Driving Experience at Silverstone - worth it 2yrs on?!? - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

What with COVID and other clashes, I didn't ever get round to doing my free experience day at Silverstone after I ordered my GT4 in summer of '21. I thought the time had well & truly passed, but this afternoon I received this email from Porsche out of the blue... Now, given I've had my GT4 since July '22, and also we are heading into Winter, would this even be worth it? More importantly, I wouldn't have thought they were still running 718 GT4's on their fleet given production stopped quote some time ago...? Thoughts from those here?

It's not compulsory, and generally the staff only want happy and enthusiastic, glass half full type customers there. Wouldn't bother if I were you.

Why on earth would you not? It's great fun.

Do it. You won’t regret it.

I'd be there in a heartbeat!

Book it... It's a half a day doing something else other than work and you'll get free food too!. Maybe also ask if you can add some extra money and drive another model.

I sort of fell out with it before Covid after having done quite a lot of sessions there. I got a bit bored with it. Then recently I had three old invites stacked up so I took some of the family and had a great day out. I enjoyed it as we drove different cars to ours and we were allowed to swop cars as well. Given you know your GT4 inside out by now why not try something else? There are so many Porsche models now that there is bound to be something you haven’t tried. I particularly enjoyed a 911 Turbo S with the lightweight pack.

Definitely worth it. Even if the weather's not ideal I think it gives you an opportunity to explore the limits of their GT4 when the weather's not 'ideal.'

I did my GT4 one 2 years from placing the order, before it expired. The first thing my instructor asked me when we got in the car was, what do you want to get out of today? I just asked him to teach me something. So we did a couple of laps of the handling circuit then came in and had a quick chat and then went out again and he preceded to show me what I was doing right and wrong. I absolutely would do it if you can. And unlike others, if you are planning on keeping the car for a while, I’d do it in the car you have. There is valuable driving training there if you are open enough to ask for it.

As others have said, in a heartbeat. I think I've been 7 times in the last 8 years, but maybe just 3 or 4 of them for the new car experience. I'll be doing another 2 next year, but aiming to combine a new car experience on day 1 with a "Precision" course on the full size International circuit the following day. I have a mate that cheerfully pays to join me every time I do a new car experience, and now has it down as one of his highlights of the year. I've been trying to explain that buying a new Porsche every year might not be sustainable! I generally go with a different aim every time, and the instructors are really willing to accomodate that. Unfortunately on the smaller circuits, in their cars, you are expected to keep driver aids on, and behave yourself. Probably sensible. But there is so much to learn on all the reduced friction areas that I'll cheerfully spend time practising my reactions to getting out of shape, and inducing understeer and oversteer with everything turned off. First few I did were before getting the new car. I've now realised the better you know your car, the more you'll get out of the PEC new car experience. I've had my GT4 RS experience available to me since May, got the car late August, and I'll probably have 2000 miles and 3 track days under my belt before going to PEC Silverstone. I'll learn a lot more than if I'd gone before getting the car. Liam

Did my PEC half day with instructor in December. What better month for learning your car's foibles.

I was in exactly the same boat as you, bought my Panamera 18 months ago and they sent me the email saying my Experience was about to expire. I’d done it once before about 6 years ago in a 911 GTS and it was a lot of fun but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it again. Anyway, I did it Monday morning this week. I did all the driving and left about 11:30 to go back to work. It was great and I got to drive the updated version of the Panamera Turbo S that has just come out. You get to experience your car in ways you’re likely to never do on the road and I think they do a great job of making it a fun but educational experience. Do it!

So I finally did this a couple of weeks ago. It was nice to have a blast out with the VERY knowledgable instructor to learn the limits of the car on their 2 circuits, but truth be told after all this time I didn't really learn anything new about the GT4 specifically that I could take back into the world with me. If you've not done the experience before, it's good fun and a nice half-day out, but IMO probably not worth doing if you've had your car for a while, and certainly not if you have to pay. The highlight of the day was seeing how fast I could get in/out of the bomb-hole. Lap after lap I was encouraged to drive it hard and get the line perfect, making adjustments each time as the track dried. To the point that the brakes 'went', and we had to go and cool them down. The instructor, as mentioned, was amazing, a sound bloke who managed the traffic and let me treat the 2x circuits like a race track to find optimal lines and limits. My steed for the afternoon; a very well used 19k mile car. It had comfort seats, but it was all they had left in their stable given the 4 is no longer made. It’s certainly had a VERY hard life... A few other pics... Edited by kmpowell on Tuesday 31st December 10:56

Nice one, although I did say might have been better to check out how much it might have been to try a different model as you’d already had the GT4 for a while. TDT said: Book it... It's a half a day doing something else other than work and you'll get free food too!. Maybe also ask if you can add some extra money and drive another model. Nonetheless, fun way to close out the year.

