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Should I buy a 2011 GT500?


Cabinetman

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I realize that questions like this are impossible to answer by anybody except me, but I want to get as much information as possible before I make a decision.

 

Here is a little background on me. I'm a car guy and enjoy to drive performance cars on the street. I have never done a track day and probably wont for the foreseeable future. My "fun" car doesn't get daily driven. My last four cars were a 2008 Lexus IS-F, a 2010 BMW E90 M3, a 2011 Nissan GT-R and currently a 2009 Porsche Carrera S. As you can see I have been through a lot of car in the past year and half. I love the Porsche, but I'm trying to free up some money and get something that still fun to drive.

 

I test drove a 2011 GT500 yesterday with the SVTPP. I didn't get on the car so I can't really comment on the acceleration, but I doubt that will be a real issue. My questions concern just how easy is the car to live with. The interior was quiet enough while cruising, but will it turn into a rattle trap in a couple of months? Also, how does the GT500 put down power on the street? Is it fairly easy to keep control of? Are there any issues I should be aware of besides the 1st to 2nd gear grind? Is ground clearance a real problem? I'm used to being careful, but I don't want to get into a car that will scrap all over town (like my GT-R did).

 

I'm very close to pulling the trigger, but I just want some real world feedback before I make the plunge. I'm tired of trading cars and losing money. It would be nice to get something that I don't have $80k plus tied up in that is still entertaining to drive on the street and that won't be too extreme my wife doesn't want to ride in it.

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback you can give me.

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I realize that questions like this are impossible to answer by anybody except me, but I want to get as much information as possible before I make a decision.

 

Here is a little background on me. I'm a car guy and enjoy to drive performance cars on the street. I have never done a track day and probably wont for the foreseeable future. My "fun" car doesn't get daily driven. My last four cars were a 2008 Lexus IS-F, a 2010 BMW E90 M3, a 2011 Nissan GT-R and currently a 2009 Porsche Carrera S. As you can see I have been through a lot of car in the past year and half. I love the Porsche, but I'm trying to free up some money and get something that still fun to drive.

 

I test drove a 2011 GT500 yesterday with the SVTPP. I didn't get on the car so I can't really comment on the acceleration, but I doubt that will be a real issue. My questions concern just how easy is the car to live with. The interior was quiet enough while cruising, but will it turn into a rattle trap in a couple of months? Also, how does the GT500 put down power on the street? Is it fairly easy to keep control of? Are there any issues I should be aware of besides the 1st to 2nd gear grind? Is ground clearance a real problem? I'm used to being careful, but I don't want to get into a car that will scrap all over town (like my GT-R did).

 

I'm very close to pulling the trigger, but I just want some real world feedback before I make the plunge. I'm tired of trading cars and losing money. It would be nice to get something that I don't have $80k plus tied up in that is still entertaining to drive on the street and that won't be too extreme my wife doesn't want to ride in it.

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback you can give me.

 

 

Not sure if this will help but.....

 

Like you I have had a varied car collection in the past. I have an 11 but have only had it for 3 days....but I have a 10 in grabber blue and have had it for over a year. Acceleration is ok, not in the same league as your gtr or my z06 but plenty for fun. The whine of the sc is great. My 2010 is driven daily 3 seasons and has 7343 miles. No rattles, no grind, no problems. Ground clearance is no problem...I have hardly ever scraped the 10 but the 11 is a little shorter. My z06 scrapes in my driveway, the 11 does not. I take car of my cars but drive them pretty hard. I like to accelerate and not baby. My wife likes the gt500 better than the vettes, but the svtpp ride is similar...bumpy but not terrible. I live in north Dakota so the roads are crap. If she can live with it anyone can...she is from NC where we have nice smooth roads. I have two car seats in the back no problem. I actually feel like I can do a few things to this car...oil, brakes, etc whereas my other cars are too low or too complicated. I have friends with porches and gtr's. They drive them to work every now and then but I feel I am getting way more use out of my gt500's. My next car will likely be a gt3 but not for daily use.

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I'm tired of trading cars and losing money.

