rxtrom

I'll admit whether the Carrera T is pure marketing or a parts car I am intrigued. I've owned air cooled 911s and most recently a 991.GTS (PDK) both briefly at the same time. Different cars for different purposes obviously and never a one car fits all scenario. Time in the cars was always a struggle and eventually sold the lesser used and then realized I sold the wrong one. I was never a NA motor or else guy but I definitely enjoy them, just like I appreciate the air-cooled 3.2 vs the water pumpers. I realize Porsche evolves for performance, govt regulations, and to survive vs competition just like any other company.

I had been searching for a .2 GT3 since March and while I even hate to pay MSRP I was definitely not paying a ADM. Unfortunately due to my value strategy in buying cars I have not been loyal to any dealer and thus - no luck. Having a family of 5 it was going to be a struggle to use it regularly anyway so maybe it was meant to be. Worst case I can try the secondary market in a year or so..

When the Carrera T was announced as a lightweight 911 I got excited however like many of you once the math was all worked out by not removing the rear seats or getting the LWBs it was 11lbs, big deal I can probably lose 11lbs personally and just get the base. However once you factor in the PASM sport, PTV mechanical lsd, Sport exhaust, lightweight rear glass, some aesthetic cues as standard, and Rear wheel steering as an option (not avail on base) it seems less of a marketing campaign and more of a pretty cool "purist" car. It will still not fit everyone in my family but at least there will be only one short straw instead of 3.

Now to the point of my rambling thread. The color and wheel options are really lacking. I love both Chalk and Blue slate Metallic with black wheels and black door handles and mirror bottoms. This classic look can only be configured with the performance options of the T on the S or above. Have any of you contemplated the T and went for the S for the added HP and better stock brakes with more visual config options? My specs are only 10k different from the 7speed T to the S and if I add PCCB on the T I am only 2k off.

Pete from 000 magazine (Stout) did a review on the T and really likes the car but recommended the PCCBs due to the stock brakes lacking confidence. SO taking that into consideration while I would never use the PCCB to their fullest potential in that car I think the S brakes would be fine.

I realize the T may be a limited run and thus hold value better than the S but that is not really a factor in this decision.

Thanks in advance.
Rob

LnC993

Go for the T.

evilfij

I have said this before about the T. It’s really a great package. However, unless you want LWB seats or are in love with the Carrera T interior package design or really just want the savings of the package (getting all the performance goodies at a combined discount and getting PTV on a base car) I would go with the S.

I feel your pain on the GT3, but it’s only money. ADMs are mostly $25k and down now, sometimes as low as $10k for an on the ground high spec car. I agonized and would probably have been more than satisfied with a base Carrera (or S or GTS especially a T with LWBs), but ponied up for the GT3T.

Had that not worked out, I would have ended up in a base Carrera with paint to sample and leather to sample as much as I love LWBs, I don’t want (and especially don’t want to pay for) the performance options of the T (PSE, SPASM, RWS) and think PTS and LTS make the car very special.

On brakes, I suppose it is possible to cook stock base/T brakes with heavy use, but keep in mind Pete was driving hard on curvey mountain roads for hours.

FORENN

reacher

My initial thought on the T was that it didn't make any sense and was mostly a marketing move. However, as I've found with Porsche, numbers and specs on paper don't tell the whole story. For instance, I really disliked the S, but I immediately fell in love with the GTS. I would have never guessed that there was such a big difference in the personality of the cars if I hadn't tried them both. My advice is to try all the cars you're interested in and see which one speaks to you the most.

911-TOUR

Carrera T. Only way to get those cool GT bits in (relatively) cost effective package from the factory. Can't do it on the S.

sean

rxtrom

I should have also said that I already put a deposit down for a T allocation, April build. The reason for the thread is just that the S can be configured to be more aesthetically pleasing to me. Surprisingly my dealer only has had 2 T allocations despite them being a very large dealer in the Philly area so I am definitely intrigued even more.

phx991

Same here. Base brakes are more than adequate for track use. I've never experienced any fading, and have hard time believing someone would have issues with these brakes on the street.

stout

Track use and fast road use are two very different things. My sense is that I could get away with the base brakes for track use with track-oriented pads (if available) and fluid, as the car spends a lot of time at high speed on a track—which helps the brakes cool a lot between applications. Some tracks more, or less, than others.

On truly great back roads, a car may not get up to more than 50-70 mph between turns—but the brakes get pounded repeatedly. It's a different kind of test, and one that I feel reveals weaknesses that Porsche's (good) repeated "0-100-0-100-0" tests may not. My other sense is that the immediacy of the torque out of turns with the turbo 3.0 really changes things at the next corner entry that doesn't show up on the peak torque output spec sheets between 991.1 and 991.2. I've now gotten to smell and/or a soft pedal with the black brakes in two instances, in Tenerife and in France. In neither case did it progress to brake fade or failure, but I adjusted my driving style and trusted the brakes less...which isn't what one wants in that situation. My sense in both cases was that there just wasn't enough rotor to deal with the heat. It wasn't an issue in Northern California, but I had a (very cool) executive from PCNA riding shot gun and went (a little) easy on him. ;-)

YMMV, but I don't view myself as an amazing driver. I am a road tester, and no Röhrl, Long, etc. My job is to uncover good and bad points likely to be experienced by real drivers and owners.

Selo

As it's all come out in the wash, does it turn out that the T has the same shifter, same gearing, same LSD, and same ptv, standard as the S, and same RAS and SPASM when ordered on S?

stout

^ But for the shifter, I believe so.

BlueNorther

I think the real comparison should be between the T and GTS Coupe, since the options you'd need to put on the S would be baked into the MRSP of the GTS. I was bummed when the Carrera T was announced a couple of weeks after the order of my 991.2 GTS locked. Butt in the end I think I will be fine with my stripper MT GTS Coupe, it should be at least fun as the T, with better brakes, for not that much more $ (given discount on the GTS).

stout

You're not gonna be bummed. Stripper GTS is an amazing value, and I almost went that way precisely because it comes with a lot of the stuff I wanted and/or couldn't get on my standard Carrera. Headlights, SPASM, SC, 20s, a brake upgrade, etc.

It's funny how the T ends up competing with all three Carrera models. I can see choosing a Carrera MT with PCCB over a T with PCCB for similar money, I can see choosing an S with SPASM and a few other options over a T with standard brakes for similar money, and I can see choosing a stripped GTS over a T with standard brakes but a lot of the frou frou for not much of a leap.

The good news is none of the above are bad choices.

BlueNorther

Excellent to hear, thanks!

Sharm

Agree 100%. People who write off the GTS as a parts bin special have obviously never driven it with an open mind for an extended period of time, or spec out the very options that define it. I owned a Targa 4S before the GTS and I can say they have different driving characteristics.