MaxLTV

There is no irony. RS is the better car for tracking, and Turbo is better at being a car. Porsche know what they are doing. RS gives way more direct connection between car and driver, more immediate responses, more sublime balance. Whatever Turbo loses by less precise handling, it gains back by superior power and clever AWD. But it's a bit like a stereo speaker that's a little less crisp but louder - you still hear everything, but it's not the same.

Also, track running cost is proportional to weight multiplied by horsepower. TTS has about 20% more of each, so about 40-50% higher running cost (which for some is bigger than a car lease payment would be, so it's a factor).

Still, I'm waiting for Turbo S and will likely take it to a track alongside my GT3. Both are brilliant cars.

Randyc151

Perhaps you should actually spend some time tracking your incoming TTS and then get back to us. I respectfully disagree on the RS is WAY MORE anything. I've driven both on track, and the diff is nearly indistinguishable. RS has better turn in, but TTS has same grip (achieved differently), much better acceleration, same braking, and is exceptionally engaging when driven at 10/10ths. The running costs calculation is not applicable at all. Tires and brakes last identical for each, TTS Cup2 sizes cost less than GT3RS, brakes are identical and the 250-300lb weight diff is less than 10% of total weight, anyway.

Sorry, but I have to represent for us TTS owners. I'd love to sell you some speakers, too.

ace37

I think at this point, while all Porsches handle track duty well, the 911 lineup offers different foci or dimensions:
(1) driver's car - 718/Carrera/S/GTS/R
(2) everyday everywhere rocketship - TT/TTS
(3) visceral track and weekend toy - GT/RS

...and I'm sure there are other reasonable ways to parse and classify it. But the 911 seems to be pushing to be all things sports car for all people - just pick your favorite flavor and decide how big the check will be.

rk-d

Don't mean to trash the GT3RS. It's a very cool car and I "get" the GT thing. It's just that the RS is supposed to be a no holds barred track attack machine. The superior tactile aspects, though useful, don't apparently translate into superior times - which is the raison d'etre of the RS. It's amusing that the oft maligned fatso 911 is the king of the hill.

GT2RS should be an absolute monster, albeit RWD. An AWD version of that machine would be unstoppable (although I understand that good drivers can be faster in RWD).

JD911

I'm just glad that Porsche is building such capable cars!

Can't we all just get along?

MaxLTV

I tracked Turbo S (991.1), although not mine, but at 9-10/10th. It is a great car, and I do not mean to take away from anyone's enjoyment of tracking their Turbo by my posts. As I said, I will track my Turbo despite having a GT3 and, if I'm lucky, getting another GT(X)RS car soon.

But there are differences. All are very subtle and will not matter to most. You can say it's splitting hairs, but it's real.

I think the biggest one is the immediacy of balancing front and rear grip. In turbo, it's harder and less precise because throttle response is not as instantaneous and suspension needs more time to "set". Some of it could be the turbocharging and some could be programming of electronics (smoothing of throttle input, which both RS and Turbo do). Balancing between oversteer and understeer through a corner is sublime in RS. In Turbo, it's awesome, but a little less immediate. It also matters less in Turbo because the AWD compensates for some of the driver error/imprecision (e.g., if you send too much traction to the front, AWD will send more torque to the front masking it to some extent).

The second one is car communicating impending loss of grip. Turbo's more refined suspension muffles some of that. Something that's possible to get used to, but it is different. There is a price for having more comfort off the track.

Finally, consumables. With the same pace, Turbo will eat tires and brakes noticeably faster. There is just no way around it. It's faster on straights and heavier, so slowing down more mass from higher speed is going to make brakes do more work. It will also result in higher temperatures because you are asking the same brakes to do more work. So a little more work combined with little higher temperature results in noticeably more wear. Case in point - GT4 gets meaningfully more mileage out of same brakes and tires compared to GT3/RS, and it's 100HP less with very little weight difference.

Anyway, RS is a tool made for a specific job, so it is naturally better at it, althoguh by a much smaller margin than most say. I would agree that RS is overhyped, while Turbo is probably one of the most underappreciated cars in existence. But there is definitely more than just hype in the RS.

TT Gasman

Any of the modern turbos are way heavy for the track, the RWD GTx cars are lighter and more focused for occasional track use. But, it's a big but, they are both street cars, neither one is a real race car by any stretch. At the end of the day it's up to the owner, me I like the power of a Turbo, others like the raw feeling of a GT3RS. I'll take either one!

ipse dixit

For me, it comes down to this.

The Turbo makes you feel like you're a better driver. The GT3/RS makes you want to be a better driver.

Both great cars, they just evoke different emotions in the driver. Just the way Porsche intended.

TT Gasman

Slightly off topic. Try driving a 930 in anger at the track, that car demands a good driver or else, makes all the modern Porsches feel numb. They say the 930 was the last real man's Porsche, I would put the 996 GT2 right there with it, both are to be respected. Any Porsche makes you want to be a better driver. Even a stone cold stock Carrera C2 has a higher performance envelope than most of us can achieve.

TT Surgeon

^^tru dat, the 930 is the original widow maker!