 

Don't expect anything different this time. This car will cost you less than your last four and I'd expect the depreciation to be proportional.

 

...I have hardly ever scraped the 10 but the 11 is a little shorter

 

What? Shorter? How is the '11 shorter?

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I realize that questions like this are impossible to answer by anybody except me, but I want to get as much information as possible before I make a decision.Here is a little background on me. I'm a car guy and enjoy to drive performance cars on the street. I have never done a track day and probably wont for the foreseeable future. My "fun" car doesn't get daily driven. My last four cars were a 2008 Lexus IS-F, a 2010 BMW E90 M3, a 2011 Nissan GT-R and currently a 2009 Porsche Carrera S. As you can see I have been through a lot of car in the past year and half. I love the Porsche, but I'm trying to free up some money and get something that still fun to drive.I test drove a 2011 GT500 yesterday with the SVTPP. I didn't get on the car so I can't really comment on the acceleration, but I doubt that will be a real issue. My questions concern just how easy is the car to live with. The interior was quiet enough while cruising, but will it turn into a rattle trap in a couple of months? Also, how does the GT500 put down power on the street? Is it fairly easy to keep control of? Are there any issues I should be aware of besides the 1st to 2nd gear grind? Is ground clearance a real problem? I'm used to being careful, but I don't want to get into a car that will scrap all over town (like my GT-R did). I'm very close to pulling the trigger, but I just want some real world feedback before I make the plunge. I'm tired of trading cars and losing money. It would be nice to get something that I don't have $80k plus tied up in that is still entertaining to drive on the street and that won't be too extreme my wife doesn't want to ride in it.Thanks in advance for any feedback you can give me.

 

 

I can't give you any experience on comparing the GT500 to those cars but I can say after 4200 miles on mine I haven't had a single rattle in my convertible, I drive it like I stole it and I haven't run into any traction problems a little experience with a RWD car couldn't handle. I wouldn't worry about the 1st/2nd gear grind, just make sure to test for it before you buy it. I haven't scraped it on the bottom of a street yet, but there is one area I know it WILL scrape on that I wont take it.

 

I love the car, worth every penny and by the sounds of it I'm not nearly as loaded as you are. My wife's only complain is the lack of an "O shit" handle, but its a convertible, what do you want? (don't know if the coupes have 'em)

 

Shorter? How is the '11 shorter?

 

 

He means lower. It has a lower ride height than the '10 due to the PP.

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looking back, i should have bought my car with a dealer installed TVS so id have a warrnty on the TVS---if you want to save a few bucks consider buying a new 2010,put the TVS in at 660hp,and youll still get in for alot less than the 11 SVTPP car.I too have had my car for 4,000 miles and 18 mos,no rattles,no scrapes,i dont have the 1-2 grinds issue anymore,i did when new--either way,its a gerat car--good luck

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Don't expect anything different this time. This car will cost you less than your last four and I'd expect the depreciation to be proportional.

 

 

 

What? Shorter? How is the '11 shorter?

 

 

Somebody who knows more can correct me but I think my 11 svtpp is 11mm shorter than my 10?

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Somebody who knows more can correct me but I think my 11 svtpp is 11mm shorter than my 10?

 

 

Wheelbase is identical, whether you have the PP or the standard GT500. Are you asking from nose to tail?

 

And yes, as previously mentioned, the PP ride height is LOWER.

 

Edited for Engrish

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Wheelbase is identical, whether you have the PP or the standard GT500. Are you asking from nose to tail?

 

And yes, as previously mentioned, the PP ride height is LOWER.

 

Edited for Engrish

 

 

No I am saying ride height..11mm shorter or less tall or closer to the ground.

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Thank you for all the insight.

 

I'm pretty close to making the jump to the Shelby. I will probably have one in the garage by tomorrow.

 

It will be a bit bittersweet for me trading in my 997.2S. I really love my Porsche and have dreamed of owning a 911 since I was a kid. The problem is I just don't feel comfortable driving the car. I can't drive it to work because my employees would have a hard time understanding why I'm cutting hours while I'm driving a $100k Porsche. Also, my wife doesn't like it because she feels it is too showy. She prefers to stay low key. We really live pretty humbly besides my car addiction.

