Porsche Millbrook driving experience , 997 GT3 ( & RS!)
Discussion
Had this last thursday.
What a day , utterly fantastic and i could have not have had a better instructor.
The car for the day was the 997 CS spec GT3 with cage & all that on steel brakes.I wont harp on about the merits of this car as you all know its fantastic , coming from an M3 there was a big difference although the brakes were RUBBISH , yes , rubbish. Bearing in mind i had 380mm brembos on the M3.
Did all the usual , 150mph on the bowl , 170 on the straight , 0-130-0 twice in a mile. Brillaint stuff
Got back to the hotel and my instructor gave me the chance to drive the RS (on the road of course) I was so suprised to find it drove almost identical to the GT3 (then again , it was CS spec) , carbon ceramic brakes are must imo.The RS made my day but aside from chatter from the flywheel , a flat paint job , spoiler and stickers , i could not see 15k difference.I would still go for it mind if i had the money!
Just though i would share my experience.
Paul
What a day , utterly fantastic and i could have not have had a better instructor.
The car for the day was the 997 CS spec GT3 with cage & all that on steel brakes.I wont harp on about the merits of this car as you all know its fantastic , coming from an M3 there was a big difference although the brakes were RUBBISH , yes , rubbish. Bearing in mind i had 380mm brembos on the M3.
Did all the usual , 150mph on the bowl , 170 on the straight , 0-130-0 twice in a mile. Brillaint stuff
Got back to the hotel and my instructor gave me the chance to drive the RS (on the road of course) I was so suprised to find it drove almost identical to the GT3 (then again , it was CS spec) , carbon ceramic brakes are must imo.The RS made my day but aside from chatter from the flywheel , a flat paint job , spoiler and stickers , i could not see 15k difference.I would still go for it mind if i had the money!
Just though i would share my experience.
Paul
. I have my experience at Millbrook next week. Anything/course you particularly recommend or is the day pretty much set in stone? Paul D GT3 said:
Got back to the hotel and my instructor gave me the chance to drive the RS (on the road of course) I was so suprised to find it drove almost identical to the GT3 (then again , it was CS spec) , carbon ceramic brakes are must imo.The RS made my day but aside from chatter from the flywheel , a flat paint job , spoiler and stickers , i could not see 15k difference.I would still go for it mind if i had the money!
IMO spot on. There is no real difference between the two cars but the things you pointed out. The wider hips and the orange/black paint still make it so bl**dy desirable. You know you're being bullsh*tted by Porsche's marketing folks but you happily let them go on with it...
Indeedy! It is set in stone but my instructor asked me if i wanted to do anytihng else , i did not , purely as i was that overwhelmed by the whole experience anyway!
The hill course i great, i lots of trackday and it did not help! Its such a technical thing but really enjoyable , imagine a lovley B road that close off just for you to cane on it and you get the idea
Paul
The hill course i great, i lots of trackday and it did not help! Its such a technical thing but really enjoyable , imagine a lovley B road that close off just for you to cane on it and you get the idea
Paul
I agree it is a great day, a chance to stretch the GT3's legs properly.
Surprised that you felt the ceramic brakes were that much better! On my day I drove two different Gt3's one with ceramics one with steels, they seemed to offer the same levels of stopping power, in fact the instructor said the benefit of the ceramics was their resistance to fade, rather than a big increase in braking power! I certainbly couldn't feel a difference!
Surprised that you felt the ceramic brakes were that much better! On my day I drove two different Gt3's one with ceramics one with steels, they seemed to offer the same levels of stopping power, in fact the instructor said the benefit of the ceramics was their resistance to fade, rather than a big increase in braking power! I certainbly couldn't feel a difference!
Paul D GT3 said:
Had this last thursday.
What a day , utterly fantastic and i could have not have had a better instructor.
The car for the day was the 997 CS spec GT3 with cage & all that on steel brakes.I wont harp on about the merits of this car as you all know its fantastic , coming from an M3 there was a big difference although the brakes were RUBBISH , yes , rubbish. Bearing in mind i had 380mm brembos on the M3.
Did all the usual , 150mph on the bowl , 170 on the straight , 0-130-0 twice in a mile. Brillaint stuff
Got back to the hotel and my instructor gave me the chance to drive the RS (on the road of course) I was so suprised to find it drove almost identical to the GT3 (then again , it was CS spec) , carbon ceramic brakes are must imo.The RS made my day but aside from chatter from the flywheel , a flat paint job , spoiler and stickers , i could not see 15k difference.I would still go for it mind if i had the money!
Just though i would share my experience.
Paul
What a day , utterly fantastic and i could have not have had a better instructor.
The car for the day was the 997 CS spec GT3 with cage & all that on steel brakes.I wont harp on about the merits of this car as you all know its fantastic , coming from an M3 there was a big difference although the brakes were RUBBISH , yes , rubbish. Bearing in mind i had 380mm brembos on the M3.
Did all the usual , 150mph on the bowl , 170 on the straight , 0-130-0 twice in a mile. Brillaint stuff
Got back to the hotel and my instructor gave me the chance to drive the RS (on the road of course) I was so suprised to find it drove almost identical to the GT3 (then again , it was CS spec) , carbon ceramic brakes are must imo.The RS made my day but aside from chatter from the flywheel , a flat paint job , spoiler and stickers , i could not see 15k difference.I would still go for it mind if i had the money!
Just though i would share my experience.
