Porsche’s Carrera GT Upgrade Proves How Important This One Performance Modification Is

The Porsche Carrera GT was one of the rawest and most thrilling supercars when it was unleashed on the world back in 2003, the model coming with a race-bred 5.7-liter V10. It set a pretty handy time around the mighty Nürburgring Nordschleife at the time, though some brave souls in 2024 felt that it was capable of so much more. With some sticky modern tires fitted, the model blasted around the track nearly 16 seconds quicker than its previous best.

CarBuzz decided to look into why the Carrera GTs new shoes made such a big difference to its lap time, and how modern tires have improved compared to the rubberware the car used when it was new.

The focus of this feature is the 2003 Porsche Carrera GT, which improved its best lap time around the Nürburgring Nordschleife by around 16 seconds. All technical data was sourced from trusted providers such as the vehicle manufacturer.

Tires Are The Most Important Part Of A Performance Car

When looking to enhance the lap time potential of a vehicle, there are many avenues to venture down. These include engine, suspension, and brake system upgrades, all of which can have a dramatic effect on the performance of a track challenger, which sometimes feature mods that aren’t legal on the public road. All these are largely wasted should the car not be equipped with a good set of tires though, given the tires are the only part of the car that actually makes contact with the road.

Without good rubber, all the glitzy and advanced tech won’t be able to perform to its maximum potential. It will still, of course, make a difference no matter what kind of tire you’re running, but the effect could be drastically reduced if you’re severely grip-limited. Extra grip from uprated tires will help in every aspect of performance, from being able to brake later, carrying more corner entry, mid-point, and exit speed, and being able to get on the power earlier without losing traction.

Considering you’ll be quicker at every point of the track, including the straights due to the extra speed you can carry through to the corner exit, tires will therefore have the biggest impact on lap time. The confidence of the driver must also be factored in, as the extra grip will mean less experienced pilots will be able to extract more from the vehicle compared to when inferior tires are fitted, which can make vehicle handling less predictable.

Tires Are Some Of The Most Complex Circles On Earth

Why Tires Are So Important For Lap Speed

• They’re the only part of the vehicle that touches the road
• Tread patterns and rubber compounds can affect grip significantly
• Getting the right combination is critical in maximizing lap time in different conditions

To create a good tire, there are many aspects that can be tweaked and developed. A range of different tread patterns, tire compounds, and additives can be utilized in different ways to create different effects. Off-road tires, for example, tend to have harder and tougher compounds to deal with obstacles they come in contact with, as well as have a deep tread pattern to help channel water and mud through to prevent loss of traction.

A racing tire will have a much shallower, or even completely slick surface without any tread to ensure as much of the tire as possible is making contact with the road, which increases grip. These are nearly useless when rain is thrown into the mix, as the water can’t be channeled away, so grip is greatly decreased. That’s why racing slicks are illegal on road cars. Road tires therefore come with a tread pattern pretty much in the middle in terms of depth to deal with whatever elements affect normal road users, while also being forgiving enough to afford a smooth ride. In snowy regions, we fit winter tires, not the regular year-round all-seasons.

Formula 1 Rubber Is A Good Illustration Of The Differences Tires Can Make

As far as performance-focused tires go, the softness of the rubber compound makes the biggest difference when it comes to lap time. The softer the compound, the more the tire surface molds itself to the road surface, which increases the contact patch. This enhances grip as a result, which means a car can be driven faster in every area of a road or track. The resulting extra heat and energy that goes through the tire means they don’t last long.

Formula 1 uses a range of Pirelli racing tires, each of which features a different compound to better suit different conditions. The softest tires tend to get saved for qualifying, where the cars need as much grip as possible over one or two laps. Harder compounds tend to get used in the race where more laps need to be completed at a high pace, while intermediate and wet tires are on hand for inclement conditions.

These have tread to help disperse water on the track and prevent hydroplaning, as well as softer compounds to help generate heat and increase grip under track conditions.

Tire Development Has Seen Grip Available From Rubber Drastically Increase

Tire manufacturers use outlets such as F1 to help develop tire technology ever further, so that they can offer more grip and endurance. This is illustrated in the difference in lap time the Porsche Carrera GT managed at the Nordschleife 20 years apart. Two-time World Rally Champion Walter Rohrl managed to wrangle a Carrera GT on shiny-new 2004-spec tires around the track in 7:28.0s back then, while five-time American Le Mans Series champion Jorg Bergmeister managed to smash it in 2024.

Special Tires Were Developed For The Carrera GT

As somewhat of a peace offering given the recent reliability problems affecting Carrera GTs, Porsche tasked Michelin to develop special rubber for the model. Utilizing the new tires, as well as revised suspension better suited to the updated rubber, Bergmeister managed to bang in a blazing 7:12.69s. This puts it over 15 seconds quicker than the original run, a pretty amazing improvement given the rest of the running gear is identical.

The extra grip paid dividends around the 147 corners that make up the Nordschleife, especially the Galgenkopf right-hander that leads onto the 1.3-mile Dottinger Hohe straight. The new tires not only allowed more speed to be carried through the bend, but they also allowed Bergmeister to commit to full throttle earlier and slingshot himself onto the huge stretch. The Carrera GT’s lap shows just how much potential some older cars have, should they be mounted onto modern performance tires. If looking to find more pace from your road or track challenger, make sure to source good tires before you do anything else.

The Carrera GT Was The Ultimate Porsche

Wanting to find a use for the 5.5-liter V10 destined for use in the ultimately axed LMP2000 racing project, Porsche decided to design a mid-engined supercar concept featuring the powerplant. Having shown it off at the 2000 Paris Motor Show, Porsche decided to put a limited-run version of the car into production after receiving a large amount of interest in it. The engine was enlarged to 5.7 liters for the final example, and was mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

The 605-hp engine was mounted in the middle of a lightweight carbon-reinforced-plastic tub, a material that was also used to craft the eye-catching body and engine subframe. Weighing just over 3,000 pounds, the Carrera GT could rocket to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds and reach 205 mph. It was a convertible too, meaning its occupants got full access to the howling naturally aspirated V10 engine at full chat.

Its mid-engined and rear-wheel-drive layout culminated in a pretty edgy driving balance, making only experienced drivers suitable to get the most out of it. Despite originally planning to build 1,500 examples, Porsche ended up cutting production short at 1,270 cars due to changing US airbag regulations, which meant the car would have had to be redesigned to be sold there.

Sources:
Porsche
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