 

I guess the only other question I have is about the attention the car gets. Does every kid in a Civic with a coffee can exhaust want to race you? The reason I ask is because I went through that in my GT-R. It got old very fast.

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I took my 2011 directly from the dealership to Peter's Auto Radio (which I trust & recommend to do this) in San Francisco to have a Steelmate PTS800MM front/rear parking sensor system installed. Peter's takes the sensors to a nearby bodyshop, which computer-matches the car's paint and covers them just enough to match the car's bumpers while not interfering with their sensing. The professionally-installed result looks "factory", and the two readouts fit unobtrusively atop the front dashboard next to the windshield and under the rear roof just above the rear window.

 

I mention this because my most immediate concern with the car is the difficulty in precisely seeing its four corners, particularly when parallel-parking; the rear spoiler makes this all the more difficult. With the Steelmate installed, this problem disappears easily & instantly.

 

If you plan to drive a significant-other around in the car, note that only the driver's seat is power-adjustable. The passenger just has a manual forward/backward seat with a backrest-angle lever. For passenger comfort, particularly on long drives, this car needs a power passenger seat, as discussed here.

 

With these two modifications I think you'd find the 2011 GT500 a very pleasant car as well as a fun one.

 

That said, I think you'll find that the GT500 gets more attention than any Porsche ever made, short of the GT. About the only step you could take to make it less so is to look for a stripe-delete car, but even then it looks and sounds like the latest Terminator from Cyberdyne Systems. And that's just at idle. ;)

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If you plan to drive a significant-other around in the car, note that only the driver's seat is power-adjustable. The passenger just has a manual forward/backward seat with a backrest-angle lever. For passenger comfort, particularly on long drives, this car needs a power passenger seat, as discussed here.

 

I'm not too worried about the power seats. My Porsche, which had a sticker price of $99,600, has manual seats on both sides. Only the seat back adjustment is power. However, they are heated and vented. Power seats are one of the endless options you can get on a Carrera S. You also can not get automatic on headlights in a 997. It took me a little time to get used to turning a switch when it got dark outside because I have had automatic lights on every car we have owned for some time now.

 

The only things i'm going to miss with the GT500 are Homelink and heated seats. The 2007 GT California Special I had a few years back had heated seats so I'm surprised they are not in the Shelby. Also, both my wife's 2010 Expedition and my daily driver 2011 F250 6.7 PSD have Homelink (actually I think the new truck has Ford's take on Homelink but it programs differently) on the visor so it surprises me they didn't add it to the top shelf Mustang.

 

There are a few things I would like to see on the Shelby, but I won't really miss them. The first is larger brake rotors in the rear. I would actually love to see a setup like my GT-R had with 6 piston calipers in the front and 4 piston in the rear clamping 15" full floating vented rotors all the way around. The GT-R is a heavy car like the Shelby, but it stopped as well as my Porsche. Full power seats would also be nice with a memory feature. Also, a telescoping steering wheel would be nice.

 

Well I'm 95% sure I will go through with the deal and get the Ford tomorrow. Thanks again for the help.

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I think depending on the Town you live in you will more than likely get more attention with the GT500 than the Porsche. Very interesting cars you have had, I am in the same boat almost, mine have just been older because it was further back when I owned them. I had a 911 and a M3, loved both of them. I do like my Shelby more than either, but I am more of a Muscle car type. That said, if I lived down south my Daily would more than likely be a 911, but my Toy will always be a Muscle Car of some sort.

 

I do not think you will regret it, except the fact you will more than likely lose your shirt on the 911.

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My strip delete, Kona, GT500 SVTPP definitely gets more attention than my red 996/911 cabriolet did. But I live in a town where Porsches are literally everywhere. You can't turn your head without seeing one and I've been at intersections with 3 or 4 stopped waiting on the lights.

