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The flat 6. Driving tips for a newbie


Cheddar Bob

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31 minutes ago, Cheddar Bob said:

Some of the welsh roads as you seem to know, 60mph is enough for a few white knuckles....  

And some you don’t know result in white knuckles and brown pants at 60mph 😂😂😂

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First experience in the wet today. Interestingly I was very cautious after reading about the wet making the rear a little loose. I noticed the rear does indeed like to move a little on roundabouts (albeit I was aiming for that) but it certainly made me think of being much more cautious than I am in my FWD diesel. (which is almost as quick...)

 

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People worry here about IMS but in 10 years while I'm here most Boxsters here have died in the wet. Do be very careful. People say the mid-engined balance doesn't go easily but when it does it's hard to catch.  (Of course that varies a bit with tyres).

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15 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

People worry here about IMS but in 10 years while I'm here most Boxsters here have died in the wet. Do be very careful. People say the mid-engined balance doesn't go easily but when it does it's hard to catch.  (Of course that varies a bit with tyres).

I have poor quality tyres that came with the car. All new, just not a brand I recognise, so that increases the risk I am sure. 

 

The MR2 was known for being very snap happy. 

I'll treat this car the same as I do a bike in the wet, with caution. 

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3 minutes ago, Cheddar Bob said:

I have poor quality tyres that came with the car. All new, just not a brand I recognise, so that increases the risk I am sure. 

 

The MR2 was known for being very snap happy. 

I'll treat this car the same as I do a bike in the wet, with caution. 

You should treat all cars new to you with caution as you don’t know the limits of grip until you get near or exceed😳 them. This applies to cars shod with brand new N rated tyres as much as it does with those shod with 10 year old ditchfinders. Indeed probably more caution is needed with tyres with the best grip as you are likely to be going considerably faster when it does let go.

I could safely ‘play’ with my old spitfire on 10 year old tyres because it lost grip at such low speeds in the wet, but I have still not found the limits on the Boxster in the wet since I am not confident of catching the slide without going on a skid pan course.

After two months of dry weather, the roundabouts must be like skating rinks this morning😳

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12 minutes ago, Cheddar Bob said:

I have poor quality tyres that came with the car. All new, just not a brand I recognise, so that increases the risk I am sure. 

 

The MR2 was known for being very snap happy. 

I'll treat this car the same as I do a bike in the wet, with caution. 

Your tyres can make a massive difference potentially.  When I bought my 987.1 I took it for a drive to see Lee at CPS (100 miles or so) to get some noted preventative maintenance done just a couple of weeks after purchase, it was January and cold, but the tyres would have been warm at the point I got a scare.  I went round a roundabout and ended up sideways with no warning and I was not booting it at all.  PSM saved me and I gingerly continued on my way, looking at the rear tyres later (Michelin PS2, they had plenty of tread but were 6 or 7 years old and starting to crack - so clearly hard and lacking grip) I decided to replace them with the same tyres and the difference in terms of grip was amazing...

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45 minutes ago, rowbos said:

Your tyres can make a massive difference potentially.  When I bought my 987.1 I took it for a drive to see Lee at CPS (100 miles or so) to get some noted preventative maintenance done just a couple of weeks after purchase, it was January and cold, but the tyres would have been warm at the point I got a scare.  I went round a roundabout and ended up sideways with no warning and I was not booting it at all.  PSM saved me and I gingerly continued on my way, looking at the rear tyres later (Michelin PS2, they had plenty of tread but were 6 or 7 years old and starting to crack - so clearly hard and lacking grip) I decided to replace them with the same tyres and the difference in terms of grip was amazing...

Fresh rubber, even budget brands, will be better than old hard N rated premium tyres.

'Snappy' handing is down to the compact centre of mass of the mid engine design (low polar moment if inertia).  The bonus is it doesn't have a big pendulum mass hanging out the back like the 911s do.

The most unexpected 'moment' I've had so far in my Boxster was turning into a side road at about 20 mph when I applied a bit of power and it had turned almost before I put the lock on, had to get it off mighty quick to catch it.