TDT said: Nice one, although I did say might have been better to check out how much it might have been to try a different model as you’d already had the GT4 for a while. When I booked I asked if I could try a 4RS (and I also offered to pay), and they said I should ask when I arrived. On the day the greeter said it wouldn't be possible because all the drivers/cars had been allocated for the day. It felt very "computer says no", so I didn't push it. TDT said: Nonetheless, fun way to close out the year. Indeed. It was overcast all afternoon, so at the end of the day when the light was failing and it was pretty much dark, we were still allowed to continue for our full allocated time. That was a plus. Edited by kmpowell on Tuesday 31st December 11:33

I was booked for my 3rd 4.0 Boxster GTS new car experience in June but fancied trying something different, so paid £30 and got out in a 911 GTS, no issues with switching cars a week before the date.

They've been pretty accomodating in letting me get out in another car I want to try during meal breaks in the past. Never had a "computer says no" moment at the PEC so far.

Driven a 991 Turbo S, 718 Spyder and GT4 there and each time felt it was a great experience. OP has had a negative attitude towards it from the off and got what they expected…..

Whilst trying to decide whether my new Cayman R should be manual or PDK I was given a Porsche Experience session. When I took delivery of my PDK Cayman R (yes it was that good) I was allocated a second Experience Day .... which I was able to exchange for a 997 GT3RS experience day .... 3.6 / 3.8 / 4.0 and GT2RS ... an experience that I still dine out on ... Thankyou P. (I also had Richard Attwood in the four cars, mega !).

LiamH66 said: They've been pretty accomodating in letting me get out in another car I want to try during meal breaks in the past. Never had a "computer says no" moment at the PEC so far. Yes, they also let me out in another car on my 2nd visit during the lunch break a GTS Targa 4, I wanted to see how compromised it would be as I love the design. On the PEC circuits it was!!!

ChrisW. said: Thankyou P. (I also had Richard Attwood in the four cars, mega !). That must have been incredible! Me I was all of 19 at Hockenheim with my Dad and his 928 (in 1979) for a Porsche driving course. We ended up with Jurgen Barth as instructor which was pretty epic (he was just back from the safari rally having had to retire with a broken suspension in a semi factory 924)

I’ve got a voucher from Porsche for the PEC whenever I’m ready. I’m hoping they’ll still have a 992.1 GTS for me to drive, as I’d like to explore the limits of my car, on track. Can you choose your car before you go?

This for me is one of the things that has made (and possibly still does) make Porsche so special. As manufacturers of sports and racing cars their very enthusiastic people were in the habit of making themselves very accessible ... their fun was our fun ... and this filtered down through the whole distribution network. As their product range has expanded and their interests become more diffuse, it feels like their passion has become diluted ... they gradually became a BMW type of manufacturer ... still family but broader based, ... and now ?? There is still a lot to like, I struggle to see many of their cars as anything other than VW's in a frock ... but they still have their Experience Days !!

Absolutely! I’ve also done a snow driving course in Saanen (on the airport) organised by Porsche Switzerland (and with their cars) which was also a lot of fun (and proof that a boxster on winter tyres is fine on snow!)

RichT001 said: I’ve got a voucher from Porsche for the PEC whenever I’m ready. I’m hoping they’ll still have a 992.1 GTS for me to drive, as I’d like to explore the limits of my car, on track. Can you choose your car before you go? You have to choose which car you want when you book so it will be reserved for you on the day

jay2000 said: You have to choose which car you want when you book so it will be reserved for you on the day Excellent, thanks for confirming.

They might not still have a 992.1 GTS on the PEC fleet. The 992.2 GTS is being delivered now so they may have that now. Be interesting to drive that given the new tech ?