 

The attention the GT500 gets is generally friendlier, as a even a optioned up Ford Mustang is still a Ford Mustang and you aren't percieved as a rich jerk. I have had the company parking lot issue with an earlier 911 at previous company. I was the only non-executive with a Porsche in the lot, the CEO and CTO each had one. Some of the VPs took it upon themselves to track down my salary, and when they found out that I made more as a "non-executive" than they did a soap-opera happened, that along with some other crap eventually lead to me leaving the company.

 

I'm very happy with my 2011 GT500 SVTPP. I did seriously look at Porsches when I bought mine. Definitely a different kinda of car and really not directly comparable. Some rough edges, like lack of remote locking fuel cap, lack of hood struts, manual seat recline that isn't that precise, no telescoping steering wheel, shifting quality and traction issues exist that you don't find in street Porsche. But overall the quality, look and feel of the GT500 has been great. It is just as much fun, if not more, on back roads. It is much better as a daily driver. More space everywhere. I never bottom on speed bumps and only on the worst curbs and parking lot exit dips do have to watch the front spoiler. For about 4 months my GT500 was my daily drive and I put 5K miles on it. I am commuting a bit more in my LX570 these days though and when the weather gets worse I'll likely park the GT500 rather than track down all season tires.

 

I like that GT500 it isn't optioned up and that my money went to the engine and suspension. If Porsche made a less optioned performance version car that wasn't more expensive than the optioned out vehicle it was based on I might have been interested in one. But they have just got insane with the pricing? More money for fabric door handles and a non-folding fabric top on the Boxer Spyder? Just adding the performance options to a 911 turbo ups the price $20K+. It is a 911 turbo, when did getting performance to run with a GT-R or ZR1 cost extra?

 

With Ford right up in the quality surveys with Porsche, Lexus, MB, etc. it wasn't that hard to make the jump and so far I'm glad I did.

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I guess the only other question I have is about the attention the car gets. Does every kid in a Civic with a coffee can exhaust want to race you? The reason I ask is because I went through that in my GT-R. It got old very fast.

 

 

Unfortunately Ricers love to try and line up with you...and they don't even need the Coffee Can. Hell even Deisel Picktup trucks with stracks try to race you...

 

Most people just want to see how fast it is and know they don't have a shot but it gets old, and I can't see it being any less than your GT-R.

 

I also hope you don't mind people taking pictures/video of your car because its almost a daily occurence for me. The worst is when you get some girl trying to drive AND take pictures of your car in stop and go traffic and you know all it takes is one slip-up for her to rear-end you.

 

I parked inbetween two black corvettes at Panera bread last night and watched some guy with his girlfriend walk by. He did a double take on my car, grabbed his girlfriends arm and dragged her all the way around my car, even proceeding to stick his head in my windows(grr). After that another guy did a walk around the car with his smart phone taking a video of it.

 

I couldn't tell who the corvette owners were since there were so many old folks inside, but I'm sure they weren't happy about all the people walking between our cars.

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She prefers to stay low key. We really live pretty humbly besides my car addiction.

 

I guess the only other question I have is about the attention the car gets. Does every kid in a Civic with a coffee can exhaust want to race you? The reason I ask is because I went through that in my GT-R. It got old very fast.

 

I'm not sure you will fullfill her desire to be low key. I think it would heavily depend on the body color and stripe combination you are going to be getting but it's not a very low key vehicle. Take any car, paint it grabber blue, add white stripes and a huge exhaust then festoon the car with snake badges and see how incognito you can be.

 

The car gets a lot of attention, most good...some bad. My street in general has an abundance of high end vehicles but the Shelby definately gets a load of attention. I've had people jump out of their vehicles while I'm stopped at the lights and start taking pictures. The ricers around here will attempt to go after any vehicle so I don't think they are more or less of an issue. The Camaros, Challengers and Chargers generally come up fast and then slink away once they see the GT500 badging and realize it's not another pre-2011 GT or V6 with racing stripes. I'm sure the attention your car will or will not garner is largely regional but the Shelby is a decently rare beast around here so it gets loads of it.

