Bardman

Hi there,

I have had my GT4 for over a year now and have been daily driving it for that time. For me, the GT4 works really well as a daily, as I can chug along in traffic when necessary, but when it opens up there is a lot of fun to be had.

As the 991.2 GT3 is coming with a manual, I'm wondering how it will compare from a daily driver perspective.

Anyone who has (or had) a GT4 and 991 GT3 able to provide any insight on this?

Of course the 991.1 GT3 has PDK, so lets put that to one side, but was thinking about the following:

• Front clearance and approach angle (materially different)?
• Suspension and damping firmer / softer / not really different?
• Rear visibility better / worse / the same?
• Cabin noise better / worse? (I imagine the GT4 is actually louder in the cabin)?
• Any other considerations?

Appreciate any constructive feedback.

tstafford

I've had a GT4, GT3 and now the RS. Honestly it's hard to set aside the PDK but to answer your questions:

Clearance - GT3 has the option of axle lift. If this is at all a concern for you, just order that option. I had it on the GT3 and it is a nice insurance policy. I don't have it on the RS and don't miss it, but if I had a tricky driveway, found that I was scraping the GT4, etc. I'd add the option. Without the lift, the GT3 is a tad lower than the GT4 - unsure on the .2 of course.

Firmness - not appreciably different

Visibility - the same in the GT4 and GT3 (maybe slightly worse in the GT3). Better in the RS

Cabin noise - all of them are noisy. If I had to guess I'd say the GT4 was slightly better in this regard.

Other - I miss the two trunks. You get the back seat in the GT3 but it's difficult to access with the LWBs and the roll cage. My GT4 had better storage for my track weekends - I like to drive my car to and from the track rather than trailer.

jphughan

Interesting, I'd have thought that at cruising RPMs the GT3 would have been better from a noise standpoint simply due to the engine being farther away and the larger cabin overall. But yes, the GT3's approach angle is a big lower than the GT4's, though it's higher with axle lift engaged, and the PDK could significantly influence DD-ability depending on the amount of traffic where you live, so I wouldn't put that aside -- unless you mean that you'd only consider a manual GT3 anyway. Other than that, some people here who have owned both say that the GT4 is more fun on the road simply because you don't have to have as much of a death wish to really enjoy it in that setting, fwiw. But if you've been happy DDing a GT4 for a year (as I have) and can give up the rear storage area or will be able to use the area behind the GT3's seats instead (if you're not getting fixed backrest LWBs), then I don't think the experience will be appreciably different on the GT3.

jasonfreed

I had a 991.1 GT3 and a GT4.

Sold the 991.1 GT3 with almost 10,000 miles on it and now have 11,000 miles on the GT4.

The GT4 is more enjoyable for me on the street due to the manual trans.

The ride of the GT3 and GT4 are pretty comparable. Visibility is about the same. GT3 sounded better. Front clearance is about the same (but I had the lift on the GT3 -- without the lift, I think the GT3 would have been a bit more challenging to daily drive).

On track, they are simply not comparable IMO - the GT3 is MUCH faster and I loved the PDK on track.

Now that the 991.2 GT3 will have a manual, I'd consider going back. If my 991.1 GT3 was manual, I would have never sold it. I just used it more on the street than the track and missed shifting.

9elheven

^^^^ jasonfreed, glad to see you still have your GT4. Don't forget to come back for GTGs!

GrantG

GT3 Manual will have more torque and better gearing than GT4, making it at least as useable as a DD. I think the area behind the seats can be handy as well (particularly if you don't get the LWB's which make it a little more challenging to access that area for packages, etc.).

Most of the other DD attributes between the two cars are quite close.

Alan C.

Pretty much the same for me. Although I thought the GT3 was quieter on the road.

Mike J

For the guys who said visibility is about the same on both cars, do you ever look back? :-)

I find these comparisons funny because no one talked about the REAL difference between these cars - the engine. You are comparing a GT engine to essentially a muted stock 911 engine. The gap will be even wider with the new GT3, with a motorsport based engine (again finally!) that by all appearances will really rev.

:-)

Cheers,

Mike

24Chromium

I have both. However, the GT3 was spec'd as a street car, so I got the 18-way seats. IMHO that the best DD - the sofa seats and a PDK-S transmission. Plus the GT3 has a great deal more presence and cachet.

kfmcmahon

I have both and agree with tstafford and jasonfreed

both are great for DD in summer...GT4 more involving and GT3 better gearing and sounding (I have Sharkwerks BP)

both are low (no lift on either) but not as low as my ZR1 and higher than my 458 (which has the lift, but rarely used)--approach steep driveways slowly and at an angle

I have LWB's in both and wouldn't have it any other way--you get used to the process of getting in and out quickly after a few tries.

Bardman

Thanks for your feedback. I find it interesting that the GT4 would be louder in the cabin for the reasons jphughhan mentions below.

I wouldnt go for a GT3 with PDK, the only reason I am considering it is because they now offer the manual option.

I think the fun on the road point is worth considering, but the GT4 doesn't give you the scared silly acceleration rush which the increased HP/torque of the GT3 will. On occasion I will sink the boot into the GT4 and think "is that all you've got?". I think once you have normalised a certain performance level, its hard to be fully satisfied with less.

This is what I would expect.

Bardman

Another interesting point for "fun on the road" factor, the better gearing of the GT3 manual. Will the different gearing ratios mean more 2-3-4 action than the GT4 on the street?

Bardman

This was my gut feeling as well is that the GT4 rear visibility (which is quite good IMO) would be better than the GT3. Is this the case?

I dont think there is any question that the GT3 engine will be far superior than the GT4 engine, this thread was more targetted at any daily driver "gotcha's" that exist with the GT3 that I hadn't considered or in fact any dd improvements the GT3 might have over the GT4.

I would hate to buy a "dream car" only to find that I couldn't live with it to use on a daily basis.

twentyseven

Have you considered a 991.2 GTS?

Bardman

Briefly - I just cant get excited by a turbo car. Between a 991.2 GTS and my GT4 the GT4 wins hands down.