So, here's my driving impressions: HOLY SHIT!
This car is soooo track capable it's amazing. I took the car out with street tires (Yokohama AVS Sport) and was absolutely amazed at how fast the RSA is capable of moving.
Although I've had the car since September of last year, I have always been slightly uneasy and afraid of the car. With horror stories of Porsche 911s whipping their tails around on the driver, I didn't have any confidence in myself in handling the car. Granted, the 964 is supposed to be the first "modern" 911 with substantial changes in suspension that were supposed to curtail the snap oversteer reputation, but it is my first Porsche and I didn't know what to expect. So, it was off to the track.
I ran with the intermediate group. He had an older 911 Carrera, a 911 SC with race tires, two C6 Z06 Corvettes, one C5 Z06, two Mustang Cobras, one being a recent model with a supercharger, a 911 GT2, a plethora of Boxsters a Mini and some other cars that I don't recall.
First lap out, I was in the middle of the pack, taking a rather casual pace as I let the tires warm up. As I came back onto the front straight, I hammered the throttle and the 911 punched forward (by the end of the day, I was consistently hitting about 110-113mph at the end of the main straight). As I increased speeds, the tires began to howl...damn street rubber. Nonetheless, the AVS Sport served me well. They were very progressive, had good turn in and communicated well, before giving up the grip by sliding.
I consistently howled the tires at each turn that was slow or moderate speed and took the long sweepers at a pretty rapid rate. The whole time, the RSA was firmly planted. Towards the end of each session, the street tires started to get a little greasy, but the RSA would tell me EXACTLY what the tail was doing. I could feel the rearend start to rotate and somewhat counterintuitively, you apply more throttle and the tail starts to stick again. In that same manner, you can control the car's angle of approach by modulating the throttle. The steering is spot-on, the seats are supportive. It's an excellent car.
The 993 "Big Red" brakes were fade-free despite deeper and deeper braking...fantastic.
The howl from the motor is hypnotic.
Some things I wouldn't mind...seats that are a bit more supportive in the legs. Although my torso stayed put because of the side bolsters, my thighs did a little bit of sliding. I think the non-leather RSA interior helped keep me in place better than if I was on leather. I'm 6'0" tall, and after adjusting the seat distance to where I want, the steering wheel is too far for my comfort. Although I was certainly driving well, I did not have the leverage that I like. I like the wheel closer to my body. I'm going to look into a steering wheel spacer if they have one. My friend said he has one on his 996 GT3...but that's a new car...I'm worried that I won't find something similar for the older 964.
Sports Car International Magazine was doing a comparison between the Lotus 7 and an Elise. So, you readers...when you read that article, it was done during this open track event.
End result, I ran away from all the other Porsches in my class (except the GT2). I caught a the C5 Z06 owner and he waived me by. I had to let the C6 Z06s by...they were really fast and could actually drive. Same with the GT2. He was slightly faster than me in the turns, but much faster in the straights, obviously. He was on Michelin Pilot Sport 2, tires. I made ground on the Mini, but never gridded close enough to really get close...same with the Mustangs. But, it was a bad day for the Pony cars...one hit a tire barrier when trying to get back into the hot pits, and the other two blew something and smoked their way back into the pits. Oh yeah, during the last session, a Z4 spun out in front of my, making me brake hard to avoid t-boning him/her and the Mini, with the JCW package limped into the pits as well.
Overalll, a great day and a phenomenal car...I am a Porsche cheerleader and I can't sing enough praises for what a wonderful machine they built. As a last bit of thought...while owning the RSA, I've noticed that the throttle pedal is much lower than the brake and clutch pedals. This makes heel-toe shifting nearly impossible in the street. Last night, I scoured the Porsche boards trying to find a fix and found people that bolt on two pedals, one on top of the other to bring up the height of the pedal to that of the brake. Well, I wasn't going to have time for that, so I figured, I'd just have to break my ankle to do it. When I got to the track and began full braking before corners, LOW AND BEHOLD...the brake pedal lined up PERFECT with the throttle making a heel-toe shift easy as pie. Porsche knows what they're doing. Unfortunately, on the street, I don't brake that hard, and can't heel toe. I may have to find one of those adjustable pedal covers to use on the street. In the many joys in the world, one is executing a rev-matched heel-toe downshift...
http://community.webshots.com/album/547960767xGTryl
Took the RSA to Thunderhill
Thanc for sharing with us petrolheads 
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