ChrisW. said: Whilst trying to decide whether my new Cayman R should be manual or PDK I was given a Porsche Experience session. When I took delivery of my PDK Cayman R (yes it was that good) I was allocated a second Experience Day .... which I was able to exchange for a 997 GT3RS experience day .... 3.6 / 3.8 / 4.0 and GT2RS ... an experience that I still dine out on ... Thankyou P. (I also had Richard Attwood in the four cars, mega !). Sounds amazing. I have had a look at the RS experience that the offer now. How much difference did you notice between the 4 different 997 models?

ChrisW. said: As their product range has expanded and their interests become more diffuse, it feels like their passion has become diluted ... they gradually became a BMW type of manufacturer ... still family but broader based, ... and now ?? Disagree. BMW and most other German OEM's happen to be auto manufacturers that branched into sports cars. Porsche made sports cars and diversified into the family/business market. Very different.

I don't think either of these points is mutually exclusive ... I wouldn't disagree with what you have said.

kmpowell said: So I finally did this a couple of weeks ago. It was nice to have a blast out with the VERY knowledgable instructor to learn the limits of the car on their 2 circuits, but truth be told after all this time I didn't really learn anything new about the GT4 specifically that I could take back into the world with me. If you've not done the experience before, it's good fun and a nice half-day out, but IMO probably not worth doing if you've had your car for a while, and certainly not if you have to pay. <snip> @kmpowell, I think you should consider another visit, even if you have to pay. The instructors are amazing. I must have been instructed by 4 or 5, and have met a few more, as I often drag a mate along. Different every time, and always tailored to whatever I want out of the day. The 2 handling circuits are great, but once you start building pace, you might start building a realisation of what hitting slower cars, or the scenery might mean. I've nearly collected slower cars in the bomb-hole a couple of times, but it's a relatively understandable (if exciting) corner. The double-apex right hander a couple of corners later is the one that gets scary for me as I play out what happens if I get it wrong. Once preserving momentum, turning in late, and ignoring the first apex had been explained to me, there's a fair bit of scenery and not much to run off onto. So once we've decided all that is kind of risky, and launch control and changing lanes while braking as hard as we can gets boring (or we run out of brakes becuase they get so hot), we either head out onto the big circuit (only if on a "Precision" course), or spend lots of time on the Ice Hill, Kicker Plate, and Low Friction circuit. The Kicker Plate is an interesting one, because you never know which way it's going to send the back end. When I first tried it in 2016, I felt like a complete hero. Whichever way it sent me, I could correct with a flick of the wrists. But as I've been back more times, we've turned off all the drive aids, and been over it faster, faster and faster. It gets difficult as the speed increases, and I'm told the Caymans and Boxsters are the hardest to react to. You need to look into the far distance and have very fast steering reactions. The Ice Hill is just awesome for learning turn in, opposite lock and throttle control. As you think you're getting the hang of it, a good instructor might get you to try it faster. If you turn out to be relatively competent at that... Faster still, and you can provoke the intial oversteer by lifting off rather than accelerating, but still pick up the control of the rear end with the throttle. Low friction circuit and skid pads is the one they seem to try to steer you away from. It's really difficult, and very dependent on weather and circuit conditions. And always populated by people that think they can drift a car when they can't. I've had a car where I'm using all the steering lock and controlling the rest with the gas pedal. But the instructors are pretty circumspect about that sort of behaviour, as you have to pull in to the workshops for an underbody inspection if you do manage to go off the circuit. I'm not sure I've ever run out of entertainment available on a PEC day, even driving the exact model that I'm expecting delivery of, have had delivered recently, or have grown to know and love over a few years. I think I enjoy it most in one of my own cars rather than the fine and well-maintained examples they offer, but it's always more about pushing my own limits than it is about the car. Driving your own car definitely makes you appreciative of which bits of scenery you might hit. I've said it here before, so will say again that the full day "Precision" course is absolutely awesome. You'll probably do a track-day's worth of tyre and brake wear if it's in your own car, and I would recommend it is. If you're a circuit driving novice, a couple of half-days on the PEC circuits beforehand will pay dividends in understanding what the car is doing. I've done 2 Precision days in my old 981 GT4, and it meant I knew the car like the best fitting glove I ever wore. I have a GT4 RS PEC half-day still owed, but will try to tag it onto a full day Precision course the following day in my own car. If those don't turn out to be my best 2 days of 2025 I will be surprised. @kmpowell, you say you did't learn anything new about your GT4. Did you learn anything new about yourself? For me, that has been the key experience of every visit to the PEC, and that's why I keep going back. Like you say, good instructors. I'm hoping to cherry pick the bravest I've met so far to join me in the GT4 RS. I love a person that can laugh in the face of sudden and unexpected adversity. Liam Edited by LiamH66 on Friday 3rd January 09:08