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1 hour ago, Cheddar Bob said:

I have poor quality tyres that came with the car. All new, just not a brand I recognise, so that increases the risk I am sure.

The MR2 was known for being very snap happy.

OK MR2 should be OK as previous.

What tyre brand? We know a few on here which are not quite so famous but still quite respected.

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26 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

OK MR2 should be OK as previous.

What tyre brand? We know a few on here which are not quite so famous but still quite respected.

Cars having the exhaust fitted next door at the moment. When its back ill take a look. 

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I’ve enjoyed pottering on Nexen, Conti, Pirelli, Dunlop and Michelin and Goodyear...

I bought some budget JoyRoad tyres once upon a time... I recall going out for potter with some other BOXSTER chaps when one exclaimed, “Joyroads!” With some surprise... Maybe because I was only running them on the back and had Goodyear’s on the front🤣

5 minutes up the road later my Joyroads were sticking to the tarmac like sh.it to a blanket, but the owner of the afore mentioned shocked exclamation had found the limits of a matched set of uniroyal rain sport 3s...

On a mostly dry surface..

So I guess all I’m saying is, we are enthusiasts who will likely reach our limits of skill before we reach our tyres limits wet or dry. It’s good to get all the help you can, but perhaps not if it creates a false sense of security🤷🏾‍♂️
 

I’d wager those Joyroads exceeded the performance of the N rated tyre that was available when my car was new 20 years ago. I’ve no evidence, just a hunch. 

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8 minutes ago, Mr96er said:

I’ve enjoyed pottering on Nexen, Conti, Pirelli, Dunlop and Michelin and Goodyear...

I bought some budget JoyRoad tyres once upon a time... I recall going out for potter with some other BOXSTER chaps when one exclaimed, “Joyroads!” With some surprise... Maybe because I was only running them on the back and had Goodyear’s on the front🤣

5 minutes up the road later my Joyroads were sticking to the tarmac like sh.it to a blanket, but the owner of the afore mentioned shocked exclamation had found the limits of a matched set of uniroyal rain sport 3s...

49966570591_3c4502be1d_b.jpg

On a mostly dry surface..

49966569856_4586f00cbc_b.jpg

So I guess all I’m saying is, we are enthusiasts who will likely reach our limits of skill before we reach our tyres limits wet or dry. It’s good to get all the help you can, but perhaps not if it creates a false sense of security🤷🏾‍♂️
 

I’d wager those Joyroads exceeded the performance of the N rated tyre that was available when my car was new 20 years ago. I’ve no evidence, just a hunch. 

was this chap enjoying the view of the underneath before he tried pushing it back to 4 wheels? lucky the tree didn't hit him in the cockpit 

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12 minutes ago, Mr96er said:

I’ve enjoyed pottering on Nexen, Conti, Pirelli, Dunlop and Michelin and Goodyear...

I bought some budget JoyRoad tyres once upon a time... I recall going out for potter with some other BOXSTER chaps when one exclaimed, “Joyroads!” With some surprise... Maybe because I was only running them on the back and had Goodyear’s on the front🤣

5 minutes up the road later my Joyroads were sticking to the tarmac like sh.it to a blanket, but the owner of the afore mentioned shocked exclamation had found the limits of a matched set of uniroyal rain sport 3s...

On a mostly dry surface..

So I guess all I’m saying is, we are enthusiasts who will likely reach our limits of skill before we reach our tyres limits wet or dry. It’s good to get all the help you can, but perhaps not if it creates a false sense of security🤷🏾‍♂️
 

I’d wager those Joyroads exceeded the performance of the N rated tyre that was available when my car was new 20 years ago. I’ve no evidence, just a hunch. 

He @Mr96er speaketh the truth 👏

 

 

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, Cheddar Bob said:

was this chap enjoying the view of the underneath before he tried pushing it back to 4 wheels? lucky the tree didn't hit him in the cockpit 

Essential maintenance required and didn't have any ramps, so ........ :thumbsup_anim:

 

 

 

 

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So I'm back to square one today. Just felt so sluggish. 

