Taycan Turbo S on track by EVO

[bsclywilly]

The low CG does not fully compensate for the weight of the Taycan. Not even close. Nor will the Taycan be able to match the mid corner speed of something like even a GT4. A Turbo S will kill it coming off the corners and down the straight and then lose it all and more into and through the corners. And it will need all that additional power just to do that. And it will be protesting every step of the way, while the real sportscar will be very composed.

Yes, tell that to the GT4 drivers (plural) I stomped over last Monday at the track in my 4 door station wagon.

Porsche GT cars, no question that is not a fair comparison but I’m saying if you wanted to compare to similar ICE sports sedans. Take an M3 or M5C, I’d wager even with the extra weight it would be just as fun and similarly capable around corners as those cars.

The list of fast laps from the EVO video I think gives theTaycan a lot of credibility when it’s surrounded by lighter 2 door ‘track’ cars on sport cup 2 tires.

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[Archimedes]

Yes, tell that to the GT4 drivers (plural) I stomped over last Monday at the track in my 4 door station wagon.

Porsche GT cars, no question that is not a fair comparison but I’m saying if you wanted to compare to similar ICE sports sedans. Take an M3 or M5C, I’d wager even with the extra weight it would be just as fun and similarly capable around corners as those cars.

The list of fast laps from the EVO video I think gives theTaycan a lot of credibility when it’s surrounded by lighter 2 door ‘track’ cars on sport cup 2 tires.

And if you've spent time on the track, you know that comparing lap times at a DE is meaningless. If you compare track times with professional drivers, you'll find the even the Turbo/Turbo S turn slightly slower times than even a GT4, which has almost 50% less hp and torque. And the only thing keeping them close is the straight line speed, not corner speed, which was my point.

And I don't disagree that it is comparable to other piggy sedans. The Taycan is a very sporty sedan, not a track car, unless you want to spend all your time dealing with all that weight. I love my 4S, but even on a twisty street road, my GT4 would eat it alive in the corners and was much more fun doing it. And my 4S has the performance pack. The 4S would keep up simply due to its ability to rocket off of corners down the next straight.

 

[Mr.Smith]

There will come a day when battery technology removes the weight penalty and increases the energy density so every EV will go around corners like an F1 car and down straights like a top fuel dragster.

The next tech will be solid state by 2025 from Toyota, but it will be on a smaller scale for Hybrids, then by 2030 for BEVs. Long way to go

 

[TDinDC]

This is an interesting conversation but we are mixing a lot of variables into the conversation in a weird way.

If you are strictly talking about weight, then I think we can all agree that when you compare apples to apples (e.g., two identical Taycans apart from weight), extra weight is NEVER a benefit.

When you start to compare the Taycan + weight to non-Taycan - weight, then the comparison start to fall apart.

And I agree that "results" at DE and track days are meaningless unless you are talking about the same driver in two different cars about which the driver has the same level of care (e.g., I would push a 944 much harder even on a DE day than I would ever push my Club Coupe, which is why I would have a lot more fun in the 944 than I would have in my Club Coupe despite it being a much more capable car).

So, you have infinitely different skill levels even within the same run groups, different levels of concern about the various cars being driven, etc . . . Ultimately, these vast differences are what led me to enjoy participating in actual races much more than DEs and track days, and I likely will never go back to Des and track days. I'm not throwing stones, just making an observation.

Also, in thinking about this, I think that DE drivers and instructors tend to overestimate their own driving skills as much as forum participants tend to overestimate their own intelligence and wit. How do I know? Let's call it personal experience from being part of the "problem."

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