tstafford

As many of you know, I recently sold my .1 RS in favor of a Radical and a 2018 C2S. Still waiting on the Radical to go in to production and I've had the C2S for almost a month now.

I've been surprised by how much I've enjoyed the C2S. It's an extremely serviceable DD - fun to drive and quite luxurious as well. The car has PDK, Premium and Sport packages w/ the 14-way seats (I didn't spec it but it's okay). It's been so much fun to drive that it has me thinking about parting ways with the Tesla. But y'all have them and know what they're like on the street.

Track - I finally got the chance to take it out today at AMP. It was a cold day (~45 deg) and a misty light rain - track was damp but no standing water. Car has P-Zeros and 1.3 neg camber front and 2.0 rear (some say this is too much). I was tremendously impressed by the car. It is far more capable than I expected. Some thoughts (most recently I was tracking the .1 RS and an M2):
Power - The car is damn fast. AMP is short (shy of 2 miles) w/ 16 turns. The turbo is very well suited for the track. I think one could argue that the turbo is better than NA in this situation - the torque for exiting slow corners is awesome.
Steering - Not nearly the feedback of the RS - not close. A major difference.
Brakes - My number one surprise - the car stops incredibly fast. I was braking earlier to allow for less brake ability than the RS but I overdid it.
Chasis - Very, very good considering that it's mostly a luxury car. I got all the feedback I wanted from the car. I wonder what PDCC would be like.
Seats - no surprise there, I don't like them on the track. Easy to get a DNA sample from the grate of the Bose speaker on the driver's door. For sure miss the LWB/harnesses.
Overall - The car left me very confident. I felt fast but comfortable. Didn't have to work nearly as hard to drive it as the RS.

Results - My best time in the RS at AMP is 1.33.85 on MPSC2 and today I was able to notch a 1.35.91 on P-Zeros on a semi-damp track. Both of those times could be improved upon significantly by a better driver. But it does provide comparison - the C2S is a damn capable car. It's definitely nice to be tracking a $100K less expensive car that isn't carbon fiber and magnesium. I'm certain that fear of an off-track in the RS was slowing me down. I know I ran the C2S harder today than I did the RS. It's an amazing blend of street car performance, luxury and track ability.

pitt911

thanks for the write up
made me rethink my next daily . Currently drive an E63 AMG as I need AWD which I love , and was thinking M5 or another E63
but was thinking a 4 S/GTS as an option

stout

Nice to see this kind of feedback, and from a known RL GT3er.

Been saying it from the start: Even the base 991.2 is all the 911 you need. Is it a GT3? No, but that cuts a few ways (most of them good), and the twin-turbo 3.0 truly alters the scope of the Carrera lineup's performance—and, at least in my opinion, excitement.

The 991.2 Carrera/S/GTS/T is a seriously well-rounded car.

dflowerz

Thanks for the write-up. I have never tracked a car but done track days on various sport bikes, so at least have some idea. My 991.2 C2s has impressed me from day one. The car is not cheap, but it really is a great value for an all around performance car. You really get what you pay for!

RRDnA

Now, you need a set of MPSC2 N1 and for good measure X51.

On track, the difference between the S, GTS, GT3 and GT3RS is down to the driver and tires. If all have MPSC2 N1s the difference is down to the driver. All are very capable with different strengths and weaknesses. Porsche closed the performance gap by a considerable margin, which I feel, was a really good move.

I think it was Carroll Shelby who once famously said "torque wins races, horse power sells cars"

tstafford

MPSC2 - I agree. Once I wear thru the P-zeros I'll replace with Cup2. The P-zeros were what the car came with.

X51 - I'm not sure. Seems like a great value, but I kind of like the car the way it is. I didn't find myself wishing it had more power on the track.

RRDnA

Ah yes - I forgot about the Radical now that will be fun

JEllis

Imagine what it would do with Sport Cup 2s and wider rubber up front.

stout

^ And I've found that, on the road, the pace is down to driver alone. Unless someone has a death wish, a base Carrera can keep a GT3 RS in sight.

So the only difference is the experience. The GT3s' thrills are higher highs, but the Carrera/S/GTS/T (as well as the Turbos...) are nicer to use more of the time and are hardly a letdown when you do get after them. The 992 will have some big shoes to fill at all levels, as the 991.2 was a particularly good vintage...

Curious for your thoughts on throttle response with the S...

Bossing

Yes sir! The .2 Carrera is a great performer even on the track... inspires confidence. Glad to read you enjoy it!

Nice feedback as well and yes I also agree that driver (skilled) + tires (sticky) make key improvements even over high powered cars....

For example, I used to have a manual 991.2 C2 and it sure held its own on the track. I consider myself an intermediate-advance trackrat since I'm a bit more conservative than always all-out gungho. As you can see the Carrera can duke it out with bigger players.... even track-spec ones too. I had tons of fun when I took mine to Homestead in the blue group sessions:

LavaGTS

Nice review OP.

It's no joke when these .2 cars are putting up supercar like lap times on tracks like big willow and leguna seca with significantly less HP and TQ. I currently own a .2 GTS and while I haven't had the chance to rip it apart I can say that a base .2 is one of the funnest cars I've ever torn apart. The low end torque and PDK wizardry is amazing among other things.

Just watched motor trend's E63 AMG S vs CTS V video a couple weeks ago. Both 600hp/600tq+ cars and the benz had AWD + DCT. A 2014 991 S with only 400hp did a lap 2(I believe) seconds faster than both.

The 991 being almost luxury like is seriously no joke. Especially the .2

urbanscribe

Been driving the P90D less since getting the TTS but would not give it up.

R_Rated

I know that Cayman.... and why it pulls away from the 911 so hard

AlBinVA

tstafford,

Thanks for posting. I am a beginner track rat. I have done 2 HPDE's in my life, both with my .2 C2S. Before the events, I was a bit nervous but the capabilities of this car put me at ease. I learned a great deal of the car's capabilities (and mine) rather quickly. The car is better than me for sure. One of the events was on a short track as well and I found that 3rd and 4th gears were the only two I was using. The torque this car produces allows exit from the turns w/o significant loss. At least that is my experience. Also, I have a 7M and eliminating the 2/3 shift under track stress (2nd gear gets to redline so quick) made me feel much better. As a DD, the combination of ride, luxury handling and power makes it an absolute hoot to drive.

Bossing
Nice videos. The 302 is a monster in the straights, the curves, not so much. I saw the tail swing out twice in the first few minutes.

tstafford

Running Sport Plus on the track and throttle response never crossed my mind (good or bad) which I guess suggests it's fine by me. I was focused mostly on the handling and the overall track experience of the car. And, because it was day one, I was highly attentive to braking!

Weather permitting I'll have it back out on AMP on Tuesday. I'll pay attn to the throttle response and I'll also see if there is any perceptible difference in Sport Plus vs. the other settings.