Some questions about the RCF
#31
Lexus Test Driver
Computers and technologies blunt that feel. TVD is nanny tech just as your traction control is.
LSD is old school, by far and large for the majority of track enthusiasts this is what they enjoy. You have to develop your skill set to a much higher level.
It's not a question of whether the TVD is faster or not but at the end of the day the experience delivered. LSD gives that familiar old school track experience. Under very capable hands LSD is lethal but you're not going to shine with it right off the back until you pour in the blood and sweat.
LSD is old school, by far and large for the majority of track enthusiasts this is what they enjoy. You have to develop your skill set to a much higher level.
It's not a question of whether the TVD is faster or not but at the end of the day the experience delivered. LSD gives that familiar old school track experience. Under very capable hands LSD is lethal but you're not going to shine with it right off the back until you pour in the blood and sweat.
Sorry, maybe we can agree to disagree. If the car feels very lively, willing to turn tighter with sharper/quicker steering response off-center using the TVD, that makes it exciting and not "blunt" in my own experience. It is amplifying the inputs in order to help the driver go faster as opposed to a TC, which is intrusive in terms of stopping the driver from doing what he/she is trying to do. Big difference. If a driver likes to control the understeer/oversteer balance all by himself/herself, that is a totally subjective opinion. The TVD simply masks the weak points of the RCF better with a slightly better weight distribution (53/47 vs 54/46) and also with handling of the weight. With a short wheelbase, it was less of an issue with the RCF in terms of responsiveness, but Lexus fit a TVD-only in GSF precisely because inherently long wheelbase is the enemy of agility as it wants to drive straight.
With 170 lbs less weight, the business case to put a TVD was far less in the case of the RCF TE. Skidpad lateral acceleration G-load is a good measure of how much the car can accelerate at the limit and the 0.94g of the RCF TE vs 0.98g for the RCF CF/TVD is telling that the TVD has better grip at the limit with the same tires despite the 160 lbs more weight and slightly softer dampers.
This is what C&D said about the TVD in a back-to-back test with LSD.
There’s no question that torque vectoring improves objective performance, yet the strongest selling point for this differential is how the car feels from behind the wheel. Whether it’s at the limit on the track or winding down country roads, torque vectoring makes the car livelier and more controllable. Without it, limit cornering is a trying exercise in traction management, load transfer, and other subtle variables. The torque-vectoring differential feels like a subtle push from behind. Turn the wheel and the car dives in so eagerly and effortlessly that you’ll want to attribute its behavior to magnetic forces or supernatural powers. Or, you might just tell passengers that it’s all due to your peerless driving technique. And isn’t that worth the money?
Last edited by 05RollaXRS; 01-18-22 at 11:06 PM.
#32
Like I said above, all of the top end supercars and sports cars have torque vectoring. Porsche GT3 is the most hardcore track oriented sports car one can buy and it has "Porsche torque vectoring" in it. It is something that is being used in various hardcore track cars. This is more like a 6 speed manual vs PDK discussion.
As for "most hardcore track oriented Porsche" it depends on how high up the food chain you want to go. If you want to talk about the most hardcore track oriented sports car one can buy you can go up to the alpha of them all, Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport. It has 7-speed PDK-gearbox (DCT, dual clutch transmission) like the GT3 and all but absent the Torque vectoring. It Uses a mechanical diff. instead.
The same can be said for Mclaren camp if you go into the rarefied stratosphere with the Senna GTR.
These are the hardcore track oriented cars you should be talking about. Supercars for the general public are posers and they will have technology to make the buyer feel like a super racer (albeit a sub-par one regardless) without investing much time running on the track. The car's technology is the enabler rather than the other way around, the driver's skill.
Lol. Reminiscent of it I agree.
#33
Chances are, that Clubsport's differential is adjustable (as in you can control the power/coast locking abilities).
#34
Lexus Test Driver
Obviously, my delineation are track-focused cars for hard core track rat buyers that are sold to the public as production street-legal cars. In this case, club sport GT2 RS vs the production GT2 RS (and GT3 RS as well). The production street GT2 RS has PTV while the GT2 RS CS has a mechanical differential. Every time a car is designed for very high mileage, street drivability and reliability, there are big compromises.
I agree with Yuri above that the locking characteristics of these mechanical differentials are different from production differentials since they are only intended to be used on the race track so they can be far more aggressive in their locking behavior than the street mechanical differentials at the cost of wear and tear/load factor for the diff since the more aggressive the mechanical differential is in its locking behavior, the more wear it will have to take under aggressive cornering. Since these are no compromise track cars with everything setup for the track and all equipment taken out to make them street-legal, it is easy to see why they don't need PTV and use mechanical diff instead.
