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GT4 Diary - My Life with a GT4

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85K views 182 replies 63 participants last post by  mayoof 
#1 ·
Introduction

Dear fellow Planet-9 members, Ken kindly asked me if I would like to create a diary for my GT4 to share my ownership experience. I am most thankful for his request and look forward contributing to the forum with text, photo and video related to my GT4. I intend to cover the order decision and experience, the delivery, various reviews, track days, trips and much more. Hence I will stop updating in my GT4 order thread and continue the story here. But first, we have to rewind a few decades…

My passion for Porsches started in 1980 when I was 7 years old. Early one summer morning I walked out on the street outside our house in a small suburb in southern Sweden. It was a beautiful morning with a light breeze blowing from the sea and a clear blue sky (the ones that only exist in your childhood memories). The sun was already warming the asphalt under my barefoot feet. As I came out on the street I looked across at our neighbours house and stopped in awe… In front of their house someone had parked a dark blue metallic 911 with black Fuchs wheels and foreign license plates. It was love at first sight! Wow!

Years later I learned that the car belonged to an Austrian man who was a former colleague from my neighbour, who had studied medicine in Innsbruck. The passion for Porsches stayed with me all these years and at some point I found myself living in Switzerland and owning a 911 myself…

Next up will be the GT4 order decision and process. Until then, a few photos from the Grindelwald region in Switzerland:

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#3 ·
Grindelwald

A few more photos to share from Grindelwald. A truly beautiful scenery, a road with long sweeping turns and a mountainside reflecting the sport exhaust sound. Perfect ground to enjoy the GT4! :)

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#33 ·
Persy
A gorgeous car, for sure.

A few questions:
1) White vs, Carrera White metallic--did you consider the Carrera White? Have you seen it in person? If so is there a big difference in appearance?
2) The GT4 wheels--from the pics your wheels look lighter than the satin wheels I've seen on other cars; is this the case or just how how it turned out in your pictures?
thanks..


Grindelwald

A few more photos to share from Grindelwald. A truly beautiful scenery, a road with long sweeping turns and a mountainside reflecting the sport exhaust sound. Perfect ground to enjoy the GT4! :)

View attachment 59372

View attachment 59373

View attachment 59374
 
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#8 ·
Persy, I'm so glad to see you start your own GT4 diary here.

Not only I'll enjoy reading all about it or seeing pictures of your Snowwhite but I get to see more of heavenly Switzerland... I'm subscribed and looking forward for the next episode.

Thank you
 
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#9 ·
Picture *7232 is a stunner (first shot in post 3). I don't exaggerate when I say my first thought was Ansel Adams.

If you're up there again, can you reduce the foreground and thereby increase the mountaintops visible? :thanks:
That would be poster worthy, like a 2m x 2m hanging behind my desk.
 
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#10 ·
Thank you! That is exaggerating :) One could not get a better compliment! :thanks:

Sure, next time I can take one from behind the fence with a wider lens which should grab the entire mountain ridge. The sunlight was a bit too strong to get all the details from the white/reflecting areas. The grey coloured part between the mountains is actually solid snow and ice from the Grindelwald glacier, but it did not come out well on the photos due to the light and clouds behind. An early morning or late evening shot when the light is softer should do the trick.
 
#12 ·
Beautiful pictures! Did Porsche add the side decals or did you? Very unique on a 981, pretty cool too.
Thank you! Porsche put the decals on. They are similar to the ones which came standard on the Cayman R.
 
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#13 ·
Congrats and beautiful pics--best I've seen so far. I appreciate the side profile pic of the rear as it allows appreciation of the rear diffusers. If you don't mind I'm sure we would all appreciate more pics of the car and it's details. I was interested in the tail lights. Congrats and enjoy!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#15 ·
Order Decision

I got my first Porsche, a 997 Carrera S, in 2005. A lovely car, with manual gearbox and the rare -20mm fixed sport suspension with mechanical LSD. I did however want a cabriolet too so shortly thereafter I picked up a 987 Boxster S to compliment the 911. With the Boxster I started to participate in various track days and events. During it’s lifetime the Boxster went through several changes and upgrades, such as H&R cup suspension and anti-roll bars, single-mass flywheel, lightweight OZ Racing wheels, Recaro bucket seats, etc. It handled extremely well with all these upgrades and I did always wonder why Porsche never had offered a more track oriented Boxster, or Cayman, for that matter. After having done more than 100’000 km in Boxster and been all over Europe on tracks I decide to sell it. I started to look for a nice Boxster Spyder as replacement, but never found one (they are very rare here in Switzerland).

