My husband was just the other day at aWent touring in air-cooled Porsche 911 (964C2) to Shikoku and Chugoku regions.but he wrote an article on the subsequent version. Please take a look if you would like to read it.

Riding in an air-cooled Porsche 911 (964)

The morning I woke up in Fukuyama City, unfortunately, the weather was unfavorable. The sky was gloomy. The forecast called for heavy rain, but so far it has not rained.

As soon as we finished eating the buffet at the hotel, we packed up and left before the rain started to fall.

Today, we will first head toward Daisen via R182.This R182 is a very famous road. There is little traffic, the pavement and road width are good, and the ups and downs are moderate, making it very easy to drive.

On the way, the rain became quite heavy, and large drops of rain were coming toward the screen.Here, the Tiptronic is fixed in 3rd gear without thinking about fuel economy.At my own pace, I continue northward on a very fine country road in torrential rain.

From the Tojo IC area, the road follows the Chugoku Expressway, which is also a pleasant road. On the way, turning left onto K8, there is almost no traffic at all, and the road is truly chartered.

This road is also a great winding road.

The car runs through the Tiptronic so frequently that you would think it was a manual car. However.Tiptronic is well done.And it's a remarkably durable AT for this era of ATs.And there is less gearshift shock.

Although the shifting speed is not as fast as a modern AT, there is almost no power loss, and although I have driven a 964 MT car, I did not feel any difference in 0-100km/h time from the catalog value.

that isOwners of MT cars also said they hardly felt any difference in power feel.The "I" in the "I" column is definitely a "I".

From K8, turn right this time to K210.This is another great road. I would like to drive my Boxster on a nice day someday on this pleasant road that looks like it could be in Gifu or Nagano. On the way, we took a break at a large parking area.The rain became heavier and heavier, and the parking lot became a puddle of water.The "new" is a "new".

Of course, there is no one around because of such heavy rain.

Wet performance of air-cooled Porsche 911 (964)

At this point, a question suddenly arises: the 964 has been running consistently in heavy rain up to this point, but the "964" is still running in the rain, and the rain is still coming down.How long does it take for a 964 to slip away in the first place?And.

In the middle of nowhere.Tiptronic locked in first gear, accelerator pedal lightly turnedI'm going to try to do this. I've done it a few times on Boxsters, 992s, etc.First time on a 964 without PSM or traction control.It is.

With the Boxster and the 992, if you turn off the PSM and open the throttle, at some point, the over will go out and the car will spin, but I expected the 964 to spin much earlier than that.

But 964 was different.

Rather, it sticks to the Boxster and the 992.I thought that the rear would come out earlier, and once it started to slide, it would oversteer and be difficult to control, but that was not the case. The rear did slide, but it never turned sideways and was very easy to control.

This surprised me.

First.Gradually increasing speed, the front end begins to slide and understeerThe front end is loaded and the car starts to turn as if it is about to cut out. Then, when you let off the gas pedal lightly, the load is on the front and the car starts to turn in a sharp turn. The heavy rear end of the car seems to swing outward on this heavy wet road, but it is not so easy to do so.

I tried everything, but in the end, it was extremely difficult to get them to turn right side up.If you start to slip, just step on the gas pedal and it will stabilize.And as it is.It's not easy to spin it if you leave it alone.

This stability and ease of control without PSM or traction control is astonishing!I could see why they ran without feeling uneasy at all even in such heavy rain. I could see why they ran in such heavy rain without feeling uneasy at all.

Incidentally, the tires are 16-inch Michelin Pilot Exalto2 (Porsche-approved tires) with about five to six parts per inch. The suspension has been almost completely replaced, and the car is in near-new condition. No lowering or anything like that.Behavior in stock condition only, since the specifications are as instructed by Porsche's Weissach Institute.I must say that this is not the case.

Air-cooled Porsche 911 (964), headed for Hiruzen.

Next, the road enters R180, which runs along the Hino River, and continues to run at a brisk pace with the Hakubi Line at its side. However, there are too many pleasant roads in this area. All the roads are really easy to drive and wonderful. We were impressed as we continued north and finally reached the Daisen Loop Road.

