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I’ve had my car now for over 2 months and love it more each day. The sound bothered me more when I first got it but now as I move up the rev range — I can see the potential. The OAP modification is a must imo. That being said, I think that that one mod will solve any sound issues I have. I do get what the Original Poster is saying to a degree but I just don’t think the car he wants exists....not in a new car anyway. And not in this price range. Most older generations are “rawer” and more analog than the latest version. But there are some that blend everything together. My Exige was rawer and more analog than my gt4, but I do think my GT4 is a much better car. And it’s simply way faster. The GT4 is also a full size normal car while the exige drove, and kinda looked, like a go cart. As many have stated, the closest modern car with this type of feel is probably the Evora GT. But that’s nowhere near as raw as it’s predecessors. Lastly, the 981 GT4 is probably rawer and sounds better. I think the new 718 GT4 looks better. My opinion. Fact is we can’t have it all. At least I can’t. For the record this is in no way a knock on the OP. I think everyone has a right to their own opinion on a forum. As long as respectful.
It's a spectrum. Each of us values different aspects of cars for different types of driving as we go through our days, years, and life. No car exists that excels at all aspects, for everyone, for every use, and at all times.
Sounds like most everyone is actually happy with their GT4s. Moving forward if someone wants a little more kick then opening the exhaust as has been said, and a possible tune will likely add a total of 40 more real horsepower. That should liven things up a bit. Beyond that if the gearing for the GT4 is the same as the current Cayman PDK then this of course will let the car wind out faster to as these gears are shorter. The acceleration will be a bit quicker and the revs higher at any given speed. Won't have the involvement of the 6-speed manual, but to each his own.
For reference, here are dual tables that I made for easy comparison of the speeds in gear for the two transmissions. It came off a transmission calculator. The top table is for a PDK with the track tire set up I will be using on 19 inch Forgeline rims vs a stock set up for the 6 speed. You are allowed to compare two tire sizes for each transmission calculation, so I just kept making the tire size bigger for the 6-speed table until it matched the numbers that came off of the original calculation from the 6-speed. This way you can see both tables side by side. With the lower tires the PDK has 11-12% shorter gearing compared to the manual. With stock 20 inch tires on both cars the difference is about 9% shorter for the PDK. Hope this helps give people an idea about the technical differences between the PDK and 6-speed manual transmissions. Couldn't put 7th gear in the table for the PDK, and it doesn't really matter anyway for this thread.
Last edited by lovetoturn; 09-22-2020 at 08:57 PM.
Got my GT4 last week and traded in my 991.2 cs.
GT4 is actually quieter than my 991.2 with turbo, cold start, warm acceleration, everything. GT4 doesnt have artificial pop even with sport mode on. This is not a deal breaker for me but sometimes I do like more noise.
My dealer told me aftermarket exhaust doesnt void warranty, as long as it's catback. I will be looking into something after engine break-in...
uhh ... the gt4 is much louder in the cabin than any of the 991 or 992 with turbo chargers. Own both. Drive them back to back. There is no comparison.
I traded in my 718 GT4 after only 2 months of ownership. I felt Porsche held back from what the platform truly was capable of, and it did not feel so “special” to me. I then got a McLaren 600LT Spider, true a different price point, but head and shoulders above what the GT4 felt as a track focused car. The 600LT is maybe not as reliable, but every time I drive it is an occasion and it’s great on road and even better on the track.
... ? Can I buy a manual transmission NA McLaren ?
If you want raw track speed, and can afford a GT3 or GT2 or Ferrari or McLaren, then yeah. The gt4 isn't that car.
I traded in my 718 GT4 after only 2 months of ownership. I felt Porsche held back from what the platform truly was capable of, and it did not feel so “special” to me. I then got a McLaren 600LT Spider, true a different price point, but head and shoulders above what the GT4 felt as a track focused car. The 600LT is maybe not as reliable, but every time I drive it is an occasion and it’s great on road and even better on the track.
Wait, wait, wait, wait...you’re telling me that a $256,000 car outperforms a $99,000 car?!!
Last edited by Archimedes; 09-22-2020 at 11:11 PM.
uhh ... the gt4 is much louder in the cabin than any of the 991 or 992 with turbo chargers. Own both. Drive them back to back. There is no comparison.
In the cabin yes, but not from outside. I own both as well, did cold start comparison everything. I havent pulled GT4 past 5k rpm so looking forward to it. Anyway, I am keeping GT4 for sure. No regret trading in 991.2.
Your comments actually fit a pattern of experiences from few others on this gen. I'm beginning to get nervous, as a planned buyer. Aside from power, if you fix the sound, will it meet your expectations? I don't think you can do anything to make it "feel" raw! Still, I don't think we've clear understanding of the sound from combined effect of all the relevant mods done. So far, we've bits and pieces. It is unclear how all the bits work together to produce a cohesive, emotive sound across the rev range.
