Planet 9

neilparmar · #1 01-17-2011, 04:45 AM

Hi Guys, my brother-inlaw and I have decided to "do the Nurburgring" this coming May, after watching many YouTube Videos I am very excited about going, also seeing crashed too make be shiver with fear!

I do understand the dangers of doing the "ring" so for me it will be more of the case of getting around the ring safetly and not like some mad man late for work!

I just need a few pointers for the car, mine being the last of the first Gen Cayman S, PASM with Sports Chrono Plus which I feel will assist, 19" Porsche rims, Porsche Sports Exhaust system, upgraded the break duc spoilers to the GT3 ones for better cooling, other than that its stock.

Next week, my local Porsche dealer will be installing a Fire Extinguisher so my next question is, "what else should I be doing to the car?" from a preparation point of view. Replace break pads, (so far they are original with pleanty of meat left on the bone".

Any advise would be really appreciated.

Thanks

Neil.

kai801 · #2 01-17-2011, 06:31 AM

Good tire and safety equipments?
Other than that I would drive on the ring as is first to see what other improvements are needed and go from there.
Drive safe... ring is one scary road to drive fast... on GT5 it is...

God I wish I live in Germany...

Dontdobends · #3 01-17-2011, 06:32 AM

if its your first visit to the Ring your car and your brakes will be fine its more like a fast road circuit than a short track so your brakes get plenty of time to cool, best tip I can say is when you turn up at the car park at the Ring there is a notice board right next to where you get the tickets make sure you give it a good read! Make sure you put your headlights on and only overtake on the left, dont even try to think about going mad

there is so much to learn in the one lap plus ask if you can go out with other drivers cars first just to get a look at the circuit its like nowhere else on the planet

Here's a clip when I had the CSL its not that quick as I had my right leg in plaster
YouTube - DodgieRingLapInCSL

HassaanAbdeen · #4 01-17-2011, 07:50 AM

You left me puzzled about the crashes you are referring to since it is just a track day event. But I'm no expert, and I wish you all the best as we all look forward to watch your video.

**sctrent** · #5 01-17-2011, 10:20 AM

My buddies and I are planning something similar in May except he is picking up a BMW 5 series and then we go to Nurburgring. I have been practicing driving on the Xbox 360 Forza 3 to get a feel of the curves and distance. My German friend mentioned that there are high speed Taxis you can hire or if you want to splurge hire a Formula 1-ish ride in modified 2-seater cars.

Have fun. Maybe we will see you there.

**JHE** · #6 01-17-2011, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by neilparmar

Hi Guys, my brother-inlaw and I have decided to "do the Nurburgring" this coming May, after watching many YouTube Videos I am very excited about going, also seeing crashed too make be shiver with fear!

I do understand the dangers of doing the "ring" so for me it will be more of the case of getting around the ring safetly and not like some mad man late for work!

I just need a few pointers for the car, mine being the last of the first Gen Cayman S, PASM with Sports Chrono Plus which I feel will assist, 19" Porsche rims, Porsche Sports Exhaust system, upgraded the break duc spoilers to the GT3 ones for better cooling, other than that its stock.

Next week, my local Porsche dealer will be installing a Fire Extinguisher so my next question is, "what else should I be doing to the car?" from a preparation point of view. Replace break pads, (so far they are original with pleanty of meat left on the bone".

Any advise would be really appreciated.

Thanks

Neil.

Neil

I'm sure you'll get a lot of advice about the Nürburgring (specifically, the Nordschleife). it is indeed a fantastic track. I was just there yesterday (yep, Sunday, 16 Jan 2011). They opened the track on Saturday and Sunday since the weather had cleared up a bit. Was my first time in my "new to me" 2009 Cayman S w/PDK, PASM, and Sport Plus. Even with the winter tires on the car and the snow along the side of the track, it was a great day!

If you can, try to do your first day on a weekday and not a weekend day. The spring (if the weather is nice) is CRAZY!! There are so many cars and motorcycles that it is pretty dang scary the first few times you go around. The rules are pretty simple. Pass ONLY on the left. It is NOT a race - on public days, essentially German road rules apply. The cost for 2011 is Euro 24 per lap (but you can get some discount off if you buy a 4, 8, etc lap ticket).

If you've driven the Nordschleife on Forza or GT5, just know that most of us cannot drive as fast in real as we can on the games. There are several bends on the track that I cannot get even close to my Forza speeds.

As for car prep, just the same as any other track day. If you are planning on spending the day there (maybe 15+ laps), then you'll probably burn out your old brake pads, so you might consider new ones before you head to the Ring.

Bottom line: leave the "mad man" at home and just enjoy the ride. You can quickly lose it on the Ring and if you do, you'll not only have the cost of the car, but the cost of rescue workers, etc, and the guard rail is about Euro 1500 per meter. Honestly, I've got about 90 laps on the Ring so far and it still scares the **** out of me, but even so, it is just a fantastic ride!!!!

PDK - Porsche Doppelkupplung

(FAQ in Process)

Derived from motorsport, PDK, available for the 911 Turbo for the first time, achieves one thing above all else: it provides the perfect balance between uncompromisingly dynamic performance and exceptional levels of comfort. It’s purely about point of view. The driver’s especially.