Photos of the Boxster:

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The 997 was replaced by a few other 911 models until the current 991 Carrera 4S with PDK and -20mm Sport-PASM. An extremely capable car which does comfortable long trips and fast laps on a track equally well. In my humble opinion, the ultimate everyday sports car. The few times I changed the 911 I did always look at the GT3 as a replacement, but since I use the 911 all year round, including for skiing trips in the winter, the everyday usability of the Carrera kept winning. The desire for a GT-car was however growing bigger and bigger…

Photos of the Carrera 4S:

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Last year, 2014, I started scanning the market for a 996, or early 997, GT3 for track use and occasional weekend fun, to compliment the 991. About the same time the rumours in media and spy pictures of a motorsport developed Cayman started to float around. I followed these rumours with great excitement and quickly realised that I could satisfy my desire for a GT-car and fill the empty gap from my long gone mid-engined 987 Boxster with such a Cayman.

When Porsche did the official press release and the specification was finally out I was blown away. Just the car I wanted! I immediately contacted my dealer and managed to secure a car with build slot in April, part of the very first batch of cars. The dotted line was signed on February 6th, 2015.

I kept the options to a minimum and in addition to the Swiss Package (which was “free” and included all the necessary options) I only ticked the box for the full bucket seats:
0Q White
28 Black (stitching in Platinum Grey) Leatherette with alcantara
620 Bi-Xenon-Headlights incl. Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS) in black
802 Wings in Black
P13 Automatically dimming mirrors with integrated rain sensor
480 6-speed manual gearbox
643 Sport Chrono Package incl. Porsche Track Precision App and preparation for laptrigger
473 20-inch GT4 wheels
454 Cruise control
630 Light design package
P11 Full bucket seats
490 Sound Package Plus
666 Telephone module
691 Digital radio
P23 Porsche Communication Management (PCM) including navigation module with universal audio interface
UN1 Online Services
085 64l Tank

Then the wait started…

A few weeks after the order placement Porsche sent a little gift to easy the wait:

Cat Box Felidae Small to medium-sized cats Whiskers


Even the cat was excited :)
 
#17 ·
I'm happy to learn you're one of the few here who admire both platforms; 987/981 and 911. But I'm jealous you got a gift from Porsche while I didn't :(

Can I have the cat? I love pets :)

Thank you again for taking us on a drive back to how your journey started. Pictures of the furry cat together with the beast please.
 
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#20 ·
First Encounter at Geneva Auto Salon

On March 5, 2015, we visited the Geneva Auto Salon. This was the first day the salon was open to the public and it has become a tradition for a few of us petrol heads to visit on this very day. This year my dad had flown down from Sweden too, to join us at the salon. The highlights were obviously the GT4 and the GT3 RS which both had premiered at the salon a few days earlier. Equipped with Porsche VIP passes the excitement and expectations were high when we entered the massive exhibition halls a stone throw from Geneva airport.

Both cars were stunning in the metal! We had access to the closed off area and could admire both cars up close and from the inside. They both looked amazing, but the GT4 even more so than the GT3 RS in my humble, but possibly biased, opinion. In any case, more people seemed to crowd around the GT4 and it got more attention. I had not expected this.

With the VIP passes we also had access to the Porsche lounge and had the pleasure to enjoy very tasty and delicious food. Tip: if you plan to visit the salon then ask your dealer for VIP access, it adds a nice touch to the visit!

Photos from the salon:

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#22 ·
Thank you! :) It is one of my favorite shots. The light, focus and composition all worked out great.
 
#23 ·
Sustenpass

Let's make another photo pitstop before we continue the journey. This time from Sustenpass, 2'224 meters above the ocean. A truly beautiful road!

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#24 ·
Sustenpass

Let's make another photo pitstop before we continue the journey. This time from Sustenpass, 2'224 meters above the ocean. A truly beautiful road!
From this set of pictures I have formed an opinion about you. Correct me if I'm wrong; you appear to be a butt man (favorite body part).

