I hate to bring this up again, but surely some folks on this forum have driven 991s with RAS and the 981 or 718. How do they compare in tossability? Is the RAS subtle or does it make a big difference in cornering? With RAS does a 911 still possess the traditional driving characteristics of a 911?

 

I would love to hear some perspective on this point as well.....but from people who have owned both and put their hard earned money into the car....not just driven them for 15 minutes. I own a 981 and a 991.2 (without RWS) and the 981 is just awesome and fantastic on the country roads and I prefer "driving" this car. I have not driven a 911 w/RWS however.

 

Here is my take - RAS makes the 991 "feel" more like my 993, though the absolute grip in the 991 is *much* higher. My opinion after flogging it is that the effect isn't subtle - and that it's highly desirable (for me at least) if you like the way the older cars handle -- I've done a complete 180 on this in the last 10 days after driving two cars with and without it, along with my car on the same route. My 993 is setup very neutral, to euro RS specs, FWIW. I don't think RAS hides the rear-weight bias at all - so it doesn't make the 911 feel like a Boxter/Cayman. As an added bonus, it improves parking and low-speed maneuvering, and makes a very small improvement to lane-changing at highway speeds.

BTW, the 991 RAS is actually ZF's AKC - which implements a form of "active" toe adjustment, in addition to the steering bit. This is similar in function (if not in implementation) to the Weissach Axle that debuted on the 928 and was "mimic'd" on the 964 (semi-trailing arm) and 993 (5 link - 1 elastic link). Probably why it feels like my 993 in the twisty's.

https://www.zf.com/corporate/en_de/p..._control.shtml

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weissach_axle
https://www.total911.com/technology-...h-effect-axle/

cheers,

sean

 

BTW - I'm spec'ing RAS on my Carrera T. So that's where my hard-earned $$ are going.

 

The first time I took my GTS on a twisty road I immediately noticed how well the RAS was working. Even better than I remember my GT3 was, although maybe I'd just forgotten. In any case, it makes a huge difference and I wouldn't buy a car without it after seeing how well it works. It felt almost surreal.

 

I swear by it. I had Rear Axle Steering on both my
'15 .1 991 gt3 & now in my '17 .2 991 S Coupe with
the optional 'Sport Package'! In both cases, the
cars felt 'hooked-on' in the corners!


****
I'm hooked on a feeling
I'm high on believing...

Saludos,
Eduardo
Scottsdale

hooked on feeling

 

I would agree that RAS is a big improvement over cars without it. Going from my 2012 to the current car with RAS was a revelation. It feels more responsive and better planted at speed.

 

991 Turbo (w/RAS) and 981 in the garage here. So, yes, I've driven and own both. Can't say I've explored either of them to their limits yet though.

But first:

mad props and respect for the 928 reference

RAS makes the 911 feel a lot smaller than it is. Which is more tossable? Hard to say. Might depend upon exactly what you mean by tossable. I would lean toward the 981 being more tossable. RAS makes the 911 feel as small as the 981 but doesn't remove the butt-o-meter feel that the a$$ of the 911 has a lot of trunk junk.

So, RAS does not seem to 'hide' the traditional a$$-engined 911 characteristics. You still know you're driving a rear-engined car.

Which is more fun on the twisties? Again hard to say. The 981 is like a rapier, the 911 Turbo is like a two-handed sword and the super-charged 928 is like Thor's hammer. All very different.

For balance, pure joy and amusement I'd pick the 981 over the 991 Turbo. The 981 feels more playful, more precise, less of a blunt instrument. But, I like blunt instruments.

What I don't know is how the N.A. 991.1s compare to the 981s. And, I've yet to sample a 718, but my expectation is that they will feel just as amusing as the 981s and rectify my primary 981 complaint (no torque) at the expense of the glorious flat-6 NA sound.

(Full disclosure, while I think the NA flat-6 sound is glorious, nothing, nothing compares to the super-charged 928's sound.)

What are you looking for? RAS won't make a 911 as tossable as a 981 but I wouldn't skip RAS on a 911 if it was available on the desired 911 model.