Quote:
Originally Posted by abenney
Oh, I was seriously considering the new Cayman GT4 as my next track toy. May I ask why you disliked the GT4 on track?
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Sorry - this discussion started in another thread, but it was pulling that thread off topic, so it was moved. So, you're missing some context.
When discussing cars and track worthiness, people tend to gravitate towards Ring times and excel sheet comparisons as well as pro driver reviews. This is, in my opinion, a mistake. The question isn't whether Randy Pobst is able to drive a specific car (GT4 or GT3 for example) faster than another car (M3 CS for example). Randy is a professional race driver. His experiences do not easily translate to joe six pack.
I consider myself a pretty accomplished track driver. 3 years of wheel to wheel in American Endurance Racing with trophies to back that up (sharing a seat with Randy), hundreds of track days, PCA instructor. yada yada yada. The GT4 I sampled was a full build: aeromotion extended aero and JRZ 3WR suspension set up at their shop, 450hp power package, etc. Gearing is all messed up on that car, it's crazy to have 2nd gear get to 83mph, it means in a slow enough turn you should be putting 1st in. Anyway, once you get some speed and it begins rotating it wants to continue rotating until it spins, basically the opposite behavior of a front engine/rear drive car. I managed a few 2:10 laps at WGI (a far cry from 2:04 in the CS or E90 with no aero and weighing 600lb more...) until third gear 'broke'. I brought it in and apparently 3rd gear is a known issue and covered under warranty, but I've tracked 180k mile E46s which still were on their original tranny and clutch. The GT4 has autorevmatch so it's not like there was a missed shift.
A few years later I had a track weekend with a buddy who raced Cup cars and currently drives a 991 GT3 RS that is modded to the moon and back. During the weekend there was someone else in a GT4 that was funny because they started getting ready to go out, I'd start getting ready as well and then the guy would stop and go sit down so we wouldn't coincide on track. I reminded my buddy that I had never seen a fast GT4 on track and he got upset like if I was insulting his mother or something. Anyway, later that weekend he had a chance to drive my car, did a few laps, came back in and said 'you were right, the GT4 is not even close'.