At Genome Design, we take Porsche tuning seriously. To ensure our customers get the best possible products for their vehicles, we go the extra mile for our research and development - even if it means taking a trip to the Nürburgring in Germany (Poor us!). Recently, we took our GD480 Porsche 911 demonstration vehicle with our stage 1 remap and some of our fresh new hardware releases to the legendary racetrack in pursuit of data. Understanding the power and safety output whilst testing its consistency and longevity is vital to us. As they say, “pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work”. Pushing our 911 around 20 laps of the track to make sure it was production ready for our clients was not only fun but provided us with almost 400km of flat out, heat generating data to confirm if we had got it right.

Having been the benchmark for manufacturers for many years, it’s the obvious choice for specialist tuning houses like Genome to follow suit. Utilizing the Nürburgring’s infamous Nordschleife layout, the track pushes any car to the limit with 18km of hard straights, slow to fast corners, and incredible elevation changes.

What We Found On The Green Hell:

Having put 100's of hours into the development of our stage 1 remap package for the Porsche 991.2 3.0T engine here in the UK, we were happy with the dyno results and the drive-ability of the car on the roads of Yorkshire. Upon writing this blog, we have completed over five thousand miles of UK road testing and felt it necessary to push the limits of the car on track at the Nürburgring before production release.

Getting to drive our development and see the results on track was the icing on the cake for us. We had many moments of revelation as we consistently followed or even passed much more serious equipment. Our idea is to build a track focused product capable of outpacing a Porsche GT product at a much more achievable price point. To find on our first venture out testing that we were as quick on the straights and able to stay on pace during slow speed corners threw weight to the products on the car.

The most noticeable part of the Porsche software we had developed was the relentless torque from low RPM. This was, without a doubt, the biggest factor towards our pace. Being able to come out of the slow speed corners with far more punch than say, a Porsche GT3 or Porsche Cayman GT4. Having the low-end shove and 4WD allowed us to make good gains from slower speed corners such as the “Karussell”. Whilst the top end power increase was enough to rival the 400-500+hp NA cars on track.

Heat was a slight concern for us as the climate in the UK is generally colder, so whilst we could see extremely consistent intake and charge temperatures on our dyno, along with solid temperatures during UK road testing, we wanted to understand how the car would behave under heavy use over a considerable time frame.

The recovery rate during off throttle parts of the track also meant we were seeing consistent power and torque delivery even at the end of the lap. Additional hardware for this power level is therefore not a requirement.

The use of the KW HAS spring kit allowed us to run the car much lower than stock and offered a nice supple ride. On a track like the Nürburgring, this often helps with balance and stability. Couple this with the awesome consistency of the Michelin Cup 2 Tyres and we had a lovely package.

Stopping Power:

One of the main things we found during this recent Nürburgring trip was that the Porsche Carrera brakes could do with some improvement. Although we opted for a Tarox Brakes pad upgrade, we stayed with the OEM Porsche brake discs and fluid to start the trip. We noticed an inconsistent pedal feel and that pushed us towards a fluid change to a Tarox uprated brake fluid. This was kindly carried out by Richie at Ring Toys Garage.

Whilst this did improve the pedal marginally, we still felt the discs were overheating and beginning to warp, meaning they were unable to dissipate the heat correctly, leading to an overheated pad compound. This began deteriorating quickly.

We feel that an upgrade to a 2-piece disc kit along with some stainless-steel braided brake lines would cure this problem and will hopefully be put to the test during our next R&D visit to the Nürburgring.

Suspension Secrets:

When it comes to suspension set up for the Nürburgring, a few key considerations need to be taken into account. Firstly, the track is notoriously bumpy and unforgiving, particularly in its long straights, so a good ride quality must be ensured even when pushed to its limits. If you opt for a too aggressive set up for the ring you will pay the price in stability.

Many companies offer set up and alignment work and ultimately try to keep it all very secret. But having lots of motorsport experience and contacts in the Porsche racing paddock allowed us to obtain some data from a Porsche Carrera Cup car. We took this data and as a base line more or less halved the camber and toe adjustments due to not running with Aero and Slicks.

Whilst we managed to achieve a consistent feel and acceptable lap times it’s too early in the R&D stages to say that this set up is completed. We expect to make changes trackside during our next visit to see if we can further improve on our baseline set up.

Testing Porsche Trinkets:

Visual dress up parts are key components of a Porsche's exterior appearance and can have a significant impact on its performance if they fail. While many drivers choose to install these parts purely for aesthetic reasons, they must be tested on the track in order to ensure that they won't impede or negatively affect the vehicle's performance. Testing visual dress up parts is as essential as performance upgrades in our eyes.

On this latest trip, we took the opportunity to heat cycle test our GD Porsche oil filler caps, coolant caps, and washer bottle caps... Why you ask? Well like any other product for your Porsche, these parts contain bolts, screws, and seals. They also have high performance coatings to give the machined components colour and protection. It's vital for us to heat cycle and vibration test every product we release. We need to know if a product's colour will fade with heat, or a fixing can work loose during high vibration load testing. Where better to test your Porsche's visual upgrades than the Nürburgring?

Our trip to the Nürburgring was a great success! We managed to test our Genome Porsche tuning and many upgraded parts. Through careful consideration of suspension set up and alignment work along with sustainable tuning methods, we were able to achieve consistent performance on the track without sacrificing any safety. The results showed that all components performed well under intense conditions proving that Genome products are built for high performance use in extreme environments. With this knowledge in hand, we look forward to pushing ourselves further during future visits to the Nürburgring!