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Unfortunately Ricers love to try and line up with you...and they don't even need the Coffee Can. Hell even Deisel Picktup trucks with stracks try to race you...

 

Most people just want to see how fast it is and know they don't have a shot but it gets old, and I can't see it being any less than your GT-R.

 

I also hope you don't mind people taking pictures/video of your car because its almost a daily occurence for me. The worst is when you get some girl trying to drive AND take pictures of your car in stop and go traffic and you know all it takes is one slip-up for her to rear-end you.

 

I parked inbetween two black corvettes at Panera bread last night and watched some guy with his girlfriend walk by. He did a double take on my car, grabbed his girlfriends arm and dragged her all the way around my car, even proceeding to stick his head in my windows(grr). After that another guy did a walk around the car with his smart phone taking a video of it.

 

I couldn't tell who the corvette owners were since there were so many old folks inside, but I'm sure they weren't happy about all the people walking between our cars.

 

i thik it was the red/silver/vert combo that got them looking

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I also hope you don't mind people taking pictures/video of your car because its almost a daily occurence for me. The worst is when you get some girl trying to drive AND take pictures of your car in stop and go traffic and you know all it takes is one slip-up for her to rear-end you.

 

 

I ran into this a lot with the GT-R. Some idiot would weave in and out of traffic to get up next to me and then start snapping cell phone pics. I had one guy nearly rear end the car next to me because he was too busy checking out the Nissan instead of driving.

 

Well, I pulled the trigger on a 2011 Shelby coupe with SVTPP and the electronics package. I said to hell with attention and got a red car with white stripes. My father-in-law gave me a model of a '65 GT 350 in red with white stripes 10 years ago and I have been partial to that combo ever since. Not to mention the last four cars I owned were either silver or white so I figure it was time to spice things up a bit. I will try to get pics up in the next day or two.

 

So far I am thrilled. The sound alone puts a huge smile on my face. I'm definitely going to have to get used to driving a big car with limited rear visibility again. The Porsche spoiled me it that regard. The Shelby isn't as bad as the GT-R was, but I can see why some guys have added cameras and/or parking sensors.

 

Until I get pics of the new ride here are some pics of the past rides.

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I'm not sure you will fullfill her desire to be low key. I think it would heavily depend on the body color and stripe combination you are going to be getting but it's not a very low key vehicle. Take any car, paint it grabber blue, add white stripes and a huge exhaust then festoon the car with snake badges and see how incognito you can be.

 

 

I think low-key is probably not the right word. She prefers for me not to be perceived as a rich, stuck-up, jack-ass. Plus she didn't like the idea of so much money tied up in a recreational use vehicle. I couldn't drive it to work because of how it might be perceived by my customers and employees so the Porsche sat a lot.

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I own both the Porsche 911 Carrera S and the Shelby GT500. I can tell you right now that I have to practically flip a coin everytime I go in the garage because both are so fun. For me the Shelby is quite the attention getter, when I want to be more anonymous I drive the 911. The Shelby screams down the road, i've had people stop dead in the street and scream "GT500!".

 

I think you will probably have a bit more fun in the GT500 if you start getting into some mods. Tweaking the Shelby is so fun, swap out the blower and you have some massive power gains and the engine can handle it no problem.

 

As far as fit and finish I have 22,000 miles on my Shelby and 21,000 miles on my Porsche and fit and finish of both is excellent. Both the Porsche and Shelby have no rattles or squeeks of any kind. Solid build quality all around

 

I will say the Porsche is the better everyday driver, the 911 is very tough and rugged you can drive them in rain and snow no problem and they are great in a cold winter.

 

I know you're going to miss the Porsche but with a Shelby GT500 you can't go wrong.

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I own both the Porsche 911 Carrera S and the Shelby GT500. I can tell you right now that I have to practically flip a coin everytime I go in the garage because both are so fun. For me the Shelby is quite the attention getter, when I want to be more anonymous I drive the 911. The Shelby screams down the road, i've had people stop dead in the street and scream "GT500!".