What would you do if you were in my position? I will NEVER sell the 981 Spyder. I'm planning on adding a 982 Spyder. But, would you skip the 982 and instead get something like Ariel Atom 4 or Caterham Seven 620S? These two are in my list anyway.
I try to never say never, but I can’t foresee selling my 981 Spyder either. It certainly provides an emotional involvement each time I drive it. Having said that I have a longing for an air cooled 911, and have identified an 89 Carrera I may buy. It’s priced right and has low miles. To OP, you might want to consider an older Porsche or as someone else said a 996 GT3, a car I once owned which had rawness in spades.
The manual GT4/GT3 Spyder/Speedster are very comparable performance wise with a slight edge going to the 911 platform.
GT2, Ferrari and McLaren are different beasts with turbos and significantly greater horsepower.
Afaic, the GT3 and GT4/Spyder provide the tactile feel of a sports car being the true extension of the driver. A Tesla saloon accelerates faster, so what.
I longed for GT3 performance in an open topped ride. Afaic, I got 90%+ of the way there with my 718 Spyder. Something I could not say with any open topped Porsche I owned previously.
And the GT3 MT is the benchmark for what a true visceral sports car should be. You can get faster or flashier but better, not a chance.
Originally Posted by AlexCeres
... ? Can I buy a manual transmission NA McLaren ?
If you want raw track speed, and can afford a GT3 or GT2 or Ferrari or McLaren, then yeah. The gt4 isn't that car.
Do you own the car or are you just parroting Internet hyperbole? I’ve spent enough time on the track with Porsches both PDK and MT to know the gearing with the 4.0 engine works just fine. Unless you’re making money shaving seconds of lap times. Then you will want specialized gearing correlated to the specific track. You also want to adjust camber etc., while your at it and make sure your slicks are nice and warm.
It’s always nice hearing from people who have no experience with what there talking about. I guess folks that buy a GT4 PDK instead of the upcoming Z06 must be in denial and prefer to spend the same money to go slower.
Originally Posted by John Ferguson
The long MT gearing is an issue, PDK cars with shorter gearing are faster. Those with their heads in the sand are in denial.
PDK driver, "I want to go fast". MT driver, "I want to go slower (but I'll tell everyone I'm having more fun)."
McLaren. Lol, the depreciation king. can they add any more plasticky swoops to look more like an Asian jogging shoe. It’s like generic supercar brand A. If I wanted a generic Supercar, I’d wait for a Z06 which will probably cost less than the McLaren depreciates. Ferrari is still Ferrari but they came woefully close of engineering out the soul of the Italia and over styling the 488 with even more fins and flares.
The GT3 GT4/Spyder are as close as you can get to visceral sports car perfection. And the snappy tactile MTs in these cars are a real timeless joy. Anyone who can’t figure that out would probably prefer to have private transportation as a service.
982 Spyder is the car I've been waiting for many years. A roadster fettled by the famed GT. It's problems (not many, I might add) can be mitigated by after-market solutions. With the next gen Boxster/Cayman platform going electric, we'll be looking back longingly at flat six models, GPF/OPF or not. I think we're lucky that the GPF, exhaust valves and mufflers can be easily removed, at least for RoW, without impacting regs or warranty. I believe 992's exhaust valves are controlled electronically; and, they sound far worse!
As others have pointed out, there is no perfect sports car. For that matter, there is no perfect anything! Everything has a trad-off; a compromise. Comes down to the individual, whether or not a given compromise is acceptable. From now, any new model coming out of Europe will be muted or muffled. The regs are just onerous, for an enthusiast. The upcoming Nissan Z is not gonna be sold in Europe/UK for a good reason.
Originally Posted by Mark Dreyer
...............I can’t foresee selling my 981 Spyder either. It certainly provides an emotional involvement each time I drive it. Having said that I have a longing for an air cooled 911, and have identified an 89 Carrera I may buy. ............. a 996 GT3, a car I once owned which had rawness in spades.
I hear ya! Sometimes I fancy picking up a 930 or 993 open top. But, I'm just used to modern handling and reliability! 996 GT3 is a great ride, if one can get over the styling, though it is subjective.
I think the OP is right. My 718 Spyder is a huge step down from the 981 it replaced. Considerably less emotive. I feel every bit of the extra ~300lbs, the GPF/OPF makes it sound like my old wrangler at idle and worse, it’s constantly battling it’s own exhaust/dB-limit programming (valves opening and closing at terrifically annoying moments). It’s a real shame.
if anyone is interested in a GT Silver Spyder, carbon buckets, carbon trim, full PPF, DM me.
Really? You feel every bit of extra 300lbs? Wonder what super powers you have to feel the non existent weight in your car.
09-22-2020, 05:51 PM