LiamH66 said: @kmpowell, I think you should consider another visit, even if you have to pay. The instructors are amazing. I must have been instructed by 4 or 5, and have met a few more, as I often drag a mate along. Different every time, and always tailored to whatever I want out of the day. The 2 handling circuits are great, but once you start building pace, you might start building a realisation of what hitting slower cars, or the scenery might mean. I've nearly collected slower cars in the bomb-hole a couple of times, but it's a relatively understandable (if exciting) corner. The double-apex right hander a couple of corners later is the one that gets scary for me as I play out what happens if I get it wrong. Once preserving momentum, turning in late, and ignoring the first apex had been explained to me, there's a fair bit of scenery and not much to run off onto. So once we've decided all that is kind of risky, and launch control and changing lanes while braking as hard as we can gets boring (or we run out of brakes becuase they get so hot), we either head out onto the big circuit (only if on a "Precision" course), or spend lots of time on the Ice Hill, Kicker Plate, and Low Friction circuit. The Kicker Plate is an interesting one, because you never know which way it's going to send the back end. When I first tried it in 2016, I felt like a complete hero. Whichever way it sent me, I could correct with a flick of the wrists. But as I've been back more times, we've turned off all the drive aids, and been over it faster, faster and faster. It gets difficult as the speed increases, and I'm told the Caymans and Boxsters are the hardest to react to. You need to look into the far distance and have very fast steering reactions. The Ice Hill is just awesome for learning turn in, opposite lock and throttle control. As you think you're getting the hang of it, a good instructor might get you to try it faster. If you turn out to be relatively competent at that... Faster still, and you can provoke the intial oversteer by lifting off rather than accelerating, but still pick up the control of the rear end with the throttle. Low friction circuit and skid pads is the one they seem to try to steer you away from. It's really difficult, and very dependent on weather and circuit conditions. And always populated by people that think they can drift a car when they can't. I've had a car where I'm using all the steering lock and controlling the rest with the gas pedal. But the instructors are pretty circumspect about that sort of behaviour, as you have to pull in to the workshops for an underbody inspection if you do manage to go off the circuit. I'm not sure I've ever run out of entertainment available on a PEC day, even driving the exact model that I'm expecting delivery of, have had delivered recently, or have grown to know and love over a few years. I think I enjoy it most in one of my own cars rather than the fine and well-maintained examples they offer, but it's always more about pushing my own limits than it is about the car. Driving your own car definitely makes you appreciative of which bits of scenery you might hit. I've said it here before, so will say again that the full day "Precision" course is absolutely awesome. You'll probably do a track-day's worth of tyre and brake wear if it's in your own car, and I would recommend it is. If you're a circuit driving novice, a couple of half-days on the PEC circuits beforehand will pay dividends in understanding what the car is doing. I've done 2 Precision days in my old 981 GT4, and it meant I knew the car like the best fitting glove I ever wore. I have a GT4 RS PEC half-day still owed, but will try to tag it onto a full day Precision course the following day in my own car. If those don't turn out to be my best 2 days of 2025 I will be surprised. @kmpowell, you say you did't learn anything new about your GT4. Did you learn anything new about yourself? For me, that has been the key experience of every visit to the PEC, and that's why I keep going back. Like you say, good instructors. I'm hoping to cherry pick the bravest I've met so far to join me in the GT4 RS. I love a person that can laugh in the face of sudden and unexpected adversity. Liam Edited by LiamH66 on Friday 3rd January 09:08 Brilliant review of PEC Liam Interesting, like you I found the kick plate, low grip and ice hill easier easier with the aids turned off. All the instructors put that down to around 15 years of rallying and preferring to control what you want the car to do rather than trying to react to what the car thinks you are going to do, if that makes sense. I actually found the 992 GTS 2wd harder on the kick plate than the Boxster, I put that down to the additional weight at the rear.

I’ve had my GT4 for just under 3 years and keen to do a Precision course in the spring, more to improve my own skills as opposed to learning about the car. What’s the situation with insurance when using your own car?