I'm aware the car isn't as a golf r made no extra space of you follow, but it's so weird owning and driving a Porsche. 

I want the car to feel fast all the time.I want it too. Eg when I use full throttle. 

I'm adding more noise, as I think my boy racer days haven't ended and this might help. ... That said i left those behind many moons ago. 

Such a bizarre car. First I've owned that changes my perception depending on the day of the week, mood the car is in 

 

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10 hours ago, Cheddar Bob said:

So I'm back to square one today. Just felt so sluggish. 

I'm aware the car isn't as a golf r made no extra space of you follow, but it's so weird owning and driving a Porsche. 

I want the car to feel fast all the time.I want it too. Eg when I use full throttle. 

I'm adding more noise, as I think my boy racer days haven't ended and this might help. ... That said i left those behind many moons ago. 

Such a bizarre car. First I've owned that changes my perception depending on the day of the week, mood the car is in 

 

I think you are in the territory I was in the first time I went to the 'Ring.  I had a Carlton 3000GSi 24v and it felt so slow.  I was taken round in a BMW325 with AC Schnitzer conversion so not too dissimilar.  She was taking every corner with a gear up and more revs.  I learned a lot and eventually got down to 10min 16 sec on a full lap of the circuit (we had a closed to club hire).  Problem is they are such a capable car that if you drive them like they are alive you will kill yourself or the car when you get caught out or get arrested.  You can tool around at silly speeds without pushing the car and it can feel unrewarding not being near the limit.  Sports Car & GT. Pick the time and place.

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10 hours ago, Cheddar Bob said:

I'm aware the car isn't as a golf r made no extra space of you follow, but it's so weird owning and driving a Porsche. 

I want the car to feel fast all the time.

N/A cars with linear power curves, just don't.

I absolutely love the fact that I can potter around at circa 30mpg if that's what I'm in the mood for or push the naughty (sport) button if I want better throttle response and PSE. If you don't have a sport button I think there are ways of retro-fitting a device similar (I forget the name - SprintBooster?). A Turbo'd car almost always feels faster even when it's not.

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Thanks for you comments guys and girls. 

It's good to read and consider how others experience their own porker. 

Smiles for miles with the roof down is excellent. I like it to the feeling of being on a bike..open countryside and open to surroundings. 

 

 

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I just enjoy mine for what it is - a great looking roadster than you can chuck around bends while the sun shines on your pate. By any measure my diesel daily is a much quicker car on all but the twistiest roads (440 ft/lb helps) but that isn't really the point.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

So to continue this thread with an update:

I've got to grips with the feeling of the box. I expect the acceleration to be underwhelming and because of this, it surprises me with pace. The handling on very cheap tyres is exceptional and rarely does the psm kick in. Usually roundabouts or cresty little left handers... 

I now feel much more comfortable in the 3-4k rpm bracket. 

Thanks for everyones contributions 

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Interesting read this. I find my 2.7 surprisingly torquey - it always seems to pick up and I can drive it round town at 1200 rpm in top no probs. OK it won't burn rubber at that speed but it's quite useable. Should point out that my last fast car made 380 lbs/ft at 2000 rpm and would eat the boxster like a small snack, both in a straight line and in the bends. But that's not the point. I don't want a car that's only fun at 120mph and what the boxster lacks in outright speed it makes up for in tactility, adjustabilty and just outright fun. At reasonable speed. That said I'm still adjusting to the corner entry speeds you can get away with in the boxster and the way you can point the nose with the throttle. It's not a sledgehammer - it's a scalpel.

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I had some really cheap tyres on the rear Maxis or Arrow or similar and Pirellis on the front when I first got my 550. Spent a day at Centre Gravity doing suspension set up and on the way home it was quite wet. Rear end stepped out as I went round a curved motorway slip road. Might have been the M40 to M25 sliproad. I wasn't even going that fast just keeping up with regular traffic. Certainly woke me up on the way home 😂

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