Paul
I was there on the Wednesday 25th April. If you drove the GT3 and then the RS on the bowl you would have noticed a difference. The high speed bowl road surface is awful and turns stomch contents into `froth`. Corrugated concrete effect! The RS handles the bumps better and is more composed. Easier for non-racing-gods like most of us to drive nearer the limits.
Liked the very technical `mountain course` and kept returning to that. Did a few quick `blats` down the mile straight achieved between 155 - 160mph before early braking due to other cars in the vicinity, emergency braking from 90mph and then 130mph, handling course and `drifting` (read tyre knackering). Instructor was a true petrolhead and kept opening the window to listen to the wonderful noise. We got to 130mph before the pain meant we had to close the windows!
Oh and the car that I drove had a cracked glass in the drivers mirror and tyres that were certainly past their best. Car had circa 5,000 miles on it. God help the person that buys that one.
blow dog said:
Paul D GT3 said:
although the brakes were RUBBISH , yes , rubbish. Bearing in mind i had 380mm brembos on the M3.
Paul, strange comment regarding what most consider to be amongst the finest brakes in the business. Perhaps the brakes were worn out?
I would argue strange , i have driven many cars with awsome brakes , this was certantly not one of them , the whole lack of feel was the main issue and the pedal travel was similar to the clutch pedal!these brakes on an 80k car? just silly imo.
IMO , each to their own , i would not say this if i did not mean it but you need to speak as you find.
The RS i drove was the same one , unfortunatley it was a 20 mile road blast , again , from the amount of driving I did in it , it felt no different to ME , under different circumstances , possbily?
Nick , hows things? I love the car but im still undecided , i love the 7 RS now (looks mainly) but all in all , a cracking car!
Paul
997gt3 said:
If a non-paying guest does accompany you, what is there for them to do whilst you, the GT3 owner, is having a ball of a time?
Did people on here go on their own or can your guest join in somehow?
Did people on here go on their own or can your guest join in somehow?
A guest can join in at the princely sum of £550. Not sure if they can "ride along" though.
997gt3 said:
If a non-paying guest does accompany you, what is there for them to do whilst you, the GT3 owner, is having a ball of a time?
Did people on here go on their own or can your guest join in somehow?
Did people on here go on their own or can your guest join in somehow?
I went on my own, so did all the others on the day, basically because there is nothing for the other half to do aside from sit around at the Hotel, which is ok, but not anything special!
Well just got back today from Millbrook day..what a coooool day that was..great weather for it. Drove down in my 997 2s..the car we used was 997 2s with ceramics/sports chassis/continental tyres, all in all a great package. I would defy anyone who is not either a proffesional driver or a very very skilled individual to get the maximum out of these truly fantasctic modern icons. Managed about 152 on the bowl, but to be honest the surface is a bit rippled up on the top lane, and also going round and round and round i fely like i was on a fair ground ride at chuckupsville!
Loved the country B road circuit, ups and downs,dips and hills, hairpins, sweapers, esses, the whole lt..the instructor said if you can drive well on this, short circuits are a doddle..really enjoyed this bit as I could feel the car moving underneath me, understeer/oversteer the full range of car movements even to the point of it being off the road surface..truly a great feeling and the instructor was full of encouragement during the laps..GREAT!
Did the high speed mile straight and banging on the brakes with hands off at 100 mph, also avoidance steering with the brakes banged on from high speed..The final 15 mins was high speed laps from the instructor...FAST!...
Go and enjoy this day guys..I have a lot more understanding of how my car handles and feels and where the car will break loose, also the fact that I can feel and correct whats happening. Money well spent now and in the future for me on tuition to gain the most from my car on road and track is a must. Highly Recommended day out..
Loved the country B road circuit, ups and downs,dips and hills, hairpins, sweapers, esses, the whole lt..the instructor said if you can drive well on this, short circuits are a doddle..really enjoyed this bit as I could feel the car moving underneath me, understeer/oversteer the full range of car movements even to the point of it being off the road surface..truly a great feeling and the instructor was full of encouragement during the laps..GREAT!
Did the high speed mile straight and banging on the brakes with hands off at 100 mph, also avoidance steering with the brakes banged on from high speed..The final 15 mins was high speed laps from the instructor...FAST!...
Go and enjoy this day guys..I have a lot more understanding of how my car handles and feels and where the car will break loose, also the fact that I can feel and correct whats happening. Money well spent now and in the future for me on tuition to gain the most from my car on road and track is a must. Highly Recommended day out..
dmc2 said:
I did the GT3 experience at Millbrook roughly 3 weeks ago. Took my wife with me (£500), she had a great day, she actually had more fun than me!
First time she'd been over 100mph in a car! A big grin ear to ear.
I found it a bit tame and repetitive, bored after one hour.
First time she'd been over 100mph in a car! A big grin ear to ear.
I found it a bit tame and repetitive, bored after one hour.
I'm surprised you were bored after an hour, the Alpine circuit is very hard to fathom & gets the grey cells working, the bowl is awesome over 140-50-ish, whilst the mile straight is a test of when & how hard to brake whilst achieving max velocity, maybe you didn't push the car to get a feel for its capability or was it the car you drove?
Grant3 said:
I'm surprised you were bored after an hour, the Alpine circuit is very hard to fathom & gets the grey cells working, the bowl is awesome over 140-50-ish, whilst the mile straight is a test of when & how hard to brake whilst achieving max velocity, maybe you didn't push the car to get a feel for its capability or was it the car you drove?
The Alpine circuit is great but it's not the place you want to push the limits too hard unless you know the circuit and car well - the price for running wide could be quite high.
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