:hilarious:

:cheers:
 
#32 ·
Great photos! How does PSE sound when driving by that rock wall in the first photo?
Thanks! :cheers:

The PSE in the GT4 is so loud! It is amazing Porsche got approval for such an exhaust. The 981/991 PSE is quiet in comparison. For the GT4, think part GT3 and part air cooled 993 with straight pipes. That is how it sounds! A fantastic exhaust note. The whole Susten valley got to enjoy those raspy accelerations and banging downshifts today :)
 
#35 ·
Great thread Persey. Enjoying your great photos as well, as I wait for my September build. Changed my order to White and after seeing your pics, I'm glad I did. Are there any aspects of the car that you're disappointed with or don't meet your expectations?
 
#37 ·
Great thread Persey. Enjoying your great photos as well, as I wait for my September build. Changed my order to White and after seeing your pics, I'm glad I did. Are there any aspects of the car that you're disappointed with or don't meet your expectations?

Thanks! :cheers:

Overall the GT4 has exceeded my expectations. They were very high due to the hype around the car and the excellent reviews. Still, exceeded! The only two things which stick out are the long gearing and the uncomfortable bucket seats. Neither really bother me, nor do they stop me from having fun with the car, they are simply two things which could be improved. The bucket seats are obviously a personal thing, but I have simply not found a comfortable enough driving position in them. I did get back pain initially, but it is gone now. As to the gearing, yes it is long and it would have been preferred with shorter ratios. On the other hand, if that had added much $$$ to the price then the GT4 would no longer be the bargain it is. Don't get me wrong, the gearing is not bad, it is just not perfect. The rest of the car is really perfect!
 
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#39 ·
The rest of the car is really perffect

Thanks so much for posting your info! Did your SA go over changing the camber and sway bar adjustments ? Have you tried any different settings yet ? If not when do you plan on trying some? If you do find a better than stock setup please let use know as I am sure you will. I do realize your GT4 is brand new but I thought I would ask anyways as you like to track your cars.
 
#41 ·
Not more than the SA telling me they can be adjusted. I have not touched anything yet. Next week I am off for the first track day with the GT4 (at the former French F1 GP track in Dijon) and then we will see how this puppy behaves :)
 
#42 ·
Persy-thanks for creating this thread and sharing your impressions /images of your car in that marvelous setting.

I have to say, if I was fortunate enough to get a GT4 allocation, White or Carrera White would be on my short list for exterior colors.
 
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#43 ·
Persy:
Thank you for taking the time to document your journey...many of us are living vicariously through your posts! The photos juxtapose stunning natural beauty with exemplary man-made 21st century technology. You are a lucky man indeed!
 
#45 ·
I agree that it's always good to get a feel for the car before messing with it, but all of the reviews I've read said the factory setting is for slight understeer, which isn't that surprising. Chris Harris makes a specific point about this in his video review (at around 3:10 in the link below) and notes that the front setting at full soft and the rear setting at full firm gets rid of the understeer. So, if you drive the car with the factory settings and feel the understeer is too much for your personal preference, the next thing to try seems to be full soft in the front and full firm in the rear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9-Sr8RPty4
 
#46 ·
Yes Porsche sets all their cars for understeer but beyond just suspension settings he needs to learn controls positioning, brake, clutch, shifter feel, weight balance, tire grip, aero feel and various and other sundry things, he needs to learn the complete package before he starts modifying that package and I would suggest in both dry and wet conditions.

I understand so called Internet experts have their tuning suggestions but he needs seat time more than anything at this point.
 
#47 ·
Here is my personal view and opinion. I got the GT4 for the fun. I also drive on track for the fun. I have never ever timed myself nor do I intend to set lap times nor do I try to be faster than other drivers. If people want to pass me, I move over. I happily finish "last" :)

Hence, it is unlikely that I will change the settings of the car to make it faster. I simply don't care. I am certainly not going to remove some understeer to gain a second, while making the car more tricky on the limit. Since I am pretty sure that the GT4 handles better than 99.99% of all other cars out there, the last 0.01% is not going to stop me from having fun :)
 
#48 ·
^ this should be taught at schools. It's the best words of wisdom I learned at P9. Not only applicable to competition on track, but even in life's different aspects.

Thumbs up
 
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