Joined the lighter side of dark - 2005 GranSport

Beautiful GS!!!

 

nice

 

Nice! And dang, your daughter is so old now, I remember seeing pictures of you guys at the hospital. Congrats on the purchase.

 

excellent choice and perfect colors!

 

very nice! i also purchased one yesterday - white w/same interior as yours. will post up when i have pictures. incredible car.

 

Congrats. Enjoy the new ride

 

I like the collection. Something for any occasion or mood.

Enjoy!

 

Very nice! I'm sure Mia will enjoy the fast corners...

 

Cool car, Rob. Use it well!

 

Love the trident wheels, just the mutt's nuts!

 

Congrats on the GS, Rob! With regard to CC shifting, I found that lifting on the throttle during shifts (similar to a manual tranny shift) worked best on my ex-CC Coupe. My wife always drove it in auto mode, and she grew tired of the jerkiness around town. The whole reverse thing (especially in a panic situation) was another story.

 

I always drive in "power" mode ("sport" in Skyhook cars) and lift slightly off the throttle during the shift.

It should be noted that auto mode wears out the clutch exponentially faster than shifting yourself.

 

You've come a long way, Baby.

Speaking of babies... 19 MONTHS!?

 

That is gorgeous.

 

VERY nice! Welcome to the family My son is 20 months and my GS is perfect for the exact reasons you mentioned - we can go places as a family and not have to take two cars (Dad still takes him for ice-cream on Sundays in the 550, just the two of them, but I think Dad enjoys it more than the kid lol) You should see the face of the Porsche dad at my son's school when I happened to be dropping off my son there.. priceless!

On F1 - I keep it in Sport at all times except when driving down an extra rough slow speed-limit road with the baby. My shifting is smoothest when in high RPM and going flat out, otherwise I also let up just a hair when upshifting. With downshifts, I used to love to unload the concert of revv-matching pulling up to the light, but the car does a nice job downshifting for me so I rarely bother anymore. I love control of a manual, but we both think my F1 is superior to 550's manual tranny, even will all his extra power and F1 being a bit sluggish off the line I'm gone by the time he hits 2nd gear. I had the dealer adjust for clutch wear, made shifting much smoother and idling around 1K less rough as well (amazing - with almost 11K on the car, only 30% clutch wear on the original clutch - but results may vary with craziness of operators).

Now don't forget to put the "Baby on Board" decal on the rear window! LOL

 

i absolutely love the F1 shifting! differing opinions on this but i think it's terrific and i actually enjoy it more than a conventional manual stick. takes a little getting used to but i think it's fantastic.

 

Congrats on purchase!!! WAs at the Bella Macchina show this past wekend and am more convinced about what a bargain the GT is, and their owners love 'em...

My only concern is the CC tranny; I prefer a manny but wife needs an auto even though she'll be driving the car only 2-3 times/month. Any model years better than others? Was told by the owners to avoid the early cars but that's been it...Thanks!!

 

I have 22,000 on my 2006 Gransport. I had the dealer adjust the clutch for earlier engagement right from new. It shifts very well most of the time. Occasionally it does get a little jerky. Downshifts in standard mode can be a little rough and I always let it downshift on its own from second to first. It goes into first kinda of late, below 5 MPH. All upshifts are good and usually do not need to let up on the throttle but sometimes it is just not happy so I ease off the throttle when it is behaving like that. The car does seem to learn the clutch throw over time. As you probably know this is basicly a manual clutch. When taking off the throttle position controls the throw out bearing.

Start off like driving a manual. Give it a little gas and let the clutch hook up before giving it alot of throttle. The clutchwear will appreciate this. Don't just mash it like an automatic. Also be careful when reversing. The clutch slips the whole time to be smooth. If you need to back up a long way I suggest giving it some gas and getting it rolling and then let off the gas. This puts the clutch pedal back in so to speak and also saves clutch wear. Let it coast for a little bit and then apply some more gas.

With 22K in Southern California I am at only 30% clutch wear.

I really love this car as a daily driver. One other note. I changed the tires when the first set wore out. Pirelli something. I put the new Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R. Up one size from stock. They handle much better and look better IMHO. You will enjoy learning how to get the most out of this car. It has a great personality.

 

Ducati Joe,

very good advice there. i have the pirelli P-zero Rosso's on mine. i know that these wear out quickly and i'm looking for all other options besides replacing these tires with other P-zero's. if the bridgestones hold up better and longer w/o loss in performance, please note this so we can consider them when we swap out tires. thanks again for your post.

 

Gorgeous!

 

Sport mode also helps extend clutch life.

Grats Rob