cars news 10: Comparing Laguna Laps in the 911 Turbo S and GT3 RS

At the 2014 Best Driver’s Car competition, the 911 Turbo S put down a sizzling lap time of 1:35.62, making it the second-quickest Porsche we’ve ever run at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, right after the ridiculous 887-horsepower 918 Spyder (1:29.89). Well, make that the third-quickest Porsche.

Four days post this past Thanksgiving on a chilly and cloudy day in Monterey, California, our pro racer Randy Pobst lapped an Ultraviolet GT3 RS around MRLS in just 1:33.29. That’s 2.33 seconds quicker than the Turbo S. (Looks like the forecast should’ve been for purple rain.) Surprised? We were. Sure, the GT3 RS is the most track-focused 911 to date, but the Turbo S is no slouch, either. Moreover, the Turbo S is rated at 560 horsepower and 516 lb-ft (the new ’17 gets bumped to 580 hp) and had all-wheel drive and optional Dunlop Sport Maxx Race rubber from the standard GT3. Should it have been more than 2.3 seconds slower than the 500-horsepower, 338-lb-ft rear-drive RS, which, granted, weighs about 400 pounds less but has the same carbon-ceramic brakes and slightly wider and possibly stickier Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires? To the data.

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Approaching Turn 1, the more powerful Turbo S holds a slight lead, registering a top speed of 138.8 mph versus the RS’ 137.9. But as they enter the long, sweeping Turn 2, the RS closes the gap. At the first apex of the turn, the RS outgrips the Turbo S (1.25 g versus 1.20), creating an 8-foot advantage. But the Turbo S manages to carry more speed through the turn (minimum of 41.9 mph versus the GT3’s 40.9) and catches the RS at the exit. That’s the last time the Turbo S would ever be close.

The RS stomped the Turbo S by 2.33 seconds at Laguna.

Out of 2 and toward Turn 3, Pobst is able to accelerate earlier and harder in the RS, posting a speed of 95.3 mph, noticeably faster than the Turbo S’ 91.7. By the midpoint between Turns 3 and 4, the RS is already 84 feet ahead. Coming into Turn 5, the RS has nearly doubled its lead—now to 150 feet—thanks to a better exit out of 4 and a speedier blast down the straight (125.7 mph versus 123.9). Around Turn 5, the RS once again outgrips the Turbo S (1.36 g versus 1.33), extending its lead another 10 feet by the midpoint to 6. From Turns 2 through 6, we see a similar dynamic, with the RS’ data line resembling a V and the Turbo S’ a U, showing that the RS exhibits very little mid-corner steady-state cruising compared to the Turbo S—just brake, turn, and go. “The RS is rather loose and requires immediate power to help stabilize the rear,” Pobst says. “Braking and acceleration are separated. The Turbo S is better balanced and more comfortable to lean on mid-corner, so it can blend braking and acceleration more.”

2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS front end in motion 02

2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS front end in motion 03

2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS front end in motion 04

2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS front three quarter in motion1

2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS front three quarters in motion 02

2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS front three quarters in motion

2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS rear end in motion

2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS rear three quarter in motion 02

A big lat-g advantage through Turn 6 (1.51 g versus 1.37) helps the RS launch out of the corner earlier and with more oomph. Despite heading uphill toward Turn 7, the comparatively torque-deficient naturally aspirated RS ups its lead to 212 feet over the Turbo S. Down the infamous Corkscrew, the RS stomps the Turbo S, testing director Kim Reynolds says when it posts a cornering speed more than 6 mph faster (50.7 versus 44.3). The stomping continues through Turns 9 and 10—each a high-speed, high-g endeavor—where the RS is able to accelerate sooner, corner harder, and just go faster. The stats for the last corner, the sharp left Turn 11, show the cars behaving similarly with negligible separation in lateral acceleration and cornering speeds, but the RS is so far ahead that it reaches the finish line some 350 feet and 2.33 seconds before the Turbo S.

“The RS is very track-oriented and feels it,” Pobst says. “Light, quick, and responsive. The Turbo S is very capable on track, but it’s more street-oriented—softer suspension, more body roll, a lot more mass—and feels like it. The speed difference comes from significantly greater agility of the RS, though the better-balanced AWD Turbo S was far easier to drive at the limit.”

2014 Turbo S: 1:35.62
2016 GT3 RS: 1:33.29