 

I think you will probably have a bit more fun in the GT500 if you start getting into some mods. Tweaking the Shelby is so fun, swap out the blower and you have some massive power gains and the engine can handle it no problem.

 

As far as fit and finish I have 22,000 miles on my Shelby and 21,000 miles on my Porsche and fit and finish of both is excellent. Both the Porsche and Shelby have no rattles or squeeks of any kind. Solid build quality all around

 

I will say the Porsche is the better everyday driver, the 911 is very tough and rugged you can drive them in rain and snow no problem and they are great in a cold winter.

 

I know you're going to miss the Porsche but with a Shelby GT500 you can't go wrong.

 

 

Nick, I appreciate your insight. I agree that the 911 is probably the better daily driver. Luckily I have a daily driver so the Shelby will just be for fun. To be honest if I only had one vehicle that had to serve as both entertainment and a daily driver I would probably still have the M3 sedan.

 

I had a blast driving the car around last night. After I got past 100 miles I got into the gas a little more. I my really going to have to relearn launching a car because I was getting all kinds of wheelspin in first. Both the GT-R and Porsche spoiled me with the amount of traction that get off the line. I'm guessing you just roll into the gas on the GT500 pretty much avoiding full throttle until you have shifted to second. I would love to hear how others get off the line on street tires.

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I bet the GT-R was a hoot to drive. As far as trying to lay low, the stripe delete helps, but the snake and SHELBY on the back still give it away. Anyway, enjoy your new toy and may all the attention you get be good.

 

 

 

The GT-R is really an amazing machine. Anybody can drive that car fast. Traction was incredible as was the shift speeds with the double clutch gearbox. The price you pay for all the performance is a stiff ride, fairly loud cabin and supercar like maintenance costs. If you service the car through the dealer you we looking at $200 oil changes, $1800 transmission and diff service and over $5k for a brake job. As the saying goes you have to pay to play.

 

Here are a few pics I snapped this morning of the Shelby. Sorry for the poor quality. It was still dark out so I didn't have very good lighting.

 

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The GT-R is really an amazing machine. Anybody can drive that car fast. Traction was incredible as was the shift speeds with the double clutch gearbox. The price you pay for all the performance is a stiff ride, fairly loud cabin and supercar like maintenance costs. If you service the car through the dealer you we looking at $200 oil changes, $1800 transmission and diff service and over $5k for a brake job. As the saying goes you have to pay to play.

 

Here are a few pics I snapped this morning of the Shelby. Sorry for the poor quality. It was still dark out so I didn't have very good lighting.

 

 

Congrats. You're going to love this car as much as the others I'm sure. (hopefully more)

 

As far as "Launching" goes with the Shelby that depends on whether you have traction control engaged. With the TC full-on you shouldn't get much wheelspin as it will apply brakes to the tires that start spinning. You really can't launch the car at over 2K RPMs and expect to get much traction, thankfully the GT500 has gets 80% of it's torque between 1750 and 6250 RPM so high RPM launches aren't really necessary.

 

With the TC off if you launch you just have to keep on it and ride the wheel spin out, usually compensating with the steering wheel keeping the nose pointed in the right direction. Part of the fun of the Shelby is it has a good learning curve for it's drivers, especially when they aren't used to manuals with RWD and skinnier tires.

 

There is something to be said, for me at least, of constantly having to struggle with a car you are pushing to the limit.

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I usually drop my rear street tires to around 25ish psi and leave the fronts closer to 40-45psi when going for traction off the line (normally I leave them at 35/25psi). With TC off, I feather the clutch launching around 2500-3k rpms (finding the sweet spot between bog and spinning). The key after the launch is to ease into the throttle through 1st into 2nd gear. Then for the 1st - 2nd gear shift I make a quick shift around 5600 rpm so not to spin too much. Then it's game on at WOT. If you spin too much, just back off the clutch release and feather it more or try a less high rpm shift / launch.

 

Conditions (and your ability to adjust your driving) also play a huge role in how good of traction you'll get. The type of road surface is another big factor on whether you get traction.

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