360 Switched from a Boxster to a 360 Modena. Advice for getting comfortable with spirited drives?

The car should feel responsive and confidence inspiring, not nervous and twitchy. If it feels like the latter, I would have the alignment checked. That was exactly the case on my car when I first bought it, an alignment transformed the car. Other than that, just get seat time in it and learn the car.

 

What year is your Boxster and what year is your 360? You may be feeling the difference in old technology for the 360.

I had a 2015 Boxster S with the flat 6 cylinder and now have a 2009 F430. I think the Boxster handled way better in the twistys.

 

There is a race class for boxsters called "spec box". It's a great porsche race class for a reason. Those cars can handle! Ferraris just aren't great for the track but they are fun on track because they are ferraris. Anything you learn on a track in the box will translate to the 360. The big issue is higher speeds in the 360 and that means you get to and exceed limits much quicker and have to be physically quicker and more precise to deal with all that. You can take some turns in a 200hp box at full throttle with no drama but you might have to feather the throttle with 400hp 360 and that can actually make you slower through the turn until you learn to master it. Approach to a brake zone at 110 in the box is every different from 140 in the 360.

 

Take the 360 to an AutoCross event. Many tight turns and not going too fast in a safe controlled environment. You will get to learn to feather the throttle, braking, and gear shifting (albeit, depending on the course layout, there might not be much shifting) to get smoother and faster turns (entry, during, and exit). You also learn more about the lean of the car in turns and tire break points. This translates well to higher speeds on public twisty road or even the track. Great way to learn more about what your vehicle can do and how you can be a better driver in that specific vehicle. Gaining and building more trust and confidence in the 360 and its capabilities (and yours), safely.

Tires make a big difference in handling and feedback on a car, especially with the 360. Recommend at least the Michelin PS4S. (I initially had the Pirelli stock tires...big, big difference in all departments by going with the PS4S.)

 

Buy a new set of road tyres for it (pzero, Mp4s, or whatever your shops recommend).

Slow in fast out (aka: yes. Brake and downshift first and then drive through and out of the apex).

Drive it more, until it fits like a glove and you are more comfortable feeling the traction via your bum, hands, and feet.

Also, google/YT the traction/friction circle. And start to understand that you are driving the outside wheels of your car not all four.

Eg. On a left hand turn, you are managing the friction on the rear right when it comes to power down. And the front right when it comes to turning grip. The other two wheels are basically passive/supporting efforts at best.

And - the front doesn't matter. Either it will do its job, or it will understeer and need to cut throttle.

Driving a rwd platform is all about one wheel, which is the rear outer one.

The fast way to learn this is a few laps in a speed/sprint car.

 

Contis are very good tires; which extremecontact ? Force , DWS? the DWS is an all season tire, will never get close to the performance summer tire like PS4S. IF they are Force, they are good; very good. Some say they are better than Ps4s.

CUP2 is a street-able track tire, no wonder you liked it. It just won't last more than 6k miles (at least did not on my GT350R).

 

I also want to throw another wrench in the works. I like the Michelin Pilot Supersports better than the PS4S on my M3, they don't get so greasy on the track.

 

Cup 2 tires are great!

There are other tires which may offer even higher grip levels (e.g. A052), but the Cup 2 just seems to be the absolut peak in consistency and predictability.

For me the 360 feels well balanced and reasonably fast (for a car of that era). I love the idea of the Boxster, but just not a fan of the M96 engines (except for the Mezger, which are only M96 in name)

 

I do not think Michelin makes Cup 2’s sizes that will fit a 360 either in a 18 or 19 inch wheel, the last time I looked.

 

225/35 R19
285/35 R19

Have those on my 360 and can recommend them

 

Thats F430 sizes, do you have F430 wheels ?

 

I had a 1999 Boxster that I sold to an FChat brother this last year and had a 2002 waay back. The Boxster dances around curves like a ballerina.

The 360 is equally inspiring but.. NO.. you can't dial out the "nervousness" at the limit. 430's also have it. It's the suspension geometry. It's much much less forgiving than the Boxster and you gonna be on wrecked exotics if you push it to the limit. I had once on a questionably cold day an oversteer that wouldn't have happened in the cold with either Boxster. New tires will help.. btu be careful near the limit, 360's will slap you like a good italian hottie..

 

I tracked the F430 and I disagree. Its a very stable platform if you know how ti handle a rwd. At least mine with ediff enabled is.
Can't speak about 360 never tried it on track.

 

The little Boxster is hands down a better handling car than the 360/430. That little machine is one of the best handling cars on the market especially in Caymen spec. I never found the 360 to be a good handling car. Lots of body roll. F430 much better but not by much.

 

It's a CS with the default 19" wheels. Seems to be identical to the 430 in tire size.

 

Compared to the Boxster, Cayman and the later cars, the handling on the 360 and 430 sucks. We all know how to drive a rear wheel drive car. We all know how to drive a rear wheel car fast. It's a stable platform, all cars are stable within normal driving limits... it's when you get to the limit: the moment before the car looses fraction with the road and you go off the road. That moment. That's where the 360 and 430's suspension isn't as good as the 458 and later cars. eDiff will attenuate the slide, but the lateral compensation with the roll.. it simply doesn't do that as well as other cars. I suspect the rubber bushing design in the Porsche suspensions accommodate it better than the Ferrari's a-arms and bushings. Softer spring rates on the later 430's may help some as well. Still too nervous at the limit.

 

I did many a slides on the track at limit of traction with my F430... very easy to catch and very predictable. It is actually a car that understeers a lot, not oversteers. I might go to Scud front tire sizes to increase the patch a bit (I think that's why the scud has a 235 tire with 0.5" wider wheel) . Of course you can induce oversteer with the throttle with all that power, but you need to take care of course.

I drive in race mode, and sometimes with CST off. Very very similar with my 2009 M3. Not nervous at all, you always know what the steering does, and what the back end is doing. Very enjoyable car on track. And I am no Schumacher (unfortunately).

Just my 2 cents

 

The conti extreme contact sport2, if that's what they are, are just as good as Michelin 4s or 5s (or close enough that it shouldn't matter on the street) for road use.

To me there's no need for a cup2 or similar tire on the street. If you're tracking it, sure. Otherwise you're just doing unsafe things on public roads at the limits of those tires.

That's just my 2 cents.