Up until now, all we’ve really seen about the rear wheel steering on Porsche’s newest top end 911s is canned material. Yesterday, Elephant Racing posted this short little video below. In it you can see the active rear steering feature on the GT3 function while on a lift with the tires off.
Fitted as a standard option on each new Porsche 911 GT3, 911 Turbo and Turbo S, Porsche’s rear wheel steering is more accurately described as rear-axle steering. The introduction of rear wheel steering immensely improves both track driving capability and everyday performance of Porsche’s top of the line models. The system itself consists of two electro-mechanical actuators, instead of the conventional control links, on the left and right rear axles. The steering angle of the rear wheels can be varied by up to 2.8 degrees, depending on vehicle speed. At speeds up to 31 mph, when the front wheels are turned, the system steers the rear wheels in the opposite direction. This actually corresponds to a virtual shortening of the wheelbase by 9.8 inches, which gives the 911 incredible performance in curves. The system lets the car turn faster into corners and offers more steering response. For everyday driving, it noticeably simplifies maneuvering and parking.
At speeds above 50 mph, the system steers the rear wheels parallel to the front wheels. This is equivalent to a virtual lengthening of the wheelbase by 19.6 inches and gives the car tremendous directional control capability. At the same time, the steering input by the driver leads to significantly faster build-up of lateral force at the rear axle, which responds to steering commands even more quickly. Bottom line, you can go faster on the curves more easily and safely.
Other Porsche Blog Posts You Will Enjoy
Porsches 911 Product Director, August Achleitner, Discusses Rear Wheel Steering and Adaptive Aerodynamics
Can Rear Wheel Steering Be Turned Off?
Porsche’s Adaptive Aerodynamics Explained