I agree with Yuri above that the locking characteristics of these mechanical differentials are different from production differentials since they are only intended to be used on the race track so they can be far more aggressive in their locking behavior than the street mechanical differentials at the cost of wear and tear/load factor for the diff since the more aggressive the mechanical differential is in its locking behavior, the more wear it will have to take under aggressive cornering. Since these are no compromise track cars with everything setup for the track and all equipment taken out to make them street-legal, it is easy to see why they don't need PTV and use mechanical diff instead.
Last edited by 05RollaXRS; 01-19-22 at 09:59 AM.
#35
Unlike other components such as being able to change the brake bias or engine mapping with a twist of a **** in the cockpit, the driver has no electronic control of the differential lock. The differential is purely mechanically based on how much pressure is being exerted on the clutch discs via the pressure rings.
You would have to change it's physical attributes such as clutch plates and spring rates of the pressure rings but Porsche has already done all the hard work and optimized it for you right out of the factory.
#37
Lexus Test Driver
You are missing out not exploring with it. Put it in slalom mode and you will immediately notice how the steering gets faster especially off-center even at slow speeds/low energy maneuvering. Although, rear end will want to step out a bit accelerating out of turns, but it is super easy to control keeping on-throttle.
#38
i've thought about selling my car since i wfh now, i haven't even put 1k miles on it since May, 2021, plus she stays cleaner sitting in the garage
if the 2023 supra manual rumors are true, i may grab one of those and give the rcF to the wife.
if the 2023 supra manual rumors are true, i may grab one of those and give the rcF to the wife.
#39
Lexus Test Driver
I am also WFH and have been since April 2020. I have two other cars including an RX450h, which is our family hauler and our grocery getter etc. I purchased my RCF in October of 2017 so 4+ years and it had 8000 miles and now it has just under 11,000 miles so my record is worse than yours LOL I drive it only in spring/summer and when I get a chance to drive it given my busy schedule, but the bottom line this car is amazing to drive and modify even with basic bolt-ons etc. It might not offer the top performance/dollar for the money I spent on it, but there is nothing else quite like the RCF. It just does so many things so well. I would go out on a limb and say, there is nothing else below $100K that offers so many things in one package and does them so well. I can put two baby seats in the back for my two little kids and put diaper bags etc. in the trunk. Still have the head-turning looks, an amazing driving experience and the engine/exhaust noise (with a full exhaust) is just intoxicating and never gets old. Despite the market for such a car, the idea never crosses my mind to sell it. People ask me all the time what is the point of owning a car that sits in the garage 98% of the time and my response is :"it is my money so I can do whatever the hell I want" LOL
Last edited by 05RollaXRS; 01-20-22 at 06:29 AM.
#40
..., but the bottom line this car is amazing to drive and modify even with basic bolt-ons etc. It might not offer the top performance/dollar for the money I spent on it, but there is nothing else quite like the RCF. It just does so many things so well. I would go out on a limb and say, there is nothing else below $100K that offers so many things in one package and does them so well. ... Still have the head-turning looks, an amazing driving experience and the engine/exhaust noise (with a full exhaust) is just intoxicating and never gets old. ... LOL
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05RollaXRS (01-20-22)
#41
I am also WFH and have been since April 2020. I have two other cars including an RX450h, which is our family hauler and our grocery getter etc. I purchased my RCF in October of 2017 so 4+ years and it had 8000 miles and now it has just under 11,000 miles so my record is worse than yours LOL I drive it only in spring/summer and when I get a chance to drive it given my busy schedule, but the bottom line this car is amazing to drive and modify even with basic bolt-ons etc. It might not offer the top performance/dollar for the money I spent on it, but there is nothing else quite like the RCF. It just does so many things so well. I would go out on a limb and say, there is nothing else below $100K that offers so many things in one package and does them so well. I can put two baby seats in the back for my two little kids and put diaper bags etc. in the trunk. Still have the head-turning looks, an amazing driving experience and the engine/exhaust noise (with a full exhaust) is just intoxicating and never gets old. Despite the market for such a car, the idea never crosses my mind to sell it. People ask me all the time what is the point of owning a car that sits in the garage 98% of the time and my response is :"it is my money so I can do whatever the hell I want" LOL
well either that or move to any other state haha
#42
Lexus Test Driver
That definitely sucks since the OEM exhaust is underwhelming to put it very lightly. It gets 10x better with a full exhaust. Hope there is a way for you to put some bolt-ons on your RCF and experience how much better the experience gets with a full exhaust (and potentially other bolt-ons).
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