The optional PDK with both manual and automatic modes enables extremely fast gear changes with no interruption in the power flow. For improved acceleration and significantly lower fuel consumption – without having to dispense with the advantages of an automatic.

The driver experiences a sportier, even more dynamic drive with more agility. Depending on driving style, gear changes range from exceptionally comfortable to exceptionally sporty.

Manual gear changes are performed using the PDK’s ergonomically designed gear lever or the switches on the steering wheel: nudge forwards to change up, pull back to change down. The logic behind the optional three-spoke sports steering wheel with gearshift paddles comes from motorsport: pull to the right to shift up, pull to the left to shift down.

PDK has been specially tuned to the characteristics of the new 911 Turbo models. It has seven gears at its disposal. Gears 1 to 6 have a sports ratio, with the top speed being reached in 6th gear. The 7th gear has a long ratio and helps to reduce fuel consumption even further.

PDK is essentially two half-gearboxes in one and thus requires two clutches – designed as a double wet clutch transmission.

This double clutch provides an alternating, non positive connection between the two half-gearboxes and the engine by means of two separate input shafts (input shaft 1 is nested inside the hollowed-out input shaft 2).

The flow of power from the engine is only ever transmitted through one half-gearbox and one clutch at a time, while the next gear is preselected in the second half-gearbox. During a gear change, therefore, a conventional shift no longer takes place. Instead, one clutch simply opens and the other closes at the same time. Gear changes can therefore take place within milliseconds.

Clutch 1 controls the first half-gearbox, which contains the odd gears (1, 3, 5, 7) and reverse. Clutch 2 controls the second, which contains the even gears (2, 4, 6).

The optional Sport Chrono Package Turbo with dynamic engine mount system provides PDK with two additional functions, ‘Launch Control’ and ‘motorsport-derived gearshift strategy’.

PDK – sporty, comfortable and efficient. Characteristics that have been given some thought elsewhere too: in the specification for the new 911 Turbo models.

**JHE** · #7 01-17-2011, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by HassaanAbdeen

You left me puzzled about the crashes you are referring to since it is just a track day event. But I'm no expert, and I wish you all the best as we all look forward to watch your video.

Hassaan

I think Neil is going on a "public day" and not a private track day (right Neil??). On public days, the saying is that on every lap, you'll either (1) see a wreck, (2) pass a wreck, or (3) be in a wreck!!!! Gotta say I've seen and passed a lot of them on the Nordschleife. Heck, even during a Porsche Sport Driving School event in October, we had several wrecks during guided laps because the track was so wet and slippery. It is a very difficult track!!!!

Speaking of video, it is still not permitted to video laps on the public day. If they catch you, they'll ban you from the track.....

**sctrent** · #8 01-17-2011, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by JHE

Speaking of video, it is still not permitted to video laps on the public day. If they catch you, they'll ban you from the track.....

What if it is part of the onboard front / rear camera traffic avoidance system integrated with the car?

**bretster** · #9 01-17-2011, 06:08 PM

Here's a couple links to safety / procedure videos you can watch to get an idea of what to expect and watch out for:

YouTube - Nürburgring, Nordschleife Safety Video.

YouTube - Nurburgring Safety Film

Just take it easy at first!!!

HassaanAbdeen · #10 01-17-2011, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by JHE

On public days, the saying is that on every lap, you'll either (1) see a wreck, (2) pass a wreck, or (3) be in a wreck!!!!

That's a disaster !!! After reading this, I simply wouldn't go there to track my car or attend an event... Is this the case everywhere else on other tracks world wide? I know for sure this is not the case in Bahrain & UAE.

Why not minimize the number of participants then to reduce the accidents?

neilparmar · #11 01-18-2011, 02:22 AM

Hi, I'm going on a public day, so hopefully it'll be allot less busy.

Thanks for the good advice too

)

neilparmar · #12 01-18-2011, 02:24 AM

THANK YOU ALL for all your advice etc, i'll be taking it easy on the day and making sure all is done to keep it all safe and enjoyable.

Very much looking forward to it too.

Methos · #13 01-18-2011, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by HassaanAbdeen

That's a disaster !!! After reading this, I simply wouldn't go there to track my car or attend an event... Is this the case everywhere else on other tracks world wide? I know for sure this is not the case in Bahrain & UAE.

Why not minimize the number of participants then to reduce the accidents?

I think most incidents on the track are single car incidents caused by overzealous driving and/or oil/fluid slicks on the track. Also note that 1 Nurburgring lap is ~10 laps of any other track (over 20km) and during those days it is open to the public for just a modest fee per lap. Quite a unique situation.

**JHE** · #14 01-30-2011, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by Methos

I think most incidents on the track are single car incidents caused by overzealous driving and/or oil/fluid slicks on the track. Also note that 1 Nurburgring lap is ~10 laps of any other track (over 20km) and during those days it is open to the public for just a modest fee per lap. Quite a unique situation.

Indeed all of the wrecks I've seen or passed are single car (or motorcycle) incidents. The track is long with many elevation changes and lots of blind curves. And, most importantly, there is also no "run off area" along the track, so if you lose it, you're going to buy some railing! Public days are Euro 24 per lap this year (2011) which is about $32.50 per lap at today's exchange rate.