG...
there´re some other insiders too somewhere on the web, maybe not working for PAG, and they might get their hands on infos and post ´em i already knew for weeks, but i hadn´t post them due to the reasons i mentioned above....
you guys know, i´d love to post more infos, more specific ones and discuss them with you, but i´m afraid i can´t risk that, sorry....

[st-anger]

Originally Posted by deth Hey st-anger, why is a ~60 degree V12 'self-balancing'?

Originally Posted by Chingachgook I have a question for you...

…well, very simple you´ve 12 corresponding cylinders in two banks, joined at the same crank pins, so hardly any vibration at all because of nearly perfect balance…
i think you know why e.g. BMW is using inline 6 engine, they´re very very smooth and powerful, so it´s even better to have a duplication of the inline 6 smoothness, all in all a 60vee 12cyl is best solution for an engine…

that´s a very good question, i´m afraid I don´t know why Ferrari uses such narrow tires in front, with 225 it´d be way faster, that´s for sure…
the 360CS already uses 225 at the front, but 235 like on the Porsche´d be, again, way better, BUT I know that there are some troubles with handling on the 360 with wider tyres at the front, especially at the limit, so Ferrari decided to go for the narrower tires. Why´s that…i´m afraid I don´t know, ask a Ferrari guy but it has definitely something to do with the more grip on the front axle with wider tyres so it´d be a bit more nervous at the back…something like this IMO…

[yg60m]

I understand very well st-anger, that would be so stupid to be fired from such a great job for given secret infos !! Thank you for providing us this threat, we already learn a lot from it
For deth; i am not sure but i read that the product of the angle of the engine by the number of cylindres must be a multiple of 360. So, 60*12 = 720 = 2*360 is well balanced, and for a V8, 90° is the "natural" option : 8*90 = 720. I think i will be corrected if i am wrong. ops: You can compensate a "wrong" balance by shifting the crank pin. But again correct me if i am wrong.

[Chingachgook]

Thanks st-anger!
Now I've understood! I wondered why cars of the same class, near power, near weight (but also different engine position) have different tyres. So the Porsche at the limit is more balanced? More honest and not the bitch the Ferrari is claimed to be?

[DJF1]

Originally Posted by Chingachgook Thanks st-anger! Now I've understood! I wondered why cars of the same class, near power, near weight (but also different engine position) have different tyres. So the Porsche at the limit is more balanced? More honest and not the bitch the Ferrari is claimed to be?

If I may chime a bit here as well I'm new here but I hope I can contribute abit as my passion is Porsche cars as well!

for sure the engine position alone makes for very different dynamics. Not to mention suspension , chassis stifness, dimensions etc.
To your question if a 911 is more balanced... well... its for sure a very different beast to drive, especially the older models. Th physics of the engine hanging in the back makes for a very different handling characteristics. Put it this way. Once you drive a 911 , no other car compares. The front engine or mid engine are so different in feel and behavior that it takes a lot of practice to start driving fast and safely a 911. I used to own a 944 and 968 , drove them on the track regurarly and at a decent speed. When I bought my first 993 I was scared! I did half the speed I was doing, the car was telling me many different things. It took a while and a suspension change to start trusting the car as all my instincts were saying different things... For example I'm in this 45 degree turn on the track, I'm doing around 160KPH and I start feeling the back end getting loose on me. I was on medium throttle as I knew I was going a wee faster than normal. At that time your brain tells you to back off, on a 911 its the opposite! In a split second and dispite my mind's objection I gave it more throttle and lo and behold the weight shifted to the rear and the car hooked up very nicely! If I had lifted no doubt I would have spun. By comparison with my 968 I would have lifted slightly and that would have taken care of the problem.
When I was ready to get a dedicated race car, I thought of going back to a 951 or a 968. They handle beautifully and they are very forgiving. My mechanic looked at me and said, no you must get another 911. He said that once I learn how to drive really fast a 911 nothing else will compare.
He is right... I still have a lot to learn but at this point sometimes actually I have taken the car to the absolute limit. When I did that something funny happened. On the entry I had understeer and by the exit I had oversteer! When I said that to my mechanic , he smiled and said welcome to the 911 world!
So is a 911 balanced? In theory no way. In practice and once you learn how to drive them fast , simply there is no other car that will offer you so much satisfaction!
Finally to the tire question, for sure the manufacturer wants to built so to speak a safe car. That means that all cars really have more understeer characteristics built into them as it is safer for most drivers. No doubt Ferrari is doing the same really. Even on the 993's that I know pretty well they come stock on 17's with 205 in the front and 255 in the rear and with this setup you have plenty understeer. Mounting 225's in the front and leaving 255's in the rear helps reduce the understeer by much and makes actually the car more balanced so to speak. On my race car the factory 18" sizes are 225 front and 265 or 285 rear on the wide body's. I run 245 front and 285 rear which as a platform understeers much less than stock sizes.
Hope this helps!

[Chingachgook]

It helped a lot, and now I think I'm going to buy a 911, even if I know I can't drive the way SHE wants. But I like challenging cars, where you have to drive and not be driven by the car, in this way Porsche, TVR Noble, Ferrari.... are the best.

[TT]

Sadly that "challenging" bahaviour was the main reason why my grandpa sold his Carrera 4 years ago!!!!!

[st-anger]

another little goodie for us Porsche freaks
nearly ALL GT3 RS media pics available, hi-res only....

PORSCHE GT3 RS

hope you like ´em....