That’s a great write up, thanks!

The Experience Center LA is a wonderful way to spend some time flogging a Porsche around with a professional instructor beside you. They are not set up to replace track days.
They provide an experience for everyone from corporate events, people who don't drive anything but the family hauler, to Porsche owners that want to hone their skills or burn up someone else's brakes and tires.
There are three wet modules, a low friction circuit (drifting), an auto cross area, an acceleration straight and the main handling circuit. You will get exposed to everything and spend more time on what you like the most. Lots of people that own Porsche's don't have the experience or want to push themselves or their rides hard and having a professional beside you explaining why things are happening with the car and yourself and making sure you are doing things correctly really helps build peoples confidence.
Their is an owners session once a month that you can bring your own Porsche (only) to, but is must have ABS and not be modified. The instructor will not ride along with you in your own car but will coach lead follow via radio.
In addition to all of that you can just go for a demo lap with a pro driving if you just want the sensations but don't want to drive.
I was an Instructor or Coach there for 5 years and certified to do demo laps. It is a great way to spend some time and the restaurant, sim lab and museum are worth the trip alone.
Steve

Thanks for the write up. Glad you've had fun with it. While a few other companies have some driving experiences, nobody has anything like Porsche. Both ATL and LA are worth the visit to see the cars on display or behind the glass. Top tip - if you're in LA, always visit PECLA the week or two before Rennsport Reunion.

Basically an arrive and drive with new cars.

So tell me is the Porsche experience about car control while learning the capabilities of modern nannies?
It could be very helpful for those that will never be on track and just want to see the amazing capabilities of modern nannies.
I'd do the class just to experience the modern software that helps keep these super cars and their less experienced drivers safe.

As far as Porsche marketing I'm not their target as I enjoy being a renaissance racer.
No nannies, no traction control, no stability control, no rear steer, no abs and a dog ring H pattern are my preferences.

Are the Porsche exercises designed to display the amazing car control that modern German software nanny engineers can provide?

...and follow up with the Petersen and check out "the vault" ! OMG the amount of cool cars in that underground parking is unreal !

So most of the exercises go that way: 1 lap TC on, "see how the car is doing it for you, no slide", 1 lap sport mode " see how it lets you drift to a point and then neutralizes it?" and then sport plus everything off for the next whatever laps "let's slide buddy!' (you pick how long to spend at each station) . Apologies if I remember the exact settings wrong because on these new cars there's both a rotating knob on the wheel and all the others on the console, and they sorta work together and the instructor sorts that out for you based on how you are doing, and I did not pay full attention as we did most everything with no nannies, that's the point.

Obviously the drift hill/kickplate and skid circle are all "nannies off" so you can spin to your heart's content - track time is some nannies on but not all the way so you can rotate the car when trail braking... there are walls no not hit, it's really not intrusive, never did I feel "oh if this was my car I'd turn that off". What i was thinking the entire time is "can't believe he's letting me drive this fast and we just met 20 min ago". Even PDK did not bother me because it's very good, there is so much to focus on, eyes, hands, smooth feet trying to apply what the guy is telling you. I still would prefer a stick but here at a "school" it's totally appropriate !

Trust me, it's very well thought out. Anyone that takes the drive experience with a coach and comes out a)disappointed or b) having learned nothing at all really needs a) Prozac or b) a career at the highest level of motorsport, respectively) ;-)

Booked for June 21 in Atlanta. Road tripping with 13yo son in my cayman. I booked a driving simulator session for us as well and may try to schedule a ride along for him.

Struggled on choosing gt3 vs gt4rs, but went for the latter. Might as well have flipped a coin I guess. Really excited to do this and have an adventure with my son.

I'm jelly, as the kids would say. Enjoy! I don't think you could possibly have gone wrong doing a coin toss between GT3 & GT4.

Ok that’s awesome, I’m glad you had fun! I’d love to do it as well someday.

I don’t see myself ever buying a new Porsche, as I love my 997.2, but I’d drive the crap out of a few of them.

Or conversely, you could move to Minnesota, ice race a Miata, wear a dress sometimes and schit-post on a Porsche forum about people having fun in California. Tough choice, I know but those are the options presented here. :cool:

LOL

uh, Hey, that's not nice.

chuckle

The way they beat on the cars everyday is a testimony to the brand.
The 917 restaurant @ PECLA is nice too

You'll have a blast. I've done the ATL circuit a few times.. The 'slick' track is probably the most fun. They will let you go just about as fast as you think you can on the main track.. and then they will do it much faster. The launch control burn outs without traction control on were also awesome!

And as far as the why to do this... because no way I would treat my own car the way I treat these rentals.. I know I went through some serious rubber doing one burnout after another...

If you're gonna quote me and post a different class and different car (4 hours - totally different class, RS), allow me to retort with the correct pricing for what I talked about just so that there is no confusion ;-)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1749760508.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1749760508.jpg

Also I recommended avoiding these (done them, fun, but value for $ less good) and getting the carrera S ($725) + cayman GTS ($750) for the same $1500 or so price, 2 sessions for the price of one. I did one session AM, one PM, lunch in between, awesome day and you can use the break to process stuff and relax, it's not feeling too short. I went with a friend and session one triggered a migraine for him, he slept it off and went back 3h later.. I'd argue I had more fun with the Cayman GTS overall because it slides better and sounds better, sliding a GT3 or RS with "those" rear tires is no picnic.

Lastly, just noticed 20% off for CA residents at PECLA till jul 31 !the package above for 2 cars is $1200 only if you're local and book soon.. Wish I could but bad dates for me.

Reminded by this thread bump, I tried to book a young driver's experience for my HS graduating daughter. Not so outrageously expensive when you consider the cost of regular driving lessons. But the website wasn't working, and when I called PECLA, the guy didn't seem so interested in trying to help book a session, referring me back to the website with no dates available on the calendar. Sheesh.

1450 for 90min in a gt4rs certainly not a bargain, but cant imagine it costing a whole lot less either.

Beating on a 200k car, on quickly wearing $2000 tires, including facility rental isnt going to be cheap.

Sometimes fun things are just expensive and you have to decide if you can and want to splurge. Once paid 22$ for a (big) beer at a concert. Not a bargain but at that moment seemed completely worht it.

It's not coming anytime soon, but this made me extremely excited:

https://www.porschedriving.com/laguna-seca/

Sunday is the father's day cars and coffee - we'll have the last Brumos 935 there as well as my black 959...

-Wayne

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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1749767436.jpg

Is there some good reason both can't be a great experience? Why in the hell would you come on this thread with both *****y guns a blazin? And if you can find a track day for $50-100 bucks, you must have a time machine back to 1983 or something :rolleyes:

Looks like a great experience. Thanks for sharing. I spent an afternoon at the Barber facility in the museum. What a great place. I didn't get to drive but would love to some day.