Porsche 911 Carrera T

[VanB]

Indeed WingCo - will hit 11k tomorrow and every mile has brought a smile

[Wing Commander]

Indeed WingCo - will hit 11k tomorrow and every mile has brought a smile

[alxgb]

Good work. I'm glad to see a Porsche driven and enjoyed.

So, any road trips planned for the next 12K?

Cheers, Alex! Not quite as impressive as your mileage in the GT3 RS though!

Hoping to explore some glorious Welsh roads this year!

On reflection, it's a lot to get through in that time. My GT4 isn't even near that mileage yet and I've had it three years. Besides, I hardly drove it last year because of the RS.

If you need some Welsh road recommendations, happy to offer some favourites up.

[Wing Commander]

^^^ Thanks, Alex. I will certainly take you up on that.

Cheers,

Simon

[alxgb]

^^^ Thanks, Alex. I will certainly take you up on that.

Cheers,

Simon

I may ask you to pick up the remains of a front splitter if you're near a certain B road by Bala. The actual place I can't say or spell!

[Wing Commander]

Will keep my eyes open!

More likely to be South Wales if that makes any difference...

...although one day I fancy going to Anglesey, where I believe they have a certain race track...

[Wing Commander]

Am looking to get this done when my summer wheels/tyres are back on:

• Stiffer & shorter KW springs
• These lower the car by 20mm at the front and 10mm at the rear
• I will then be close to GT3 ride height
• 7mm spacers all around
• Solid bushes

I’ll be taking Iain Litchfield’s Carrera T for a spin before I commit to the work, but the reviewers are unanimously impressed!

Extracts from some reviews:

“The Carrera T sits 20mm closer to the road than the standard Carrera, but Litchfield’s chassis upgrades drop it by that much again at the front, while the rear sits down by 10mm, on slightly stiffer springs all round. This gives the car a more purposeful, hunkered-down look when stationary and introduces a little more rake, which should enhance the car’s turn-in once on the move. The lowering springs are by KW and work alongside the Porsche Suspension Management switchable dampers. Litchfield benchmarked a current 911 GT3 for steering feel, and so its upgrades for the Carrera T include revised front suspension geometry. A set of four wheel spacers help fill out the wheel arches and top off a subtle but well-considered set of revisions.

Although the KW springs are stiffer by around 20% at the front and 10% at the rear, the car’s ride quality has been more or less unaffected, and the brilliantly judged damping that makes the factory-spec Carrera T work so well on our bumpy roads is carried over intact. Even on a really tricky section of B-road, the car’s suspension is pliant, absorbing bumps rather than being kicked about by them, while the body is so well tied down that you simply never feel it get light or out of phase with the wheels. It feels like witchcraft.

The steering is more impressive still. It's so pure, crisp and responsive, and the wheel fidgets so subtly but tellingly in your fingertips that it feels as though the car’s electrically assisted steering rack has been swapped out for a hydraulic one. Until there is some great breakthrough in the technology, electric steering gets no better than this.”

“Ever the perfectionist, Iain reckoned some detail tweaks to the chassis could also help so he fitted custom springs to stiffen the front end and lower it by 20mm, while the rear is dropped by 10mm. 7mm spacers push the wheels out slightly and adjustable uniball items replace the front suspension bushings for a little bit of castor adjustment. All of this introduces a racy-looking rake but, more importantly, sharpens up the already brilliant steering by another notch. Without overwhelming the all-round usability or subverting its all-rounder appeal. Matched with the stock dampers, mechanical limited-slip differential and T’s reduced final drive you have, perhaps, the recipe for the best ‘fast road’ 911 this side of the GT3 Touring…”

“The PASM adaptive dampers are carried over, but are surrounded by stiffer, shorter springs, lowering it a further 20mm at the front and 10mm at the back. 7mm spacers push the wheels out slightly, enhancing the stance. The suspension components are carried over, but there’s now a solid bush on the front lower arm, which not only helps steering precision, but also adjusts the caster angle, helping to keep the wheel flatter on the road as the suspension moves.

And how’s the handling? It’s not as sharp as a GT3, but as a road-biased set-up it’s as good, if not better. Mean it. The damping hasn’t been touched, but it works brilliantly with the stiffer spring. It goes down a road more positively than the standard Carrera T, and you get more feedback from the road surface – it’s a more granular experience. But no less comfortable. As ever in a 911, the biggest bar to cruising comfort is tyre roar, but at least here you’re getting the information to go with it. And not just through the seat of your pants, but the steering as well. The switch to a solid bush might sound hilariously minor, but what it has done to steering response just off centre, taking what little slack there was out and introducing a bit of writhe, is a delight.

…but because the car sits lower on stiffer springs, there’s less jack-up under hard braking, less weight transfer. It’s the same with acceleration. And cornering. The car is better supported, so takes bends flat and hard, and the traction when you exit is ridiculous. I really, really enjoyed driving it.”

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/po ... -uk-review

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-revie ... 1-carrera/

https://drive-my.com/en/test-drive/item ... anual.html

http://www.topgear.com/india/reviews/ca ... 12360.html

[VanB]

No mention of the engine upgrade? Are you foregoing this which, IMO, would be a massive shame if you're screwing your warranty all over the place in any case

[Nuclear Nick]

I think I'd worry all the time about grounding, going 20mm lower still, especially on those bumpy Welsh roads you're planning on driving Simon!

[Wing Commander]

No mention of the engine upgrade? Are you foregoing this which, IMO, would be a massive shame if you're screwing your warranty all over the place in any case

Hi VanB. The engine and exhaust upgrade are on the agenda too. Will probably do suspension/chassis/handling first though. Am looking forward to taking Iain Litchfield’s Carrera T for a spin. That may help to decide the timing/s of the other upgrades.