On a normal holiday, the road would be full of tourist cars, making it impossible to drive properly, but as one would expect, there were no enthusiasts who would drive in such heavy rain. So, we were allowed to drive on the road as if it were chartered.

It's always "It would be a fun road if there were a few less cars.I thought, "I'm not going to miss it," but it turned out to be true. Driving in heavy rain is not to be abandoned.

First, we drive clockwise around Daisen. The air-cooled flat-six howled through the mountains of Mt. We took some side roads along the way and tried to make a full circle around the mountain, butUnfortunately, the road is closed for the winter on the way.I had no choice but to turn around and start driving counterclockwise, this time the way I came.

Next.Driving the Porsche toward the Hiruzen Plateau, we headed south along the Hiruzen Daisen Skyline.Skyrun with no one around is super nice. Even the rain is fun when you have the place to yourself like this.

Even in such torrential rainMichelin's Pilot Exalto2 has very good wet grip performance.With the power of a 964 or so, the tires are completely winning, and I can drive very safely, even with strong traction and fast cornering.

The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2, which was previously used on the Boxster GTS, also had great wet grip, but this performance is no less impressive.

After taking a break at Hilsen Kogen Center, head south on K58 toward Oku-Kibi Kaido (Oku-Kibi Highway). The new section is the most pleasant road to drive on.In the mountains, for example, 1 to 1.5 lanes continue, and there are a surprisingly large number of oncoming vehicles, so caution is required.If you are not used to narrow roads, you should not do this.

By the way, I was at the end of the year.Driving through the most terrible road (R265) in KyushuSince then, I have developed a strong mentality, perhaps as a result of my training, and I am no longer intimidated by narrow roads and rough terrain (laughs).

Okayama, a place called Okayama, has a number of excellent extensive farm roads. Among themMimasaka Yamanami Kaido, Oku-Kibi Kaido, Kagura Kaidoand others are typical of this type of route, which is too fast to be a good driving route.wata's blogIn "the Ascension RoadIt is said to be 'the best of the best.

Its level as a pleasant road is tremendous.It is definitely one of the best in western Japan, or even in the whole country.In Kansai, Nara Nurburgring has a similar atmosphere, but I am sorry to say that the level is a little too different. It is such a good road.

The Oku-Kibi Highway goes from point H to point I on the map below. There is almost no traffic during this period. Even if there is, overtaking is easy, so you can drive at your own pace without being disturbed. The pavement is excellent, with mainly ups and downs and medium-speed corners.

Moreover, it was running and "Is it still going on?The 964 is almost always in third gear, sometimes in second, as it races through the mountains.

Again, I don't need to reiterate.Driving a Porsche is really fun.The Porsche's qualities are even more pronounced, especially on such a superbly smooth road. The brakes are the best in the universe, easy to control, the engine has a wonderful sound, and the driving characteristics that reflect your driving skills are irresistible fun.

After enjoying the Oku-Kibi Kaido, you can take the R484 and go toMimasaka Yamanami KaidoThe Porsche proceeds to "The Porsche". This is another great road, as mentioned in the previous Boxster touring article. This one is a bit more straight and pleasant road, very easy to drive.

Here, we cruised slowly and carefully to check the behavior of the Porsche without increasing the pace too much. I tried to steer slowly, drive smoothly and quickly, and enjoy the last famous road of the touring to my heart's content.

We started our return trip from the Tsuyama IC. As we passed the Kasai IC, the sun began to appear through the clouds.The 964, which will soon be 30 years old, has completed approximately 1100 km without any problems.

A Porsche is a very well-traveled car. It is ultra-high-performance, yet comfortable to drive, and it packs a lot of luggage. It is like a GT car, but once you take a corner, it is a first-class cornering car, and of course, you can cruise around and let the car do the work for you. It moves as faithfully as a limb, and every movement is a pleasure to behold.One feels good.

And before you know it, you'll be on the road for the long haul.The driver realizes that he is not traveling with the Porsche, but 'he is traveling with the Porsche.I think that is what traveling in a Porsche means.

The total distance traveled this time was 1110.9 km, with an average speed of 58 km/h and fuel consumption of 11.5 L/100 km (about 8.7 km/L).